Nightfall Arrives

"Kyaaaaaaahh!"

"They arrived! The Fiends have arrived!!"

"Everyone, return to your houses, immediately!!"

Screams of terror filled the night sky of Jiordel. People shouted in horror, monsters made unearthly sounds, and babies cried in their parent's arms.

Everything was heard from the inside of Archibald's house.

"Tsk. It looks like it's nightfall already." Muttered Hermfry as he stood up from the chair, a bit sluggish from being intoxicated.

"So it's time, huh?" Asked Archibald.

"Yeah. I promised the people of this town that me and Brunhilda would protect them from the fiends during the night. I don't know what happened, but some bastard managed to break the anti-fiend barrier around Jiordel, exposing the people to those creatures."

"Aye." Said Archibald as he nodded. "That's been happening a lot, recently."

"Has it…?" Asked Hermfry in shock.

"Indeed. All around Britana, there have been incidents like these. We don't know if it's one person or a group that's been doing this, but it's been theorized to be the Black Oblivion."

Hermfry turned away from his old friend, gazing at the ground with a look of regret.

"I see…"

"Damn, if only I wasn't affected by this sickness! I can walk no longer than a few meters before my legs give out."

"Stay put, Archibald, I'll handle this. But first I'll wake up Brunhilda."

"I'm putting my faith in you, Hermfry."

The Paladin nodded his head at his friend's words, finally leaving the room.

His armor clanked against the ground, walking into the living room… with Brunhilda nowhere to be found.

"Huh?!" He stole a glance towards the wife, and child, before asking, "Where is Brunhilda?!"

"S-She left a long time ago!" Responded the wife.

"She did?! Why wasn't I informed about this?"

"I-I apologize, I didn't want to interrupt you and my husband's conversation."

"…No, it's fine. She must be protecting the town as we speak. I'll return once this is over!"

Hermfry headed towards the door, jogging outside into the night as he pulled out his battle axe, preparing for battle.

"Brunhilda!!"

Calling out to his companion, he ran deeper into the town, approaching the exit.

Brunhilda was at the gates of Jiordel… with the guards standing behind her.

"What the fuck?!"

Standing behind the gates of the town was a massive, squirming creature you would only see in nightmares. It was covered with tentacles and multiple mouths. It had legs like tree trunks, and dark miasma surrounded its body.

"Dear Gaia… what is that creature?!!"

Screamed one of the guards in terror.

"Brunhilda!"

Hermfry ran towards his comrade, alerting the guards.

"It's the other adventurer! He has returned!"

"Hermfry, you finally arrived." Said the mage, as if the grotesque creature wasn't standing in front of her.

"…This creature, is that a…"

"A Black Goat, yes, it is a creature of Shub-Niggurath, who resides within the domains of Chaos."

"T-That's fucking absurd!" Shouted Hermfry in disbelief.

"It's not only one—but this entire town is surrounded by them. Look around you."

Hermfry didn't even notice until Brunhilda told him. Shivers went up Hermfry's spine… nearly making him drop his axe.

Fear… dread… madness.

He wanted to run away… he wanted to escape as quickly as possible, but through his will alone, he stood there, gritting his teeth, and then biting his tongue.

"What are we waiting for?! Let's kill these bastards!"

"Hermfry, these aren't creatures of the night. Someone summoned them. Someone powerful, with magic knowledge exceeding mine."

"A-Are you saying… it's that the unknown mage?!"

"The mysterious cloaked figure that the guards of Jiordel talked about, yes, there is no doubt."

Hermfry was baffled but continued speaking in confusion.

"Then… why the hell aren't they attacking us?"

"A barrier is placed around the town. I had no choice but to conjure one stronger than an anti-fiend barrier to prevent them from entering. This… mage… whoever he is, must be planning something."

Hermfry began weaving a magic spell above him.

"Are you saying he purposely forced you to use your magic, to see your capabilities?!"

"I'm afraid so. It seems he's already heard of me… and wants to test my limits?" Brunhilda looked down in thought, confused about the whole situation.

"Tch. We'll find out about that bastard later, but right now we have to protect these people! How long will this barrier last?!"

"Not for long. This type of barrier is created out of Holy Magic, which I'm not that skilled in. I couldn't perfect its spell formula due to my haste in creating it."

"That's fine, let me handle this." The Magic circle Hermfry created was finally complete. "Raging Light of Hope, vanquisher of injustice! Bring down your radiance to the world of darkness, and smite the corrupt! Deliver us from evil! Roga Fascuous!!"

His magic circle manifested into the sky, covering the entire town in its golden glow.

Thousands of chains, made out of holy light, shot from the magic circle, enveloping the Black Goats around the town, and purifying their dark miasma.

"Now then…" The barrier was finally released, and Brunhilda would cast her spell. "Riva Ultora!" A magic circle appeared at the tip of Brunhilda's staff, conjuring hundreds of razor-sharp winds in the shape of crescents

They were launched at a portion of the immobile Black Goats, cleaving through their bodies.

"Watch out, fiends are approaching, quickly!" One of the guards shouts, capturing Brunhilda's and Hermfry's attention.

Their attention was so focused on the chaotic creatures that they forgot about the fiends.

"Damnit!!" Shouted the Paladin

Brunhilda slightly frowned, gathering mana through her body. "Flina!" Casting a spell, the mage took flight and would scurry towards the sky.

"Golvriem!" Another magic circle appeared at the tip of her staff, launching spears of fire toward the incoming Fiends.

The creatures wailed in pain, feeling their bodies being burned to ash, but some managed to evade her magic, accelerating towards the mage.

"Hmph." Brunhilda scoffed at their attempts and stretched her hand forward. "Nigra Elmaihis!" Magic symbols appeared on the fiend's body as the guards from below gasped in awe.

"S-She's using death magic?!"

"Just who is she?!"

"…Monster!"

The guards could only witness the true terror of magic from below.

"Perish in the wind." With the magic symbols engraved on the fiend's body, Brunhilda slowly closed her palm into a fist, as if crushing their life.

The flying creatures would all drop dead like a puppet with its strings cut, colliding down below.

("A spell with no travel time. It appears on the body, making avoiding it impossible. That type of magic is rare… just what the hell kind of spells are you capable of, Brunhilda?!")

Hermfry could only watch as he restrained the chaotic beasts.

"More fiends are approaching!" Shouted the guards atop the walls. "Oh, s-shit! They appear to be Elder Fiends! There's three of them!!"

"What?!" Hermfry widened his eyes, bewildered.

In the hierarchy of nightmares, fiends are ranked by their strength; There are Newborn Fiends at the lowest, Mature Fiends at the middle ground, and Elder Fiends at the strongest.

The older a Fiend is, the stronger and more intelligent it will become, taking the appearance of a black angel.

"What are we gonna do?! We can't stop three Elder Fiends!! W-We are gonna die!" One of the guards started panicking, and accidentally stumbled off the walls, falling into the hordes of fiends below. "Gaaaahhhh! H-Help me!! Somebody help meee!!" The nightmarish creatures started eating him alive, tearing the guard limb from limb.

Brunhilda heard his screams of pain and turned away with a desolate look. It was too late to save him.

"…A creature… with wings…"

Hermfry looked to the sky… and could see it.

A fiend, with wings.

It was a dark Angel, with a scythe… resembling the same entity that killed his mother long ago.

There was no doubt, this was the same fiend that he saw when he was a kid.

"N-No… no…"

The chains of light would slowly lose their strength around the Black Goats as Hermfry began to lose his will.

"…The Goats, they're moving again. Hermfry!" Brunhilda shouted towards the paladin, but her voice couldn't reach him.

"No…No…No!!!" Hermfry dropped his axe and backed away. "No!!"

"H-Hermfry?!" Brunhilda looked at him with addled eyes, watching as the Paladin fell to his butt, crawling away. "The Dark Miasma is returning. This isn't good."

That same ominous, and dark mist, would seep from the Black Goats, spreading across the ground like smoke as the holy chains crumbled one by one.

"I-I can't beat that thing… I must… flee!"

Hermfry crawled away in terror.

"What's gotten into you?!" Shouted Brunhilda.

The Elder Fiends finally arrived at the town. Three of them with pitch-black wings.

One of them wielded a scythe, another a sword, and the other a spear.

Brunhilda stood in front of them with unwavering eyes. Her expression was unreadable, but she showed no signs of fear.

"The so-called Fiends that could take down an entire army of mages. Just what's so special about you?"

The petite mage smirked, mocking all three of them.

"Hmph. We have our reputation, don't we?" Said the scythed-fiend.

"Your reputation is feared by many—but I don't know the meaning of fear—you've approached the wrong enemy, Dark Angels of the Night."

"Then let's test that, shall we?" Asked the sword-fiend.

"Let's."