Chronicles of the Red Sovereign

I managed to get away from the base and head to the location Kuro pointed me to. Kuro would be supervising the plan in regards to who were to be stationed on the locations, as well as their exact spots. Kuro had always been good at sensing magical energy and detecting weaknesses in barriers. He also had this amazing ability to phase, or to pass through anything, which makes him amazing.

Well that, and that he would be giving me the signal that everything had been prepared.

I reached the location and I grimaced when I realized that it was by the mouth of the volcano. Said volcano was active despite not releasing smoke. I could see the magma flowing in it as well as feel its heat.

“Where am I supposed to stand?” I asked myself.

<”Luna, demons are getting closer. One has already started climbing the volcano.”>

I clicked my tongue at the news. I still had no idea where I was supposed to place myself. I was definitely not going to stand in the middle of a magma river. Even though I had leveled up since last time I got involved in trouble, I’d still probably die.

-Wait does she want me to stand on the barrier itself?

I looked up and saw the center of the semi-transparent barrier. If I strained my eyes, I could make out a blurry figure standing on top of it.

-Aunt Zaira?

“Vyfal, go upwards.”

Oh yeah, I was riding Vyfal since I couldn’t fly myself.

Vyfal and I traveled upwards until we reached the barrier. I placed my hand on it and I could actually feel power circulate on the barrier itself.

-I wonder what kind of energy source the demons are using to put this up. And why?

I wrapped energy on my lower legs and feet, and made it sticky so I could stand on the barrier upside down. That and maybe alter gravity a bit as well. Making the energy on my legs sticky was just assurance that I won’t suddenly fall to my death.

“Vyfal, keep an eye on the demons. If any of them gets too close, make sure to make them go away.” I ordered. “I don’t know why they’re doing this and why they’re heading to the volcano, but we have to make sure they don’t succeed.”

<”Roger!”>

I placed both my hands on the barrier. I could see the blurry figure place their hands adjacent to mine and I could suddenly feel warmth on the spot where our hands meet. I could feel a familiar energy flow through my hands.

“Luna, can you hear me?” said the voice that was unmistakably Aunt Zaira’s.

“Aunt Zaira!”

“I’m here to help out with the situation. Demons in a land protected by the imperial family is bad news, so I was sent here to do something about it.”

“Will your plan really work? What if the demons get more aggressive once we break the barrier?” I asked.

“Don’t worry, apart from me, there’s the Four Guardians of Praiji and the imperial army stationed outside.”

I had no idea who the Four Guardians of Praiji were, but I knew I could trust Aunt Zaira.

“What do I have to do?”

“Good girl. You can immediately figure that out.”

Aunt Zaira told me what I should do.

I focused some energy on my hands then slowly make it reach out and stretch in all directions like vines. As per her advice, I sought out the concentrated energy on the four cardinal directions and make it stretch out as well until it encompassed the entire barrier.

“Everything’s set!” I heard Kuro shout.

“Boom.” was the last thing I heard from Aunt Zaira before everything blew up.

I could hear distant explosions as well as something shatter. I just realized that Aunt Zaira used the energy as some sort of explosives, making both sides explode, damaging the barrier on both inside and outside as well as its weak spots which I assumed would be the four cardinal directions.

Well, I’m not that good at barriers so I could never really get that wrap around my head.

There was still one problem though;

-Shit! I’m falling!

The barrier broke so I lost the spot where I was standing.

Just before Vyfal could catch me, or worse go splat (I couldn’t help but shiver at the thought), my right hand was caught by another hand and I was dangling in midair. I looked up and I saw Aunt Zaira holding unto me. But was not what shocked me though, it was the pair of black wings behind her.

-Aunt Zaira has wings?!

“Oh my, this is the first time you saw them right?” she asked with a smile on her face.

“Aunt Zaira, why do you have wings?”

“Simple, my mother was a karasu-tengu.”

“What’s a karasu-tengu?” I questioned.

“Well, why don’t you find out yourself?”

-Great.

We were in midair for a few seconds before I could hear more explosions and screams (or was it screeches?) from all over the island.

“Aaaah~ They’re already at it. I should get to work too.” I heard her mumble and we started flying away from the volcano’s crater.

We reached the base camp seconds later with Vyfal and Kuro behind us. The teachers and even a few students were still fighting the demons. I saw Professor Tresde, Professor Noria and one other teacher I did not recognize fight the greater demon together in a three versus one battle. But I could tell the teachers were having a hard time while the greater demon was just toying with them.

“They can’t even handle it? Just how weak has magic been these days.”

I admit the things I have witnessed the last seven years were not even worth mentioning compared to what I could do as well as the things I grew up with in the Celestial Realm and during ancient times, but for humans, the spells the teachers had been using were already considered intermediate level, if not high level.

“Stop commenting negatively Aunt Zaira and do something.” I commented. “That’s what you’re here for right?”

“Hn. You’re showing your sassy side again. Oh well.”

She suddenly let go of me and I went free falling. Thankfully, I was no longer that far from the ground so I was able to land with nothing broken. I saw Aunt Zaira land not that far from me and her wings vanished. She snapped her fingers and the three demons were suddenly impaled with spikes protruding from the ground followed by getting devoured by white flames.

-Ice Flame Magic.

Ice Flame Magic was a rare type of magic that fuses the properties of both fire and ice. Aunt Zaira once explained to me that ice at a certain temperature can actually burn and that idea was what inspired her to create such magic. Ice Flame Magic spells could freeze and burn at the same time. But from what I knew, it was very hard to pull off and so far only Aunt Zaira could do it in the entire Praiji Empire.

A roar snapped me out of my thoughts and I saw the greater demon step out from the raging white flames, her body covered in both ice shards and burns. I could even see the skin under the ice shards still burning.

-Of course the greater demon can somewhat survive. It’s a greater demon after all.

[“You! The White Sorceress!”] screamed the demon.

[“I am, but nobody has called me that in a long time.”] replied Aunt Zaira.

[“Because of you… because of you…! Curse you White Sorceress of the Central Plains!”] the demon bellowed again. [“I will curse you… you and your descendants! You will forever be doomed plagued by demons and those of the unseen!”]

Aunt Zaira snapped her fingers and a lightning bold ran down from the skies and struck the demon. Like its two other kin, nothing but ashes remained.

“Hn! Curse me? You should try a stronger one next time. That is if you can.” she released a deep sigh. “Now its over.”

I could only stand agape at the turn of events. Yep, Aunt Zaira really was something. And what she showed was just the tip of the iceberg. It was just a small fraction of the Archduchess’ might.