Chapter 3: My Biggest Fears
We all wore yellowish garments, blending with the sand from head to toe, which helped us stay camouflaged. While checking my gear, I saw Lord Kadian grab his spear from his back and plant it in the sand, waiting for us.
I drew the sword Lord Kadian gifted me decades ago. It had a fire magic stone embedded in the hilt that could ignite any living being if the blade touched their mana veins. My wife pulled out a large staff she'd had since I met her. She also had a wand at her waist, the one she always used for quick, less powerful spells.
Sh*t, I'm so nervous. I need to calm down. If my wife sees me like this, she'll get nervous too, and that'll be bad for us in battle. I thought, feeling the enemies getting closer.
Once we were ready, we saw the first people appear on a large sand dune in the distance. Enhancing my vision with mana, I realized the first group was mostly demons with a few others from different races.
"Kurt, Aria," Lord Kadian said with a smile. "Let's win this battle for the sake of our families."
"Yes!" we both replied in unison to his words.
As planned, Aria quickly raised her large staff into the air with one hand while gathering a massive amount of mana with the other.
"Tempest!" she shouted after concentrating the mana into the gem of her staff.
Immediately, thick clouds began to form over the entire desert, and in just a moment, the atmosphere turned dark and gloomy. The only light came from the occasional lightning bolts flashing within the clouds.
"Do it, Aria!" I shouted, seeing our enemies starting to draw their weapons and shields.
In the blink of an eye, millions of ice needles began to fall from the sky like rain. Each one fell at an impressive speed, easily piercing several of our enemies. Some managed to shield themselves with various spells, but my wife noticed and swung her staff, sending several lightning bolts down on them.
Thanks to her spell, 40 of our enemies died within seconds.
She's improved the power of her spell, well done, Aria! I thought happily, seeing my wife's progress.
"That's my limit. I'll need a few minutes to recover," she said, leaning on her staff to keep from falling.
When the mana stopped flowing through her staff, the ice needles stopped falling and were replaced by a simple rain.
"You did well, Aria. Rest now, it's our turn," Lord Kadian said, covering himself with a dense layer of mana over his entire body.
That's a lot of mana for the start of the battle. What are you planning, Lord Kadian? I wondered at his unusual move.
Gripping his spear tightly, he began to gather a large amount of mana into it, to the point where golden lightning bolts could be seen crackling around it.
What incredible power. I thought, feeling the pressure emanating from Lord Kadian's mana.
Taking a deep breath, he swung his body back while raising the spear with one hand, then threw it at an impressive speed toward our enemies.
I tried to follow his attack with my eyes but could only see a flash of light, even with my mana-enhanced vision. The spear moved so fast that in the blink of an eye, it struck the sand, killing several of Boris's men.
When I looked back at Lord Kadian, he was already airborne with a stone wall he conjured behind him. He brought his legs together and propelled himself off his own spell, shattering the thick wall with the force of his jump. Despite the distance to our enemies, Lord Kadian reached them in a couple of seconds.
You continue to amaze me, Lord Kadian. I'd love to see how strong you've become since last time.... I thought nostalgically.
A huge explosion with golden lightning erupted where Lord Kadian landed. As the dust settled in the rain, I saw my master slaughtering several enemies with incredible precision.
The storm made it hard to hear, so I had to shout to Aria even though she was close to me.
"It's time for me to go!" I yelled, looking into her eyes. "Rest and remember to follow the plan!"
"Alright... be safe, Kurt!" she shouted back. Seeing me leave, she sat on the sand to meditate and recover her mana as quickly as possible.
"You too..." I whispered to myself, already several meters away.
Shaking off my nerves about the upcoming battle, I mentally prepared myself and increased my speed, charging forward.
As I ran across the wet sand, I saw several enemies avoiding Lord Kadian and heading towards us. Some tried to attack me with magic from afar, but with swift movements, I dodged or deflected their attacks with little difficulty.
By the time I noticed, there were already several mercenaries with swords, daggers, and maces in front of me.
There are too many. I thought, a bit fearful. Pushing my doubts aside, I infused mana into the magic stone in my sword and began stabbing and slashing at my enemies with precise movements. I wasn't as fast as Lord Kadian, but I knew I was at least faster and stronger than these simple mercenaries.
"Bastard!" shouted a young woman behind me. I turned to look at her and saw she was a middle-aged human in dark armor. She seemed very angry, attacking me as soon as I turned to face her.
It seems she and the one I killed a few seconds ago were friends or acquaintances because their armor designs are very similar. I thought while noticing the design of her armor before slashing her throat. No matter anyway.
Some were skilled enough to dodge or block my attacks, but the good thing was that if I even grazed them, crimson flames would grow from the wound, burning a small part of their body. Using that as a distraction, I had more than enough time to kill them.
"Where do you think you're going?" I said angrily, seeing a small group of three people deciding to ignore me and go after Aria. I clapped my hands against the sand on the ground, and several stone spikes emerged beneath their feet, impaling two of them. The third one looked at me from a distance, but before he could react, his head split in two from my wind dagger.
I had been fighting for several minutes, and before I realized it, only a few remained—14 people exactly. Half of them were wounded from my attacks or Lord Kadian's.
"Yes, this should be enough," I said to myself before glancing at my wife one last time before the fight.
Alright, it's time for the next part. I thought, ignoring the remaining enemies.
I quickly headed to where Lord Kadian was. Along the way, some enemies tried to attack me, but I dodged them. Then Aria began hurling fireballs, drawing their attention and making them ignore me.
As I continued, I saw dozens of corpses scattered across the sand and Lord Kadian impaling a muscular demon with his impressive spear.
"Kurt, how's the situation on the other side?" asked Lord Kadian, a bit breathless from his fight.
"There are about 14 people left, not very strong and almost half of them are injured. It won't be a problem for Aria to finish them off," I responded as I walked up to him.
"Good." He nodded before storing his spear with magic and drawing his semi-long sword.
Without saying a word, Lord Kadian sat on the wet sand and began meditating with his eyes closed to recover mana as quickly as possible. I don't understand, why did he use so much mana on this first group?
"Excuse me, Lord Kadian, but why did you use more mana than necessary fighting these simple mercenaries?" I asked, curious about my lord's decisions.
"What? Didn't you notice?" he replied, with a surprised expression that he quickly wiped away.
"Notice what?" I asked, even more confused.
"The second group sensed our presence and started moving faster. One of them will be here in five minutes, and the others in about fifteen," he said before returning to his meditation.
I froze at Lord Kadian's words. After snapping back to reality, I quickly closed my eyes, concentrating my senses to the maximum. After a few seconds, I felt it—someone very strong was approaching at an impressive speed.
Sh*t! How did I not realize this earlier? I was so nervous and focused on the battle that I didn't think about it. I told myself.
Quickly, I started meditating just like Lord Kadian to recover as much mana as possible before they arrived.
Lord Kadian spent all that mana to finish off the first group as quickly as possible. If we had let both groups merge here, it would have been our grave. Now his actions make more sense... I thought, a bit frustrated.
We kept meditating for a few minutes until a very threatening presence was felt a kilometer away from us.
I stood up without saying anything and quickly peeked over a dune to see. Hiding my presence and enhancing my vision with mana, I saw exactly what was approaching.
In the distance, the silhouette of a man could be seen on the wet sand. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that his entire body was jet black, with white eyes and short blue hair.
Sh*t! I cursed internally. Why did it have to be a demon from the Afel race? Those demons usually have very rare techniques.
Letting out a strong sigh, I saw my next opponent approaching with a lunatic smile on his face.
Since he wasn't wearing any clothing on his upper body, the various runes covering his back and arms were visible.
For that many runes, he must have lots of techniques. I need to be careful with him. I noted.
The demon was only wearing wrinkled cream pants that reached his ankles and a belt with a sword on one side.
Is he really a Semi-God rank? I wondered, seeing his shabby clothing. Well, that doesn't matter now. I need to say goodbye to Lord Kadian.
"Lord Kadian, I'll follow the plan as we agreed, but before that… I'd like to ask you something." I said with a tone of concern. "If I don't make it, I want you to protect my wife and daughter."
"That won't be necessary, Kurt, because you'll be there for them. Just don't get overconfident and hold out as long as you can." He said, looking at me with one eye.
"Thank you for your confidence, my Lord." I replied with a genuine smile on my face.
"Well, well, what do we have here? Daddy Dragon and his adorable pet." Said a deep, mocking voice from several meters away.
"Did Boris run out of people to send a cockroach like you?" I replied with the same mocking tone.
The demon just smiled, shifting his gaze to Lord Kadian, who was still meditating with his eyes closed.
Without saying a word, he drew his sword from its sheath, covering himself with a barely perceptible layer of mana.
That sword... I thought as I analyzed it. It was a bit long, intensely black, and had several purple runes engraved on the metal and part of the hilt.
Without hesitation, the demon made a strong leap towards our position, his eyes targeting my Lord's neck. What? Why is he only looking at him? Does he not see me as a threat? I thought, annoyed.
Quickly moving my hands, I gathered mana at my fingertips, launching several sharp stone spikes at his head and chest.
Although the speed of my attack was superior, he somehow managed to dodge and block some of the spikes with his sword. Damn it!
Because of my attack, the dark demon stopped, glaring at me angrily before continuing his approach to our position.
Creating several stone walls in front of him, I managed to block his vision for a moment.
Now! I thought, starting to move quickly.
Before he easily sliced through my last spell, I managed to position myself and land a strong kick, sending him flying and crashing into the sand several meters away.
"Don't you want to play with me instead?" I said, a mocking smile on my face as I pointed my sword at him from a distance.
"Interesting, I see this pet has claws." He said, emerging from the small hole that had formed behind him. "I wouldn't mind killing you first and then going for your master. After all, I, Murry Afel, will be the one to take both your lives."
"You talk a lot for a dead man," I said, taunting him in an attempt to make him angry.
He simply smiled and started running in my direction. Seeing him approach, I quickly raised my hands and clasped them together, forming a fist. Legendary level magic, Gravitational Attraction.
Immediately, the sand and rocks beneath Murry adhered to him, burying the demon and forming a medium-sized ball of sand and stone around him.
"Better stay put," I muttered, hearing the demon's muffled curses from inside.
Ignoring his insults, I let my gaze briefly shift to Lord Kadian.
"Goodbye, my Lord..." I said sadly before delivering a powerful kick to the ball, sending it flying.
Since I knew how my spell worked, the kick didn't affect its structure. Even so, I jumped onto the ball, maintaining the spell's maximum pressure with one hand to prevent Murry from escaping.
"You!! Damn you! I'm tired of your games!" Murry shouted furiously after a minute inside the ball. Anticipating danger, I decided to jump off before the ball hit the ground.
As I moved away, the stone and sand ball began to glow before exploding almost instantly, creating a large dust cloud in its place.
"You're dead." Murry said from within the dust cloud. He's angry... I guess now the real fight begins. I thought, feeling his mana grow exponentially.
After a moment, Murry emerged from the dust cloud with a look of pure hatred on his face.
His appearance changed. I thought as I saw him. His bluish hair had turned violet, matching the glowing runes all over his body.
"Finally taking this seriously," I said, imbuing my sword with mana and getting into a battle stance.
Murry, on his part, just stared directly into my eyes, sending a chill down my spine.
"Not yet." He replied in a cold voice.
What? I thought as I saw five black swords materialize on his back and at his waist. No way...
"Now I am." he said with a smile on his face. Sh*t, this demon has some really weird skills. I thought, worried.
Seeing me silent and still, Murry dashed toward me at an incredible speed. Before I realized it, he was already about 10 meters away from me.
Regaining my composure, I managed to move in time to dodge him. But as if time were moving slowly, I noticed his body continuing forward due to inertia.
Yes! If I capitalize on this mistake and cut off his head, I can end this battle once and for all. I thought as I injected mana into my sword.
Quickly positioning myself, in less than a blink, my sword was already at his neck, aiming to decapitate him. Though he tried to dodge and attack me simultaneously, he couldn't act before my strike connected first.
It's over. I thought with relief as I saw my sword slicing through his neck.
What the hell?! Not feeling the impact, my sense of peace was replaced by unease and confusion.
With wide eyes, I watched as my sword passed through his neck without causing any damage. Sh*t! I need to get away from him as fast as possible!
I jumped back with all my might, but a searing pain in my left arm told me it was too late.
No! While still flying backward from the force of my jump, I saw my left arm had been cleanly severed from the forearm.
"Time to sleep, sweet pet." Murry said, following me to deliver the final blow.
Still in shock and pain, I saw his sword rapidly approaching my head.
Quick! React, Kurt! I told myself, realizing I wasn't doing anything.
Snapping back, I tried to conjure a stone spell to at least deflect his attack, but by the time my spell was ready, it was too late.
Damn… how careless of me… Resigned, I closed both eyes and simply awaited death.
Wait! This mana is... I thought before feeling a powerful gust of wind pass in front of me. Phew—
Opening my eyes with renewed confidence, I saw Murry being brutally struck by a wind cannon.
Thank goodness you arrived just in time... I thought with relief, sensing my wife's mana several meters away.
The force of the blow sent Murry flying, crashing into a distant sand dune. A large bubble of water then enveloped him, freezing instantly along with him.
"Kurt!" Aria shouted from the top of a sand dune.
Without a word, I approached her, trying to calm the bitter feelings from the pain and confusion.
"Thanks," I said once I was close.
"Kurt, your arm..." she commented with a worried tone.
"Yeah, I know. I'll be fine, don't worry," I said, trying to reassure her.
"Alright, but at least let me heal you."
"No, there's no time," I said, cutting off her intentions.
Without hesitation, I began conjuring small flames in the palm of my right hand. Despite the pain, I brought the fire towards the raw stump of my left arm. Damn, it hurts...
I knew my wife could restore my left hand, but I couldn't let her because it would take too long, and that's the last thing we needed right now.
"Kurt, that's..." Aria said softly, looking at me in astonishment.
"E-hey Aria, this demon's got a spell... a spell that makes some attacks not hurt him, so stay sharp, he might trick you," I replied, gasping from the pain.
Once my wound was sealed with the help of fire, there was a loud explosion in the distance, specifically where Lord Kadian was. After the explosion, a thick vapor covered his area, reaching even where we were.
That their fight's traces reach all the way here... I thought, amazed. What power.
"It seems like Lord Kadian's giving it his all too," my wife commented.
"Yeah... listen Aria, back off and back me up against the demon. I'll try to create an opening for you to attack with everything you've got. If my theory's right, we'll wound him enough until Lord Kadian arrives."
This demon is really dangerous, I can't let him get close to Aria, so I'll be the bait to see which attacks don't affect him. I thought, a bit anxious.
Deep down, I felt like I had a chance to buy time with her by my side, but at the same time, I felt I'd regret it if I let her stay with me. Damn it.
"I understand, Kurt," she responded hesitantly.
"Ho—" As I opened my mouth to reassure her, a crunch came from the ice ball, stealing my attention completely.
"He's coming!" I shouted to alert Aria and signal her to move away.
"Be careful, sweetheart," she said before backing off and preparing her staff for battle.
Even though the rain and winds were strong, vapor began to emerge from the ice ball to the extent that Murry couldn't be seen anymore. It went on like that for a few seconds, and since there was no response from the demon, I decided to attack to see how he'd react.
I raised my only hand, gripping my sword, then created five stone cannons. Spinning them with wind magic, I powered them up before launching them.
Upon doing so, it clearly sounded like they hit something, and for a moment I thought I'd at least hurt him a bit, but it was no use.
"I see someone else joined us. That's excellent, saves me the trouble of looking for you." the demon said with a grin, looking directly at Aria.
"Shut up, you bastard!" I shouted furiously, seeing the intentions in Murry's eyes.
"Hahaha, do you get angry easily when I talk about her? Is she someone important to you?" Murry said, pulling out two of the swords on his back.
Damn it, something about this demon bothers me. I thought angrily before Murry started moving.
"Let's see if you can do something now." He said before forcefully throwing the swords he'd just grabbed.
Seeing them coming, I quickly slammed my only hand onto the ground, conjuring a thick, dense sand wall to stop them. What? What the hell am I doing? I lost sight of him!
Cursing because of my spell, I quickly undid it, but by the time I did, he'd already made moves.
The swords Murry had thrown initially were above me, and he'd also thrown two more that, for some reason, were behind me.
"It's over for you." He said as he saw me surrounded by his attacks.
He just wants to distract me. I thought, completely ignoring the swords above and behind me. So I have to be cautious about this...
With a calculated move, I deflected his main attack with my sword, then conjured a Stone Cannon that passed through his head without causing him any damage again. Damn it! His spell again.
The swords above me and behind me were about to cut off my head and pierce me, but before they could, four ice cannons diverted them, so I didn't have to worry about them anymore.
Well done, Aria. I thought as I conjured an explosion with wind magic. As I launched it, we both went flying, separating for a moment.
Next, Murry was hit by a water spell with such force that he flew dozens of meters away. Turning to my right, I saw my wife with her staff raised.
"Now!" I shouted loudly before my wife moved her staff as if she were slicing the air with it, in different diagonal directions.
The dark sky began to light up above us, and each time the tip of her staff lowered, a powerful lightning bolt struck where Murry was, after doing it several times she gathered mana at the tip of her staff and with a shout, a large fireball shot towards the demon.
She has improved a lot. I thought amazed after seeing her successive attacks.
Seconds after the impact, you could see how the sand had melted due to Aria's spells, and a great vapor rising due to the incessant rain.
As I suspected, he can make physical and magical attacks pass through his body preventing them from harming him, but he can only do it for a moment, and before using it again he needs to wait some time. I reflected.
But what I don't understand is how he managed to make the swords he threw at me appear above and behind me? I thought a little confused. Damn it, I need to be attentive and try to decipher his ability.
Returning to the fight, I could feel Murry's mana, but unlike before, it had decreased greatly. Excellent, all those attacks hit him directly.
With wind magic, I dissipated the vapor to see Murry's condition more clearly, and enhancing my vision with mana, I noticed that he was lying on the sand with several burns all over his body.
He took a lot of damage, that means he needs to wait at least five seconds before using his ability again. I analyzed. Excellent! That's a lot of time, if I use this information wisely, victory is assured.
My thoughts of victory were erased by the murderous intent that Murry was emitting now because when I saw him, I noticed that he was very angry.
"Bitch, you really pissed me off this time. I read his lips as he was slowly absorbed by a violet light located on the ground beneath him. What!? What is that?
When almost his whole body had disappeared and only his head was there, I enhanced my vision even more and clearly saw how his furious eyes were staring directly at Aria.
It took less than a second before everything clicked in my head. Sh*t! He knows spatial magic.
"RUN, ARIA!!!" I shouted with all my might before I was completely speechless.
N-no... it can't be possible... I thought as I watched the woman I loved and had been with for several decades being brutally pierced in both hearts by a purple sword.
"NOOO!!!!"
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