Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

80. Defence of Irvine II

"That's the camp," Lita whispers. "There are at least two Class V mages there."

Damn it. But there is no turning back now.

"I'll begin," I say, clapping my hands together. "Blood Salvo!"

Almost immediately, the camp's barrier activates, quelling my assault. Glass shurikens are hurled from the camp.

"Divine Cube!" John shrieks, erecting a barrier.

Lady Clarisse!

Suddenly, a massive laser blast appears, punching a hole through the Divine Cube. 

"Blood Vortex!" I cry, summoning two waves of swirling blood, one each from my hands.

Kuh! Divine magic! Could it be, damn me, Lady Jessica? But no, her spell should be much stronger than this.

All the while, mages of the Empire have surrounded us, attempting to erect a barrier. Lita mumbles her spells, holding off the barrier's growth. Light infantry and armor forces begin to pour out of the camp. Lady Clarisse and Lord Elliot confronts us.

Now!

I flick my fingers. John and Aelita withdraw first with griffins. "Blood Maelstrom!"

"After them!" Lady Clarisse orders as Lita and I retreat on two of Aelita's summoned griffins. Lady Clarisse and Lord Elliot grow glass and light wings, respectively, giving chase.

Damn it, they're faster! Come on, griffin, just fifty kilos left!

Infantry can't catch up, but the elite magicians, light armored forces, and mechanical eagles of the Empire's air force accompany both Lords. "Armageddon!" Lita cries, hurling a few balls of mana, downing a few iron eagles.

That's the valley!

A valley filled with lush forests lay in front of us. Aelita and John stand in the centre of it. "Come here, Vio, Angelita!" Aelita calls out.

We reach the centre. "Not running anymore, huh?" Lady Clarisse mocks. Her underlings crawl into the valley. 

"Now!" Aelita bellows.

"Grand Nova!" Grandma cries. 

A massive explosion decimates the valley. Bodies of fallen magicians are strewn, pieces of scrap metal lie on top of the crushed trees. War machines are brought down from the air.

"It's a trap!" Lord Elliot declares as he dismantles his divine barrier.

"Correct. It's a trap," Madam Fron says as she and Mr Anwar encircle the Lords and what remains of their companions. "Ice Wall!"

"As I expected. The young seeks glory," Mr Anwar comments, "Deva: Ruyi Jingu Bang!"

Mr Anwar summons his staff, enlarging it hundredfold. "Double Divine Cube!" Lord Elliot raises a barrier.

Grandma rushes in, her fists covered in thick, white smoke. She smashes through the shield. 

"Cursed Mirrors: Reflection!"

Fifty mirrors are stacked in front of Lady Clarisse. "Grandma! Don't touch that mirror! It will rebound your attacks!" I warn.

Grandma swings her fist to the left, barely missing the mirror by an inch. "Divine Judgement!"

Lord Elliot blasts Grandma head-on, pushing her back a few tens of kilometres.

"Grandma!"

"Alright, this is taking too long," Madam Fron declares, "Perfect Metamorphosis! Lady Liberty!"

Madam Fron turns into a giant butterfly, essentially, with arms and legs. She stands atop her eight-armed summon.

"Oh, we are going serious now?" Grandma questions, "you four, fall back to Fort Pazna. We will handle this." She releases a stream of very thick white smoke.

"Are you sure, Grandma?" I ask worriedly. She nods.

Right. They're the strongest mages Irvine has ever seen. They will manage.

"Let's go back!" I order. Aelita summons more griffins.

"Are you sure they will be safe, Vio?" Lita asks. "Lord Elliot is one of the Triarch now, to put it in perspective. And Lady Clarisse is the top Chief-of-Staff of the Empire."

"They'll endure," I say, "and the Triarch? What is that?"

"The Empire's top three Lords. Their authority is just below their monarch."

"You know quite a lot, as expected," Madam Fron says from behind. She carries an unconscious Lady Clarisse.

It's over so quickly?

We reach Fort Pazna shortly. Madam Fron escorts Lady Clarisse to a dungeon. Both the King and Princess (yeah, demotion) Seira have arrived. We are summoned to the inner sanctum, to a meeting room.

"We have slaughtered roughly 50,000 men and captured ten thousand more and sent Lord Elliot running. Lady Clarisse, meanwhile, is held in our dungeon, Your Majesty," Mr Anwar reports.

"To keep one of their Lords in a dungeon ... it's risky. What do you say, Anwar, Vanya? Would it be better to execute her immediately?" King Arthur suggests.

Princess Seira glances at King Arthur. She wipes off her sweat.

Strange. This is a room with air conditioner. Why is she sweating?

"Lutzia has lent us some of their magic-weakening pillars, Your Majesty, to hold her back. Fronica is extracting information from Lady Clarisse," Mr Anwar, "I say we give her time, Your Majesty. If she can't gain any in 24 hours, we shall execute her."

"Twenty four hours would be too short," Princess Seira comments. "What kind of information could be gained within that time frame?"

"It's an assessment of risk and reward. We'll be ridding ourselves of a dangerous foe, at least."

Princess Seira is silent for a while. "Which dungeon are we keeping her in?" she asks. "Some of the dungeons are old. She would easily break through them, but the newer ones should be more resistant."

Mr Anwar and Grandma stare at her. "She is not a common criminal, Princess. She could single-handedly destroy this fortress from the inside and more if left to her own devices. Whether the dungeon is old or new is irrelevant," Grandma says.

"O-oh right, I-I don't know about e-er, that, yeah."

"You seem a bit tired," King Arthur says, "go and rest, my daughter."

"Yes, Father."

Princess Seira leaves. "She's a little bit out of depth here," King Arthur mutters.

"Cadogan, I need your report," King Arthur requests.

"Three thousand more men have arrived, but it will not be enough," Sir Cadogan replies, "with their advance guard routed, we should be able to buy more time. The main problem seems to be the huge distance between Fort Pazna and major cities in the eastern part, as well as the fact that swathes of our land in the west have been taken over. Many of the armies that our nobles have raised are cut down before they even have a chance to march, and some have resorted to guerilla warfare."

"I see, I see."

Someone knocks on the meeting room. "Excuse me, Your Majesty."

"Enter."

A general enters the room and bows to the King. "Your Majesty, the King of Lutzia has arrived with reinforcements."

The King of Lutzia?

Darryl!