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The old woods were once an open Grove where people from all walks of life trod, then it became an abandoned thicket, now it was a pyre that doubled as a beacon for the city folks. The burning woods beckoned the people, drawn in by their curiosity and inquisitive nature as sentient and intelligent beings.

The guards that stood at the fringe of the grove were now stuck in a dilemma. They had strict orders to not let anyone other than those that were part of the scheme to enter or exit the woods. However, given the abrupt development of the circumstances, it became harder and harder to obey those orders. The guards from the other districts and quarters came running here to assess the situation.

The paid guards had no retort nor answers for the inquiries thrown incessantly at them by their fellow peers and colleagues. They couldn’t exactly tell them that they were bribed to act none the wiser about whatever was happening inside the grove, which was burning like a massive bonfire.

Meanwhile, on the inside, in the centre of the pyre that was the burning grove…

“Are you unable to accept defeat gracefully, you damn bitch!?” Darius bellowed at the restrained Erin. “You seek to drag us all down along with you into your ruin?”

“It would seem becoming half a Demon had disturbed your head greatly. Why should I accept my defeat gracefully when so much is at stake? And who’s ‘us’? Surely you’re not referring to my companions, are you?”

“You don’t speak for me, Demon,” Amyra said. Her blade was still glowing in the withered blaze that set the whole woods on fire at the command of Erin. “The only ruin here is yours, Demon. You have lost.”

“Give up, Darius. With this massive fire, you can no longer escape without being seen by everyone in the city, unless you truly wish to expose yourself but I doubt this time, not even the viceroy can turn a blind eye to this. People will surely suspect his involvement then.”

Darius gritted his teeth in anger as he bounced his fiery gaze between the three. “Don’t be so sure of your accidental victory yet,” he snarled. “I still have your little Fae in my grasp. As long as she’s in these chains, I have yet to lose.”

“Where would you go or run, Darius?” Erin asked. “No, I think the question should be, how would you run? The fire had caught the attention of the city. In moments, the guards will be obligated to swarm this place to help douse put out the fire. Unless of course, they wished to admit their coalition with the Covenant.”

“Damn you… Damn you all!!” Darius roared. His voice of fury and indignation shook the burning grounds of the blazing woods.

The smoke from the fire was starting to affect Rigetta, eliciting a few coughs from her. Amyra wasn’t unperturbed by the growing haze of the blaze as fire was her soul. Erin was also unfazed with the help of the crying Spirits that were sobbing for the long-withered grove. Darius had half the constitution of a Demon and hence rendering him impervious to the effects of the brimming smoke.

With those said, Rigetta was the sole individual in the predicament. Should she continue staying amidst the fire, she would soon suffocate from the smoke. Had she been a normal person, she would have already died from the smoke but her superior disposition due to her level kept her alive for now.

“Amyra, get Rigetta out of here,” Erin said.

“What?” Amyra blurted. “What about you, m’lady?”

“Don’t question me, Amyra. I command you, as the consort of His Grace, to get Rigetta to safety now.”

Amyra tutted but she didn’t disobey the order. She scooped Rigetta into her arm and hoisted her over her shoulder.

“You’re not going anywhere!” Darius shouted as he lunged at the two, but a barrage of lightning bolts assailed him from behind. Needless to say, it was Erin. Though lightning could not harm him, it still bought Amyra enough time to hare off out of Darius' sight. Darius was about to give chase when he heard the sounds of footsteps approaching, carrying along the clangour of metal. He could also see water spells being cast in the distance. Anyone who knew Water Magic was helping in dousing the fire.

“What will you do now, Lightning Fang?” Erin asked.

“You think this will stop me?”

“No, it won’t but it’ll sure give you a lot of trouble. You don’t care about being exposed but that’s not entirely true, is it? After all, there’s a difference in how you expect to be exposed. In this way… well, it won’t end well or smoothly for you.”

“You are sending these innocent guards to their deaths. I won’t hesitate to cut them down, you know?”

“You may be a Demoid now, you may be disfigured, but I’m sure a lot of people can still recognise your face in spite of your demonification. If you cut your peers down— no, they only need to see you in your current state and you will be ruined. You will be wanted. Or you can let me go and turn back into your human form. Decide now.”

“I already have you in my grasp, vixen. My decision has already been made. A few dead colleagues and the ruination of my reputation and integrity is nothing compared to what I’m offered for your capture.”

“I figured as much,” Erin sighed and threw a bolt of lightning at Darius.

He didn’t dodge the lightning bolt and let it hit him in the face without even making him budge.

Erin lunged at him at the same moment with Arcane Edge coating her tails. She was restrained and bound but like many others, Darius did not think much of her tails and treated them as mere embellishments.

“You daughter of a bastard!” Darius hissed and tugged on the chains, slamming the charging Erin to the ground. “You’re bound, idiot bitch! You still think you can fight me!? Are you that sore of a loser?”

“Didn’t your masters tell you that I’m stubborn?” Erin retorted.

“I have no masters.”

“Keep lying to yourself. You’re a Demoid. You have a master or two at least. You just don’t know it yet, or you refuse to accept it.”

“Silence!” Darius roared and tightened the chains further.

Erin cried out in agony but her smirk remained.

“W-what in the divine’s name…” gasped a guard along with many others who had stumbled upon this scene. “A-a Demon?‘

Darius turned around in a haste and cursed himself inwardly. He was so absorbed in Erin’s taunt that he neglected the guards’ approach. None of the guards before was part of the scheme and he barely knew them. They were from other districts and quarters but they came rushing here after seeing the fire. The fire still persisted but the path they took had been cleared by Mages with Water Magic.

The guards drew their weapons and trained them on Darius.

“Quick, get reinforcement and inform all of the captains of this,” one of the guards ordered and another one immediately obeyed and rushed back to the path they came from.

Of course, Darius wasn’t about to just let that guard run back and reveal the situation. He gathered black lightning into his palm and was about to shoot it at the running guard when Erin hit his hand with her tails, veering his arm and missing the running guard by a few inches.

The running guard was spooked but he didn’t stop running. He increased his haste instead and soon disappeared from sight.

“Damn it!” Darius yelled and tossed Erin through trees before slamming her into a boulder. “You fucking bitch… I’ll—”

“Men, charge!!” shouted one of the guards as he charged at Darius. Perhaps spurred by the sight of a beautiful Fae being abused by a Demon, the guards charged at Darius at the shout of the one at the vanguard, intent on saving the damsel in distress.

But it went without saying, the guards never stood a chance against Darius.

“Get out of here! All of you!” Erin shouted at the foolish guards rushing to their deaths.

“Don’t worry, milady! Even if it means our death, we’ll save you from the clutches of this accursed Demon!” one of the guards shouted boldly in return.

“Say, doesn’t this Demon look a little like the Lightning Fang, Darius, from the Merchant District?”

“As if this foul creature could be him! It must be an imposter or it’s a trick to make us lower our guards.”

Various assumptions filled the guards’ heads but none was able to let them see reason.

“Annoying fools,” Darius scoffed and swiped his lightning-coated claws. In a flash, the guards at the front were cut down in the blink of an eye.

“Get out of here already, you fools!” Erin continued to shout. “You’re no match for him!”

“Fear not, lady. We will not abandon you!” a guard yelled in spite of his trembling hands and legs. He seemed very determined to see his foolishness through.

The guards were average around the level of thirty-five with the lowest being level thirty-one but Darius’ level was in the sixties. They stood absolutely no chance against him. Unlike Erin, their repertoires of Arcane Arts were paltry in comparison which was the norm. Even seasoned combatants would normally find themselves with only three to four Combat Arts and zero Magic Arts. Possessing a vast array of Arcane Arts could be said to be a rarity, which none of the guards was.

At best, they could only clad their weapons in Arcane Edge and threw Aura Shots and Aura Blades. None of them had Magic Arts and certainly, no one among the guards had Lightning Resistance. The Black Lightning made quick work of them and those that dodged or survived the lightning were torn to shreds by Darius’ claws.

The guards screamed and cried for mercy when they realised how out of their depths they were. Darius took no heed of their mercy pleas and slaughtered them without restraint.

By the time Darius was done with them, nothing but ashes and charred flesh remained. The last of the guards eventually came to his senses and realised his foolishness. The last guard glanced at Erin with an apologetic gaze before scampering away for his life.

Darius snorted. “Do you believe you can run?” Bolts of black lightning chased after the last guard who tripped on his own feet when he sensed the imminent danger behind him.

But the black lightning bolts were intercepted by cyan lightning bolts.

The guard scrambled back on his feet and continued in his retreat, without tripping this time around.

“He just did,” Erin mocked. She allocated her eight ability points evenly between Arcane and Finesse, raising her mastery over her Magic Arts and her tails. She also spent her remaining Skill Points to raise her Lightning Resistance all the way to level five.

Though her hands were bound, her tails were not. With her newly augmented prowess, she was able to cast spells with her tails. It wasn’t as efficient or smooth as casting spells the conventional way but it allowed her to have more options in her battles.

“You cannot be disregarded for even a second but nothing matters now. Everything’s ruined already, so why keep playing by the rules?”

“Do you always blab louder than your actions?”

Darius huffed in derision and willed the chains to restrain her tails too.

Erin groaned. “Easy there. Do you know how much work it is to make sure my tails stay fluffy and soft?”

“Not my problem, vixen.”

“It’s over there! It’s a lightning Demon of some kind. It looks strangely human and it has a Fox-kin as a hostage.”

Such lines could be heard from a distance, followed by a rush of footsteps. It was a group bigger than the last and at the pace they were marching, it wouldn’t be long before they stumbled onto this scene. Worst of all, the footsteps weren’t just from a single direction but three.

The fire around them was still burning strong but not for long. In the distance, one could see the flames were dwindling.

“Listen up, men! The Arch Mages have confirmed the presence of a Demoid, which is what we will be facing! Don’t let your guard down ever, no matter what happens. Demoids have the strength of Demons but also the intelligence of humans. They are not to be underestimated.”

“The Venerers will be here in no time when they catch wind of this. We must not let them have this glory!”

“Don’t drag or dawdle, men! Keep moving! It’s only one Demoid. It’s time we show the city why they need us guards!”

The voices of the guards and soldiers were getting louder and louder.

“You’re surrounded, Darius.” Erin chuckled. “Where would you run and how would you do so?”

“Surrounded?” Darius guffawed. “I’m hurt that you think so little of me, Lady Fae.” And a pair of wings flourish behind him from his shoulders, moulded of the same black lightning that covered his body.

“Oh… fuck,” Erin muttered.

Darius smirked. “The skies are my paths too, foolish vixen.”