Reia felt a dangerous aura emanating from the knight standing before her and her senses were warning her not to be careless. Her magical incantations caused a slight wind to ripple around her increasing her speed and agility.

“His strength definitely exceeds mine and that sword is immense. I don’t see any weaknesses in his stance either. I only have my speed to rely on but I don’t know whether or not that will truly give me an advantage here.”

She only needed a moment in order to analyze her opponent and come to a conclusion about his battle prowess. Glancing slightly over her shoulder, she saw Laila prepare her bow which filled her with some confidence.

Reia took a deep breath and began to circle the knight carefully with her blade held upright in both hands. Lightning crackled along the blade of her sword causing goosebumps to arise on her hands which crept down her arms soon after. Her breath quickened and adrenaline pumped violently through her body fueling her desire for battle.

Sir Herbert remained calm as he watched Reia circle around him looking for an opening. His enormous blade was resting on his shoulder and he chuckled softly. He had resolved himself to die here in this foreign place and the irony of it all filled him with a bit of morbid humor.

“Girl, do you truly think you can defeat me?”

Reia glared at Sir Herbert angrily and retorted, “My name is Reia, not girl! Remember it well even though you won’t live past this day!”

“Haha, it is not yet certain who will live and who will die. Even if I die this day, I have no regrets. I have lived my life, but you… you are still quite young. Is it worth it to die for a man who can’t fight his own battles?”

Reia’s glare became more intense for a brief moment. After realizing his intention to unsettle her, she calmed her nerves, “Enough talk!”

At that moment she sprinted forward, swinging her sword at Sir Herbert’s flank. Using his left arm as if it were a shield, he deflected her attack. Reia jumped back in shock before rushing to attack once more.

Sir Herbert lifted his greatsword with both hands and swung it violently. The speed of his attack surprised Reia. Sensing the approaching danger she quickly halted her attack and used the momentum to just barely dodge the fierce swing of his blade. The blade had been mere inches from her throat and the rippling wind caused by the swing of the greatsword sent chills down her spine.

If she hadn’t pulled back at the last minute, the blade might have severed her head from her body.

Fayde watched on nervously and gave Laila a look filled with deep meaning which she understood immediately. With the help of her servants, Laila knocked her longbow with the oversized arrows specifically made for her bow.

She pulled back on the bow and aimed carefully at Sir Herbert.

Reia was struggling to dodge Sir Herbert’s attacks while attempting to close the distance between them. If she could get close enough to the knight and stay within a range that made his sword ineffective, she might have an advantage against his cumbersome greatsword.

However, even with her exceptional speed, she was unable to do so. Whenever she was able to slip within the reach of his blade, her attacks would be negated by his armor and she would be forced back. His protective aura was also proving to be difficult to overcome.

This was by far the strongest adversary she had ever faced.

Reia continued her attack, struggling to find an opening which she could exploit. However, the old knight continued to force her back. His stalwart defense appearing as if it were an impenetrable wall.

While the old knight couldn’t strike a decisive blow against Reia because of her speed, neither could she gain any advantages because of his defense. This only caused to arouse the ardor of the Jaspelian and Quijon army who watched on with rapt attention. Their morale soared and they cheered loudly as if to drown out the memory of their previous humiliating behavior.

So as not to be outdone, the Demihumans roared in answer to the Human’s cheers. Their anticipation of slaughter caused their blood to boil. The rancor of untold years filled with humiliation caused by Humans did nothing to lessen their rage.

The sound of the two armies roaring, cheering and jeering at each other across a battlefield was deafening.

To Reia, it might as well have not existed as she focused all of her attention on the Human wall in front of her.

“I need to create an opportunity to use the ability of my lightning sword. I can only hope that will be enough to break his defenses.”

Reia wasn’t fully confident in her plan, but the knight seemed impervious to her spells and attacks. Gritting her teeth, it occurred to her that she would need to take a risk in order to enact her plan.

She steeled her nerves and rushed in for another attack, ducking under Sir Herbert’s sword swing and using all of her speed and agility to get in close.

Feigning an opening, she attempted to pierce her blade into the joints of his armor but Sir Herbert’s fist collided against her face sending her tumbling back. She spit out blood as she struggled to rise to her feet. Her jaw was wracked with pain and she almost felt as if it had been dislocated.

Sir Herbert raised his sword in an effort to cleave her in two but a sudden sense of danger halted his movements. He rotated his body as he swung his blade and deflected an enormous arrow which had been fired at his back.

In that moment that he had deflected the arrow, he noticed three more flying towards him rapidly.

Because of the threat of the powerful arrows, he could do nothing but continue to defend against them allowing Reia to struggle to her feet. In the time it took for him to deflect the third arrow, hackles suddenly sprung from the back of his neck warning him of imminent danger.

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A bright yellowish glow seen spreading out from the corner of his eye, followed by the sound of crackling, filled him with a sense of dread. His movements became almost sluggish, but he turned towards the danger as quickly as he could and summoned every ounce of energy from his holy aura, pouring it into his blade in order to defend himself.

A strong blast of electricity collided with the holy aura surrounding his greatsword causing a severe backlash of energy which sent Sir Herbert several steps back and down to one knee.

His helmet was blown clear off his head and a trickle of blood could be seen trailing from his mouth down to his chin. His armor hadn’t fared any better. It was battered and cracked but still held to his body as if it were sheltering him in its embrace.

Reia, who looked equally as haggard, breathed heavily as she held onto her sword. She glared at Sir Herbert fiercely and a slight electric charge snaked down her blade until it dissipated having consumed its charge.

Sir Herbert chuckled before spitting up a mouthful of blood. His weight was supported by his blade which had been stabbed into the ground.

“You are the first to ever force me to my knees. Although, it was a cheap strike.”

He couldn’t help but lament his situation and curse his fate while shivering from a sudden chill which creeped down his exposed back. His body shuddered and a powerful force struck his shoulder sending his body lurching forward.

An immense arrow protruded from his left shoulder and blood was flowing freely from the wound. The force caught him unexpectedly and he couldn’t keep himself from falling face first into the dirt. He was somehow still alive, but the pain was unbearable.

Not far from where they fought, the temple knights were already rushing towards Sir Herbert in order to protect him. Sir Herbert used all of his strength to slowly rise to his feet with the help of his sword and spit out blood once more. He was rapidly losing blood and was struggling to keep consciousness.

Reia, seeing the approaching knights, didn’t stick around. She quickly made her way back to Fayde’s side who greeted her with relief clearly visible on his face.

He pulled her into his arms as if he was afraid of losing her and gently rubbed her face. She was caught by surprise and hadn’t been expecting such a public display of affection, but she felt the warmth of his intent and didn’t push him away.

“You did good Reia. Next time, try not to get hit in the face though…” Fayde chided her with a smile.

She was breathing too heavily to respond and finally pushed him away, giving him a solid punch to his shoulder eliciting a grunt from him. He was expecting such a reaction and just chuckled.

“I’ve regenerated some of my VP, but I am concerned about that aura that was protecting them and rendering my attacks useless earlier.” Fayde mused before having a sudden thought and turned to Allein, “Allein, it looks like I will need your strength after all. Your dragon flames should be able to break through the holy aura much like when you destroyed the sphere. I really didn’t want to involve you, but this might be the only way.”

“It’s fine. I haven’t truly let loose in a long time.” Allein replied in a subdued voice.

Fayde wanted to say more but he was suddenly at a loss for words and could only watch as Allein walked towards the approaching enemy lines. Reia and Laila both stood beside Fayde and watched Allein in anticipation.

The enemy army had begun their attack immediately after seeing the failed duel. They rushed across the battlefield and would soon engage the Demihuman army. Fayde hadn’t ordered his army to advance and so the Demihumans watched on, eyes wide with excitement, as Allein approached the enemy alone.

They had never seen the power of a dragon, but they had heard stories from ancient times. Their eyes were glued to her seemingly fragile form and they knew that despite her appearance, a fearsome and primal power loomed within her.

Only the Demihumans knew what Allein truly was. To the approaching Human soldiers, they looked on with derision. Their confidence was restored and with the temple knights at the forefront, they no longer feared Fayde’s magic. The holy aura had now spread to the entirety of their army and not only did it offer them protection, but it instilled in them courage.

In their hearts and minds pulsed the power of a goddess. They never imagined that one lowly Demihuman girl could rain destruction down upon them.

Allein stopped at a distance between the two armies and glanced briefly over her shoulders at Fayde before turning her predatory eyes on the opposing army.

“I must prove myself to him. It’s the only way I can regain his trust.” Said Allein with determination.

Her crimson eyes almost seemed to glow with a dim light as her hair swayed loosely in the wind. Time for her slowed to a crawl. She felt an immense power from within her that desperately wished to be released. It was far more menacing than she remembered and a deep and dreadful flame burst forth in her veins filling her with power.

Allein pulled back her head releasing a mighty roar that shook the hearts of the approaching army despite the power of the holy aura surrounding them. Her body began to shift and change, growing ever larger.

The sound of her roar grew even more monstrous and flames exploded outward from Allein’s body shocking even the Demihumans. Even Fayde had never seen such a monstrous transformation and soon realized that Allein’s power had evolved and grown. She was no longer the small dragon she once was, but something far larger and more fierce.

Her dragon form had almost reached full adulthood and her size had grown by leaps and bounds. It wouldn’t be long before her body could transform into an adult dragon. Once it did, her power could shake the very fabric of the world’s laws.

Seeing this, the Jaspelian and Quijon soldiers were once more shaken by fear. It was a slow creeping fear that didn’t make itself readily apparent, but when it finally gripped you, there would be no going back. Even the holy aura surrounding them seemed to whip haphazardly as if wishing to disappear from this place.

Allein roared once more, flames bursting from her mouth. Her powerful limbs pushed forth and her body lifted off the ground with the rapid beating of her wings which sent dirt and grass hurtling in all directions.

She dashed forward, bursting with speed and ferocity, her flames bearing down upon the enemy army scorching the earth black. The holy aura could do nothing to protect them from the dense and vicious flames.

Even the temple knights were defenseless against Allein’s mighty dragon flames. They all died, unable to avoid the flames. Cries of horror and pain flooded the battlefield and the enemy army broke in wild terror, their dread even greater than before.

Fayde looked on in solemn silence. He would be lying if he said that the carnage didn’t affect him. The sight, sounds, and smell of burning people filled him with a sense of horror. He had already been shaken from his attack earlier.

He closed his eyes hoping to find a moment of peace amidst the slaughter. His moment of peace was disturbed when he felt a sudden surge of unfamiliar magical energy which caused him to quickly open his eyes wide.

Fayde surveyed the battlefield for the source of the magic and felt the energy surging rapidly until an extreme pressure burst forth. He couldn’t pinpoint where the magic was originating from and a foreboding feeling tugged at the corner of his mind.

It was then that he saw the release of the powerful energy screech across the sky leaving a wake in its trail. He could just barely make out what appeared to be a lance surrounded by dense magical energy.

It sped through the sky like a beam of light aiming straight for Allein as she descended for another attack.

Sensing the impending danger, she attempted to avoid the attack but as she veered away from her descent, the lance rammed into her body sending her crashing violently into the ground.

Fayde screamed in fury and ran towards her, followed closely behind by his wives and the thousands of Demihuman warriors who were now filled with an intense rage.