"You're so formal when speaking to the angels of Kathoros. You weren't nearly as formal with those aspects of shadow at Brightnight. I heard you pummeled one through a wall."
"Devils like to push their luck and get overly confident at a single scratch. Angels require more delicate treatment; any disrespect will be taken as an opening to execute you. It's best not to insult a proud creature even if you are superior to it."
"Devils are quite loathsome creatures indeed," said Olivia, her voice laced with disdain as she cupped her hands behind her back, gathering the gazes of everyone near the main gate at her beauty.
"Let's hurry to the Dominion; there's no point wasting time on a city of soldiers."
The three of them walked towards Ironstar's second gate, unable to fly because anti-air machines littered the citadel. These machines would unleash thousands of projectiles at anything nearby, unable to distinguish between allies and enemies.
Ironstar was mainly filled with soldiers with two wings taking residence in the expansive citadel. By the number of houses, there were over a million soldiers hiding in the walls. Its impregnable reputation was becoming more obvious with each step through the citadel's grounds.
There was an odd band of merchants in the city, taking advantage of the war-torn land, always being in need of fresh equipment. They sold nothing extraordinary, mostly overpriced weapons and trinkets.
The merchants would have piqued his interest if they had sold any treats, but unfortunately, they sold only ration stamps.
Millions of soldiers required millions of pounds of food. After all, if anything sweet was sold, it would have been gone in seconds. The soldiers, as ravenous as Ratella, felt the same when it came to delicious food.
"I don't think there is any fresh bread here. Everyone's most likely bordering on starving, judging by the ration stamps the merchants were selling."
"That's unfortunate. I was hoping for some fresh bread like the ones Gluttony had, but I suppose I'll have to wait a while longer."
Olivia's lips downturned for a moment before anticipation and excitement appeared in her eyes at the thought of more bread lifting her sorrows.
Memaru shuffled around for a moment in Ratella's arms, grumbling to himself about the absence of fresh bread. The three shared a similar taste for food, making them the perfect trio.
Despite the lack of actual civilians in Ironstar, the citadel's streets were still bustling with activity. Families and couples packed the area, browsing the merchants' goods and enjoying their free time while they still could.
The citadel's peaceful state wouldn't last forever; this thought haunted every soldier. Uncertain of their true security, each soldier replayed possible consequences in their minds.
"Even in the absence of Devil attacks, they still fear for their safety. You can see it written all over their faces."
"Can you really blame them? Soldiers grow paranoid and fearful after a lull in fighting. All they know is war; their minds race at the possibility of imminent danger. I've seen this many times over. Devils practice a similar method of paranoia."
"Fear is just the infection that war brings to the weak. If they cannot handle the war, they should just go back to Kathoros to save them the grief and misery that's bound to enter their minds."
"If it were only that simple. In Faravos, once you enlist, you must see the war to its end; the only break you get is in death. I can assume Kathoros' military follows a similar practice."
"I suppose I was naive to think that the Primordial Light would care for foot soldiers. The upper echelons of the choir wouldn't allow a soldier to return home to spread the horrors of the war to their family. It would only add to the increasing unrest."
"I believe Kathoros' traitors are called undesirables. Is that correct?"
"Yeah, if you are deemed undesirable, your whole family will be purged alongside you, casting away the infection of treason, neutralising the chance for it fester."
"Faravos needs a system similar to remove the rot polluting the minds of Devilkind. Although I don't think the whole family needs to be executed along with them, fear is a good enough deterrent for the weak."
Olivia was sharing her ideal society and standards for Devilkind with Ratella. Although her words were harsh, they seemed logical and reasonable to him. Her vision would certainly address some of Faravos's problems.
"If you believe this, why haven't you put it into motion yet?"
"I'm an outcast, and Nuit doesn't actually listen to me. She just humours my requests to speak nothing more. My ideals go completely over her head. She doesn't bother with Faravos any more than I do, observing it from her nest."
"Don't you need to ask permission for anything you do?"
"Yeah, but her answer is an instant yes. She doesn't even think about the request, leaving all the earthly matters to her creations."
"Gods are odd creatures after all, it's only expected for them to be weird."
"That they are."
Ratella thought Olivia had won the lottery of the gods easily. She didn't have a wicked deity disguising itself as light when it was really corrupted to the bone. Ignorance was much better than actively manipulating your subjects to suit your own twisted sense of humour.
"Only criminals should receive such treatment; the purging of whole towns and villages is disgusting. No child should witness their beloved home's destruction just because of one man's crimes."
"It is a flawed system, indeed."
Although their ideals differed slightly, both followed the same major belief.
Strength is law. The weak exist beneath it, and the rot of society is erased from existence.
They eventually reached the second gate upon their arrival, and the same beam of light was cast down upon them. It hummed serenely for a moment, analysing and trying to detect any malice within their minds. Once the light faded, muffled shouts could be heard, and the second gate swung open, revealing a giant arena directly in front of it. It was dressed in the colours of the Sun, the Earth quaking from the impact of the challengers within its confines.
The exchange of metal could be heard from their position as many soldiers were gathered around the arena. The arena was apparently the favourite place to pass the time on their free days, where they could enjoy the clashes of the titans inhabiting Kathoros without risking their lives on the battlefield.