Operation: Rescue

Thud

The echo of the blow resounded throughout the place. Once again, my body hit the floor after being drained of mana by Darkahia. I still don’t know how long I’ve been here, and the situation hadn’t changed at all during all this time. Or at least not until today.

“Rejoice, hero,” said the demon who brought me here in the first place. “Soon you won’t have to endure all this anymore… You won’t even need to be alive to serve my lord!”

Those words froze my blood. My only comfort was that these people kept me alive as long as I could provide mana, but if my life was no longer necessary, then they would have no reason to show such consideration. Now it truly was only a matter of time before I’d be freed from here.

“I don’t know the details, but you’ll see soon enough. Rest for now,” the demon added before leaving the place, once again abandoning me to the darkness.

I dragged myself as best I could to the makeshift bed in the cell and used the last of my strength to lie down for a while. It was incredibly cold, but with the worn blanket I had found, it was better than sleeping on the floor.

Sigh

What should I do?

In my current state, I wasn’t even capable of standing, let alone trying to break the bars again. Even if I had all my strength back, I wouldn’t succeed. The walls were another idea I had once, but I couldn’t break those either. It seemed that everything in this place had been reinforced to the point where attempting anything was impossible. Things only seemed to get worse.

“Don’t worry,” whispered a feminine voice as I closed my eyes. It was the consciousness of the great tree, Mildfir, who had managed to manifest herself even if I wasn’t asleep, thanks to my training and meditation.

It was so much more comfortable and easier now to speak with her, and she helped me greatly not to lose my mind given the solitude of being locked up here.

“How can I not worry?” I replied. “If I don’t do something, I’ll die. Why shouldn’t I be worried?”

Despite my concern, the consciousness of the great tree remained serene and only smiled at me. The tranquility she radiated was such that it could have made anyone sigh.

“Because they are already on their way.”

Her words threw me off for a moment, but I quickly understood the situation and smiled back.

“So, she finally came, huh?” I murmured, thinking of Liz.

***

At last, we had arrived at the capital. The first thing we did was notify the knights and adventurers in the area to gather as much help as possible quickly, and luckily, they weren’t the only ones.

“Follow me. The consciousness of the great tree conveyed his location to me,” said the leader of the elves to his own, who concealed themselves in clothes covering most of their bodies.

Before heading to the capital, we had returned to the forest where the elves’ hideout was located, seeking to recruit them. I thought it would be complicated to convince them—even considering it was Naoya who had been kidnapped—but when we arrived, they were already prepared to depart.

The leader of the elves proved very cooperative, and when I asked him why, he told me it was because the consciousness of the great tree, Mildfir, had contacted him again after one hundred years of silence. It was a stroke of luck, but I was glad things had gone so well for us.

Right now, we were all scattered around what looked like a residential area in the eastern district of the city, the poorest and most neglected. According to the elven leader, the consciousness had led him straight to this place.

“Are you sure this is it?” questioned an adventurer.

“I don’t think so. I’ve been here before and didn’t notice anything strange,” added a knight.

Doubts began to arise in everyone because of the building’s appearance, but if the elven leader looked that serious about it, then I trusted this was the place.

Then, out of nowhere, a small group of bandits appeared, bowing before the elven leader.

“Sir, it’s definitely here. There’s a hidden entrance behind a locked door,” reported one of the bandits, to which the elven leader nodded.

“Good. This is the moment! Let’s go!” he roared, mobilizing all the elves.

As soon as they reached the building, the first thing they did was break down the main door and windows to make their way inside. From within, cries of confusion and pain could be heard as many people rushed out. One of the workers’ bodies was even hurled through a window, crashing at the feet of one of the knights.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing to the civilians!?” he shouted.

It was natural to think the elves just wanted to destroy everything and kill anyone they came across, seeing the chaos they were causing, but that wasn’t the case. The body at the knight’s feet suddenly rose and roared, its skin and eyes changing color as horns sprouted from its head and claws from its hands. It was also a demon.

“They’re demons! Attack!” shouted one of the adventurers.

Just as he said, all the workers in the place rose from the ground and began mutating in the same way to attack us. That earlier group of elves must have scouted as soon as we arrived at the capital to recognize the terrain and the people. They really were efficient—I wasn’t surprised they had managed to remain hidden for nearly a century.

“Hyah!”

With the cry of an adventurer, another demon fell beneath the blade of his axe. We were fortunate these demons weren’t as strong as the one who had taken Naoya. If they had been, we would’ve been finished.

“Fire!” ordered the captain.

The sound of multiple gunshots rang out in unison, leaving no one unmoved, least of all the demons, who saw their ranks fall under the shots. As expected of the capital’s cavalry, they had access to rifles and top-tier weapons for battle.

We can do this!

“I found the entrance! Move!” shouted one of the elves.

Some elves rushed ahead, and when we tried to follow their pace, something happened. They were hurled back, smashing much of the building’s fragile structure under the force of the impact.

“To think you would find us…”

Climbing the stairs, with an aura as imposing as it was unsettling, the demon who had taken Naoya revealed himself with his usual confident, calm smile. This was the worst possible scenario, but with so many people, we should at least have a chance against him.

“Fire!” ordered the captain once more.

However, despite the knights’ great aim, not a single bullet struck the monster, who dodged them by leaping into the air… No, he wasn’t leaping—he was flying. A massive pair of wings had sprouted from his back, and now he loomed over us from above.

“My turn,” the monster murmured.

Before we could realize it, the demon had vanished, striking in mere seconds at no fewer than five people unlucky enough to be near him.

A group of elves quickly attacked with their daggers and swords, but then enormous claws emerged from his hands, which he used to deflect each of their strikes. The grace and fluidity with which he moved were astonishing, almost hypnotic. But just as he was careful, he was also strong, and within seconds he wiped out the entire group that had tried to attack him.

The knights tried again to fire at him with their rifles, but the demon dodged once more by leaping into the air. But that was the plan. Knowing where he would move, another group of elves fired right into the area where the demon had shifted, and though they managed to surprise him, a single strong sweep of his arm was enough to deflect all the arrows that would have struck him.

“This is going badly…” I muttered, preparing a spell.

“No! Go ahead and rescue your friend,” urged Captain Irons, cutting me off.

“Eh!? And what about you!?”

“We’ll buy you time. If that boy is truly as you described, then he’ll be a great help against that thing,” he added, unsheathing his sword. “Go!”

I hesitated. I felt that rushing ahead would be the same as abandoning them, but he was right. If I helped Naoya now, we might have a greater chance against that monster.

Fine! It’s decided!

“Ena, come with me!” I shouted.

“Yes!”

Both of us dashed toward the stairs leading to the building’s underground, but our attempt caught the demon’s attention.

“Do you really think I’ll let you go just like that?”

Hearing his words, I began readying my spells, but the elves and knights continued their relentless assault to keep his focus on them.

“Such bothersome pests!”

It was only for a few moments, but it was enough for Ena and me to get ahead. The noise of shouts, gunfire, and devastating attacks grew fainter and fainter until it was almost inaudible. Without realizing it, we had arrived in a vast chamber with a dark, striking throne.