Erith stood alongside Chio and their other allies, facing down the nine remaining archmages. That creature, Sol-7, had already whisked Ray away, but she was confident he would be ok and focused on the task in front of her. She dashed forward as the humanoid creatures began casting. A torrent of different types of mana swirled around her, but they dissipated as Jay the enchanter counteracted the spells.
Chio joined in her charge, slashing forward and creating a blade of wind stretching almost 10 feet long and forcing the mages to scatter. Another arrow flew from the tree line, piercing the chest of a six-armed creature and causing it to fall over with a scream of pain.
Erith seized the opportunity, unleashing a miniature tornado of fire and sending it careening toward a group of two mages. They were consumed in seconds by the swirling inferno, and moments after the fight had begun, only six opponents remained.
They began casting again, but kept their spells separate this time. A chaotic display of mana ripped out as they finished casting, and a swarm of mana bolts, blades, and beams lanced out. Erith dodged out of the way and spared a glance back. Luckily, it looked like most of their group was able to get clear of the attack, but two members fell as a wave of bolts sliced into them. She rushed forward with no time to dwell on the dead, interrupting a large beetle-like creature as a stone shard appeared above it.
It canceled the spell and swung a large iron staff at her, sword deflecting it. She quickly maneuvered around the creature’s weapons, her blade flowing like water and slicing up through its arm holding the staff with a burst of flames. It screamed in pain as the fire began spreading across its body, consuming it. She dashed toward her next target without even waiting to confirm the kill. It had manifested a large wall of wind in front of it, deflecting a barrage of arrows. Erith ran into its blind spot, and with a sweep of her sword, a blade of flame manifested, flying at the creature. She continued, furrowed as she heard the creature hit the ground.
She made her way toward Chio, who was currently overpowering an archmage with two large wings fluttering behind it. It blocked his strikes with precision using a small metal dagger, but fractures soon formed in its wrist, and as it tried to block another sweep of the greatsword, its wrist shattered, and the blade continued forward, cutting the creature in two.
Erith gave him a nod as she ran past, streaking toward the last two mages. Their four remaining teammates had managed to bring down one, and with Jay canceling the last two spell-casting, they were currently in the process of killing another. Ethih joined in, and with an overwhelming barrage of attacks, the mage soon fell.
“Objective completed: kill horde lord 1/1.”
Erith smirked as she turned to the last remaining archmage as it began to cast a spell.
“Now you're done for. I am the chosen one of my king, the 1st archmage, and you will–”
Ray appeared behind the creature, and with a shockwave of power, its head fell from its body.
Ray stood before the king as the last of the golden energy filtered into his hand.
“Last chance. Kneel!”
“No,” Ray said with distance in his voice.
“Then die.” The king's staff began radiating power as the miniature star on top of it began to increase in size.
Ray dashed forward, lashing out with his mana blade. His strikes enclosed on the king, but a bright orange barrier appeared, stopping the strikes. Ray’s eyes widened as his strikes failed to leave a scratch on the barrier. He tried to jump back to his friends, but the king grabbed hold of his chest plate before he could, and with a frightening display of strength, lifted Ray into the air and slammed him into the ground behind him. Ray’s vision swam from the impact, but he managed to keep hold of his sword and slashed at the arm holding him. The orange barrier appeared again, blocking the strike.
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“Weak!” the king roared, lifting Ray into the air again.
He threw him toward the tree line, and moments before impact, Ray disappeared, appearing before the king once more.
“A poor imitation. If Sol-7 hadn’t spent several months weakening himself for my revival, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.” The star continued growing larger.”
Ray growled and began infusing mana into his left hand. He let loose a blast heading straight toward the king, but this time, he did not even put up his barrier; instead, he raised his hand, and with a grasping motion, the blast winked out of existence.
The king smirked. “Allow me to show you what a proper attack looks like.” He pointed the staff down and with a single word of power the star flew down word. Ray tried to teleport back and get as many others away as possible, but a strange weight pushed down on him. The heat hit him next, and the ball of fire exploded before he could comprehend what had happened.
He came to moments later, gasping for air, and he grabbed for his throat, but never felt contact from his right arm. He looked down, a panicked look in his eyes, and found himself dressed only in a golden robe covering his chest and legs but leaving his arms free. He sitting in a 250-foot radius patch of plain dirt. Frantically scanning the area, he found Erith in much the same state, but the rest of their comrades were nowhere to be seen.
“You bastard!” Ray turned to see Nevala running from the woods with an arrow drawn. She let it fly, turned to ashes before coming within five feet of the king.
“I gave you a chance,” the king said with no hint of sympathy in his voice.
Nevala fell to the ground sobbing. “Chio!” she cried, her voice cracking.
A golden light shimmered in front of Ray as his eyes turned red, only now able to fully comprehend everything that had just happened. His friends were dead, and he and Erith should have been too.
A woman in a scarlet dress appeared before him. She looked from Ray to Erith, Nevala to the king, and finally back to Ray. “Foolish.”
Ray looked up to Zenith tiers, staining his cheeks. “Bring them back.”
“No.”
“I’ll pledge myself to you or whatever you want, just bring them back.”
“While I would love nothing more, I’m not a god, Ray. I can’t resurrect the dead.”
“Then how are me and Erith alive?” he shouted, getting to his feet.
“Do you not remember the insurance I placed on you when you started this farce?”
The memory flashed in Ray’s mind when they had first found out about Zenith’s true intentions. The golden light. The spell she had cast on them.
“Sorry to interject, but what purpose do you have in my domain?” the king asked, floating to the ground and walking toward Zenith.
“I’m here to make a deal with these unruly subjects. If they are finally ready to see sense.”
“You don’t have anything to offer us,” Ray said, staring daggers at the two monarchs.
“While I can’t bring your friends back, I can do what you can’t and avenge them.”
“That’s not good–”
“I accept!” Nevala shouted between sobs.
Zenith disappeared and kneeled to look Nevala in her eyes. “You poor child. While I would gladly take you under my charge, I’m afraid you are not the one I wish to convince here.”
Nevala turned to Ray with tear-stained cheeks. “P-please,” she said, placing he hand on her stomach. “For Chio.”
Ray turned away, unable to look her in the eye.
“I’m sorry, Nevala, but–” Erith began before being cut off.
“If you were sorry, you would take the deal!” Nevala yelled and began sobbing once again. “Please.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Erith muttered, turning her head down.
“Hmm,” Zenith looked over the three, and something flashed in her eyes as a devilish grin formed on her face. “I’ll tell you what,” she said, bending down and placing a hand on Nevala’s shoulder. “Even if your heartless friends won't agree, I will still accept your proposal, but all I can offer in return is to weaken the king to a level that those two will stand a fraction of a chance.”
Nevala nodded.
Zenith smiled and embraced her. “I welcome you to my family, my new daughter.”
The king snorted. “You truly think you could weaken me?” He fell to his knees and pucked as an immense aura bore down on him like he had never felt.
“Yes,” Zenith said, appearing before him as a golden sigil flashed in her hand.
The king screamed in pain as the essence he had collected from the archmages and over half of the commanders ripped its way out of his body.
Zenith appeared next to Nevala once again. “Come, my child. Let these children play amongst themselves,” she said, offering the sobbing women a hand.
Nevala nodded, taking the offered hand, and they disappeared.
Ray gritted his teeth and turned toward the king as an incantation spilled from his lips. Glowing blue mana spread from his left wrist and right shoulder, forming two mana constructs. He looked at his right once more with pain in his heart. He roared and charged the king.
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