“On top of that, my equipment is on par with Valeron’s, I’m a Golden Griffon like Tyris, and I have achieved the white core. Save your mercy for someone who needs it. I’m stronger than you’ll ever be and you are surrounded.
“Think again about my offer because if you refuse it again, I’ll beat you unconscious and drag you to the Golden Griffon along with the others. Then, your compliance would be no longer of any relevance.” Thrud said.
“I refuse your offer and I renew, no, I beg you to accept my conditions.” Yet Fyrwal’s prideful tone didn’t sound like she was begging. “I’m doing this in respect for the blood of Valeron that flows inside your veins.
“It’s so thick that I can smell it from here and it would cause me great pain to spill it. I don’t want to fight you. Release Phloria, turn around, and leave. If not for me or your ancestor, do it for your soldiers and citizens.
“You want to be a good ruler and claim to love them, but if we fight, there will be nothing left for you. Please, don’t force my hand. You have no idea of the powers you are playing with.”
“Get them!” Thrud yelled while pointing the Sword of Arthan at Fyrwal. “Beat them an inch to their lives. I don’t care how many pieces you have to cut them in, as long as they are still breathing.”
“I’m sorry, Valeron. I really tried.” The Divine Beasts activated their bloodline abilities in unison, combining them to become bigger than the sum of the single parts when Fyrwal snapped her fingers.
Then, what looked like a human-sized meteor blew Thrud out of the sky, making her crash onto the ground and flattening an entire city block.
Seven tier five Spirit Magic spells of rare power exploded in sequence, their effect chained so that the previous would boost the next in an endless cycle. The air became so hot to be unbreathable and the shockwave released made it impossible even for a Divine Beast to step close.
Thrud felt her bones breaking and her organs collapse. If not for the regenerative abilities of her white core and the tons of Davross she wore, she would have already been sent back to the Golden Griffon.
Instead, she managed to conjure the Spirit Barrier of her armor while reverting to her true size, that of a Golden Griffon 30 meters (100′) tall. The sudden expansion of her body and barrier caused the newcomer to be bounced away, yet the price was the life of one of her Generals and another city block.
“You!” Thrud recognized the woman in front of her from the bedtime stories that her father had read her as a child. “I thought you had washed your hands of the Kingdom centuries ago. You shouldn’t be here, Bewitching Demon.”
Lith was the first Tiamat, but several creatures had been called Demons throughout Mogar’s history. Like Roghar the Fenrir, who the Fallen races blamed for their own foolishness. Or Abominations like Theseus, who had claimed countless victims.
Before Lith, Demon was just a term used to refer to a creature so cruel that it made all the other monsters cower or run away in fear.
Tessa the Titania was one of them. Unlike Oghrom Gernoff who had been no better, she didn’t act from the shadows. During the War of the Kingdom, she had massacred everyone who stood on her path even after their surrender.
She had poisoned the land and water sources. She had caused famines and draughts. Anything she thought would shorten the War by even one day, with no care for the number of casualties among soldiers and civilians.
“I haven’t been called like that in a long while. Thank you.” Like her name suggested, Tessa’s ruthlessness was matched only by her beauty.
She had shiny green hair and purple eyes. Her skin was pearly pink and so smooth that it shone under the sunlight. Her smile was so dazzling that it took anyone who met her several seconds to lower their gaze and notice her soft curves.
“As for your question, the bards exaggerated things a bit.” The Davross of her Royal Fortress armor switched from white to black non-stop, as if to highlight the living dichotomy she was.
A Fae, an avatar of life whose talent lay in killing.
“I retired because I didn’t give a shit about the Kingdom. Valeron wanted to see it thrive so I took a walk to not ruin his work. Yet once one of my old comrades calls me, I’m always happy to help. Isn’t it right, Fylly?” Tessa said.
“Shut up. I’m already regretting asking you for help.” Fyrwal sighed deeply. “Girls, clench your teeth. This is going to hurt.”
Iata jumped at the Hydra, unleashing a tier five Light Mastery spell while keeping her scorpion stinger at the ready. Yet Fyrwal only needed a slap of her hand to send the Sekhmet flying and conjure a hard-light construct of her own to defend from Iata’s.
“What? Valeron knew no Light Mastery. I’m sure of it!” Iata said in outrage as one of the rarest and most sacred branches of magic was used against her.
“She’s right. Where does that come from?” Thrud could feel that something was wrong. Something outside her calculations.
She had planned everything to lure either Orion or Friya to rescue Phloria.
Orion was the best Forgemaster of the Kingdom and the General of the Army. He possessed the Ernas legacy, the cutting-edge Royal Forgemastery, and had developed Forgemastery techniques only he knew.
On top of that, Orion was posted about all of the Kingdom’s strategies and troops’ locations. Once captured, winning the War of the Griffons would have been easy.
As for Friya, she was just the key to getting Faluel. The Hydra would have given the Mad Queen access to the Hands of Menadion, the Hydra bloodline legacy, and an entry point for her army straight into Distar.
Thrud wouldn’t need to conquer the region to reach and destroy the Lightning and the White Griffon, but merely a Warp.
Thrud had kept herself free in the case Fyrwal foresaw her plan and acted accordingly. The Mad Queen was more than ready to take on one of Valeron’s companions, but she had never thought to meet the most infamous member among the First King’s aides.
Actually, Oghrom had been as bad as Tessa, just less showy, but this is a story for another day.
“Forget the Rainbow Dragon! Take the humans!” Rayne the Storm Phoenix said while plunging at the still-shocked Quylla.
Great was her surprise when the small woman stopped the charge with one hand, her feet not even budging from the ground when she pushed Rayne back.
Quylla started to scream while Friya yelled even harder. Her sister was already close to the bright violet, making things easier for her whereas Friya was merely a bright blue core. So when it turned deep violet it hurt.
Then, when it reached the violet a second later, it felt as if her core had turned into a scorching sun. At the bright violet, Friya was in so much pain that she would kill to make it stop so she did.
