A Life to Spend

A second before the ax hit her body, she was covered by a shadow. A man actually.

Larkin dashed to cover her with his own body, taking in the full brunt of the hit. The black mist dulled the ax's glinting blade, but the clash of magic was still powerful even against a body protected by it. The two were thrown away, Larkin opting to roll while diffusing his shadow armor to coat Artie with it as well. Bang! They were stopped by hitting a downed horse, and Larkin only created a hole to see the outside world.

"Your Grace!" Miel could only watch from afar. He could attack again, but his blades couldn't penetrate their skin and clothes. Moreover, he was holding onto a dying Jillian; the pressure of battle might cause her heart to race faster and spread the poison even to the deepest ends of her body.

The riders slowly rose from the ground as they decided to attack Larkin simultaneously. The archduke could only transfer the shadow armor to Artie as he rose from the dust as well. His left hand had shadows converging on his palms, but they all seemed to be ineffective against the resistance of the demon servants.

Nonetheless, he still stood tall as always.

"You're just waiting to be slaughtered like a pig before a buffet, Larkin Ellis." The leader laughed out, and then he gazed at the barely moving shadow armor which hid Artie inside. "Oh, don't worry about your elven wife. We'll be giving her the love and attention she needs." He finished speaking and joined everyone in laughing maliciously.

"...My flesh is too precious to be consumed by vermin like you." Larkin weaved the black mist and formed a sword with it. He had never fought this way before, but his reserves had been exhausted by the continuous attacks on his city. Right now, he could only make sure to hold onto long enough before the marshal and the ducal knights arrived. Until then, he would be beaten to death if necessary.

"I will serve your head on a golden platter to my master!" The leader swung his sword forward, and the rest had gone to attack with their axes and swords.

Larkin only assumed a guarding stance and braced himself for the fight. However, at this juncture, a loud roar echoed all over the deserts. The sands shifted, and a black worm rose from the ground!

The archduke's eyes widened as he stared into the face of one of the dubbed guardians of the Plains. They might have been referred to as guardians, but they were that Lady of the Land's guardian and were extremely hostile towards humans and demons alike. The battle must have taken its attention!

"What is that?!" The leader gasped along with his men. They had never seen such a humongous worm with teeth within and without its mouth. The worm had gold veins in its shiny black segmented body, and its eyes were blazing blue as if breathing with the coldest of flames. What's worse was that no one knew how big it really was. They might never outrun the beast.

Artie cowered in the face of the worm. 'Oh, my God, is this the threat that the System had detected? It's monstrous!' She then turned to Larkin who was slowly retreating to her side. "We can only run, can't we? What is that? I've never heard of that before."

"One of the guardians of the plains. It will not spare anyone that disturbs the land." He moved his hand as if asking her to get to her feet. "I can only stall it for a while. Even if I could kill it in my full power, that would be a crime against the Lady of the Land. Listen, get to Miel and run. Leave and never return."

"I won't leave you." Artie used her other hand to hold onto Larkin.

The worm's blazing eyes then swept among them before gazing deep into the eyes of the demon servants. A voice seemed to have been spoken from the depths of its mouth, and it was a language that the surface dwellers had forgotten. No matter what it said, none of the people present could understand.

That had taken the situation to a stand-still. The worm didn't seem to like the absence of response, and so it roared again before attacking the demon servants. The leader tried to resist with his weapon, but the worm could simply devour all of them in a few dives. Tremor followed all of its movements, and the demon servants could only die at the grind of its teeth.

The black worm was an existence that even demon emperors dared not to clash with. The demon servants' protection was paper against the saw blade teeth of the worm.

Screams and blood erupted from the worm's mouth while terror and agitation surged within the three conscious others. Their hearts raced so terribly that Artie felt like she was hyperventilating.

After the feast, the black worm turned to Larkin. The strange voice came out again, but Larkin didn't manage to decipher what it was saying. He could only guard against the possible attack of the black worm. His left hand raised in defense while the black worm actually leaned closer.

A strange word came out from a familiar voice, and it took everyone's attention. The demon emperor Albas had dropped from his flight and hurriedly stepped in between Larkin and the black worm. He held a conversation with the black worm, which actually incited the anger of the black worm. In the end, the black worm threw up the ungrinded remains of the demon servants, making Artie look away from the view.

The black worm then dug into the depths of the sand sea, its further movements shifting the sand to cover up its exit. Even after it was gone, none of the conscious ones dared to move for a few more seconds.

"Larkin!" Albas then went to turn around and scold the archduke. "Why must you always anger the great ones before you? Summoning the Great Illum of the Deserts? Have you gone mad?" He then turned to the woman inside the shadow armor. "Unmask her."

"I did not summon the guardian." Larkin pulled Artie behind him as if protecting her from the glare of the demon emperor. "Emperor, I have brought you evidence of Machiav's insolence."

"Do not think that I will fall for your tricks. You will not escape from this." Albas warned him, but the emperor still turned around and proceeded to take a look at the remains, finding signatures of magic and the severed appendages bearing the mark of the demon servants.

Miel had ridden towards the archduke before whispering, "Your Grace… Jillian is… she's poisoned."

Larkin turned to the woman and saw that her body was rotting from inside. He could only look up and endure the broken look on Miel's face. "...Miel, the poison had taken roots deep inside her body. Even if I could extract the poison, her body will only fail. She cannot be saved."

"But… I..." Miel clawed at the shoulder of the dying woman.

"...I can preserve the life of the servant's servant." Albas huffed as he crushed a metal insignia with his big hands. He then turned to the three, with the ice in his eyes surging stronger and stronger. "But you must also surrender a life to me. Hand over the angel, and I will give her revitalization."

Artie's eyes widened as her breath stopped. She had known that one of these days, she would be discovered. However, Miel didn't even speak about her at this time.

"Your excellency, I cannot promise you the life of the innocent or the untrue. If you need a life to spend on Jillian's health, take mine."