This Night Shall Prevail

“What are your plans now?” Audrey asked, furrowing her brows.

“I didn’t expect that reinforcements would come, so I have no plans,” Elena replied bluntly.

“Luckily for you, I’m here,” Dred patted Elena’s head. “We should hide the soldiers of the Drung Kingdom with a thin layer of earth. We will stay with them until the reinforcements enter the city and then we can pick off their magicians and warriors once again.”

“Fancy! There is one problem though. If this goes on, Bethor’s army will fall before we could finish their magicians.”

“Well, my dear Elena, we will have to work harder in that case!” Audrey took Dred’s side.

“I didn’t say that I disagree or anything since I don’t have anything better in mind. I suck…”

After jumping into the trench, Elena covered it with a few centimeters of earth, and while she held it up with her Mana, Audrey used her unique element to hide their presences. Only a small hole made it possible for them to see the sky. When they saw the army pass by above them, they waited for a whole minute before Elena uncovered the trench.

Everyone caught their breath after holding it in and then crept to the edge of the trench. That was the moment that a yellow light flashed and Atelon appeared, Bethor behind him. Atelon waved his hands and the golden rays dispersed the dust cloud, revealing the city and the reinforcements. There were at least seven hundred people who served Bethor and four hundred who served Atelon. But with the reinforcements, the power balance seemed to turn over completely.

“What will you do now? I’ll crush your little city along with you!” Atelon shouted at Bethor, causing even the sky to tremble.

“Who sold me out? I want to know!”

“Haha, since you are going to die anyway, I’ll tell you. I got wind of ‘something bad’ long ago, but even after sending so many spies, neither of them returned. I didn’t know what you were planning and attacking you for no reason would have put me in a bad light in the eyes of the other city lords. I didn’t want that.”

“But at a fated day, a noble-looking man came in and told me that you were hiding your forces in the city as thugs and that you would soon attack. So I came instead.”

“What did that man look like?” Bethor tried to fish out every information he could.

“How greedy you are… but fine. He had long blonde hair, with tints of black. I’ve never seen him before. Oh, he called himself the Emperor of Calamity! Laughable if you ask me, but he did something good for me. Now it’s time to finally kill you and go back to my throne!” Atelon shouted as he swung his sword and shot a golden arc towards Bethor.

Raising his halberd, Bethor blocked the golden arc and then used his Mana to create a huge ball of light in front of Atelon, which blinded him for a moment. Flying towards him, he swung his halberd, ready to cut him into two halves. But only a loud clang could be heard as Atelon’s sword blocked his halberd, though thanks to the difference in the types of weapons, Atelon flew through the air and crashed into the ground.

“This shame! I’ll pay back tenfold!” he shouted as he shot towards the sky once again. Looking at the city from the corner of his eye, Bethor clenched his fists on the handle of his weapon. I must kill him quickly and help them. Sally is probably tired by now. Hurry up, Caleb! Shutting out his worries and thoughts, he focused back on his battle.

---

“What now? Shouldn’t we all evolve already?” Jake questioned, feeling excited to see what his next specialization would be at the three hundredth level. Although they went past that level, they had to hold back their evolution since they had a good chance at losing their consciousness. If that happened in the middle of a battle, they would never wake up…

“Not yet. I am curious too, but we can’t do shit about it. I’m already copying Atelon’s mind. He is way above us in level but if I could delay his movements a bit, Bethor could kill him easily. Let’s fight until then and see what happens afterwards.”

“Grr, fine. Let’s go and kill these bastards quickly,” Jake said, jumping out of the trench and running straight towards the city.

“When did he become a Magic maniac?” Elena raised a brow. Audrey shrugged her shoulders as a reply, having no idea of it. “If not for knowing that he is really curious, I’d have said that he just wanted to find commonplace with you,” Elena added.

“Nah, we don’t have to try. We have numerous things in common anyway,” Audrey replied with a bright smile on her face.

“Are you two going out or what?”

“Not… yet.”

Looking at Dred, Elena asked, “Do you know anything?”

“Not more than you.”

“We will be left behind, ah! What a pain!” Elena started a one-person play, ignoring the environment.

“Although I’d gladly change that, we don’t have the time,” Dred commented while grabbing Elena’s waist. Turning back into his panther form, he waited for her to hop on.

Did he just say what I think he said? Is he actually liking me or what? Was that what he was hiding and wanted to tell me in private? She couldn’t help but start thinking about its possibility. Shaking her head, she tried to get it out of her thoughts with little success. Looking at the top of Dred’s head while sitting on his back, she reconsidered a few things.

What if that’s what he wants? What will I say? Shit, I’m totally lost! I’ll need to get this straight before talking with him!

“Elena!” Dred shouted, catching her attention. Looking ahead, she saw a fallen column of a building stuck between the houses in the middle of the street. Quickly ducking down, she didn’t hit her head. “What’s up? You seemed to be lost in your thoughts.”

“I- It’s nothing. I just thought about us,” she replied with a stiff face as she thought with a pouting face, it’s all your fault, stupid Dred.

“And what were you thinking?”

Should I or shouldn’t I? No, it’s not the right time and Audrey, Jake, and Cor are here too. I will stay mute!

“…”

“Fine then,” he sighed loudly as he stopped in front of a group of four, consisting of two warriors and two magicians.

Cor charged straight towards the magicians, ignoring the incoming blades, which sliced through his sides without much result. Opening his jaws, he jumped on one of the surprised boys and bit into his throat.

“Aargh! Kill it!” he shouted as he started flailing his limbs and used lightning magic on Cor, trying to shock him. But thanks to Cor’s high magical resistance it didn’t even do as much as to slow him down. Before he could do anything funny, Cor tore out his throat and then turned towards the others, his mouth covered in blood. While the startled warriors stood in place, Elena and Dred finished both of them with a dagger to the heart and a paw to the face.

Audrey raised her hand to kill off the last guy, but before she could cast a spell, Jake jumped towards the terrified boy and beheaded him with a clean strike. “I’m much quicker when we are closer,” he winked at her.

“Don’t tire yourself out if it’s unnecessary,” she gave him the cold shoulder.

A black cloud appeared far away in the sky, which transformed into a smaller army when they came close enough. Seeing that they didn’t have Atelon’s tabards, Elena and her friends felt relieved since another enemy army would have meant their loss.

“Finally, you have come!” Bethor shouted at Caleb who led the army, his face delighted.

“Rhoderick was bitching, as usual, afraid to fight at this point,” came the reply.

A man crashed through a building, into the wall of a house in front of Elena. Sally appeared in front of the man and slit his throat with her sword. Noticing them from the corner of her eye, she turned to her left and opened her mouth wide. “You! You should have never come back!”

“Huh? What’s with you?” Elena raised a brow in confusion.

“You were with them, after all!”

“With who?”

“Don’t play dumb!” Sally shouted and swung her. Jumping back, Elena evaded her attack and raised her hands.

“Hey-hey! Stop it! I even made a deal with Caleb and Bethor! Did they not tell it to you?”

Hearing Caleb’s name, which Elena shouldn’t know, Sally realized that something was off.

“We have been killing the magicians and backstabbing the warriors. Did you not notice how much easier this battle was, even though the city was raided? Let’s not waste each other’s times and finish our enem-” Elena’s words were interrupted by a warrior.

Cor ran towards the warrior and drew his attention. But the man wasn’t stupid and got past Cor with a kick in the stomach instead of trying to cut him. Cor crashed into the house behind him.

Dred appeared behind the man, while Jake took him up frontally. The man kicked backwards, expecting a sneak attack, and blocked Jake’s weapons. A loud rumbling resounded in the sky as Audrey called forth a lightning and struck the man’s back.

He jumped back with a pained look on his face and the smell of burnt skin and flesh filled the air. “Bitch, what the hell are our magicians doing-” before he could finish his sentence, Elena and Dred ambushed him.

Dred’s claws tore his skin and flesh and broke his bones, while Elena just thrust her dagger into his heart and turned it back and forth. “Don’t call my friend a bitch, asshole.” His blood trickled down on her hands and dripped onto the ground.

Audrey looked at the man’s corpse with an unusually serious face as she muttered a small 'thanks'.

The battle continued on for another half an hour when Elena met up with Caleb, who was killing one person after the other on the outer parts of the army. After a short conversation, Caleb learned of her mysterious ‘freezing’ ability, which can delay people’s movements for a moment. Although he was really interested in her ability, he knew that she wouldn’t share it with him. Of course, he didn’t know that Elena lied to him and had an entirely different method to delay people’s movements and that it took time to be able to use it.

“So you want me to ambush Atelon, while you try to stop his movements for a moment and Bethor should use that moment to finish him,” Caleb asked loudly while thrusting his daggers into one of the warrior’s brain, through his eyes. Since the continuous explosions, spells, and the explosion of the air the sword swings made any voice sound low, he didn’t have to mind his voice.

“Yes! Aren’t you clever?”

“You’re so funny. Do you have nothing better to do than picking a fight with me?” Caleb couldn’t help but ask.

Sticking out her tongue, Elena shook her head and threw a knife towards one of the guys who was ready to skewer Jake. As the guy stopped to block the knife, Dred swiped his head, his huge paw turning it into mincemeat. “Isn’t he handsome?” Elena asked with a chuckle.

“You are sick in the head, you crazy girl!” Caleb shouted, throwing a black ball towards Elena. As she ducked down, it hit the man behind her back.

“Why, Caleb? I’m completely healthy just so you know,” she replied as she spun on her heel and swung her dagger with her full strength. The air whistled as her weapon cut through the air and large cracks appeared under her feet as she stopped a two meters long, double-handed axe from cutting her into two halves.

“People don’t laugh in the middle of a bloody battle like this-”

“They don’t talk either…” Dred blocked one of Caleb’s ambushers.

“Thanks…”

“It’s nice to see you getting along, but don’t you want to help? This axe guy is really persistent!” Elena looked at Dred with pleading eyes, her arms trembling under the weight and strength of her opponent. Jumping over her head, Dred slapped the axe to the side and used the returning force to propel himself towards the ground. Landing on all fours, he quickly got behind the muscular guy, who barely had time to turn around and raise his axe.

Unfortunately for him, Dred wasn’t alone and although he blocked Dred’s attack, Elena’s daggers entered the back of his head. Feeling the temperature quickly rise behind her back, she quickly stepped to the side, dodging a huge fireball. She saw a girl standing in a tower, casting another spell when a bear-sized, flat rock crashed into the tower.

The tower exploded from the sudden force while the girl was propelled towards the ground, along with the debris. A thick bolt of lightning struck her body and turned her body into a charred corpse by the time she reached the ground.

Whoops? Maybe I used a bit too much Mana in that lightning, Elena heard Audrey’s words through her bacteria.

“Haah- am I getting old? I shouldn’t talk...” Caleb said, his breath ragged.

“Yeah, old men should just focus on the battle or they will run out of breath,” Elena commented, her breath as stable as if she wasn’t doing anything. He doesn’t have to know that I can breathe in and out through each of my pores, and feed my body with enough oxygen even while talking and fighting. I’m a human only outside, mostly, she thought when Dred rushed past him, leaving behind a few words.

“Showing off?”

Elena couldn’t help but laugh when she heard him. Well, I can’t expect a human to understand the complexity of our bodies. We are built up from cells, each having their own tiny organs and they work with the control of the master of the hivemind, which is my brain. That’s also the reason why our blood servants fall unconscious when they drink our blood. Their whole cell system has to evolve into a higher form.

Looking at her blood-covered hand, she controlled her cells and saw her skin turn clean. I’m not a devourer for nothing. My body is a weapon in and of itself. My touch could be deadly~ she mused as she got back to fighting.

“I’ll go now!” Caleb shouted, seeing an opening in Atelon’s defence, who didn’t even notice that he was being stalked. He shot towards the sky, surprising Atelon. Nobody dared to fly since they would be a clear target and everyone knew that Atelon’s battle with Bethor was something they had no way to influence.

“Somebody is really daring,” Atelon commented with a mocking voice as he blocked Bethor’s attack and cast a huge ball of darkness behind his back. When he was about to propel it towards Caleb, he felt his mind and body freeze for a split second. But at the same time, Caleb reached his back and thrust his daggers towards Atelon’s heart and head.

Seeing an opening, Bethor too attacked without any hesitation. His spear whistled through the air, almost hitting Atelon when a yellow light shone and a thick golden coloured plate appeared in front of Atelon. He quickly moved to the side, making Caleb miss his head and penetrate the right side of his back, instead of his heart.

“ARGH! YOU SHIT!” he shouted. Jumping back, he gritted his teeth as he said with a murderous voice, “I’ll gut you! Remember that! Haah- you won, nowh-” he stopped speaking as he ran out of breath. Looking down at his army, he shrugged his shoulders and took out a golden pendant, which had only one pointer, the hour hand. It ticked to ten when he pressed the button at the top of the pendant and a golden light covered his body.

Bethor and Caleb covered their eyes, but when their sights returned, Atelon was nowhere to be seen. “Fuck! He got away!” Bethor shouted with an enraged voice, clenching his hands around his spear.

“Put down your weapons, now!” he demanded, his roar making even the sky tremble. Everyone on the battlefield stopped in place and looked at him. Although he had a few wounds, it was nothing serious. Seeing that many of the students from the Academy were still holding their weapons, he snapped his fingers, creating a huge gravity field. Elena and her friends knew Gravity Magic, along with a few other people, but most people were pulled towards Bethor.

Those who knew how to fly tried to get away with little success. Only the best of the best stayed on the ground, while the rest continued on their way towards Bethor. Swinging his arm, a long line of earth spikes formed in front of him. Seeing that if they didn’t surrender they would be skewered, even the proud students gave up their pride, dropped their weapons, and started pleading for mercy.

Elena and her friends weren’t interested in how Bethor managed his new captives and it was unlikely that he would let them devour the students of the academy, who were supposed to mean the future. Just as Elena thought, Bethor stopped using gravity magic and everyone fell back to the ground.

“Let’s go now. You don’t have to stand here watching,” Dred whispered behind her back.

“Mhm. But I’ll sit on your back!”

“Ah, you are saying it as if it was something new, even though you are doing it all the time.”

“Hehe, I can’t deny that can I? But you are quick and I can enjoy the scenery and the world around us, while in my shadow form, I see only the grey outlines of objects. Wouldn’t it be really boring?”

“It is…” Audrey chimed in, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Look at the bright side! It is quicker than if you had to run!” Dred encouraged them.

Raising her hand, Audrey showed him her middle finger.

“...You are trying to sit on a man’s back non-stop. Doesn’t that make you feel bad?” Dred furrowed his brows.

“Why are you putting it like that when Elena is doing it all the time?”

“Ah, well, I’m just trying to argue with you.”

*Chuckle*

“You are admitting it yourself… you just don’t want anyone but Elena on your back. Are you a masochist maybe?”

“Pfft-” Elena was trying to hold it in.

“How did you even get there? And the answer is a very strong, and clear no. What’s wrong if I allow something only for one person?”

A smirk splattered on Audrey’s face as she looked at Dred silently.

“What? Jake, teach your woman…” he looked at Jake, only to see his smirking face.

“...You are the same.”

“Aye, don’t worry my furry friend. I can bite both of them for you!” Cor patted Dred’s shoulders.

“Pfft- hahaha,” Elena couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Dred growled as he looked up, his eyes meeting Elena’s bright smile. A fuzzy feeling filled his heart, which picked up its pace. Turning back towards the ground, he stayed silent.

“Elena, you’ve got a really cute ‘pet’,” Audrey said with a chuckle, still eyeing Dred.

“He isn’t my pet. Do you need a beating?” Elena furrowed her brows.

“Oh, my. Just how blind can you be? Let’s go already!” Before Elena could say anything, they already left.

“She was weird… shall we leave too? The crowd is starting to disperse and you are quite conspicuous.” Nodding his head, Dred ran after Audrey and Jake, while Cor just entered his shadow. The world turned upside down and grey for him. He saw the outlines of every object, nothing else.

It’s still interesting to see how Dred and Elena are like black Suns in this grey world, Cor thought to himself.

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