The Demon Lord Is An Angel
Chapter 151: The Situation At School

Chapter 151: The Situation At School

"It all started the day the siege came," Kordia began.

As the city scrambled to prepare its defenses, the initial volley had been enough to shatter the city barrier.

At first, the Academy had locked itself down, anticipating it would be a target.

Then, demons descended from the sky, attacking the city, and only the presence of local mages and adventurers kept the damage to a minimum before the Academy staff and professors joined the fray.

The battle lasted for hours, as the ground troops had deployed, encircling the city just beyond the effective range of the city’s defenders. Earthworks had gone up, and despite the vulnerability of fleeing citizens rushing to the city, the demons had held back. A disciplined army, contrary to the stereotype of wild demonic hordes reinforced by history.

There were few casualties in the city, many injuries, but only a few dozen deaths - and almost as many inflicted on the fliers who’d led the first attack.

The students of the Academy had cheered their professors on, watching from the many bridges as spells and mavenry put on dazzling displays of colorful combat.

The first students to disappear were a pair of twins.

At first, it seemed as though they might have taken cover for the initial attack, but when they failed to arrive for a roll call, a brief search had started. Then, the next day, another student disappeared while looking for them.

Then another.

And another.

With each daily roll call, the students who had elected to stay in the school over the summer grew more and more nervous.

"Could it be demons?" Kir asked.

Kordia shook her head. "The professors all say that there’s a detector for demons active in the school. If there were any demons in the Academy, it would have gone off. So far, they haven’t even tried to test the school’s wards."

"That... sounds strange," Kir said.

"You met their general. Did he give any hint about their plans?"

"Not much," Kir replied. "Just that they were waiting for a signal from Maledict. I have no idea what that could mean."

Kordia closed her eyes for a moment, thinking. "I need to go to Lumis with this. Maledict could be in the city or nearby..."

"If he is, then he probably knows I’m here," Kir scratched the back of his head. "Remember how I said Sreev tested me when I showed up? He set off Maledict’s forbidding," he gestured at his chest, the mark on it. "But Maledict didn’t show up, so he’s either out of range or busy or something..."

"Kir, you said the first time Maledict showed up because of your Forbidding, he used a portal from Hell itself. I doubt he’s out of range," Kordia reminded him.

"So he’s up to something. If it’s connected to what’s happening at the Academy, I want to help. He can’t harm me, nor can any demon under him, so whatever he’s doing, it can’t be big enough to destroy the city." He hoped, but if Maledict had a way to just keep Kir from being attacked or hurt, or if their Oath allowed for unconscious, indirect harm, then there was technically nothing to stop the man who sired him.

"Are you sure about that?" Kordia asked, before shaking her head. "No, it doesn’t matter. There’s nothing indicating any sort of demonic involvement. I can’t justify even trying to let you help without proof. And with the alarms active, the moment you step onto campus, everyone will know..."

"Kordia... Is that the real reason you don’t want me to help?"

"Just let me protect you!" she raised her voice. "I don’t... I don’t want to lose you too..."

She buried her face in Kir’s chest as her tears fell anew. For a few long moments, he hugged her close, gently stroking her hair as he waited for her.

When she pulled away, she wiped her eyes. "I’m sorry... I’m just so tired..."

"I understand," Kir said. "We’ll do things your way. Go report to Lumis. Then get some rest."

"I... don’t know that I can rest. Especially not if someone else disappears and-"

Stella cleared her throat. "I could probably help with that."

Kordia gave her a look.

"It doesn’t even have to be sexual!" Stella protested. "Remember the camp? Half of those demons just wanted a back massage. It was great practice for getting the electricity just right."

"Elect... what?" Kordia asked.

"Lightning," Kir said quickly. "It’s another name for it."

Kordia shook her head, "I don’t know if I should be scared or impressed that you’ve got Stella talking like you now."

"Don’t knock it ’til you try it," Stella said, quoting Kir.

"Fine. Maybe if I get to rest, I’ll come back." Kordia took a deep breath, then cracked her neck, massaging it a little at the shoulder. "Just no funny business."

From the front of the shop, the sounds of the door opening signaled Amarena’s return. She stepped in heavily, letting the door close itself as she regarded everyone.

Kir looked up at her, and she shrugged. "Just wanted to go out and look up at Hell for a bit. Eye’s open tonight." She referred to the Eye of Hell, its largest, most active volcano, which always faced Ayther.

"Feeling homesick?" Stella half-teased.

"Home-sick of you, strangeling bitch," Amarena growled, but without much passion behind the insult.

"Huh?" Kordia sounded, confused.

"What?" Stella raised an eyebrow. "You still look like a beaten sack of blueberries with horns."

"And if you weren’t shifted, you’d look like a twig with tits," Amarena shot back.

"Rena," Kir interrupted. "It sounds like you need a day off too."

"I’m fine," Amarena insisted. "Maledict’s ’finest’ barely scratched me in the ring."

"You need rest," Kir said.

She scowled at him. "Make me."

"Rena, now is not the time for us to fight each other."

"I’m not getting any stronger standing around waiting for you to pull your collective heads out of your asses," she snarled. "So how about you quit wasting my time and-" she took a step forward and immediately bumped into a barrier. "What is this?!"

Kir looked at Kordia. She was blazing with active magic, and to his sight he could see how the magic flowed along her body, strong with the idea of pure, hard, latticed force. Kordia was trapping Amarena in a barrier, a use for which Kir had never seen her practice.

"Where the fuck do you get off talking like that to the people trying to help you?!" she challenged, her tails rising behind her.

"Stay out of this." Amarena punched at the barrier, which didn’t give at all. Kir watched as she flowed mana into her next punch, and the barrier visibly redistributed the force of it.

"I’m not staying out of this," Kordia stepped toward her. "You want to be around Kir, then you’ll-"

Amarena burst out laughing. "You think I want to fuck around with that twig? He’s just a means for me to get stronger, wench. I’ve already pounded him into the ground many times., and if he refuses to wield the wrath I so graciously helped him find, then I’ll find someone more worthy of my time."

Kordia kept her gaze locked with Amarena’s; staring her down despite their significant height difference. Behind her, however, Stella wasn’t done.

"Ugh, this bitch," she scoffed. "How about you stop making us the problem? We’re not responsible for what happened to Leviathan."

"Maledict could have saved her!" Amarena shouted. "Instead he watched as she died! As my mother died."

"How about you blame the fuckers who actually killed her then!" Stella raised her voice to match.

Unseen by everyone, Noir chose that moment to quietly step over to the stairwell and sit on the steps; as far away from the shouting match as possible without leaving.

Amarena’s face was turning red, and Kir saw wisps of steam coming from the corners of her eyes. She punched again and again at the barrier, managing to shift a few hexes, but Kir could see her blows were weakening with each strike. "Let me out of here!" she screamed.

Oddly, she started panting. Kir had never known her to get exhausted this quickly.

Amarena shifted her arm into warform, but after a single punch it shifted back, the hexagons of Kordia’s barrier shifting more than any other punch but still holding strong.

"You..." Amarena looked at Kordia, glaring as her face became woozy. "What have you..."

A twinkle of magic seemed to form in Amarena’s eyes, before she suddenly collapsed within the barrier, passing out cold and panting where she lay, crumpled by the rounded edge of the barrier.

A moment later, Kir watched as Kordia’s barrier was allowed to dispel.

"That barrier pushes the air inside out," Kordia said as she walked up to the sleeping Amarena, turning her onto her back and checking her for a pulse. "Demons still need to breathe, after all."

"Damn, Kor, that was cold," Stella said, a note of pride in her voice.

Kordia sighed. "I look like her, don’t I?"

"I’d say you’re prettier by a few great measures," Stella quipped.

"No, I meant... tired. I feel so tired... but I just keep going..."

"Kordia," Kir bent down to hug her. "Go report in and get some rest. I’ll still be here when you wake up." He needed to make sure Amarena wasn’t too mad, but maybe she’d feel better when she woke up.

"She’s pretty strong. I didn’t think she could shift that barrier with strength alone..." Kordia said, then paused. "I’ll come back" she looked at Stella "and I think a massage sounds heavenly."

"Great!" Stella said. "We’ll make it a girl’s night."

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