—Soldier! Report to me, what happened to the scouts I sent? —Lucifer asked one of his subordinates.

  —My lord, they haven’t returned yet. However, this planet is not very large, so they should be back soon. I ask for your patience —replied the lackey.

  —Very well… you must know that I am a benevolent king —said the cherub, then added with laughter—: Very soon, my army will descend in full, and we will create a powerful empire where all living beings will kneel before me! Hahahaha!

  —Yes, my lord! —shouted all his subjects in unison.

  It seemed luck was on the side of the rebellious leader of the cherubim. After being sent by Asael, they had found a place to settle. In the vast sky, trails of Querb's inhabitants could be seen descending like shooting stars.

  However, the planet was not uninhabited. Even though it was composed of sixty percent water, there were vast regions of solid land yet unexplored. That’s why scouts had been sent to conduct reconnaissance.

  The air was different from AN, and gravity much lighter, due to the planet’s reduced size—it was less than a quarter the size of AN and had only one solar star, smaller than the two suns of their original world.

  This planet was so small it orbited its sun alongside a smaller, silver-colored star. They had the solar star for the day, and the smaller one for what they called “night.” Still, this posed no problem for the cherubim, who could glow in the dark thanks to their magic.

  Along the way, the scouts discovered many interesting things: abundant vegetation, strange creatures of great size—savage and incapable of reasoning. At one point, one of the soldiers attempted to communicate with one of these creatures, but it responded by attacking, and the cherub was forced to kill it.

  As time passed, Lucifer and his soldiers began enslaving and exterminating every living being they encountered. This caused a shift in the air, and the remaining creatures began dying from diseases. Still, they weren’t the only inhabitants of the planet…

  —My lord, one of our scouts has returned with severe wounds, as if from some kind of battle. He is very weak but wishes to speak with you —informed one of the servants.

  —What did you say? Bring him in at once! —Lucifer ordered, surprised and furious.

  Helped by another soldier, the wounded scout stood before the cherub and spoke:

  —My lord, we traveled through much of the planet to confirm if there were other beings besides the creatures we already knew. But suddenly, some strange, very powerful beings appeared and attacked us. Of the three of us, I was the only one to escape. I had to flee to warn you. I hope you can forgive me…

  Though surprised, Lucifer did not appear concerned. He knew the scouts were not trained for battle.

  —Very well. Go recover. I will take care of this myself —the leader responded calmly.

  —My lord, if you wish, I can personally go and find the culprit —offered one of his strongest servants.

  —Apparently, this planet isn’t only inhabited by savage beasts that have served as our food. I’m certain these strangers are the true natives. And that’s actually… good —said Lucifer.

  —But why do you say that, my lord? —asked his servant.

  —Because I am a wise and benevolent king, and I wish to progress. What better than to have new subjects in this world as well? So prepare your squad. Go to the site of the attack and bring them to me alive. Everyone deserves the opportunity to meet me. Understood?

  —As you command, my lord. But… what if they resist?

  —Then you will persuade them… your way. And make sure you return with good news.

  "Very soon, my kingdom will be so vast that I’ll become invincible," Lucifer proclaimed arrogantly.

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  The cherubim had established a large colony on this new and strange planet. Though it appeared uninhabited, they soon discovered it was the stage for a new war.

  The squad was sent to the area where the scouts had been attacked. Upon arrival, they encountered dense vegetation and gigantic trees over twenty meters tall, making visibility difficult.

  Zurcan, the squad’s commander, ordered two soldiers to descend and inspect. Suddenly, a massive rock was hurled from the forest with great force toward them. Though they dodged it, they couldn't see where it came from.

  Next, a strong voice rang out in an unknown language, and a figure emerged from the trees at high speed and struck one of the soldiers.

  —Who is that? —asked one of them, just before being brutally punched in the face and flung into the air.

  —I see —Zurcan commented—. So that’s a native… and he’s quite large…

  The attacker was indeed a giant. His height was about six meters, compared to the cherubim’s maximum height of two and a half meters. Though he couldn't fly, the giant was agile and powerful. He used the trees to propel himself and strike with violence.

  —Commander, this creature is very strong. What should we do? —asked another soldier.

  —Our lord’s orders are clear. Capture him, but don’t kill him. We must bring him alive —Zurcan ordered.

  As the rest of the squad attempted to capture him, more giants appeared, outnumbering the cherubim. The disadvantage was evident. Zurcan then ordered a retreat to the north, where the terrain was more open.

  The giants, confident, chased them into the open field. There, the cherubim descended to face their opponents directly. The colossi shouted loudly in an unintelligible language, so Zurcan activated an interpretation spell so both sides could communicate.

  —Get away from our lands, demons! —shouted one of the giants.

  —Listen to me, great beings. I come in the name of our lord Lucifer to offer a deal. Let me speak with your leader —Zurcan replied.

  The giants, surprised to understand him, looked at each other. Then one of them, who appeared to be their guide, stepped forward.

  —I don’t know how we’re able to understand you, but we need no deals with demons or their allies. We will destroy you. This is our land, and we’ll protect it from all intruders. Leave… or die.

  —I don’t understand what you mean by “demons.” We are not allied with anyone. But if you kneel before my lord and beg for mercy, we’ll gladly be yours. If you don’t… you will be punished for your rebellion —Zurcan warned.

  These words enraged the giants, who prepared for battle. But suddenly, the head of one of them hit the ground, and his massive body collapsed. Everyone was in shock.

  Zurcan and his soldiers turned toward the forest… and there they were—other creatures, even more terrifying.

  —Demons! —shouted one of the giants, terrified.

  A brutal and bloody battle between giants and demons had begun. Zurcan and his squad rose into the air to observe.

  —Commander, it seems this world holds many surprises. What do we do? —asked a soldier.

  —We’ll wait for the battle to end… and then we’ll take the winner —Zurcan replied cunningly.

  The demons proved to be extremely powerful. They annihilated nearly all the giants, leaving only one alive, who escaped wounded.

  Zurcan descended with his squad to speak to the demons. They approached cautiously. One of them tried to strike Zurcan, but was instantly disintegrated by the cherub.

  —What kind of creatures are you? —asked one of the demons.

  —Greetings. I am Zurcan, commander of this squad. We come from a faraway world. We are here to expand our kingdom. We bring you the chance to serve my lord by swearing eternal loyalty.

  One of the demons replied:

  —We heard your proposal to the giants. Know that they are our enemies. But we’d like to speak directly with your lord.

  —Excellent. My lord will be pleased to meet such willing warriors. Please, follow us —Zurcan said with a smile.

  The soldiers led the demon leaders to Lucifer. Once in his presence, they introduced themselves.

  —Welcome. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking with? —asked Lucifer.

  —My name is Beelzebub, and these are Belial and Baal. We are the leaders of the demons. We’ve been on this planet for many moons, even before the day existed. But when the sun came, so did our enemies—the giants, led by SonGoliat. Though we’ve defeated them many times, we can’t win the war. If you promise to help us eradicate them, we’ll swear eternal loyalty to you.

  —Before I accept, I want to ask you something —said Lucifer—. What is this world called? What other creatures inhabit it, besides demons, giants, and beasts?

  —My lord, it has no name for us. But the giants call it “Mother Earth,” since they say it gives them everything they need to live. There are many races here, but most pose no threat. Some are even a source of food. However… there are zones we haven’t explored yet.

  —Very well. A king must know his kingdom to rule justly, don’t you think? Let me say that I like you. From now on, you will serve under my command and put all your forces at my disposal. We will create an empire so vast that all creatures of Earth will bow before me —Lucifer declared.

  —Allow me to demonstrate our loyalty —said Beelzebub. He then called over one of his servants and, before everyone, cut off his head, spilling his blood at the cherub’s feet as a sign of the pact.

  Lucifer rose from his throne and exclaimed:

  —Come forth, cherubim and demons! Let us celebrate this great achievement. We shall conquer the planet Earth! Your king commands it!

  And thus began a wave of attacks, slavery, and destruction that lasted for two hundred Earth years. Blood was shed, cities fell… but the giants, though wounded, were not ready to surrender.

  Still… the worst was yet to come.