.
The archdemon’s back, with a pair of bat wings stretching out from his upper back and another pair from his pelvis, rapidly expanded in my view. He wore an armor of profoundly dense mana over his torso, probably a demonic raiment, but for some reason was choosing to leave his arms shoulders and wing-roots bare. Perhaps such a thick raiment couldn’t be made flexible and he chose protecting his vitals over protecting his limbs.
The armor included a high collar that guarded his neck and overlapped his strange helmet that provided eye openings for all three faces, so his neck wasn’t available, but his limbs were.
They definitely had the protection of something resembling [Body Fortification], but that was all. And his defensive magic was imposed entirely between himself and my companions, probably evidence that the powerful magics of Dilorè and the rest were challenging his ability to fend off their attacks.
I had my target.
He was still boastfully lecturing my companions as I came into hearing distance, his three booming voices speaking in unison. His head turned to the left and right as he spoke, letting his left and right faces alternately check behind him. He would see through my stealth once my Healing circulation ramped up to the point that I began glowing. I had to time that moment just right.
I was pouring extra Wind into my flight skill, so I chose to coat Durandal with Water. I had never tried it before, but the spell form of Chiara’s [Water Blade] had given me the mental image I needed in order to form a razor sharp edge with Water.
On the ground before him, Arken, Ryuu and Allia were all visibly exhausted and catching their breaths, although Allia continued to stand facing the remaining asura and Ryuu faced the archdemon. Arken appeared to be supplementing Ceria’s Wind defense with an Earth shield above their heads.
Melione was healing a prone Bruna. Talene and Dilorè were holding their fire for the moment, but they too were facing the archfiend and the archdemon respectively, with Graham in position to guard Talene.
The archdemon’s words had continued to mock my companions from the moment I could hear them. “… the fool that you came down to help is already slain, and it is only a matter of time before your elve and your little cat girl run out of magic. The rest of you barely have any strength remaining. We don’t even have to attack anymore. We can just wait until …”
I banked ninety degrees so that my roundhouse swing would chop vertically and pulled in my wings to vault his right shoulder, while pouring part of the Healing mana onto Durandal’s blade, joining the Water, and chanting “[Purification!]”
As my body howled with pain, I could see the eye in his left face, the side that was facing backward at that time, grow wide as my glowing self became visible. He was unable to react as I swung through.
To be absolutely frank, I half expected Durandal to barely scratch him, or even fail to penetrate, despite the sheer density of mana covering the blade and the perfectly sharp edge striking him. Instead, as the blade met his upper right wing root, I only lightly felt weight upon it, and once it had cleaved it entirely free of his body, I only felt somewhat heavier resistance while it severed the clavicle and scapula, splitting his shoulder and right arm entirely free from his body. I didn’t bother waiting to see the limb and wing falling away. I could sense them in my fairy sense though, as I righted myself and gave a mighty wing stroke to rise over the defensive shields, my eye on the next target as I pulled Durandal back for a second swing.
This attack would face strong defensive magic, as I was attacking the archfiend frontally, and the magic the demon had chosen was an Aether spell, possible thanks to defending against Ryuu’s [Spirit Shot] or Arken’s [Magic Arrow], both Aether attacks.
[Holy Smite] took too long to fire. I called “[Holy Rend!]” as I closed on him and swung through.
The power of my rush added to the strength of the overpowered [Wind Scythe]. The blow shoved him backward as his magic shield collapsed. The backlash of the resulting mana shockwave slowed my flight, and he was able to parry with his great sword as I swung again, but the [Purification] still coating Durandal clashed with the demonic mana covering his blade, and the Water mana cleaved his weapon in two near the hilt.
I didn’t have the confidence to stay there and go toe-to-toe with an S-class demon, especially not with an SS-class demon a short distance away and probably recovering about now, but I had a different plan anyhow. I poured the rest of the Wind I had in circulation into my flight skill and accelerated away, orbiting the perimeter of Ceria’s shield to my next target, the asura.
My rush caught her by surprise. She carried both a spear and a shield, yet didn’t manage to bring either one to bear as I closed in on her. I struck her sword arm in the forearm, Durandal slicing her hand and weapon away as I collided with her, wrapping my left arm around her and driving her backward and straight into the tunnel entrance.
She had lost her shield in the collision, but she clawed at me with her three remaining hands as I flew. I jammed the handle of the Writing Brush into her back and let some of the [Purification] tormenting my body flow into hers while pouring even more of the Healing mana powering it out of my core to replace what I had lost. She spasmed and turned rigid, paralyzed by the onslaught.
Once I had turned the first corner and flown upward far enough to give myself long sight lines, I landed, still purifying, and still pouring it through the brush. I was also still maintaining the hell of [Purification] throughout my body, and my wings and exposed skin were incandescent, casting bright white light that extinguished shadows for a hundred paces in both directions.
That was important. Based upon what my cousin had told me, the archdemon had used some variation of [Shadow Pass] to get behind them in the tunnel. With all this brightness, I could deny him shadows to use as a portal, if he decided to come after me.
He could still invade from around the next corner, though, so I said, through gritted teeth, “Old Man, put up a [Shield of Oranos] blocking the entire tunnel if you sense one of those high demons coming down the tunnel. Watch both directions.”
I shall watch with diligence, My Lady, Durandal promised.
The demoness continued to struggle in my arms, occasionally clawing at me without effect, unable to penetrate the [Body Fortification], although she had made a horrible mess of my blouse. Almost numb from the pain, I couldn’t tell if my fangs were grown, so I checked for them with my tongue and confirmed that they were there.
“You shall not resist,” I Commanded her, pushing the full force of Vampire Charm onto her. “Submit to me.”
Her hands stopped clawing at my back. I felt her body go weak, and let her go down to her knees. I followed her down, onto my own.
Her pneuma was fading, so I stopped the flow into her and, while gripping the brush, used that fist to tip her head. Without hesitation, I sank my fangs into the flesh of her neck.
This act was nothing like anything I had ever done before. Normally, I fed as an affection act, treasuring the essence flowing into me and the donor giving it. This was the opposite, the very definition of the predatory assault I hated my father for. But knowing that the second I let up, she would counteract while I was in this vulnerable position, I continued. I reached into her body with my blood manipulation skill, the power that gave me the perception and control that allowed me to compress and store the bound mana of mortals.
Just as Diur had promised, I was able to find her blood core and take control of it, causing the compressed blood within to stream out of it, into my mouth, down my throat and straight into my own core.
When I killed the male asura, I had set off a booby-trap, detonating all the mana in his core upon receiving an instantly fatal blow such as decapitation. This slow drain wouldn’t set off such a trap if she had installed one. At least that was the gamble I was taking. I still had my [Body Fortification] active though.
I heard a moan escape from her, but I pushed more Darkness into the Charm, and her second moan turned into a sigh of resignation. Her hands dropped to the floor, and her remaining strength faded.
The last remains of her core disappeared, and there was no point in continuing to suck blood that contained little stable mana. I withdrew from her and lowered her limp body to the floor, then stood back up.
I couldn’t sense any demonic mana left in the blood I had consumed, but I was still in close quarters with one, so I maintained the [Purification] spell as I backed away from her. Who knew what sort of nasty magic item or other trump card she might have.
But she just lay there, near death. I continued to keep my eye on her and concentrated on completing the integration of the massive new quantity of compressed blood into my core. I had yet to feel any movements of Dark mana in the area, nor any demonic presences in the tunnel with us, so I wasn’t rushing the process.
She half-opened her eyes and stared at me. I could see her hatred and reproach in that eye. Even next to death, she was launching her last attack, or maybe I was doing it to myself, pushing guilt onto me for the theft I had just committed.
“To hell with you,” I answered as I recognized the absurdity of that guilt. “That blood represents the lives you’ve stolen from who knows how many innocent mortals. By taking it from you, I’m avenging them. Now I’m going to finish the job.”
I had yet to use any of the Fire I had been circulating since the beginning of the fight. I pointed the brush end of my focus at her prone form and poured it out. An intense flame, hot enough to outshine my wings, cremated her where she lay.
The me that fought against Màra would have been approaching exhaustion at this point. The me that fought Trissiaga would have still been struggling to win a fight against her. I might even be losing. Instead, I was fresh and fully charged, hardly even thinking about it as I drew in mass quantities of mana from around me. One of the mana springs feeding this cavern must have been nearby, because the mana felt rich and dense… or rather, I realized that the massive quantity of new blood I had taken in had amped up my ability to draw on the mana around me.
My mind felt strangely clear also, drawing in knowledge from not just Senhion but also Fan Li the half-spirit cultivation expert, whom I had been for almost one millenium out of the ten I had lived since being Senhion. I had a sense I might be able to pull off some of the spiritual techniques that Diurhimath practiced.
Not yet, the thought came to me. This youngling is like a great wine jar without wine, like the Prince when he first awakened his draconic core. There is tremendous potential, but it must fill before it can pour out. For now, the task is to gather.
The brief thought as Fan Li was replaced with another as Senhion. This well of blood is deep enough to use higher Blood magic. I remember an excellent technique for this situation.
The momentary flashes of multiple personality disorder were a bit unnerving, but I was in control of them. It wasn’t someone else invading my head. I was putting on my older selves like changing clothes. Knowing from Senhion what to do next, I dropped [Body Fortification].
Breaking into a run, I commanded, “[Blood Physique!]” while pouring out condensed blood from my core to fill my body, then took to the air as I passed through the tunnel mouth.
