The False Plea

These towers absorb the dense mana particles naturally produced by the ancient trees of the Illusion Forest. Once absorbed, the mana is refined and converted into raw energy. 

That energy is then channeled directly to the central Sacred Tower located at City Hall, which, in turn, projects and maintains the barrier that shields us.”

We… we found multiple casualties in the chamber.”

“Damn demons… I’ll turn every last one of them into ashes.”

The Grand Mage straightened, regaining composure quickly.

“The demon has escaped and is now loose within the capital…” 

 There --curled against the stone wall -- was the demon.  with white hair, trembling in fear, 

It happened so fast we could barely react. Aeliff was already down.

“Luca. Behind you!!”

BAMMMMM A blinding flash erupted as the impact collided -- not from magic, overwhelming force of a physical blow. The air cracked like splitting stone as the strike connected squarely with the demon beasts.  the sheer pressure and velocity of the hit pulverized their flesh and bone instantly. Muscle tore, bones shattered into fragments finer than ash, and in the blink of an eye, both beasts were reduced to drifting clouds of dust, the shockwave of immense force burst out, rushing over the demon like a fierce gust of wind. His white hair whipped back and his cloak flared violently behind him as the impact swept past. Though his stance held, his smirk twitched, eyes narrowing slightly as the sudden force pressed against him, forcing him to brace his footing.

The demon slammed his palm into the ground. Without hesitation, Estheria shot toward him at blinding speed. Beside me, Strixx pushed herself up, her eyes sharp as she stepped protectively in front of me.

“Luca, stay behind me,” she says firmly.

As the demon’s hand pressed into the earth, demonic beasts erupted from the sides, hurling themselves at Estheria. But even their growing numbers weren’t enough to slow her. With swift, precise strikes, she tore through them, her momentum unbroken. Within moments, the area was thick with creatures -- a swarming mass that half-filled the battlefield.

Estheria skidded back a few steps, her boots scraping against the ground. The beasts didn’t attack her immediately. Instead, they clustered between her and the demon, forming a dense, layered wall of snarling bodies.

Glancing quickly over her shoulder, Estheria called out, her voice sharp, “Strixx, Luca -- are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Strixx snapped back instantly, already steady on her feet.

“Good. Strixx, Luca --take Aeliff and get him out of here. Head for the clearing at the base of the tower. Go, now!”

Without wasting a second, Strixx dashed toward Aeliff’s unconscious body, hauled him up, and together we sprinted toward the wide, open ground near the foot of the tower .

Meanwhile, Estheria carved a straight path through the swarming beasts with a single, earth-shattering blow. In a flash, she closed the distance to the demon and, with an immense punch, sent him hurtling backward. His body crashed into the ground, skidding and landing hard right in the center of the open ground at the foot of the tower.

Strixx, Aeliff, and I stood on the open ground at the foot of the tower, eyes locked on the demon as his body crashed into the clearing with a violent explosion of dirt and stone. Before the dust could even settle, Estheria was already on him.

Her figure blurred--then she was there, right in front of him.

Her fist rammed into the demon’s face, snapping his head back. Before his body could even fall, her other hand shot forward--another punch buried deep into his ribs. 

Every strike landed in a seamless flow, one after another, so fast it was almost impossible to follow. Her movements were merciless--precise, unyielding, a perfect storm of violence.

The demon’s body jerked left, right, upward, downward--flung around like a ragdoll under the sheer force of her blows.

The demon tried to raise an arm--

Her fist slammed into his forearm, shattering his guard before a crushing blow detonated against his chest, driving him into the ground. But even as his back hit the earth, she dropped with him, her fists raining down mercilessly--

The ground cratered beneath them under the force.

Chunks of shattered rock blasted outward as Estheria’s fists kept slamming down--blow after blow, faster and faster, her expression sharp and unrelenting. The demon’s limbs twitched uselessly under the onslaught, completely overwhelmed.

From the distance, I stood frozen, breath caught in my throat.

I had always known she was strong…

But 

I never knew she was this much strong….

Beside me, Strixx’s lips parted slightly, her eyes wide .

“Estheria is… so cool,” she whispered, almost in disbelief, 

After delivering her endless barrage, Estheria finally leapt back, her boots skidding across the fractured ground.

The demon crumpled where he lay—his pupils dilated, body twitching and motionless. Around him, the swarms of demon beasts gathered silently, kneeling down  loyal  surrounding their fallen master.

Estheria exhaled steadily and turned to glance back at us.

Strixx straightened suddenly, her eyes sparkling as she pumped her fist.

“Estheria!! You’re even stronger than last time!” she shouted, excitement bubbling in her voice.

Just then, Aeliff’s eyelids twitched. A faint groan escaped him as he stirred back to consciousness. Slowly, his eyes cracked open, unfocused and dazed.

“Tch… what the hell happened to me?” He grimaced, pushing himself upright and rubbing his lower back. “Ugh… my back hurts…”

He staggered to his feet, scowling as he dusted himself off.

“How shameful… Getting taken out by a single blow from some demon…”

His sharp eyes flicked toward us defensively.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. It just caught me off guard, that’s all,” he snapped, 

Meanwhile, Estheria began walking toward us calmly, 

But behind her—unseen—the demon beasts encircling the fallen demon began to merge . One by one, their bodies melted and fused into the demon’s broken form. Flesh, claws, wings and dark tendrils merged grotesquely, twisting into something larger… far more monstrous.

The ground trembled as a towering, grotesque figure rose --its eyes burning with sinister malice.

It stomped forward silently, advancing toward Estheria’s unguarded back.

Both Strixx and I saw it at once.

Our eyes widened in horror.

“Estheria--behind you!!” we screamed in unison.

Aeliff, already upright, snapped into motion. His hand whipped out, gripping his wand tightly. His lips barely parted as he muttered a single sharp word:

“Duke.”

A flash of searing light erupted from the wand--a concentrated beam shot across the field. Estheria sensed it instantly.

With flawless instinct, she ducked low and spun sideways--the beam blazed past her shoulder and punched straight through the monstrous demon’s chest, blowing a gaping hole clean .

The massive beast staggered, its advance halted. Estheria twisted on her heel, her stance dropping defensively as she faced the new threat behind her.

Aeliff strode forward, his expression cocky as ever.

“Geez… Why the hell are you spacing out mid-battle, lower elf?” he quipped sharply, stepping confidently beside Estheria.

Estheria’s gaze softened slightly as she looked at him.

“I’m glad you don’t have any major injuries, Aeliff.”

Aeliff clicked his tongue and turned his head aside, 

“None of your concern,” he muttered.

Without wasting a breath, he whipped his wand forward again, channeling another torrent of magic. Blinding beams of energy fired relentlessly,  tearing fresh holes into its body with each sharp strike.

Aeliff smirked proudly, his confidence swelling.

“Geez… Like I said, it took me by surprise, alright?”

But then--

A deep, echoing laugh rumbled from the demon’s throat. Its massive frame trembled… then straightened.

The gaping holes along its chest and limbs began knitting back together rapidly--dark energy swirling and mending the wounds in an instant.

The demon’s lips curled into a wicked grin.

“Laughable,” it hissed. “Such pathetic attacks… Weak elf.”

It raised one clawed finger and pointed it directly at Aeliff.

In a blink--the creature vanished.

Before Aeliff could even react, it reappeared right in front of him, its massive arm cocked back to strike.

But before the blow could land, Estheria lunged in a flash of motion, shoving Aeliff aside. She caught the full force of the monstrous fist square in her midsection.

CRACK--!

The impact blasted her backward like a cannon shot. Her body tore through the air, slamming violently into the stone wall of a nearby building. The wall crumbled under the collision—shattering into chunks as she crashed straight through it, the debris exploding outward .

A cloud of dust and rubble billowed into the air as her silhouette vanished behind the broken structure.