The instant he rang the bell, the creature’s twitching tentacles began to move with clear, newfound purpose.
“Come, Fomor. I’ve got some special treats for you over here. Eat as much as you’d like.”
“Wh—”
The soldiers appeared as if they were trying to say something, but it was already too late. It was over in the blink of an eye, before either Yurisa or I could intervene. The tentacles snatched up the cavalrymen and dragged them into the demon lord’s mouth, despite its broken fangs.
“Ah! A-ahhh! Gah!”
Screams pierced the air, punctuated by Fomor’s gleeful, metallic cries. Yurisa shut her eyes and turned away as the creature devoured the soldiers; its wounds were healing at an alarming rate. Before long, new teeth sprouted in its mouth as its tentacles thrashed energetically about.
“Don’t look away, Yurisa Kidafreny,” I warned. “The enemy is coming. I need you to guard me.”
“But…there are too many tentacles…” We were already surrounded by tendrils—too many to count, as Yurisa placed a hand over her right eye. “I don’t think I’ll be able to block them all.”
“You can. Do you not understand the full extent of your ability? You can summon incredible fortresses—so powerful that no demon lord can break through them.”
“But…I can feel it. I just know…that I can’t wield these powers like Goddess Senerva could. I’m simply borrowing…a small portion of them…”
“Then this is gonna be easy.”
I spoke honestly and placed a hand on Yurisa’s shoulder. After all, I knew that a goddess’s power was tied to her mental state. And in Senerva’s case, it affected the strength of the structures she could summon.
“Senerva liked to play coy, but when it was time to get serious, she always gave it her all. In fact, she usually overdid it a little.” I spoke with confidence; I knew what I was talking about. “I only need you to block the incoming attacks once. I’ll handle the rest.”
I didn’t know if Yurisa believed me, but she swallowed and grabbed her right arm with her left hand. I could tell she was trembling, and not from fear.
“There you go again, Xylo Forbartz. Dragging yet another innocent soul with you to the grave.”
Kormadino grinned. Fomor’s tentacles pulsed and thickened, growing larger by the second. Perhaps the cavalrymen it had just eaten had fortified it. It appeared the Demon Blight really did draw some kind of power from humans.
“Xylo Forbartz, you will lead every single one of your followers straight into the depths of hell. You deceive others into believing your false ideas about honor and victory. You’re the true con man.”
“Yeah, yeah. Keep talkin’.” Kormadino was simply stalling, trying to give Fomor a chance to heal, and I was playing along. “Sure. Of course, I want to believe that I’m some bigshot, that I made a difference… But everyone feels that way, right?” That was a gross exaggeration, of course. But I knew it would serve to further enrage Kormadino. “I’d rather go to hell without any regrets than climb over the corpses of countless others to get into heaven. That’s why I’m planning on taking every last one of you to hell with me.”
“Ridiculous. I’ve heard enough,” barked Kormadino, shaking his head and solidifying the decisive rift between us. Then, in a whisper, he said, “Surely I’ve bought you enough time, Fomor. We are proof that mankind and the Demon Blight can coexist. We can become champions.” He rang the bell again.
The tentacles moved as a single writhing mass, surrounding us. Yurisa’s body grew tense and sparks flew.
“Kill them, Fomor,” ordered Kormadino, pointing at us.
“I will not allow you to hurt them!”
A sharp, tense voice cut through the air just as Fomor was about to strike. I could hear the resonant drumming of a warhorse’s hooves as it galloped across the grand plaza, and soon Patausche Kivia, with the Goddess of Swords clinging to her back, rode into view.
Their arrival was no surprise. I had already detected their presence with Loradd.
“Xylo.”
When she called my name, Teoritta’s voice was filled with pure rage, and Patausche, though silent, radiated a similar intensity.
“I am extremely angry,” the goddess continued. “Obviously, Patausche is angry as well, but that goes without saying. I have never been this mad at you before. But right now…” Teoritta’s hair sparked as a sword materialized out of thin air. “…we need to defeat that creature first! My silly, reckless knight! I shall not forgive you so easily this time!”
With that, several battles erupted all at once. Fomor’s massive tentacles lashed out, aiming to cleave through me, Yurisa, Patausche, and Teoritta in one fell swoop. But Yurisa acted swiftly, summoning a dense iron lattice that entangled the tentacles and stopped them in their tracks. Not all of them were stopped, but it was enough to give me and Patausche a brief window to move.
I shot through the chaos, propelled by my flight seal, while Patausche pushed forward, her seal of protection forming an unyielding shield around her. Fomor, sensing us closing in on it, redirected its tentacles to strike, but Patausche met the attack head-on, using her spear to deflect it.
“Xylo! I have a few things I need to say to you, too! But before that…” Patausche glared at me, her eyes as cold and hard as they’d been the first time we met. “Finish this! That’s the very least you can do!”
“Exactly!”
Teoritta sprang into the air, summoning a barrage of enormous swords that severed several of Fomor’s tentacles. Her speed and force were astonishing. She was clearly growing more powerful.
“Tsk.” Kormadino hissed, drawing a lightning staff from somewhere on his person.
He aimed it at Teoritta, but there was no way I was going to let that happen. Seizing his staff, I kicked him with all my might, feeling his bones crack as I sent him flying through the air.
“F-Fomor…! What…are you doing?! Protect me…!”
Kormadino bounced across the ground, his face contorted in agony. He clutched at a tentacle for help, but it only wrapped around his arm, crushing it.
“Gah…!” A raw, primal scream tore from Kormadino’s throat. “Stop! Let go of me, Fomor! No! I…! I’m your—!”
Fomor’s metallic shriek drowned out Kormadino’s cry as he was dragged into its maw. We could hear the sound of metal grinding against metal along with the sickening crunch of bone and flesh being pulverized. The steel tendrils thrashed wildly, but they could no longer reach us.
“Xylo Forbartz…! Now!”
With a shout, Yurisa conjured a massive iron gate. It appeared and immediately slammed shut, crushing Fomor’s tentacles.
“My knight!” yelled Teoritta, launching herself toward me.
She didn’t need to say a word. I knew exactly what she was thinking. The moment I caught her, sparks exploded and a crude, ordinary sword emerged from the void. It was the kind of weapon that would easily be overlooked on the battlefield.
I gripped its hilt tightly. “I’m sorry.”
Perhaps my apology never reached her, swallowed by the chaos around us. I turned to face the looming threat and swung the Holy Sword straight into Fomor’s writhing tentacle. There was no need for a clean cut—the mere touch of the sword’s divine power was enough. A blinding flash erupted, followed by a clear ringing that seemed to shake the very air. I felt the crackling sparks surge through my arm as a fierce gale engulfed Fomor.
When the storm finally died down, the demon lord was no more, eradicated from existence. Kormadino was nowhere to be found, either, only a pool of blood marking his final stand. A lonely gust of wind swept through the plaza, leaving an eerie silence behind it.
“…Senerva, it’s over,” I muttered under my breath, not wanting Teoritta to hear.
When I turned, I saw a tear rolling down Yurisa’s cheek. That was when it finally hit me: Senerva was truly gone.
At times like this, she used to smile faintly and make some pointless remark. “Looks like it’s going to be a sunny week,” she would say.
It was always something that didn’t matter at all.