I was sprinting through the northwest district street as I heard several explosions happening one after another in the distance.
But something was strange.
Why are there no reinforcements coming?
I took a look behind to see, but there was still no sign of reinforcement.
Did something happen? But I don't have the luxury to wait— as I heard another explosion, a different kind.
So I ran even harder.
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*"Th-the Evils are attacking again!"
"Aaaaaaaagh!!"
"Somebody, help us!"
Screams filled the air. Whatever few structures made up the nearby camps were swiftly flattened, and bystanders ran in every direction to escape the encroaching flames.
The Evils arrived in the northwest, in district seven under the shadow of the city walls, and advanced eastward toward Guild HQ. Everything in their path, they torched, leaving a trail of destruction as they moved.
"They're attacking us now?! Why?" cried Asfi. The coalition's commander Finn, had told her that the enemy would content itself with raids and not conduct any large-scale attacks for the foreseeable future. Did this mean Braver was wrong?
"No," she said, "I see now. Some of them must have gone rogue!"
The enemy's movements showed no indication of serving some greater strategy. It was clear this was not part of the Evils' true plan, whatever it was.
"Asfi!" came a voice.
"Falgar! You're here, too? And you brought everyone else!" She was joined by the loyal weretiger who served as her deputy, as well as the other members of Hermes Familia.
"We're here to help," returned Falgar. "I don't know if it is good fortune or not that brings us together on the battlefield like this, but we will need all the aid we can muster. There aren't enough adventurers stationed in this district to repel this attack without reinforcements."
As Falgar stood beside her, Asfi could see he wore a deeply troubled frown.
"It's not just the enemy that outnumbers us, but the townspeople as well! Too many of them ignored the Braver's orders and remained here, on the outer edges of the city!"
"Grr! Reinforcements are on the way! We just have to hold off the enemy until they arrive!"
Asfi put her bombs to good use, sowing fear and confusion among the cultist ranks and allowing the mighty Falgar to bring his full strength to bear.
A swing of his greatsword flattened several disoriented cultists, gouging their lines and creating openings for Asfi to slip in and take out the troublesome mages in the rear.
The other members of Hermes Familia acted on their own initiative, disrupting the enemy forces and drawing their attention upon themselves instead of the helpless townsfolk.
Before long, small groups of reinforcements began trickling in. Nearby adventurers who had heard the sounds of battle had come running. However…
"Dammit, there's no end to them!"
"Dieee!" screamed a cultist as he lunged at a bystander and stabbed them repeatedly with a knife.
"Aaagh!"
"You cur! Try this on for size!" A dwarf adventurer, noticing the heinous act, struck the cultist down in anger, but then a second foe leaped at him and latched onto his back before detonating her bomb. The resulting explosion vaporized everyone in the immediate vicinity.
Asfi stared, astonished, as the blast winds ruffled her sky-blue hair. "They're targeting the civilians!" she yelled, a disgusted scowl on her face. "It's to tie us up and lure us in! Despicable!"
"At this rate, they'll overwhelm us! Where are our reinforcements?"
There was no way Finn and the other adventurers at Central Park didn't know about the situation by now. And yet, still nothing. Asfi only grew more and more worried as time went by.
What if they…ran into trouble?! She wondered. But at that moment, a dark, deep, male voice intruded on her thoughts.
"Now isn't the time to be daydreaming, Perseus." Asfi wheeled around to see Olivas, a grin on his face and longsword in hand. "This place shall be your grave," he said.
"Hrgh?!"
With incredible speed, the two of them threw themselves at each other. Asfi couched her short sword and nimbly deflected the villain's steel. There was a flash of sparks, an intense tremor, and the young girl staggered backward. One clash was all it took to reveal the difference in their power.
Asfi could do nothing to stop the monstrous man from bearing down on her. "Grrh! I can't die… Not here… Not now!"
She kept up her defense as best as her slender arms and legs could manage, but Olivas flashed a malicious and leering smile. "I'm afraid this is the end, little girl."
Just then, however, Asfi heard Falgar's voice in her ears, shouting, "Asfi! Look out!" and time ground to a halt.
She suddenly became aware of a second foe, who had approached silently from behind, dagger in hand. The assailant realized they had been spotted and gave a mighty yell before sprinting at her to finish the job.
Asfi brought her blade around and, thanks to a combination of quick wits and luck, made short work of him. Falgar's warning had saved her life. However, nothing was safe in war.
As if waiting for the moment Asfi would inevitably drop her guard, Olivas closed in.
"You know what Zald told me, little girl?" he said. "He called me a maggot. A maggot fit only for crushing other maggots like you!!"
He swung his sword and sliced her back open, spilling beautiful droplets of fresh blood like so many flower petals.
"Gaagh!" The young girl staggered forward, very nearly falling to the ground. Olivas merely laughed at her. He pulled a second blade from his belt and leveled it at Asfi.
"Allow me to finish you off with this magic sword," he said, and the air grew blisteringly hot. Asfi spun round to see Olivas's sadistic smile, framed against a backdrop of burning crimson.
The next moment, a raging hellfire descended on her. Falgar screamed, "Asfiiiiiii!!" but the roar of the flames blocked him out. A braying tempest of fire drowned out every color except fiery red.
The townspeople screamed, the adventurers went pale, and the cultists cried out in glee. The earth groaned. Smoke and wisps of flame filled the air. Asfi shot across the sea of broken rubble.
The sky was red. At some point, the clouds had broken, offering a clear view of the setting sun that dipped below Orario's seventh district.
Olivas saw the madder-stained skies as a blessing on his wicked task, and he smiled.
"Gah! Kagh…! Ugh, ahhh…!!" Meanwhile, Asfi staggered to her feet, coughing up blood. It was no miracle that she had survived that explosion. It was thanks to her snow-white cloak—an ingenious magic item of her own creation. Just before the fires engulfed her, she had wrapped it around herself, boosting her physical and magical defense.
Unfortunately, it couldn't protect her completely due to the sheer power of Olivas's sword. Scorch marks lined her face, and her arms and legs had suffered intense burns and couldn't stop shaking. Her back stung where she had been slashed, and Asfi scowled in discomfort.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Even now, you vainly cling to life! Give it up, Perseus. My next attack will end this." With that, Olivas pointed his magic sword at her once more.
The blade glowed red-hot before launching a massive fireball in Asfi's direction. The girl could do nothing to stop it.
But before the fireball could engulf her, A wall of scorching blue flame was erected between Asfi and Olivas. The heat of the blue flame was so intense that it engulfed the smaller fireball, further increasing the intensity of the blue flames.
"Asfi!" a voice called out, as the figure landed near her, scooping her in his arms, and emptying bottles of High Potion over her wound.
"Arin…?" Asfi mustered the strength to call out the boy.
"It's fine…, just rest a little. I will take it from here." She could see that the boy was having trouble speaking; his voice was hoarse, almost choking on his own words.
____________________________________________________________________________
Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t! Sh*t!!!
I was this close to losing Asfi.
My hands trembled as I emptied the second bottle of high potion over her burns, watching the angry red marks slowly begin to fade. But there was so much damage—scorch marks covering her arms and legs, that deep gash across her back still bleeding despite the healing, her beautiful face marred by burns.
Seeing her being injured so much, my chest felt like it was being crushed in a vice. It physically hurt my heart to see her like this. I wanted to cry seeing her in so much pain.
I should have been faster. I should have been here sooner.
The sight of her blood, the way she'd staggered and nearly collapsed—it was all burned into my mind now. When I saw that fireball heading for her, when I realized I might not make it in time... for that split second, my world almost ended.
I can't lose her. I can't lose anyone else.
My throat felt raw, constricted. Speaking was difficult when all I wanted to do was to cry and scream—at myself, at this situation, at that bastard Olivas who dared to hurt her. But I had to stay calm.
"Arin..." she whispered weakly, and just hearing her voice made my chest tighten even more.
She's alive. She's going to be okay, I told myself, but my hands wouldn't stop shaking as I checked her wounds again. But what if I hadn't made it? What if I'd been just a few seconds later?
The thought alone made me feel sick.
"You are that High Human, huh?" Olivas spoke as I stood up, after reeling in my emotion and a final check on Asfi's condition, and observed him. He matched perfectly with the description I read of the Evilus core members.
The fight was still raging as Falgar and others were fighting tooth and nail with the fanatics. My blue flames were flying here and there, eliminating several of the members.
"I could see why Vallette was so annoyed by you," he said, readying his non-magical sword and pointing it at me. "But it is perfect, now I can kill you and Perseus both."
"You know, Olivas, First when I heard you were here. I simply wanted to kill you to bring some hope back," I said, unsheathing my own sword. "But now you made it personal."
"Haha! Hahaha!" He laughed like a madman. "A measly level 2 wants to kill me, a level 4?" He said, bringing his magic sword out as well. "You must be delusional, High human."
"We will see who is delusional."
"Arin…" Asfi spoke as she stood up.
I wanted to scold her, to tell her to rest. But I knew she would not listen; these girls are far too hard-headed for that.
At least she was not wobbling on her feet now and seemed to have recovered enough to fight.
"Asfi, help Falgar and others. Reinforcement must be on the way." Though I was not putting any hope on that. I can't even communicate with Finn as my communication device is broken.
"Oh? You want to fight one-on-one with me? You really have a death wish."
"You talk too much."
.
.
.
I activated Astrum Cordis, the familiar light of gold and silver, surrounding my body as I felt my strength skyrocket.
Both of us moved at the same time, our blades colliding.
Clang!!!
That one exchange of our blades was enough to tell me.
So, we are equally matched in terms of physical strength.
Our blades locked again, sparks flying as we pushed against each other with equal force. The golden and silver light of Astrum Cordis pulsed around me, matching his raw level 4 strength blow for blow.
"Impossible!" Olivas snarled, his eyes widening as he felt the resistance in our clash. "A level 2 matching my strength?!"
Hm? Is he not aware of my magic?
Instead of wasting my breath, I twisted my blade and redirected his force, spinning away as blue flames erupted from my free hand toward his face. He barely dodged, the heat singeing his hair as he stumbled back.
But Olivas was experienced. He recovered quickly, bringing both his swords to bear—the regular blade in a horizontal slash while the magic sword erupted with crimson fire.
I parried the physical blade but had to leap back from the magical flames, feeling the heat wash over me. As I landed, I heard screaming to my left.
A group of cultists had cornered a family against a collapsed building—a mother clutching two small children, terror written across their faces as the fanatics raised their weapons.
Damn it.
Channeling my magic, I sent a concentrated stream of blue fire toward the cultists. The intense heat struck them before they could harm the family, sending them scattering with agonized screams.
"How noble," Olivas sneered, and I felt the whistle of steel through the air.
SHING! SQUELCH!
Too late to fully dodge. His blade caught my left shoulder, piercing through the muscle with a wet sound. Pain flared white-hot as blood began to flow.
"Arin!" Asfi's voice called out in alarm, but I was already moving.
Gritting my teeth, I grabbed Olivas's wrist with my free hand and drove my knee upward toward his ribs. He twisted away, but not before my strike connected with his side. He grunted and staggered back, pulling his sword free from my shoulder.
"You're fast, I'll give you that," he admitted, raising his magic sword. And directed the sword towards the group of civilians instead of me. "But you're too soft. Always looking out for others. That will be your downfall."
Yeah, that won't do. If I try to protect the civilians, it will leave me open to attack. Should I make a firewall? But it will take a good chunk of my mind reserves. Should I intercept? But then I have to take back the support I am providing to Falgar and others.
Sh*t! What should I do?!
"In the sky of a now distant forest. Infinite stars scattered in the endless night sky. Respond to my foolish voice, give me now divine protection of starfire." I could hear a faint voice, casting the spell.
"Give the mercy of light to the one that abandoned you. Come, wandering wind, the wandering traveler. Cross the sky and run through the wilderness, run faster than anything else." And it seems Olivas also noticed as he released the fire magic towards the civilians.
"Imbue the light of stardust and destroy the enemy!" Ryuu appeared on the battlefield, striking down the fanatics as she cast her spell.
"Luvia!!" A blast of wind collided with the ball of flames, resulting in a blast, but most of the heat was directed towards the sky by the winds.
"Ryuu!!"
"Lion!!"
Asfi and I called out her name. "As Ryuu eliminated several of the fanatics, she made her way toward us.
"Sorry, Arin-san, Asfi. I was late." She said, a look of guilt marring her face. But guilt wasn't all there was.
Her expressions were more determined, not like the helpless little girl who was lost in life before.
Something must have happened. But…
"We will talk later, for now, let's take him down," I said as we both took our battle stance.
"Do you really think that one more little girl joining you will make a difference?" Olivas was still wearing that cocky expression.
"Oh, it sure will make a difference, you will realise it when you are drowning in the pool of your own blood."
"We will stop your evil plan, Villain!"
But it seems we were not the only ones who got reinforcement as a woman landed near Olivas.
"You sure are asking for a beating, Olivas—ignoring orders like that!" That woman was Valletta.
"But I also have some score to settle with our little hero here." She said, brandishing her buster sword.
Andddddd we are outnumbered again…
Before Ryuu and I could make a plan, Vallettalunged at me. I hastily raised my sword to block her, but the force of it sent me flying back. I skidded along the ground, finally coming to a stop.
She was already coming for another attack.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
We exchanged several blows, for a brief moment, I saw Ryuu and Asfi holding back Olivas, but they were being pushed back clearly. That was strange since Ryuu and he should be on the same level.
Then I noticed the sword he was using was the same kind as Gorran Veltz, capable of increasing his strength by 1 level.
"Looking away in the middle of a Battle, are you looking down on me?" Valletta said, doing a horizontal strike. I bent backwards, the attack barely missing my neck.
"Are you worried about your girls?" she said, putting the flat of her blade on her shoulder. "If so, you must have noticed the sword he is using."
A cursed blade?
"Where do you get so many of them?" I asked her.
"Do you have the luxury of asking questions?" She said and started her attacks.
Clang!
"Oh! I am pretty sure he does," came a voice. "'Cause we're here now."
Ryuu's eyes went wide. Olivas gasped. Asfi clenched her fist, welcoming the moment she knew would arrive.
Everyone spun around to see the source of the voice. It came from high atop the city walls. Framed against the setting sun stood a single girl. Her sudden appearance shocked the Evils and adventurers both.
Olivas staggered. "Y-you!" he cried. "It can't be…!"
Her flame-colored hair danced in the wind. And in a proud, strong voice, she declared, "Justice has arrived!!"