Just as Rowan finished his sentence, multiple green fireballs were shot at him. When the fireballs were a meter or so from the demi-god, an opaque barrier appeared and, upon collision, the fireballs dissipated. The demoness glided backwards as she fired waves of fireballs at Rowan, though none of them got through the barrier. Meanwhile, the newcomer unsummoned his sword and called forth his halberd.

“Let me guess!” said Rowan with a very smug tone. “One of you wants to avenge your old master and one of you wants to avenge your old lover. Well, I can promise you one thing. You two will be joining Gavienus soon enough. You can thank me in the afterlife!”

With that, Rowan raised both of his swords. When he swung them, a large gust blew past Dreu’s group. Before Rowan could take action against the two demons, an army of demons swarmed in and, instead of surrounding the demi-god, headed straight for the castle entrance. Just then, Dreu recalled something and turned his attention to the demon with the halberd.

That demon….was the one who fought Zhao. He was on a black horse.

His name is Braglames.

Dreu repeated the name after Bayard said it. Being much closer to the demon than last time, he could make out the various dents in the armor. The halberd looked well used but the point appeared incredibly sharp. The demon’s height rivaled that of Bayard and Rowan while his aura made the young man shiver.

Is this the bloodlust coming from the demon?

“Rowan,” said the demon. “I’ll make sure your death will be fitting for a traitor! I won't make the same mistake as last time!”

When the demon readied his halberd, the demon soldiers had almost reached the castle entrance where they were intercepted by the remaining human garrison. The humans were few in numbers but they looked formidable to Dreu.

“Braglames, I hope you can back up what you say! With Bayard in his current pathetic state, you alone don’t stand a chance against me.”

In response to Rowan’s comment, Braglames raised his halberd and held it up like a two-handed sword. The demon’s shadow then moved beside him before it materialized out of the ground. Once fully formed, the shadow looked identical to Braglames and could move independently. Dreu checked to see the demon's shadow had indeed disappeared.

I can’t believe he mastered the Shadow Double.

Shadow Double?

Dreu studied Bayard as he wondered if the footman was capable of demonic spells. Demonic spells were completely forbidden in the kingdom and those caught even speaking it were executed. The young man could see how the continent was a very different place three hundred years earlier. If demonic spells and spells from nonhumans were all fair game, he could only imagine how powerful spellcasters could get with all that knowledge. If that were the case, the young man wondered why the knowledge was banned when it could have benefited the humans.

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

It was an ability developed by the previous owner of the Emperor Class, Gavienus Tobias, to aid him in the struggle against the god, Xemir. As you can imagine from the outcome, the ability wasn't enough.

Was Gavienus my ancestor? Eglallin seems to think so during our encounter.

Now’s not the time for this, interrupted Rohese. We’ll all be dead if we stay in the open while those monsters fight one another.

You’re right, Rohese. We can discuss Dreu’s lineage at a later date. Let's head that way!

Bayard led the group away from the two demons and the demi-god. They reached the wall beside a crystal that was embedded. The footman then turned to Dreu.

“Input your mana into the crystal and the crystal should form a barrier around us. Apply a constant rate and we should be fine from the bout between Rowan and the two demons.”

Dreu felt his face redden at the request. He took several deep breaths before he spoke.

“I’ve never casted a spell in my life. I don’t even know if I have mana.”

Dreu could still recall the disappointing visit to the adventurer’s guild where he was told he had no magical abilities. Due to the long lineup filled with many new optimistic adventurers, the young man was told to leave after the first assessment. Therefore, he wasn’t even sure if he possessed mana or not. Generally, those without magical abilities lacked or had very little mana. However, there was still a big gap between those with small amounts of mana and those who possessed none of it. To this day, Dreu was unsure which group he belonged to. He smiled sheepishly as he stared at Bayard who was, for the first time they met, stumped.

Let’s get going then. Rohese held a large shield, standing between the group and the battle at hand. We can worry about Dreu’s magical talents when our lives aren’t in danger. W-

An explosion got everyone’s attention at the castle entrance, including Rowan and the two demons. When the dust settled, there wasn’t a single demon soldier still alive. There was however a single being standing under the portcullis. The person resembled Rowan in appearance with the white armor and gold trimmings. Yet, this person didn’t float above the ground and the preferred weapon was a scythe as opposed to the twin blades of the Right Arm of Xemir.

Who is that?

Dreu repeated the question but no one responded. They all stared at the newcomer who remained underneath the portcullis, showing no interest in moving away from the spot. Then, the young man noticed Braglames and his double charging towards the newcomer with their halberds raised for battle. He hadn't expected the demon to disengage the Right Arm of Xemir so easily. Dreu turned his head, expecting Rowan to pursue the demon. Surprisingly, the Right Arm of Xemir simply stood there as though he looked forward to what was about to happen. The demi-god even sheathed his weapons, allowing Dreu to reach the same conclusion as Bayard who voiced his thoughts.

I don’t know who that is but I suspect Xemir has granted his blessing to another human. Now, we have two enemy demi-gods instead of one. Damn it!