I opened my eyes. Where— where am I? The first thing I saw in my vision was a huge gaping hole on what looked like a ceiling of a house. I turned to look around and saw rubbles around me and the interior of what looked like someone's house. I tried to stand but my whole body was aching badly. I'm— alive? How? I was certain I flew some distance from the castle and from the looks of it, landed through someone's house. But there was no way my body and bones could have survives such an impact. I raised my left hand to rub my forehead but saw that the finger tips had remains of purple fire glowing. Did I— somehow casted Rend on myself unconsciously before I crash landed? I'm amazed that I could even do that. Either way, I'm still alive and so is the Queen. I will only rest when either of us are dead.
To the owner of this house, I'm so sorry, I will compensate for the damages to your property. Alrighty, let's do a quick body check. Other than the pain, nothing appears to be broken. My adrenaline potion will help push me through the pain before I fight again later. Seeing as my spectral cloak had disappeared, I must had been unconscious for more than ten minutes. Never knew I had such reflexes while being unconscious. I'm not some martial artist that's capable of doing that in the first place.
Alright, next up, situation check. How far did I flew from the castle? I exited the house through a window as the door was locked. W— what the? I'm outside of the city's wall? Just how far did I flew? It is going to take me hours before I can make it back to the city even if I were to run the whole way. Let me think, c'mon think! There has to be a faster way to make it back to the castle!
As I started walking back to the city while pondering on a better way to reach the city, something appeared in front of me. Or more like, summoned? Huh? It was spectral in nature and semi-transparent as it glowed with a whitish blue hue. I— don't remember having any spells that can summon a spectral steed. What's going on?
"Hello, boy," said the spectral steed.
"K— Kirin? Is— that you?" I asked the steed as I was getting confused.
"Yes boy. Hop on as we don't have much time to lose. That demon is going to pay for attempting to kill my host," answered Kirin.
"H— hold on. You can exist in this world along with Inazuma? Since when can you do that? I thought you chose to exist as a legendary weapon over your real body. And— you looked different. What happened to your horn?" I asked genuinely.
"This is just my spectral self. And to avoid questions, I took on the appearance of a common horsette. If you wish to ride my form then you can be my guest in answering questions when common folks starts asking about me," he warned.
"Alright, alright I get it. Let me get on top of you. Wait, there's no saddle! How am I supposed to climb up in the first place?" I asked him.
"Geez, come here boy," ordered Kirin as he sat down to reduce his height.
I know I'm short but without a saddle, it's actually really difficult to climb a horsette. Not to mention you need to pull on their mane hard which I'm not doing unless I'm looking for a kick in the nuts. I hope my family jewel will still be functional after this ride.
"Sit down and stay still boy. Grab my mane if you have to," said Kirin as he started galloping towards the city with great speed.
Sigh. Wished there was a hooded pretty lady offering me a Honda Accord instead. Ah well, beggars can't be choosers. Thankfully, Kirin was willing to help out in riding me back to the city. Definitely beats running back on foot and will be quicker too. Hmm, I wonder why he didn't offered me this service before?
"Kirin, did something changed? Is there a reason why you didn't offer me this before?" I asked him.
"Something changed in you when you lost consciousness earlier. Somehow, I was able to take control of your body partially while giving you more access to my powers," he explained.
"W— wait, you were the one who casted Rend for me? I thought my hands moved by itself while I was unconscious. Haha!" I laughed loudly.
"In your dream, perhaps," said Kirin while being unamused.
"Did you— just made a joke? The great Kirin made a joke?!" I was shocked by his response.
"I did not!" he shouted while blushing a little.
"Wait wait— so does this mean that Byakko is able to manifest his spectral self too?! I want to ride on a tiger!" I asked Kirin with eyes sparkling.
"You will not! You can only ride me and me alone!" shouted Kirin as he continued to gallop.
We continued our chatter as we rode towards the city. A good way to calm myself before facing the Queen once again. I will not hold back this time. I can only cast Rend two more times which is about 20 minutes. Hopefully I can finish the fight before it runs out.
***
Things were not looking good. We cannot defeat this captain on our own. While we were able to fend off his attacks, we just couldn't aim for the weak point which is his brain. The Demon Queen kept moving the blood to protect his helmet. Rose and I were bleeding in several places but thankfully none of it looked fatal, so far.
The blood moved extremely quickly and attacked at angles that you would not be expecting. On top of that, the captain was getting even more aggressive now. Fending off two attacks at random intervals and angles are seriously difficult. Not to mention that bloody shield can extend thorns out of nowhere. Even with Rose's speed, we just couldn't find a way to push through. Damn it!
Rose's Sacred Wings had worn off by now. She was still using her Fa Jin Zhòu which is useful but pointless if we can't make contact with the captain. Both of us were panting right about now. This fight had gone on for too long. Is there no support coming to help us? John and the Elementalist had not defeated that impostor yet? What about Zen? Are you actually dead? No, don't think about this right now, Lily. Don't make yourself emotional, not right now.
Seemingly reading my mind, the captain charged towards me ready to attack. I readied myself for his swing until I heard Rose screaming "Watch out!". I was confused as to why Rose was shouting that until I felt pain on my right feet. I looked down and thorns had pierced through my right boot. The blood had flowed underneath my foot without me even realising it. Now I am rooted here with no way to dodge the incoming attack. I can only block his incoming swing!
The captain swapped to his shield instead and more thorns started protruding from the shield to pierce me. I cannot block that! Shit, I'm gonna die from the impact and thorns from the shield. Zen, I might be coming to see you sooner than I expected.
The thorns were literally a few inches from my eyes when I heard something smashed from above. A dark figure covered in black cloak dropped down from above and slashed through the thorns which caused it to liquify. The figure then gave a kick to the shield which pushed the captain backwards. Zen, is that you? No, that's not right. This figure is much larger than him.
Another figure dropped from above and this one was wearing white. I can sort of guess who these two figures are. The Dark and Paladin Lord are here to help us. Talk about reinforcements!
"Well done, Rose. If you hadn't casted that spell, we would still be running around like a headless jikenette," said the Paladin Lord.
"Ojii-san, you're finally here." replied Rose with a hint of relief in her voice.
"Tend to your wounds, we'll take it from here," ordered the Dark Lord.
I punched the thorns that pierced my boot. The blood liquified immediately after separating from the thorns. I pulled out my foot and, gosh it hurts. I limped towards where both of the guildmasters were but they told me to stand down and tend to my wounds. Rose came over to help me as I suspected that she needed some rest as well. A quick medical treatment and pick-up is all we can afford here before we need to help the guildmasters against the captain.
The Dark Lord glanced towards my direction and mouthed something to me. He said something incredibly soft but I heard it. He was asking us to attack the Demon Queen after we had tended to our wounds. Seems like the both of them will be keeping the captain distracted while we fight the Queen.
Rose removed my boot gently as I pulled out my handkerchief and bit on it. Rose took out her healing cream and gazed at me with concern. I can see sweats flowing down her forehead as she waited for my signal. I nodded to her, giving my approval for her to apply the cream. She exhaled loudly and began spreading it. I started screaming as I bit the handkerchief. The smell of my skin and flesh being seared was horrible. For small wounds, this effect might be just some minor searing pain at the most. But my flesh was pierced through and the cream was doing it's best to close my wound to prevent me from bleeding out. And Rose had to apply the cream on both sides. By the time she was done, I felt light headed from the pain. Even though the wound was no longer bleeding, it still hurts to move.
Rose told me to sit here as she fights the Queen. I told her not a chance as it's suicide to fight alone. I took out a flask and drank its content. I shook my head after taking a swig of it. What I drank was elven wine which had high alcohol content. That should wake me up and power through the pain. Rose had done applying the healing cream on herself and drank something which looked like water. I doubt she'll be drinking alcohol when she was so weak to it. She then took out a cloth and coated something on her rapier. That must be the wax that prevent demons from healing quickly.
"Ready?" she asked me with smile. "Ready" I nodded and returned a smile of my own.
She seemed to have calmed herself. Perhaps deep down, she somehow knew that Zen was still alive? She always had faith in him. Rose always pushed me to be with Zen but I always felt she was the better choice for him, moreso than I could ever be. I hope Zen makes the right choice and choose her.
The both of us approached the Demon Queen. The captain tried to stop us from getting closer but both guildmasters were keeping him busy. We stood in front of the Queen and glared at her as she remained seated on her throne cross-legged, staring down at both of us.
***
Things were getting pretty chaotic here. The Dragon Lord was trying to separate us constantly to wither us down individually. I'm doing my best to rush over to help the Elementalist whenever the Dragon Lord attacks him alone by throwing my axe and teleporting. The Elementalist does the same in protecting me when the Dragon Lord charges to attack me. The both of us were literally doing everything we can to fend him off against his attacks. His speed is definitely inhuman. I know that my agility stats are low but I had seen Zen in action. The Dragon Lord's speed defies physics. What did he do to gain this unholy powers? Did he sold his soul to the Queen or something?
"Something's not right here. His powers defies convention means," I whispered to the Elementalist.
"Indeed, his powers are abnormal. Almost— like a demon," explained the Elementalist.
"What? That's not possible. Are you saying he's a demon in disguise?" I asked hastily.
"Doubtful, if he's really a demon, then his wound would had healed by now. But he's still bleeding albeit less than earlier. Perhaps he has demon blood running through his veins," answered the Elementalist.
"Are you saying he injected himself with demon blood? How does that even work? Last I recall, our experiment was a failure. The host completely rejected the blood and perished. Did the Dragon Lord made a breakthrough somehow?" I questioned the Elementalist.
"I do not know. But judging by his inhuman strength and speed, it would be safe to assume that he had somehow succeeded in assimilating himself with demon blood. Apprehending him would be in our best interest to further our— experiment," said the Elementalist.
"Then we will need a plan to apprehend him," I said.
Easier said than done but we were able to come out with a quick plan somehow. The Dragon Lord charged towards the Elementalist but I stood in his way. He swung his halberd at me but I deflected it. I might be thinking things but he seems to be fixated on fighting the Elementalist more so than me. I wonder why though. He dashed away trying to get closer to the Elementalist but I used Taunt on him with a Yo mama is fat remark. I had no idea whether it would actually work on someone who was using Higher State of Mind but miraculously, it did. Or perhaps the Dragon Lord had lost his rationality. He seems to be driven by Bloodlust when he's fighting.
He leapt at me, intending to strike his halberd downwards. I anticipated it and I enlarged my axe to it's maximum size. The Dragon Lord was shocked and took a defensive stance instead but was still dropping towards my direction. I swung my legendary axe with a roar. It broke his halberd and sent him flying backwards.
Upon landing, he tried to get up but the Elementalist slammed his palm on his forehead and casted a spell. Ice was forming around his body until it completely immobilised him. He struggled to break free but to no avail. We caught him. We actually did it.
***
"How long has it been since we teamed up together? Felt like ages ago," I asked.
"Certainly a long time. Eyes focused. This captain is dangerous," replied the Dark Lord.
"You don't need to remind me, lad. I am aware of the strength of this captain. I am amazed that both Rose and Lily lasted this long with the Queen helping the captain. Well, what do you know, turns out she is a Demon. A sexy seductive one at that," I said as I admired the Queen.
"Are you— admiring her? She's an abomination that must be eliminated. All these chaos and the condition of the City Of Pines that we had been living in was because of this demon. Not to mention we were serving under her for years," spat the Dark Lord.
"Admire your enemy for their strength and beauty. In doing so, you can smite them with fury. That is what I learned over the years. There is a story to everyone even though they are your enemies. Respect them as they respect you in battle," I informed him.
"I doubt the captain is interested in your story nor is he going to respect continuing your conversation," said the Dark Lord as the captain started charging at us.
We dodged from the captain's attack. The bloody shield that he had earlier had disappeared. It seemed like the Queen is gonna have a lot on her hands facing Lily and my prized pupil. Both of them are formidable opponents for the Queen to face. Truth be told, all four of them are. I wonder where did the Dark Lord's prized pupil went?
"Youngsters these days; always interrupting their elders when they're talking. The rudeness of this generation," I sighed.
"I get the feeling that this captain is much older than you," chuckled the Dark Lord. How long has it been since I last heard him chuckle.
Alright, no more fooling around. This captain is going to be a tough nut to crack. I summoned my mace with a flick of my right hand. My blunt weapon is going to break through his armour quite nicely. Here he comes.
The Dark Lord took point and faced the captain. Seems like he remembered our old tactics. The both of them were similar in size. The Dark Lord had a bulky body and his armour enhances it. Of course it's not just for show as his armour saved his life a couple of times before. But his straight sword is not going to be that effective in breaking the heavy armour of the captain. No time to dawdle, time to cast Light Blessing.
The both of them continued to swing their swords at each other offensively and defensively. I've finished casting Light Blessing and proceeded to cast Fa Jin Zhòu on my mace. It is my favourite spell which enhances my blunt weapon's effectiveness even further. I was surprised that Rose had already learned how to use it this quickly. She's certainly a prodigy to be able to cast Revelation and Fa Jin Zhòu after just receiving the book a few days ago. She will be stronger than me if she becomes the next Paladin Lord.
I rushed to join the Dark Lord in his fight. I might look like a frail old man but I have plenty of combat experience in my time. Let's see how this captain fare against two guildmasters. The captain did an overhead swing which the Dark Lord blocked easily. I leaped out from behind and took a swing at his helmet. He leapt back before my mace hits his helmet. Nice reflexes and it seemed as though he does not get fatigue at all despite moving around with those armours and greatsword.
The captain rushed in to attack us once again. The Dark Lord took a quick glance at me and I nodded. We rushed in to meet the captain head-on. The captain swung his greatsword two-handed in an attempt to gut us in half. The Dark Lord blocked his attack and I swung my mace to the captain's right thigh. Our tactics is to make use of our body size to our advantage. The Dark Lord aims high while I aim low. And we always strike together, giving our opponent no time to react.
The captain lost balance and fell to the ground. We went in for another strike but he rolled away quickly and stood up. His right thigh armour was smashed in and he was bleeding. The captain shrugged off his wounds and came in for an attack again. No doubt if the captain was a demon, he wouldn't be affected by all these flesh wounds. But Fa Jin Zhòu does not only cause flesh wound. My mace breaks the armour and flesh while Fa Jin Zhòu destroys the cells and bones. To be honest, I am surprised that the captain stood up so quickly.
We continued our attacks until the captain's armour broke apart, revealing what was inside. It was certainly a demon inside but it had fused to the armour. A part of the armour was dangling from the fused flesh. It was as though his skin no longer recognises his body as his own without the armour. The demon tore off the dangling armour and roared in fury. Steams can be seen coming out from his helmet and glowing eyes could be seen from the inside. Oh boy, things are gonna get tough from here.