So, hypothetically, when you’re dropping a nuke, wouldn't it be a good idea to, you know, move out of the way of the ensuing cloud and debris?

 

I grimace.

 

I’d be coughing up a storm right now if my lungs were working.

 

As I wait for the smoke to clear, I take a moment to check my mana, and find that I’m down to a third of my maximum. Skills that increase the strength and replicate spells don't magically ignore the spell’s mana requirements. Thirty casts of a spell is thirty times the mana cost, and then some.

 

You know, if he somehow survived, I’d probably be at a disad-

 

I feel Umbra’s domain surround me while the smoke begins to clear. From the shadows of the surrounding smoke, a thousand blades of darkness slash into my wraith form. I feel my mana begin rapidly declining from the damage.

 

With a quick beat of my wings, the smoke blows away and disrupts the shadows around me.

 

“How the fuck are you alive?” I ask, but get no answer. As the smoke smothers me again, the blades of shadow continue their assault and drain my reserves.

 

Damn, I can't sense him. Where the fuck is he?

 

I look around and find nothing, even with my true-sight. I sense him nearby, but his location feels like it is surrounding me.

 

I need to get a better position.

 

Flapping my wings rapidly, I weather the onslaught of attacks until I leave the bounds of the mushroom cloud, my mana now below three percent. My wraith form is barely sticking outside of my body. I flap my wings once again, but they have shrunk too much to keep my body aloft. I glide down land in the middle of a flat clearing surrounded by a forest.

 

When I look around, my eyes see distant shadows caused by the moons above. Not a moment later, and the shadows shift closer to me like writhing tentacles.

 

Fuck me, I can still sense his domain.

 

“Umbra, I don't suppose you would accept my surrender?”

 

The shadows creep closer. They rise from the ground, becoming a tangible and deadly thing poised to strike like a spear.

 

Fuck me, this is bad.

 

Like before, the attacks come in all directions. I dodge what I can, moving as fast as my wraith allows, but the onslaught is enormous and unending. Eventually, my mana reaches a point that my form cannot animate most of my body's movement. I fall to my knees, and the attacks stop.

 

With a mental command, a timer rises up on the side of my vision.

 

 

So, a little over two minutes. This kinda sucks.

 

As I sit on my knees, unmoving, the mana ticks down by one a second. As it does, I notice my shadow ripple.

 

No fucking way. I’m such an idiot.

 

The shadow stretches and grows several meters in front of me. From the shadow, Umbra rises, completely unharmed and unworried.

 

“You are dangerous, Quasi Eludo, stronger than most I’ve dealt with. But, like all those that have died, they had a weakness.”

 

He pauses a moment, a single sliver of shadow rises up in front of him in the shape of a spear.

 

“Your weakness is your arrogance.”

 

The spear stabs at me the same moment I hear a woman’s scream.

 

__________________________

 

Aodean stares at the newly missing section of the wall. It’s replaced by compressed earth that had risen into a fist made out of Camelot’s wall. An expensive wall, mind you, built and designed by the highest leveled [Masons], [Architects], and [Enchanters]. The fact that earth magic could even manipulate the wall shows that the magical defenses built into it have run out of juice.

 

“Aodean,” Franky calls, “Aren’t you going to use the chalice?” he asks.

 

Coming back into his senses, he shakes his head and looks at the weird group around him. He grins.

 

“Right. That girl just handed me something that should hopefully change the tide.” He glances again at the giant spider still grinding its sharp fangs into the titan as though it was a jawbreaker.

 

Reaching into his robe, he grabs the enchanted crown and places it on his head. As the crown touches his dome, the holy grail in his other hand starts to glow. Dazzling light traces out the chalice’s runic markings. A soft glow emanates from around Camelot’s walls, reflects off the clouds and bathes the city center in a soft glow. The tracing completed, the chalice shines bright and five pillars of brilliant light pierce the cloudy night sky.

 

“Now, how did the activation thing go… oh yeah.”

 

Aodean takes a deep breath.

 

“Wilcume deaþdæg, ponne hér se; ac wyrde linnennen - ne!”"

 

The chalice flashes once, and then the ground begins to rumble. The lights dance and flicker, and the waters ripple violently into waves as five humanoid golems stand. Vibrant in white and gold, the golems rise until their heads, each glowing with a single green eye, rise above Camelot’s walls. A moment passes, and then the golems move. To Aodean’s horror, they break through the walls and stride to Aodeans side. Homes and buildings are crushed in their wake. They stop at the edge of the square and kneel.

 

“What are your orders?” all five ask in unison. Their voices are loud and devoid of emotion and tone. Every glowing eye looks directly at Aodean, awaiting for his words.

 

The prime minister takes a gulp. He looks at his companions, and finds them all wary and nervous by the sheer size of the five.

 

“Destroy all the elementals. Leave none alive.” he finally speaks.

 

Five eyes flicker from green to red. In unison, they turn towards the nearest foe. A certain giant weaver growls, and the golems turn towards the next nearest foe. Then, laser eye-beams blast from their heads, disintegrating the elementals. The heads move and elementals die in droves. The golems start walking towards the highest concentration of elementals, their steps quake the earth and probably causing the civilians hiding beneath Camelot to scream in fear.

 

___________________________________________

 

While the giants of metal stride upon the houses of camelot, Jessica rushes to the cooling mushroom cloud. When she nears, she notes the massive city-sized crater that only Quasi could create.

 

As she looks around, a small winged figure shrouded in violet energy exits the smoke and glides into a clearing surrounded by trees.

 

Guessing the figure is Quasi, she orders her Angel to follow it.

 

When she reaches him, her heart skips a beat. Quasi is on his knees, unmoving as he stares at a man shrouded in shadow. The man raises an arm, and a spear of pitch black, writhing shadow appears right above it.

 

In a panic, she raises her hand towards him and screams, “[Divine Barrier]”

 

Her mana dips as a translucent barrier rises up around Quasi.

 

The spear impacts the barrier… and breaks through her hasty defense as though it was paper. She watches, eyes wide as the spear strikes Quasi’s chest, passes through, and sprays his entire chest cavity behind him.

 

Quasi falls.

 

Her angel alights before his tattered body. Jessica hops out of her angel’s arms and sags to her knees by him. Her hands touch Quasi’s cold flesh. Her mana and her tears flow.

 

“[Grand Healing], [Grand Regeneration], [Greater Mend Flesh].”

 

She pours her mana into Quasi. Magic, glowing and golden, surrounds them as she casts her spells without reserve, but for naught; Her mana dips too low and she is forced to stop. The light goes out and the shadowed night washes over them once more.

 

Quasi lies before her, his body destroyed and his soul gone.

 

She is too late…

 

She slumps forward, her forehead landing on her hands. Her tears anoint the cold corpse.

 

“I’m sorry,” she says softly.

 

“You should not cry for one like him.”

 

She raises her head and looks at the shadowed man.

 

“Y-y-you killed him!” she screams at the man, who does not react. “How could you? He was- he was everything to me.”

 

Umbra tilts his head.

 

“You are a servant of Eir. You too must die.”

 

He raises an arm, and a hundred tentacles of shadow pierce Jessica’s angel as though it was made of butter. The angel’s body disappears in a burst of bright light, leaving only Jessica and Umbra in the clearing.

 

He steps towards her.

 

“Stay away from him!” she cries out and positions herself in between Quasi and Umbra.

 

“You protect a corpse,” he says casually.

 

“Stay back!” she yells again, but Umbra continues walking. As he does, a shadow rises beside him, and forms another spear.

 

“I am not without kindness. I will make your death painless.”

 

The spear aims at Jessica’s tear stricken face.

 

Then it stabs at a speed that would break the sound barrier if it did not completely ignore air.

 

Just before the spear touches Jessica, the sound of glass shattering rings throughout the clearing.