novelraw Chapter 60: The Marbas. (2)
Chapter 60: The Marbas. (2)
[Inner Perimeter. Townsquare.]
*tinnnn*
Everyone was stunned by the sheer force of the wall’s explosion. A wall that was taking continuous slams from the monsters was broken with one single attempt.
And instead of the ice runic wall, stood a massive, fat hominoid creature with black scales all over its body.
But this one was different. Its scales were darker and larger in size, its stomach looked as if it would explode, and its legs were shaking from fear and exhaustion.
It seemed to have lost its ability to think after breaking the wall.
The demonic creature dropped down to its knees as the sheer pressure of its weight cracked the cobblestone ground beneath it.
And then it fell with its face slamming against the ground, revealing the massive horde of blade demons and foxes, and similar tanks to it.
No one knew what made such a monster powerful in an instant; they were too focused on the containment and survival.
Isabella’s hand rose once again as frost gathered along her fingers. She stared at the broken formation, furrowing her brows.
Isabella Voss is the third year cadet and the council president. She was here because of Lisbon Valante, her best friend.
And because of Isabella’s presence, court officials who don’t include themselves in the matters of disasters were on their way, because she’s the sister of Victoria, tower master of the fulcrum.
Jose had already started to move.
"Hold formation," he screamed and brought others back to attention. "Shields forward, protect the casters."
The knights acted in an instant.
The front lines tightened, their shields angled slightly inward. Through the settling haze of frost and dust, another massive wave of blade-demons and foxes slipped through.
"DO NOT LET A SINGLE ONE PASS THROUGH!!! BUTCHER THE MOTHERFU-"
*clang*
*clang*
*shing*
*chnk*
*chnk*
The havoc ensued.
They lunged forward as their blade limbs marked cuts across the knights’ shields, which were being reinforced by the mages at the back.
Runes placed on the ground below glowed again, connecting a circuit of magic as Isabella started reconstructing the wall. Her mana was at its limit, and the second unit to take over the inner lines wasn’t ready yet.
Hedge gathered a circuit between his palms as it glowed with extensive fire and directed it in a tight arc that forced the blade demons to shift their approach.
Hedge was attacking the masses with a concentration of the element he excelled in: fire.
Deep down, all of them knew...it wouldn’t be enough.
They can’t just hope to survive on one wall...even multiples won’t guarantee anything.
At the back of the horde, beyond where the eyes of mages and knights could point to the entrance of the rift, sat a man on the mountain of demon bodies.
He wore a simple white coat that had the linings of gold that ran throughout the runic designs. His skin was so pale that it matched the colour of his long coat.
"Feeble creatures...aren’t they?" he murmured, looking at the front lines defending against demons.
He looked at the fat tanks moving slowly as they passed through the rift. The cornea of his eyes was so black that it could be mistaken for depth.
"And to bring shame to the demonic kin by failing to devour the likes of these feeble creatures...No wonder the outskirts are for the disgraced," he said.
The man looked at the havoc of survival with boredom in his eyes and yawned.
"We’re lacking some firecrackers," he mumbled.
*Clap*
He clapped once, and that clap resonated across the battlefield.
The dropped dead bodies of the demons began to convulse, and Jose noticed that.
The tanks, the blade ones, the foxes they’ve killed...their bodies squirmed intensely as their demonic core warped the energy it could gather, compressing the power residues inside the dead bodies.
Jose, or any other knight or mage, didn’t know what was happening. It was like their bodies were being sucked inside their chest.
But out of instinct, all of them went defensive.
All across the square, the dead began to glow from within, as red lights pulsed from the compression of their cores.
Jose planted his shield and bellowed,
"BRACE!"
The corpses detonated all at once. The blade demons burst apart in black fire and razor shards, the scales of the tanks acted as shards of a grenade, and the foxes were sheer force of demonic detonation.
The whole Crescenda tremored. Mind-mages lost their concentration as people snapped back into embracing fear, knights stationed at the outer circle fell from the shockwave, and the inner perimeter suffered the worst.
The cadets, knights, and mages were thrown away like livestock with the force of the detonation.
They slammed through the walls of the stores, and buildings collapsed on some of them as they barely managed to keep their lives by protecting themselves, but the injuries suffered by each one of the cadets were grave enough to cause them to lose consciousness.
However, it was different for the veteran knights as they tried to stagger back up on their legs and secure the cadets from the debris.
At the rear of the horde, the man in the white coat watched the carnage with the same mild boredom.
"Better," he mumbled and tapped on the side of a tank.
The fat demon gained enormous strength as its scales grew and skin turned dense, its muscles tightened, and instead of walking like earlier, it began running mindlessly towards the fallen front lines.
Jose spit out a mouthful of blood, wiping the gravel that stuck to his muddy injuries like sweat, and tightened the grip on his sword.
He cannot let any demon pass through unless the cadets are secured back.
"Fuckin Demons..." he spat out, compressing the muscles in his legs to launch forward.
But then...a hand pressed on his shoulder firmly.
Jose turned his head to look at the man. Elegant and dark attire, dark hair that was neatly combed, broad shoulders, and thin spectacles resting low on his nose.
The man tapped his worn-out cane on the ground and said, "We’ll take it from here."
Along with him was a woman, shorter than he was. She had a golden hilt Katzbalger tied to her waist, and shoulder-length black hair, and light blue eyes.
Her white coat had an emblem of a court official. Ironic as it may be, but these two court officials were unofficially here on Victoria’s message.
"Who might you be?" Jose asked, for a moment, he couldn’t remember that there was a fat demon the size of five warriors running towards them mindlessly.
"Captain Selene Neville, but...we’re not here on judicial duty," the woman replied.
"Greetings...Janus is what I’m called as," the man added after the woman.
"And I’m a court official, too," he took out an ID from his inner coat’s pocket, and showed it to Jose.
"Advisor, not a judicial arm yet," Selene countered, looking at Janus.
"My lady, I would beg for you to differ...Soon to be court official, basically an intern, but I qualify for the job..." Janus replied.
"..."
"And not to mention, our lady here agrees to get engaged with me if I can make it official," Janus added.
"..." Jose couldn’t believe what was occurring right now.
He looked ahead, and the demon was just a few steps away.
He looked around, and cadets are being rescued, knights who almost lost their lives, civilians who’re afraid, and this guy is trying to prove that he’s an official court officer, not an intern?
"That is not what I agreed to. You cannot just make things up?" Selene retorted.
"I will keep my love life and my work life separate..." She added.
"Then I’ll-" Janus paused and looked at the demon.
"Wait, hold on," he looked back at Selene and pointed his finger at the tank.
*Snap*
And the tank, which was running mindlessly, lost the life in its eyes as its bodily functions just gave way, dropping dead in momentum.
Its body dragged on the ground until it came to a stop just a breath away from Janus.
"Yeah, so what I was saying...I’ll just quit the job if you agree to be my wi-," Janus said, but his words were cut off mid-sentence.
"Just...Just stay quiet. Alright?" Selene interrupted.
"Absolutely, ma’am," he replied.
"..." Jose was still trying to process what was happening.
*Clap*
*Clap*
*Clap*
"Now that-" The man in a long white coat and three-piece suite beneath, sat upon the dead body of the demon Janus had just killed.
"That was impressive," he said.
"I thought humans were feeble creatures." He continued, looking at Janus.
"Boring, weak, pests that only the disgrace of the demonic kin prey on, but now my thoughts have changed a little."
Janus looked at the demon and tapped on Selene’s arm, gesturing for her to get far away from the place.
Jose couldn’t even feel the presence of the demon until it showed itself.
And a demon that can speak? He’d never witness something like that.
"I just have to add one of your superior kin in my hunting list," the demon said.
"And I thought make-up was only for women," Janus replied.
"..." The demon furrowed its brows.
"Look, it’s a common courtesy to introduce yourself when you...well, invade other people’s realms," Janus said.
"Janus is what I’m called as," he said.
"Funny one, aren’t you?" the demon spoke.
"A life with no humour is a life not worth living," he replied.
"Fascinating words."
"You’re in the presence of the Count of Marbas. Bearer of the Flesh Mandate, the arbiter among one of the demonic commanders under the House of Sorrow, under the aid of the lord."
"Raum Marbas. That is what I’m called as."