Seven Devils and a Rose

Another big blow came, and the area around the two lords burst, destroying trees and earth, making a great big crater in the middle.

Holy shit!

It was then that I heard Lord Geoffrey's voice shouting, "Alfie?"

My heart racing, I shouted back, "I'm here. I'm okay."

When he spotted me from the distance, he used Silent Move to get to me. In the flick of a second, he was beside me and pulled me into his arms, hugging me tight, his warm breath on my forehead.

He said, his voice shaking, "I was so worried."

I clutched him for a moment, basking in his strength and warmness.

When he stepped back, I said, "I'm fine."

It was then that the others—Lord Noah, Victor, Ethan, and Aaron—appeared.

Lord Noah said, "How the fuck are we going to stop them now?"

Lord Geoffrey said, "We'll just need to do the best that we can. Noah, Victor, and Ethan, you three erect a barrier. At least we're isolated and in the woods, which means the citizens will not be affected. After that, start the demonic suppression spell."

The three lords nodded in understanding.

Lord Geoffrey turned to Aaron. "You take on Caleb, and I'll take Felix."

Aaron nodded. "Hmm."

Without so much as a by-your-leave, they hastily headed away to execute their appointed jobs, leaving me to watch them, dumbfounded. And here I thought I had a good idea on how to de-berserk Felix and Caleb.

In the distance, Lord Noah, Ethan, and Victor took up their positions, elegantly standing high in the air by using their qi to form magical flying disk platforms that supported them. They started forming the barrier. In an instant, dark qi was released and a massive triangular sign, filled with sinister energy, magically appeared and rose high in the sky. A hum loudly echoed throughout the woods after that, and the hue of a dark barrier spread and formed. Once done, the three lords started chanting the demonic suppression spell, and instantly, I saw the effect.

Both Felix and Caleb dropped their swords in the middle of their fight and fell to their knees. Instantly, Aaron and Lord Geoffrey charged right in at almost lightning speed.

The spell, however, didn't affect Felix and Caleb long, because both were on their feet again. They must have sensed the attack aura from both Aaron and Lord Geoffrey, I thought, because they were suddenly in a defensive stance, directing their attention toward both Aaron and Lord Geoffrey.

Suddenly, it was an all-out war, with Felix battling with Lord Geoffrey, who had summoned a kickass-looking crossbow emitting a sinister aura. Meanwhile, Caleb was fighting with Aaron, who had summoned an awesome curved sword.

Once again, I couldn't quite see or understand what was going on, even with the help of the military lenses, because their movements were so damned fast, with the swords flicking this way and that, glistening in the night.

Then Aaron was suddenly kicked back and thrown across the distance. His body smashed against the barrier, and he fell to the ground.

I rushed over to him, and once I was close, I noted that he was severely injured. I felt like my heart just dropped to my shoes as I cried, "Aaron! Aaron! Please be all right."

I pulled him into my arms. Oh God, but he was a mess, with wounds and blood everywhere.

He groaned in pain as he somehow managed to open his eyes. He asked, his voice weak, "Alfie?"

I nodded my head as tears flowed down my cheeks. "Please be all right," I whispered, hugging him tight.

Aaron weakly touched me as he said, "You smell nice, Alfie. Shit, I feel like I'm about to die."

I shook my head. "No. Don't say that. Don't. You'll be all right. I know you'll be."

Suddenly, I heard a crash, and I saw that Lord Geoffrey had been thrown across the distance and his body smashed against the barrier as well, then had fallen to the ground limply.

Instantly, Caleb and Felix were attacking each other again, and I knew that I had no choice. Aaron and Lord Geoffrey were down, while Lord Noah, Victor, and Ethan wouldn't be able to move because they needed to stay in their positions to continue chanting that demonic suppression spell. I knew that if they were to break the formation or the chanting, then Caleb and Felix would break free and become even more powerful. It'd be a disaster for sure.

I rested Aaron gently back on the ground and moved over to pick up his curved sword.

Aaron looked at me through his swollen, injured eyes, his face pale. He uttered, blood spurting out of his mouth, "Alfie. What… what are you doing?"

As I rose, my eyes were on Caleb and Felix.

I said, "Stopping this stupid nonsense. I dislike fights, you know, and amongst comrades at that. This is so not okay."

Aaron was shaking his head and even managed, in his near-death state, to pull at my hand to prevent me from doing this, which I assumed was akin to committing suicide. Indeed, it felt like that, with me walking into the middle of two powerful demon lords who had gone berserk, going all out at trying to kill each other.

I said, my voice trembling, "I'll be fine." I knew I didn't sound convincing, but I did the best I could to comfort and assure him.

If I were to die here? Well, what could I do? If I didn't die here trying to do this, I'd probably die soon after when both Felix and Caleb got really out of hand and destroyed the whole city, killing the citizens of Acaedien in the process, which would undoubtedly include me.

With trembling legs and Aaron's sword tight in my hands, I started toward Caleb and Felix.

Floating above in the air, all three lords—Noah, Victor, and Ethan—looked at me, perhaps aghast at seeing me walking head on toward the battlefront. Perhaps they wanted to shout at me to turn back, to tell me that I was stupid. But of course, they couldn't afford to stop their chanting.

I raised my hand at them, even did a cool fist-pump in the air to tell them that I'd be fine and would indeed give them my best performance yet.

You all just wait and see, my gesture implied.

Yes, a nineteen-year-old girl who had been magically transported to this kickass beautiful realm was about to take on two mighty demon lords who had been smitten with her and demanded kisses from her.

Up close, I stopped and then took a long, deep breath to calm myself. In that instant, I noticed Lord Geoffrey watching me. I felt like he was calling out to me, and I rushed over to him.

Once I was beside him, I knelt and helped him up. Coughing and spurting blood, he asked, "Alfie, what are you doing?"

I licked my lips and said, "It's the only thing I can think of, my lord, to stop them. I have pure qi, and it has the ability to penetrate anything, including darkness."

That said, Lord Geoffrey widened his eyes in surprise, as if he himself had just figured that out.

He chuckled and looked rather proudly at me. He reached his hand out and stroked my head. He said, "I know they won't hurt you, but be careful nonetheless, Alfie."

I nodded in understanding. Does that mean he approves of my idea?

His next statement confirmed that. He said, "First, separate them to stop the fight. Then go for the head. Direct your qi toward their minds. They're imprisoned in the darkness of the cosmos there."

I said, "I got it."

"Be careful, love."

I smiled at him. Gosh, he was in that state where he was supposed to be half dead, and he still looked hot as hell and, needless to say, damned worried about me.

I leaned down and gave him a kiss on his mask of a forehead.

He chuckled. "I would prefer the lips, love."

I said, "But they're all bloody, my lord." With that teasing done, I stood and once again, with jelly-like legs, headed toward the depths of the battlefront.