Orion was trying to get the ringing in his ears to stop. Amelia and Erin were shouting at him but he couldn't hear anything they said. Looking around he saw that every one was accounted for to include all the members of the rescued strike team.
His brain was having trouble processing what had happened.
They had been running to the LZ where the helicopters were waiting to pick them up when a sudden shockwave knocked all of them off of their feet. The shockwave had accompanied a boom so loud that it deafened every single one of them.
His eyes traveled towards the horizon. What he saw chilled him to the bone.
Devastation as far as the eyes could see. Nothing was left, the entire city was razed to the ground.
Hands trembling he wiped at the dirt covering his face. This was unreal. He had never seen such destruction before.
"We have to go!"
Erin's voice was muffled, as if he was yelling at him from a great distance. Orion's hearing was slowly returning as the ringing began to fade away.
Erin grabbed Orion by the sleeve and yanked him towards the direction of the helicopters. Amelia had thankfully recovered enough to walk on her own.
The rest of the strike team followed behind as they pushed forward with Erin leading the way.
Amelia was wide eyed, refusing to look at the aftermath of the battle behind her as she trudged forward. She knew exactly what had caused such widespread destruction, her mentor Seris Ardentis.
Erin had come to a similar conclusion but refused to slow down and think about it. There would be time for that later, if they didn't leave now they would be dead. That was the only thought that took priority in his mind.
***
Two massive balls of energy, one black with purple lightning and the other purple collided with each other. The amount of mana used to conjure these spells was immense and the consequences of their collision was even greater.
Seris had been flung backwards through the building as had Linnox when the two balls collided. The explosion had been instant, leveling the entire city that Seris had been trying to save.
As she sat up, rubbing the side of her head, she saw the aftermath of their battle. Nothing but rubble was left. A big city had sat here once, full of life. Now it was just a field of ruin that seemed to stretch endlessly into the horizon.
"Shit."
Seris muttered as she pushed herself up. Her body was sore, muscles screaming in protest as she moved. She hadn't had time to throw up her shield but even she doubted that it would have made a difference.
Linnox stirred beneath the debris, his body was aching all over too as he forced himself up slowly.
His eyes scanned the area, noting the devastation before finding Seris standing a long ways off from him.
Part of him wanted to continue this fight, to keep pushing to see who would come out on top but his mana was nearly exhausted and he felt too tired to physically keep up anymore.
Seris eyed her opponent warily, unknowing of the fact that he was in the same boat as she was. She wasn't sure if she had enough mana left to augment her physical attributes.
"What a mess. You were supposed to test her, not level the entire city in an attempt to kill her."
The deep voice of Lord Azarion greeted Linnox from behind him.
"I got carried away."
Azarion shook his head and tsked loudly.
"Your humanity kicked in huh?"
Linnox glared at the general, his mask surprisingly still intact despite the ruined state of his clothing.
"Let's go."
Azarion laughed loudly before clapping his giant red hands. They both vanished in a burst of thick, black smoke that wafted away like a giant cloud.
Seris had already been moving forward to confront them both when they vanished.
She studied the spell they had used to teleport. It was crude but effective as most demon magic was. The acrid smell of the smoke reminded her strongly of sulphur.
"Next time we meet, I'll win."
***
The ride back to the temple was a silent one. They were so tired that speaking seemed more like a chore. Erin was the only one who had energy left but he was wise enough to read the room.
As the helicopters landed, a team of sorcerers greeted them. The rescued team was quickly taken to the infirmary first after Orion refused to be treated until they were assessed.
After making sure the other sorcerers were getting the proper care they needed, he relented and allowed the healers to assess him.
He had sustained several deep cuts and bruises, none of them had even registered in his mind. Reflecting back on the fight, he barely recalled being hit by any of his enemies.
Amelia had gotten a large laceration on her shoulder which was being tended too. Normally Amelia would heal herself but she was too low on energy to manage even a simple spell let alone a spell to knit her own flesh back together.
Erin had escaped unharmed physically but now that he had time to reflect, the memory of so many talons lunging at them kept replaying over and over again in his mind. He kept staring at the white painted wall with a dazed, far off look on his face.
All in all, they had been fortunate. They had come close to death.
"Are you okay?" Orion asked Amelia as she winced while a healer laid a glowing gloved hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah, I'll be okay. What about you?"
Amelia hadn't failed to notice just how amazing Orion had been during the battle. His lightning attacks had taken her breath away as well as the lives of dozens of demon imps.
"I'll live."
Orion glanced over at Erin who hadn't said anything.
"He might need some help though," he said pointedly.
Amelia nodded in understanding. She too was having trouble processing everything but she was wise enough to know that Erin would need someone who had lived through the same traumatic experiences as he.
"Where is Seris?"
She hadn't been with them when they took off from the battlefield. Orion had a worrying feeling in his stomach.
Amelia wore an uncertain expression on her face.
"I didn't see her after she left. Hopefully she's alright."
Erin suddenly laughed, making them both jump.
"She'll be fine. That damn woman is stronger than the gods themselves."
Erin looked utterly convinced which contrasted with Orion's anxious feelings.
"Oh, hey what about Darius?" Amelia asked as her eyes widened in surprise. She felt shame at forgetting about the one who had bought them a chance to escape.
Orion's shoulders sagged a bit. Darius hadn't been with them either.
"Too many unknowns."
No one wanted to voice the idea that Darius might have died in his effort to save them.
There would need to be a full report on this, the Temple Head would have questions aplenty not to mention the rest of the higher ups. The elders of the order would no doubt want every single detail.
The problem was, what in the world was he going to say to them?