Black Avatare

51 | ALLIES

It wasn't the most comfortable ride, and armored hands gripped her like vices, but Binara didn't complain. As the birdmen carried her above the treetops, the apocalyptic scene branded itself on her mind.

The fires burned shockingly bright in the night, spewing plumes of smoke, tinged with red. An unknown force toppled a tree, and she could make out a ring of fire that glowed through the haze. It was a senior Yakadura agent wielding a vilaku—a fiery cyclone that repelled a dozen demons. Before the dark trees obscured her view, Binara saw the fire consuming a demon. Its screams tunneled into her ears—through the cacophony of battle, thunder and rending trees.

In the distance, bolts of lightning split the sky, and her stare landed on the plateau, which drew near. The most striking landmark was a communication tower that rose high above the trees. Above it, the glowering clouds roiled in a whirlpool.

Binara didn't need her detector to sense the anomaly. The very air crackled, and it had nothing to do with the lightning. This was what she felt at Mai Mara Cemetery but cranked up a few notches. Pinpricks of light flashed and flickered in the murk, which she attributed to the demonic influx. This foggy display mirrored the clouds above—laced with red and so thick they resembled clots of bean curd.

When they moved even closer, the birdmen veered to the eastern slope of the plateau. Binara stiffened against the minute shockwaves that lapped against her—ripples from invisible battles. Her baby hairs stood on end. She could just make out dark shapes lurching through the undergrowth below, scaling down the plateau's side. Narumas freshly teleported through the rip!

The birdmen lost altitude, almost brushing the treetops. Binara's heart throbbed as worry for Diyan surpassed everything else. The portal was still active, which meant that Mahasona and his minions were holding the portal open while keeping Diyan's force at bay. Soon after, the way ahead grew rockier and provided Binara an aerial view of the front line.

Lesser demons congregated, only to be repelled by powerful attacks. More crowded in—disfigured forms that moved in waves, eager for blood.

A directional blast of dark energy sent the newest wave flying and revealed a small force. It was Garuda and four heavily armored birdmen. Copper and russet feathers glinted in the dark. Garuda clashed with what looked like a high-level Mara demon, their weapons colliding with fiery sparks.

Then she saw him. Her breath hitched.

Diyan fought against two Maras. His black form and masterful fighting made it hard for her to track his movements. He was a deadly phantom at one with the night.

The weight in her stomach dissipated, and she shivered. He's okay...He showed no sign of injury or weariness. Each move was precise and controlled—conserving strength for a drawn-out fight. Even as she watched, his kastane landed a hit, slashing at one of the demons. A bone-chilling howl erupted. Crimson ichor sprayed.

Mahasona had to know that even his high-level officers couldn't defeat Diyan, so this was merely his way of stalling him. It made sense that he made his minions hold the forte while he focused on transporting his whole army to the human realm. They had waylaid the Yakadura and attacked Diyan, but Diyan's small force had made it so close to the plateau. They were pushing onward through Mara demons while also dealing with endless waves of small fry.

As the birdmen flew ever closer, weaving through a copse of trees, Binara wondered how much progress they would have made if the Yakadura backed them up. It was an unfamiliar train of thought—a shift that was as foreign as the beings of myth who were carrying her through the air.

In any case, all of this meant that what was happening was not yet the offensive. The demons were simply mobilizing. She shuddered to think about Mahasona's whole army overwhelming them and swooping down on Hevana. They couldn't stop Mahasona from opening his dimensional rip, but if they acted fast, they could still prevent catastrophe. This was their last stand. She didn't want to think about their odds as she stared at the relentless horde.