Cursed Soul: Ch.21

'Holy shit, this is even more chaotic than I was expecting!', Everywhere I looked, I saw nothing but soldiers trying their best to evacuate the civilians and keep our first attack party at bay.

General Jack and Dante were leading a group of twenty or so Rune Knights, their fighting force also the smallest out of the group as they were supposed to cause as much chaos as they can inside the city.

“Eric!”

“Already on it! Liam, you ready?!”, I asked as I snapped out of my shock, the Corporal nodding as he held the index and middle fingers of both hands to his temples while I easily traced a barrier around us.

“Ethernano Siphon! Ethernano Boost! Magic Boost!”, Stomping on the ground and activating the barrier we were in, Liam's eyes widened as his energy surged before I connected his mind to my Archive.

“Holy shit, this is awesome!”

“Liam, inside voice,” I spoke with a slight wince as his voice reverberated in my head, knowing it was the same thing with everyone from their disgruntled glares aimed at the Corporal who gave a sheepish smile.

“Right, sorry. Anyway, General Jack, telepathic link has been established.”

“Good. Colonel Mundus, Colonel Lao, are you in position?!”, Jack asked as I watched him trip over a soldier, shooting a magical blast into their back to slam them back down into the ground as Baul and Virgil's commanding Colonel from the Dark Panthers spoke in unison.

“Colonel Mundus with the Rescue Platoon, we're in position.”

“Colonel Lao with the Guerilla Platoon, we are in position, sir.”

“Good. Captain Creed, how long can you and Corporal Liam keep this link up?”

“If we both stay in the circle, about thirty minutes or so even if we do fight”, I spoke and I heard the man mutter to himself before he spoke.

“Keep it up for another ten minutes. After that, Corporal Liam and Sergeant Major Lycan are to head to the outskirts to help the Guerilla Platoon while you, Lieutenant Myrsky and Lieutenant Maverick are to help with the rescue, understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Guerilla Platoon, you are good to engage in three…two…one…go!”, On cue, the northern walls came crumbling down as I saw numerous air slashes slicing right through it, watching as Virgil and Lao along with the bulk of our forces attacked.

Thankfully, everyone seemed to be avoiding civilians so far as no one wanted to get the General on their bad side, but the soldiers were not given the same privileges as they were cut down, shot down and/ or captured within just a few minutes.

At the same time, I turned as a loud explosion came from the south, the flames and smoke rising up high as the Rescue Platoon began their own assault on the military facility.

“We've got incoming!”, Lycan spoke up and we all turned to see a group of soldeirs aiming their guns at us before I created a screen with a golden crown symbol in its centre.

“Hymn of Hera!”, The moment they unleashed a barrage of magical blasts, the screen extended and took the form of a shimmering barrier, reflecting the blasts to the side right as Elise raised two sparking fingers to the group.

“Storm Magic: Tearful Current!”, With a burst of ethernano, I watched in awe as numerous thin lightning bolts shot from her fingers and impaled the shooters, electrocuting and paralysing all of them with ease.

“Float Magic: Limitless Flight!”, Leah was also quick to help as she created a dark blue magic circle below the group, Elise pulling back her electricity as the still forms of the men were kept afloat in the air.

Lycan finished the fight with a barrage of rapid blows, sending them flying off into the distance before I dismissed my shield and reactivated the telepathic link once again.

“Lian, we got six more minutes before we need to split up. Everything going well so far?”

“Duck and counter on your right! Uh, mostly but-Move in and turn the corner with a shot! The enemy is starting to get together! General, got anything for that?!”

“Change of plans! We're moving on to the second stage!”

“Got it!”, I nodded as I hopped down from the rooftop we were on, Leah and Elise following after while I caught Lycan and Liam heading to the western wall to join up with the others.

“Think they'll be okay?”

“They'll have to be or else the General's kicking us out of the Scarlet Mantis,” Leah answered and I chuckled as we made our way south, managing to slip past the fights and onto the fighting that was occurring at the facility.

“Storm Magic: Raging Winds!”, Waving her hand through the air as we approached a group of soldiers, I watched as miniature tornadoes formed and pushed everyone out of the way before frowning as even more began to notice us.

“Hymn of Dionysus!”, A screen with a grapevine appeared in front of me before unleashing a fragrant mist upon the enemies, Elise raising an eyebrow as we simply ran past the group of people screaming hysterically.

“Mass hysteria spell for my enemies,” I explained as she looked at me and she just smirked before I turned right in time to see Baul cut through a man's neck.

However, there was no blood except for the man falling limp to the floor while the colonel looked at us.

“Hey! As you can see, we're still stuck here so if you wouldn't mind!”, He spoke and I nodded before creating a pink screen with a white heart at the centre.

“Hymn of Aphrodite!”, A soft and soothing melody drifted into the air, the tension in the battlefield fading away as the soldiers stumbled and some even fell to their knees with blissful smiles.

“I never thought I'd be grateful for a damn love spell,” Baul spoke and I just rolled my eyes as I kept the spell active while Erica, Alya, Arreiks, Khae and the rest of the soldiers with us tied them up.

Just as the last enemy was restrained and I deactivated my spell, a high-pitched screech made us all flinch as the deep rumble shook the ground, the nearest building to the facility entrance splitting apart as three giant figures walked out.

Each was a towering mass of steel and ethernano, their arms replaced by ethernano blasters the size of cannons and their chest glowing with the lacrima embedded into them.

“Oh, like the soldiers weren't enough. Now, we have to deal with Golems,” Leah spoke with a dry tone as she floated in the air, Khae just thumping his hammer against the ground while Arreiks cracked his neck.

“Maverick, Danners, Arreiks, you three make sure to keep them occupied. The rest of you, with me. We're finishing this mission!”, Arreiks didn't waste any time as he stomped on the ground, sending out a ripple of earth while also opening holes below us that let us slide down and into a corridor right below the surface.

“Okay, Eric, which way?”

“Hymn of Athena,” Activating the Hymn, I linked it to Erica whose eyes glowed as she looked down the hallway, my own eyes checking out every corner before the Captain spoke up.

“Left tunnel splits twice, but right leads to a dead end. Take the right fork both times and that'll lead us straigh to the command centre. I do see some enemies at the entrance along with the royal family, but…there's something blocking off my sensing.”

“Of course it is. I'll take point. Creed, Hunters, you're behind me. Erica, take up the back end along with a few of the soldiers. The rest of you, stay in the centre and stay alert. We have no idea what's waiting for us.”

“Yes, sir!”, We all nodded, the Colonel simply nodding back before we began to make our way towards the command centre that Erica spoke of.

Like Erica had said, the journey to the command centre was quite uneventful apart from the few guards that seemed to have been waiting for us, but a quick Hymn of Aphrodite had them subdued long enough for Baul to knock them out.

Taking up one side, Baul took the other while Erica gripped the handle, Alya already having an arrow notched and the other soldiers looked prepare as the Colonel held up three fingers.

'Two…one!', Both him and I shifted to the side as Erica pushed the door open, moving back while Alya held her bow aimed at the room as the soldiers rushed in.

As the rest of us walked in, I sighed as I saw the royal family seated at a table a few meters from us with dazed looks and their shoulders slumped.

“So, you're the fools that have been attacking my base, eh?”, Pietro looked just like the photos of his file as the man stood behind the king, but the new addition of the sword at his side did make me wary since we did not receive information of him having a blade of any kind.

However, my gaze was focused on the figure floating besides him, towering over everyone with pitch black smoke obscuring its form from view and deep crimson eyes glaring at everyone.

“Pietro Lilli, you can make this easy for yourself by simply stepping back from the hostages.”

“And let you take them? Oh, no, no. Not in the slightest. That would leave me free to be killed and no one wants that, do we?”, He asked with a smile as he unsheathed the sword at his side, my frown deepening while we all tensed as he rested the blade on the king's shoulder.

“So, here is what's going to happen. I'm going to allow you all to fight me, one on one while my partner here keeps an eye on all the hostages. Should anyone try to interfere, that is a limb he will take from them starting with the youngest boy. Do we have a deal?”

“We'll agree, but Creed?”

“Already working on a new way of attack,” I answered, to which Baul nodded before Pietro's smile widened as we all let out frustrated sighs and stepped back.

“Wonderful! Now, I want to face that one,” I was surprised as he pointed his blade directly at me, making me glance at Baul who nodded with a disgruntled look.

“You sure about this? I have been told that I am one of the strongest in our battalion. Maybe you would like to start with the others?”, I asked as I took off my Scarlet Mantis cloak, letting it drop to the ground as Pietro snorted while the demon snickered.

“You are not one of the strongest, but from what I have seen, leaving someone with both Archive and Jutsushiki is asking to be defeated. Therefore, I shall take care of the biggest threat first.”

'Should have known he had cameras everywhere,' I thought with a hum as I created a blood red screen behind me, twin white swords at its centre that glowed with a dark gold before I grinned as I saw the same golden glow covering my body.

I was done down as the same screen split into three, the red screen staying behind me while a black screen with a silver crescent moon stopped on my left and a dark grey screen with a golden owl appeared at my right.

“Hymn of Ares! Hymn of Artemis! Hymn of Athena!”, I could see nearly every twitch of Pietro's muscles as the two of us circled each other, the three screens fading away before he shot forward.

His blade shimmered with an eerie glow as I shifted to the side, delivering a palm strike to its centre only to hiss as it reflected the force and sent me staggering backwards.

Looking at the cut on my hand that was thin streaks of dark red stretching out from it while no blood was flowing out, I frowned as I tried to clench my hand and winced at the burn.

'Okay, so it's like Baul's blade except it causes wounds that do not heal,' I thought before a thought came to mind as a bright blue screen with a golden sun appeared below my hand.

“Hymn of Apollo,” I chanted as the sun's glow stretched to my hand, watching as Pietro was wary of the screen's effects before I sighed as I saw the wound not vanishing.

Looking back to Pietro as I let the screen hang in front of him, I must have surprised him as I lunged forward while unleashing a bright flash of light from the screen.

It blinded him as he flinched back with a surprised grunt, shifting the screen to that of a dark blue screen with a golden trident before spitting out a high-pressurized jet of water at his head and hands.

However, I was surprised when the man easily dodged them, rushing in with his sword held to the side before slashing at my neck, leaning back while lashing out with a kick that sent him stumbling backwards.

“Hymn of Demeter!” I stomped on the ground with a grunt, a large dark brown screen with a golden wheat at its centre before a dozen thick roots erupted from the ground, wrapping around his limbs and pulling him down to kneel.

“Hymn of Zeus!” Raising both index and middle fingers of my hands to his head, electricity sparked around my hand as a white screen with a blue lightning bolt appeared behind me before dozens of thin electric streams shot forward.

“Forget~”, I blinked as a voice hissed in my ears and the electricity faded away, watching as Pietro appeared in front of me with a fist pulled back before my vision spun as I caught a heavy hook to my cheek.

“Eric!”

“Uh-uh~! Nope, stay still right there!”, I was barely able to hear the man speak as I stopped myself from falling to a knee, shaking my head to try and get myself to see straight while looking up to see Pietro walking towards me.

“Hehehe~ You're probably wonde-!”

“Hymn of Hades!”, With zero hesitation, a white skull appeared on the ground below us before the shadows reached upwards, Pietro's eyes widening as only one shadow managed to wrap around his left arm.

However, I clenched my fist before a necrotic green energy shot up his limbs, Pietro letting out a surprised yet agonizing scream as his arm began to melt away right as the demon shot forward and cut his arm off.

“Now!”, Baul exclaimed and the entire force rushed for the hostages, the demon realizing its mistake as Baul quickly blocked off Pietro while Leah, Elise and I rushed towards the demon.

Erica and Alya were on the backline as I gave them both the enchantments from the Hymn of Athena and the Hymn of Artemis, both nodding in thanks before they began to lay down cover fire.

To its credit, the demon easily shifted its shadowy form to dodge Alya's hail of fire arrows, rushing in at the same time and lashing out with a punch that it easily dodged around.

Spinning around with the momentum to deliver a high kick, I was surprised when Leah blocked my kick, the woman looking just as surprised as I did before I activated the Hymn of Hera to block a lightning bolt from Elise.

“Wha-But I aimed at it!”, Elise spoke and I frowned as I turned to the demon, who was floating in the air with a sadistic grin before it shot forward.

“Scatter!”, I barked as I hopped into the air and over the demon's attack, Elise and Leah hopping to the side before I blinked as it was gone and next to…Alya?

'Wait, wasn't she…?', Turning to where Alya was supposed to be, I was even further confused as I saw the demon waving with a grin, looking back at where Leah was only to groan as I saw Alya there instead.

“Alya! Where are you?!”

“Where I always am, on the high ground!”, The demon shouted and I frowned as I turned back to Alya, who faded away to reveal herself being Leah before I spun around and ducked right as Elise shot another lightning bolt at me.

“Elise, it's me!”

“Wait, wha-It's its magic!”, She shouted in realization and I nodded as I looked around, frowning as the grinning demon appeared everywhere before vanishing as it was replaced by everyone once again.

'Okay, it's a magic that messes with the mind, but I keep seeing it where it's not supposed to be. Is it illusion magic, then? In that case!', With a new idea forming, I stomped on the ground and unleashed a pulse of ethernano, feeling the area being mapped out before ethernano gathered at my right index finger as everyone became visible.

“Forget Me, Forget me Not!”, The next moment, I blinked as I felt a burst of ethernano flowing into my brain, my eyes widening as the headache hit before I gritted my teeth and forced myself through the pain.

“Archive Magic: Domain Creation!”, Creating three keyboards in front of me, my eyes were flickering from side to side as I typed in a new command as fast as I could while also watching as the demon rushed towards me.

It clawed at my face only to catch a bullet to the hand, a lightning bolt shooting down and impacting its form before a barrage of fire arrows flew past my shoulders and impacted its chest.

The explosion sent both of us flying backwards, but I gritted my teeth as I finished the last of the commands, Leah diving in with a lariat that it easily twisted around before my eyes widened as it swung at her back.

“Hymn of Hera!”, A shimmering screen appeared behind her and blocked off the attack, Leah spinning around to kick off and away from the shield right as I formed it around the demon.

“Hymn of Hades!”, The screen turned a pitch black as numerous sickly green tendrils wrapped around its body and kept it inside.

“Hymn of Hephaestus!”, I was not done as the ground under the barrier prison began to bubble, the ground rising up and wrapping tightly around it before numerous Jutsushiki carvings appeared on top of the molten dirt.

“With this domain, do not allow any inside of it to escape it no matter who they are or what they are capable of. This object can only be broken by those who possess the DNA of Eric Creed. In no way, shape or form is any allowed to try and cut this object open for as long as Eric Creed is alive. So do I, Eric Creed, decree it,” With my chant done, I stomped on the ground and watched as the dirt ball turned into a shimmering blue steel.

Letting out a relieved sigh as the metal ball fell to the ground, I fell onto my behind as I felt lightheaded before looking to the others as they sat down as well.

“Anyone want to not have to deal with that again?”, I asked, chuckling as they all nodded before looking as I heard a pained gasp only for my eyes at the sight of Leah sitting wide-eyed with a pair of shadowy claws through her chest.

“Did you truly believe that was enough?”

A/N: …Cliffhanger? Like I said, the pairing is always going to be Flare x Eric so if you see any pairing done before that one…

It's going to end badly either way.

Next chapter: Cursed Soul.

As always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!