Just as the machine appeared in Theo's view, a tremendous boom tore apart the air. The impact sent him stumbling, and he would've fallen over if Zenith hadn't grabbed his arm.
Blinking hard, Theo stared at the sky above the sinisterly glowing machine. His heart stopped; the enemy craft had turned its cannons upward, aiming them at a tiny shape glowing faint blue.
The Blue Sky. Compared to the Infernal Legion craft, it might as well have been a seabird.
And it flew like one too. Spinning and swerving back and forth, easily avoiding the blasts of black Levia from the cannons. Their booms split apart the night, each louder than the last, but Theo's heartbeat calmed as they continued to miss the Blue Sky.
That wasn't all. The Blue Sky flashed brighter than ever before firing a beam of its own at the enemy craft. This one blazed bright blue, like a slice of midday sky in the stormy night.
It struck the bow of the craft hard enough to rock it back and forth, sending a huge wave splashing in its wake. The soldiers aboard yelled and scrambled for cover.
Theo breathed out, letting himself relax. Looked like the Blue Sky was handling itself well. Time to do his part.
He turned toward Zenith, who nodded firmly. His Levia flared like a shooting star inside Theo's chest.
Around the machine, the soldiers descended into a panicked whirl of activity – running back and forth, shouting in confusion. "Prince Darian! It's Prince Darian!"
Good. They didn't have any attention to spare on Theo and his friends.
Through the chaos, Fia had been standing stock-still, hands clamped over their mouth. Unable to tear their gaze from the machine.
Until Ryan ran forward and grabbed their arm. They whirled toward him, but Ryan only nodded before gesturing at Avia.
Avia had been wearing her glamour for the sake of sneaking in, but now she shed it with a shower of green sparks. As her wings unfurled, she streaked into the sky and aimed her bow down at the soldiers.
An elemental spell glowed beneath Ryan, and six arrows slid into Avia's bow. By now the soldiers had noticed her, but they couldn't react before she fired.
Ryan's Levia seared through the air, hot and bright. Two arrows struck the ground in front of the soldiers, sending them flying like rag dolls; the rest raced toward the machine.
Scarlet and mint-green light flashed in front of Theo; Meg and Sam were casting spells too. Theo couldn't let them leave him behind.
So he whipped out his staff, giving it a shake to unfurl it to its full length. The Star of Miriel at its tip cast rippling blue reflections across the wet stones. Theo lifted it high and drew out the Levia from his core.
Pink light flared inside the Star, spreading in an elemental diagram beneath Theo's feet. Powered by the same spell, Zenith leaped forward with his sword aglow.
The guards raced to meet the attackers – at least the ones who'd survived Avia's initial assault. They wouldn't be a problem. Zenith gave his sword a mighty swing, blasting an arc of blazing light in their direction. Ryllis came soon after him, flames engulfing her spear and causing the rain to hiss into steam around it.
More flames tore a trail through the soldiers, forcing them to scatter. One of them tried to charge, but Lodo – now a giant cat – pounced on him and slashed with metal-tipped claws.
Meanwhile Avia blasted arrow after arrow at the machine, filling the night sky with flashing green lights like fireworks. Smoke billowed in its wake, along with the acrid stench of burning metal.
"Go, go, go!" Ryan hollered from atop the wall, shaking his fists. "Come on, come on, come on!"
They'd taken care of the soldiers inside the wall, but more waited around the machine. "Stand fast!" bellowed one wearing a fancier uniform than the others. "Guard the machine with your lives!"
When Zenith's hand closed around Theo's arm, he jerked, but Zenith only nodded at him before drawing him close and leaping into the air. Theo's stomach swooped, then lurched violently back into place when Zenith landed on the other side of the wall.
The elemental spell still glowed around him, casting pink highlights on his armor. In normal circumstances it'd have long faded; Theo supposed this was the Star of Miriel's doing. Well, he definitely wasn't going to complain.
Zenith didn't waste any time charging into the fray. Soldiers raced toward him, but he easily kept them at bay with whirling blades of light.
The spell was beginning to weaken, though; Theo would need to reinforce it. He pressed his back to the wall, digging his feet into the uneven rocky ground.
Out here, he was so close to the machine its glow almost blinded him. With fumbling fingers, he reached up to adjust the goggle settings, filtering out more light. It died to a manageable level, but he couldn't ignore the Levia hanging heavy in the air, cold and dark like the Infernal Legion's power but with a strangely thick, sludgy quality that made it hurt to breathe.
'Concentrate,' he berated himself. As two soldiers wielding spiked maces charged at Zenith, Theo cast a shield spell. They bounced heavily backward, and Zenith took the opportunity to slash at them with his sword.
A boom echoed from above, so loud Theo's ears rang. He lurched, bumping into the wall. Two beams of black Levia blasted from the skycraft's cannons, far closer than all the others.
Because these were aimed at Avia. With a gargled yell, Ryan cast a speed spell. Its graceful lines flowed around Avia and she zipped out of the way seconds before the beam carved a path through the sky.
With Avia occupied, she couldn't devote all her attention to destroying the machine. So it was up to the ones on the ground. "Zenith!" Theo yelled.
The pounding rain and shouting soldiers drowned out his voice, but it didn't matter. The flare of Levia through their contract made it clear Zenith had heard. Without a moment's hesitation, he dove for the machine.
The fancily uniformed soldier jumped in his way, swinging a morning star at him. Zenith blocked it with his shield, though the impact pushed him back several feet.
Not for long. Gritting his teeth, Theo cast a basic strengthening spell. Aglow with dawn light, Zenith lunged at the soldier.
A single stroke of his sword sliced the chain of the morning star in half. As the ball clattered to the ground, the soldier hurled the shaft at Zenith before turning and running.
But she didn't get far before a circle of flames roared around her. Ryllis stalked forward, lazily twirling her spear.
"You can either surrender, or you can burn to a crisp," Ryllis drawled. "What's it gonna be?"
The soldier glanced back and forth, then slowly raised her hands.
"Figured." With a wave of her hand, Ryllis lowered the flames.
The soldier seized the chance to jump out of the ring. She rushed at Ryllis, only for Lodo to leap out of nowhere and tackle her to the ground. A single swipe of his claws across her chest, and she went still.
Good. The commanding officer was down. Theo turned his attention toward the machine.
Smoke still curled from its surface, though the rain had washed most of it away. Aside from a faint scorch mark, it didn't look like Avia's arrows had done much damage. The core of the machine glowed as noxious as ever, making Theo's eyes water despite the filtering goggles.
He curled his hands into fists. Just what was the damn thing made of?
Well, they'd just have to keep whaling away at it. Lifting his staff high, Theo drew out the dawn light crackling through his veins. The elemental spell spread beneath his feet again.
Zenith caught on to his intention in a flash. Bellowing, he charged at the machine with his glowing blade aimed at its core.
But the instant he struck, the sword glanced off with a shower of sparks and an earsplitting sizzle. Zenith hit the ground on his back, staring at the machine with an incredulous expression that matched Theo's feelings exactly.
Not that Theo had much time to process what had happened. More beams of black Levia blasted from the cannons, close enough to make his hair stand on end. Aiming at Avia, who kept zipping out of their way.
Maybe if everyone attacked the machine at once – but they'd need Avia's help for that.
Just then, azure light sliced through the darkness again. This time it struck the front two cannons of the enemy craft, and with a deafening screech of metal they tumbled into the water below. The ensuing splash surged up the cliffside, even dragging a few unfortunate soldiers under.
The remaining cannons swiveled, fixing on the Blue Sky. Good, that gave Avia a chance.
Now Theo just had to get everyone's attention. Soon, they'd bring an end to this.