Bishop Reed.

He saw it.

He saw it he saw it he saw it.

There was no mistaking it. A bunch of people, a large group, suddenly appearing and disappearing? As if that was possible. It wasn’t a random sight.

His head snapped to his sides, his Aide, the mute wizard, and a few of his men were around him.

"All of you!" He commanded. "Follow me! Right now!"

Reed rushed ahead first. Divinity surged around him, a form of mana only the church’s priests could summon. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"[Axis: Rain of Judgment]"

As the corrupted blew around, Reed ran straight past them. None of the CEF still fighting even questioned it, and the ones ordered had no choice but to follow. Even the deaf wizard.

A light shot up in the sky, this time of pure gold. A stark contrast to the sky before.

The light rained down. Missing every single one Corrupted and heading straight into the alleyways ahead.

"FUCK!" A scream came from ahead.

"HAHAHAH!" Reed yelled, his laugh echoing through the city. People were already out and about, guards reaching to the Guest House. "FOLLOW THESE MOTHERFUCKERS!"

The order for the CEF was clear.

"I don’t care for the Corrupted. These bastards are hiding the demon! I am sure!"

Four Corrupted? FOUR!? That number never just appeared out of nowhere. When was the last time that four corrupted came out at once?

It couldn’t be a coincidence. Like that monster from before. This was connected to that same thing. He had to nip this evil in the bud.

A demon was here. A demon had infiltrated. He had to kill it.

Kill it. Kill it. Kill it!

"Leave the Corrupted to the Knights!" Reed issued his last order. "And all of you follow. We will find these blasphemous assholes! The demon-kin!"

The ones working with the demons. What else could they be?!

"[Flame Arrows]"

"[Ice Spectrum]"

"[Axis: Light of Yore]!"

Fire rained down. Ice rose from the ground, blocking the distant parts of the alleyways. With a bright flashing light, he tried to locate the people, to send away any hiding spells, but nothing came out.

Until.

A burning coat hat was thrown on the ground.

"Damn it—"

They turned. They definitely turned.

Reed rushed ahead. His crazed eyes fixed on the path ahead. He ran and ran, and behind him his people. As soon as they reached the turn in the path—

"Goodbye, CEF bastard!"

Three giant ethereal circles in the sky. It was only for a split second that Reed could see him, the man with the black hat, in a black suit, stretching his hand out.

Whatever spell they were using was activated again, and the man disappeared.

Reed wanted to rush in, when a giant sword appeared from the enormous circles.

"Uh-oh!" Reed mumbled. The giant sword’s length swallowed the entire alleyway behind, and it’s blades stretched higher than the buildings around.

That enormous blade came crashing straight toward Reed and the CEF.

"[Axis: Artemis’ Aegis]"

A giant shield formed, light stacked over light as the shield formed. The CEF members ran to the side, Reed’s aide pulled him along too, and the shield and sword mashed into each other.

***

"Sir Dumas!!"

The members of the Reinvelt Knights were all supposed to be moving around, they were scattered. That was perhaps the luckiest thing for the City of Serenia. Present, and scattered.

That allowed the Reinvelt knights to flank toward the Guest House and the Ring Road from all directions. Three of the Corrupted, too overwhelming for the rest of the CEF to handle alone, had already started ravaging through the streets.

With every move of theirs, rays of gray shot out and turned buildings and roads into dust.

Sir Dumas had reached from the left, alongside Keith and Lady Rachel.

"Damn it, Keith. You block the rays. Rachel! Help me kick this thing’s ass."

The knights moved like gears in a clock. Keith quickly charged his blade with Red sword aura, he leapt ahead in the roads, and grabbed the citizens still walking around.

Before any debris could hit them, he sliced it away.

At the same time, Dumas turned to the corrupted. The corrupted’s attention was elsewhere.

Sir Dumas let out his killing intent.

A chill spread through the air.

The Corrupted turned around. It charged towards Dumas at once.

"Alright, Rachel!"

Dumas yelled and rushed at the Corrupted. Both their speeds flashing. At the same time, the ground under their feet rose up. The corrupted’s balance fell of as an invisible platform formed in the sky, lifting it up high. Dumas too, went into the air, and swung his blade.

—SLICE!

It struck the Corrupted’s head, and sliced off just a single horn.

"GRAAAAAH!!"

Mana shot out in all directions, making holes into the grounds. As those rays came, Keith sliced each one off.

The heights of their battle switched. Dumas swung his blade again, when it seemed the Corrupted would block, his entire body lowered just enough to strike.

It swung back with all it’s might, but Dumas was too high up to get hit. For Dumas, fighting like this was simple.

He had complete faith in Rachel.

Swing after swing, each hit the Corrupted. Blood poured out as its mana went haywire.

This was the worst part.

As a Corrupted’s body started to weaken, the mana in it went haywire. It could lead to a large explosion, an explosion big enough to level cities.

They had immobilize it right here. That was where Dumas shone, he had to be careful, but the captain of the Reinvelt Knights was on a league different from everyone else. Exponentially stronger than his own fellow knights.

Unlike Rachel or Keith, whose Sword Aura’s had a property of their own, nothing like that existed for Dumas.

His special ability was simple.

"GRAH!" The corrupted swung, he dodged to his left. Then, with the hilt of his sword, he hit the Corrupted’s neck. It stumbled back. Dumas hooked his foot in the monster’s knee and yanked it down, forcing it to fall.

With another kick, he pinned the bleeding Corrupted to the ground.

Not a sweat had left him.

Unlike other knights, he didn’t *need* a property in his sword aura. He was simply better than everyone else.

Dumas made the corrupted kneel and pinned it in the air itself, on the ground Rachel had raised, when something flew to the sky.

His eyes shot up.

A purple sword aura launched behind that ’thing.’

For a second, the night sky turned white. An enormous explosion of mana rattled the air. Light came first, then booming soundwaves.

—BOOOOOM!

An explosion bigger than anything.

Clouds spread away, the night sky had become white, everything, the entire city of Serenia seemed to have been stunned.

It was not the attack. No. It was simply the explosion of mana that was so big.

Dumas’ eyes went down to the ground. In the center of the Ring Road, with her sword pulled down, was his Vice Captain Nea. She was lightly injured, but her eyes were trained up.

"Haha..." A chuckle left Dumas... "How far into the sky did she send that thing?"

His feet was coming back down from the skies. He was fairly up, at least 30 meters high...

Even he didn’t feel the heat.

Did she launch that corrupted into the fucking stratosphere? And then hit it a second time to kill?

Dumas could only chuckle a little more.

***

The East gate had been opened.

"Go," pointed Reed. "Search. They couldn’t have gone far."

Those bastards... just where had they gone. He wouldn’t let them escape. There was no way. Not him. Not here.

No escape.