Chapter 10
At Liontari Thalassa, Clara shields the soldiers as they evacuate the remaining residents.
"Hurry up," she yelled.
"Why do you insist on protecting them when you can barely move?" Louisa said. "Your soul looks delicious."
She licked her lips.
"We are done, Captain," a soldier said from behind.
"It's about time," Clara said. "Now stay back and guard the people... I will deal with this."
She clasped her hands together and recited an incantation, and the ground beneath her feet cracked slightly.
She opened her eyes, unleashing a force that tore through the oncoming horde of souls.
Louisa gave a slight giggle. "Aw, you are going to fight me for real? No fair."
Clara was no longer where she had stood before; she appeared behind Louisa with a punch. Louisa avoided it with ease. Clara tried again, but still couldn't land a hit.
Clara slowly became one with the air.
"Hey, where did you go?" Louisa asked, her eyes gleaming. "Ah, there you are. You are now one with the air."
She tilted her head a little and caught something.
"Tsk, don't you know I can feel you no matter what you become."
She tosses her hand, creating a wind just for a brief moment. A gush of wind heads towards her again, and she forms a wall of souls to block it.
"Man, this is boring," she scratched the back of her head. "Oh, I forgot big sis will be mad if I stay out for too long. Sorry, I've got to go. It was nice of you to play with me. I hope that woman is done with my domain."
Her eyes gleamed one more time, "You better work on that power of yours, I can tell it's new, your soul is shivering. Poor thing."
She disappeared. Clara appeared on the ground, lying on her back, breathing heavily. Her soldiers rushed towards her.
"Captain, are you ok?" one asked.
She manages to give a thumbs-up.
"Ok, let's prepare to return to the castle," a soldier ordered the others.
Back at the town near the Soul Forest, the soldiers stared in the direction of the forest. Violent flames rose into the sky, followed by heavy thuds.
"We were never meant to come back and help," Isla muttered to herself.
The scene in the forest looks worse than before. Aenzil landed on a branch. She licked the blood on her lips, and a tip of a horn could be seen on her head.
"You fiend," Edith yelled. "You call me a monster, but look at you... Do you even remember what you came here for?"
"Of course I do," She placed the sword on her shoulder. "I'm here to secure the town, that means eradicating trash like you and the thing you call a triumph card."
The monster swung its hand at her, but she blocked it, causing a shockwave that destroyed the tree she stood on. She gave a devilish smile before cutting off the hand of the monster. As the hand was regenerating, she threw in balls of fire, slowing it down.
Her sword disappeared, fire formed around her hands, and she dashed towards the monster, leaving trails of fire behind her. She punched savagely at the head of the monster, breaking through thick skin, preventing instant regeneration.
The monster's green blood covered her body, and the grin on her face showed how she enjoyed it.
Her eyes burned brighter.
Edith watched from above, her face was in utter horror.
What have I awakened?
Aenzil kept on punching until she saw a glowing green core. She punched it, destroying it in the process. The beast fell with a loud thud, sending tremors which could be felt in the village.
Aenzil walked out of the beast's head, drenched in green blood. Her horn seemed to have grown slightly, and another one's tip could be seen.
She held up the destroyed core for Edith to see before burning it.
"Can you make another one, pretty please?" Her eyes sparkled.
Edith looked on with hatred in her eyes.
"You monster."
Edith dashed towards her at blinding speed. Aenzil looked down and sighed.
"Guess not."
Fire formed at her hand, and she slammed Edith into the ground, creating a massive crater.
She looked more serious than before; she stared down at Edith.
"What a letdown," her tone sounded cold.
Edith struggled to raise her head, their eyes met-
Her body began to shake violently, and her words struggled under her breath.
"P... Pl... Please"
Aenzil raised her by her face to her level.
"When you get reborn, remember the one who did this to you, and if you want to take revenge, then make sure you are strong enough."
She then burnt her with fire. Edith screamed until she was nothing but ash.
The horns on her head vanished, and the soul forest faded away, leaving a normal forest behind.
"Seems the Soul goddess called back her domain."
She turns around and heads towards the town.
The Veilbound reached the outskirts of the town, and they could see smoke rising from the western part of the town.
On their arrival, there was no battle going on at the moment; the smoke was from a previous attack. They slowly moved through the city. Ahead, they saw a camp with soldiers around.
A soldier spots them.
"Re-enforcements?... " he wondered. "Hey guys, the message went through, tell the Prince."
A soldier rushes into the camp, and he returns.
"The Prince wishes to speak with the captain," he said.
Nemisis got down from his horse, and the soldier led him to a bigger tent. Inside the tent, the Prince sat on a makeshift throne. Two Generals stood beside him, and the soldier walked out.
"And who are you?" the Prince asked.
"I am Nem-"
"Bow your head, you inferior being," the General on the left interrupted.
A sword appeared in her hand, and she pointed it at Nemisis.
"There is no need for that," the Prince said.
"But-"
The other General shook his head slightly. The sword disappeared; she gave a slight bow before returning to her position.
"You may now continue," the other General said.
"I am Nemisis, one of the Celestial Phantoms sent here to aid."
"You came here with a hundred men, if I'm correct, to obtain that goal. Which Kingdom do you belong to?" the General asked.
"From Fantasy City"
"Ah, oddly named Kingdom," the General said. "I am General Kane, she is General Zoya. The Prince will introduce himself when you seem fit."
Before he could continue, there was a loud explosion, and the camp quickly became noisy. A soldier barged in.
He gave a slight bow. "Enemy forces approaching."
The soldier quickly left the tent. The Prince stood up.
"Prove you are worth my time, human."