III

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Arc III Chapter 12

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27^th Anima Lunar 753 AAC

 

The demon's shattering roar reverberated through the air, as Aurora's eyes widened in shock. Much to her surprise, the raging demon was capable of human tongue. The demon spoke, his maddened words, though ancient, though nearly forgotten by history, perfectly comprehensible to her ears.

 

Hiding her face behind her cute doll, Aurora hoped that the demon wouldn't notice her. Ignore her. She wasn't here. There was no little girl with a doll to be seen here. She wasn't possibly theoretically, potentially hypothetically responsible for the current events. She didn't accidentally free an ancient demon, but in her defence, nobody could have reasonably foreseen such a dramatic outcome. Who could have expected that a bloodthirsty demon would appear out of thin air without warning? That was certainly an unexpected development.

 

Aurora shook her head, denying any responsibility. She carried no fault, right? Her doll agreed with her after a brief moment of hesitation.

 

The demon reared his head, his blood boiling in trembling anticipation and exhilaration. “You feeble humans, you have freed me! You have freed the mighty Kakos! Feeble humans, have you not learned from the mistakes of your ancestors ...”

 

A torrent of wind blades, gusts of concentrated mana and the unmistakeable product of magic, cut the talkative demon short, catapulting the enemy straight into the nearest stone wall.

 

Arwing raised her sword, her figure surrounded by a verdant green aura of mana. “Listen, we must attack! The demon is still weakened by his captivity! His mana reserves are nearly depleted! He is still recuperating! If we combine our forces, we can defeat him!”

 

Lambert gripped his sword, released from his stupor. “Arwing is right. Iris, Michael, take formation! Together, we can bring the demon down!”

 

Iris understood and mobilised her mana to summon her magic. Crimson magic circles manifested, and her voice started chanting a lengthy incantation. “Furious fire, blazing heat ...”

 

Meanwhile, Aurora decided it was time for a tactical retreat. It was time for her to hide and let the professionals do the fighting. A nearby boulder, big in size and sturdy, provided her with cover, while observing from the safety of distance, waiting for the battle to end. As she had learned from her previous life, taking cover was an important aspect of combat.

 

“Ggggggrrrwwrwrwrrrwrwrwr!!!” The demon reemerged from the falling rubble, shaken and caught off guard by the unexpected attack, yet Arwing's wind blades showed little effect. His durable skin shrugged off even her magic with ease.

 

Kakos roared in anger, fuming, his mouth convulsing at the sight of a group of lowly humans defying him. “You meagre humans, you dare to attack me! Me! Me! Who do you think you are? Know your place! I will feed on your rotting corpses! Your souls shall be mine ...”

 

A barrage of icicles from point blank interrupted him with brutal efficiency. The ice penetrated his skin, invading his flesh. Pain shot through his body.

 

Nelaeryn closed his trusted tome. Letters and glyphs of power aided his cause. “You definitely talk too much for one of your kin, demon. Less talking. More fighting.”

 

Aurora cheered for them from behind her cover. That was a good hit from Nelaeryn. Excellent target acquisition despite overly fancy incantations on his part.

 

Supported by their elven allies, Lambert and company proved their worth on the battlefield. So far, they appeared to have everything under control. They could probably handle the demon on their own. No need for her to intervene to prevent her companions from dying a premature death. They deserved better after taking her in and sheltering her. 

 

Aurora dismissed her mana. The subtle purple glow fluctuating around her hand vanished.

 

Madness, insanity, raw blood lust, filled the demon's eyes. “Puny insects, insignificant maggots, you dare to defy me?”

 

Nelaeryn readied his next barrage of spells. Ice sickles and the azure glow of mana surrounded his figure. His eyes narrowed. No quarter. No mercy. No respite.

 

The demon countered Nelaeryn's attack with his own magic. His breath produced fire and the flames evaporated the attack.

 

The vapour dissipated, and the demon grinned, certain of his presumed superiority. “Meagre humans, don't take me lightly ...” His rambling tirade cost the demon dearly. Distracted by the elves and the vapour, Kakos and a few innocent stone columns took a giant fireball directly to the face.

 

Aurora and her doll flinched. That looked like it must have hurt.

 

“Heh ... Heh ... Heh ...” Iris was panting heavily. Her spell must have depleted her mana reserves and stamina beyond her expectations. Unfortunately, her efforts proved to be in vain.

 

“Grrmrhrhrrmrmrm!!! You! You lowly humans, who do you think you are? Grmemmemermrmrmmr!!!” Kakos survived the magic onslaught, visibly angered by the impertinence displayed by some lowly humans.  

 

The demon went on the offensive, charging ahead, uncaring of the risks. His body felt neither pain, nor fatigue. His entire being was a weapon honed to perfection for a single purpose, to kill.

 

“Disperse!” Lambert shouted, sensing the danger. It was impossible to stop the crazed stampede.  

 

Lambert rolled sidewards. Even Iris was forced to move despite her exhausted condition. Mages usually detested the physical component of fighting, but the realities of combat cared little about mages and their dislikes.

 

The demon crashed into the wall with full force, causing much structural damage. Stone crumbled before unrestrained strength, and dust spread across the hall. “Run! Run for your MISERABLE lives, you maggots! You are nothing before my might!”

 

Aurora disagreed, barely impressed so far by his performance. The enemy relied far too much on his raw strength for his offensive capabilities, and his physical defence and bulk to absorb incoming attacks. A crude, uninspiring, unsophisticated way of fighting ...

 

Aurora dodged in time. A lost fireball shot past her head, hitting a pillar behind her in an explosion. One of Iris' spell had missed.

 

...

...

...

 

Aurora and her doll slowly peeked from behind their cover. “That was close.” Friendly fire was a dangerous affair. The fireball nearly incinerated her fluffy hair. Her doll seconded her opinion.

 

Arwing gripped her sword, as the battle raged on. “Nelaeryn, ready?”

 

“As ready as possible, considering the circumstances.” Nelaeryn readied his tome. His fingers were itching.

 

Arwing channelled her mana through her blade. The forces of wind surrounded her silhouette. The wild torrents grew stronger and stronger. “Piercing gale, the scariest gale, Anima! Heed my call!”

 

Nelaeryn followed her example and opened his tome. “Darkest mana, servant of the frigid abyss, Glacia! Acknowledge my call!”

 

Their spells activated, yet the enemy confounded their plans. Kakos unleashed a powerful breath, producing a cataclysmic explosion of earth shattering proportions and blinding light. The ruins trembled. The walls, the ceiling, the columns, they all shivered in fear. The blast shook the earth, kicking Arwing and Nelaeryn across the room. Their magic was countered by brute force. The demon cared little about mana consumption, relying instead on his abundant reserves. Raw strength easily substituted for his lack of skill and finesse.

 

Nelaeryn was the first to recuperate, meanwhile Arwing was far less fortunate. A piece of fallen debris had knocked her out.

 

Nelaeryn gritted his teeth; his frustration clearly visible. “Dammit! Arwing, wake up!!!”

 

“Ahahhahahahaha!!!” Kakos charged, his sharpened claws lusting for blood. “You are mine!”

 

“Not with me!” Lambert counterattacked, his sword blocking the enemy's the claws, absorbing the strike.

 

Lambert bit his lips. His entire body, every muscle, every bone, every fibre of his being, was driven to the limit, yet his feet didn't budge. The demon's sheer strength and mass put Lambert at a severe disadvantage, but years of training and experience, and the strength of the mana coursing through his veins allowed him to prevail, even when for just the fraction of a moment His block created an opening. The demon's enormous mass rendered the enemy sluggish and immobile.  

 

“Michael, ... this ... is ... your chance!”

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