by J. J. Pavlov
He's slightly shorter than Daica, but his presence is far larger than life. After all, his snow-white skin and ice-blue translucent hair emanate billowing frozen mist. Upturned blue eyes and short furrowed eyebrows seem to make up his regular expression. Despite giving off a relaxed atmosphere, it appears that he regards the world with a skeptical outlook.
"You." He calls out to Asoko in a cold tone. She's not currently using her true face, as she knows that it has friendly fire enabled. But it also means that people can look at her without being overwhelmed by dread. But it allows stronger-minded people to disregard her fear-factor completely, of whom this individual appears to be one. "You're the spawn of Pelomyx, right?"
"How could you tell?" Asoko replies in a sarcastic tone, her otherworldly voice causing everybody in the vicinity to shrink back - including the maids behind her.
"You're not much." Staring straight into her blank face, the newcomer comments without changing his expression. The Chosen Knights and human soldiers near him all flinch at this assessment as if he just said that they're incompetent for being unable to overcome such a weak opponent.
"Let's go then!" The Crawling Chaos pumps her tentacle muscles and roars her challenge.
Right at that moment, Tamariki, who seems to have broken free from her Chosen Knight opponent, runs past her and charges straight at the icy boy. Maybe her instincts tell her that this is a powerful opponent, or she's just taking the opportune moment of inattention to attack first. Despite being the muscle type, she's not at all honorable, unlike one would expect from a person who seems to be living by running at everything straightforwardly.
The boy in white and blue doesn't seem to react at all while the soldiers around him spring into action. However, Tamariki is incredibly fast and reaches him before anybody can stop her. Her fist goes for his head, but she suddenly draws back as if she was scorched by fire.
It seems that her instincts were right, as the mist emanating from the boy has gathered into a spherical shape with him at the center. Only then does Asoko notice that Tamariki's forearm has turned an icy blue. The same has happened to parts of the human soldiers within the area of that sphere.
"L-Lord Gelidus... why?" One of the Chosen Knights asks in a strained tone, as nearly half of her body is frozen. Her sleek armor is covered in ice crystals, and the body underneath it must be even worse off.
"Who asked you to defend me?" The boy named Gelidus replies with a rhetorical question delivered in a tone as icy as his aura. He shows neither gratefulness for their attempt to help him, nor sympathy for freezing them.
But at his words, the other soldiers quickly get back in line, leaving the half-frozen female Chosen Knight to her fate, as her eyes roll back in their sockets before she faints. She falls over, and the sound of something shattering comes from inside her armor. Part of her body must have broken.
"Gelidus..." Ninlil mutters with wide-open eyes. "Winter's Frost."
It's the god of winter and ice, dwelling in the northern parts of the Kongensgrad as king of the frost giants. In the Kingdom of Lares, he's known as Rimfryst.
Tamariki's frozen arm begins to glow from the inside before color returns to her skin. Opening and closing her fist repeatedly, she checks to see that everything is back in order again. At that sight, Gelidus glares at her as if having recognized an enemy.
"You are a Rangatira." His frown grows deeper at these words. That's the family name of Demon King Aldeath.
"And you're a god." Shrugging, Tamariki covers her arms in flames. "What we are changes nothing about what I'm going to do to you."
As if to prove that she isn't afraid of his freezing field, she charges at him once again.
Lenoly follows Rewera and Lervia down the corridor leading away from the inner sanctum. The maid leader said that she heard the sound of fighting coming from the floor below them, so she wanted to go and take command of the combat maids there. She's worried that the battle may reach the Forerunners Chamber - and Queen Pelomyx.
"Is she still in there?" Lenoly asks, overtly wondering why the queen, said to be the most powerful leader in the history of the Dominion, isn't participating in the battle herself.
"Her Majesty has her reasons." Rewera replies without turning to look at the little bakari. She isn't running despite the gravity of the situation, maintaining a graceful demeanor. Still, each one of her steps is twice as long as Lenoly and Lervia's, so the two have to run to keep up with her.
"Does she even need protection?" The bakari maid asks but shrinks under the quick glance that Rewera shoots her.
"It is not up to us servants to judge whether or not the queen needs us. We are to serve her with all our being." She replies with such conviction that even Lenoly feels drawn in by those words. While she may be wearing a maid uniform she borrowed from Lervia, she's not officially employed as a member of the Maid Corps.
They descend the stairs and arrive in a straight corridor where spiked barricades forged from steel have been set up. Those are meant to funnel advancing enemies into a bottleneck behind which a dozen combat maids are waiting. On the other side, five people looking like Chosen Knights stand out among the Electi guards.
One of them is of towering stature, easily matching the maid leader's. However, his suit of armor lacks ornaments, featuring a plain breastplate and thick pauldrons, with a seemingly ragged ringmail underneath it. He emanates physical strength, but at the same time, he wears a gauntlet with a single large brown gemstone laid into its back.
"An earth mage." Rewera comments in a mutter when she sees it. Depending on his mastery - which can't be questioned considering he's a champion of the gods - he could easily bring the entire castle down on their heads. But the fact that he hasn't done so means that he doesn't want to incur any collateral damage among his fellow humans.
In other words, if he's the last one standing, he won't hesitate to let his magic run rampant. He has to be taken out first.
"Pushback into close formation." The maid leader shouts, upon which the maids in the front go on the attack. Surprised by the sudden foray, the Electi are forced back slightly. Taking that opportunity, the maids behind the spike barricades push them from their angled positions into a horizontal alignment.
The maids who forayed outside quickly fall back behind the barricades before they close entirely, barring the way for the humans. Those capable of magic among the demon maids immediately launch a barrage of spells over the wall, which are countered by shielding magic from the Chosen Knights just in time.
With Rewera taking command, the messy melee was instantly turned into a magical battle. But Lenoly wonders about the use of this stalemate. Time isn't on their side, as enemies swarming the city will converge on them once the outside has been brought under their complete control.
"Hold out until Her Majesty comes." But the maid leader announces, answering the silent question in the little bakari's mind. "Once she joins the battle, we will beat the humans back!"
The demons who don't have to concentrate on casting magic raise their weapons and cheer at this. The enemies on the other side of the barricades go silent at those words. They must have realized that Demon Queen Pelomyx hasn't made an appearance anywhere so far.
Lenoly raises her staff and joins the maid mages. She was a student at the prestigious Royal Academy, and she learned powerful fire spells that are amplified by the inborn magic of her people. While she may not be at the level of a double fire affinity holder, she's the closest one can get to it in terms of power.
"Explosion!" Swinging her staff forward, Lenoly unleashes the unique spell she and Chloe devised together. However, this particular one is aimed horizontally rather than vertically as she did when they fought Tamariki. The Electi jump out of the way when the ball of fire flies into their midst.
But the fiery explosion that should have swept through the corridor never happens. The flames that should have burst forward are all swallowed into the palm of a person standing where the Chosen Knights s
tood a moment ago.
It's a woman with fiery red hair and eyes who has barely reached her twenties. She appears to be wearing a tight-fitting bodysuit covered in a myriad of tiny rubies, their dazzling light shifting with every one of her movements. Walking forward with a measured step, she balls her hand with which she caught Lenoly's most powerful spell.
"That was weak. Bring your queen; I'm sure she can do better than this, at least." She says while gesturing at the maids with a bored expression.
"Are you a god?" Rewera asks while stepping forward. Lenoly stares up at her in utter surprise, then shifts her gaze to the woman in red. Only now does she realize that it may not even be a bodysuit but rather her skin. The high crystal-studded collar extends all the way up to her cheeks and seems to join her hairline at the temples seamlessly.
She doesn't look entirely human, and a demon wouldn't be standing on that side of the barricades. There are many more possible explanations, but Rewera's question doesn't sound far-fetched at all after the earlier display.
"Indeed. I am Fraglantia, the Bearer of the Flames!" With an unwavering smile, the goddess of fire introduces herself in an overbearing tone. Her hair bursts into red flames, and she steps forward to look at Rewera more closely. "And you are?"
"I am but a simple maid." Not at all intimidated by the revelation that one of the gods of the humans has appeared before her, the maid leader bows as if welcoming a guest. "Her Majesty is currently otherwise occupied, so you will have to make do with me."
Lenoly's jaw drops at Rewera's unwavering attitude despite facing a goddess.
"Everyone, back." Fraglantia's smile freezes before she orders the humans around her to retreat, who immediately do as they're told. "You will burn for making light of a god."
"I believe I have done no such thing." The maid leader raises her hands and takes a stance, remaining expressionless throughout her statement. Although she doesn't show it on her face, her actions suggest that she's confident in measuring up to the goddess of fire.
Fraglantia's whole body bursts out in flames, and her hair turns a bright yellow as she increases the heat. As if she's living lava, her form shines from the inside, and her eyes glow like two pieces of ember. A wave of heat rushes through the corridor like a physical wave, causing everybody to turn away.
Only Lenoly and Lervia, used to fire due to their biology, aren't affected. But Rewera doesn't flinch either and merely stands while waiting for the goddess to make the first move. The latter raises a hand and gestures at the maid leader, upon which a pillar of flames surrounds her. Roaring winds whip about everybody's hair as the heat threatens to overwhelm even the two bakari who stand the closest.
Balling her fist, Fraglantia dispels the fire, and from within emerges Rewera, her maid uniform gone, and her skin burned completely red.
No, her skin has turned red on its own, and her dark brown hair that was tied in a bun has opened and turned silver. Two horizontal horns have grown from her forehead, much like those of Tamariki. In fact, the body shape under her otherwise inconspicuous clothes is quite similar in muscle tone to the former demon student as well.
"You're a Rangatira!" Fraglantia exclaims when she sees Rewera's appearance.
"Yes. My name is Rewera Rangatira." As if having her real appearance seen compels her to reveal her identity, the maid leader calmly looks at the goddess of fire while making her statement.
Lenoly's jaw drops. The maid leader is King Aldeath's sister! But why would she become nothing more than a servant under Queen Pelomyx and even disguise her heritage under a plain human-like appearance?
Before an explanation can pop into the little bakari's mind, Rewera charges forward at blinding speed and delivers a devastating hook into Fraglantia's midsection. It takes the latter off her feet and propels her into the air, but whereas it looked like it should have sent her flying, she drops back down to the ground almost instantly. Her feet crack the stone as if she's incredibly heavy.
Not hesitating to make her next move, Rewera swings her left at the face of the goddess, but it's intercepted by the latter's palm. Looking up with a fired-up grin, Fraglantia appears to be genuinely looking forward to this battle.
"You'll be the warmup for the queen." She remarks while turning up the heat.
Chapter 98 - Defenses Crumbling
Although it seemed as if Tamariki was going in to attack Gelidus in a rush, she instead grabs him by the collar while ignoring the freezing field surrounding him. He doesn't even react, allowing her to throw him straight through a glass window before jumping after him. The red demon has realized that the maids will be caught in their battle otherwise, so she's moving to a place she knows is most likely devoid of demon presence.
Asoko looks outside to see the boy god slowing his fall before gracefully landing on the ramparts outside, across from the corpse-littered courtyard. Tamariki impacts the ground a distance away with far less grace, straightening her body and glaring at her opponent.
There are still Electi and a few Chosen Knights in the courtyard below them, and they quickly run up the stairs before coming up behind the towering demon. Without hesitation, they charge at her with their weapons raised.
"Stay out of this!" Gelidus suddenly shouts, causing the humans to freeze in their tracks. Looking past Tamariki to see their god and finding that he's serious, they stand down as they're told without daring to question his intentions.
"Stay here." Asoko turns to Kamii and Daica. Due to the god of ice's friendly fire, a few Electi and one Chosen Knight have been taken out of the battle. And the two dark elves already did their part in thinning their ranks earlier, so all that remains are a small force that won't be able to push forward anymore.
The Crawling Chaos jumps out of the window, but suddenly feels a pair of arms around her.
"Kamii?!" She looks over her shoulder in surprise to see that the little dark elf is sticking to her. It slows her momentum and causes them both to go into a three-story fall rather than the intended leap across the chasm to the battlements. Quickly turning her Crawling Chaos body on the spot, Asoko grows a pair of Fata wings and holds Kamii in a princess carry. It slows their fall enough to land in the courtyard below without harm. "That was reckless!"
"Don't leave me behind." Even though Kamii has identified Asoko as a different Chaos, she knows that her appearance being the same as her other half's can't be a coincidence. To learn what happened to the real Chaos, she has no choice but to stick with Asoko. And after having just met, she doesn't want to leave her side in fear that something will separate them for a long time.
"It's dangerous, though." Asoko folds her wings and pulls them back inside her body, revealing that a few dozen Electi in the courtyard are beginning to surround them. Pushing Kamii behind her, she faces them.
"What is this creature?" One of the men asks, visibly shaken by her appearance. She's still mostly in her true form except for the mask-like blank face, but they all saw her grow a pair of Fata-like wings. The discrepancy between her grotesque Crawling Chaos body and the pure white feathers seems to cause confusion.
"Stay behind me and don't look, Kamii." Asoko whispers to the little dark elf and gestures for her to stay put. She feels that the humans aren't giving her enough fear and respect, so she replies to their question about what she is by undoing the mask to showing her true face. "I'm your worst nightmare!"
In the next instant, several of them drop their weapons and scream in terror, others break down crying, and some turn tail to run away. A few of them charge forward in desperation, hoping to vanquish the horror before it destroys their minds. All of them will meet the same fate, regardless of their choice.
"Despair! Hahaha!" The Crawling Chaos roars before ripping through the senselessly attacking soldiers with claws at the tips of countless tendrils that find their way into the gaps between their armor pieces.
On top of the wall, Gelidus and Tamariki are staring each other down, oblivious of Asoko unleashing hell below. The Rangatir
a makes the first move by walking toward the god of ice, forgoing all strategizing, and simply aiming to give him a beatdown. On the other side, the boy in white and blue raises a hand and summons a spear of ice, which he shoots at the approaching demon.
Knocking it out of the way, Tamariki speeds up her steps. Gelidus then creates a whole array of ice spears around him and shoots them at her. She powers through them all, taking one in her shoulder but pulling it out and tossing it aside as if it's a minor nuisance.
"Is that all?" She asks while entering a full sprint.
"It is." He remarks quietly before closing his palm. All the ice spears that had been knocked away suddenly converge on Tamariki from all sides. However, the latter doesn't stop her charge and smacks the two coming straight from the front aside. Several pierce her back and sides, but she doesn't even flinch and reaches Gelidus.
For all his control over cold and ice, he doesn't seem to have any fighting experience. Looking up at the towering demon girl as she brings her fist down to crush him, he makes no move to dodge. But before the fist almost as big as his head can reach Gelidus, it slows down to a crawl and then stops entirely, as if the very air around him has been frozen. Tamariki tries to draw back, but her arm seems to be stuck.
For the first time, her expression changes to one of surprise. She lets flames burst out from her arms, but only the part inside the freezing sphere surrounding Gelidus doesn't create any fire. He raises a hand toward her stomach, but to his surprise, the demon suddenly chops off her own forearm and quickly takes her distance.
The bleeding stump bubbles and slowly grows out a brand new hand with slightly brighter skin color than the rest of her body. She quickly pulls out the icicles still stuck inside her back and sides one by one, upon which the wounds glow from the inside and close within moments as well.
"I should have known." Gelidus comments as he looks at the severed arm floating next to his head. Lifting his hand and plucking it out of the air, he glances it over from up close before tossing it aside in apparent indifference. "Why does he insist on making these, though?"