Chapter 36 - Clash

“I haven’t seen that look in a long time, Celia,” Vaerina mocked.

“There hasn’t been a reason to.” Celia turned to Alina. “Your turn.”

Alina blinked. “I–I…”

“Calm down. Remember the sensation,” Elith coaxed.

Alina closed her eyes. Her skin took on a bluish hue, and when she opened them again, her eyes glowed faintly blue.

Renji froze, staring at her transformed appearance up close.

Her heart sank. He must think I’m a monster now…

She forced herself to focus on the enemy instead. Focus, Alina!

Thorval’s hand shot forward, the gem in his amulet pulsing. A column of fifty enhanced soldiers marched in formation, shields and greatswords gleaming in the light.

Gromul, Neria, and Sorien were among the first to step up, joined by half of Elith’s knights—about a dozen in total.

“Come, Alina.” Celia beckoned her forward.

Gromul, unable to hold himself back, broke into a run with a thunderous battle cry, his axe raised high.

The clang of steel on steel filled the air as he crashed into the first line of soldiers, joined moments later by Neria, Sorien, and the Elven knights.

The enhanced troops did not know pain. Warriors with gaping wounds or missing limbs still pressed forward, their blank eyes unblinking. Wielding massive blades with inhuman strength, they proved a brutal match for the Elves, who were not known for raw power. The line held, but it could not advance.

Vaerina raised the Verdant Sceptre. Spear-like vines lashed out toward Sorien and Neria as they clashed with Thorval’s forces.

Then fire roared skyward, painting the battlefield crimson. Celia’s smirk widened as the flames coiled around her, shrivelling Vaerina’s vines in the searing heat. The air shimmered as she twirled a flame in her palm and laughed.

“Now that’s more like it.”

From the treeline, a warden’s hoarse voice rang out: “The Inferno Witch…”

Another followed, half awe, half terror: “Ice Princess and Inferno Witch…”

Celia’s flames surged higher, her eyes blazing red. “Seriously? She gets to be the Ice Princess while I’m a witch?!”

Alina faltered mid-step, staff half-raised. “C-Celia, now isn’t—”

“Do I look like some wrinkled hag to you?!” Celia snapped, fire spiralling from her hands as a squad of knights erupted in molten flame.

Rikka chuckled from her perch above. “If the shoe fits—”

“Say it again, archer, and I’ll roast you alive!” Celia roared.

Gromul split a knight in two with his axe, glancing sideways at the raging firestorm. “She’s acting like one now.”

Celia whipped around, scandalised. “You shut it too, beard!”

He only laughed, ploughing into another line of soldiers. “Ha! Definitely a witch.”

Alina and Renji both froze, caught off guard by the hidden side of Celia blazing into view.

“Is that still Celia?” Renji murmured.

Elith grinned. “Yes. She hates that nickname with a passion.”

Alina moved up the line to join Celia, Renji staying close at her side.

“You staying behind, Renji?” she asked.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.” He turned his head toward her. “The last time I did that, I regretted it.”

She pinched his sleeve, a faint smile tugging at her lips. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Look at you two lovebirds,” Celia teased.

“We’re not like that,” Alina protested quickly.

Thorval’s hands shot forward again. This time the whole troop, including the golems, advanced in unison.

Rikka pulled out a horn and blew two long blasts.

Gromul hacked a soldier in two before retreating with the Elven knights. “What? Already?” he grumbled as they pulled back together.

Once the Elves were clear of the melee, volleys of arrows burst from the treeline on both flanks, raining down in a storm of fire and explosive shafts onto Thorval’s soldiers.

“Archers in the trees? Predictable,” Thorval sneered, raising both hands outward.

The two golems raised their arms and aimed at the canopy.

“This is bad,” Rikka muttered. She gave one long blast of her horn. “Scatter!”

She dropped from her perch, landing on a cushion of wind. The other Elven archers descended rapidly, but not all were fast enough. Stone spikes tore through the trees in a rapid volley, cutting down those who lingered a heartbeat too long.

Thorval’s troops advanced unhindered.

Alina thrust her staff forward and a torrent of frost burst out, freezing a cluster of soldiers on the right flank. On the left, Celia blazed like a torch. She flung out both hands and a massive cone of flame roared from her palms, burning soldiers to ash.

Gromul was the first back into the fight, axe swinging as he dove headlong into the melee, laughing as steel and blood clashed around him.

Renji shot forward, his body wrapped in golden light. For the first time in the battle, he drew his sword, the blade glowing with the same radiant aura. He cut into the lines with blinding speed. The enhanced soldiers were monstrously strong and quicker than ordinary men, but Renji was faster. With sharpened reflexes, he carved through several with ease.

“Tch.” Thorval clicked his tongue. “That otherworlder… nothing but a nuisance.”

He motioned to his golem. Its chest crystal pulsed, and volley after volley of stone spikes ripped toward Renji.

Renji darted aside, each golden streak marking where he’d just been. He was forced to retreat slightly, weaving between the volleys as the spikes smashed into the ground around him.

Meanwhile, Vaerina was locked in a magical clash with Alina and Celia. Vines and wooden spears shot forward in waves, most burning to ash before they reached, the rest freezing solid against walls of ice. Fire and frost tore through the battlefield, leaving steam and smoke hanging in the air.

Thorval’s sneer faltered as the battle dragged on. His enhanced soldiers were being cut down faster than he’d expected. Elven arrows tore through their lines. Explosions from Rikka’s shots scattered formations. Even the golems struggled to press forward against the coordinated push.

He scowled. “Vaerina. This isn’t working. Do something.”

Vaerina’s lips curved into a thin smile. “I was saving this… but very well.”

She drew out an amber gemstone and held it aloft. A magic circle flared beneath it as she chanted. The stone shattered into glittering shards.

The gem on Thorval’s amulet pulsed. Talon-like prongs sprang out, biting into his neck.

He cried out in pain and glared at her. “What did you do?!”

“What you asked. Something to turn the tide.”

Swirls of essence streamed from the crystals embedded in fallen soldiers’ armour, flowing into Thorval’s amulet. Veins bulged along his neck and face as raw power surged through him.

His muscles warped and expanded. The golems collapsed into sludge and wrapped around his body, merging into a monstrous shell.

Thorval screamed as his form twisted. “You wretched witch!” Blood streamed from his nose and ears, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

Rikka muttered, “What in the hells is that?”

Alina gasped. “Is that even possible?”

“Ancient magic. Corrupted,” Elith answered grimly, her staff planted in the ground, words of power spilling from her lips.

Gromul grunted. “Makes no difference to me.”

“How much longer?” Celia demanded, fire blazing in her eyes.

“Several minutes,” Elith said, voice tight.

“I hope we can last that long,” Neria murmured, never taking her eyes off the horror before them.

“That thing is no longer human…” Sorien spat. “Abomination!”

Renji’s hand tightened around his hilt. “Even Thorval didn’t see this coming.”

The creature loomed higher, three stories tall. Its limbs stretched and thickened, the Duke’s upper body half-submerged at the nape of the giant’s neck, his face contorted in fury.

The behemoth’s roar shook the battlefield.