An enormous explosion shook the competition hall, shaking the spatial barriers and sending debris tumbling across the floor.
Smoke and fire filled the air, and the crowd screamed as hundreds of mercenaries and hidden shadows poured in from every direction.
Rotell's eyes sharpened. She drew her sword and roared. "Guards! Push through!"
Dozens of her personal guards formed a tight formation around her, blades and shields raised.
The first wave of mercenary assassins charged, swords flashing and spell circles spinning. Rotell parried a spear thrust, twisting her body in an elegant dance and diverted the attacker back with a swift kick.
Behind her, her guards moved like a single wave, striking, blocking, and carving a path toward the doors.
Explosions from the ceiling sent fragments raining down, and scattered spells lit the hall.
Rotell ducked beneath a swinging axe, rolling to her feet as she slashed at the next attacker.
One of her guards caught a falling beam, holding it like a shield as Rotell dashed past him and jumped off the beam, cutting down two mercenaries in their path.
The sound of screams and clashing steel was deafening, but Rotell's focus never wavered.
She kept moving, spinning and slashing, always pressing toward the nearest openings. Another explosion rocked the far side of the hall, this time caused by a stray demon spawn, knocking the mercenaries off balance.
Rotell's guard captain took advantage, driving his sword through two of the closest attackers before pivoting back to protect Rotell.
Finally, they reached a wide set of doors leading to the outer corridors.
Rotell raised her hand. "Go!"
Her guards surged forward, pushing back the last few mercenaries, leaving a trail of fallen soldiers in their wake.
The doors slammed behind them, cutting off the immediate danger, though the distant shouts of chaos still echoed through the halls.
Rotell paused in the dimly lit corridor, catching her breath.
Smoke clung to her clothes, blood streaked her arm, but her eyes burned with fanaticism.
"Regroup. We move out. The real fight has just begun."
* * *
In another part of the shattered competition venue, another wave of paladins, priests, and light mages surged in, their armor clashing and their attacks radiating blinding light.
The symbol of the Church of Light burned across their banners and marked their armor.
Paladins marched in shining armor, priests held up glowing relics, and light mages formed circles of runes beneath their feet and hands.
A voice roared through the chaos, "By the will of light, purge the unholy evil!"
The first wave of 'Sanctified Scripts' fluttered through the air like glowing feathers. Each piece of parchment shimmered with golden ink, blessed by the clergy. The moment they touched the ground, they radiated symbols that bloomed outward, dispelling the shadows and tearing through the haze of 'demonic miasma' that had started to appear.
"Purifying Light, purge!"
Columns of holy fire burst upward, searing through the demonic ranks. The closest demons screamed as their bodies burned from the divine light that rejected their very existence.
Their skin cracked, glowing from within, before they collapsed into ash.
"Holy Word: [?], converge!" another priest commanded. Dozens of paladins echoed the chant, their voices layering over each other in a heavy, rhythmic hum. Ancient Light runes appeared in the air, spinning slowly before merging into a single massive seal that glowed above the battlefield.
The demons howled in defiance, melting in an almost cruel massacre.
"Hold formation!" shouted a paladin captain, planting his blade into the ground. His armor flared with divine aura as a circle of light spread beneath his feet, reinforcing the fallen barrier. The nearest priests scrambled up, pressing Sanctified Scripts against their wounds. The papers melted into golden dust, sealing flesh and restoring breath.
Then, once again, they chanted the sacred speech.
The Holy Words burned brighter, lines of scripture snaking across the cracked marble, linking the living priests in one continuous chain of divine command.
"Light that purifies all impurity…"
"Return to the heavens!"
Purifying Light!
A blinding flash surged across the hall, wiping out entire clusters of demons in a single burst. Their bodies disintegrated mid-scream, shadows peeling away like dust in a storm.
The priests pressed forward, invoking more of the Holy Words until the entire chamber was filled with radiant light.
"Drive them back!"
"Leave none to fester!"
"Purge!!"
Their voices rose like music, clashing against the furious howls of the demons.
It was no longer a battle.
The once-grand competition venue, meant for celebration and honor, had become a crucible of divine fury.
-
The city guard finally arrived only to find that the competition venue had been drenched in blood.
What was once a grand hall of celebration had become a slaughterhouse. Bodies were strewn across shattered marble and the gut wrenching smell of burnt flesh filled the air.
Their arrival didn't calm the chaos, only fed it, turning confusion into full-scale war.
The city guards had no idea who the enemy was, so they attacked anything with the weapon.
-
High above the carnage, one of the male angels rose into the sky with a terrifying speed.
He drew a 'Divine Artifact' from his robes, spread his wings, and released a monstrous wave of spiritual energy that would normally shred anything around him to dust.
The relic pulsed once, then erupted, flooding the city in a vast surge of anti-magic energy.
Spells shattered midair, enchantments broke like glass, and both demon and mage screamed as their essence was torn from them.
The spiritual energy in the surroundings became unstable.
For a heartbeat, the world fell silent beneath the crushing weight of divine judgment.
* * *
From where Petra had been casually watching the bloodshed, a sudden wave of divine power rippled through her body, sending a sharp jolt down her spine.
The illusion masking her face shattered instantly, vanishing like a glass window meeting a stone.
Her eyes widened in shock, then darkened instantly.
"That fucking smell again."
Her heart dropped when she thought back to where the girls had gone out this morning.
Petra turned around almost instantly, no longer interested in watching the fight.
She quickly pulled Lilly and Luna out of the venue, not wanting to find that her bad premonition had come true. Unfortunately, Petra had learned better by now.
-
As Petra disappeared into the mass of fleeing figures, a young priest who had just been promoted happened to turn his gaze from the complete opposite side of the arena.
His eyes seemed to pierce through the smoke, the barriers, and the magic, into the distance, almost as if guided by an unseen hand, until they locked onto the spot Petra had stood only moments ago.
He froze.
A shiver ran through his body.
For an instant, the noise of battle fell away. He had seen that face before, he was sure of it.
When realization struck, his lips parted in shock.
The green-haired girl…
Petra was instantly recognized.
* * *
Back at the Tower Spider, away from the chaos of the competition venue, the streets were calm.
The sounds of laughter and chatter drifted faintly from a distance, completely unaware of the madness unfolding elsewhere in the city.
Bell was sweeping the stone walkway in front of the Tower Spider, her small frame moving quickly but awkwardly.
Her eyes stayed down, focused on the broom's path rather than the bustling street around her.
Suddenly, a powerful ripple swept through the air and covered the city.
She paused for a moment, only to continue a moment later.
Bell listened to the refreshing swoosh of the broom as she continued to clean, not at all paying attention to the sudden change around her.
Then, the light dimmed.
Bell frowned and glanced up.
A shadow rippled over the street, and Bell's heart shuttered.
She looked up and found a figure descending from the sky, white robes billowing in the wind.
Her eyes widened.
A Tower Teacher!?
Why was he here!?
The broom slipped from her fingers, clattering against the stone.
"Bell!" His voice thundered, shaking the air. "How dare you appear here! Do you have any idea what's happened!? Where have you been?! Explain yourself!"
Bell's throat went dry. "I-I-I'm not… I'm just…!." She had no idea what to say.
Something was wrong with Petra's barrier…
"You dare speak to me with such a tone! What have you been doing that caused you to become so disrespectful!?" he roared, gazing toward the storefront
The crowd that had begun to gather started to whisper.
"You betrayed your post. You vanished after the death of your comrades, and you never reported anything! How dare you appear here!"
People whispered, 'traitor', 'deserter'?
They snuck closer, curiosity raising in their hearts.
Bell took a small step back, hands trembling. "Please," she whispered, "I didn't mean to cause trouble. I just want to live quietly."
The Great Mage didn't care about her excuses, "You will live under the tower's judgment, not among merchants! How dare you!" Spiritual energy pulsed, scattering dust and stone through the air.
The crowd gasped.
Bell froze. Her eyes darted around, panic clawing at her heart.
This was bad.
Really bad.
* * *
While Petra was quickly shooting toward the market, something had already happened to Wind.
Rolilly and her guards shoved their way through the densely packed crowd. Her little eyes were flickering with uncontrollable rage.
"Move, make way for the princess!" one of her guards bellowed. The crowd was too dense, causing their advance to become difficult.
Rolilly had to use all her strength not to draw her sword and start forcefully cutting her way through the crowd.
Ahead, she caught a flash of movement from a silver-haired elf darting between the hundreds of pedestrians, quickly escaping.
This silver-haired elf was Wind.
She and Soryn had gone out to shop, but they were momentarily separated.
While buying something, a sudden ripple ran through the air and caused Petra's illusion to be dispelled. A moment later, she heard an ear-piercing scream from behind. When Wind turned, she was shocked to see Rolilly standing within arm's length.
Her body moved quicker than her mind, and by the time she realized it, she had already slipped through the crowd.
Wind's name suited her as she moved like a blur through the sea of people, slipping through the gaps the princess could not.
"There!" the princess snapped, pointing as Wind dashed over a pile of crates and into an alley.
The guards rushed forward, chasing her into the next street.
Wind looked over her shoulder and sneered at them, but inside, she was wildly panicking. If the city guard were to get involved, she would be doomed.
Even Petra would have a hard time rescuing her from the Sky Towers prison… probably.
While slipping back into the next crowd of people, Wind continued to create distance. She needed to find Soryn first, then return to the Tower Spider.
The third princess caught her breath and her eyes narrowed into a vicious grin. "Run while you can, little thief," she screeched. "Even you freaks must rest sometime! Now that I know you're free, I'll find whoever let you out and torture both of you to death!"
After a short break, she continued after her.
The market exploded into unrest as the chaos from the event venue started to spread out.
* * *
When Petra arrived at the market, things had already devolved into chaos.
She could barely see over the crowd, but she still managed to catch a glimpse of Wind's ragged figure vanishing into the distant crowd like a blur.
She immediately shot toward her.
Unfortunately, it was at that very moment that Petra heard a soft cry from behind.
She turned to find that Lilly had been grabbed by a middle-aged man, pinned down as his blue and white robe fluttered in the wind. Petra's eyes flashed when she saw the Azurefell crest.
"How lucky…" one of the men behind him chuckled. "It's them, the lost twins. I can't believe it!"
His words cut through the crowd like a storm, quickly drawing attention. Luna stood slightly away, her breathing ragged and uneven, as another man approached her. Heads turned, and the whispers that had filled the streets rose into shouts. The crowd began to close in, drawn by curiosity and their hunger for a scandal.
Petra froze mid step, torn between catching up to Wind and protecting the Twins.
Her jaw clenched. "Of all the things…!"
Before she could decide, another voice rose above the others, this time unmistakably directed at her.
"Wait! That's her! The missing hero from the north!"
For one heartbeat, everything went still. A moment later, all heads snapped toward Petra, and the crowd began to surround her as a human wave.
Petra felt that familiar, annoying sensation she had woken up with intensify. She finally realized what she was feeling, it was some kind of 'danger sense'.
Too many things overlapped, this was clearly a trap!
Petra roared in a furious voice, her sharp cry cutting through the crowd. "Enough!"
An explosive wave of mental energy erupted from her body, pressing down on the surrounding people and crushing down on their minds.
---!
The noise was cut off as countless people dropped like marionettes with their strings cut.
Silence.
Even the Azurefell family slumped to the ground, 'unconscious'.
Only the distant Wind and the two Twins remained awake, staring at Petra in amazement.
Petra let out a long breath, trembling with restraint.
"Let's hurry," she muttered, scooping up the three girls with her mental energy and whisking them away.
Using a mental attack like that was completely hit or miss.
Petra lacked the control needed to balance her massive pool of energy, so she had no idea how many of the surrounding people were unconscious… or dead.
* * *