After the wall finally collapsed, the army of the Polykenas stormed into the city. Like a flood, they surged through the narrow alleys and streets, but they did not get far, because enemy soldiers waited there. In a massive frontline with shields and spears raised, the humans stood against the charging Polykenas, who were forced to halt abruptly.
A group of Polykenas clad in heavy black armor stepped to the front of the formation. It was the Black Patron. Shire stood at the head of the entire Polykenas army, and his mere presence seemed to press down upon the humans. Yet from within the ranks of the defenders stepped men clad in radiant golden armor to answer Shire and the black Patron.
They were massive, towering warriors, and at their head stood an old man whose hair was completely white. A strong magical aura surrounded him as his body began to swell. His muscles expanded, his hair regained its color. The frail old man transformed into a monstrous figure encased in gleaming armor. He seized a wide white sword and fixed his gaze on Shire. He raised the blade, pointing it directly at Shire's chest.
"Your advance ends here, creature. In the name of the holy Luis, in the name of the Sun God, I will cast you out."
—
High above the battlefield, a group of white Polykenas soared through the sky, carried by radiant light. It was the Golden Patron, patron of Xersies, who commanded the Polykenas magi whenever the generals were occupied. They unleashed powerful waves of light upon the human mages on the wall, but dozens of humans in brown robes stepped forward to shield their comrades. They lifted their hands, and shields of light formed, absorbing the Polykenas' attacks.
"The Light Weavers are finally here!" the humans cheered when they saw them, yet their celebration died quickly once the true contest of magical strength began.
—
In one corner of the battlefield, Ramor watched his handiwork with satisfaction. He was proud of himself, and with good reason. He had managed to break the symbols on the wall in only an hour. His eyes drifted to the Golden Patron who battled the Light Weavers with violent blasts of power. Just as Ramor was about to shift his focus to another part of the battlefield, he noticed a newcomer secretly working on the city wall of Gloris.
Ramor narrowed his yellow eyes as he recognized a red-haired woman carving new symbols into the stone. He realized instantly that she had to be the Symbolic, the one who had inscribed the original symbols into the wall. She worked with astonishing speed and precision. Ramor growled. He knew exactly what she intended. She wanted to rebuild the barrier he had destroyed with so much effort. The woman floated in the air, upheld by glowing symbols on her skin.
The Polykenas launched himself toward her, his claws brushing across his palms as two glaring symbols ignited there. He raised both claws and released two wide beams straight at the woman. She was too focused on restoring the wall's symbols and reacted too late, but at the last second, bright bolts of lightning crashed into the beams and deflected them. Ramor snarled and was forced to cut off the attack when another bolt of lightning descended from above. He activated two symbols on his body that granted him a tremendous burst of speed.
A second woman descended, carried by a blue disk of lightning beneath her feet. Her face was hidden behind a strange, sun-shaped mask, and her figure was wrapped in a long, flowing cloak. Lightning surged from her fingertips as she attacked Ramor again. He raised a hand and drew a symbol into the air. He activated it by striking it. It flared brightly, forming a wide shield that absorbed the lightning.
Now the red-haired woman turned as well. She drew a small symbol onto a chunk of stone and hurled it at Ramor, who was too focused on defending himself from the lightning to notice. The symbol flared as the stone reached him. Ramor cursed and attempted to draw a new sign into the air, but the stone exploded before he could complete it, engulfing him in a violent blast.
"Thank you, Isar. Without you, I would have a burning hole in my chest right now," the red-haired woman said to the masked one. Isar answered with a monotone voice, "I only did what the holy Luis commanded. Thank him, Gwen, not me."
Gwen scratched the back of her head. "You really cannot take a compl—"
"Look out!" Isar shouted, interrupting Gwen mid-sentence. A spear made of foul-smelling red blood ripped out of the lingering smoke from the explosion, flying straight toward Gwen's face. Shocked, she raised her hand. The spear struck her palm, and a glowing symbol absorbed most of the impact. Even so, the spear pierced her hand before losing its form and turning back into liquid blood, which mixed instantly with Gwen's own. She screamed in pain as the foreign blood surged through her. Symbols lit up across her skin, destroying the invading substance.
She stared forward in horror as the smoke finally cleared. Ramor was not only uninjured, but another figure had arrived. Ester had saved him at the last moment and now floated beside him, a massive river of blood swirling behind him.
Ramor grumbled but still managed to force out a "Thank you."
It was extremely unusual for a Polykenas to express gratitude, even more unusual for one to save another. Concepts like friendship did not exist among creatures driven only by destruction. Yet thanks to Xersies and Nero, the Polykenas had found a reason to stand together. Ester had not hesitated for a moment when he saw Ramor in danger.
Ester gave no response. He raised both hands, and the river of blood behind him surged forward as thousands of bloody spears formed.
Isar activated her own magic. Lightning burst from her body, and the air crackled with electricity. Gwen, recovering slowly from the pain, began drawing a new symbol onto her skin.
Ramor lifted his hand, his fingertips glowing as he prepared to create a new sign in the air.
—
While all of this unfolded, Xersies and Luis still clashed high above, but the scale of their battle had grown so immense that they drifted farther and farther from the main fighting. In a strange, unspoken agreement, both understood that their struggle would slaughter thousands of their own if they remained too close to the battlefield.
The gigantic dragon roared in fury as it fired a golden beam at Xersies. The attack struck the Polykenas general, but his form dissolved. The world seemed to twist as it became clear that it had only been an illusion.
Xersies, wrapped in a thin layer of gold, hurled a miniature sun at the creature of light. It tore a chunk from the dragon's form, which regenerated immediately. The dragon twisted and spat another wave of light at Xersies, who spread his hands and diverted the attack. The beast rushed at him and snapped its jaws, but Xersies vanished again. It had been another illusion, and the real Xersies appeared high above the dragon. A column of light struck the beast's back. The dragon reared upward as the light forced it down. Its form warped and dissolved. Luis shot forward, blood dripping from one corner of his mouth, but his draconic shape reformed and kept flying. His speed increased drastically as he ascended in a wide arc.
Xersies halted his attack and snapped his claws. A tiny spark of light emerged in his hand. He caught it, placed it on his palm, then flicked it toward the dragon. The creature darted at him with elegant speed, but the spark was even faster. It pierced the dragon's chest and continued toward Luis at the center. Luis opened his eyes and clapped his hands together. He crushed the spark of light before it struck him. Golden wings spread from his back as he rose out of the dragon's luminous body, which still flew forward like an independent beast.
To Xersies' surprise, the dragon remained intact and lunged at him with snapping jaws. Xersies darted aside and escaped them by a hair. A second later, Luis attacked from the flank. Golden flames engulfed Xersies, burning his skin instantly, yet the demon kept a clear mind despite the agony. He stretched his arms outward and released a wave of light that dispelled the fire. The dragon struck him immediately after. Its claws tore into his chest and carved a deep crater into his flesh.
Red blood burst from Xersies in every direction, yet he managed to fling himself backward to escape the next attack. Luis followed relentlessly as the Polykenas general tried to increase the distance. Suddenly, Xersies split into two identical selves that fled in opposite directions. Luis cursed and pursued one while sending the dragon after the other.
He had to finally kill the demon before it could regenerate.