Chapter 334

Throughout the night, the area around the Demon King's palace filled with more and more demons. Tirnicia's scouts spotted Shades dark elves walking among them, which indicated that the demons were somehow under control. Our best guess was that Maenyssa must have nabbed Servus the Houndmaster's bracelet back in Oakfall.

We repelled all of the magic artillery and spells thrown at us. The fact that it has stopped must mean they were out of mana up there. But dealing with hordes of demons was another matter. My force of combined dark elves, succubi, and beastkin were small. I also didn't want to needlessly risk their lives.

On the other hand, Maenyssa didn't hesitate to throw any number of demons and Shades at us. Nyra's life had to be just as important as everyone else here that banded together to help.

We were fortunate enough that the demons didn't attack us during the night. But even if everyone was well-rested, facing that many was going to be tough.

Mio, Kana, and I woke up to the piercing screech of a lone flying demon circling us. We were covered in sweat, but waking up alive was about the best any of us could have hoped for. The dark elves and Chief Dolanna were already convening to hash out a plan, and they seemed to have come up with a way to get through the horde of demons beyond the walls.

"We're going with Creeping Shadow," Tirnicia said.

"Am I supposed to know what that is?" I scratched my head.

Mio waved her hand. "Oh, oh! I know what it is! It's a maneuver that incorporates succubi with ground forces. As the surface army advances, we sex demons fly over the enemy forces to charm as many as possible."

"That's correct, Mio." Elendir nodded and smiled. "Timing is key, so that demons you place under your control aren't immediately slain and fights with us. Doing this bolsters our own forces, while minimizing how much sexual energy succubi expends to exert charm."

"I like this plan. Though I can't guarantee a few charmed demons might be cut down in the process," Chief Dolanna added.

After a quick meal of smoked jerky, we were ready to put the plan into action. Mio and the succubi swarm formed up behind me. Dark elven soldiers and mages arranged themselves in multiple squads behind Elendir, Shayle, Tirnicia, and Erma. And lastly, Chief Dolanna and her fearsome warriors were twitching to start spilling blood.

I glanced down at Kana, who was standing among the dark elves, wielding a sword and buckler. Completely out of place here, but braving it nonetheless. He looked up and caught me staring.

"Don't worry about me! I won't do anything reckless. Promise!" Kana exclaimed.

"Fear not, Saeko. I'll guard Kana. I can't very well lose my teacher. Who else will patiently teach me Japanese?" Elendir giggled.

"Let us meet again on the other side of this wall!" Erma unsheathed her sword.

A beastkin behind us blew into a trumpeting horn, signalling for us to begin the attack.

Mio and I exchanged glances. It was time. I rallied the succubi and flew forth. The rumble of a stampede followed in our wake, but we were the ones who crossed the threshold first. Lumbering and gruesome demons, nightmarish beasts from fairy tales welcomed us with snarls.

A Shade pointed us out, and a shower of magic missiles and arrows fired at us from the surface. But they weren't our main concern. We had to just dodge in the meantime.

"Not yet!" I shouted to my succubi subjects.

I turned back to the massive hole in the wall around the palace. Tirnicia and Erma were the first ones through.

"Now!" Mio boomed.

We expanded our aura and seized control of hundreds of demons just as the army slammed into them. Chaos erupted all over the opposing force. Shades were mobbed by charmed demons and forced to retreat. Now to make way for the palace doors and—

Faraway screeches turned heads. Something like a biblical locust swarm came around from behind the palace. Gargoyles, pterodactyl-like vultures, and more.

The flying demons, enough to blot out the dark swirling clouds of Morharst in even more darkness, descended upon us with ravenous fangs and claws. The many succubi by my side who had found a burst of hope after controlling so many demons on the surface, their expressions clouded over and wavered.

"Queen Saeko, what do we do?" A succubus gasped, desperation gripping in her voice.

Damn it. If we released control of the demons below, the dark elves and beastkin were going to get overwhelmed. However, we were going to get swamped by the flying demons approaching us.

I underestimated Maenyssa. We all did. I miscalculated how many demons she could control, because I wasn't some experienced war veteran like her, Tirnicia, or Erma. As I was about to make a difficult decision, the warmth of the sun seemed to caress our backs and cool winds kicked my hair aflutter.

"Saeko, get down!" A distant echoing voice I didn't expect rang out from behind me.

"Everyone, to the ground! Now!" I ordered.

We all descended, and the night lit up from a golden hailstorm that ignited the skies. Scores of flying demons screeched in pain, incinerated by the volley of fiery arrows.

I turned around to see who our saviors were, and it was a light elven airship. Two large red envelopes to either side of the ship were fed hot air and controlled by mages, casting a constant flame and wind. Enormous masts arranged like that of a sailfish undulated as if it were a living beast.

The skies flashed with an exceedingly bright light as if light from the sun momentarily carved through the horizon. Hundreds more flyers were felled by it, burning into crisps and showering the surface in ash.

Two figures leaped from the airship. As they descended closer to the earth, I made out none other than Raniel and Arniel, the light elven twins. The twin sister pulled out a scroll and muttered an incantation. Small wings sprouted from their ankles that slowed their plummet. And right behind them was… Princess Amira?!

"Amira!" I rubbed my eyes to be sure of what I was seeing.

The twins each wielded a powerful magical weapon right out of a high fantasy manga. They looked like end game loot from a video game's final boss. Raniel, the twin sister, fired scorching arrows from a longbow with a burning drawstring, while the bow stave flared out like unfurled wings of an angel. Arniel brandished a longsword seemingly made from golden sunlight, like the first morning rays peering through a dusty forest canopy.

"Everdawn? The Sunblade? Seeing the Everlight's artifacts is one thing, but the glorious Break of Dawn? The war had ended before we opened its sails! No, more importantly… Princess, what are you doing here? I expressly told you how dangerous it was going to be!" Erma exclaimed.

"Don't talk back to me, and focus on what you do best— slaying demons. My dearest friend Saeko and I have a reunion." Amira strolled past an exasperated Erma.

"We couldn't stop her even if we tried." Arniel patted the legate on one shoulder.

"Princess Amira said something along the lines of, 'Finally, some entertainment!' Her mind was made up in advance." Raniel patted the other.

Before I had a chance to say another word, Amira stormed up and threw her arms around me, swaying side to side as if we hadn't seen each other in ages.

"Fellow royal friend, how I've missed you!" Amira squealed. "How did you like our entrance? Magnificent, isn't it? My top generals told me we would never make it to Morharst conventionally, so I thought why not commandeer that airship left to collect dust. I'm willing to wager you have no such grand machine. If you like, I can show you around once we have cleaned up these filthy mongrels."

"Th-That sounds great, but it isn't safe for you here, Amira! There's an actual battle going around, and you can be seriously hurt!" I reasoned.

"Oh, I'm fine. Believe me. I have several enchanted rings, trinkets, potions, and spell scrolls with which to protect myself with. I'm quite prepared! What I really wish to know is if you brought me any gifts?" She searched my eyes with glinting irises eager to see more of Earth's stuff.

"I didn't exactly come to Elza expecting to deliver gifts— watch out!" I pulled Amira out of the way of a demon lunging for her.

Erma cut it down to size in three slices without so much as splashing blood anywhere near the princess' fancy clothes. Another jumped down from the ridge above me. I grabbed it by the ankle and slammed it into the ground. A harsh crack to the head left the creature lying still on the ground.

"Eugh! How positively gruesome, but I do enjoy seeing these mongrel beasts served their comeuppance. Saeko, dear. Would you be so kind as to slaughter more for my enjoyment?" Amira asked kindly.

"I appreciate your reinforcements, just get back already!" I groaned.

Taken aback, Amira huffed in protest and smoothed out her dress. Thankfully, she listened to me by retreating to the safety of dark elven spellcasters drawing a shield over her.

With a horde of demons under succubi control and backed by light elven forces, we pressed forth towards the entrance. As the airship circled around, magical artillery fired out from the holes and high battlements of the ruined palace. An exchange of fireworks lit up the sky as if it was Obon.

As we climbed the steps up to the palace entrance, a shimmering barrier erected to bar our way. I beat my fists while others casted magic on it to no success.

"Looks like we have to fly up ourselves," I said.

"It doesn't appear Maenyssa will make that very easy. Look!" Elendir directed our attention south and east, where two masses of flying demons larger than the last were headed this way.

"Saeko!" Raniel, the twin sister, shouted from behind. "I'll make an opening for you. We'll hold the demons off here. You go in and stop the Demon King's return!"

When Raniel tugged on the drawstring, seven fanned out flaming arrows manifested on the bow. But as she pulled farther, the arrows disappeared one by one until a single large ballista bolt remained. She loosed it, and the fiery bolt shattered a hole through the barrier that was beginning to reform.

"Thanks, Raniel! I owe you one!" I yelled back.

"Saeko, waaait! I'm coming with you!" Amira raced to try and catch up.

"Everlight, save me. Forgive me, Saeko. I wish I could be there to save Nyra with you, but please, let me protect Amira from herself," Erma pleaded.

"Request granted. Don't let her do anything stupid. For all our sakes." I nodded.

Erma turned around to grab ahold of the princess. The rest of us flew through the hole Raniel shot through the barrier. I grabbed Kana, while Mio picked up Elendir and Shayle. Chief Dolanna and a modest number of her warriors climbed through before the hole became too narrow.

"The rest of you, aid the elves in battling back the demons. I better see all of your claws and fangs bloodied when I get back!" Dolanna roared.

"Yes, Chief!" they bellowed back. 

Our feet touched down on the giant doors that had already been blown in from the siege of the previous war. The foyer was a tall pointed arch that gave way into the central chamber of the first floor. We couldn't see the ceiling because it was so high. Old weapons and bones littered the bloodstained mosaic tile floor. Vast stairs stretched on leading into different chambers and galleries, all devoid of life. The dead silence was eerie, bad enough to make me wish there was some kind of noise. Well, not quite. There was noise. The many rusty creaking of hanging metal cages that swung to the slightest breeze of wind.

We were a much smaller group now and couldn't rely on the others for help in here. Elendir led the way, holding her staff high to shine light through the dark palace before us. Chief Dolanna and her beastkin fanned out, but stayed within sight, to sniff for potential ambushes.

"This is so creepy… Why are there so many cages? Birdcages?" Kana asked, eyes fixed on one with a skeleton inside it as we passed under it.

"You can probably guess," Elendir began and shuddered, "this is where the Demon King caged his enemies… and servants, if they failed him. There are sometimes hundreds imprisoned in these at any given time. He would take strolls through here to listen to their dying groans and pleas for release. He tasks those who have merely displeased him to cleaning the excrements here."

"That's so horrible… It's hard to believe our cute little Nyra and the Demon King are the same person." Mio gagged.

"They aren't. We're going to make sure of that. Maenyssa isn't going to get her way. We'll get Nyra back, go home, and watch T.V. together like we used to," I assured them.

"Is that so?" Maenyssa's voice echoed through the empty chamber.

Everyone grinded to a halt and squeezed their weapons. In a swirl of wind, Maenyssa appeared before us. A smile adorned her wrinkly face. She wielded wooden black staff that ended in a bladed glaive, where fleshy pulsating growths were stuck to the steel.

A swift gust blew past me.

"For the Pridemother!" Chief Dolanna was on Maenyssa in a split second, sharpened claws poised to sever her head.

The dark elf ducked. Much faster and spright than someone her age should have been able to. She twirled her staff, bashing Dolanna on the side of the ribs. The beastkin skidded across the floor and cursed.

Tirnicia stepped forward, but not with the intention to fight. "I've had some time to think about your betrayal. The real reason why I never suspected you… is because you aren't really Matron Elder Maenyssa, are you? At least not until recently."

"I also thought it was strange." Elendir agreed. "I knew Maenyssa. She was the kindest and warmest person I've ever met. I never sensed any true loyalties to the Demon King from her. Who are you really?"

"Hmph. My grandmother never really had any ambitions. Even if it was just a short time, I had fun masquerading what she could have been," Maenyssa said.

"Grandmother? Are you… Maeyene? You died in the final siege!" The dark elven queen gasped.

The form of Maenyssa shimmered and faded, giving way to a much younger dark elven woman. She flashed a wicked sharp smile, baring teeth and all.

"Did I? I don't appear very dead now, do I?" Maeyene chortled.

"I don't care if you're Maenyssa or Maeyene. We've come to take Nyra back. It's time for you to leave the Demon King where his reign belongs. In the past and history books," I shouted.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I'll admit. I never expected you to bring the might of a beastkin tribe and a light elven army to bear on me. But don't think you've won." She lifted her arms, and bright red eyes snapped open everywhere all around us.

Before I realized it, Maeyene dashed up to us, grabbed me by the throat, and a portal opened up behind her. She yanked me through, and it closed shut as Mio reached out.