"I swear so help me God that I will cause the downfall and destruction of all Devils present on this battlefield. If you lend me your swords I'll elevate all of you to paragons of justice and light."
"We, the elite of the Luminous Wardens, will be the first stepping stone of the desolation of Faravos, and the first to step foot in Faravos, beating back the infection on their own lands."
"Leave now if you do not wish the complete annihilation of all Devilkind if you are faint of heart you do not belong in this unit. No sympathy will be felt for the poison of Faravos."
"Do not grow complacent in the absence of bloodshed in the service of the Luminous Wardens. Do not threat that was no insult, the continued survival of the Ironstar is testament for your might."
"But the absence of person on person combat can dull someone's senses and reactions to a hostile threat swinging down upon them. There will be no training. If you cannot stomach the frontlines you will not survive and should leave immediately."
"But for those who can. Follow us, and become absolute in the eyes of the public. I, Ratella Evergarden and my fellow captains will lead all twelve thousand of you to victory against the Devils"
"Walk the path we set and become absolute."
The legions of soldiers below the three captains all put their hands to their hearts performing the angelic salute of old. Their faces filled with determination, a quiet fury lurking in the back of their eyes at the infection polluting their lands.
All of the soldiers' ideals were clear to the two of them; they loathed Devils with every fiber of their being. An unbridled rage barely contained flowed through each of their veins.
Making them the perfect tools to enact Olivia's revenge and personal grudge on Liliana and the Heralds of the Apocalypse.
Rageful beings will follow whatever order they believe will satisfy and dampen the corruptive rage within their hearts.
"The Devil rot of Kathoros and the lands of Faravos needs to be purged and annexed for Kathoros to ensure its continued angelic existence. We cannot let any Devil live a year to do such a thing would only invite unrest and destruction to our angelic cities."
"Yes, Sir."
Every single soldier roared with understanding and excitement at the countdown Ratella was putting on Devils' lifespans. Their eyes lighting up with hope and admiration for the six winged savior standing before them.
A sea of crimson and orange stood below the three, the military uniforms of the Luminous Warden. An elegant and professional mix all adorned with the signature symbol of their new unit.
"Paragons of Luminous."
Ratella stepped backwards allowing Olivia to take center stage in the balcony overlooking the sea of soldiers.
Their faces twisted with confusion and cautious, a tinge of aversion hiding under each of their gazes. The appearance of a wingless angel in their hierarchy deeply shook each and every person.
Each of their prides being tattered by being placed below a wingless vermin, only good for leeching and polluting the atmosphere with their vile words.
Ratella's temple twitched with blatant irritation at their expression, the memories of Nova's orphanage running fresh through his mind.
Hatred was the only emotion he was shown by those who wore similar looks.
"All those putrid looks plastered on your face could be classed as thoughts of treason. Do not think you can match me in a one on one fight just because I bear no wings upon my back."
"I am Olivia Lifebloom, the second captain of the Paragons of Luminous. I do not tolerate weakness and will cast out any roots of weakness growing in this unit of elites. If you do not wish to follow my commands then you can challenge my order."
"But do remember that such a challenge will only be met with the sweet embrace of the valley of death."
"Why would you trust a word coming from a filthy leech such as yourself!"
"Putrid wingless, do not dare to speak these falsehoods in our presence!"
"Begone!"
Shouts of protest lifted from most of the soldiers' mouths, their prejudice over ruling every aspect of military law in their minds. The silent soldiers knew better than to judge the Dominion of the Sun's decision and many tales of their adventures in the Divine Arena had spread to every inch of Ironstar.
Brutality and cruelty were the leading aspects of the little stories.
"Silence, insolent pests!"
"Your blatant insubordination leads me to my test that each and every one of you must undergo to become a full fledged Paragon. Due to your foul attitude no one is to leave to go against my words will be deemed as treason and you shall be all executed by Ratella's sword."
"To complete this test, you must survive."
Every soldiers' face was plastered with worry and anticipation at the test to come, the sinister smile growing on Olivia's face doing nothing to dispel their fears.
The earlier soldiers shouted no longer, their feet turning towards the exit but not moving an inch. There was no deceit in Olivia words despite being loud mouthed they were no fools and could sense danger from miles away.
Whatever was to come wouldn't be remembered as a positive experience that was a fact everyone could agree with.
"You fail if you bleed."
With her words, she released the full extent of her bloodlust and primal desire to kill. Her murderous intent to every single soldier under her petrifying them completely their minds screaming the slightest movement could cause their untimely demise.
The pressure from her unfiltered hatred and bloodlust forced many onto their knees barely able to control their own bodies.
A crimson hue had been cast over the soldiers, the feeling of being watched from multiple angles being shared by all of them. In the area of her bloodlust, her might was absolute. The power and effect was much higher than Ratella's, he couldn't hope to use it in such a way.
Everything in its confines was under her watch, every person being surveilled.
Around a thousand failed the test, a river of blood flowing from their noses or dropping dead completely. Their bodies unable to handle the strain of her intent, their hearts shattering from the terror.
"With my test we are left with exactly eleven thousand soldiers, the rest bleeding or dying, thinking nothing of the losses. Weakness is an infection we cannot afford to let spread."
"To harbor any more sympathy than necessary will only cause problems and invite hesitation at the deciding moment in your lives."
"Become absolute in mind and body. Any less and you will just end up as a growing number in a snout nosed official's report."
Olivia soon stepped down allowing for Julius to take her place but no one in the sea of soldiers heard his speech, their minds still racing with anxiety and a newfound deep rooted terror surrounding Olivia's form. After Julius stepped down looking slightly saddened by no one focusing their attention on him. Ratella once again took the stage announcing the closing remarks of the first gathering of the Paragons.
"While the formation of this elite unit was long, we are no longer restricted in our movements. We have been ordered to investigate a nearby camp that recently went dark, there hasn't been a single word for over a week. The involvement of Devil forces have been suspected and if you encounter a Devil you are to slay it with extreme prejudice. Anything less would only mean your own demise. By tomorrow morning I expect every single one of you gathered in this exact spot, do not be late. Good day." exclaimed Ratella turning his back to the soldiers, his cloak fluttering in the wind. The crimsons and oranges of his uniform glistening in the sunlight, the possibility to slay another Sin exciting him greatly.
He no longer gave a single thought to Liliana's feelings on the matter, her underhanded tactics leaving no room for sympathy to swell in his heart. He wouldn't allow her plans to be unchallenged. After all violence and disrupting the plans of his supposed better was becoming one of his favourite past times.