Chapter 93: Demi-Divine 2
Elania zoomed toward the group of Golds. The wind whipped past her face as she closed the distance, her eyes locked on her first targets. Just before she reached them, a dozen Silvers flashed in from the side.
The clash of metal against metal rang out as the Golds and Silvers engaged, their heavy armor and weapons slamming together with sparks and fury. There were more Silvers than Golds, but the enemy soldiers were slightly stronger.
Elania pulled to a halt, her attention drawn by a black feather flying toward the Celestial Engine.
She moved to intercept, her wings tensing for the chase, when a giant purple lightning bolt lashed out from the spire. The bolt struck the demi-divine, reducing them to ashes in an instant.
Frustration welled up inside Elania, her gaze darting between the spire and the ongoing battle. She turned back to the Golds and dove into the melee.
A Gold’s back presented itself to her, the man locked in combat with a Silver. She reached out with a wing; the feathers sliced through the Gold’s armor and flesh, bisecting him from behind. The Silver looked at her with shock, his eyes wide beneath his helmet.
She spun to face another Gold as he knocked a Silver to the ground. The Gold straddled him, raising a dagger to strike.
Elania stepped forward, her foot connecting with the Gold’s face in a brutal kick. She followed up with a stomp to his head, shattering his helmet and skull beneath her heel.
Another enemy rushed at her, wielding a large glaive. She sidestepped the attack and pushed in to strike, her fingers digging into his chest plate as if it were paper. Holding him in place, she slipped around him to punch him in the back, her hand emerging with his spine gripped tightly.
The taste of blood filled her mouth as it accidentally splattered across her face.
She should have asked Yolani to add a mouth guard to her helmet.
A flurry of [System] messages caught up to her.
[You have slain Gold – Human – Lvl 183]
[You have gained 24 Karma]
[Absorb the lingering Power from Gold – Human – Lvl 183?]
The taste disappeared, rendered into [Power] motes. The amount was paltry, though. She glanced up at the sky, looking for any more demi-divines; since they were higher level, they provided a bigger boost. It was a shame there weren’t any in sight.
Elania had quickly reached [Level 291], and she wanted her new perk point.
The Silvers regrouped, picking up their fallen comrades and hauling them back toward the central spire. She couldn’t help but notice a new hint of fear in their eyes as they glanced at her, but they quickly focused on their task at hand.
A fresh group of Silvers marched by, their armor clanking as they headed down the street toward an invasion barge. Elania’s gaze was drawn toward their destination.
It would help if she softened up the enemy first.
She leaped into the air and glided over the street. Flame bolts targeted her from nearby, forcing her to roll evasively. She threw golden light spears back in response. But as she came closer to the barge, the flame bolt magic only intensified.
There were a significant number of enemies, and a lot of them were flame—or maybe sun—mages. They were easy to pick out with their yellow robes.
Elania sped up, her wings glittering and leaving behind a trail of dust as she outran the trajectories of the incoming magic.
She morphed her [Regalia] into her hand, flipping the empty cylinder open. A speed loader full of dissolution shells clicked each bullet into place before she slid it shut.
Dissolution magic was dangerous and a bit slow, so she’d avoided using it on the island or on moving targets. The beached invasion barges were the perfect use for them, though.
The enemy soldiers below were breaking into every building. Probably searching for people to murder. Dropping lower, she avoided the enemy projectiles with a simple tactic.
She flew through the regular soldiers, cutting a swath through them with razor-sharp wings, scything patrol after patrol in half. Others were simply impaled and blasted apart by her [Regalia] helmet as she burst right through them.
A flurry of [System] messages assailed her. Most of the soldiers were low level, and she swatted the panels away with a flick of a thought. The ones that clung to her—blood or otherwise—were absorbed into her [Power].
The barge loomed ahead, its rear half sticking off the island while the front was embedded into it. Elania pulled up short, gaining a small bit of altitude, and then fired at the center.
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The bolt of black energy flashed forward as a tiny dart. When it punctured the hull of the barge, it began to expand rapidly in a black cloud of whirling magic, tearing the ship apart and separating its components into a black mist with no regard to their cohesion or material.
The screaming of men and metal was short-lived.
The shot was perfect, leaving a giant sphere cut out of the ship’s middle. The rear half broke loose from its cables holding it to the balloon and toppled off the island with a massive crash.
She flashed through the now-empty area toward the next invasion barge. Before she reached it, an enemy airship’s anti-divinity guns targeted her, filling the area with purple explosions.
Elania pulled short and flashed upward to avoid them. The city’s arcane fields didn’t block the shots?
She twisted and glared at the enemy ship.
The city’s artillery fired back at it for her, the booming cannons echoing through the air. Its fields shattered, and the deck aflame.
The battle was overwhelmingly chaotic, and she decided to return to the central spire and survey again.
She spotted Arlois standing near the top, her purple armor glinting in the sunlight. Elania curved upwards and landed beside the other demi-divine with a heavy thump.
“What’s the situation?” Elania asked, folding her wings and trying to catch her breath.
Arlois turned to face her. “We’re losing men, but the enemy is losing them much faster. Half their fleet has been destroyed.”
Elania nodded, her eyes scanning the battlefield. “Any idea how many enemy demi-divines are left?”
“They’ve stopped attacking, so fewer than before,” Arlois replied. “The other Towers are defending their districts.”
Elania moved to stand beside Arlois. Her gaze flickered to the enemy flagship. “What about the Sun Emperor? Why is he holding back?”
Arlois frowned. “He’s likely observing, waiting to see if we have any secret weapons. He wants his forces to weaken us before he makes his move.”
“Isn’t that going to get his army killed?” Elania asked.
Arlois huffed, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “He doesn’t care. He’ll just make a new one in a decade or two. His goal is the Celestial Engine and capturing us.”
Elania bit her lip, a sense of unease settling in her stomach. She turned to Arlois. “Can you beat him?”
Arlois didn’t answer immediately, and Elania felt a spike of worry. Finally, the other demi-divine spoke. “I believe that together, the five of us can beat him. If we couldn’t, we would have fled before he arrived, regardless of the dangers.”
Elania nodded, feeling a renewed sense of confidence. “Right. What should I do?”
“Guard your district and your people,” Arlois replied. “They’re your source of [Divine Power]. If you lose that, you’ll become useless.”
Elania turned to go, but Arlois caught her wrist and pulled her into a hug. Elania tensed, feeling uncomfortable. Arlois stroked her hair. “Be safe.”
Elania pulled away from the embrace, shivering. “You’re not my mother,” she said, spreading her wings.
“Be safe,” Arlois repeated as Elania jumped into the air.
As she flew, Elania couldn’t shake the thought that every single demi-divine was insane.
And that probably included herself.
***
Elania soared through the air with Yolani held securely by one of her arms and her flight harness. The wind whipped at them as they sped toward their destination.
“We need to finish quickly!” Yolani shouted over the rushing air.
Elania grinned. “Fast, safe, or alive—you can pick two!”
“We’re not hiring a contractor. We need to hurry!” Yolani retorted.
“I am!” Elania insisted.
As they approached the Heart, Elania noticed it wasn’t looking as bad as when she had left the Contian air fleet.
The other airships were also in various states of disrepair, some still smoking. A good half of them were missing.
“Maybe we should repair more of the airships than just the Heart,” Elania suggested.
“Only the worst ones,” Yolani replied firmly.
Elania landed them on the deck, steadying Yolani as they touched down. Harlock stepped out of the bridge and onto the observation balcony, waving to them.
“Use the priestess thing,” Elania said.
Yolani gave her a sharp look. “I know that.” She closed her eyes and put her hands together.
Elania felt a tingle of [Divine Power] flow out of her. Seizing the moment, Elania hugged Yolani from behind.
“You’re distracting me!” Yolani protested.
“It’s the perfect opportunity,” Elania said with a grin.
“You’re insatiable,” Yolani muttered.
“An opportunity to make it easier for the [Divine Power] to flow through the conduit and repair the ship,” Elania clarified.
“Oh.” Yolani paused and wiggled slightly. “I don’t think it’s helping.”
“Relax,” Elania said soothingly.
“I am relaxed!” Yolani yelled.
“When you yell at me, it means you’re stressed out,” Elania pointed out. “Things are going to be okay. We’re okay.”
Yolani’s shoulders slumped, and she shivered. Elania hugged her tighter.
“It’ll be okay. The ship, remember?” Elania reminded her.
Elania held her close as the other woman inhaled deeply, concentrating on channeling the divine energy flowing from Elania’s being.
A golden radiance suffused their surroundings as Yolani worked her magic, drawing upon her abilities as a Priestess of Artifice to mend the damaged vessel.
The ship began to knit itself back together, the power of her divinity making the impossible possible.
Elania smiled. “Knew you could do it.”
Yolani glanced back at her with a sour look. “I knew that, too.”
The once-battered airship now gleamed like new, its hull whole and unblemished.
Harlock reached the bottom of the ladder and marched over to them, his boots thudding on the deck. “That’s some impressive work,” he said, nodding to Yolani.
Yolani managed a smile. “What’s the air fleet’s plan now?” she asked.
Harlock glanced at the other damaged ships. “I believe they’ll fly down to the city and try to stay within its barriers to shoot back.”
Elania frowned. “They might end up crashing into the city.”
“It’s hard to figure things out when we can only communicate with flags, and the squadron leader was shot down,” Harlock grumbled. “No one knows who is in command.”
Elania patted his shoulder. “You’re in charge now.”
Harlock’s eyes widened. “What?”
“We’ll fly to the other ships, repair them, and inform them that the Heart is the new squadron leader,” Elania said decisively.
“I have no experience as a commodore!” Harlock protested. “Before we came to Contia, I’d never even seen the sky!”
“I never had any flight training either,” Elania countered. “And so far, the generic-whoever-is-in-charge-of-the-ships hasn’t done a good job either!”
“We need to hurry if we’re going to land on all the ships,” Yolani interjected.
Elania turned to Harlock. “Go with your first plan or figure something else out. Either way, do something cohesive and decisive.”
Harlock relented. “I’ll do my best.”
Elania scooped up Yolani and took off into the air toward the next ship. They landed on its deck, and Yolani immediately began repairs. Elania called the deck officer and sent the message to the captain.
They moved on to the next ship and repeated the process over and over. With each working, Yolani grew more and more tired. It was more of a mental strain than a lack of [Divine Power].
When they finally reached the end, Yolani slumped against Elania, exhausted.
Elania bit her lip, concern etched on her face.
She turned them toward the Neftasu District.
For now, that was their safest place.