They heard of the demon with the spatial artifact. Some didn't believe it but these 14 did. They came here waiting for Aeternus to offer him a deal. They need resources and access to abyss altars. They hoped that can get it from Aeternus in exchange for their collective strength and protection.
Maybe that wasn't their plan before. There's no way 14 demons skulking about can be up to any good. But they changed their minds when they saw his fight with Alkazhi. Aeternus undoubtedly had the strength of a high-rank demon and he was stronger than them individually. So they chose not to fight him and to offer him safety in numbers.
Aeternus nodded his head. "Sounds reasonable. But like I said earlier. Growth needs Adversity."
Fog bellowed out of his body to form a cloud that covered them all. His chaotic power is above their magical resistance but his attack was spread too wide so it will wake time before their defense is eaten. But the cloud obscured their vision and senses. They couldn't see or hear anything from within the cloud.
It made them fumble and unable to react properly as he swung his claymore for their lives. Their first instinct was to run away from him in the opposite direction but the cloud moved around with him as the center, so they couldn't escape the cover of pure darkness.
It felt like being within pure darkness because all their senses including their very important divine sense were not working within the cloud. The opposite is true for him. His soul force had permitted the cloud and created a sort of domain for him. They were not able to see him but he could see them.
He could do more than see them. He could cast spells with the chaos energy within the cloud. Chaos spells were forming within the cloud while he also used his claymore. Chaos bolts attacked them from every direction and blades of chaos came out of his weapon to put down any stubborn foe. The cloud was also wearing them down mentally and physically. He was attacking them from all sides.
Apart from the handicap of sensory deprivation, and constant passive and active attacks, they also couldn't retaliate at all. No spell could form within the cloud at all and they couldn't target him to attack him because of the sensory deprivation and mental disorientation. So they were like sheep to the slaughter, rendered incapable of putting up any resistance.
He was like a deathly reaper in the darkness as he hunted them down. Chaos blades tore them apart limb from limb while chaos bolts drilled into them and ate into their flesh. The ones that cried out in pain had chaotic energy forced into their mouth and down their throat. It spelled their doom. Two of them got lucky enough to reach the perimeter of the cloud but a blade of chaotic flames cut them down before they could escape. He didn't need to be near someone now to attack them with his claymore. So they all died.
The cloud of chaos receded and stuck close to his body making it hazy. There was nobody left apart from him. Even their armor and weapons have been destroyed. The only thing left was some items that he decided to preserve, some grimoires and information stones.
They have more possessions but they will be in their lairs and hideouts. The lack of portable storage devices has made it necessary for demons to have a base and it has also made it unlikely for them to have their valuables on them. He went about picking up his spoils before he continued his journey.
He pitied these demons. The demon society is full of competition. If you fall behind, then you become irrelevant and uncompetitive. Even if these few manage to scrape resources together and evolve, they would never be able to compete with the established noble families. Their plan was well thought out and their offer wasn't bad but he isn't like them. He is a predator, not a scavenger.
News spread about his deeds at the border about how he killed a noble demon's envoy and 14 high-rank demons. It wasn't difficult to track him. Anyone could just follow the trail of grey ashes he left behind on the ground. He ignored the surveillance because there was nothing he can do about it unless he decides to move underground. He continued his journey until he reached a fortress. Even then he might not be able to escape the divine sense that had locked onto him.
The demon lookouts and sentries on the wall of the fortress spotted him easily. He is something out of place even in the abyss. He looked like an expanding dot of darkness in a world of red due to the heat and lava. The lookouts went to inform their commander immediately.
The commander grinned when he heard that the ominous reaper and darkness had come to his doorstep. Had he come to pledge allegiance or to hand over the spatial artifact to ask for protection?
"Either way, he has made a good choice." He said grandly as soon as he heard the news.
This demon of pride felt proud that Aeternus chose him. He is a top high-rank demon with 3 other high-rank demons as his subordinate. They are more like his lackeys because he is way stronger than the three assistant commanders. They are in no way his equals or partners. He simply took them in because he needed strong subordinates to keep the mid-rank demons under control and they were also weak compared to him. So he is doing well and will do better once he gets the spatial artifact.
"Get everyone ready for battle. The fortress is on high battle alert mode from now on." He ordered his lackeys as he strode towards the castle walls.
The proximity of the spatial artifact to him may be good news but it is bound to bring problems. The Ominous Reaper of Darkness brings calamity with him wherever he goes so he must be prepared for anything. The commander is preparing for the attacks that will be made against him when he gets the spatial artifact. So Aeternus arrived to find a fortress that is battle ready.
The army commander noticed his rank from the fluctuations of his mark of sin.
He was surprised. "He is really a mid-rank demon. I had thought it was an exaggeration."
High-rank demons with access to an abyss altar can communicate with other abyss altars through the network that they formed with each other. So information and news spread faster among the top of the high-rank demon hierarchy.
"For a mid-rank demon to have the prowess of a high-rank demon he must have something good, something powerful to rely on. It is probably that cloud of his. Is it some sort of artifact?" He mused to himself.
"That lucky bastard." He said in jealousy.
He had news that those that the cloud of darkness touches will die and had even seen images. He conjectures that Aeternus might have gotten lucky with more than a spatial artifact. A spatial artifact is bound to contain something good when the ominous darkness found it. Considering the power of a demon needed to use a spatial artifact, the things it contains must be powerful too. His anticipation for the spatial artifact increased.
He puffed up his chest and said. "It is a good thing that he knows his situation very well and has come to seek protection from someone truly worthy."
He considers himself to be better than a ragtag team of 14 high-rank demons. He may not have the advantage in quantity of manpower but he has quality. He has a fortress and that's what matters. He may have just three high-rank demons as subordinates but that goes to show how strong he is. He is so strong that he can allow the threat of three high-rank demons to be constantly near him. As a demon of pride, he had no weakness to exploit.
The mid-rank demons that made up his army were fidgeting because of the feeling of terror and wrongness that they could feel from Aeternus. They were the same rank as him but they could feel the threat of an existential crisis. It's like their existence knows that a single contact with him will lead to their demise.
These mid-rank demons are different from the ones lazing out in their territories. These have been trained and have invaded worlds, their sense of danger is higher because of their experience. So is their sense of order. They held their ground and stayed in formation because Aeternus is an unknown threat to them, while their army commander is a known and highly dangerous threat to them if they desert. Besides, they have a fortress and their commander standing between them and the Ominous Reaper. What could possibly go wrong?