The Empress's Wrath (2)

"You dare to scratch this Empress's face?! How daring!"

The ground shook with her words. Yllana felt the rush of panic. Her hands started shivering as she bit her lip. She couldn't fathom the height of the Empress's powers. "So this is the power of the Empress. She is incredible." There was awe in her eyes as she welcomed the light coming from the Empress.

Swish!

It was a swift cut. The other four knights on the ground leaped in her direction. "Holy One!"

"This is going to be hard," she smiled slightly as her sight landed on the mist above her. She dashed up to reach that height and then she slashed her sword. Three more others followed behind her and darted to that space.

"Heaven's Berserker!" the Empress yelled.

The mist around them dissipated and four people got caught up in the whirling winds coming from the center. It felt that more than a hundred swords danced outside the Empress protecting her. There were clanging sounds of metals clashing against each other. With the grunts and curses of the knights, the people who heard them gasped.

These were the warriors who have gone to battles with the demons. They were fearless. They were strong. And yet under the Empress's oppression, they are just like dolls she could play with. This hidden power of the Empress made the elders look at each other and surround Princess Blanche.

"Elders, you don't need to shield me. I have to withstand her sooner or later. After all, she can't kill me yet. I have made a contract with one of her targeted powerful souls. Her mirror," Those words alone made the elders relax a little.

"If only the mirror had seen the wickedness of this woman in the first place, His Majesty wouldn't have made the wrong choice between your mother and this woman," Elder Arod sighed.

"But the soul within the mirror did not lie Elder Arod. She is really powerful, powerful enough to tear down a kingdom." Princess Blanche looked downcast. If only she was powerful enough back then, maybe her father wouldn't have died from the attack of the demons. Maybe she could have given him a helping hand instead of being placed under the protection of other people.

"Don't counterattack yet. I need to find an opening from her." Yllana whispered to the other knights who were beside her. They were being assailed over and over again.

Yllana dropped her sword and summoned the dagger. She just needed a small opening. A small chance. "Circle of St. Teron," a small dome appeared at the tip of her five fingertips shielding the small dagger on her palm. She glanced at the princess who was standing behind the elders. When the princess saw her gaze, she nodded.

"Your Majesty, please spare these knights for the kingdom's sake. We need them! If you let them be...I will give you back what you wanted the most." The princess' words stilled the crazy air inside the dome. The three bloody figures beside Yllana stumbled as they fell on the ground.

They all shot a glance at the princess, "Princess! No, you can't! She will only grow stronger if she contracted that spirit inside the mirror!" the three Holy Knights shouted continuously while holding their arms and swords.

The Empress stopped the storm. A creepy smile crept upon her face as she walked down from the air. Yllana saw the unguarded expression of the Empress.

As she leaped from the ground, she threw the shielded dagger into the Empress's chest.

The Empress's eyes landed on her as a red blot grew bigger on the Empress's chest. "Insolent fool!" She flew to Yllana and grabbed Yllana's neck with both her hands.

Yllana's face paled.

Slash!

Suddenly, a small Holy Knight appeared at the Empress's side and plunged a small golden sword at her side. "You killed Holy Seven," whispered that knight.

With a small cry, the Empress slashed her fingertips at the knight on her side. That one attack from her penetrated the knightess' armor. Blood oozed out of the knight's neck while falling to the ground. The knight's helmet fell off and a lump of golden yellow hair fell. The glittering yellow hair fell up to the knight's waist level. It was another knightess.

"Eighth!" Two solid voice from behind shouted as the light from the knightess eyes slowly disappeared. The Empress's grip on Yllana's neck tightened more. She glared at the other two knights who were rushing up to her.

"Little ants should die if they couldn't even protect their own." The Empress snickered.

At the corner of Yllana's eyes, she saw a small figure throwing a small dagger below her feet. When the Empress turned around to face the two knights, She slammed Yllana's body to the floor.

The Empress slowly pulled out the dagger from her chest and threw it to one of the knights.

Clank!

The knight countered it with his sword and continued to lunge forward. But the Empress was faster. In just one second, she was already in front of that knight and blood splashed on her lips.

"What..." The other knight paused in his steps as fresh tears flowed from his eyes. The Empress pulled out her whole arm which she had shoved deep on the knight's chest.

Blood. Fresh and warm. The Empress was holding the knight's heart in her hand while blood splashed everywhere. Her eyes coldly glimpsed at the knight near her. "You were about to attack this Empress, right?" Not more than another second, the Empress disappeared.

Yllana rushed and hugged that knight to meet the Empress's next attack.

Splat!

A new pool of blood poured out to the ground and Yllana coughed out blood twice. She released the stunned knight from her embrace.

"This...seems familiar." Red eyes gleamed at the hand that was plunged onto her back. But she did not linger on another thought and she quickly held the Empress's hand tightly with one hand.

The Empress's eyes widened. She couldn't break free from the red-haired girl's clutch. As she struggled to wriggle free, Yllana heard her wrist bones cracking from the Empress's oppression. When the Empress smiled, Yllana already pulled out a dagger from her side. The black liquid was still dripping from the dagger's sharp edge.

"And you think a poisoned dagger could kill me?"

Yllana's back was still facing the Empress when she pulled the Empress closer to her back and dipped the poisoned dagger at the Empress's neck.

"Only one poison could kill you, right stepmother?" Princess Blanche smiled weakly while holding Yllana's mother in her arms.

"Blanche!" The Empress's neck started to turn black. It spread fast along with the smell of rotting flesh and pus. The putrid smell permeated in the air and the people around them couldn't help but cover their noses to avoid inhaling the smell.

Princess Blanche looked at her own arm. A deep gash dripping with red and black blood ran across it. "The blood of a cursed girl is the only way to kill you. You were never a mage stepmother. You dreamed of it, but you will never be one if you only want to use it for your wicked schemes. That's what differs you from the other mages." The princess smiled at Yllana.

When Yllana heard the princess's explanation, a dark glint flashed through her eyes. She raised her hand and forcefully inserted it through the Empress's mouth. Her fresh blood splashed into her arm too. The Empress's skin wrinkled in an instant and she died while staring at Yllana's eyes. Those red eyes. Who would have known that the Empress realized it too late? This girl is also cursed. And the curse inside her was so strong it killed her in an instant. Just who placed a very strong curse on this Holy Knight that even a grand witch like her died in a split second?

When the last thread of life vanished from the Empress, the five knights keeping the barrier around the royal court descended and helped the wounded.

"There are only seven of us left." One knight sighed as his heart ached seeing his comrades lay lifeless on the floor.

"Mother..." Yllana disregarded everyone else as she swept her glance at her mother's figure who was lying on the princess's embrace.

One of the elders were still treating her mother's wound. He was sweating profusely as he focused on stitching the open wound and dressing it up. He peeked at Yllana nervously while shaking his head slowly. Her father was already at her mother's side holding one of her hands.

"She has suffered so much from that evil Empress's hands. We thought you have really died in the battle and will not see you again. When we thought all hope is lost, the princess managed to hide us in her tower. It is enough for us to see you alive and safe, Yllana." Theoden, Yllana's father spoke softly as he kissed his wife's fingertips gently.

"Father," her words were stuck in her throat. There was something wrong in her eyes as she noticed her vision blurring and her cheeks getting wet. "I am home." Just three words were enough. It was a whisper. But all her longing was contained in those three words.

After a while, Yllana coughed out blood as she tightly clutched on her bleeding stomach.

Thud!

She felt the world spin before her vision turned black. Elder Arod ran to her side and fished out a few herbs from his robe. He applied it gently on Yllana's stomach.

"Yllana!" More than five voices rang on her ears before her consciousness faded into nothing.