[80.5] Destroying An Army and Getting Revenge

[Author's note: This part of the chapter is back to Reika's point of view.]

"Zephyr… Is in trouble?"

I appeared in the courtyard, my senses in tune with these words.

I rushed to Zephyr's room to check. My blood froze when I realized he wasn't inside.

When I woke up…

He wasn't in my bed either.

I ran out screaming, "ZEPHYR! ZEPHYR!"

"Master!!" Asmonious shouted, "I see him! He went down the mountain to confront the Holy Priestesses!!!"

I didn't have time to question how he knew.

Fear.

Panic.

Fury.

I felt everything all at once. 

I can't let him meet the same fate.

My irrationally overridden the part of me that knew he was still alive in the future.

"ZEPHYR!" I ran out of the courtyard, the charred skin crawling up my arms faster as I felt myself falling back into that darkness, "ZEPHYR!"

Asmonious called out to me, "MASTER! Wait!"

I shouted back at him, "STAY!"

He flinched and obediently stopped running after me. As he stood in the entrance watching me leave, I flew down the hill to where he had pointed.

As I approached, I saw an army…

-And Vira and Orphelio were standing in front.

It was as if they were waiting for me.

I glared at them from my ice chunk, feeling my skin crack and dry from an invisible fire.

"Where is he?"

Vira and Orphelio exchanged a glance. Orphelio stepped forward, "Who?"

I grit my teeth as fury built up inside me, "My fox demon."

Orphelio snickered, "Oh. I guess Alora got to him already… She's more efficient than I thought she'd be."

I paused at the sound of that name, "...Alora?"

A powerful sense of relief passed through my body.

Why do I feel so relieved?

It might not be the right Alora.

Orphelio jolted me from my thoughts as he snickered, "Your fox demon is dead already and your other children will follow. But that's what you're concerned about? Not the fact that we killed your other three demon spawn? Hah! Show favoritism much?"

My gaze turned cold as the temperature dropped around me, "...So that WAS you."

Vira summoned her sword and snapped her fingers, "And now we will kill you."

I was suddenly surrounded by an army of Holy Priestesses, Priests, and Holy Knights.

"No longer will you be a thorn in my side, cursed arriver." She raised her sword and commanded the entire army, "Kill the Great Fairy."

As if a gong was struck in my heart, the entire world slowed down.

I allowed the charred skin to crawl further as I spoke in a cold voice, "Let me show you what happens when you hurt my children."

I was swallowed up by the corruption I carried within my soul, turning into a giant blob with eight eyes of various colors. I stood in the center of my monster, staring at the people at my feet as if they were ants.

They were all frozen as I held out my hand, "Nothing I do to you will ever me enough."

My palm turned into a fist.

The monster started swiping at the people below, anyone who couldn't get out of the way quickly aged, turning to bones and then dust. I watched the others escape my hands and summoned my dragon.

It wrapped around the monster, roaring in agony.

It swooped down, blowing out ice, turning anyone who got away into frozen chunks of ice.

Vira shouted, "GO FOR HER! DON'T WASTE TIME WITH THE MONSTER!"

As I turned my burning gaze to her, she took a step back.

Our eyes made contact.

The corners of my lips curved up, "I can see your fear."

She clenched her jaw, her knuckles turning white as they grabbed her sword.

Just before I could attack, the world around me suddenly slowed.

It was a blur, but something sharp was about to collide with my heart.

I quickly abandoned the center of the monster, falling to the ground and relying on the dragon to catch me.

Time resumed as normal.

I looked up and saw my monster collapse into a gelatinous jelly. When it hit the ground, the very earth aged and dried up.

Orphelio clicked his tongue, glaring at me from a distance. "How did I miss?"

I…

I didn't even see him.

If time hadn't suddenly froze-

Vira spoke to him, "She can't do anything to us without that monster."

I smirked, shaking off the feeling of almost being killed. I looked around seeing only her and Orphelio left, "It was enough to take out your army."

Vira charged at me without another word. Just like before, I couldn't see it coming but right when she was about to stab me, time froze.

I was able to avoid the tip of the sword, but she passed by me seconds later. She looked down at her sword in confusion.

I also felt confused as I didn't do any of it on purpose.

Is it because I'm a child of chaos?

Orphelio attacked me next, but I managed to avoid it the same way as before. However, he was more keen and threw an elbow back, hitting me in the nose.

I stumbled back, holding my broken nose as I let out a cry of pain, "Bastard! How could you break a woman's nose!?"

He snickered, "I've done worse to women."

I felt a dribble of liquid roll down from my nose. I wiped it away, telling myself not to look. 

"It's not blood… It's not blood…"

Vira stared at me coldly, "Just give up. There's nothing you can do against our swords."

I took off my gloves, revealing my charred skin. I breathed hard as I smirked, "I don't need swords when I have this body."

Orphelio snickered, "You won't have that body soon."

Seeing the two approach me, I smiled at them.

"You know, in the future, humans use wands to control their mana… Do you know why?"

"Don't care."

They both attacked me in unison, but thanks to the time-freezing cheat, I was able to avoid it.

"-It's because it makes your magic easier to control and release." I held out my palm, "But as a child of chaos, I don't know the definition of control."

I released a powerful blast, no longer bothering to hold myself back.

It was nothing like the fire blast I released on any forest.

It was a blast so large, there was no chance of running away from it.

Vira quickly held out her sword to create a Holy Barrier to protect her from the fire, but Orphelio wasn't fast enough to get away.

A fire so hot that it felt cold, poured across his skin just as if someone had drenched him in gasoline and set him alight.

He disappeared into dust without a single scream.

"Good riddance."

Now just one left-

Vira grabbed me, her hand closing down on my throat.

Her eyes were deranged and her hair was no longer neat. She looked completely unhinged as her grip tightened, "Got you now, b*tch."

As she choked me, her visage swapped with that of a man. A face so fearsome, so despicable, it had conditioned me to recoil and avoid his gaze. 

However, now…..Now there was a voice in the back of my mind.

-If only I could go back in time-

A chuckle ripped through my throat. Seeing my expression, she paused.

I forced my voice out, "Just like a blind man describing an elephant."

I put my hands on her face and stopped holding myself back.

Her screams rang out in my ears as she dropped me to the ground. She scratched at her rapidly aging skin, trying to use her Holy Magic to stop it.

However, not even Holy Magic could withstand the pressure of time.

She fell to the ground, rolling around as her skin withered and dried, leaving behind bones. Then, she stopped moving…

Her body turned to ash and disappeared.

I stared at that pile of dust, gasping from the effort.

I…

I did it…

I killed them both…

Then doesn't that mean…

They are no longer able to cause problems in the future?

But what would that mean for me?

As I searched the entire area for any sign of Zephyr, one thing kept nagging me.

Didn't they mention Alora?

I looked back in the direction of the mountain and tried to summon my ice chunk, but it quickly melted.

I guess I used too much energy…

I forced myself to limp back but felt my energy falling fast.

I grit my teeth and spoke despite knowing no one could hear, "Atta. Come get me."

After a few hours, I saw a rolling wolverine rushing towards me. I stared in surprise as she appeared before me awaiting an order.

"You… You heard me?"

She shook her head and wrote: 'Moni sent me'

I furrowed my brow.

How did he know?

No matter.

I held out my arms, "Carry me back to the courtyard. Quick."

She scooped me up and sprinted back at an unbearably fast speed. Once we entered the courtyard, she let me down. As soon as I went to stand on my own, my legs collapsed from the effort.

Asmonious quickly caught me, "Master!"

I held onto him, fighting off exhaustion, "Zephyr… I… I couldn't find him."

His grasp around me tightened, "Don't worry, Master. Astra said he's safe."

"Safe?"

I let out a sigh of relief and allowed myself to collapse into a deep slumber.