Summoning Woes

Ch 23 - Expelled From Paradise

He underestimated them. The enemies were more familiar of the terrain and better equipped than he was, making them capable of cutting off the many routes he initially planned. To make it worse, the soldiers came towards him unrelentingly. Their drive could be felt in their battle cries; they were willing to give up their lives just to prevent him from getting closer to his objective. But that wasn't about to stop him from slaying them and moving on to his next point.

"Oi, Sirkius," he heard a voice in his head. "I know you can hear me. So listen up."

"Zero?" he mumbled to himself.

"From where you are now, you should take a detour to the right. The enemy is massing up at the main road and it'll be impossible for both you and Seraphim to plough through."

"Sirkius, the seashell," Seraphim said. "Use the seashell to communicate with him."

"Right," Sirkius pulled out the seashell from inside his robe, placing it gently against his left ear. "Hello? Can you hear me?"

"Loud and clear, cowboy. You heard what I said just now, didn't you?"

"Yeah, turn right and run through the alley."

"That's your best bet of escaping this shithole. Hurry up, Neya's condition is deteriorating fast."

"What's happening to her?"

"She's been starving for way too long. The last bit of food we had was eaten by the penguins."

"Those idiots..."

"Be careful, Sirkius. The enemy is smarter than they look."

"I noticed that. Alright, I'm on my way. Seraphim," he slid to a halt, turning to his right before blazing off once more. "Hurry up."

"I'm amazed that you still have the stamina to sprint even at that age," Seraphim said. "But isn't it time that you relied on that latent power of yours?"

"You already know how destructive it can get. I'm not risking the innocent peoples' lives just for my own sake."

Their foes were closing in fast. The alley they ran down on was increasingly getting thicker with guards that were trying to corner them off from their only escape route. He could try cutting them all down, but his body wobbled with exhaustion and his lungs were about ready to burst from overexertion.

He looked up to the rooftops, staring at the countless crossbows that were already locked and loaded, the bolts pointed at them. Their only path to escape was now blocked by a massive line of guards, both elite and regular ones.

"Sirkius...!" Seraphim looked at him desperately.

"My, my," a recognizable, male voice said. "So you're finally cornered. Vanros Sirkius."

"Leyn," he turned around, staring back at an elaborately dressed knight that carried a rapier on his right hand.

"What are you going to do?" a smirk surfaced on Leyn's face. "Can't you see the situation? You're surrounded. Why not you just give it up?"

"That's something that I cannot do," Sirkius said.

He put on the white clay mask, pointing his sword at the soldiers in front of him.

"Bellow, Seraphim," he said.

Seraphim relaxed her stance, unleashing a deafening roar that was accompanied by a wave of black energy that ripped through the ground, shredding all those that were in its way. He swung his sword at the buildings, slicing through them like a kitchen knife would to butter. Panicked cries filled the air as the fighters that once had him cornered were now scrambling away from his wrath.