C8: Protection from the goddess

Soldiers and civilians alike joint hands to reinforce the gates. They put everything they can put to prevent it from opening. Wood, chairs, tables, pots, anything of weight was brought out by the people. The desperation and hopes of the people all put into preventing the daemons from entering the city.

In fear of the worst, the mayor evacuated the civilians and brought them to his manor. With its size and location, it was the only suitable place.

The sun was about to set and the two forces are at a stalemate. Unlike the daemons, the soldiers get tired and a whole day of fighting is starting to caught up.

CRASHHHH

The gate was breached. All kinds of beasts came in like flood. Some would trip over the tables and pots but it didn't really pose much of an obstacle as countless of them poured in.

Soldiers at the battlements shot blindly hoping to hit one.

Inside the city, it was eerily quiet. Daemons began to sniff around the buildings in search of prey. They were about to break in when bottles came out of the windows. They sniffed to check when the bottles exploded in their faces. Numerous streets were filled with smashed up meat and a whole lot of blood. The explosion was so powerful it nearly killed all daemons.

The explosion left a black ash on the walls. Thankfully the walls were built strong so only the wood like the doors and windows were destroyed. Soldiers of the capital poured out and began attacking the remaining daemons. Everyone used their attributes to attack them. Fran stood out like a sore thumb amidst the colors of the mana. She used the same sword in training but with her style of fighting, it was inevitable to get close. She tried throwing the ball of energy she built and would occasionally hit. She was not that precise but considering that she was only learning for a week, it was already an amazing feat to be able to use it that well in battle.

Everything was going well. All the daemons inside the city were killed. The street was now dyed red with a strong smell of iron. The stench was strong and the soldiers blocked their sense of smell with their mana. Fran was still inexperienced with mana control and so struggled alone. The smell was so strong she almost feel nauseous. Sweat beaded her forehead as she struggled to withstand the smell.

"That was easier than I thought." A soldier said.

He celebrated early.

A cloaked figure appeared in front of the gate out of thin air, his garment hiding half his face.

"Teleportation..." Yulia mumbled. "Impossible."

The cloaked figure waved his hand and a light pressure spread like a ripple. It was so light that they barely felt it. Everyone just stood still and watched in shock at the figure.

A lot of them were seasoned soldiers so they broke out of their trance earlier than the others. Standing still was as good as being dead after all. They tried to move but realized couldn't. They were rooted to the ground. How did it happen?

That wave!

They realized it too late. The soldiers tried to escape but it was to no avail. A smile showed on the figure's face as he reveled in delight watching them struggle.

"STOP HIM!" The Lord's voice resounded from up the battlements. He jumped but was too far away to attack.

Fran wrestled with the invisible bonds and was able to break through. She ran in full speed with her sword in hand. She ran left and right not wanting to be a still target. The man just stood there and continued like she was not someone to be bothered with. He couldn't be blamed as who would expect a First Level cultivator to do him damage. He was two levels above her!

The mana on his hands grew deeper in color as he accumulated more and more mana. Fran reached his left side and slashed her sword.

His arm fell on the ground. Blood flowed like an open faucet from his arm, waiting to be closed. His breath came in hurried gasps as he tried to stop the blood.

What was strange was that even though his arm was severed, it continued to amass the mana around. Fran couldn't help remember the lizard she cut back then. Its tail wiggled around even though it was detached of its main body. Was it the same principle? Is he a lizard? With all the magic that's going around her, Fran decided to have an open mind.

The cloaked man turned and faced Fran, holding his arm-less arm. She couldn't see his eyes but she still felt the malice from them. The mana from his right hand disappeared while the other was still going at it. A fiery red ball of energy surged from his remaining arm clearly aimed at Fran.

A flash of black came from Fran's back but the energy in front was closer and reached its target sooner. It all happened too fast Fran could barely dodge. Even though she could evade, that didn't stop her crashing to the ground.

Though she didn't receive the whole brunt force of it, it still grazed her left shoulder. Only half her clothes remained intact. Seeing how it was like a meteorite coming at her, Fran expected a burn on her arm. Instead of a burn, she felt warmth, on her shoulder to be exact.

She pulled herself up. One could only imagine the damage it could have done once it hit her. She was though left intact and the goddess' mark glowing like bright moon.

Juno's words flashed in her mind. So the mark protected her?

The figure on the other hand was lying on the ground. No blood can be seen but his insides screamed in pain. He clasped his chest, trembling as he sat up.

"Who are you?" Fran heard the Lord's voice beside her. He hanged his cape on Fran's shoulders and condensed a black orb on his hand.

He gritted. "You don't deserve to know."

And with a red wisp, he vanished. He was gone as soon as he was there.