Scylla bordered on the outskirts of Silverlake, and Gil and Maria had begun intercepting it. The two watched atop a hill with Andromeda as their forces took on the beast, with assistance from Sun's forces. Defeating the demon would be impossible for them, but they hoped to at least deter its advance before Sun arrived on the scene and burned it to a crisp.
Sharklike monsters detached from Scylla's back. According to Maria, they were known as hammerheads. Two hundred of them flew close to Scylla before going their separate ways to engage in battle. Groups of five handled each shark individually after isolating it from the others. The only exception to this was the Onis, who took on multiple hammerheads on their lonesome.
Nova hit five hammerheads with blasts of dark energy, killing them with one blow. "He's as powerful as ever," Gil remarked. "The other Onis are doing an amazing job as well." Holly cut her way through a wave of hammerheads. Atticus took three down and then helped a regiment of Sun's forces slay another. Jaco had used his ability to create threads to control the sharks like puppets. He rode on the carcass of a hammerhead as it chomped others.
"There's also Alyyiah and Volpes, too," Maria added. "But they're not the only ones doing well on their own." Alyyiah constructed a yellow lance made from quanta and threw it, impaling a hammerhead. The lance exploded upon impact, annihilating ten extra hammerheads. Her older sister, Sarah, chipped in. She created a bow and hailed down arrows on unfortunate hammerheads.
"Nice one, sis," Alyyiah smiled. Sarah returned it. "I can't have my younger sister outdo me, can I?"
Volpes covered her rear, running through the air as he viciously chomped down on any shark he saw. He shot a beam of fire from his mouth, burning two hammerheads to a crisp.
Bleak swung his ax at a hammerhead, knocking it backward. The shark charged, and Bleak jumped into the sky and drove his ax into the hammerhead's skull. He did this with two other hammerheads until one managed to launch a surprise attack on him, whacking into him. Bleak pressed his palms against the shark's body, keeping it in place as it tried to wriggle free. He exerted so much pressure that the hammerhead exploded as blood splattered all over Bleak.
After the Goblin Lord incident, the dracaena had sworn allegiance to Lord Gil and Lady Maria, including Medusa. In return, Maria formed bonds with all of her men and made her children commanding officers. The result was that all of them evolved into dragonoids and had developed human characteristics. The only thing differentiating them from humans were the little horns on the tops of their heads and their multicolored wings. Medusa's children, Gabe and Euryale, were supervised under Jaco and Sarah, respectively, and controlled a considerable force. Gabe had become a member of Jaco's S squad, while Euryale became an aide to Sarah.
Gabe whirled his spear, dancing in the sky as he cut down one hammerhead after another, earning the amazement of his troops. "Gabe, you're so amazing!" Tinker exclaimed. "It's true, you know," Nick nodded. "They haven't changed after their evolution, I see." Gil was impressed by how devoted they were to Gabe. "Those two have been his most ardent fans for a year now."
"Well, he is popular among the dracaena, even after instigating a revolt against their Queen." Maria thought the three of them were stupid but acknowledged their prowess in combat. "Gabe is charismatic, poised, and strong, at least to the dracaena. Although I still think he's kinda dumb, he's somewhat shrewd in tactics."
"Is that your way of saying you've warmed up to him?"
"Maybe. But I find Euryale much more to my liking, as she doesn't have any of her brother's defects." Sarah directed Euryale to support Sun's forces, which she did dutifully. Euryale commanded her men into various formations as they charged into a line of hammerheads, defeating all of them without a single casualty. Euryale ordered her troops to split into groups of ten and merge into the ranks of Sun's soldiers, all while slashing two hammerheads to pieces with her sword. "See, Gil? Gabe's younger sister is a natural, and she's way cooler."
"Make sure Gabe doesn't hear that," Gil smirked. "You could put a big dent in his confidence, and we don't need that now."
"Good point."
"Also, Maria, I've been told you sent Andromeda to Dirram yesterday. What was that about?"
"I figured they would be willing to help in this affair as well, considering their proximity to Tempestas. They wouldn't want a giant monster to turn their country into bits either."
"Good thinking. Look, the Pegasus Riders are coming over here." Kanetaine led her group of elite soldiers, and they immediately began attacking the hammerheads. With their cooperation, all the hammerheads had been slaughtered, and everyone closed in on Scylla.
Andromeda took a deep breath. "The battle will get tougher from here on out. Should we join in?"
Maria shook her head. "Not yet. The three of us will join the fray once Scylla takes this battle more seriously. Wait a bit more."
Holly, Sarah, Jaco, Nova, Alyyiah, Gabe, Euryale, Volpes, Atticus, Sun, Kanetaine, and their personal forces encircled Scylla. Those that could not battle in the air, such as the Elven Riders, Bleak, and the gargoyles, withdrew, for they would no longer be of use. The remainder of the fight would be fought in the skies.
While Holly, Nova, and Atticus could not fly on their own, Volpes could, and the three rode on his back before he dropped them off on top of Scylla or his back, reinforced with dense scales. The demon had a hundred heads, with one in the center controlling them all. Holly, Nova, and Atticus got to work, hacking furiously with their swords. Alyyiah and Sarah shot arrows as everyone else followed up with long-range attacks on the monster's body. However, they proved inadequate, as Scylla suffered negligible damage. Sarah shifted aim to the creature's heads, and everyone followed suit.
However, this only made Scylla livid. She roared mightily, and her heads grew back. Then, the prickly scales on her skin began to rise in the air. Thousands of them swirled around the demon, and they cut anyone near her. The Pegasus Riders pulled back, as well as Alyyiah, Sarah, and Sun. Nova, Holly, and Atticus tried to defend themselves. But, there were too many scales, and all three of them were wounded in various places. Nova shot a blast of dark energy, but it proved futile. The incrustations were impenetrable. They forced the three Oni off of Scylla and into the ground.
Scylla turned her attention to the sky, flinging her scales at everyone she deemed an enemy. Gabe, Euryale, Sarah, Jaco, and Alyyiah dodged and counterattacked, dealing injury to her heads. The Pegasus Riders, as well as Sun, were overwhelmed and pulled even farther back. The one eye in the central head emitted a red beam of quanta, which incinerated vast swaths of the forest. It then flung its scales right after, landing blows on Gabe, Euryale, and Jaco, sending them to the ground. Alyyiah and Sarah were bruised, but they keep trudging forward. The two combined their strength into one giant spear and hurled it towards Scylla. However, she used her scales to shield herself and then launched a barrage, sending the two sisters to the ground as well.
Nova brushed the dirt off his clothes as Holly and Atticus struggled to get on their feet. From Scylla's body sprouted two hundred smaller versions of itself, ten of which flew towards Nova. He, along with Atticus and Holly, managed to take three down. However, these miniature Scyllas were much bigger and stronger than the hammerheads, as the three Oni soon came to know. Nova and Atticus were pushed back, and Holly was struck with a beam attack, which sent her flying. Nova shot a blast of dark energy, subduing one of the little Scyllas. He tried to slash his way past two others, and while victorious, received a plethora of cuts. Atticus strived to assist him, but the little Scyllas moved quickly, allotting wounds all over his body. Holly jumped in front of the Old Oni and rocked her blade against one of the miniature Scyllas, and her sword fragmented into shards. With no weapon, she had difficulty defending herself from the diminutive Scyllas who tore into her body. Holly reinforced her body with quanta, increasing her physical strength, which allowed her to evade the five Scyllas around her and rip two of them in half.
The three Oni were not the only ones struggling. Euryale and Gabe had trouble, even when they fought alongside their troops. The mini Scyllas decimated the ranks of Sun's forces and overwhelmed the Pegasus Riders. Alyyiah and Sarah were the only ones that managed to defeat the miniature Scyllas that came after them. Nevertheless, the former was injured severely, and the latter was escorted to a medical unit not long ago. Alyyiah was grateful to see Bleak, who took her in his arms as she fainted and ran to Klain and his siblings, who were mending the wounded. Bleak's army, consisting of the gargoyles, was commanded to scatter and provide reinforcements. The Goblin Riders joined them in this endeavor.
Unfortunately, this was still not enough, and Maria and Gil decided now were the time to intervene. The two went their separate ways, rounding up all the diminutive Scyllas and eliminating them. Gil created a sword out of quanta and swung it in a frenzy, while Maria used quanta to shoot rays of blood, dissecting anything caught up in them.
The Onis, Jaco, Volpes, Gabe, and Euryale bowed before Gil and Maria. "Please forgive us, our Lords. We were too inept to handle the situation on our own."
"Nonsense," Gil smiled. "You all did well. However, the vast majority of you are injured. Take a break and have your wounds remedied before joining the fight again."
"Yes, Lord Gil! We promise to hold our own once we come back!"
"Understood. Volpes, come with me. I'll need your help to fight Scylla, and Andromeda can't fly on her own."
"Woof!" Andromeda sat on Volpes's back as the kumiho sprinted upwards into the sky. Gil created a golden bow and rained arrows down on Scylla, while Maria showered down red spears on the demon. Volpes added to their attacks with his beam attack. Andromeda chimed in with a spell, which boosted the strength of their attacks.
There were prominent scars on Scylla's body, but they shrunk rapidly. Gil was impressed with Scylla's regeneration capabilities. The demon completely healed all its wounds even when it was being attacked. Scylla shot another laser of quanta from its central eye, which razed an enormous layer of ground. Maria realized that attack could vaporize everyone in one go and ordered all efforts to be concentrated on Scylla's central eye.
Maria aimed her spears and Gil his arrows at Scylla's central eye, aided by Andromeda's magic. Volpes chipped in with an attack of his own, and after some time, a rift emerged across the eye. Gil shot waves of plasma into those gaps, and Maria accompanied them with volleys of spears. Volpes discharged a beam of fire, and Andromeda cast a wide range spell. A magic circle appeared in the air, and fireballs hailed down into Scylla. Eventually, the central eye began to rupture and soon burst completely.
Scylla bellowed in anger. Gil and Maria found the Scylla had thousands of eyes all over its body. They all opened at once, making Scylla seem all the more monstrous. However, the main issue was that all of these eyes could fire discharges of quanta all at once, with no way to elude them, which is what Scylla did. Everyone on the battlefield braced for death, for none saw a way out of this predicament.
But, their hope came in the form of a golden phoenix, who encased Scylla in a golden ball, preventing its attacks from reaching anyone. The sphere squeezed around Scylla as it gradually got smaller, crushing its insides before it gave way to an earth-shaking explosion. A wide strip of land was transformed into a pit as smoke curled into the air.
The phoenix regarded Gil and Maria. "I must say I am surprised. You've raised a formidable force and managed to halt Scylla for almost the whole day. You've even managed to destroy one of its eyes. That's quite a feat for those who haven't attained the power of a demon emperor. I had imagined you lot would have retreated within the first three hours of battle."
Thanks." Gil stared at the phoenix in awe, for he had only heard of them in fairy tales, and he marveled at the shining beauty before him. "You are?"
"Oh, forgive me. I forgot we've never crossed paths until now. I am the demon emperor Sun, the King of Aurora. I have heard quite a lot about you two, Gil and Maria." Gil could feel the phoenix's overwhelming aura. It radiated a colossal amount of power, making him long for it. Maria brought him back into reality. "Gil, don't just gawk at him. You're being rude."
"Oh, of course. I'm sorry," Gil bowed. "No apologies necessary," Sun brushed him off. "I apologize for my late arrival. My stupid subordinate, Sun, blamed my supposed arrogance, but that was not true. I had other matters to attend to."
"Other matters? More important than stopping an existential threat to your nation?"
"Indeed. For one, ice creams had finally become a delicacy in Aurora! It would be inappropriate if I, the ruler of my land, did not ascertain as to whether they were satisfactory, which they absolutely were!"
"Was it really that big of a deal?"
"Of course! Well, that was not all. I had just completed working out non-aggression pacts with the nations of other demon emperors and placed Tempestas under my jurisdiction."
"Under your jurisdiction?" Maria had reservations about what that might have meant. "Are we a territory under your control or a nation under your protection?"
"On paper, it is the former. As I'm sure you know, many nations have vied for possessions in Silverlake for a long time, and out of fear of a great war, a truce was held. Only my land can have holdings in this forest, as Aurora is situated right above. The catch is that I am not allowed to take over more than seventy percent of this forest, and that will remain true whether Tempestas becomes a part of Aurora or not. I affirm I have no intentions of dethroning either you or that sentinel over there and subjugating your people to my authority. Under this arrangement, you will maintain an independent government, and your people will gain Auroran citizenship and vice versa. Our budgets, policies, and economies will be merged. A parliament will be formed, consisting of senators from both nations who will vote on circumstances that will affect Tempestas and Aurora. Do you disagree with my proposal?"
"No," Maria shook her head. "I'm very much in favor of it. If everything that you describe takes root, both of our nations will prosper greatly. Aurora gets access to half the forest while Tempestas secures a powerful ally and friend. War breaking out between us will be nigh impossible. Any conflicts can be resolved peacefully through that parliament you mentioned. With backing from a demon emperor, Tempestas can worry less about outside threats and more on development, benefitting our nations even further."
"I'm glad you see the potential in it. The main reason for proposing this was to keep Tempestas out of harm's way. It would sting me to see such a promising nation collapse. And perhaps a part of me also wishes to see your dream come true, young vampire."
"Thank you, Lord Sun," Maria smiled. "Your generosity will be repaid."
"As it should," Sun snorted.
Gil pointed to the ground. "Well, putting that aside, it seems the whole matter with Scylla is not over yet." Writhing in pain at the bottom of the crater formed by demon emperor Sun's attack was a familiar man with spiky black hair and a black tail. "It seems our good friend Leonard was the one who wanted to destroy us."
A tint of recognition passed Sun's face. "Is that not one of Lord Carrius's men? If I remember correctly, he was in charge of that newcomer's royal vanguard."
"Newcomer?"
"Lord Carrius became a demon emperor four hundred years ago," Maria quickly answered. "He's young compared to the other demon emperors. More importantly, let's check up on our swell friend. I have a feeling we'll learn a lot about the situation."
All groups gathered around Leonard, who was visibly uneasy. Gil noted that unlike before, he wasn't as boorish and arrogant. Now, he seemed more timid, likely because of what he did when Scylla possessed him. "Your name was Leonard, right? How-"
"Please forgive me!" Leonard bowed, placing his forehead under Gil's feet. "I have done an unpardonable crime!"
"Yes, but more on that later," Maria said. "For, now, we'd like for you to answer some questions we have."
"Of course, Lady Maria!"
Coraline materialized next to Maria. "For starters, how exactly did you find the location of Scylla's seal? It should have been impossible."
"Well...I was only led to it. I had no clue it existed."
"Led to it? By whom?"
"Two jinns that went by the names of Hope and Dee, members of the Jinn Alliance. They said that if I managed to tame Scylla, I could defeat Lady Lyra in battle."
"So you wanted revenge for her humiliating you then," Maria sighed. "And in the process, you were on the verge of destroying Silverlake. Thankfully, Lord Sun arrived when he did."
"Yes, I'm truly sorry for the inconvenience!"
"I get that. Next question, are you aware of what the jinn alliance is?" Leonard shook his head, and Maria nodded, turning to Sun. "How about you? Being a demon emperor, I'm sure you have quite the bank of knowledge."
"Why, yes I do. The jinn alliance is a confederation of jinn that are loyal to demon emperor Karem. In light of that, he may have had a hand in this."
"Indeed."
"Wait," Gabe butted in. "One of the jinns was named Hope?"
"Yes. Have you encountered this jinn before?"
"I have, Lady Maria. In fact, he was the one who instigated the Goblin Lord incident under the pretense of helping the dracaena."
"So you're saying that he manipulated things behind the shadows, and he was the one who misled you?"
"Yes," Euryale muttered. "My brother is such a fool."
"Euryale!" Gabe protested. "That was the past! I've changed since then!"
Maria let the two siblings argue with each other as she began putting the pieces together. According to Lyra, four demon emperors were involved in the Goblin Lord incident. They were Karem, Carrius, Lyra herself, and Sun, who stood beside her. She knew Lyra could be trusted to an extent because she was childish and only partook in the event because she was bored. Maria could not say the same for Sun, who was clearly more judicious. Due to this, Maria did not have much faith in Sun, and she suspected what his motives were as to make Tempestas a part of Aurora. But this was something she could ponder on later. For the current matter, this was the second time jinn were reported following a big event, making it unlikely their appearance was a mere coincidence. It was more probable that Karem had given them orders, but for what purpose? No, all she could deduce was that Karem had an interest in Tempestas and something she needed to be cautious about. To her, increasing security and surveillance around the forest was a good start. It would also be in her interests to tighten Tempestas's borders, as she didn't want Karem's pet jinn to infiltrate their way into it. Other than that...
"Alright, I've gotten a grip on the situation. That's all." Leonard was bewildered. "You're not punishing me?"
"That's something your superior will do for me. Isn't that right, demon emperor Carrius?"
A large man with furry white ears, a loinskin, and a striped tail bowed. "Oh, so you've noticed my presence? Well, I should expect no less from a Count. In either case, I'm grateful your people have been so lenient to my thick-witted subordinate." He peered down at Gil. "Ah, so you're the Pulsar that's on everyone's mind. The one who wishes to end the war between sentinels and demons."
"What of it?"
"I have no opinion on the matter. If you're not an enemy of my nations or demons, then I have no problem with whatever else you do." Carrius glared at Leonard. "Stand up."
"Yes, my Lord!" Carrius grabbed his head and bashed Leonard to the ground as blood leaked out of his head. "Hey, he's leaking out a lot of blood! Gil exclaimed. Carrius laughed. "Oh, that's not a problem. He may be dull, but he's one of the strongest servants I have. On another note, I suppose I owe you for keeping him alive. Is there anything you would request of me?"
"There is," Gil nodded. "I would appreciate it if you agreed to a peace treaty for Tempestas in the future."
"Is that all?"
"Yes," Maria smiled. "We would like for nothing more."
"Very well," Carrius grinned. "In fact, I'll do it right now. Under the honor of Tiger, I, Carrius, swear to never attack your nation."
"The same holds for us as well," Maria bowed. Gil followed suit. "We won't go against your nation either."
"Well, I hear my servant has also screwed up negotiations. In any case, I would like to meet and discuss terms on potential treaties someday, Gil and Maria."
"We would be honored to have you," Gil said. "If you're not busy, you can visit Tempestas next week."
"Very well. A week it is." Carrius ran up into the sky as the wounds on Leonard's head shed blood in all directions. "Poor Leonard. I hope he doesn't die," Gil breathed. Gil faced Sun. "Again, thanks for your help. We would have all died if not for you."
"Yes, glad to be of assistance. Well, mind if I come to that meeting as well? There are some subjects I would like to discuss with you."
"Of course. Jaco, go inform Hagas of this." Jaco nodded as he teleported back to Tempestas. Alyyiah faced Maria. "Once we return home, I will take care of all necessary preparations, Lady Maria."
"Thank you, Ally. Kanetaine, would you like to participate as well?"
"Certainly," the Queen of Dirram nodded. "First a Goblin Lord, then Scylla, and now the possibility of a demon emperor barging into Silverlake. This is not something Dirram can handle alone, and your nation seems uniquely equipped to deal with this, as well as the fact that it has aroused Lord Karem's interest."
"Yes." Once the Pegasus Riders and Sun's regiments departed, Gil glanced at Maria. "It seems we've witnessed something special yet again. I feel like this is my fault."
"Partially, yes. Your idea to build Tempestas, as well as you being a pulsar, has garnered much attention, although it was inevitable." Maria intertwined her fingers with Gil's as Alyyiah growled at the sight. "It's getting late. Shall we head back home?"
"Yeah," Gil smiled, gripping Maria's hand. "We have much to do."
Demon emperor Karem sipped a glass of his favorite wine. He smiled at the woman who knelt at his feet. "Medea, it is time for you to complete your next task. Once I give the signal, create an anti-quanta barrier that will encompass all of Tempestas."
"Yes, my Lord." Karem helped himself to another glass. Everything had gone the way he had wanted. As a vampire, Karem could dominate the minds and bodies of others by controlling their blood, and even demon emperor Lyra was not immune to this. Karem grinned, snickering that nothing could get in his way now that he had the ultimate power as a pawn. It was now the time to bring Tempestas into ruin and ascend into a real demon emperor.