With the blistering heat of the black sun, and the darkness enveloping their bodies, they marched forward with swords in arms, armour on their bodies, facing the man who led them.
Alexander, his broad shoulders, tall stalwart back leading them.
Nodachi, in hand, calmly led his troops towards the enemy.
A colossal horde of over 19,000 demons, their twisted figures more apparent with each step they took, a mere 400 used only to delay the end.
"Venri, deploy the third barrier." He spoke serenely, his eyes narrow and dull with a fiery glow of resilience.
Her body shook as she pulled the dark, brittle scroll from her item ring, tearing the musty scented parchment before a brilliant light enveloped the entire of Selmot's walls.
A luminescent light that stops all evil began to fill the southern and eastern walls guiding and bolstering the women waiting to fight their enemies.
The brilliance began to flood the walls, and as Qilana looked up, her eyes brightening with awe, this barrier was the last hope of Selmot, allowing her to take revenge now and stop the traitor from escaping.
"He is giving me this time, this chance..."
Qilana's eyes focused, dried tears still littering her cheeks as she peeked towards the north.
"There he will fight, alone, until his last breath... For me, for us." She whispered.
Zilna's large body trembled as she heard the softly spoken words.
She felt a heavy weight in her chest before stepping forward with her giant sword and shield, making her look like a glorious Valkyrie of battle as the light shone upon her body like magic.
"Archers, prepare to fire!"
"Lancers, protect them well! You are their shield!"
Her eyes closed slowly as she took her place, the vast shield blocking both Qilana and Anna's bodies.
-
Meanwhile, in the north, Alexander's feet stopped slightly sinking into the warm sands as he watched the monsters grow near.
"Katrin, the second barrier."
"Yes, My lord!"
Another considerable wall filled the desert, beyond the black forest to the north and through the kobolds forest to the south, impassable for at least 24 hours.
'I wanted to use them slower, so you had more time...' Alex thought, his hand grasping Eien tightly, his eyes filled with doubt that he desperately washed away.
He could feel nerves, even as a ghoul. The first time, he felt butterflies churning in his stomach.
Alexander wanted to flee, take the women and run.
'But I cannot... These demons would then spawn once again... They are here to correct the distortion I created.'
[Forgive me...]
'It's ok, Kayne. I will fight and stop them, even if I lose everything.'
[(Once again... But she won't let you, my dear friend... She will never let you break or die... Her love so thick, like a dark curse...That you don't even know exists.)]
-
Inside Kayne's spiritual world, his body was dressed in the same fancy clothes as the old picture with the man who looked 80% like Alexander without the camouflage.
The woman stood beside him, a crazed and terrifying look as she watched only him.
"F-father..." A weak voice sounded as a bloody and wounded woman fell into his world, her arms torn, legs flayed.
Blood began to stream through the room like an ocean tide, the scent of iron filling his nose, as his bitter smile faded into one a sorrowful look of despair.
"How..."
Kayne dropped to his knees, holding the fallen girl, gently holding her to his chest as he took deep breaths, desperate to calm himself and not worry her.
[Alexander, you must fight]
[Even if your sword breaks]
[Use your hands and body]
[Even if your beloved women die]
[You must fight on]
The once beautiful Saphira was now a bloody mess, her eyes blinded and her bones crushed.
"Oh, my dear daughter... Daddy will make it better... He will make the pain go away.... forgive me... my cute little girl."
His trembling hands stroked her soft blue hair, now matted and filled with her blood and those of her believers.
'Those bastards! How can they break the rules so easily... I saved my old friend and lost most of my power! Why, why can they do this to my dear daughter!'
His eyes glowed with a fierce power as he began to allow his magic and mana to flow into his daughter, blood seeping from his nose as he abused his sealed body.
The blinded eyes of Saphira transplanted into him as his very existence began to fade momentarily.
[My dear friend...]
[I beg you to live on, fight them, crush them and fulfil your destiny...]
[Kill the first woman you loved, the source of these foul creatures.]
[Please...]
[Awaken!]
[No...]
[Dear friend, I take it all back...]
[Please run... forget everything, run away and live...]
"D...dad?" Saphira's hoarse voice sounded as her formerly broken body slowly began to heal, the blood and pus from the torture she endured slowly fading.
Her eyes, with a flicker, began to open.
The brilliant light of her father's home, the old-fashioned sofa, the old television... the whistling kettle sound.
She looked around, but couldn't find her father's figure...
He was gone, leaving her alone in his quiet world, a memory of their past lives as a family.
Immediately she tried to get up, her tired legs and broken bones barely fixed. However, the old television flickered on, with the sound of nostalgic static and the lousy quality, slowly...
The image became clear.
An army of Daemons, their twisted figures a testament to their ungodly creation, more than she could count, their bodies filling the small television up quickly.
"..."
Saphira observed the oddity for several moments before she saw a tiny spec, several specs that formed a triangle...
A familiar man with silver hair was standing at the front.
His aura, face and wicked smile were the same as when she met him.
"How can he face these horrors that even lesser demigods would fear!?" Her voice cracked as she tried to stand from the sofa, but her legs buckled, falling to the ground as she watched the monsters smash those tiny specs, many crushed into red mist.
"How can his face not change!?" She howled at the television.
His black sword sliced the enemy relentlessly, yet he was isolated... alone... the demons began to ignore the small dots, sending only the weaker daemons against them.
Yet he was surrounded and beaten but never gave up...
"Since you showed me your determination... I gave my father such a happy smile... I will protect those lights you hold dear."
Saphira's arms spread as the slight red mists began to flicker, a small orb of light fluttering from the centre, which the demons tried to grasp and devour, repelled by a blue, watery barrier that melted their arms.
"Show me; you want to become my husband... You've earned my blessing... now show me everything!"
Once again, her arms spread as a gentle blue light filled his broken body, constantly healing, repairing and empowering his body.
She began to speak, to commune with the man, her voice different, old and hoarse, identical to her father's, as blood slowly began to drip from her nose, bloody cracks forming in her flesh.
[If you cannot win, cheat.]
[If you cannot kill, devour!]
[Never give up!]
[I won't allow you to lose Alexander]
Her eyes never leave the shining white light amid the abyss that slowly corrupted, becoming a mixture of black and red.
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