Demoness 2 - Chapter 54 - Frontline (Patreon)

Elania touched down on the gate roof, her wings folding neatly behind her back.

The guards on duty snapped to attention, wary expressions glued to their faces as they determined whether or not she was a threat. Even when they figured out she was there to help, they didn’t relax.

Dark circles underscored their eyes, and their uniforms bore the stains and tears of prolonged battle.

“Where’s Magister Astolf?” Elania asked, her voice carrying over the distant sounds of conflict.

The nearest guard shook his head, his helmet askew. “We don’t know, my lady. Last we heard, he was at the southern gate, trying to hold the line.”

Elania’s expression turned somber as her eyes scanned the bridge extending ahead of the gate.

The structure served as a checkpoint between the central district and the affluent noble district, with the primary cascade of water from Neftasu’s largest waterfall encircling the island-like pillar that granted access to the surface.

On the other side, Lightbringer units stood watch atop the stolen ramparts, their gleaming armor reflecting the flickering light of the fires that raged through the noble district.

Smoke billowed from every terrace level, painting the sky an ominous shade of gray.

The gate’s position set it back from the bridge, providing a measure of safety from the Lightbringers’ projectiles.

As Elania surveyed the scene, uncertainty crept into her mind. The distance might not be enough to guarantee their protection, especially if the Lightbringers possessed more advanced weaponry. Especially with the height advantage.

Thankfully, she didn’t think they had cannons. Otherwise, they’d be in trouble.

She turned back to the guards. “I’ll try to locate Magister Astolf and assess the situation further.”

The guards nodded, their faces etched with a mix of determination and exhaustion. Elania could see the toll the constant fighting had taken on them, but she knew they would continue to stand their ground.

Elania’s wings twitched, ready to propel her into the air, when a flurry of movement caught her eye.

On the Noble district side, soldiers were moving.

And they were coming toward the gate.

They formed neat squares and rectangles like a well-rehearsed machine, and Elania’s enhanced vision let her take in the sight almost as if she had binoculars.

The outer layers of the squares had comically large shields that reminded her of roman ones. When the shields came up and interlocked, it made a solid wall. What was it called? Tortoise formation?

The Lightbringers surged forward faster than she thought possible. A loud horn blared from nearby, and shouts spread up and down the nearby walls. Men moved back and forth carrying boxes of shock-crystals and metal crossbow bolts.

Nearby, a cannon barked from the wall, flying with a nearly flat trajectory.

It was accurately aimed. Elania fully expected it to smash the Lightbringers painfully in an example of why you didn’t march densely packed infantry through artillery.

Just before impact with the enemy soldiers, a golden light wedge appeared, and the projectile deflected away and into the rushing water.

Elania grunted. “Shit.”

They had magical defenses!

The air crackled with tension as the first volley of musket shots rang out; the sound reverberating through air.

This time the barrier didn’t form, and a clinking rain of lead smashed into the pristine-white armor and shields of the oncoming formation. None of the enemies went down.

No wonder they were having so much trouble holding onto the Noble district. If this was how the firearms and cannon of the Guard worked, they didn’t have a weapons advantage at all.

She glanced at a nearby guard who was taking aim. He had light chainmail and leather armor, and a broad short sword hung from his belt.

No, if the Lightbringers were able to close to melee, they were at a distinct disadvantage.

She needed to do something.

Elania launched herself into the air, her wings unfurling with a powerful snap.

Wind whipped through her hair as she rapidly gained altitude, the besieged gate shrinking below her. Then she angled toward the enemy.

Lightbringers in the center of the formations took aim.

She banked hard, narrowly avoiding a cloud of projectiles that would have turned her into a pincushion.

Higher and higher she climbed, until she was out of range, at least as long as she didn’t hover in one place for too long.

Elania reached for her bracer, fingers finding the smooth surface of a mana shard.

[Power] thrummed through her as she drew upon the shard, a tingling sensation that raced along her nerves.

Golden light gathered in her palm, and all around her, a dozen lances coalesced into existence. It was a move she’d used before and was getting better at using. It was sort of annoying that her seraph abilities didn’t have ranks or levels to measure, but that was just a consequence of her transformation ability.

The spears shimmered all around her with barely contained power. Even her wings, which had been rather dull, seemed to soak in the [Power] lighting up more brightly.

With a flick of her wrist, she sent her volley of spears hurtling downward, streaking toward the Lightbringer formations like a volley of falling stars.

Just before impact, the golden barrier sprang to life.

The lances struck it and detonated, exploding like firecrackers in a dazzling display of light and sound.

Elania shielded her eyes, squinting through the glare. As the explosions faded, her heart sank.

The Lightbringers marched onward, their steps unfaltering. Not a single soldier had fallen, their armor unmarred by the barrage.

She watched, frustration welling up inside her, as they drew ever closer to the gate.

Elania’s wings flared, catching the updraft of her own attack as she watched the Lightbringers advance, their shields glinting in the artificial light.

The steady rapport of musket fire echoed across the cavern, mingling with the booming retorts of cannons.

A Lightbringer at the front crumpled, his armor dented from a well-placed shot. Before Elania could even blink, another Lightbringer stepped forward, seamlessly covering the gap with their shield.

The formation marched on, unfazed.

Magic. It had to be. No ordinary armor could withstand such an onslaught without a scratch.

Elania’s hand drifted to her bracer, fingers brushing against the largest mana shard embedded there. Raw power thrummed beneath her fingertips, begging to be unleashed.

One devastating blow could end this. Shatter the Lightbringers’ formation like glass.

But at what cost?

Her gaze flicked to the causeway. If she unleashed that kind of power here, the bridge would crumble. She didn’t know the strategic implications. There were four bridges into the Noble District, but the one she was at that connected to the Central district, which was still under control by the Guard…

No. She couldn’t make that call. Not without consulting the Magisters first.

Elania’s jaw clenched as she watched the Lightbringers draw ever closer, their advance relentless. Musket balls pinged off their shields, ricocheting into the abyss below.

There was going to be a scaling of the walls. She angled toward the gatehouse.

A few minutes later, Elania touched down on the ramparts, her wings folding behind her as she landed on the top of the wall.

The Lightbringers reached the walls at nearly the same time, their ladders digging into the stone like the claws of a great beast.

Guards rushed to repel the invaders, their swords clashing against the Lightbringers’ heavy armor.

The sound of metal on metal rang out, punctuated by the sharp cracks of muskets firing at point-blank range.

Elania’s eyes locked onto the damaged section of the wall, where the Lightbringers swarmed like ants. She charged forward, her seraph-powered light weapons materializing in her hands.

A Lightbringer reached the top of the wall, his sword raised high.

Elania met him head-on, her divine claws tearing through his armor like paper. The man crumpled, his body and essence exploding in a spray of light that flowed to her rapidly.

[You have slain Lightbringer Soldier - Human - Lvl 143]

[You have lost 17 Karma.]

[You have gained a level!]

[You have gained a rank in Martial Bladesmanship!]

Elania blinked, surprised by the sudden influx of power. It wasn’t the divinity she expected from absorbing a monk, but rather the familiar rush of leveling up and gaining a new skill.

She dodged a strike from another Lightbringer, her mind racing. Why wasn’t she receiving divinity? Was it something about the monks themselves that granted that power, rather than her seraph form interfering with the absorption process?

Questions for later. Right now, she had a battle to win.

Elania danced through the melee, her light weapons flashing as she cut down Lightbringer after Lightbringer. The guards rallied around her, their muskets barking as they poured fire into the enemy formations.

A Lightbringer lunged at her, his sword whistling through the air. Elania parried the blow, her divine claws raking across his chest. The man staggered back, his armor rent and torn.

[You have slain Lightbringer Sergeant - Human - Lvl 156]

[You have lost 411 Karma.]

[You have gained a level!]

[You have gained a rank in Martial Bladesmanship!]

Elania pressed forward, her wings flaring out behind her as she leaped over a fallen Lightbringer. She landed in the midst of a group of soldiers, her light weapons spinning in a deadly arc.

The Lightbringers fell before her, their armor no match for her seraph-powered attacks. Elania moved like a whirlwind, her claws and blades striking with blinding speed.

[You have slain Lightbringer Soldier - Human - Lvl 148]

[You have lost 811 Karma.]

[You have gained a level!]

[You have slain Lightbringer Soldier - Human - Lvl 151]

[You have lost 13 Karma.]

[You have gained a level!]

[You have gained a rank in Martial Bladesmanship!]

The ramparts were slick with blood, the bodies of fallen Lightbringers littering the stone. Elania stood amidst the carnage, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. Each time she stepped in a pool of blood, it began to dissipate into [Power].

The more she took, the more her wings turned dull. That was a side effect of the increase in human essence.

The wave was repulsed.

The guards cheered, their voices rising above the din of battle. They had held the wall, thanks in no small part to Elania’s efforts.

But the fight was far from over. More ladders slammed against the ramparts, disgorging fresh waves of Lightbringers onto the walls. The sections on both sides of the gate were fully engaged, and the gate itself began to groan.

A glance down at the causeway told her why: pyromancers were spewing fire breath on it, and the metal bands around the steel structure were glowing bright yellow.

Elania readied her weapons, her eyes narrowing. This was going to be rough for the Guard.

The tide of battle shifted, a relentless onslaught of Lightbringers swarming the ramparts like a horde of armored ants.

Elania danced through the melee, her divine claws rending armor and flesh alike, but for every enemy she struck down, two more seemed to take their place.

“Fall back!” a grizzled sergeant shouted, his sword flashing as he parried a blow from a Lightbringer knight. “We can’t hold the wall!”

Elania’s eyes narrowed, her wings flaring out behind her as she leaped over a fallen soldier. She landed amid a group of Lightbringers, her light weapons spinning in a deadly arc.

The enemy fell before her, but more kept coming.

It was an endless wave of white armor and gleaming swords.

Musket fire from the flanks slammed into the Lightbringer ranks, but the bullets ricocheted off the heavy armor of the soldiers in the outer layers.

Elania’s gaze flicked to the inner ranks of the enemy formation, where soldiers in lighter armor surged forward, scaling the walls with frightening speed.

A knot of dread formed in her stomach as she realized the truth: the Lightbringers had adapted their tactics, using their heavily armored troops as a shield to protect the more agile soldiers who could quickly overwhelm the defenders.

The City Watch fought bravely, their swords and spears clashing against the enemy’s blades, but they were losing ground, forced back step by bloody step.

Her slaughter on the wall was killing plenty, but it wasn’t stopping the attack. She needed to try something else.

Elania leaped atop the gate, her wings flaring out behind her as she landed on the battlements. She raised her sword high, the blade shimmering with divine light, a beacon of hope amidst the chaos of battle.

“Stand strong, Guards of the Watch!” Her voice rang out over the din of clashing steel and the cries of the wounded.

The guards rallied the best they could, but the fighting remained intense.

They weren’t retreating, though.

Elania reached for her bracer, her fingers closing around a mana shard. She drained it completely, the power surging through her veins like liquid fire.

Her wings exploded outward, expanding into massive pillars of light that stretched at least twenty meters in height.

The Lightbringers below faltered, their eyes drawn to her.

Elania slotted Demonic Aura and activated it, pushing an incredible amount of [Power] into the skill.

She extended it outward, the energy visible to the naked eye as a dark wave that washed over the enemy formation like a tidal wave.

As it covered the formations, she could feel their holy magic that was providing their protective barrier.

Somewhere in the center of the formation, a priest or mage channeled the protection spell, drawing upon the power of an artifact. She wasn’t exactly sure how she knew that, but as soon as she had the thought, it felt true.

Elania’s Demonic Aura clashed against the holy barrier, the two forces battling for dominance. The air crackled with energy, the very stones of the ramparts trembling beneath her feet.

Elania pushed harder, pouring more [Power] into her Demonic Aura.

The holy barrier shuddered, cracks spreading across its surface like a spider’s web. Elania’s eyes narrowed; her focus laser-sharp as she targeted the weak point in the enemy’s defenses.

With a last surge of [Power], she shattered the barrier, the holy magic dissipating like mist in the wind.

“Fire!” Elania shouted.

A cannon barked on cue, the sound reverberating through the cavern.

The projectile slammed into the Lightbringer formation, tearing through armor and flesh alike. Bodies crumpled, blood splattering the pristine white shields.

Elania’s eyes flashed, her wings flaring out behind her as she drew upon the [Power] surging through her veins.

There was an excellent [Divinity]based attack for this situation. She’d have to thank Elder Holt for showing her.

She raised her hand, a pillar of light coalescing above the enemy ranks.

A Word bubbled up from her throat on their own. “Condemnation.”

The Lightbringers looked up, their eyes widening in horror as they realized what was about to happen.

The pillar dropped, a blinding flash of divine energy engulfing the center of the formation. Soldiers disintegrated, their bodies turning to salt in an instant. Shields melted, armor vaporized, flesh and bone reduced to dust.

The legion of [System]messages that flooded her interface, she swiped away.

Half the enemy force was gone, obliterated in a single devastating blow.

A grim smile tugged at her lips.

“Sweep them from the walls!” she shouted.

The Guard obeyed.