Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

93. The Road to New Trier II

"But ...."

"John's right, Vio," Aelita barks. "Would you need me to slap you or what?"

Right. Pull yourself together, Vio. Either that or this army's dead meat.

"John, Aelita, Formation A!" I order. "I'll redeem myself here!"

"You are respectable foes," Lord Luke says. He wears a set of coloured armor and he has unleashed his full aura–he is not playing around. "I regret having to put you down here, yet it will be reality. Water Wave!"

A massive wave of water emerges from the ground. Aelita summons a wall of stone, blocking the attack. The wall turns into a golem that leaps to the sky.

"Air Cannon!" Lord Luke shoots a strong wave of pressurized air, blasting the golem to smithereens.

"Toxic Flower Fumes!"

"Blood Chains! Now, John!"

With Lord Luke entrapped and poisonous fog covering the battlefield, John utilizes his trump card. His hands extend to the sky. "Divine Justice!"

Three massive blades descend from above, splitting apart the earth. They explode, generating a powerful blast and a screen of smoke.

Yet Lord Luke emerges unscathed. The blonde man brushes the dust off his armor. "Quintuple Flamethrower!" Four portals appear out of nowhere, a burst of fire each jolting out from them and his mouth.

"Water Wall!"

John waves his hand, creating a massive stream of water, extinguishing part of the assault.

"Tornado Guard!" Agatha weaves a whirlpool, fending off the remaining fire.

"Remi!" I call out.

"Don't worry, Vio!" Remi replies with a thumbs-up. "My army is retreating now. We just have to hold him off here! Maximum Voltage!"

"Blood Lightning!" A chaotic stream of purple and red thunder rains down on Lord Luke. He unleashes his own blue lightning, meeting our spell mid-air.

"Grand Whirlwind!" Agatha shrieks, summoning a powerful tornado from her palms. Lord Luke sends his own tornado to match Agatha's.

"Flame Breath!" Lord Luke sprouts fire from his mouth, aiming at Remi and I. Joe, positioning himself in the rear, shoots a steady stream of water from his mouth, locking Lord Luke in an elemental battle.

"Divine Justice!" John unleashes his three blades. This time, Lord Luke is fully caught in the blast.

Aelita transforms into a giant tree, pumping mana into our veins and closing our wounds. "Thunder Dash!" Lord Luke dashes from the rubble.

Agatha and Remi leap to intercept him, yet he effortlessly cuts off one of their arms with a swing of his poleaxe. "Blood Sword!"

I raise my blades, barely holding off his brutal thrust. "Water Dragon!" Joe uses a spell from his sleeves, yet Lord Luke merely counters it with the same spell.

He's mad! Just how strong is he?

"Get off her!"

Lita emerges out of nowhere, landing a strong kick on his shoulder that pushes him back. Lita lands next to me, her blade drawn.

"I was conserving energy because someone strong is approaching," Lord Luke says. "But that seems foolish now."

Someone strong? Prince Pierre must be nearby.

"Environmental Cataclysm!"

The earth itself trembles as a massive hurricane approaches, accompanied by equally humongous tsunamis. Fire erupts from the ground and thunder rains down its wrath on us.

"Stick together!" Lita roars. "He's trying to separate us!"

"Rally near Aelita!" I order. "Blood Maelstrom!" I summon a chaotic whirlpool of blood in a desperate attempt to quell down the raging hurricane. Remi and John immediately retreat to my side.

"Tsunami!" Joe pours his water magic into the battlefield as our spells clash against Lord Luke's in a battle of quantity.

We all have rallied nearby Aelita, whose energy provides regeneration and recovery for us. "Agatha, come here!" Remi calls out. Agatha is still spawning tornado after tornado to match the waxing power of Lord Luke's storms.

Agatha turns her back, attempting to fly towards us. And at that time, Lord Luke arrives out of nowhere. "Fire Dragon!" he cries, a massive beast of fire unleashed from his sleeves. It charges straight at Agatha.

"Agatha!"

For a few seconds there is nothing but ash. After all is clear, only Agatha's burned head remains; her body incinerated to ash. "No!" I squeal.

I collapse to my knees. It is my fault. My fault. If only I had listened to Remi. If only I had not been so confident of myself. If only I had not led my army here.

"BASTARD!"

Anger. Pride. My friends–my dear friends.

"Blood Maelstrom!" This time I can feel Merango's power flowing into my bloodstream.

"Vio!" Lita calls out. "Control yourself!"

But I cannot. I draw both of my blades, thrusting them upon Lord Luke's abdomen. The agile demon ducks, swinging his own poleaxe.

"This aura!" he gasps.

"Blood Maelstrom!" I declare, an ocean of blood bursting from nowhere, turning the chaotic battlefield into an imperceptible land. My spell quells the wrathful storms while his fire and thunder attempt to hold it off.

"Air Cannon!"

"Blood Shockwave!"

Two equally powerful shockwaves hit each other, nullfying both. "Khh!" I begin spurting out blood from my throat.

Lord Luke takes advantage of it. "Blazing Tiger!" he shouts.

"Blood Shield!" The fire beast hits the mass of blood and both gradually dissipates. Lord Luke leaps at me, his weapon coated in lightning. I leap backwards. 

"Blood Bone Serpent!" I shriek, a necromantic dragon unleashed. Lord Luke summons a powerful thunderbolt, blasting it apart. 

"Whirling Thunder!" 

"Mana Blast!" 

"Grandma?"

So when Lord Luke said "a strong one", he meant Grandma? Where is Prince Pierre then?

Grandma's spell pushes back the experienced Lord. She raised her staff. "Vio, pull back your power. Retreat now."

"Grandma, he killed Agatha!"

"I know," she says. "Leave him to me. Your army has already retreated."

"Vio, let's return," Lita says. She and Remi grab my shoulders.

"Okay," I say, defeated. We return to the camp.

As soon as we return, I head to my office, slumping down on my chair. "Fuck this," I say to myself. "I resign."