Chapter 63:
THE RESCUE OF A FALLEN STAR
Lover Online Volume 1 & 2
The battlefield was hell. The defeat of Mio, the Firmament Star, had been a devastating blow to the morale of the entire Bastion. From the wall, Asimil and Luce watched in horror, their hearts frozen.
— We have to... We have to do something — Luce stammered, her normally cheerful voice now a trickle of panic.
They fought their way through the horde swarming at the base of the wall, trying to reach the crater where their ally had fallen. But there were too many of them. For every creature they took down, two more took their place. They were not going to make it in time.
From their vantage point, they watched as Ignis, the General of fire and ash, slowly descended toward the kneeling Mio. With deliberate cruelty, he grabbed her by her long, vibrant pink ponytail, lifting her off the ground as if she were a broken doll. Mio, with no strength to resist, could barely utter a whimper of pain.
Ignis held her in the air for a moment, making sure that all the defenders on the wall saw the humiliation of their champion. Then, with her other hand, she concentrated a sphere of corrupted fire and delivered it in a final, brutal blow to his chest.
The blast of dark energy shook her. The Pink Requiem, her halberd, slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground with a final, metallic clang. Her body went limp, dangling from Ignis' grip. He seemed to have passed away.
A scream of pure rage escaped Asimil's throat. The sight of Mio, defeated and humiliated, broke something inside him.
— Luce, cover me! — he shouted, his voice a command, not a request.
Without waiting for a response, he wasted no more time. He pulled out the Dagger of the Broken Echo.— Asimil, no! — shouted Luce, seeing the danger. — That thing will kill you! —
But he was no longer listening. He channeled his energy into the weapon. The runes glowed with an emerald light, and a surge of power and phantom memories flooded him. He knew he could not win. He knew a frontal attack was suicide. So he did something fast, something impossible.
He became a blur of green light. With speed that was not his own, he slipped through the enemy lines, dodging claws and fangs. The Generals, Ignis and Legion, saw it coming. They did nothing to stop it. It was an insect running toward a giant. His defiance was so pathetic that they found it entertaining.
Asimil reached Mio. He did not attack Ignis. In a single, precise movement, his dagger, now vibrating with the power of an ancient soul, cleanly cut Mio's long hair right where Ignis held it.
Ignis, surprised, stood with a lock of pink hair in his hand. Mio's body fell.
Asimil caught it before it hit the ground and, with the last bit of speed borrowed from the dagger, made his getaway.
As he ran with Mio in his arms, his gaze crossed Legion's. The General, from a distance, smiled at her. And his lips, without uttering a sound, formed a single word that Asimil could read perfectly.
The defenders of the Bastion, seeing their act of suicidal bravery, unleashed a hail of arrows and spells to cover their retreat to the second inner wall, the last wall.
From outside, the army of the Void shouted, a unison, thunderous roar, claiming victory over a Firmament Star, the first defeat of the world's best. And then, to everyone's surprise, they retreated. They did not attempt to break the last wall. They had fulfilled their promise: they had broken the hope of the world.
Inside the citadel, the chaos was of a different kind. It was the chaos of mourning and defeat. Asimil, finally safe, carefully deposited Mio's body on the ground. Luce and some healing mages rushed to her side, their hands glowing with healing energy, trying to see if Mio was still alive.
Asimil took a step back and leaned against the cold stone wall. The world was spinning. The excess power of the Void dagger was consuming him. He slid down the wall until he was sitting up, struggling to stay conscious, to keep from passing out. His duty, for now, was over. He had rescued his friend, but the price had been terrible, and Legion's silent warning was a new wound, deeper than any other.
— We have to... We have to do something — Luce stammered, her normally cheerful voice now a trickle of panic.
They fought their way through the horde swarming at the base of the wall, trying to reach the crater where their ally had fallen. But there were too many of them. For every creature they took down, two more took their place. They were not going to make it in time.
From their vantage point, they watched as Ignis, the General of fire and ash, slowly descended toward the kneeling Mio. With deliberate cruelty, he grabbed her by her long, vibrant pink ponytail, lifting her off the ground as if she were a broken doll. Mio, with no strength to resist, could barely utter a whimper of pain.
Ignis held her in the air for a moment, making sure that all the defenders on the wall saw the humiliation of their champion. Then, with her other hand, she concentrated a sphere of corrupted fire and delivered it in a final, brutal blow to his chest.
The blast of dark energy shook her. The Pink Requiem, her halberd, slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground with a final, metallic clang. Her body went limp, dangling from Ignis' grip. He seemed to have passed away.
A scream of pure rage escaped Asimil's throat. The sight of Mio, defeated and humiliated, broke something inside him.
— Luce, cover me! — he shouted, his voice a command, not a request.
Without waiting for a response, he wasted no more time. He pulled out the Dagger of the Broken Echo.— Asimil, no! — shouted Luce, seeing the danger. — That thing will kill you! —
But he was no longer listening. He channeled his energy into the weapon. The runes glowed with an emerald light, and a surge of power and phantom memories flooded him. He knew he could not win. He knew a frontal attack was suicide. So he did something fast, something impossible.
He became a blur of green light. With speed that was not his own, he slipped through the enemy lines, dodging claws and fangs. The Generals, Ignis and Legion, saw it coming. They did nothing to stop it. It was an insect running toward a giant. His defiance was so pathetic that they found it entertaining.
Asimil reached Mio. He did not attack Ignis. In a single, precise movement, his dagger, now vibrating with the power of an ancient soul, cleanly cut Mio's long hair right where Ignis held it.
Ignis, surprised, stood with a lock of pink hair in his hand. Mio's body fell.
Asimil caught it before it hit the ground and, with the last bit of speed borrowed from the dagger, made his getaway.
As he ran with Mio in his arms, his gaze crossed Legion's. The General, from a distance, smiled at her. And his lips, without uttering a sound, formed a single word that Asimil could read perfectly.
"Noelia".
The defenders of the Bastion, seeing their act of suicidal bravery, unleashed a hail of arrows and spells to cover their retreat to the second inner wall, the last wall.
From outside, the army of the Void shouted, a unison, thunderous roar, claiming victory over a Firmament Star, the first defeat of the world's best. And then, to everyone's surprise, they retreated. They did not attempt to break the last wall. They had fulfilled their promise: they had broken the hope of the world.
Inside the citadel, the chaos was of a different kind. It was the chaos of mourning and defeat. Asimil, finally safe, carefully deposited Mio's body on the ground. Luce and some healing mages rushed to her side, their hands glowing with healing energy, trying to see if Mio was still alive.
Asimil took a step back and leaned against the cold stone wall. The world was spinning. The excess power of the Void dagger was consuming him. He slid down the wall until he was sitting up, struggling to stay conscious, to keep from passing out. His duty, for now, was over. He had rescued his friend, but the price had been terrible, and Legion's silent warning was a new wound, deeper than any other.
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