Dragon’s Nest cut through the blood mist as it flew. The cries of the Demonkin were overshadowed by the distant explosions echoing through the air. Sebastion was supposed to retreat immediately after hitting the city which meant that the continuing explosions could only be from intense fighting. The bloodcurdling roars in the distance were a sure sign that the Demons were not going to sit back and let them retreat without paying a price in blood.

Overhead, the flying Demonkin that had been harassing us from a distance, were now riled up into a frenzy. Several horrible, bloodthirsty auras could be felt approaching. More than twenty fierce Alphas appeared in the air over the island. The pressure from their twisted domains bore down on my shoulders like several mountains. The pure murderous intent they emanated was enough to make my blood run cold.

“Looks like Berith wants to keep us here for a while,” I said with a frown. The fact that not a single Demon had been sent to stop us meant that these Alphas were just a distraction. It was likely that the full force of their anger was centered on the three fleeing figures of Sebastion, Svend, and Cyra.

Dom chuckled as he brought his heavy iron gauntlets together. “This is a good opportunity to thin the Alphas’ numbers. Sebastion is strong enough to protect himself.”

“Let’s hope so,” I mumbled.

Pressured by the Alphas, my own domain wrapped around my body like a second skin and formed into a tough armor. I looked up at the furious creatures up above and clenched my fists. Since my revival, this would be my first time facing off against Alphas. My own strength had grown by leaps and bounds recently but an Alpha was not an enemy to be taken lightly. Each Alpha had a corruptive domain that was capable of inflicting a fate worse than death on any person unlucky enough to get wounded by them. Some Alphas even had innate talents of their own and were no weaker than the Demons that currently plagued this realm. The only advantage we had when fighting them was the Alphas' lack of intelligence. As beasts that only knew the instinct to kill. they lacked the skill to use their strength effectively. It was that lack of skill that I had to exploit if I wanted to survive now.

The twenty Alphas were flanked by countless flying Demonkin as they charged down towards us. The red mist billowed and parted as the giant whale Alpha that had been ferrying smaller Demonkin led the charge. Its massive size alone was would be enough to crush the floating island of Dragon’s Nest if the two collided.

Vissna answered the Demonkin charge with a mighty roar of her own. The surrounding temperature dropped to freezing levels. Her mighty wings shook the air as the dragon took flight. The giant whale and Vissna collided midair with a deafening boom that pushed back the mist like the ripples from a rock thrown into a still pond. Sharp talons raked against the thick hide of the giant Alpha but surprisingly, the heavy attack only left white marks on the creature and was unable to pierce its skin.

The Whale Demonkin let out a haunting wail as its eyes lit up with a piercing red light. From the large holes along the side of the whale, hundreds of large tentacles, covered in sharp barbs, began to grow. The tentacles wrapped around Vissna's arms, legs, and neck as the two creatures collided. Vissna let out a cry of surprise as she found herself tangled in the ever-expanding mass of tentacles. She tried to pull herself free but the whale’s massive body was like a parasite as it stuck to hers. An ear-rending sound like metal scraping against metal resounded out as the tentacles tightened in a death grip. The sharp barbs were unable to tear through the dragon’s hard scales but Vissna suddenly found herself unable to move as the two figures plummeted from the sky. Vissna and the Demonkin disappeared into the fog below the island. A deep thud of something massive crashing into the ground echoed out.

I knit my eyebrows in concern as our strongest fighter was suddenly disabled. I could no longer see the fierce struggle between the two giants below. I was not worried about her safety but I knew it would likely take some time before Vissna was able to free herself. In the meantime, the remaining nineteen Alphas would have to be handled by just Dom, Sigmund, and me.

I cursed under my breath as our fight suddenly changed from simply being difficult into a life-threatening encounter. “Skip to scenario five,” I said to the others, “Donte and Charly will have to protect Dragon’s Nest alongside Nox, Sylvie, and Naga. We have to keep the Alphas back for as long as possible while the island keeps moving toward the rendezvous. Hopefully, Sebastion and the others will break free and regroup with us soon. Keep as low as possible. We don’t know how many splinter cannons they were able to destroy but I doubt it was more than fifty.”

Dom and Sigmund both nodded solemnly as they moved to intercept the approaching Alphas. Sigmund’s blade became an untraceable blur as it struck out towards the closest of the Demonkin. An inferno of green fire surrounded both Dom and me as the first of the breasts came within range.

With Vissna temporarily out of the picture, Dom was the next strongest out of the three of us. He knew his role without me having to say a word as he moved to act as the unmovable wall between the Alphas and me. My flames acted as fuel for his talent and his gauntlets started to glow a bright red.

Dom rolled his neck and grinned at the approaching Demonkin. “Why is it that we are always fighting at a disadvantage when i am with you? You know I am supposed to be retired, right Aurielle?”

“You know you missed it,” I replied as a sword of golden fire ignited in each of my hands.

Dom threw a punch as the first of the Alpha’s charged towards him. It was a strange slug-like creature with one eye and rows of teeth. Domains clashed in an explosion of energy. Dom narrowed his eyes as his fist sunk into soft spongey flesh. He tried to pull his fist back but found it suddenly encased in the strange gooey creature.

I struck out with a sword of golden fire but before my strike could connect the Alpha’s skin turned rubbery and it bounced away from the struggling Dom. Before I could even frown in annoyance, another Alpha was already on top of me. This one looked like a golem, covered in a thick rock skin. The burning sword in my other hand lashed out at the approaching mountain of rock. The Alpha did not even block as a giant rock fist barreled towards my head. Gritting my teeth, I hardened the domain around my head and followed through with my strike. Dancing lights filled my vision as I was sent flying backwards by the heavy blow. My sword of golden flames deep bit into the rock creature but to my surprise, the Alpha did not catch fire. I did not even see blood from the deep wound in its waist, only more stone.

Nearby, a third Alpha had reached Dom. This one was a thin snake Demonkin that looked more like a cord of rope than a living creature. Dom was barely able to react fast enough to escape before being tied up in its long body.

I cursed under my breath as I realized what was happening. “The Demons sent Alphas that counter our abilities! Stay close together and assist one another. Do not let them separate us!”

Dom and Sigmund both nodded as we moved to stand with our backs to each other. Just surviving the assault of nineteen Demonkin was already difficult enough under normal circumstances. If each of these creatures were chosen specifically to counter us, we might not even be able to handle that.

One of the Alphas charged towards Sigmund. This one was actually a swarm of tiny insects in the shape of a much larger creature. Only one of the millions of tiny flies was the Alpha. The rest were just normal Demonkin to hide its true body. Sigmund’s sword strikes easily sliced through the swarm of insects. Hundreds of the bugs were cut in half and fell to the ground below but finding the Alpha within the millions was impossible.

I stepped up beside Sigmund as a glyph formed above my hand. An explosion of golden fire engulfed the swarm. Thousands of the small insects were burned to ash but the outer layer used their own bodies and sacrificed themselves to keep the majority of the swarm safe. I wanted to scowl but the golem from before was already launching an attack on my exposed side. Dom tried to intercept the golem but was also under attack by the slug and the snake.

A sharp spike grew from the golem’s arm as it slammed into my domain. I was too slow to dodge. All I could do was angle my body so that the force of the attack would throw me in the direction of Dom’s attackers. Midflight, I created a whip of fire to wrap around the slug creature but its body deformed like a gelatin mass and easily slipped through the knot.

A growing sense of dread welled up in my chest as I noticed a chip in my domain armor from the blow I had taken. I quickly repaired it at the cost of some energy and raised my flames around me in preparation for the next attack.

“Come on Sebastion. Where are you?” I mumbled in frustration as I glanced at the endless mass of fog.

My momentary distraction was not unnoticed by one of the many Alphas surrounding me. The whip of fire in my hand morphed into a shield as a large tail slammed down from a lizard-like creature. Even with the protection of the shield, I was still sent flying. It was only thanks to Dom’s quick reactions that I was not separated from the others. He grabbed my arm mid-flight and swung me like a human projectile towards another of the Alphas. Our maneuver caught the Alpha by surprise. It raised a malformed arm to block the sword of fire stabbing towards its head but as my blade approached, I tweaked the glyph in the hilt. The flames twisted as if alive, bypassing the arm and stabbing the surprised Alpha through the throat. Golden flames spread out from the small wound, consuming the Alpha until nothing remained.

“One down,” I said as I barely dodged another attacking Alpha aimed at my head.

Dom frowned as he used his body to shield me from a second blow. The eighteen remaining Demonkin had completely surrounded us now. Of course, they did not wait to attack one at a time. Dom’s innate talent allowed him to tank many of the attacks and return them back to their source but his ability had limits. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before his talent was overwhelmed by the sheer number of blows he was taking, and just like a rubber band stretched too far, he would break.

As we struggled in the sky above, Dragon’s Nest continued to fly without slowing down. Charly and Donte fought alongside the menagerie of animals against the horde of Demonkin still landing on the island. They were holding out for now but I doubted how long that might last. I knew any attack against the city would be a risk. My only hope now was that we could reunite and push back against the Demons long enough to retreat without anyone else getting seriously injured.

Sigmund probably had the easiest time out of all of us. Despite being constantly hounded by the swarm of insects, he had yet to be hit solidly by a single attack. What he lacked in brute force when compared to Dom, he more than made up for with his skill with a blade. His strikes and parries were nothing short of art. His body had also erupted in golden fire that swirled with every move he made. The battle of the Alphas had forced the man’s talents to their absolute limit but rather than being pressured, it almost seemed as if his swordsmanship was improving. Even the golden fire he normally never used was now being incorporated into his attacks.

Sigmund’s breathing was calm as the swarm of insects approached him again. “I have seen that pattern before,” he said as his blade blurred. He stabbed into the side of the swarm with a thrust faster than the eye could see. A small cry rose up from within the swarm before falling silent. The pressure from the Alpha disappeared and the multitude of small insects scattered in every direction.

I did not have time to appreciate the beauty of Sigmund’s strike as the golem that had hounded me since the beginning of the fight was on top of me once again. I could feel the pressure from the Alpha’s domain and I knew there was a creature inside the golem somewhere but every strike I threw at the creature only struck rock. Even when I pierced the rock completely through the chest, there was no reaction. The golem was completely unafraid of trading blow for blow as it ignored any injury it took in exchange for hitting me.

Frustrated at my own inability to kill the annoying pile of rocks, I took a deep breath. Boundless strength coursed through my muscles like a raging river and a geometric pattern appeared under my skin. As the golem once again tried to trade blows, my Divine Body activated. My fist struck the center of the golem, enhanced by an explosion of golden fire. Shards of rock shattered with a thunderous boom. Pieces of stone scattered in every direction as the golem was blown into a hundred tiny pieces.

“There you are,” I said with a spiteful grin. Burrowing back into a lone piece of rock was a worm, smaller than my pinky. I had only spotted it thanks to the red mist exuding from the tiny creature’s body. As soon as the worm returned to the stone, the surrounding scattered rock stopped falling and started to reform into the golem. I was not going to stand still and let that happen though as I threw another punch that directly pierced the rock. The worm’s domain resisted but the combined might of the Divine Body and an explosion of golden fire overwhelmed the small creature.

Steam escaped from my mouth as my body returned to normal. I had only activated the technique for less than five seconds but every muscle in my body instantly started screaming in agony at my rash decision. I did not regret it though. The golem was the only one of the surrounding Alphas that did not fear my fire. With it gone, the threat to our group was greatly diminished.

“That makes two for me. You are falling behind, Dom.” I said as I tried to stabilize my breathing.

“You want to be the shield?” Dom grumbled as he stood in front of five Alphas all trying to get past the wall of muscle in their way.

I did not have time to tease Dom any further before two other Alphas came for my head. It was all I could do to stumble out of the way using a small explosion to propel my body to safety at the cost of weakening my domain armor. After using The Divine Body to kill the golem I could feel the energy in my body begin to wane even repairing the slightest damage was starting to get difficult.

My worries were put to rest though as a brilliant beam of light tore through one of the nearby Alphas, leaving a perfectly circular hole in its chest.

“About time you got back,” I said with a smile as Sebastion, Svend, and Cyra dashed out of the mist. They looked ragged and unkempt as the three of them raced towards the floating island. My eyes went wide when I saw more than three dozen Alphas emerge out of the mist in ravenous pursuit.

I cursed under my breath as I realized our life-or-death retreat was only just beginning. “Everyone, fall back to Dragon’s Nest!”