On the window, there was a girl gazing at the sky. Amazed and afraid of what was happening. An actual battle was intervals away from her. It was like the five elements had a meeting in one place. The three captains fought the demon using physical assaults accompanied by magical attributes. They looked impressive but still couldn't land a fatal blow. The demon elevated itself higher than earlier and produce thunderstorms. One master wasn't enough to deflect all the attacks that the other two had to help him in generating the barrier. King Claudio cited an incantation then he teleported his self to the back of the demon.
"Fire Magic: Explode!"
The demon growled when its left wing was severed by the explosion. It fell straight to the ground with a loud thud. Everyone eyed the demon. It didn't move and its aura diminished completely. The master above went to the demon below while readying his sealing magic.
"Sealing squad! Begin!"
Just a few magic circles needed for the total sealing and the demon ferociously roared releasing electromagnetic waves. The knights were thrown out extremely far. Thereupon, yellow lightning stroke the sealing and every one of them; it wasn't for the sacrifice of the old defensive master, all of them have become burned bodies. The master, half of his body was burned.
One blink of an eye, the three captains spit out blood and thrown away. The demon opened its mouth and an energy ball appeared. Its aura raised to another level.
She clasped her hands when the king seemed to be at a disadvantage. "Claudio," it was a whisper in the wind but the king heard it. "Flora," stiffened but kept his eyes on his foe, whispered her name. The girl gasped as soon as hearing the baritone sound. It was that moment she had realized that she unknowingly called the king of an unknown name.
The demon made an attack again, it was like the clouds were raining lightning instead of rainwater. She seemed to lose her breath when a flash of lightning fell down straight before her eyes. The window shattered and its shards sunk into her skin. She groaned. She stepped back thinking another lightning would hit her again. Afraid and trembling, she looked for the door and ran out. She didn't have an idea of what's going on, all she thought was the need to escape away from the palace.
The battle above continued but the knights below could only stand and watched their king. Describing the Spring Circle would be 'chaos'. The black smoke polluted the atmosphere. The grandeur architectural designs of known establishments vanished in just one hit. There were corpses– mostly burned inside their destroyed houses. Knights began to tremble thinking how would their skills help the king and the people. If their king together with three masters and four captains was struggling to take down that demon, for them it would be a miracle to kill a foe like that. The king, unfocused by the voice he heard earlier, tried to give a look below. There he knew the state of his beloved place. Anger consumed his heart regretting he allowed it to happen but he again remembered the voice and it calmed him down.
"Demon, how dare you do this." The magic circles around the demon appeared for the second time. He leveled his magical power to the demon.
"Scorch Magic: Emancipation." This time, the demon knew that the human in front of him changed. The magic circles activated and released a torrid wind capable of evaporating any liquid in an instant.
"So those fireballs you sent before were offensive and at the same time markers. Humans sure had changed their way of combat. This is an interesting spell but look, I told you puny attacks won't leave a scratch on me."
It was true that the magic didn't do any damage to the demon. There was a force field protecting it. The king clenched his fists because of frustration. He couldn't execute his magic well because of the sudden disturbance of mana flow in his body. Where he was needed the most, he could only do the least.
"Now, let me show you what is a true damage." It stretched out its wings and gathered lightning to form a lightning ball equal to the size of the palace. Everyone was statued on their feet. It was so large they knew the barrier could not help them.
"R-run! Run!" All panicked even the people inside of their houses and establishments ran out to get away. The hysterical reaction on their faces was entertainment for the demon.
"Die, fool humans!"
The giant ball of lightning traveled fast to King Claudio. Hesitant to block it for he knew frankly it would be foolish but if he won't, the people beneath him would die. He tried to create a barrier at the last second but the giant ball of lightning stopped. The demon was surprised when it was deflected with a single hit of a tornado. It flew to the sky and roared.
"I'm sorry my king, I'm late." She bowed down. A small and petite girl wearing the distinct black dress of Swift Academy with a crescent-shaped feather on her back– the Nao clan. Laya Nao, one of the 9 Pillars arrived at the scene with her feather fan. Laya noticed that the king was restricting his own magic.
"King Claudio, let me put up with this. The other masters are coming now. I'm glad I bumped into Magnus."
Just one glimpse and everyone would know that the king was having difficulty controlling the mana and magic flow in his body. His mana was leaking.
"This was unforeseen Lady Laya, you don't have to be sorry."
"My king, I didn't know D-5 category like that demon could be this strong. It can also withstand the daylight." It was Laya Nao's first encounter with a D-5 category demon. All she has fought were D-4 and under back at her days at the academy in their fielding. Danger 5 demons were evaluated as the most formidable demons. She faced the devil.
"This place is sacred. Evil, you are not allowed in here."
Laya Nao covered her whole body a magic barrier after she saw the scorch magic hasn't been dismissed by the king. She just entered the king's magic. She specialized in wind magic, if she would attack using it, her wind will join the scorch and will double the volume of heat. If that would happen, her barrier wouldn't last long and she could be evaporated.
"King Claudio, please dismiss your magic circles."
"I'm sorry but I couldn't, Lady Laya." Worried was in his face, he didn't know what would come about if he tried to dismiss it.
There, Laya verified that the seal restraining the king's immeasurable magic was weakening making him unable to perform his magic spell well and unstable.
"My king, I can't do much movement inside your magic, or else all liquid in my body will evaporate."
"I will lure it out of the magic circles. I will try to undo the spell. Laya, I need your help. I can't just hastily cast magic."
"What are you going to do king Claudio?"
"Just raw strength."
Laya measured the scope of the scorch, there are at least hundreds of magic circles around them.
"Lady Laya, prepare, I'll attack."
"Do it, my king, " she opened her feather fan and readied to do long-range offensive magic.
Claudio teleported above the demon and kicked its head. He teleported again at the front of the demon and punched it with a great physical force. The barrier broke and Claudio landed a hit. His arm was buried in the demon's torso, he couldn't pull it out.
"It's my turn."
The demon raised his hand and concentrated the energy there and punched Claudio. He blocked it with his left arm but the force was incredibly strong that his bones broke and was thrown fast down to the palace's entrance. He coughed out a lot of blood.
Laya had no choice but to attack the demon before it would attack his king. She fanned the air and a horizontal tornado surged to the direction of the demon. As she thought, it doubled the scorching. Laya paced out of the proximity before the torrid wind reached her. She had to strengthen her barrier.
"What's wrong? Want me to go over there? Can't you come inside?"
"If only the king could dismiss all these magic circles, you're already dead the moment I arrived here."
"So you can't. If you just stay there and do nothing, I'll kill every person alive!" Along with its terrible laugh were strikes of lightning. Laya immediately made a spell to make numerous tornadoes to protect the people. The bolts of lightning were diverted by her tornadoes but it vastly increased the scorching. She was caught by the torrid wind; her right arm withered, winced because of the intense pain.
The king below pushed his self to stand up but the impact of the punch earlier weakened him and keeping his magic flow in regular worsened his condition. Claudio still wanted to help Laya. Laya could match the demon in terms of magical powers and physical strength. If only he had never created that spell. He closed his eyes and tried to dismiss every magic circle. Slowly, they disappeared one by one but suddenly, a throbbing pain made him stopped and knelt down at the ground. The magic seal broke and mana gushed out of his body.
Laya up above stepped back many times as the scorch magic became unstable. It reached the trees below and instantly dried up. She looked down at the king and saw a girl hesitantly approaching him. The girl said some words and hugged the king from his back. Surprisingly, Claudio calmed down so as his magic. The magic circles vanished all at once. She didn't know how it happened but it was her chance. She grinned at the demon.
"You bastard, finally. You want me to come to you right? Just don't regret it later. You will die."
The demon laughed thinking that Laya was bluffing. She opened her fan and covered her face. She began citing an incantation.
"Long ago in a kingdom far from home,
On an open field where the wind freely moves,
A woman cried hard enough to see her lost lover,
The wind heard her and gave her wings, she searched him.
Wind magic technique number 3, complete!"
The wind rose above and gathered in one place– a massive hurricane caged the demon.
"Demon, I am Laya Nao. One of the 9 Pillars. We, humans, wanted to live in harmony. It is my happiness to see our people happy. The lives you just took were not just lives. You are making me so mad. Now die!"
The hurricane devoured the demon and sliced it to shreds.
The fight ended.