Inside the palace, Pandora continued to fall sicker and sicker.
Erebus ordered the healing nurses around as much as he could at his powers. At most, he could do for Pandora was to fetch her a glass of water or to just helplessly watch. In the end, he was the carrier of a power which only worked as destructive.
"Have you tried getting to the Guardian of Everlasting Health?" Erebus asked a certain Honorary Knight as he walked up to their portion of the palace. "I thought she could be of some help since she is owns the element of recovery."
"Quite right... But even if we are trying to reach out to her with every mean possible... She is busy with a certain type of situation right now. It happened so that the Rise division is facing a threat. They are currently in a meeting." Matthew answered back while adjusting the rim of his monocle.
"They are having a meeting without us?" Erebus clenched his fists at his sides while looking down at the floor. "Why do they have to be this sort of a racist faculty?"
"Its just not about being racist here... It's about attending a matter less violently. They are discussing an enemy threat right now. I know you have sensed it too." Matthew sighed while letting his clipboard hang off his fingers at his side.
"Enemy threat? Less violently?! Are you serious right now?!"
"Yes..."
"What is so less violent about an enemy threat and a meeting?! They are probably planning for a civil war!"
"Not really... They can't really face this type of enemies. They are... A different sort."
"What sort in specific?!"
"The demon king is back at carrying out his yearly sarcasm." Matthew answered in a straight-forward manner. "They have come with a huge horde to search for any relic that the Guardian of Silence may have left behind."
"But she wasn't even a real Guardian... She killed my sister and took away her weapon!" Erebus bursted out. His wrath really coming to view as he narrowed his gaze and gritted his teeth.
"Well... We can't do much until the demon horde has been settled. If they can't find a relic, they could wreck this place down. And we have a guest here." Matthew spoke while calming his expression down. "If she truely is a rookie... She might just die. If you know well... She can fight, however, every rookie try to settle things themselves and just fails with their lives."
"Then where is she?!" Erebus panicked while lifting his gaze.
Matthew instantly understood the face that the kid was making. Afterall... Seeing as how the Guardian had grown quite attached with the girl, and they were almost like the family that they both had lost. The four Guardians may have not known her name properly... But they had seen her life to explain every detail correctly.
She lost and lost again... Then ended up taking her own life to avoid losing again. With that, she lost access with her family that she wanted so bad to meet.
"She was at the garden when I last checked." He replied while smiling to himself a little. Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook, and inside the room, Pandora seemed to have shifted too.
"What was that?!"
The clipboard turned into a silver sword at his grasp as he shifted his gaze from one end of the hall to the other. Nothing was abnormal inside, there was an ominous presence outside. It was as if a herd of rabid racoons had just ran past them.
"Sheesh... That kind of stings... And stinks..." Erebus spoke while wrinkling his nose like a rabbit. "But this situation is serious... Since it belongs to those demons who have come back to collect the relic."
"I suppose so." Matthew added while squinting his eyes at the garden where the horde had appeared. It was complete evidence as to why Pandora would have fallen ill to that extend. Matthew wanted to go and inform the Honorary knights, but he had to stand guard for Erebus too.
Just when he was thinking a second time to go, and inform them in case they still didn't know yet, another set of footsteps approached them.
"Have you heard the news? And the shaking?" The second Aethalgard Heir asked with the trail of her billowing gown falling to her steps. She wasn't alone, and right next to her was a red wolf that had a metallic collar tied to it around the fiery mane. "This one here told me to stay inside... I am guessing I know who it is that sent it."
"Please listen... Aefia might just slaughter me if I were to tell her that you all just don't believe me." Puppet groaned while scratching it's ears.
"Aefia? Who is Aefia?"
"Oh... That new Seraphina..." Puppet lazily replied while straightening up and then lifting its gaze to face the Aethalgard. "Trust me... But I really mean you no harm. If I did, my master would kill me and I don't want that. If I wanted to escape... I could have melted this collar that you have around my neck. It's honestly irritating..."
"Huh... So the rookie that we met earlier? What is she up to now?" The Guardian of Everlasting Health squinted her eyes. "A rookie... What does she think she is even attempting? Her death?"
"Well there are many balconies here... So why not head over to one and watch the death for yourself then?!" Puppet asked with a harsher tone of voice, as the Guardian yanked at the collar. "Ugh..."
"Well then... As you say..." At the end, she submitted and head over to the nearest balcony that was facing the Garden. They could see as Aefia withdrew her two swords and stepped forward to the horde. But she was walking.
"She really wants to deal with the horde all by herself... We will be witnessing another Guardian's death for ourselves today."
"Woman! Why are you so against my owner?!" Puppet growled as Matthew stepped forward at the same time, followed by Erebus.
"Maybe this why... She can't quite train her spirit animal... Can she?" Although she may have acted nice in front of her at the chamber of Justice... She was actually never a fond of any Guardian of Death that she heard of. For her, the title itself sounded like a threat.
"Seraphina... You better have something up your sleeve..." Erebus slowly spoke to himself while clenching his fist in anticipation.
"Is she really only going to walk around like nothing is happening?" Health frowned while leaning against the railing.
Just when, Aefia had leaped into the air with two swords, and with the blink of an eye, she had taken down one from the large horde and continued to slaughter back and forth. All the four entities could do was watch with complete shock.
"Seraphina! Wait for me! I want to help you fight too!" Erebus ran back inside the room and fled towards the garden with his sword withdrawn. He seemed to be in an uplifted mood and charged out of the hallway, towards the glass barriers.
Puppet on the other hand, stood watch as Aefia had instructed him. It had to keep an eye out for any major or minor threat. It had the power to break out, but it didn't want to be a suspicious picture to them. Especially since it had messed up and headed for the wrong Guardian.
Honestly, Puppet recalled that it was in an order to stay hidden. For some reasons, it thought it could get some attention and in case it got some help to them, it could brag to Aefia later on about this very situation and how it was a huge help.
Matthew and the Guardian stared out quietly as Aefia continued her movements through the crowd. One slaughtering through about twenty strong beasts, it was a rare sight that made them both question about their own powers compared to a rookie.
However, the previous Death also had a habit of calling herself a rookie and showing some next level skills on the battlefield.
Matthew had a hard time keeping up with her movements. "Is she... Really weak at all? She isn't even using her magic. Just two swords and a very fast reaction speed." He commented while adjusting his monocle as if he had been hallucinating. Before long, he left the balcony to check out the Honorary knights.
Now, only the Guardian and Puppet remained. One of them zoned out while monitoring the battle movement. A quarter of the group had been wiped out by then.
"Aefia... Seraphina..." She spoke to herself while leaning her chin onto her palm. "Aren't you quite strange? It is almost as if you are here to warn me about my fragile position at the Aethalgard... You and someone else..."
She then let out a sign before heading back inside the palace. "I will have to exterminate the both of you in the future... Be prepared."
***
"I change my resort... I am going to kill them all. I will spare none..." I spoke to Spectrum as an instruction as it continues to guide me through the battlefield. At one point, I had to fling the two blades onto the air and then reach for them with my corresponding hands. It was too hard for me to deal a wrong blade with the wrong hand.
[Master! You won't believe just how happy Spectrum is to listen to you saying that!]
I stopped for a while to regain my energy, before restarting my ritual of slaughtering the ones near me first. I had to attempt to slowly move away from the leader first, he was the most armed and the strongest to date. If I concentrate on him right now, I am practically betting my life that I can take him down, already knowing well that I will lose.
So I leaped and moved backwards.
Although I looked like one person put up in a show containing the most violence... I was actually... Using my powers meanwhile too.
The special power that the Guardian of Death has, is the ability to not lose herself while being possesed by any type of curse. Even if a devil were to take over her soul, she would still be able to control it out of her and use her body for however long she wished. It was the characteristics of a dead person. They can be possesed, but can't be harmed. Of course if a poison, venom or toxin reached her, she would die. But other than that...
I needed to hurry up everything before the fat monster woke up, because I was a small human compared to a massive demon who was ten meters tall. It is like an asteroid is trying to fool with the sun or maybe even a blackhole. Yeah... I am not that stupid to deal my life away.
Finally, I decided I will bring forth my skills. I was running short of time. If I could reload my pistol in time for the final battle without a single destruction, I guess then I would be able to declare a week long of a peaceful break after that.
No seriously! I was already tired! I didn't want to waste more energy to use my swords again!
Otherwise... Spectrum's possession of my mind was already costing me a great deal of health. Right after this battle, I suspect I might even be unwillingly poisoned as Spectrum's blade can turn almost anything equivalent to that of acid. So in the short time that I was wielding it, I could already feel my veins burning. It still took a few more moments to actually make it an acid... Because... I was its owner and it was being fed my blood to grow resistance against its own poison and to forge its blade stronger.
Finally, I turned to face the only one left who was sprawled up on the ground before the fat-covered demon. I had turned the entire field red just by killing and stacking up demon body as a human, he should be scared by now too. Based on the food-chain of mythical beasts... Humans are supposed to be preys to demons.
The scenario that I had forced over him today, will be enough to make him question if it really is true. For once in the entire history of their beings, did they face a human who was brave enough to slaughter through the entire crew alone. I could already see him trembling. Not going to brag... But I am really strong as of now.
"Looks like... The food chain is about to flip." I started speaking to creep him out a little bit. I may have been thinking about sparring him while forcing him to keep his little defender behind. "How does it sound to you now? A horde of demons killed by a human who isn't even a full grown adult yet."
Maybe I was flexing a little bit too much.
To make sure that he could not escape, I had tied him up by the strings that could cut through him if he tried to move around. But on top of the strings, I used an illusion of thick chains. It should be enough to trick him in the mind and force him into being quiet first. Then, I would tame him with fear to go back to the demon and stay silent for a long time, never laying a hand on the Guardian Realm ever again.
"So... What is it that your demon king is up to again?" I asked while tugging at the strings. "He must have known better... Then to come around and mess up with his past guest and his soon-to-be guest. I could do you a favour..."
I stepped forward and leaned at his ears. "My name is Aefia. He should know me from a few months or so prior. Or more precisely... I think it has been an year."
He could visibly be seen steering out of pure shock as I stepped back and sheathed my only weapon left. Spectrum stayed tucked at its leather scabbard.
But the next moment, had fully caught me out. Because I was precisely not wanting to get them caught into the middle of this deal.
"Seraphina! Wait up for me!" Erebus shouted while running towards my place.