Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

103. The Defence of Batavia I

Millions of soldiers, veterans of the war. They are armed to the teeth with armor and weapons. Thousands of battle mages, trained in Irvine's academies. Countless armored units and artillery pieces, supported by a fleet of aircrafts. An array of magical shields, carefully positioned bunkers and sniper outposts, minefields and towers. All this to draw the Empire into a trap in Batavia, and after this, peace reigns.

"So tranquil," John remarks. She, John, and I stand outside Batavia alongside Aelita, who activates her Eagle Eye.

"It's always calm before the storm," I reply, holding my curved blade tightly. Two more figures emerge from the barriers of Batavia: Elaine and Revan. They wear purple ribbons.

"Your members?" I ask Remi.

"Yeah," Remi answers. "How's the situation in the flanks, Revan, Elaine?"

"No enemy movement detected," Elaine reports.

"Well, that'll change soon," Aelita mutters bitterly. "The vanguard's arrived."

We scatter back to Batavia after alerting the rest of the defenders. Grey clouds pollute the sky and light rain falls. An hour later, the first artillery shots are fired.

The Imperial Guards disperse, leaving only me in the frontline. Jonathan and Nisa soon arrive to reinforce me. "Long time no see," I say absent-mindedly.

"Same here," Nisa says, her eyes gazing at the barrier bombarded by projectiles. The veiled woman's right hand is firmly in her pouch.

Bullets fly through the air, swallowed by the formidable shield. Artillery pieces exchange fire, devastating the ground. Jonathan raises his hands to the air, himself entering a trance-like state. Everywhere the overwhelming firepower of the Empire punches through, he repairs the barrier.

The clouds pour heavy rain into the battlefield, the Sun gone from sight. At last a black-haired woman leads a major assault on our centre. "Lady Jessica," Nisa gasps.

"Genesis: Disintegration!"

A bright, white orb makes contact with the shield, and parts of the latter vanish as if it were butter cut by a hot knife. "Blood Vortex!" I cry out, hurling a massive swirl of blood at Lady Jessica. She swiftly draws her daggers, creating a dark shield. Nisa hurriedly carries Jonathan away.

"Heah!" the demon Lord shrieks, "Divine Judgement!"

"Blood Prison!" I weave a sphere of blood around me, hoping in vain it will hold the spell back. My nimble legs pull me backwards, barely out of the range of the Divine Judgement.

"Vio!" Madam Fron calls out, "retreat!" She brandishes her glaive, a wild spin nearly cutting off Lady Jessica's head.

"You have been a real pain in the rear recently," Lady Jessica curses.

"Heh. Thanks. I will be until you get your asses out of Irvine. Absolute Zero!" Madam Fron extends her hand, summoning a storm of icicles from the sky.

"Genesis: Disintegration!" Lady Jessica lets out an orb of light, swallowing the terrible assault.

"Phoenix Rush!" Madam Fron flicks her hand casually, creating a flock of fiery phoenixes. Lady Jessica conjures a triple layer of holy shields, repulsing the attack.

"Cathedral of Despair." Pure, unmitigated darkness fell upon the field of battle. I withdraw, as I see nothing that I can do.

As I leap from tower to tower to the left, a hazy figure charges at me. "Blood Shockwave!" I bellow, repulsing the attacker.

"You'll fall this time!" Lady Sakurako's furious voice echoes in my ear.

"You wish!" I bark. From my sheath I draw my blade. "I am an Imperial Guard. I will protect Irvine!"

"I see you have adopted your elders' bravado," she says with a grin. "Yet it will never be enough against us!"

I swing my blade through the air, barely parrying her thrusts. She disappears once more. "I'm sick of your antics," she says. "Why don't you have a taste of this?"

A gargantuan machine of war emerges, two hundred and fifty metres tall. It is a sight I am familiar with. "A Titan?" I mutter. The Titan rampages, its array of rocketry devastating the ground.

"Vio!" Aelita and John rally to my side.

"What on earth is that?" Aelita gasps.

"A Titan, a prototype war machine from Elaise," I say while wiping off my sweat. "Aelita, John, you two handle Lady Sakurako. I'll take down the Titan. I have encountered them once in Elaise."

Aelita smirks. "Alright, Captain," she says. Aelita stomps the ground, conjuring a multitude of thick roots. Lady Sakurako leaps away from the Titan to avoid it.

"Divine Judgement!" John attacks with such speed that only at the last second is Lady Sakurako able to whisk herself out of harm's way. Aelita bombards her with vines and massive boulders. I turn my attention to the rampaging Titan.

"Blood Avatar!" From nothing emerges an equally humongous humanoid. I order it to charge, bashing the Titan's face with a round, red shield. The Avatar drew its blade, thrusting it deep into the Titan's belly.

Yet the Titan falls not. Instead, it rallies its fists, striking my Avatar's abdomen. "Blood Lightning!" I screamed, conjuring powerful thunder from the gemstone on the Avatar's forehead to repel the Titan.

Holy hell, how can that thing be so durable?

"Blood Vortex!" I call upon swirls of blood to weaken the Titan, yet they seem so pitiful against the might of the latter's shield. And then, the Titan flies.

It flies. With wings.

Give me a fucking break!

"Blood Shield!" I shout, desperately staving off the energy bolts that the Titan hurls at me with a thick wall of blood.

Well, I see only one option now.

I jumped down from the Avatar. With my remaining mana, I propel the Avatar to the sky, making it crash against the Titan. Both gargantuans fall to the ground. Upon the very last of my reserves I draw my strength. From my sleeves I unleash a dark serpent, crushing the Titan.

Alright, that took me almost all of my mana, but that damn thing should be destroyed by now.

"Now, you die."

The soft voice is followed by a clean stab to my heart.