Demoness 2 - Chapter 69 - The Rearguard (Patreon)

The ground below churned with a constant barrage of explosions as Elania flashed by. She dove low; her stolen great sword cleaving through bodies while her wings acted as blades, mowing down any formation of soldiers that didn’t scatter and flee.

She chased down those that ran.

An endless cycle of cycling her [Power] to slay, and then consuming her victims to replenish it. She was so very close to hitting level two hundred.

They learned to keep a safe distance from the wall. Even their sergeants and officers couldn’t urge them closer, even with threats.

Even fanaticism had reached its limit.

When the men in front of her on the wall weren’t wearing the same robes and armor of the Lightbringers, she almost didn’t notice.

But she managed to check her sword just in time to avert a disaster.

The Guard lieutenant from the Magistry that had pushed forward to connect with them had no idea how close his squad had come to being turned into [Power] for her bracers.

“Report, lieutenant,” she demanded. “What’s the situation at the Magistry?”

“The defenses are holding, my lady,” he replied quickly. “The enemy hasn’t breached the outer wall. Central District garrison reinforced successfully with minimal casualties.”

A wave of relief washed over her. “Good. There are thousands of men on the way, many wounded. They need assistance.”

The lieutenant nodded, already signaling to a nearby soldier. “Velin! Take that and inform the Magistry. Prepare to receive wounded and reinforcements.”

The messenger nodded and then sprinted off.

Elania unfurled her wings as the lieutenant turned back to her.

He frowned, confusion appearing on his face. “Are you going back out there? I thought the fortress had fallen?”

Elania shook her head. “They were cut off, but Bannon is likely still fighting. I’m going back for the stragglers.”

“Alone?” The lieutenant’s brows knitted together.

A grim smile tugged at her lips. He really must not have been paying attention or seen what she had been doing already. “I’m the only one who can. Keep the path clear for the others.”

Without waiting for a response, she leaped from the wall, wings carrying her swiftly back towards the besieged fortress.

As she passed over the retreating guards, Elania took in their number. There was far more than she realized. A thick line all the way back to the chasm, where a blob had formed where the injured had to be helped down and up the ramps. It was hard work, and bands of enemies sometimes took potshots at them from afar.

She passed it by without stopping.

The situation on the far wall near the fortress was worse. Scattered groups of Guard held off detachments with ranged attacks as best they could. It was clear that they had stayed behind to give their brothers further down the line, more time to cross the breach.

It wasn’t until she nearly reached the City Watch Fortress that she found the first full Lightbringer unit on the wall, in one of the sections that she had cleared near the beginning of the retreat.

She dropped a flurry of light spears on them but didn’t slow down to collect their remains.

The fortress was aflame, like someone had filled it with fuel and lit a match.

On one of the ramparts, she saw men shove a cannon off the side. The steel cylinder plummeted, exploding with a furious fireball when it struck the ground.

The fortress courtyard swarmed with the enemy, moving like ants. The walls had been taken. A few defenders held the entrance to the citadel. At some point, they had breached the main gate since she had left.

A barrage of golden orbs slammed into the doorway, obliterating the defense. Stone blew outward and crushed some of the attackers.

It was good to know the enemy’s coordination wasn’t perfect. Especially with how much disarray the Guard had been in without their telepathy.

It still didn’t change the math of just how outnumbered they were, unfortunately.

Elania turned toward the source of the siege orbs. If they brought those to bear against the Magistry district, just how well would the defense fare?

It would help if she could reduce their capacity to destroy the fortifications. She turned and moved in the direction the orbs had come from.

Her eyes darted across the battlefield, searching for the source.

It didn’t take long before she spotted something out of place. Four circles of monks blazed in the distance against her [Enhanced Mana Sense] as they spilled out their mana freely.

Each monk had their hands clasped in prayer, chanting together in a way that somehow amplified the sound loud enough that she could hear from afar.

In the center of each circle stood a single monk, his hands raised to the sky.

At nearly the same time, all four men turned into a golden light that launched straight up into the air.

Horror clawed at her as realization dawned on her. The projectiles that the Conclave had been bombarding the fortress with… where monks. People. Turned into projectiles.

The Conclave was using their own as ammunition.

Fanatics.

The four lights curved toward her immediately. She flicked a wing and spun away in a roll, neatly dodging the first one, and then the second. A sudden flare propelled her upwards over the third and then she dived toward the circles, passing underneath the fourth.

A frantic glance back told her that the aerial display wasn’t over yet, though, as the four golden lights curved around after her.

In front of her, four new candidates stepped forward, ready to be transformed into another volley of living weapons. Elania narrowed her eyes and opened her hand, four orbs of crackling energy forming around her.

The monks seemed to realize what was coming because they finished their chant much faster. The reduction in preparation time left the men on the ground shrieking in agony as only part of their bodies ripped away and into the air after her.

Elania grit her teeth. They wouldn’t get a third chance. She released her makeshift [Power] bombs. The projectiles launched forward in wobbly line that homed in on the center of the circles.

The monks didn’t even try to flee, and the entire intersection lit up with golden light of destruction bright enough she had to cover her eyes as she plunged forward through the air.

When the flash cleared, she realized she had made a mistake. The incoming projectiles didn’t die with the circles.

And now there were eight of them.

“Shit!” Elania cursed under her breath. She banked hard, her wings straining as she pushed herself to the limit.

The projectiles followed, their speed increasing with each passing second.

Elania’s gaze darted around, searching for an escape.

A building loomed ahead, its windows shattered and its walls crumbling.

She burst through a window, shards of glass cascading around her.

One of the projectiles slammed into the building, exploding in a blinding flash of light. The force of the blast sent Elania tumbling, her wings struggling to keep her from crashing.

She regained her balance, only to find four more projectiles smashing into the ground before her, the impacts shaking the earth and sending geysers of debris flying upwards in her path.

Elania threw up her [Demonic Aura] and punched through them without harm other than a reduction in her [Power] stores.

The remaining three projectiles closed in.

Elania spun in midair, her arms outstretched. Two light spears materialized beside her.

With a flick of her wrists, she sent them hurtling towards the projectiles.

They collided in a blinding explosion, the force of the blast sending shockwaves rippling through the air.

The final projectile surged forward, its energy pulsing with a sickening intensity.

Elania gripped her great sword, its blade thrumming with power. She placed the tip against the projectile just as it reached her, the two conflicting energy sources igniting in a cataclysmic explosion.

The sword won, barely. While she caught her breath, the metal began to turn into dust. The mana shard inside of it had popped with the sudden impact, its [Power] draining the shard beyond its limit.

Drat. She had needed the sword. It had been the most useful of her melee weapons.

When she returned to the Watch Fortress, the first thing she noticed was the relative silence. The signature crack of the Guard’s shock-crystals had gone silent, and the battle seemed to have ended.

Dead filled the streets and breaches. Atop the gatehouse, Magister Bannon stood alone, his sword pulsing a deep-water blue. When she landed in front of him, the aura went out.

A crash of water filled the air, a tidal wave rushing out of the courtyard and out the breached gate. It carried with it countless drowned bodies of Lightbringers and guards alike.

Elania frowned. “Is everyone out?”

Bannon shook his head sadly. “Everyone who can be saved has made it out. The rest shall act as a rearguard to buy the rest time.’

Elania’s heart sank, but she nodded. “Very well, let’s get back to the rest then. They likely still need help to make it to the Magistry safely. If you want, I can carry you through the air.”

He met her gaze, his eyes filled with a haunting resignation. “It’s too late for that.”

Elania frowned. “You can’t mean to—”

He held up a hand, silencing her. She followed his line of sight, her breath catching in her throat. Down the main street, the wave of water diverted, pouring away unnaturally from a group of enemies.

Elder Holt led the group. Flanking him were a half dozen paladins, their heavy armor glinting in the light of Neftasu’s light stones. Their steps were measured, purposeful. It was a silent declaration of the impending clash.

Bannon’s hand tightened on the hilt of his sword, his jaw set with determination. “Get to the Magistry, Elania. They need you more than ever now.”

Elania furrowed her brow. “We can get out of here. There’s no need to fight while they have the advantage.”

“The men deserve a chance to make it to safety. It was my failure that caused them to stay overlong, and my duty to correct the error. If I fall back now, then the Elder and his allies will reach them and cut the retreat off,” Bannon stated.

He looked at her. “You should go.”