The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 392: Ambush

Chapter 392: Ambush

No sooner had I spoken that my mana reacted, confirming my conviction and then escalating into a sharp, violent warning. A subtle ripple in fate stirred my very soul, sending a wave of tingles down my tail. My head snapped up and met Gith’s gaze, whose mouth had dropped open in disbelief.

"Something–no, someone–is coming," he said, panic in his voice. His fingers trembled as he reached for an arrow, looking about wildly. "Someone strong!"

I nodded and looked at the demon, who remained focused on me and me alone. "Kahlen, I will give you a chance to prove your loyalty. The Justice Hero approaches with the intent of taking me in chains. He is seventh level and extremely powerful against any who have committed crimes against the laws of the land and the divine."

The Star Guard froze as I spoke, their eyes widening with disbelief. Even Korra did a double take, but understanding entered her eyes, and she nodded. I hadn’t had the chance to explain my vision to her yet, but Korra knew I had seen something and believed in me.

The demon rose to his full height, his blades scraping together. "You would ask a lowly demon like myself to defend you against a full-fledged hero? I am but sixth-level."

"Then return to your master and tell him his gift was of no worth to me," I said, forcing myself to sound callous.

His core vibrated gently, like a soft chuckle. "Hmm, interesting. I was led to believe you were less decisive than this. Don’t fret, though," it added quickly when my tail twitched, "Such ruthlessness is becoming of one such as yourself. Regardless of the Lord of Ashes’ will, I would never stoop to serve one who lacked the strength to lead."

"That...wasn’t what I was worried about," I muttered, self-consciously rubbing a horn. Ruthless? The word could never apply to me, not even in irony. It took all the confidence I could muster every time I raised my voice or gave a command, leaving me feeling drained and embarrassed. Being ruthless was for natural-born leaders like Soltair or even Luke. Not me.

Even the thought felt absurd, a wave of shame washing over me.

"Come!" the demon called to its companions at the bottom of the hill. "We have a mission!"

I watched, bewildered, as the four spread out around us, forming a loose perimeter a hundred feet away. I wasn’t particularly worried about their deaths, but the sudden change of heart caught me by surprise.

Korra stood beside me with a slight frown, her arms crossed beneath her breasts. "They didn’t even question it," she said softly. "Victor’s presence, I mean. Did they already know he was coming for you?"

I shrugged, wincing as the motion upset the sunpurge. "I don’t think so. They just...believe."

"I’m more curious about this ’Lord of Ashes," Orion muttered. "The only demon of note east of here is that Fire Demon."

"The one that hurt Levin," I said with a nod. "He’s not a demon lord, but he might be close. Eight level, I think."

Jenna let out a low whistle. "Crazy to think something that strong is crawling around Enusia. I wonder why the church hasn’t eliminated it yet?"

"Perhaps they can’t," Korra said.

Her words cast a dour mood over our small party, and we fell silent. It was a thought none of us wanted to acknowledge that there were demons capable of destroying anything humanity had right now. What would something like that mean for Enusia?

At least it seemed to have goodwill toward me, but until I figured out why that was, it would remain a point of unease. Demons were sly, deceptive creatures; if you fell into debt, they would take everything. That was the price I almost paid at Western University, the cost of saving Elise. I couldn’t allow another demon to have power over me again; there was no telling what terrible things it could do with the skills and abilities I’d developed.

"He’s here," Gith said suddenly, pointing to where the demons

A beam of light punctured the sea of gray clouds, slamming into the ground directly before us. The snow clouds were blasted away from the entry point, opening up to reveal the crisp, blue sky. A large shape wheeled about in the sky window, a fifty-foot-long creature with a scaled hide and long, bat-like wings. A dragon!

A shockwave swept out of the impact zone where the light landed, throwing up earth and stone and forming a crater twenty feet deep. I shielded my eyes against the glare, squinting as it began to die down. A lone figure rested on one knee in the crater’s center, one hand resting on the grip of an ornate broad sword with the point driven into the ground. His soul was in the middle stages of seventh-level, only a little stronger than Korra when she tried to save me in the Divine Throne.

The dragon let out a roar, and the figure raised his head, eyes locking with mine. "Found you."

His voice was strong and resonant, precisely the same as the Justice Hero I’d heard speak in my vision. Korra confirmed it a moment later as she let out an exasperated sigh and shook her head.

"Oh, shut up, Victor. I’d never taken you one for theatrics before, but that entrance was flamboyant enough to make Alex jealous."

"Korra?" Victor’s eyes snapped to Korra, and the imposing visage of the Justice Hero cracked. "What are you doing with...no," he said, shaking his head. "Of course you’d be here, Grace said as much. But why are they here?"

He waved a gauntleted hand at the demons, who had moved to surround him. Korra shrugged, giving me a sidelong glance.

"I’m still trying to figure that out myself. Also, since when did you get a dragon?"

Victor’s face brightened at that, but he quickly regained his composure. He raised his sword skyward and used a bit of mana to send a wave of light along its blade. "Don’t you know, Korra? Real heroes can call upon their Divine Artifacts to unlock new skills and abilities. One of mine is to summon a dragon companion as a mount and ally in battle. What, feeling a little jealous? Remind me what happened to yours again?"

Korra’s lips drew into a taught line, and she took a long breath before responding. "Some things are worth more than shiny toys, though I don’t expect a dense, single-minded man like you to understand."

"Her?" he asked, gesturing at me with his sword. "This pathetic child is what’s worth giving up everything? We were friends, Korra. Allies to the bitter end. But you abandoned us for a filthblood. I was at the trial myself and declared her guilty. She betrayed humanity, Korra. Tens of thousands died because of her selfish choices. And yet you defend her. You’re hardly in a position to call me single-minded."

She went silent after that, but I could see her hands tighten into fists, shivering with anger. Victor grinned triumphantly and raised his sword, resting it on his shoulder.

"Stand aside, Korra, and I’ll ensure the church and other heroes accept your apology. You were blinded by the filthblood’s whispered words and foul deceptions. I’m certain they’ll understand and take you back. You might even get your staff back."

"I’d rather die than be a dog to the slavers and monsters you worship," she replied.

His smile disappeared, and he took a long, deep breath, suffusing himself with mana. His polished steel plate and sword began to glow. Their power wasn’t soft and warm like the sun but harsh and white—a physical manifestation of the purging fires of justice.

"Do not deny justice, Korra. Stand aside, and I’ll spare you. I mean it." he said, "but get in my way or prove yourself an ally of these demons, and I’ll take you in too. I refuse to turn a blind eye to the demands of justice."

"Justice," the blade demon spat, speaking for the first time. "Is that all you speak of? I’ve killed hundreds of self-righteous mortals on just as many worlds spouting the same nonsense. Even had the Oracle not commanded me to defeat you, I would have enjoyed humbling your arrogance. Come and show me what the heroes of Enusia have to offer!"

Without waiting for a response, Kahlen lunged at the Justice Hero. His four scythe-like arms sliced forward with enough force to leave small spatial tears in the space behind them and wind blades proceeded before them, turning the air around Victor into a blender.

Victor spun his sword up and gripped the hilt the hilt with both hands. His eyes closed to half-slits as he channeled his power and cast a chantless fifth-circle spell. "Armaments of Justice: Defender!"

Moments before the storm of wind blades swept into him, a glowing shield materialized in the air. It flashed and teleported in front of him, catching the attack directly. The impact shook the shield, and wind currents blasted out in all directions, releasing a droning, gong-like clang. Before the shockwaves had died away, it shifted position and caught several of the Kahlen’s blades, deflecting them from its charge.

Victor swung his sword like it was made of paper, easily parrying whatever attacks breached his floating shield’s defense. Occasionally, he broke through the storm of blades and struck out fast a serpent, landing a solid blow on the cage of steel protecting the blade demon’s core.

The exchange was over in a second, and the two leaped away in a bid for distance. "Not bad," Victor said, swinging his sword with a flourish. "I hadn’t realized demons were capable of such skill. Not that it changes anything. Justice cannot be denied."

Kahlen’s core hummed with a decidedly amused frequency. "Odd for you to be praising me. I pray you’re not demonstrative of the skills I can expect from this generation of heroes. Are you sure you were summoned in the same cycle as the Oracle?"

He barked a short, humorless laugh. "You think to compare me to a filthblood like her?"

"Of course not!" Kahlen sounded shocked. "I would never insult my Lady by dimming her brightness with your filth. That would be most embarrassing."

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