Chapter 23: Chapter 22

“...”
“...You all heard her. We have to finish off here and get going.”

Leona’s face was grim, and the others weren’t much better.

“L-Let's do this! We can’t let the other squad show us up, right everyone!?”

Elis balled her fists together and gave a spirited cheer to rouse the group.

“...Indeed, it would be uncouth of me to cower from such a task!”
“Hmph, my legions of the underworld have no fear.”

Even Wang Bao gave a confident nod as he flexed his muscles, causing the others to crack smiles as they sped over to their designated choke point. They could hear the distant fighting of Alpha squad, but they knew it wouldn’t be long before their own battle drowned out the noise.

“Baozi, call them.”

Taking her fearsome stance as the vanguard, Leona’s eyes sharpened. She caught glimpses of squirming shadows in the distance that gradually grew in size like a titanic serpent slithering through the battered streets as it come towards them.

Wang Bao took his place beside her as he inhaled sharply, before pinching the light brown prayer beads around his neck with his thumb and clapping both hands together in front of his chest.

*BOOM*

From above his head, two giant golden hands collided, sending a ripple through the air that instantly dragged the attention of the nearby demons. The frightful snake split in two, with half continuing towards the sound of Alpha team’s clash, and the other charging straight towards Bravo team.

“Uriel!”
“Mighty Thor, bless these souls with your strength!”
“O’ cruel Hades, send unto me the souls of the damned!”

Leona, Elis and Claire followed suit in redeploying their spirits and prepared to fight, freshly blessed with strength coursing through them.

“Baozi, stone support column, 11 o’clock, second floor.”

Akil, who took a position at the back of the group, called out instructions to Wang Bao as he surveyed the field.

His neat and tidy uniform had been replaced with a pine green mantle of fine linen, bound by a number of leather straps and various satchels, and pinned over his shoulder. Around his neck was a beautifully decorated leather gorget engraved with a striking pattern which matched the vambraces that protected his arms.

Behind his thin-framed ebony glasses his once hazel eyes bore golden rings about the irises, and they scanned the surroundings with an immense speed. In only a few moments, he was able to analyse any potential environmental advantages they could make use of, but as he blinked and returned to normal he was assaulted by a splitting headache.

Wang Bao stepped forward as advised, swinging his left arm out as the golden limbs above him followed suit, shattering the concrete beam in a single swing. The already damaged and decaying building rumbled greatly before toppling towards the ever-growing mass of lesser demons.

*CRASH*

The ground trembled under the weight of the collapsing building, which crushed hundreds of demons as it fell and greatly slowed even more of them as they tried to scramble over fresh and loose rubble.

He kept a firm hold of the prayer beads around his neck as his baggy sleeves fluttered from the intense gusts that were kicked up from the destruction. He wore a long-sleeved maroon robe with a dark collar, over which he donned a white short-sleeved half-robe which was tied loosely. A burgundy waist cloth was wrapped around his midsection, and pinned the loose-fitting robes to his large, stocky figure.

Rushing to meet the remaining lesser demons of the first wave, Leona swung scorching kicks that reduced them to ash immediately, her heels becoming burning hammers of death. Behind her, a dark void split the earth, and from out of sight a bony hand grasped at the muddy ground; grabbing hold with skeletal fingers and pulling itself up.

Lumbering corpses shambled towards the girl’s unguarded back, before suddenly picking up speed and launching into the fray - directly at the demons.

Claire let out a conceited grin as she posed with one hand triumphantly pointing forward, and the other grasping at her face. From her outstretched palm, a sinister blackened aura circled her digits, and the eye hidden behind her glossy jet-black bangs glowed an unsettling red.

She wore a striking white shirt under a black lacy corset, and around her waist hung a similarly coloured frilled short skirt that flowed with each of her exaggerated movements. Over her shoulders draped a velvet capelet, dark as the night with a blood red inside to match her glowing stare.

With every twitch of her fingers, a spectral skeleton would attack, giving her the impression of a sinister puppeteer. Her spirits were somewhat weak and sluggish, but the instant one would fall, another would rise from the earth to take its place.

The battle raged on for hours without end, as the students fought tooth and nail against the seemingly infinite horde.

*BANG*

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Another rooftop collapsed on the approaching swarm through a coordinated attack from Wang Bao and Akil, the latter of which collapsed to his knees grasping at his head.

“Akil! Don’t push yourself!”

Leona shouted back towards him as she crushed a myriad of demons with fiery blows. Akil’s direct combat ability was severely limited, but with a burst of extreme analytical prowess, he was able to formulate complex strategies almost instantly which were priceless in a heated battle.

His wit and Wang Bao’s sheer strength alone had wiped out demons in the thousands, but the street had been reduced to chunks of debris, and the strategist was barely clinging to consciousness.

“Gentle Eir, bless these souls with your grace!”

Elis’s words rang out, followed by a soothing warmth that filled their bones. They were still battle weary, but even if for just a little longer, they felt the power to continue.

The girl herself was panting heavily as she wiped the sweat from her brow. An ornate silver circlet rested neatly on her head, with two small silver wings on the sides that stretched upwards and shimmered in the light.

On her chest, she wore exquisite chainmail bound with leather straps, and thin metal braces wrapped around her wrists like soft steel vines. A silky blue half cloak hung over her left shoulder, and a matching long skirt drooped down to below her knees.

Having already called multiple blessings to empower the group, her vision was growing blurry, but she stood her ground to watch her companions until the end - regardless of whether or not she’d be strong enough to help any further.

The mass of lesser demons grew thicker as they ploughed toward Leona and her entourage of ghostly warriors. There were no more nearby buildings to drop, so the numbers swelled in one large rush towards the tired students.

“Cerberus!”
“Haaah!”

Wang Bao slammed his golden fists down towards the wave as Claire and Leona roared out together.

The skeletons all simultaneously turned to dust, as a deep growl rumbled from beneath the earth, and a giant two-headed hound emerged from the void. It snarled with huge fangs, leaping into the group of lesser demons in a brutal flurry.

Meanwhile, Leona’s entire body became clad in flame as she rocketed into the fray, her mere presence burning away the approaching creatures to smouldering ash. Waves of heat radiated from her skin, and the temperature of the air around her had become unbearable.

The three of them fought valiantly, but their stamina was not endless.

“E-Eir..!”

Elis lifted her hands weakly, but the warm glow they once held only flickered, and she fell backwards into the grasp of Akil, unconscious.

His ability had outlived its usefulness here, as all that was left was a violent melee. His head pounding, he bit his lip and silently prayed they would all make it back alive.

Wang Bao’s robe had become scratched and torn from the demons that made it past the frontline, and the giant fists he controlled were dim and fading. With their immense size and strength they were ideal for shielding, but using them to fight was extremely tiring, and he was being pushed further and further back from Leona and Claire’s battleground.

Claire had lost her confident demeanour as she no longer had the strength to bring forth more spirits. Her so-called “Cerberus” was devouring demons at an incredible rate, but its spectral fur was lined with countless wounds, and wouldn’t last much longer.

Leona, the first and last defender, only had flames remaining on her feet, but still furiously kicked and spun with vigour, fresh blood dripping from the cuts covering her skin. She had long passed her limit, but her absolute force of will dictated she would fight to the bitter end.

And it wasn’t long now.

Gargling demons turned to dust as they were torn apart by giant claws. Flaming kicks carved through the mass of dagger-like teeth, turning all to ash. Gigantic hazy fingers clasped shut on squirming monsters as they faded into nothingness.

And at last, no more could be seen.

They weren’t sure when, but the sun had begun to break through the grey clouds above, and within the shattered remains of a broken city, the survivors were left triumphant.

Despite all odds, the mission was a success.

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