Chapter 100: Towers 5
Arlois swung Eziel at the Sun Emperor, and a blade of energy formed and flashed toward him. He swung back, and the two crescents of energy slammed into each other, creating a powerful shockwave.
It nearly knocked Elania off her feet, but she tilted her wings and maintained her balance.
Elania scanned the area. Ember and Elysia lay motionless on the ground. Leaving the fight to Arlois, she flew over to them, grabbing each one under an arm.
Their limp, heavy bodies sagged in her grasp. Sticky warmth seeped through their clothes—blood.
"Elania!" Yolani shouted.
Yolani waved from inside the Celestial Engine room. Fear kicked her in the gut. Yolani was in grave danger here!
Elania flew towards Yolani. Another buffet of wind threatened to knock her around. She gritted her teeth, fighting to maintain her grip on Ember and Elysia as she landed in the Celestial Engine room.
Yolani saw their problem and raised her wand; a thin dome expanded to encompass the area, diverting the shockwaves around them and into the ground.
Elania landed with a thump. Yolani helped her set Ember and Elysia down as gently as possible.
Yolani's pack opened, and various liquids oozed out, her pack having been bashed a bit too hard for some of the contents. But the soft glow of the healing potions was still contained in a few bottles. Yolani began to tend to the two wounded demi-divine immediately.
"I have to go find Lyra, too," Elania said.
Yolani nodded. "I'll take care of them. Hurry!"
Elania turned and flew back into the open.
Arlois and the Sun Emperor clashed at a faster pace than before. They seemed almost to be teleporting around the battlefield. Each impact sent a tremor reverberating through the air, shaking the island.
The area began to change hues, little light motes floating in the air randomly. They were tearing reality apart.
Elania activated her [Demonic Aura]. The air around her solidified. The shocks were diffuse and didn't penetrate the barrier. She scanned the ground for Lyra.
She spotted the blue of the woman's dress and dived for it. As soon as her feet touched the ground, Elania scooped the woman up. Lyra screamed as Elania touched the burns around her middle.
Elania activated her [Divine Mending] to ease the suffering, but the healing magic was slow at the best of times, and she didn't have any potions left. A few seconds later the ground below them began to crumble from the repeated shockwaves and she was forced to take back into the air.
Everything nearby was crumbling away except the area directly around the Celestial Engine. The shimmering dome of energy there protected it… but for how long?
The sense of pressure disappeared as soon as they crossed the barrier and Elania dismissed her aura. Setting down Lyra beside the other two Towers, a wave of fear threatened to overwhelm Elania.
Yolani held up a single potion. "We only have one left," she said, voice tight with concern.
Elania nodded, taking the potion and pouring it over Lyra's middle, rolling her over to get the woman’s back as well. Despite their efforts, the three demi-divines remained badly hurt, their wounds only partially taken care of.
Outside, lights flickered and flashed in the air. The clouds created by the Celestial Engine had diffused and spread out, leaving a strange orange artificial sun beaming down on them. The weird glow cast everything in a strange apocalyptic light.
It fit the scene. The entire city stretched out as a charred wasteland, scoured clean of habitation.
Yolani reached over and squeezed her hand. "Do you think Arlois and Eziel can win?"
Elania choked back a sob, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "At least we can remember his fucking name now."
Yolani laughed weakly, the sound tinged with pain and exhaustion.
They huddled together for a moment, Yolani slipping her hand into Elania’s and squeezing. It was a reminder of what they were fighting for.
Each other. The city. Their friends.
Elania took a deep breath as the battle raged outside. Her eyes flickered to the wounded Towers. “I’ll try to heal them better.”
Her own [Divine Power] had started to run low. She needed a better way to use it with her [Divine Mending]. She pictured a conduit like the one between her and Yolani, only between the two skills. Then she split the energy, directing it toward the other Towers.
Slowly, it began to work. Flesh that had been splashed by the healing potions mended first, knitting together while burns faded.
Yolani leaned in. “It’s working.”
She nearly lost her focus at the sound of the other girl’s voice, but she wrestled with her concentration, determined to keep the energy flowing.
When it felt like she had wrung everything of herself out, Lyra began to stir.
The woman’s eyes fluttered open. “Is he dead yet?” she asked groggily before sitting up.
Elania’s eyes snapped open, and she breathed heavily, checking her [HUD].
[Divine Power: 1,526/60,000]
Oh. Yeah. That was why everything felt like she was being pinched. If she were a car, she’d be running on fumes.
Ember and Elysia sat up as well, their wounds mostly healed or patched. They still looked battered, but it was a considerable improvement.
Yolani grabbed Elania’s shoulder, steadying her as she swayed.
“I’m out of [Power],” she admitted with a strained voice.
The Towers stood, moving to the edge to look outside at the savage combat between Arlois and the Sun Emperor. Yolani helped Elania stand, and the two joined them.
Giant waves of energy battered each other, tears in the sky spewing forth different elements to combat the intense solar flares. The force of the clashes sent spirals of light into the heavens, blowing away the atmosphere, creating vortexes of rain and snow only for those to be vaporized by artificial yellow orbs that fought with the orange sun to light the landscape.
Blasts impacted the island like meteors, scourging sheets of blackened char off the rock just to burn the uncovered earth again.
Stray projectiles slammed into the Celestial Engines spherical shield, casting expanding ripples across the blue shimmer. Its arcane field protected them, but what about the rest of the city?
They’d gotten everyone into underground bunkers, but that wouldn’t help anyone if the islands were literally ripped asunder.
Ember glanced back at her, then looked to Lyra and Elysia. “We should restore Elania,” she said.
“I’m low on [Power], too,” Lyra complained.
Elysia nodded. “We can share,” she said, stepping forward.
They formed a triangle, then looked to Elania. Yolani helped her into position, supporting her weight.
“Hands,” Ember said.
Elania blinked as the Towers joined hands in a circle, Ember and Lyra offering theirs to her. Elysia stood opposite as she took the offered hands hesitantly, unsure of what to do.
Elania looked between them. “Is it okay for you to be giving me some of your [Power]?”
Ember nodded. “We still have a lot more than you, and you’ve already proven that it’s worth having you in the fight.”
Lyra and Elysia nodded in agreement.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“What do I do?” Elania asked.
The answer was simple: she didn’t have to do much.
[Divine Power] flowed into her palms slowly, then faster. Her entire body tingled like pins were stabbing into her, especially on her scalp. A fire lit and rushed through her.
Ember grinned at her. “Finally getting inside of you,” she teased.
Elania trembled, the energy resonating with Ember’s laugh. The sensation receded as a sheet of cold washed it away. She immediately recognized Lyra’s energy.
Lyra glanced at Ember, a hint of annoyance in her expression. “I want Elysia’s, not Ember’s,” she stated firmly.
Elysia closed her eyes, and Elania could feel waves of soothing life coursing through her. It was hard to describe. It left the taste of fresh fruit on the tongue, along with a pleasant warmth running through her entire body.
Her [HUD] flashed in the corner of her vision.
[Divine Power: 58,392/60,000]
The three Towers looked at her expectantly.
Elania blinked, confused. “What is it?”
Ember smirked. “It’s your turn.”
“I don’t know how,” Elania said.
Elysia smiled reassuringly. “Close your eyes and picture hugging us all, sharing your [Power].”
“Just a little bit to equalize things. Too much, and we will have to refill you again,” Lyra added.
Elania bit her lip and nodded. Focusing on her best memories of each one of them while trying to follow Elysia’s direction. [Power] began to flow out of her, and she wondered what it tasted like to them.
After a few seconds, Ember interrupted, “That’s enough.”
Elania opened her eyes. A few seconds had cost her ten thousand points.
The three Towers looked at her, surprise evident on their faces.
It made her feel uncomfortable. “What?”
Yolani interrupted urgently, pointing out toward the battle. “We need to hurry!”
Everyone’s gaze flicked up into the sky.
The Sun Emperor had grown to a monstrous size, his wings spreading out like Ember’s had during the firestorm. Heat radiated off the glowing appendages, baking everything. Arlois hovered below him, holding up Eziel in a guard position, a purple barrier in front of her shedding streams of [Power] as the radiance blasted away at it.
Arlois was losing ground, rapidly.
The charred remains of the island below began to glow red, then white, as if they were at the bottom of a campfire. Elania winced. If it weren’t for the protective barrier of the Celestial Engine, they’d have been scorched by the blistering temperature.
Elysia turned to the others. “What are we supposed to do?”
Elania frowned, but at least for once, she wasn’t the one asking that.
Lyra shook her head. “I have no idea.”
Ember stepped forward, her eyes fixed on the ongoing battle. “We can’t let the Sun Emperor get the sword,” she declared. The others nodded in agreement.
Ember turned to Elania. “We’ll distract him, and you can grab it.”
The others looked at Elania, surprise evident on their faces. Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Her?”
Ember nodded, her expression resolute. “That’s our best chance.”
Elania frowned. “But Arlois…”
“She’s running out of steam,” Lyra said sharply.
Ember nodded. “We can delay him a bit. If he gets the sword, we won’t be able to do anything at all.”
Elania let out a breath. It felt like her chest was constricting her breathing. They’d managed to heal and regroup, just for this to be their plan?
They weren’t wrong. Arlois’ movements were becoming slower, and she could tell the Sun Emperor was wearing her down on purpose, looking for an opportunity to snatch Eziel.
Just as Elania nodded and agreed, the Sun Emperor delivered a devastating slash, lopping off one of Arlois’ wings. A powerful blow to her stomach followed, knocking her toward the ground.
Ember’s wings unfolded, and she shouted, “Go!”
The four of them surged toward the fight.
The Sun Emperor dived after Arlois, intent on impaling her with his weapon extended. Ember swooped in and caught her as she fell.
Eziel continued his descent, plummeting toward the ground, tip first.
Lyra and Elysia launched their attack together, a vine sheathed in water erupting from the charred black surface of the island and striking him. The impact didn’t knock him away, but it halted his dive.
He reached out and ripped the vine in half, only for it to explode in a puff of acid and stabbing ice shards.
More of the appendages replaced the shattered ones and began whipping at him from every direction. As he smashed more and more of them, they only multiplied.
Elania focused on Eziel, reaching out for his hilt.
Time seemed to slow down as the Sun Emperor’s voice reverberated through the air, commanding, “You are mine now. Kill them.”
Eziel flipped and halted his fall and flung itself toward the Sun Emperor.
Elania’s heart skipped a beat as she shouted, “Eziel!”
The sword jerked, as if caught between two taut ropes.
The connection between her and Eziel turned into a tug-of-war. Her will pressed against an ironclad force threatening to sever them apart. “Eziel!”
He didn’t want to go with the stupid Sun Emperor. She could feel how he hated the idea.
But she was just a tiny being compared to the massive one tugging him away from her.
[This is why I remained hidden.]
The message resonated through her, tinged with sadness and a sense of impending defeat.
Eziel slid closer to the Sun Emperor, who began to laugh triumphantly as the sword reached his hand. He held it up in the air, and all the water vines wilted and died.
The cord connecting her to Eziel stretched to its limit, on the verge of snapping.
Elysia and Lyra appeared at her side, their hands resting on her shoulders. The embrace of their [Power]—no, their [Domain]—washed over her.
[Growth, Life, Nature]
[Water, Ice, Arcane Knowledge]
The cord thickened and tugged at the Sun Emperor’s hand.
Ember arrived in front of her, holding a badly wounded Arlois. Blood leaked from a dozen fresh injuries, many of them overlapping the old.
Ember’s [Domain] slid over her like a soft caress, despite its content:
[Fire, Change, Metallurgy]
Arlois reached out and cupped Elania’s cheek.
[Royalty, Home, Mother]
The cord pulled taut and thickened into a chain, yanking the hilt out of the Sun Emperor’s grasp. Eziel streaked like a lightning bolt and, with a crack, landed perfectly in Elania’s hand, hilt first.
A mighty bellow of outrage erupted from above.
[Power] flooded Elania’s body, a surge of energy unlike anything she had ever experienced. She let out a tense breath, and tiny motes of golden light flowed with it.
A wry smile tugged at her lips. “I’m not normally excited by the power of friendship stories, but I’ll take it this time.”
The Sun Emperor raised his hand to the sky, a massive solar orb forming above them, eclipsing the ones before. With a menacing gesture, he directed the orb straight toward them—and the Celestial Engine.
Elania floated upward slightly and spread her wings.
“We need to beat this asshole,” she declared.
[I agree.]
Elania swung the sword twice, each strike sending a white crescent of [Power] up toward the orb. The energy struck but only slowed the descent.
[You must add an element.]
Elania nodded. She focused on filtering her [Divine Power] into her favored form—raw [Power]. The mana-tinged energy coalesced around Eziel as a blue flame. With two powerful cuts, she sent two more waves in a cross, hurtling them toward the descending solar orb.
They slammed into it, this time a net of smaller lines forming between the four major ones of the cross, creating a container that pushed the solar energy backwards, flinging it into orbit.
The Sun Emperor dived at her as soon as he realized his attack was foiled. His own massive sword was poised to strike.
Elania raised Eziel just in time to block the incoming attack, blade tips striking together and releasing a massive shockwave.
She wasn’t braced properly, and the impact knocked her backward, forcing her to spread her wings and fight the tumble.
[Focus!]
“How the fuck am I supposed to focus?” Elania hissed. She was a mouse being swatted by a cat.
She gritted her teeth and forced herself to a stop. Her wings spread out further, trying to match the Sun Emperor’s own. He chased after her, swinging his sword in a downward arc again.
She pivoted, dodging out of the way of the strike, and retaliated with a swing of her own. He raised his sword, blocking the attack.
Realization dawned on her as she assessed the situation. This wasn’t a traditional sword fight; they were two giant [Power]-fueled entities slamming away at each other, burning energy with each attack.
Unless one of them landed a lucky hit, the one with greater reserves would emerge victorious.
One thing was for sure…
That wasn’t her.
She blocked again, this time skidding to a stop after a few feet, allowing her to counter-strike quickly.
Glancing at her [HUD], each strike cost her nearly five hundred to a thousand [Power]. At this rate, she would run out in under a minute.
Numbness crept into her hands with each repeated impact. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her muscles burned with the effort of keeping up with the Sun Emperor's blows.
The Sun Emperor raised his sword high, preparing a powerful overhead swing aimed at her left wing.
Her left wing. Not her.
In a split-second decision, she sucked the [Power] out of her left wing and forced it into her right, bracing herself for the inevitable strike.
Elania moved to parry, then let his sword slip by.
The strike sliced through her wing like a sheet of paper, sending a searing pain through her entire body. Like something inside of her, a part of her had been torn away—permanently.
A scream caught in her throat as agony blurred her vision. She followed through with her planned lunge as her redoubled right wing thrust her forward.
Eziel plunged into the Sun Emperor's sternum, punching through his breastplate and sinking deep. She gripped Eziel's hilt with both hands and slammed another burst of [Power] into her wing, driving the blade home hard enough to pop out of the Sun Emperor's back.
She gripped the guard and twisted with all her strength, a sickening crunch filling the air. Instead of blood, yellow hot solar radiance spewed out of the wound.
It should have been over.
But then he raised his sword and swung down at her head. Her grip tightened around Eziel's guard as she raised her free hand and detonated the last of her mana shards, the explosion engulfing them both and knocking the sword away.
Somehow, her grip on Eziel held firm, the blade slipping out of the Sun Emperor as she fell.
The blast had broken something important, but her [Regeneration] kicked in, knitting the bones and tissue back together.
Except for her left wing. It didn't come back.
She tumbled downward, unable to control her descent properly.
Above her, the Sun Emperor let out a deafening roar, his body expanding. His armor burst away like an overfilled pipe and then metal plates began to erupt out of his flesh, replacing his skin as his form morphed into a colossal golem, a dozen times larger than Elysia’s tree form.
A ground-shattering quake caused a loud shriek from the Celestial Engine as his metal feet stomped the island, threatening to tilt the floating rock towards the ground.
He expanded until he rivaled Contia’s tallest spires—not that any were still standing.
His right arm morphed into a massive cannon, while his left wielded a giant energy whip that snapped in the air high above. The wings on his back had turned from solar fire into sections of pulsing runic steel.
The artificial sun above them winked out, leaving a diffuse glow from the scattered fires and lingering light from magical discharges to light the scene.
The golem pointed its laser cannon straight at her as she fell, the Celestial Engine directly behind her.
Along with everything else that she cared about.
The lens of the weapon crackled as it sucked in turquoise lightning that promised a destruction the likes of which they hadn’t seen before.
Elania sucked in a pained breath and tried to force herself to move. She slowed as her remaining wing fought to act as an air brake.
But it was far too little, too late.
[He possesses an avatar. It is my turn to take action.]
Eziel slipped from her grasp, this time of his own volition.