An oppressive silence filled the air after Ash revealed their strength. To say that we were in a dangerous situation would be a severe understatement. A group of succubi, all Tier Four demons, was already a serious threat.
A serious threat, but still manageable. That was why my companions and I made so many preparations to deal with them. Recruiting Lord Dominic, making allies, letting Lady Isabel attack them first, etc.
A Tier Five demon was something else altogether. There was no way we could defeat Ash, not with our current forces. Maybe if I were a Fourth Star martial artist, I'd risk it. However, with my meager strength, facing Ash was akin to suicide.
No. Worse than suicide. Earlier, they mentioned the word "toy" while looking right at me. If Ash got their hands on me, they'd turn me into their puppet and plaything. And I wouldn't be able to do anything to prevent this, except perhaps commit suicide. Even then, I wasn't so sure.
Once more, I cursed my weakness.
I imagined similar thoughts were running through everyone's minds.
"That's impossible!" Lady Isabel cried out, her voice filled with horror. "You were Tier Four just a few months ago. How did you reach Tier Five in such a short amount of time?"
Like other beings, demons could grow stronger over time. I didn't know the specifics of how this worked, except that it took a long time. Thank the gods. Otherwise, demons would've overrun the rest of the cosmos by now. They were already a big enough threat as it was.
"Oh, it's simple," Ash said. "You and I are more similar than I let on when we first met. Reaching this level required consuming all of my subordinates, but it was worth the price." They shrugged. "Besides, I can always find more subordinates."
A beat of silence passed.
"You're… You're an infernophage?" Lady Isabel asked, shocked.
Ash nodded with a faux sorrowful expression on their face.
"Yes, it's true," they said. "I'm not a true succubus. You've discovered my dirty little secret." A malicious grin spread across their face. "I guess I'll have to kill everyone here to keep it from getting out. Well, except for my new toy. Goodbye, Isabel."
Ash flew towards Lady Isabel, moving fast enough that I had difficulty keeping track of them. They almost managed to reach Lady Isabel, before the latter reacted. Several claws made of earth and stone emerged from the ground and nearby buildings. These claws grabbed Ash, holding the succubus in place.
"Kill her!" Lady Isabel cried out in a frantic tone.
Lady Isabel's thralls attacked Ash. Balls of fire, whips of water, blade of air, spikes of earth. A myriad of spells rained upon Ash with enough power to devastate several city blocks.
However, none of them seemed to injure Ash. In fact, the succubus seemed amused by all this.
I glanced at my companions with an unspoken question in my eyes. They nodded. We joined the attack on Ash. Leroy and I fired our elemental bolters, while Cally cast her spells. The magical constructs jumped down to the street below in order to get within melee range.
As much as I hated Lady Isabel, killing Ash took priority. They were the bigger threat. If left unchecked, they would be able to destroy all of Eastwatch on their own. I cursed at myself. Instead of saving the city, we might've accelerated its destruction.
"You too, Lord Gabriel?" Ash cried out in a mock sorrowful tone. "You wound me! I thought we had a special connection!"
I ignored the succubus' words and continued to fire my elemental bolter at them.
"You won't even talk to me now?" Ash asked. "Is it because of Isabel? I swear, we're over. There's nothing going on between us anymore."
At this point, I couldn't hold back anymore.
"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, still firing my elemental bolter. "We don't have any kind of connection."
Ash broke free of Lady Isabel's Earth claws, proving that they could've done so at any time, before rushing towards me. I leapt back, while continuing to fire my elemental bolter, not that it was doing me much good.
"Of course we do," Ash said, hovering in the air in front of me. "From the moment I saw you, I knew we were destined for each other. You're mine to love, to cherish…" Their voice grew deeper and darker. "To consume, to devour until every fiber of your being is a part of me. Isn't it wonderful? We'll be together forever."
I felt Aurora's anger at those words. She seemed ready to leap out and claw Ash's face off.
'Easy now,' I told my familiar through our bond. 'Wait until the right moment to strike.'
Aurora let out a mental snarl, but held back. Good. She was my trump card. I didn't want to reveal her unless necessary. That said, I wasn't sure about what she could do against Ash. Aurora was more powerful than before, but not enough to close the gap between her and Ash.
The entire time, attacks continued to rain down upon the succubus. They ignored these attacks, as if they were as harmless as rain drops. Damn it! At the very least, I expected Lady Isabel's spells to provoke a reaction. The woman was a Fourth Circle wizard, for fuck's sake!
That's when I realized that none of the attacks belonged to Lady Isabel. This confused me for a moment.
"If you're wondering about Isabel," Ash said, as if reading my mind. "She is currently trying to escape."
My left eye twitched. So, not only was Lady Isabel a complete monster of a person, but she was also a coward. I never hated anyone in my entire life, all three of them, as much as I hated that woman.
"Don't worry," Ash said. "Once I'm done with you, I'll make sure to make Isabel suffer."
I snorted.
"I'd rather you do the world a favor and kill yourself," I said, before shooting my elemental bolter at them.
Ash pouted.
"That's just uncalled for." They grinned. "Now come here."
Ash reached for me. I tried to back away, but the succubus moved too fast. They grabbed me by my clothes and lifted me into the air.
"My lord!"
"Gabriel!"
My companions tried to intervene, but Ash flew away until we were several hundred feet in the air. My companions called out after me, but the wind stole their voices away.
I struggled to break free of Ash's grip, to no avail. The situation looked dire. I was in the hands of a succubus, now a Tier Five demon, who wanted to eat me. Under most circumstances, this would be the end of me. However, I had a lifeline.
"A little help would be appreciated!" I called out.
Ash tilted their head.
"Who are you talking to-" they started to say, but then stopped when a thick white mist engulfed us both.
It surrounded us on all sides, blocking our sight and dulling our other senses. This mist was leagues beyond anything I could create. It wasn't something a mere Second Star martial artist like myself could see through.
A moment after the mist appeared, a light flashed and I found myself falling. At first I thought Ash had let go of me, but then I realized that their arm was still holding on to me. Unfortunately, said arm was no longer attached to the succubus' body.
Ash let out a pained shriek, but I soon lost sight of them as I fell. Moments later, someone grabbed the back of my clothing, slowing my fall. I tried to twist around to see who it was, but couldn't find the right angle.
"Fine," a familiar voice said, exasperated. "I'll help you out again."
I sighed with relief and sagged.
"Thank you, Teacher," I said.
It had been a gamble on my part to call out to Teacher for help. She believed in tough love, or something along those lines. If I faced a threat that I was capable of defeating with my own power, she wouldn't lift a finger to help. However, she would intervene if I ended up facing an opponent I couldn't defeat. I was glad that part of her remained the same.
"I'm only helping because you weren't supposed to face a Tier Five demon," Teacher snapped. "If that thing had stayed at Tier Four, I wouldn't have intervened at all."
"If Ash had stayed at Tier Four, I wouldn't have needed your help in the first place," I said.
Teacher snorted, but otherwise didn't respond. Several moments later, my feet touched solid ground.
"I'll keep the succubus occupied," Teacher said. "Just worry about that crazy bitch and her thralls."
I turned to face Teacher, but she disappeared. I couldn't even catch a glimpse of her. Moments later, the mist receded. I found myself on a building that stood next to the one I was on before. I looked up. A ball of thick white mist hovered in the air. Good. With Teacher dealing with Ash, we had a serious chance at winning this battle.
"My lord!"
"Gabriel!"
I looked over to find my companions rushing over to me. Our respective buildings were close enough that they could leap over to mine.
"What happened?" Leroy asked, frantic. "Are you okay?"
"Is that an arm?" Cally asked, incredulous.
I looked down and realized that Ash's arm was still holding onto my clothes. I tried to pry it off, but it maintained a death grip. Out of frustration, I pulled as hard as I could, ripping my clothes in the process.
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"To answer your questions in order," I said, looking up at my companions. "My teacher helped me. I am okay. And yes, this is an arm."
I placed Ash's arm in my inventory ring. Leroy stared at me, horrified.
"Why?" he asked, baffled.
I opened my mouth to answer, but Cally beat me to it.
"That's the arm of a Tier Five demon," she said. "It has plenty of uses in both artificing and alchemy. If nothing else, we can sell it for a hefty profit."
I closed my mouth and gestured to Cally.
"What she said."
Leroy glanced between the two of us, before shaking his head.
"Let's go," I said, gesturing to the ball of mist in the air. "Teacher is holding off Ash for now, so let's take this opportunity to kill Lady Isabel."
My companions nodded, their expressions grim. With that, the three of us ran off towards Lady Isabel's last known location.
In the short amount of time I had been gone, the situation down below had devolved into complete chaos. Lady Isabel's thralls, and the few free thinking folk that sided with her, were fighting against Lord Dominic's magical constructs and House Sandstrike's retainers. The latter must've arrived while I was in Ash's hands.
The fighting took place in one area, but that just made it even more intense. All the violence was contained in a small space. Spells flew through the air, throwing up dust and smoke. The smell of blood and burnt flesh clogged my nostrils. Explosions rang out, mingling with the screams of people in pain.
I gritted my teeth. We needed to kill Lady Isabel as soon as possible. The sooner she died, the sooner the violence ended and the more lives we saved.
I looked around. Lady Isabel wasn't in sight. I saw her palanquin, which laid abandoned off to the side. However, I saw no sign of Lady Isabel herself. Nor did I see any sign of Anna, Lord Sandstrike, or Lord César.
I turned to Leroy and Cally.
"Do you know where Lady Isabel went?" I asked them.
They shook their heads.
"We were too busy worrying about you," Cally said in an acerbic tone.
Fair enough. I looked back at the fighting down below. A part of me wanted to jump down and get involved. However, finding Lady Isabel took priority.
"Aurora," I said out loud.
'Finally!' my familiar said, leaping out of my body.
Leroy and Cally started when they saw her.
"Why didn't you tell us that Aurora woke up?" Cally demanded.
I shrugged.
"I wanted it to be a surprise," I said.
Cally looked at me like I was an idiot. She opened her mouth to respond, but I held up a hand to forestall her.
"We don't have time to argue," I said. "Let's split up into two teams to find Lady Isabel."
Leroy tapped my shoulder and pointed to something off in the distance.
"I think she's over there," he said.
I followed his finger and watched as a building collapsed, before two claws made of earth and stone clashed with one another.
"I think so too," I said. "Let's go."
The four of us head in that direction. We ran across the rooftops, since it was faster than climbing down to the streets below. Leroy carried Cally, since the latter didn't have the physical prowess of a martial artist.
A couple minutes later, we arrived at our destination. In that time, the entire area around the fighting had been devastated. Buildings lay in ruin, with the streets cracked and overturned. Most of the street lamps were broken, leaving the area shrouded in shadows. Enough street lamps remained that I could see some details, but not all of them.
Through the murkiness, I saw several figures clashing. Two of them appeared to be Lord Sandstrike and Lady Isabel, though it was difficult to tell them apart from this distance
Even so, the sight of two Fourth Circle wizards, both specializing in Earth, was awe-inspiring. It was as if the earth was at war with itself. The sound of the ground groaning and stone smashing filled the air. Even as I watched, the ground split beneath one of the figures. However, a claw made of earth rose up to catch them and lift them up into the air.
It looked like the two of them were even for now, so I turned my attention to the other figures. There were three. It was easy to make out Anna and Lord César, since the former was clad in fiery armor and the latter was using Earth magic. I didn't recognize the third figure, but they appeared to be either a martial artist or a wizard who specialized in internal magic.
"Leroy, Cally," I said. "Go help Anna and Lord César. Aurora and I will aid Lord Sandstrike. Once you're finished, help us finish off Lady Isabel once and for all."
Leroy and Cally nodded, before they headed down.
"Aurora, enter my body again," I said. "You'll be my secret attack."
Aurora pouted and muttered under her breath, but she obeyed despite her grumbling. Afterwards, I climbed down to the streets below, or what remained of them rather.
For most people, intervening in a fight between two Fourth Circle wizards was akin to suicide. However, I wasn't most people. If I struck at the right moment, I was confident that I could kill Lady Isabel. If nothing else, I could give Lord Sandstrike the opening he needed to finish her off.
As I drew closer to the battle, it became more challenging to maintain my footing. Moving through the ruin and rubble proved simple enough for someone like me. However, the way the ground continued to churn and shift made things more difficult. I also had to dodge flying debris. The murkiness didn't help matters.
"You were always a disappointment, Silvio!" Lady Isabel shouted, raising her voice above the noise. "I never thought you were a worthy heir!"
"That's a compliment coming from you!" Lord Silvio shouted back.
When I drew close enough, it was easier to distinguish between them. From a distance, it appeared that the two were even in strength. However, up close, it was clear that Lady Isabel held the advantage. She appeared unruffled, even as Lord Sandstrike struggled to match her.
I watched as Lady Isabel summoned claws to attack Lord Sandstrike from all directions. Rather than summon claws of his own, he created a barrier made of stone and launched a massive stone spike towards Lady Isabel. She blocked it with another summoned claw.
"Look at you," Lady Isabel sneered. "You can barely fend off my attacks. Maybe if you hadn't wasted your time concerning yourself with vermin, you would be stronger. You might have even surpassed me."
"As House scions, it is our duty and responsibility to protect our people!" Lord Sandstrike said. "Not torment and torture them!"
Lady Isabel let out a scornful laugh.
"Such noble sentiments," she said in a mocking tone. "Perhaps I'll put that on your gravestone after I bury you." She looked in my direction. "Or perhaps you were expecting this little rat to make a difference."
Lord Sandstrike followed her gaze. His eyes widened when he saw me.
"What are you doing?" he shouted. "Get out of here!"
The warning barely left his lips before Lady Isabel attacked me with over a dozen claws. They emerged from the rubble around me, as well as the ground beneath my feet. However, I avoided them using [Lightning Dash], before I drew my sword and rushed towards Lady Isabel.
Lady Isabel continued to attack me. I pushed everything I had into speed, avoiding her strikes, using [Lightning Dash] several times in succession. Even then, the attacks almost grazed me. One wrong move, and I was a dead man. My heart beat against my chest like a drum, while blood thundered in my ears.
At first Lady Isabel attacked me at leisure, no doubt anticipating my death. However, as I drew closer and closer, her attacks became more frequent. She split the earth beneath my feet, trying to bury me, but Lord Sandstrike caught me with a claw and launched me towards Lady Isabel. He then attacked her himself, forcing her to split her attention.
Facing two opponents put Lady Isabel on the back foot. While she tried to get rid of me, and prevent me from getting closer to her, she couldn't afford to ignore Lord Sandstrike. With the latter's aid, I soon came within striking distance of Lady Isabel. However, just before I swung my sword, she stomped on the ground.
"Enough!" she shouted.
A wave of earth roiled out from where she stomped, rippling out in all directions. I leapt up to avoid it. Lady Isabel took advantage of this and swiped at me with a stone claw.
I twisted in mid-air to avoid it, but not enough to avoid the attack altogether. The claw was still going to hit me. I tried to block it with my sword. However, to my dismay, I heard the sound of something shattering before I felt a sharp pain.
The claw slashed my right shoulder, cutting me down to my bone. Somehow, it didn't rip my arm off. Maybe I moved enough to avoid the worst of it, maybe my sword blocked enough of the claw, or maybe it was a combination of the two.
I slammed into the ground, the impact knocking the air out of my lungs. An overwhelming pain washed over me, and I blacked out for a moment. When I came to again, I felt a warmth seeping into my clothes and dripping down my body. Blood, my blood, and a lot of it. At this rate, I'd bleed out in minutes.
I tried to get up and move, but my right arm refused to listen. The stone claw must've done more damage than I realized. However, I needed to get up. Otherwise, I was a dead man.
I looked over to find Lady Isabel standing atop a piece of rubble, looking down at me. When she noticed my gaze, she snorted and lifted her hand. However, before she could finish me off, Lord Sandstrike attacked her with several sand claws of his own. She took her attention off me and focused on defending herself.
'Now!' I said to Aurora through our bond.
My familiar emerged from my body, rushing towards Lady Isabel. The latter noticed this despite being distracted by Lord Sandstrike's attacks. She raised an earth wall to block Aurora. My familiar just dived into the ground to go underneath it.
I didn't see what happened next, since the earth wall blocked my vision. However, a moment later, I felt Aurora's feelings of victory and triumph through our bond. Lady Isabel's pained scream followed right after.
A stone spike shot out from Lord Sandstrike's direction, flying right towards Lady Isabel. I heard a meaty impact, before her body flew backwards with the stone spike embedded right in her abdomen.
As she flew, I noticed that she was missing an arm.
Lady Isabel hit the ground with a thud, landing on her side. Her body almost rolled over, but the stone spike in her abdomen prevented this.
Lady Isabel stared off into space, a shocked expression on her face. She tried to speak, but blood gushed from her mouth. Moments later, the light went out of her eyes.
She was gone.
I sagged with relief. Finally, it was over. Lady Isabel was dead. Once Teacher killed Ash, Eastwatch would be free of all the parasites infesting it.
"Gabriel!" Aurora said.
She rushed over to me, a frantic expression on her face. At the same time, I heard footsteps heading in my direction. I looked over to find Lord Sandstrike running towards me.
"You idiot!" he shouted when he reached my side. "What were you thinking? You could've been killed!"
I grinned at him, or at least I think I did. I was a little out of it at the moment. Maybe I was in shock.
"Don't worry," I said, my words a little slurred. "I just need a Healing Potion, and I'll be right as rain."
At the very least, I wouldn't bleed to death.
Lord Sandstrike grimaced, before he reached for his inventory ring and pulled out two Healing Potions. These were high quality ones as well. Lord Sandstrike crouched and forced one down my throat, while he poured the other one directly on my wound.
The two Healing Potions took effect right away. The pain receded a little, though most of it remained. This just showed how much damage Lady Isabel's attack had done. Even so, the Healing Potions blunted enough of the pain that I regained a measure of lucidity. It also didn't feel like I was going to bleed to death anymore.
Lord Sandstrike moved me into a more comfortable position. At the same time, he looked me over, checking my condition.
"It will take at least a week to recover from these wounds, even with a skilled healer." Lord Sandstrike looked me right in the eyes. "How could you be so reckless? What if you had died?"
"Better me than others," I mumbled.
I didn't intend to say that. The words just slipped out of me.
"What?!" Aurora asked.
She moved, until she was right in front of me, her face inches away from mine. Her pupils had narrowed to narrow slits.
"Would you care to repeat that, Gabriel?" Aurora hissed at me.
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I didn't know why I said that. Or rather, I didn't want to admit it, not even to myself. Deep down, I knew why I was reckless to an almost suicidal degree. However, I avoided thinking about it as much as possible. Most of the time, I forgot the reason altogether.
"Look out!" Teacher's voice called out.
The three of us looked up. I sucked in a breath when I noticed Ash flying right towards us in their true form, with Teacher chasing after them. The succubus was in poor condition. Their body was covered in wounds, one of their wings was torn, and they were now missing a leg as well as an arm. However, it surprised me that Ash was even still alive after facing someone with Teacher's strength.
It belatedly occurred to me that Ash was almost upon us, and that we should do something about that. However, while I was slow on the uptake, Aurora and Lord Sandstrike were not. The former moved to shield me with her body, while the latter grabbed me and tried to bring us underground.
It was all for naught.
"If I'm dying," Ash shouted, their eyes filled with manic. "I'm taking you with me. We'll be together forever in the Infernal Lands!"
They reached out with their remaining hand and a black thread emerged from it. It shot towards me, piercing my body in an instant. Teacher reached Ash at the same time and swung her sword.
The moment the black thread pierced me, it tugged on my soul. There were no words to describe the sensation as I felt the black thread rip my soul out of my body and pull it towards Ash. At the same instant, Teacher's sword cleaved through Ash's body, killing the succubus and severing the black thread.
In the next instant, I felt another force pull my soul away and all I knew was darkness.