III

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Arc III Chapter 12

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27th Anima Lunar VIII AAC 753 AAC

Aurora's eyes widened in shock. Much to her surprise, the raging demon was not only capable of human tongue, but she was also able to understand him. The demon's maddened words, albeit ancient, albeit nearly forgotten by history, were perfectly comprehensible to her ears.

That being said, Aurora chose to hide her face behind her cute doll, hoping that the evil demon would not notice her. Ignore her. She was not here. There was no little girl with a doll to be seen here. She was absolutely not possibly, theoretically, potentially hypothetically responsible for the current events. It was not she who accidentally freed an ancient demon. In her defence, however, no one could have reasonably foreseen such a dramatic outcome. Who could have expected that a bloodthirsty demon would appear out of thin air without any prior warning? That was certainly an unexpected development.

"..." Aurora shook her head, denying any sort of responsibility. She carried no fault, right, Dolly?

"..." Her doll agreed with her after a brief moment of hesitation, much to Aurora's personal relief.

The demon reared his head, his blood boiling in trembling anticipation and exhilaration. "GrRaa'kTHUULghh! Feeble humans, you've freed me! You've freed the mighty Kakos! KhRAAol'NGRrhaAGh! Feeble humans, have you not learned from the mistakes of your ancestors ..."

A torrent of wind blades cut the awfully talkative demon short. The spell struck the demon's flank, catapulting the enemy straight into the nearest stone wall. The blades were the unmistakeable product of magic, creations of concentrated mana.

"..." Arwing raised her sword, determined to fight. An aura of verdant green mana surrounded her figure surrounded. "Listen, everyone, we need to attack! We must press our advantage, as long as we can! The long captivity has weakened the demon! He is still weak! His mana reserves are depleted! He is still recuperating! If we combine our efforts, we might be able to defeat him!"

"..." Lambert gripped his sword, finally released from his stupor. The gears in his mind started turning. "Arwing is right. Iris, Michael, take formation! Together, we can bring the demon down!"

"..." Iris nodded, immediately mobilising her mana to summon her magic. Crimson magic circles manifested. Her voice started chanting a lengthy incantation. "Furious fire, blazing heat ..."

In the meanwhile, Aurora had decided that it was time for a tactical retreat. It was time for her to hide and let the professionals do all the fighting. A nearby boulder, big in size and sturdy, provided her with adequate cover. As she had learned from her previous life, taking cover was an important aspect of combat.

From the safety of her cover and distance, Aurora and her little doll observed the scene, waiting for the battle to end.

"KrrUAAkk'ThaaRRhlGh!!!!" 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 her magic with ease.

"RRHaaaKth'ULGnhaaRR!!!" 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, you maggots, you vermin? Know your place! GhRAAOK'thuRRanGH, I'll feed on your rotting corpses! All of your souls shall be mine ..."

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

A barrage of icicles hit the demon from point blank with brutal efficiency. The ice penetrated his skin, invading his flesh. Pain shot through the demon's body. "HrraaGH'thUUUNghaRrgh!!!"

Nelaeryn closed his trusted tome. Letters and glyphs of arcane power aided his cause. "You talk quite a lot for one of your kin, demon. Less talking. More fighting."

Aurora cheered for them from behind her cover, rooting for the elves. That was a good hit from Nelaeryn. Excellent target acquisition despite the overly fancy incantation 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. Hopefully, it would stay that way.

"..." Aurora dismissed her mana. The subtle purple glow fluctuating around her hand vanished. They could probably handle the demon on their own. No need for her to intervene. It would be unfortunate for her companions to die a premature death after they had taken her in and sheltered her. They deserved better.

"KhhRAuUN'GhhAAaRrrgh!!!" Madness, insanity, raw blood lust, filled the demon's eyes. "Vermin, 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.

"GrrAAkH'thuLLaaRGhh!!!" The demon countered Nelaeryn's attack with his own magic. Fire and ice met. His breath produced a stream of fire that evaporated the incoming attack.

The vapour dissipated, revealing the demon's bulky reptile figure. The demon grinned, certain of his presumed superiority. "KhhRAuUN'GhhAAaRrrgh!!! Meagre humans, don't take me lightly! I'm Kakos, ..."

"IGNIS!"

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. The attack must have hurt quite a lot.

"Heh ... Heh ... Heh ..." Iris panted heavily, exhausted. Her spell must have depleted her mana reserves and stamina beyond her expectations. Unfortunately, her efforts proved to be in vain.

"GrRUU'KhhaAAARRggh!!! You! You lowly humans, who do you think you are? THraaNNgKhh'UUaaRRHhh!!!" Kakos had survived the magic onslaught, visibly enraged by the impertinence that his enemies continued to display.

"GhRAaAkhh-TTHaaURrgh!!!" 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 condition. Mages usually detested the physical component of fighting, but the realities of combat cared little about mages and their dislikes.

"GrRUUkk'TthAAghrrKhh!!!" The demon crashed into the nearest wall with full force, causing much structural damage. Stone crumbled before unrestrained strength, and dust spread across the hall. "Run! SkRAAgh'thuLLKhrrRkk!!! Run for your miserable lives, you maggots! You're nothing before my might!"

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

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

...

...

...

Aurora and her doll slowly emerged from behind their cover, peeking. "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. The battle raged on. "Nelaeryn, ready?"

"As ready as possible, considering the circumstances." Nelaeryn readied his tome. His fingers were itching for a fight.

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! Anima!"

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

Their spells activated, yet the enemy confounded their plans. The demon 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.

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

"..." Nelaeryn gritted his teeth, his frustration visible. "Dammit! Arwing, wake up!!!"

"GnRRHHkaaAKhh'THuurrr!!!" The demon charged, his sharpened claws lusting for blood. "You're mine!"

"Not as long as I'm here!" Lambert counterattacked, his sword blocking the enemy's claws, absorbing the strike.

"..." Lambert bit his lips, standing his ground. His entire body, every muscle, every bone, every fibre of his being, was driven to the absolute limit, yet his feet did not 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. For the fraction of a moment, his block created an opening. The demon's enormous mass rendered the enemy sluggish and immobile.

Lambert screamed at the top of his lungs. "Michael, ... this ... is ... your chance! Get the fucker!"

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