While I was contemplating the consequences of my spell, the battle raged on below us. Lightning exploded all around Lucy, something the wolf did not seem to appreciate. I still did not know what sort of creature it was, but it could hold its own against a kitsune, which was impressive.

“I don’t like the look of the artefact.” Lilith said.

Beira, Lilith and myself had stopped fighting while we watched the staff. Maybe we should have used the opportunity to strike but the unexpected reaction gave us pause.

Our hesitation paid off, as the artefact began to crack. Beira stared at it in horror, then threw it away. But she was too late. The staff shattered. Briefly, a miniature golden sun appeared. Then the area was filled with golden light. And a lot of heat.

I raised my arms in front of my face as the explosion hit me. I could feel my regeneration trying to replace my burning skin. I was flying, but I had lost my orientation. I could no longer tell up from down. Everything hurt…

Eventually the world returned to normal. Interestingly my aura was still going. Rain kept falling. Beira’s influence was gone, there was no more ice.

I blinked and looked around. I was still hovering in the air. My clothes were mostly burned but my armour survived.

Below me was a crater. The palace was mostly gone. Fires were raging all over the city. I tried to reign in my lightning and expand my aura to simply rain on the fires. I could spot Lucy and Lily. They were alive! I looked for Shani and spotted a red orb. Was that blood? It opened and Shani emerged. I could also see the wolf running away.

Lilith was floating nearby. She looked better than I did. I suppose she was more resistant to heat. I could not see Beira. Did she die? An archfey should be pretty sturdy. Maybe she was more vulnerable to heat as an ice fey, still… Maybe she fled?

I decided to land next to Lucy. My skin was still hurting.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You look crispy. What happened?” My girlfriend asked.

“I… I kind of devour magiced the divine artefact. Things didn't turn out as planned.” I responded. “Are you alright?”

“The explosion was not so bad down here.” She responded. I looked around. We were standing in a crater. Then I looked back at her.

“Being a kitsune helps, I suppose. My fur and hide are more resilient than your flesh.” She said. “That wolf did draw blood though, but it has already healed. And I got some of him too. Tasted a lot better than demon.” She grinned.

“So much death. SO MUCH DEATH. MUAHAHAHAHA!” The death elemental was laughing like a maniac. I suppose she was still around.

Unfortunately, for her, she did not seem to pay attention, while marvelling at the destruction. Because Shani’s scythe came at her from behind. And Shani managed to cut the elemental’s head off.

“RUDE!” The head shouted as it rolled away. “I WILL BE BACK!” Then the elemental dissolved, returning to its home plane. How did one kill a death elemental?

“Stupid thing! Does not even bleed!” Shani complained. “Next time, we should trap her in a bottle and place her on a shelf!”

Lilith landed next to us. Erin stumbled in our direction, supported by Lily. She looked pretty beat and almost fell, as she tried to kneel in front of her queen. “My queen, we have subdued the emperor.”

Meanwhile, Lily addressed me and Lucy. “My ladies, I thank you for this armour. It has been magnificent in this battle and majorly contributed to my success.”

Erin looked slightly jealous. While she had gotten some new armour from Lilith, it did not compare to Lily’s demon lord plate.

“I am happy that you are safe. And good work capturing the emperor.” I said.

“Unfortunately, Beira has escaped. I doubt that the explosion killed her.” Lilith said.

“At least she did not get the staff.” I pointed out. “That should hinder her plans. And now we know who our opponent is.”

“An ice fey. What are the odds that she is related to Lady Chione?” Lilith mused.

“You think they are working together?” Lucy asked.

“Or they were trying to cover up her actions. Maybe she is an embarrassment to her family?” I wondered.

“You should call for a fey council.” Lilith suggested.

I had no idea what that was. I should ask Adhira about it. “Perhaps.” I responded.

The battle was over. We had won, sort of. Looking at the city, it did not feel like a win. Hopefully most people had been evacuated.

The emperor was unconscious and Lily had stripped him of his armour. We put him on Lucy’s back. She volunteered to transport our captive. Erin was on her back as well. The embarrassed succubus refused at first, but she was hurt. It made no sense for her to walk.

We left the battlefield and returned to our camp.