Chapter 77: A promise Fulfilled

 

Klauna was well known to the Alliance by now. Well known for being a crafty commander who most commonly uses traps, bombs and other heinous tactics for combat. Thousands of their men had died due to her giving the Alliance alluring victories. Something that can be taken right in front of their eyes, only for it to be taken away by a torrent of fire.

It was a demon that had killed thousands of Alliance soldiers in cold blood. Victims include the King of Serrora, the Elven High Prince, countless heroes from various noble families, dwarven master blacksmiths and many other high profile generals. It was a demon of unnatural strength, even stronger than the demon lord that they killed in Prashyufa. A demon who bore a mighty banner.

Though said demon no longer had the banner, just her spear as she stood by on the end of a bridge that linked one side of the moat to the other. The Alliance was about to deal the final blow to the vile demons when she suddenly came out of nowhere and started walking towards the Alliance. 

Alone.

She walked towards them before staying put at the bridge— and she stayed in that position for hours. Needless to say, the Alliance were perplexed at her actions. They halted any notion to assault the enemy, thinking it could be some sort of trap from the trickster. Almost a hundred thousand soldiers just stood in standby as they observed the demon. 

It was then, at the end of the third hour that the Alliance had enough. There were thoughts about how the demon could just be buying time. Though they were still afraid to cross over in fear of a trap by the demon. Instead, they sent a select few people to meet the demon on the bridge to determine the situation.

The select group of people were the Prince of Serrora and his wife, a High Priestess. They were also accompanied by a representative from the Dwarven nation and the Elven Nation. One might think it is folly to send the leaders of a country to such dangerous places, but they have proven themselves to be rather tenacious in their crusade against the demons.

Getting the blessings of their friends, the heroes slowly walked up to the bridge before eventually meeting the Demon face to face. Said demon was just staring into the distance, the force of the wind rustled her hair. If they ignore her crimson red eyes, everything about the woman in front of them looks exactly like a human. From the way that she looks all the way to how she acts.

But deep inside, the heroes know that it was just a deception. A trick to get them to sympathise with the demons.

The two sides just stood there and observed each other with none of them saying any words. Everyone other than the Prince and the Demon had their weapons brandished out and were in battle stance, ready to pounce should the Demon make any moves.

The Prince had told his friends that he wanted to speak with the demon before anything else. But now, when directly confronted with the person who killed his father and his friends, he could be seen at a loss for words.

Surprisingly, it was the demon who spoke first. “Alex, was it? I believe that was your name?”

The prince gave back an incredulous stare. He didn’t expect the demon to know his name. “...yes. It is.”

“That’s it? Just Alex?” The demon asked again.

“Yes,” Alex replied. He did have a family name, but he could tell that the demon did not care for it.

“I see… It’s such a short name. A very peculiar one. I’m more used to names with more syllables,” the demon said back to him.

“...”

“Klauna. That’s what they call me. Though I don’t think it matters to any of you,” Klauna continued to speak, still staring into the distance.

The heroes didn’t respond to Klauna’s statement, wary of her figure. Klauna could be seen letting out a sigh soon after.

 “The people around you… they aren’t alive are they? Are they undead? Illusions? Or puppets made to look like soldiers?” Klauna finally turned around and looked at Alex. Her crimson red eyes stared into Alex's own.

”...”  Alex said nothing back to Klauna.

An action that was responded with a scoff from Klauna. “I see now. You are one sinful man Alex. And here I thought I was the monster."

Klauna’s statement caused the Prince to take a step back. He then looked away in shame.

“Silence Demon! How dare you talk to him with your foul mouth! You have no idea what he has gone through!” The High Priestess said to Klauna.

Though it brought no reaction to Klauna who only stared back in pity.  She could see that her eyes were not the eyes that belong to a living person. “Do you not feel tired? Angry at having an imitation speak in place of the one you cared for the most?”

“It matters not. I have nothing left. I might as well finish the job. Then I can die in peace. You are the same are you not?” Alex brought out his sword and went into a battle stance. The sword glowed in sacred yellow as he stared right into Klauna’s eyes. 

It was a pair of determined eyes. Eyes of a person determined to kill her and her entire race. It was the same as Sylendri's. Klauna could tell it was the look of someone who clawed back from insanity. Nodding to the man as if to accept his challenge, Klauna brought out her spear and went into a battle stance.

As fast as the wind, the Prince leapt right onto Klauna, swinging his sword right at her neck in one precise swing. An attack that failed to connect as Alex was blown away by the pillar of light that came out of nowhere. 

Surprised by the sudden emergence of the pillar, Alex took a step back to observe the phenomenon— a bright pillar that engulfed Klauna completely. He could feel an extreme amount of power within that light. 

It reminded him of the skill that he had seen Klauna used multiple times before: The Force Multiplicator. Though something felt off about this particular usage. Instead of coming from within her, it came in the form of a bright red pillar that came from the skies.

The pillar soon dissipated and what was left was Klauna who was bursting with more energy than he knew was possible to be channelled into a body. Klauna's spear glowed blood red and with two quick swings, one to the east and one to the west, the ground erupted and the moat lit up on fire. It was a wall of fire that covered the entire moat. The torrent was so strong that it burned and destroyed every bridge available.

All except one bridge. The bridge that Alex and Klauna were on. With a stab to the ground, white light came over and enveloped the bridge, protecting it from any harm. Once done, Alex once again charged right at Klauna, not fearing her little gimmick.

Though all Klauna did was swung at him. The swing was so powerful that it blew him, his puppets of a companion and his ‘men’ away. Klauna then jumped high into the skies and landed at the front of the holy bridge. Effectively preventing anyone from getting to Divinatus. Anyone or anything that wishes to get there will have to go through Klauna’s dead body.

The soldiers from all over the area saw this and rushed upon her like idiots. Thinking that they could take her on now that they confirmed that there were no traps. The heroes were there as well fighting. What’s the worst that could happen?

Klauna didn’t know how many among the soldiers within the area were actually alive or just puppets. She didn’t care enough. Their existence vanished when Klauna launched a barrage of devastating strikes at them. With a swing of a spear, the air shuddered and the light distorted as Klauna sent out a wave that swallowed hundreds of soldiers whole. 

Seeing this, the Alliance went for a different tactic. The soldiers immediately retreated from the area as screeching sounds were heard from above. Streaks of multiple coloured lights fell upon the Analyst under a barrage of explosions. The strikes went on for a while as they threw whatever they got at the demon.

By the time they stopped, the land in front of the holy bridge was filled with holes and craters. The fear in the hearts of the Alliance’s soldiers when the smoke cleared and Klauna was shown to be completely unharmed by the barrage. A small personal barrier surrounded her. The burst of her aura grew even larger and the winds around her started to become unstable.

The prince ordered the men to keep fighting back, thinking just like the previous times where she used Force Multiplicator, the effect would end in due time. They would just need to overwhelm her as usual. 

However, no matter how long they fought, the energy around her didn’t go away. As a matter of fact, he could have sworn that the power that surrounded her was getting stronger by the moment.

Frustrated at being unable to kill the demon that he despised so much, he continued to order his men to strike the bridge. Every man that was able to fight was sent to whittle her down as Alex and the other heroes tried to land a decisive blow on her. A battle ensued with a majority of the Alliance army versus the great one-man army of the Ak’hims.

 

*****

 

Magic is just the term used when one breaks the laws of reality. The laws of the universe. 

To Klauna’s understanding, it was like going to a shop to buy something. Except, in this case, it was the power to bend reality. 

Of course, things weren’t that simple. There are many other factors involved when one wants to use magic, but in its simplest terms, you just trade a certain currency to purchase the effect you need. The most common currency to do this was Mana. The energy pool that flows through all living things. Sometimes even non living things.

However, mana wasn’t the only currency that a person can use to exchange for magic. Sure, it’s one of the more effective catalysts for magic, but there are other more powerful currencies out there. 

As it is, one of the stronger forms of currency out there is someone's life force. This can come in many shapes and forms and it exists within every living thing. If collected, one can use it to do magic of unimaginable power.

Though it’s considered taboo among many races and the knowledge of how to use it have long disappeared in the sands of time. 

Luckily enough, Klauna had quite a good memory. She had gotten Kazakiel, Natahiniel, Arakash, Sennari to draw the patterns of a specific spell onto the moat below. Magic circles meant to collect the life force of any who died in close proximity to it. This life force that was collected from the countless dead the past week was what gave Klauna an incredible amount of magical power right now.

It was her twisted version of the skill Force Multiplicator. Instead of having Analysts provide her with magic power, it was the death of the enemies and her own soldiers that fueled Klauna. As long as Klauna stays near the moat, the effect would stay. The more people that she kills around the moat, the longer the effect will linger.

And so with that thought process, Klauna concentrated on killing off as many soldiers as she could. She was trying her best to prolonged the effects of the Force Multiplicator. In her mind, all she could think of was that she needed to buy time. As much time as she could for the people in Divinatus to flee away.

Klauna hacked away at the enemies without end, without thinking much. The only other thing that she could really think of was the fact that she didn’t want to die.

How ironic that she would think that way after her whole life of wishing that she died. But it’s the truth, she thought of all the people she cared about and how much fun she actually had with them throughout the past two years. She thought about how far they have grown since she had met them and how would they grow further in the future. How they would grow to be the leaders of the Kingdom. Klauna had wanted to see it all. See their growth with her own two eyes. 

But more than anything. She wanted them to live.

And so she fought and fought and fought. Her mind blanked away as she lost track of herself and the time.

….
….
….
….

It was only when the sight of the setting sun hit her eyes that she finally stopped. Before she realised it, it was already sunset. She had been fighting for hours, from the morning sun all the way to sunset. She just stood there in wonder at the beauty of nature, as she witnessed the wide ocean in front of her. Divinatus was nowhere to be found. 

A sense of calmness and serenity came over her when she figured out what that means. It meant that the Ak’hims had left the continent alive. That she has done her job. The war is over and her duties ful–

*Chak

It was then that she heard a weird sound and the sudden numbness on parts below her abdomen. It wasn't painful, though it does feel wet. Looking downwards, she should see a sword gutting outwards from her torso. The sword glowed yellow while her blood dripped down from it. 

She had been stabbed from the back by the Prince who took the chance to strike Klauna who was looking at the sunset with awe.

It wasn’t a fatal blow. But in her condition and situation, it might as well be. Using the last of strength, she swung her spear backwards and sent the Prince tumbling away. She then gritted her teeth as she slowly pulled out the sword from her body. Blood dripping out of the hole that the sacred sword made on her body. She then turned around and stared at Alex right into his eyes. 

Alex saw this and backed away from her and so did his men. Many were too afraid to approach Klauna despite her injuries.

Though Klauna didn’t do anything. She just threw the sword away and stabbed her spear to the ground before resting her back on it. Losing the energy to her feet, she slowly slid downwards before sitting down onto the floor. She stared out to the ocean with a satisfied smile.

She didn't feel anger or regret. Instead, she felt happy. A feeling of odd satisfaction.

After all those long years, she finally understood her father. About why he smiled the way he did when he died.

“I’ve fulfilled my promise, Senior Shia. You can’t say I died a cheap death now,” Klauna said to herself.

Under these circumstances, any normal person would choose to die normally, but Klauna had proven herself to be quite the petty one. As it is, she had one final 'gift' for the Alliance.

The ground then erupted one last time. A large crack formed and shot out rays of red light. More and more cracks appeared and more pillars of light shot up to the skies. The light soon combined with each other to form a lemniscate. A large infinity symbol that covered one end of the area to the other.

Klauna then closed her eyes before muttering the name of the skill. 

“Cross Infinity. EX”

The whole place lit up with white and red as everything was washed away by the flames erupted from the ground. It started from the end of the spell, the edge of the lemniscate, before slowly making its way towards the middle with Klauna as the focal point.

With nothing else to do, Klauna just sang a hum and waited for her moment to come. She hoped that it would be a fast one. That she would be burned to cinders. The pain from the wound on her torso was getting quite unbearable after all.