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Chapter 27

Battle with the Demonic King (Part 1)

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The madness continued as soldiers chanted, marching towards the neighboring Kingdom. Arnold watched on a castle walkway with eyes full of excitement. He paced, eagerly on the brick pathway with the view of the land in his sights.

“Father!”

Goldie and Maddy jumped off the staff and again faced the king.

 

 

The princess watched in horror as her father stood at the edge, admiring his work. The moment the first arrow is pulled, bloodshed will fall, and there will be no turning back. Sian would be brought into war like fifteen years ago.

“Arnold, come back to your senses.”

Maddy attempted to plead with him. But all he did was cackle, uncharacteristically.

“Daddy…”

Goldie stopped herself as the demon behind him grew. That man was not her father… it was the distorted mess created by the Overlord within him. The demons that channeled the soldiers were feeding humans lies. The people raged as their anger grow from the prospects of the impending war. 

“Let my father go!”

Goldie demanded the demon within. In a distorted laugh, the piece of the overlord violently jerked her father’s body. Arnold’s skin turned a deep purple as his body grew into that of a giant. His muscles budged like a barbarian as Arnold’s appearance changed into that of an oni. His jaw extended and his face grew horns. This massive beast stomped on the ground, causing the roof to shake.

Fear raced into Goldie as she watched the terror appear before her eyes. A nightmarish being with emotionless red eyes pultruded from its body. What felt like a tower was triple the size of any man. His brilliant greatsword dragged on the floor as he approached. It was massive and corrupted with darkness, striking fear into the witches. As the beast stomped towards them, the ground cracked from the sheer weight of the weapon.

 

 

“Goldie!”

Madalyn rushed in and grabbed her lover. She pulled away just as a fierce spell cracked the ground in front with a massive lightning bolt from the sky. Electricity rippled, blasting them away. The two rolled, holding one another. Their bodies were cut and bruised as they got to their feet.

"This Overlord can instantly cast spells. There's no perceiving when it comes. Always be ready to be on the defensive!"

Madalyn commanded.

“R-Right.”

Goldie murmured. Madalyn touched her fingers and they were trembling.

"Goldie Kingsman, if you want your loving father, Arnold Kingsman, back then you'll face this head-on! We'll win my love!"

Those words roared in the princess's heart. The morale boost from Maddy was Goldie’s strength. Goldie’s mana levels were waning from the constant battles but her willpower to fight and win was at its peak, thanks to Madalyn. 

“I will defeat you! I will take everything back and have it all, Overlord!”

A deep surge of mana came from Goldie, one mixed with her desire to see everything her way. Goldie was using the sins in her to channel more mana. A feat no Kingsman was taught.

“I knew you had something special in you…”

Madalyn assumed this the night that child came running to her. Goldie wasn't just a child of Arnold and Annastella. Her mother had the Overlord within her, and Maddy felt some of that transferred to this golden witch.

Even without her staff, Goldie's desire gave her the mana to fight. The golden witch was greedy, a glutton for everything she wanted.

And she embraced that, giving her the power to face her last adversary.

“Madalyn, what’s the plan?!”

The great witch’s fangs shined as the king approached them, wielding that horrid great sword.

"Give it everything you have! We defeat it and save Arnold from his sin! Stay alert, don't get complacent, and win, my love!"

The beast roared, shaking the floor of the castle. Darkness swirled around the kingdom, raising the morale of the demons speaking in the ears of men. Some possessed the knights as they marched for war.

"We don't have time to falter, Goldie. We must take this Overlord down to stop the forces from waging war!"

Maddy, like a commander in battle, chanted.

“Yes, Maddy!”

A spell of heavenly meteors appeared in the sky, raining down on the castle’s walkways. It was powerful, too strong for a barrier to block. Maddy and Goldie jumped off the edge of the building and flew on the staff together. The monster swung at them with its giant blade, attempting to knock them down like fleas.

“Fire spells at him, Goldie!”

Maddy commanded before channeling a mighty fire in her hand. The heat of the spell was intense as he rolled in the sky. Goldie followed up with a bolt of lightning from heaven, mirroring the wrath of Zeus.

It was a direct hit, yet the demonic king absorbed their powers to the witch’s surprise. Maddy canceled her spell immediately.

“We have to get away from it! It’s going to release those spells!”

In a split second, fire and lightning terrorized the battlefield sky. Maddy grabbed Goldie by the waist and teleported the two out of the way. The walkways of the castle collapsed by the enormous power of the spell.

“What the?! H-How can we fight against something like that?!”

Goldie cried. 

Suddenly, the demonic king appeared over them, great sword in hand. Maddy swayed away, dodging the blade before it severed them in half.

“Ha!”

Madalyn attempted another fire spell, but the demonic king absorbed it. In retaliation, the beast fired it back at the two. Goldie shielded them, but the blast was too great, causing them to get struck by the blast and fly into the Kingdom. They landed in the throne room, falling to the ground. In pain, only saved by the barrier spell, the witches got to their feet.

"That absorption didn't come from the overlord, Goldie… It was too quick of a spell. I felt another activation from somewhere else, feeding that mana to the demon king."

Maddy explained as they gathered themselves. The demon appeared above them, ready to cut them in half yet again.

“Move!”

Goldie yelled. The two witches rolled away, and the shockwave knocked them back.

“He’s fast! Really fast!”

Goldie said in a panic as they both stood up to face the dark king. Slowly, he approached, dragging the tainted great sword on the ground. Mana burst from the floor as their sharp sword touched the ground.

"There's another caster nearby, you think, Maddy? A demon protecting the Overlord?"

Goldie concluded.

Maddy nodded, staying focused on the King approaching them sinisterly. That blade sparked on the ground like a demon from a nightmare.

"That seems to be the case. We must find and eliminate it if we hope to get a direct hit on the Overlord."

The golden witch clicked her tongue as her father swirled his blade at them. Maddy pulled her staff and channeled a binding spell. The binds latched onto the great sword and latched onto the Overlord long enough for the witches to gain distance. But the Overlord wasn’t willing to let them go. It channeled spells and shot them at the two.

"How do we locate it, Maddy?!"

Goldie asked as they avoided the barrage of spells.

“We assault the Overlord with spells like we’ve been doing. I’ll perceive where the absorption spell is coming from and you’ll aim for the second caster.”

The princess knew splitting up while fighting such a foe would be dangerous… but she had faith in Madalyn. With a sharp nod, she agreed.

“Alright.”

They separated as they channeled their next spell. It wouldn't be as fierce, but the dangers of it reflecting were still there. Goldie used a water spell, shooting a beam of water at the Overlord.

“Tsk.”

The great witch scoffed as she played into the demon’s game. Madalyn released a tornado at a lower magnitude to the Overlord. As expected, the creature drew in the magic and was preparing to release it back to the witches.

“Where are you…”

Maddy murmured. Suddenly, the feeling of mana being drawn from below caught the great witch’s attention. The second caster was hiding within the shadows nearby and it couldn’t get away.

"There, Goldie, follow that mana marker and take that demon out!"

Madalyn commanded as she tossed her staff to Goldie. The golden witch caught it and used it to fly towards the caster.

“I’m on it! I’ll be back, Madalyn! Be safe!”

The spells reflected back towards the witches, but Maddy stopped it from aiming at Goldie. The golden witch speared down into the castle to find the source of the absorption spell.

Once she turned the corner, she met the demon she was looking for. But to her surprise, there was another person with it. The monster looked like a man in a mask. It danced this woman on strings, forcing her to use spells against them.

 

 

“Victoria?”