CHAPTER 457: HUMAN VS DEMON

As a storm of ice and cold manifested around Maiya, she realized she might have been better off following her own advice of not fighting unless absolutely necessary. But if she fled now, the fire would only continue to consume the city, and maybe she could kill two shrikes with one freezing ice storm.

She had expected—hoped—to surprise her foes. And she did. Just not nearly as much as she would have in the human realm. Back there, people would have recognized Blizzard for what it was—an A-rank magic spell, a tier of spell that very few beings could cast, and even fewer could hope to survive, let alone defeat.

Here, in the demon realm, Aspect arts were a dime a dozen. And while most couldn't manifest the same sort of power Maiya could from her A-grade orb, the demons were used to fighting against versatile magic, bounded by imagination rather than an inscription.

At least Aindri bloodline arts all focused on mounted combat. To blend in, the Aindri agents had been forced to infiltrate the city on foot.

Her enemies’ hesitation lasted barely a second before they retaliated with a myriad of spells Maiya had never encountered.

One—whom Maiya guessed wielded Aspect of the Inferno—manifested a streak of blue flame that ripped across the ground, tracing a jagged path of searing heat toward her, forcing Maiya to dodge. Worse, it burned anything combustible in its path, setting wooden debris alight.

While Maiya had precharged every type of elemental defense orb that existed—as well as the physical ones for slashing, piercing, and blunt force damage—draining a defense orb for an attack she could avoid would be foolish.

Her save bought her no respite, however. These demons were experienced Warriors, brought up in a culture that espoused the martial arts since childhood. Just like a certain country she was trying to overthrow.

The instant Maiya dodged, another Aindri Warrior came tearing at her with a talwar. Maiya didn’t even try to compete against a demon in physical strength, even with the Lighten Load orbs that allowed her to move quicker than most humans. She shifted her stance, deflecting and redirecting his strikes rather than absorbing them.

It proved the right decision, because even deflected, the power behind his blows rattled her bones. Worse still, fighting this demon kept her occupied—unable to respond to the other five.

Three were clearly charging spells, while two flanked and closed in, surrounding her. She had to defend herself from both front and back.

Maiya immediately recognized how hopeless the situation was.

Had these been ordinary humans, she would’ve destroyed them without a thought—even if they were low-tier Talent wielders. If they had been mejai, she would still have outmatched them. She was better than most mejai, even when facing multiple opponents.

But demons? Demons were like Talent wielders and mejai fused into one—and stronger in every aspect.

Still, Maiya wasn't going down without a fight.

Blizzard continued to grow in strength, besieging the whole in a deathly, icy grip.

Adding fuel to this ice fire, Maiya activated her A-grade Tempest orb. Torrential winds whipped the area, hurling hail in every direction, cutting visibility to mere feet.

It was the perfect cover.

Maiya slipped out of the encirclement and in one smooth motion, looped behind one of the demons.

Let’s see if you can tank this, chal, Maiya thought, pressing a C-grade Wind Blade to the back of his neck.

The spell’s inscription flared, the orb sending a surge of deadly wind scything through the demon’s body. His head went flying.

Maiya let out a relieved breath. Her magic could be effective against these demons—even of the lowliest rank—if she maximized their efficacy.

Her relief, however, was short-lived.

Maiya’s head swam. She stumbled forward, falling to her knees, suddenly nauseous. She clutched her skull in agony as a blade of pain split her mind.

Her parents screamed as they were dropped from the walls of Daha, their cries cut short when their bodies impacted the Grand Moat far below with a sickening crunch. 𝖗άΝＯBΕⱾ

Houses burned in the distance, a village aflame. Brij.

Maiya turned to see Vir stabbed in the back by a Talwar made of pure prana, Raja Jagath smiling as he twisted the blade, ending Vir’s life.

“N-No!” she screamed. Then he was gone, with her own body taking his place.

A sudden stab of pain pierced her stomach, clearing the fog of haze that blanketed her thoughts.

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Fighting through the pain, Maiya recognized the attack for what it was—a chakra-based illusion.

Cursing herself, she hurriedly opened her Foundation Chakra, bringing her back to the present.

Maiya didn’t think, she simply activated. Two B Grade Hail Bursts and a single B Grade Razor Gale activated all at once, aimed directly in front of her.

The demon never saw his death coming. His armor exploded from the impact, sending him flying against a wall.

When his body crashed against the ground, he didn’t get back up.

Right, Maiya thought, staggering to her feet. Demons don’t just have diverse magic and strong bodies—they have chakra too. Seriously, how is this fair?

Maiya—a high level mejai armed with an arsenal that would bankrupt most Sawai treasuries—struggled with mere grunts. Grunts unable to use their true powers—their bloodline arts—because they fought with a handicap.

Her oversight that had nearly cost her life. Thankfully, her Piercing Protectiom orb had absorbed most of the damage, sacrificing all of its charge in the process, but in return, she was left with a nonlethal wound.

Maiya darted aside, putting distance between her and a slow-moving cloud of fire that seemed to home in on her no matter where she went.

She looked toward her remaining four foes, wondering which among them cast that annoying spell. Maiya cursed her inability to see magic like Vir could. It was such an unfair advantage, both for learning magic and in combat.

Taking a deep breath, Maiya centered herself, calming her heart. Her Foundation Chakra protected her from Life Chakra attacks, but she had yet to open the Shield Chakra. That left her vulnerable to Warrior Chakra strikes, and from what Vir said, if one of those hit her, she'd be as good as dead—or worse.

Maiya shuddered and drew on her full arsenal.

She’d tried to ration her orbs until now, in case she needed them later. Her A-grade orbs couldn’t be recharged in the field—not at any meaningful rate during combat, anyway. B-grade orbs could, but doing so while fighting was difficult at the best of times. Outnumbered and facing elite foes while also holding her Foundation Chakra open? She didn’t dare divide her attention.

Still, it was the only way to deal with these goons quickly and safely.

The four remaining foes attempted to encircle her, but Maiya quickly backed away, forcing them to attack her from the front, which meant only two demons could charge at once.

They did, but more worryingly, they both fired Warrior Chakra attacks moments before attacking with their talwars.

Maiya couldn’t block the former and she couldn’t dodge the latter. Still, there was no choice in the matter. She threw herself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the fatal Chakra attacks.

It was both the right move and the worst thing she could have done. The two strikes landed on her Handmaiden armor, instantly depleting the Piercing Protection Orb she’d just recharged.

The blades cut through the armor and deep into her left shoulder and right arm, making her wince in pain.

Maiya quickly charged another Lighten Load orb embedded in her boots and darted away, avoiding their followup strikes.

In the span of just a few seconds, her situation had grown dire.

Until now, her foes hadn’t known whether Warrior Chakra attacks would foil her—perhaps they assumed it wouldn’t, considering how most Warrior Callings worth their salt had.

Now, they knew, and they exploited that weakness with brutal efficiency.

Warrior Chakra attacks fired after her one after another, giving Maiya no time to stop, let alone heal her wounds with a precharged Life orb.

Some attacks went wide, while others missed by inches.

Maiya jumped, soaring through the air to dodge yet another assault. She unleashed everything she had.

Her B Grade Water Spear struck the nearest Warrior in the heart, penetrating through and picking him off his feet, only stopping when it pinned him against a nearby wall.

Maiya hit the ground and rolled, firing dual Hail Bursts in a fan at her remaining foes.

Two threw themselves against the ground, avoiding the attack, but one took the attack head on. His armor shrugged off the attack, but one struck his eye and penetrated, killing him instantly.

The fireball chasing Maiya winked out when he fell, giving Maiya a moment of respite.

It was the exact moment her luck ran out.

The earth shook, and an unknown force hurled her into the air. Her blunt force trauma orb flickered, its charge fully depleted. Before she could recover, a red demon slammed her into a wall and grasped her neck with unbelievable strength.

Pinned and unable to move, Maiya thrust the orb she held into her enemy’s face, firing as fast as she could recharge it. She fully expected them to pierce her foe like her Wind Blade had before.

To her shock, they bounced harmlessly off.

Another Aspect art? Maiya thought in panic. This isn’t good. This is really really bad.

The demon grinned, just inches from her face. “So, this is the Rajni of that self-proclaimed god.”

He’s never once called himself that, you Ash-damned chal, Maiya thought, struggling to breathe against the demon’s strengthening grip.

“What a pathetic showing,” he rasped. “But pretty. I’ve never seen skin like yours. Yes, I shall enjoy having you before I break your soul.”

Maiya’s eyes bulged from the lack of air. Her feet kicked uselessly at the air as he raised her up.

This can’t be! Maiya wailed. This can’t be how I die! Not like this. Not… Not again.

Except this time, Vir wouldn’t be there to save her. He was off fighting the Chitran Raja. And quite frankly, Maiya had grown tired of being saved.

Why? Why was she so weak? Why couldn’t she decimate her foes like Vir did?

Why did her soul have to be wrapped in such frail human skin?

Maiya looked at the sky, but only saw smoke. The fires had grown worse. The heat was almost unbearable.

Her vision grew dim, darkness creeping in at the edge.

Through the haze, Maiya knew. If she succumbed now, it would be the end for her. And yet, she was utterly powerless to change her fate. If only…

A glint in the sky. Maiya’s heart skipped a beat. Vir!

But no. Vir’s armor was as black as midnight. This figure was white.

White?

Mustering all the air left in her lungs, Maiya roared.

“ASHANI! HELP!”

The demon grasping her froze at the goddess’ name.

“A bluff,” the other demon said, scowling. “Their so-called goddess is—”

He never got to finish his sentence.

It wasn’t the goddess in white that did him in, however, but a black blur.

It is Vir! Maiya thought, heart leaping once more, only to find a tail and pitch-black fur in front of her, jaws open wide.

“Shan!”

Yet before Shan could leap again, light flashed, so bright it blinded her, and thunder struck with such deafening volume that Maiya’s ears rang.

Maiya fell, crumpling to the ground.

When her eyes finally recovered enough to see again, she found an outline on the stone in front of her, Shan sniffing at it curiously.

It took her a few moments to recognize it as the outline of a boot. Two of them, next to each other.

Then, finally, it clicked, and Maiya gasped.

That was all that was left of the one who strangled her. No corpse. Not even Ash. Only a blackened outline of the demons’ boots on the ground there they’d stood.

They’d been vaporized.

White slippers trampled the outline, erasing even that stain.

Maiya’s eyes moved up… and found the Goddess in White, smiling warmly, as always.