I did it.
I figured out the condition for that fucking incantation and since I was able to break it, I knew he wouldn't be able to shoot again. That bastard would need to chant again.
There was a slight problem however.
Hali's energies and mine were at the lowest possible. We were injured, the Damocles as well. Nobody could counter those mages now and I knew for a fact that the 4th circle elder bastard had still enough mana to perform the incantation.
I was sure the enemy realised well enough their position seeing the revolting smiles on their faces.
"You may have stopped our attack, but look at the state you're in now. Nothing more than beasts to slaughter."
The sneer on the elder was crazed. Sure we were able to save ourselves, but how much was buying time worth it in front of death?
My heart started racing.
The war was still going on, I couldn't afford to lose, nor make sacrifices for victory.
Fuck, what do I do?
The situation was as dire as it could be and although there was a refreshing smell of flowers, I was going crazy trying to think of a way out.
Wait, flowers?
I looked down, everyone did and sure enough, the most beautiful garden a living being could even imagine was surrounding us.
He came.
Relief washed over me, basking in the healing powers my king was bestowing on us. Hali seemingly noticing this as well started laughing.
"I hate to say it, but without that flower freak… we still are strong, I know that, but with him it's a different story."
I couldn't agree more.
I knew we were strong, had this been a situation were numbers weren't so disadvantageous I was sure we'd win easily, but with the Damocles being this weak and basically fighting a 2 vs 10, there was only so much we could do.
The elder noticed the nature element surrounding us and started screaming infuriated.
"WHO DARES USE NATURE AGAINST US?! SHOW YOURSELF YOU DISGUSTING PIG!"
"Gladly."
A chilling voice came out from bushes behind us. The mana in the air grew heavy.
Nature itself was devouring everything.
_____________________
-Dimitris' POV-
I had just sent off an overly exited Asmodeus and came to check on Odysseus when the scene in front of me revealed itself.
Pure destruction. Everything was broken. The trees, the ground. My family was injured, Odysseus was injured.
And a disgusting fly was laughing at them.
Garden of illusory flowers.
I was furious.
Thorny path.
The disgusting insect was rumbling about me and asking me to come out.
"Gladly."
I took my steps slowly. The rage inside me boiling to limits I didn't know I could resist. Once again I felt it.
My concept.
But this time I could really feel it. It wasn't a killing concept. I had been mistaken.
I continued my wake, every step stirring the mana in the air, mixing it, distorting it. My concept wasn't a simple murderous intent, it was a natural intent. Bound to my emotions.
Or at least that's what I thought.
I was now in front of the disgusting being and activated the [thorny path], it circled the garden healing my dear ones.
"Everything that tries to reach them and pass the thorny vines, will die."
The young elves started laughing, not even understanding the situation they were in.
"As if you could do anything against the 8 of us! You're just bluffing!"
I titled my head, looked at him in the eyes and he immediately started casting the ever so familiar [fire spear]. As soon as I noticed the circle, I sent a thread of my Archana. I had been wrong about this the whole time.
I need to inform Merlin about this as well.
It wasn't the circle that made the spell, but the runes that built it. I filled the runes in the enemy circle with my Archana. The spell manifested, but against anyone's belief, instead of shooting in my direction, it stayed there afloat.
I wasn't able to control a spell I didn't cast, nor know of. But I could block it.
"What's wrong? You can't even control a single spell?"
My remarks, as childish as it was, had effect on all the other elves. Only the elder was unperturbed.
"Impressive for a 3rd circle mage, but you should know the difference between you and us. We are chosen by nature, you on the other hand, are just sacrifices for the world tree."
I started laughing. This… no, even cockroaches deserved more respect. This waste, not only was directly poisoning the world tree, but it even believed it was chosen by nature.
"Oh poor thing. Let's not waste anymore time."
I took out my jade spear and before everyone's eyes, disappeared.
Next thing they knew, the head of the young elf that spoke before was on the ground. A scream echoed as I continued to dance here and there, I gave injuries, but didn't kill anymore, after all, they did not try to harm my people after my warning.
After only a few seconds, all the elves but the elder were in the same state my family was when I arrived.
"Two arrows pierced Odysseus, but in meaningless places, so I'll be generous."
I looked at the elder in the eyes.
"Let me stab you once and then you can continue your fight with my people."
"And why should I trust the enemy?!"
"Enemy? Oh no, you are mistaken. You will die, it's just a matter of choosing your own death."
"What?!"
"Yes of course! By my hand when you are at full power, or by my man after I paid you the injury you made."
"…"
Silence overwhelmed the scene. Each and everyone's eyes were on me, but I didn't care. They hurt the people I love. They would die. I was just giving them a choice.
No words escaped anyone's mouth. I noticed everyone on my side was healed, so I dismissed the previous spells.
"Choose now."
The elder was giggling like a child on Christmas.
"I will fight you at my full power, cripple you and then make you watch when I kill those so dear to you."
So this is it.
"Hali, Odysseus. Take care of the waste. This… thing, is mine."
They immediately stood up and started to stretch as if they were about to run a marathon, clearly mocking their enemies.
"And don't be so smug, you were about to loose."
With a fiercer look on their eyes they finally engaged battle without a worry in the world.
I took a stance and faced the elder. He might have used a huge amount of mana, but this thing was still a circle above me and without further ado I blinked.
My spear, crackling with lightning, connected with my foe who had covered himself in a jade armor and sent it flying. The puny rocks cracked with my sheer strength and its face crumbled, its previous smirk nowhere to be seen, only shock and pain.
I didn't give it any time.
Fire lilies of destruction.
Tens of red flowers circled around me before flying towards my enemy that tried to intercept them with earthen spikes, only for its spell to be overwhelmed. Explosion and debris hitting it, sending it flying further.
"FUCK! IF ONLY I COULD USE MY INCANTATION!"
I paused my relentless attack.
"You can. If you speak each and every word I will allow you to try and use it."
The pitiful waste of space grinned with malice and started its long ass chant.
Too bothersome to memorise, even the with the power behind it, nobody would simply give me the time to do as I please.
After two full minutes of chanting, a jade bow appeared on its hand, and it took aim to the sky before shooting.
Countless arrows made of jade reached the sky and started their descent.
"Mhhh, strong sure, but flawed."
"HAHAHAHAHA YOU DELUSIONAL BASTARD, LET'S SEE HOW YOU COPE WITH THIS!"
I shrugged my shoulder and blinked high in the sky, just above the arrows. This incantation was basically a hailstorm. The real threat was not the magic behind it, this arrows were real jade arrows, they held no magic in them.
Do all incantations modify reality or is it just this one?
I noted this down as another thing to talk with Merlin about and proceeded to enact my plan.
I simply picked the arrows before they could accelerate and when I was done, only silence welcomed me.
"…"
"…"
"…"
Odysseus, Hali and all our enemies were watching me with widened eyes. The source of all prior devastation and despair was at my feet in chunks.
I looked at Odysseus slightly confused.
"What? I saw how you did it before and just made it my way, I can't exactly intercept them like you…"
Odysseus slapped his face, Hali started laughing like a complete maniac and all our enemies fell to the ground.
"Wha- ho- wh- THIS MAKES NO SENSE! HOW CAN AN INCANTATION THAT BENDS REALITY BE SO EASILY TAKEN CARE OF?"
I looked at the poor thing. I didn't really want to waste my time with it, but Odysseus was also looking at me with those curious eyes.
Fucking stupid. These bastards need to go to school.
"Haaa. This incantation or whatever it is, would be incredible if you used it only once, without giving time to analyse it and shit, but I'll explain why it is flawed."
I picked 3 jade arrows and moved towards the elder and let one arrow fall from a few centimetres above its head.
"This is normality, nothing scary right?"
Everyone nodded.
I blinked the arrow a couple of meters high above the waste's head and let it fall.
"This is distance, hurts a little but nothing big right?"
Again nods everywhere.
I then blinked the arrow as high as it originally was and let it go.
The arrow flew, seconds stretched and when it landed a couple of meters away from the elder, it shattered creating a hole.
"I guess I didn't calculate air friction, anyway, that was the incantation, Odysseus? Any guesses?"
"Weight… speed and the pulling energy from this planet?"
I smiled like a proud dad, got my beautiful bident and pierced the unexpecting elder straight in the heart, it was looking at me hatefully before finally dropping dead.
"What, its fate was sealed the moment it tried to touch you. Just finish your job, I have something to show you."
They smiled sheepishly at me and resumed the now almost pitiful slaughter.
When I killed that thing, every other elf simply accepted their fate. There was no escaping it either way and in a matter of mere seconds everything was done. The Damocles family was looking at me with a strange expression, except for Aaron who was the portrait of pride; Odysseus was now orbiting around me, he asked for a hug, but I just said later, Hali was visibly feeling better, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
"So? What did you want to show us that would warrant you refusing my hug?"
I laughed at the petty remark and just walked towards the bodies we had assembled.
"My familiar, or should I say familiars, I'm not sure myself."
"Surely you jest? You can't get a familiar without the help of a Demon… WAIT WAS THAT WHY YOU LEFT US?"
"For fuck sake Odysseus. I was imposed a familiar for reasons I will tell you when we are back. Now shut the fuck up and watch."
I focused on the link I had previously established with this little cuties yams called for them. My shadow enlarged and a flutter of white monarch butterflies flew all around me before they started absorbing the corrupted souls of our enemies. The scene around me was a perfect picture of nature and gore.
"What do you think?"
Odysseus and Hali were both trembling with shock, it was clear they were in awe, but I could sense something different, I couldn't quite get it thought.
"Odysseus? What's wrong?"
"Dimitris… you… is that The Paragon?"
"Oh you know them?"
"Yes… they may be a completely useless familiar in battle alone… but they…"
"Odysseus can you stop? Just say it, he doesn't know and he will only be happy about it anyway."
Hali was adamant about something and clearly frustrated with Odysseus' stuttering, I too was getting impatient.
"Yes, of course. Sorry."
He took a deep breath before completing his sentence.
"The Paragon was the familiar of the first guardian of the World Tree, nobody knows their name, but everyone calls them the Primordial of nature."
Hali chimed in, giving more informations.
"Even constellations tend to be respectful of them, but we really do not know anything other then the paragon and the world tree."
I smiled bitterly, I already knew this.
It was written in my status.
[familiar: The Paragon, a flutter of monarch butterflies, the familiar of the primordial of nature the first guardian of the world tree and first human. They feed on corruption and transform the cursed energy in blessed energy. You can set a destination for this energy, but cannot use it directly.
Restriction: you must know the destination personally.
Current destination: Ars Goetia.]