The Devil's Playground | Job | Aliannah, Sir Leonard, Solmar |

Before Leo was a beautiful woman with blue eyes whom he had not felt any magic coming off from. A curiosity to be sure, but not one to be underestimated. Those whom you think have little to offer, have much to hide and might surprise you. And perhaps, right now, Leo is one of the few people who understands this. He had been wandering Earthland to hide from others, until he could deal with what he doesn't want others to know: the truth of his bloodline. Furthermore, the girl would not be here if she wasn't up to the challenges ahead. Taking down a demonic kingdom should be the task of an entire army of elite mages, and yet there was only two of them for this battle. And so Leo has begun to be intrigued with the woman and what she can do. She certainly doesn't say much and keeps most to herself, but he trusts her all the same. After all, trust among your comrades, especially your friends is a value Leo has presented to Fairy Tail as something worthy fighting for and he was so proud that it continues to be the case among them since he got back.

Turning towards the Cursed Lands, Leo would listen to the remark of Aliannah that were interrupted by a presence. A presence he too felt, and was that of another mage. This only reaffirmed Leo's trust on Aliannah, for he believed if she could feel a new presence the same time as Leo, it would place her magic sensory on par with hers, which could mean she is as powerful or even more so than Leo. Solely basing on the fact that what he felt, and presumably what Aliannah also felt was another magic signature. When once there was only one, now there was two in the area. This made Leo turn back and pause, thinking of who it might be. It was only one so it wasn't an army from the demonic enemy, a scout maybe? But why would he stand so close and in the open no less? This clearing was wide enough to see anyone stand, walk, or hide in the sea of grass. He would then walk towards the new signature around the shack, he heard Aliannah ask if he was expecting anyone, to which his simple reply was a "No." as he continued to move, for there was no time to pause or stand idly by. If this was indeed a worst case scenario of the enemy scouting, the intruder must be dealt with instantly.

A figure stood there near the door way who appeared human but appeared to have characteristics that would say that humanity isn't the only thing that's inside the stranger. Perhaps this is the doing of the demons they were up against, and if so, he needs their help, and the Demon King must be dealt with as soon possible, who know how many more they have infected with demonic taint. Or perhaps he is simply is who he is. After all, Leo has seen far stranger things. So it was really hard to pinpoint the exact intentions of a stranger in Earthland. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you end up dead, and Leo had always been the careful one. He narrowed his eyes upon, waiting for what he had to say to Aliannah's statement. He thought he could afford to wait as no one smart would be this close to two powerful mages regardless of the type of magic this one used.

But Aliannah did not wait for a reply, and neither did Leo. Time is of the essence after all, a concept he had introduced earlier and had stuck with his partner in agreement for no one knows how long this Demon King had been here and how much time he had to set up shop, they must move now. Still, Leo was not yet sure of the stranger's intentions. If he followed then his more then welcome, more so if he would reply to Aliannah's words. Besides, it wasn't a rare occasion for a person to join in on a job, it certainly has happened to Leo before, but this is not much to go on, which is why he is still exercising caution as he followed Aliannah towards the Cursed Land which impressed Leo very much with the displayed determination and enthusiasm to lead, because from where Leo stands, it looks as if she could confidently lead the duo and potential trio into battle which Leo would very much like to see. Battle is where true bonds are forged and the truest self revealed, and he couldn't wait to see the truth behind Aliannah and the stranger. See the surprise that is the power of Aliannah.

With the air getting thick and foul, the sky getting darker the farther they walked, signs of death slowly being commonplace on the ground and vegetation, they seem to be getting close to the Cursed Lands. However, this wasn't as Leo remembered it. It was more foul and malignant that his last visit, they have to hurry. "We must make haste. The land is more sick than I remember no thanks to our quarry no doubt. If he's base is anywhere nearby, a hill to the east would give us a bird's eye view." he urged Aliannah.

Post WC: 918
Leo's Total: 2,365

Not really understanding what was implied by the "bickering" statement as he hadn't said a single word yet, Solmar just shrugged and nodded at her and the man as they came out of the building before heading off. While it'd undoubtedly become harder if he were to try and take care of things on his own, at least he wouldn't need to worry about hitting someone else and making what the fancy folk called "collateral damage". Due to the scale of some of his magic, he could definitely cause quite a bit of that after all, though that wasn't really the issue. As long as he was focused, his demon slayer magic wouldn't be able to hurt anyone unless he allowed it to, for that was the extent to which he had mastered at least that portion of his magic. When it came to the use of his light magic however, things were quite different as he hadn't quite been able to control the intensity and speed behind them quite well yet. That said, when going up against demons, he imagined the use of his light magic would be put to the test soon enough.

So as he wandered away from the shack at his own pace and made his way into the cursed lands on his own, he imagined that if the others were to venture into the place as soon as they said they would, they would probably catch up to him soon enough. After all, one of them was on horseback while Solmar was on foot, so it made sense to believe that, or so he thought. With the cursed lands being what they were, the young black haired man had never really experienced them that way. Having grown up in the wilderness on his own, he had ventured in and out of portions of the cursed lands quite often as they were spread around Fiore. Separate portions, yet all tied in and called "Cursed lands" because it made it easier in the common tongue. There were dangerous creatures roaming about in it, that much could not be denied, so slapping on a label that made the place seem cursed would do well to keep the rabble out just as much as it might draw in those seeking to prove themselves as great warriors or mages worthy of praise.

In his case, the cursed lands had just been one of many places in which he had learned to survive, scavenge for food and learn how to outrun or evade most of the true threats roaming freely inside of them. One of these threats he had faced only once was the lycanthrope, as some of the fancy folk called it. In his own words, wolf man. Having seen one only once when he was twelve, it had been late at night as he was scavenging for food further up north. When he heard the howl, just hearing it made him aware of the fact that this was no ordinary wolf as he had dealt with plenty of wolves, wargs and dire wolves to know the difference. After all, if one could not hear the difference after spending years around them, one was probably not going to survive very long. Due to his own enhanced hearing, sense of smell and sight, he managed to hide himself away after covering himself from top to bottom in dirt and mud. Once he laid eyes upon the creature, he had come to learn why some called the place part of the "cursed lands", as there wasn't a lot of natural order to be found in regards to the creature.

As such, Solmar figured that he had come prepared, or at least prepared enough. Having dealt with demons all of his life, he had learned how to fight them quite well, his demon slayer magic being something that had actually been made specifically for encounters such as these. That, and the blade he wielded, or rather, magically wielded, had never been meant to be used on people. It was a blade fit for a slayer, a blade that had undergone a few transformations along with its owner to make it that much more deadly when used against demonic threats. If there were to be some kind of army however, the fact that he possessed as much magical power as he did would most likely draw them to him, meaning he wouldn't need to do a whole lot of searching. And if the demon king that ruled this place had any pride at all, chances were that it might come for him too, though he did not really count on it. Most kings hid behind their forces because they were afraid of dying, that much was the same for just about every sentient species one encountered, humans being a prime example of that rule.

Making no attempts at hiding his magical signature as he really did not know how people did it, he prepared his sword-slinging hand, preparing it for the moment when he called his sword to his side with his summoning spell. Though his stoic expression might not give it away, he was quite ready to go and cleave some demonic skulls. That was, if they were even hostile to begin with. Not about to judge a book by its cover, he made sure not to seem hostile himself until he knew he had to.


(904 // 1899)

The pair walked on forward towards the north as they decided on their plan of action. The blighted ground carried only dust in their wake, crumpling of loose soil heard nearby whenever they took a step. Clearly life has left this place even before the demon's arrival and taint of this land. He looked around to spot that there even weren't enough trees to cover their approach making scouting for information all the more important. And though the paperwork handed to him two days ago did provide a general layout, he would like things to be more accurate seeing as it was a 3 against an army scenario. Or maybe it's just two of them now? The other figure from before suddenly left without a word, and he wasn't looking to be in a hurry, Leo was really curious about him. He held a power that was potentially so strong and destructive and for him to show up and not say word like that, must hold some meaning right? But he couldn't figure out what it was perhaps this is among the rare moments of his life a wise mage from Bellum once told Leo when his journey towards self discovery and fulfillment led him to the foreign country. Indeed Thirty five was still a young age despite not looking it due to his laziness of shaving and his hair being white due to exposure to different magics and rituals to get rid of the evil voices in his head. But alas, the man was gone, his magic signature no longer to be detected within anywhere Leo's ability to sense magic he had begun to think if perhaps the Cursed Land has been throwing his sensory off? First he could not sense Aliannah's and now he could no longer pick up the stranger's? Interesting indeed.

As they continued, and Aliannah commented on Leo's proposal to find out what they were up against that simply fly off and scan through the air. An option Leo had considered before voicing out taking a peek through the hills, it wasn't like he forgot Aliannah could fly, he totally remembered but he couldn't risk it. Having Aliannah fly through the air alone would be risky as she would obviously be alone and what if she was seen? What could Leo do then? He tried his best not to loose anyone while working with them for he knew the feeling of loss all too well, some would say that loss and him were intertwined in some way was it punishment for defying his destiny? It couldn't be for he had chosen his own path towards defending this world, right? So what else could it be that causes so much loss in Leo's life? A thought that would have to entertained in another time because Aliannah was adamant on flying on up there. Even before Leo could state a counter argument, she would list so many different things that adds value to the idea that sending her to fly up there would be advantageous, sprouting out her black wings right after she had finished speaking. Black beautiful wings that looked mighty as them simply sprouting shook some of the loose feathers off that dispersed as soon as they touched the ground. There certainly was an air of elegance and familiarity especially whenever he sees angel wings for they made him think of the two angels he had met during a time in Fairy Tail before disappearing into Earthland.

Leo simply sighed as he lowered his head pausing for a bit before looking up to the sky, assessing the viability of her mission. Above, there were no avian creatures that flied over the Cursed Lands and having a lone angel in the sky could cause some suspicion for any one that could potentially see her. However, the clouds were as dark as her wings hell her wings might've been darker than the clouds and it could provide her some cover but would she be able to see? Leo wondered, really worried about the team's survival for normally it was he who made the sacrifices went to the front lines, he had never imagined someone else would do it. Still, he had faith in her abilities and he knew Aliannah would have weighed the pro and cons already and if she was confident there really is no reason to debate about it.

Looking back at Aliannah, she remarked that Leo be careful, stay out of sight and kill anyone. A comment that made Leo to smirk as he bid his partner to be careful before she soared and left a dust cloud while simply stood there like a statue for a few decent seconds before walking over to a boulder nearby to sit on it. Now Leo wished he had brought his cloak so he can put his hood on as he waited, a man with white hair on a blacked land doesn't exactly cause you to blend in. But alas, there was nothing he could do he was just thankful he doesn't give off much magic power as most mages do, otherwise they might've been spotted right away. So far, only powerful mages had been able to detect the magic power he possess as his bloodline worked in the shadows, his family crest might've provided some cover in its own way and besides, being a swordsman more than a mage he had little reliance on his spells and using his magic only to summon various weapons from a pocket space. Surely there wasn't that much magic required for that, right? So he was sure not to attract that much attention allowing him the moment to sit back and relax while waiting for Aliannah's return with her reconnaissance report.

And as Leo waited, something interesting happened. He felt the stranger's magic once again. His eyes widening as he felt it creep through the edges of the range of his magic sensory. It was becoming more clear the farther away it was from the edge and as they neared battle perhaps he preparing to attack? Admirable but he cannot possibly take them all on his own. He had to do something, but what? Aliannah will be back any time soon and she would surely miss him if he left on the other hand, who knows what can transpire as he waits? Thankfully, the wait wasn't that long and Aliannah had arrived landing right beside Leo and he was sure Aliannah felt him too. There was no need to inform her as she might already be in the know. Only looking at her for a short while, he spoke "So what's the plan?"

Post WC: 1,114
Leo's Total: 3,479

Continuing his stride through the cursed lands, he could tell that the ground itself was becoming considerably darker the further he went, which was not a good sign at all. Due to his years spent in the wilderness and the gift he possessed that allowed him to speak to the land and the creatures that lived in it, he could feel how even his magic had trouble communicating with this place. The grass had darkened to the point of withering, large dead spots had started forming, and it seemed that further up ahead, there was no longer any grass at all. Though he couldn't be sure, he had a pretty good idea as to what might have been the cause of this, as he had seen something similar before. A few weeks ago, he had taken on a job that took him to the beanstalk village along with Gangting. It was there that he had come across a creature that was not from this world, having come from the stars to a new world with different prey to devour. Wherever it went, the land died, just like it had been doing here.

It made him wonder whether or not the presence of so many demons in the same place was what made the land sick, or whether or not it was due to the fact that one powerful demon was pulling the strings here which the very soil responded to. If not that, Solmar wouldn't know what might be the cause of it, though he knew that he would need to do something about it. After all, there were plenty of monsters and other creatures that called this place home, and he very much wished to keep it that way. Because at the end of the day, monsters were in most cases just animals too, and they deserved a place of their own where they could thrive. If not that, they risked being driven out of this place, meaning they would have no choice but to venture into the more populated areas where they ran the risk of coming into contact with other people. That in turn would risk lives being lost and exterminators being called in to kill them, which at the end of the day seemed like such a waste to someone like Solmar, who valued all life equally, not just those of humans.

With the castle not being all that far now, his slayer senses picked up on some kind of chatter, putting him on guard almost instantly. In the wilderness, he had learned that every sound could potentially come from a predator in hiding, and this place would really be no different. When he looked over the ridge to the area down below leading up to the castle, he saw three of the demons that had inhabited this place. As odd as it might have been for a demon slayer to think that way, his first thought wasn't that he wanted to kill them, rather that they had taken up a place from another species, and that they had to be taken care of for their sakes. That, and their small numbers and nimble forms suggested that they were merely scouts, meaning he had to take them out before they had a chance to alert the rest to the location of an intruder. But all of that was just fine with him. In fact, he figured he'd give them a hand in doing just that. Expecting the others to not be all that far behind him, this reckless plan would give them the chance they needed to sneak in from some other point of entry.

Walking up to the edge of the ridge, he held out his hand, summoning Caladbolg to him before leaping down. Holding the sword above his head with both hands, he let a mass of white flame burst forth from the blade itself, almost like a massive signal flare that would alert anything with eyes to his whereabouts. Once the scouts saw him, it was already too late for them as he brought down the blade to the ground, cleaving through one of the three while the resulting outburst of white flames engulfed the other two and incinerated them before they had as much as a chance at retaliating. Up until this point, he had always been aware of how his demon slaying magic had been created to take care of creatures that were not meant to be, being such as spirits, ghosts and other undead. The former of these were all beings he had been able to test his flames on before, though fighting actual demons like these had been a first for him. But as the scorched remains dropped to the floor, something awakened inside of him that had been mostly dormant for some time now.

Taking up his sword with just his right hand, he let it dangle from his side as he started sprinting towards the castle in a collision course. Not making any attempts at hiding himself, he actually started craving a good battle right about now as it had been quite some time since anything had managed to provide him with just that. Actually being quite fast when he started sprinting at full speed, he approached the old building at a speed of seventy miles per second, and that was actually while still keeping most of his speed under wraps. After all, he did not want to give them the chance to get used to him at full speed just yet as that would make the fight itself a whole lot less fun for him. It was around that time that a loud horn could be heard, resounding through both the castle and the surrounding area as those on top of the walls or in the towers had managed to pinpoint him and the white flames they had seen before, put things together and realized he was the origin of it. Instantly, things were kicked into motion.

Letting down the drawbridge over the moat that had seemingly been empty for many years now and was filled with nothing but filth and remains that had been tossed over the walls from inside the castle, the rotten wooden bridge hit the ground with a loud thump. With lots of shouting, the iron gate was being pulled up as a battalion of demons wandered forth across the drawbridge. Counting twelve of them, these had actually been armed with axes, hammers and blades, as well as being outfitted with scraps of armor here and there. Not being all that impressed at the sight of it, he saw how the castle closed the drawbridge as soon as the group of warriors had crossed it, which did not show a whole lot of faith from those on the inside. Sticking his sword straight up in the ground, he cracked his knuckles and his neck, bent through his knees a bit and did a few other stretches while he waited for the demons to reach him. When his ears picked up on the sound of arrows being prepared by archers up on the wall, he imagined they would wait for their chance to pin him down, but only after their warriors had lost so they wouldn't hit their own.

Resting his hand on the handle of his greatsword, Solmar already made plans inside of his head as to how he planned on taking out each individual demon before he would make his way to the castle itself. The latter was, however, not really his aim. No, what he wanted was to draw as many of them towards him as possible, preferably to the actual drawbridge of the gate and thereby drawing them into funnel, meaning their numbers wouldn't be as impressive or useful anymore. Maybe while he did that, the other two would have a chance at cutting the head off of the snake, leaving these beings without a leader. But even if they could manage that, he would still like to murder as many of these creatures as possible so they wouldn’t be able to spread out into the cursed lands and set up smaller factions. If they got to do that, they would just take one big problem and break it down into multiple smaller problems, and that couldn't be their aim. Staring the demons down from where he stood, he awaited them to make the first move.

"Whenever you're ready."


(1411 // 3310)

A pause fell over the two mages while they pondered the return of the stranger. Leo might've asked Aliannah for the plan but that didn't mean he wasn't thinking of they should do as well he didn't want her to think he's leaving everything to her. No they were partners, and that means they share responsibilities equally, and with the return of the pale mage, responsibilities and risk would mean being shared among all three of them and with the way things feel, the new arrival is making his way to the front door, alerting most the base to his presence. Personally, Leo would want to help him as it was not in his nature to not leave a man behind what more a person in his team. Fortunately, Aliannah would like to help him out too something he had always found admirable in people, making a smirk appear on his face as he simply nodded to all that she said, for he had already made up his mind that he will help too. "Let's get going then." he simply remarked as he headed towards the direction of their new friend's magic signature.

The trek wasn't at all long and far for their speed enabled them to cover more ground than average. But as they made their way, Leo hear the sound of a horn being blown in the distance this one in particular sounded very much like a war horn and if they were to be the case then they needed to reach him as fast as they could lest he face an entire demonic horde on his own. Of course Leo considered that is what the third member in their group would have wanted and it certainly wasn't out of the question seeing as he had known a handful of brave men in his life, confident in their ability to face down countless armies on their own. But he must help him it was in his nature to do so to defend  his allies in the heat of battle.

As they neared him, Leo caught a glimpse of the demonic castle of their target, the emperor. He saw for a brief moment its drawbridge come down no doubt to unleash its contents onto the third mage. And if that were to be true, the barracks outside the castle walls would be preparing to attack as well especially now since Leo and Aliannah will come to his aid. The risks have never been more high and heavy. They might risk tiring themselves out before they could even face the enemy leader. This has to end quickly and with using little power and stamina as possible. Thankfully, all they would be facing are the grunts as the higher ups would be busy sealing their lord as he read in the file.

Now that they were right above the mage standing at the edge of the ridge Leo felt and though he came from, judging from the ground below that looked to be his landing spot. His eyes narrowed as he scanned through every inch and direction of the area surrounding them. And though he might've gotten them into a funnel, there's not telling he'd be overwhelmed sooner or later. Already, Leo thought of more ways for them to have the terrain work to their advantage where the earth itself would defend them as that was the key to all this. Lifting his right hand making a fist as it went, he brought it down slowly while his left hand moved up a sequence wherein his earth hammer known as Fissure appeared with his right hand held the end of the hammer near its butt, and the other a few inches bellow the large round head that had numerous blunt protrusions that would give a whole new description to blunt force trauma.

The older mage looked at his colleague the beautiful young woman and said "I'm going down to help him, please make sure we cannot be flanked." calmly confident in the mental calculations he had made in his mind despite being incomplete. Not that he didn't know what to do but rather it was because Leo is capable of thinking on his feet especially in the heat of battle. Cooking up simple plans that were only step one to a grand plan that would ultimately leave enemies in shock. This way if things go wrong, he wouldn't beat himself up over it, and would simply adapt to the new circumstances. As for Aliannah, he merely gave her a suggestion on what she could do. From what he can tell, the young woman was assertive and could do what she thought was best for all of them, similar to how she decided to save the other mage.

Right now however, there is a battle that needs to be won, and with the numbers of the enemy seemingly rendered ineffective, the chances of that staying that way are rather low the enemy might find a way around perhaps even through. And so the battle begins the stage being set by the one with the greatsword, taunting the enemies to come at him. Leo on the other hand came to the mage's side by slamming onto the ground next to him sending out a ripple from his hammer seemingly waking the  earth around him causing multiple walls on their sides to rise up making it even harder to approach the two men with weapons. After which he stood there silent starring down the army in front of him along with the pale mage beside him. The demons got pissed and at the same time cocky. Seeing as the man's only reinforcement was a battered warrior. Again he held the hammer the same way before he went by his ally's side. And whenever the demons were ready, Leo would gladly smash, slash, stab his way through them as he had numerous armies before. With the pieces set, their move made, they the anticipated the demons' move.

Post WC: 1,003
Leo's Total: 4,482

Enemies: PLS KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU KILL!

4 Weak - 400 Mortal Slaves
3 Normal - 150 Minor Demons
3 Strong - 30 Major Demons
1 Boss - Demon Lord

Standing at a distance of roughly three meters from the vanguard that had stepped out of the castle, it seemed that they were actively awaiting him to make the first move, though the same went for Solmar at this point. When facing greater numbers, it seemed smarter to just wait for the enemy to make their move first, especially with the archers waiting up above in the towers and on top of the walls. Knowing that mere arrows would do next to nothing to him as long as he was aware of the fact that they were coming due to his flames easily turning them to mere cinders, it was that which he could not see that troubled him. Once he were to engage the warriors in front of him, chances were that he might get distracted from the archers, which could prove quite troublesome unless he were to use his magic and keep a certain amount of fire around him that normal arrows would not be able to penetrate. With his sword already in hand, he would start with that. After all, he needed to start somewhere.

Instead of amping up the intensity of the flames inside of the blade to the point where it turned white hot, he instead used the less controlled version of the spell, allowing white flames to dance around the blade. With a single wave of his sword, Solmar could easily destroy various arrows without breaking a sweat, not to mention singeing the skin of anything that got close to it. Next, he activated an alternative version of the spell where he clad his body in a layer of flame that would cling tightly to him, making it next to impossible for a single arrow to touch his skin and thus taking away their threat to his person. Once the magical signature of one of the two other mages that had apparently followed him made their way over to him, he did not look back to see and make sure whether the other had followed as well. After all, there was a fight to be won here, and he did not have time to check up on such trivial matters. If need be, he could take out most of these demons on his own anyway, because that was exactly what he had trained for.

Once the man made his way over to him with some sort of hammer, he did so by leaping his way and crashing into the ground, causing the earth to rise up and form some sort of walls. It was an interesting thing to see, though he was not entirely sure whether the goal right now was to wait for the demons to come to them or if the goal was to keep out any additional forces. The way he saw it, if they were to stay inside of the little box, they would eventually just be overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and that wasn't exactly something he himself was looking forward to. With the ten demon warriors standing between them and the castle gate and the large… no, the massive amount of fodder that was coming their way from behind as his own light show followed by the war horn had alerted them all to invaders, he had somewhat of an idea. With the magic he had more or less learned from a fellow slayer, he could do more than just control demon slaying flames, he could also control the earth to some extent. That said, the things he could do with that were quite limited, but he imagined it would do the job.

"Think you can put up some more of those walls? I can help create a rampart so most of their soldiers won't be able to get here for a little while. If not, that's fine too, though I'll be going through those guys to get into the castle."

The way he saw it, if they could get into the castle itself, he could use the earth to seal off the front gate and force the main horde to look for alternative ways to get in after them. Placing his hand on the earthen wall, he focused on the area between them and the demons that were coming up from behind them, maneuvering towards the castle from the barracks. Soon after that, the ground on the other side of the earthen walls sank into the ground, causing a space of a hundred meters long and twenty meters wide to become a deep chasm. Though the other demons would eventually be able to make their way around it, they would certainly not be able to jump from one side to the other due to the walls that had already been erected. Though it was not entirely within his character to do so, he felt like grinning as the advancing forces were halted and a few of them fell or got pushed over the edge, falling to their deaths below. Shooting one last glance towards the older looking warrior, he made his way towards the ten warriors that were blocking their advance into the castle. The vanguard.

Moving at them like a white fireball, he made it clear that his true strength was not so much his physical strength, but rather his physical speed. Moving the distance between them rather quickly, he clashed his greatsword against the axe of the demon standing at the center, feeling how it was likely stronger than he was. But strength meant next to nothing when all Solmar really needed to do was get close enough for his magic to become useful. With a quick burst, a crescent wave of white fire erupted from his sword and pushed forward as Solmar simply ran after it. With the flame devouring the demon he was clashing with before crashing into the next one in line, it threw the demon into the steel gate that kept the mages from making their way into the castle. With one of their elites dead in an instant and another flung into the gate they were supposed to be protecting, it seemed that the rest of them woke up and got into a battle fit. Showing that they actually possessed magic of their own, most of them seemed to be enhancement types to increase their fighting potential.

Where one used wind magic to increase the cutting power of his axes and lift himself off from the ground, another created a current of lightning that occasionally sent sparks shooting off of his body, there also seemed to be a few of them that controlled fire magic and one that created strange black globules from his hands and mouth. Not sure what kind of magic that was, all it made him think of was how he did not look forward to touching the strange black matter the demon spawned out of his body. Hopefully, he wouldn't need to. What with Solmar standing between them and the closed gate and the older mage standing between the walled-off chasm and the demons, they would need to split their numbers if they were to take care of both of the mages as they had undoubtedly planned when they made their way out of the castle in the first place. At this point, Solmar could not help but think that whatever plan these demons had originally set out with had shattered, which was why one of them had fallen so easily and the other had gotten himself knocked right into the gate. Though they would likely not get another chance to catch them off-guard, just taking out one or two of them was enough for now.

"I'm not really sure what you're capable of or who you are, though I imagine now would be as good a time as any to show off some of your skills."


(1313 // 4623)

The supposed stare down between the two parties did not last long. Normally at time of quiet anticipation like this, Leo had enough time to formulate an entire scenario in his mind that happens more or less albeit with multiple variations. This was all due to the fact that he did not possess clairvoyance or any way to predict the future accurately and all he had was his weapons and his experience with dealing with armies. But alas, this was different as the other mage had already taken the first move, exhibiting exemplary speed and ferocity. Yet it wasn't so much as reckless from where he stood. The mage certainly knows the extent of his abilities and possessed tactical knowledge to give Leo further commands all the while he simply stood there watching and thinking. He thought it unwise to get in his way who seem to be comfortable operating alone in these matters, but he was part of their team and he needs to make sure he lives through this.

Obliging the request of the pale mage, Leo casually dropped the hammer onto the ground by letting it slide out of his hand that was holding it near its head, making it point to the ground and then completely dropping it when he let go of it from its butt creating more walls as requested. With the new walls, the demons found ever more frustrating to apprehend their guests, more so when the pale mage made some sort of ditch that caused most of them to fall off. Yet, more are still to come with all these barracks around them it certainly made storming the castle from the front a good idea, so as they won't surround them. Making so that that might be the plan of the pale mage. Or perhaps they could use this chance to infiltrate the castle some other way, a plan no doubt that Aliannah will not approve of, and neither would Leo and the thought that crossed his mind he immediately discarded.

Looking back to Aliannah, Leo nodded at her and gestured with his hand to come with him and charge towards the castle gate where more powerful and stronger demons awaited them, stirred by the conflict and their surprising frontal assault. Turning once again to face their goal, Leo charged and leaped across, his hammer trailing behind him, keeping it within his influence's reach. While in the air, Leo glimpsed at their foes and the various elemental magics they possessed and it was, to Leo, a welcome challenge that would demonstrate how he can overcome so many with so few weapons at the same time after all he could only carry three weapons at a time, one on each hand and one floating above him. A style he had developed through the years, a result of years of refinement to achieve balance of speed, damage and comfort. Landing just in front of the gate, where two demons charged at him, they seemed to have forgotten the hammer Leo had with him that was coming in very quickly and with force. So much so that when demon was about to strike the veteran sword user, they were swatted away by the hammer at an above angle, making them crash to the floor. The other who came with his ally also attacked but Leo was prepared as he turned with his right hand extended, leaving a trail of black thin smoke that ultimately turned into a weapon with a golden hilt that shines bright with yellow light using it to block and parry the demons attack, following it up with a barrage of slashes from him that cut him several times on the chest, below the arms and behind his knees by seemingly dancing around him.

However, the demon was far from vanquished for a few slashes won't be enough to get rid of these hate filled monsters. It tried to stand up and continue to fight, while more demons poured from all around Leo and his team. He tried to buy himself more room when he used the sword's ability, waving it towards a large group that sent a wave of light from the blade towards them that burned his enemies, making them run in fear as they tried to relieve themselves of the burning sensation. And now, the demon he had slashed earlier was back on his feet, accompanied by two more of his brothers, the other one being the same demon struck with his hammer a few moments ago. Leo called back his hammer to his other hand, tossing it into the air when he held it once more to make it float above him, while on his now free hand, he held it up high as a fist, bringing it down beside him, just below his chest while lightning filled this left hand of his, revealing a spear afterwards.

He made a readied stance, his weapons crossed in front of him as the three demons surrounded Leo. One in front, and one on each side, they charged at him with their elementally charged weapons, dodging them simply taking a massive leap back, an area they forgot to cover. And with all three in front of him together, Leo charged at them holding his spear horizontally in front quickly, but was blocked by his enemies and as axe and sword clashed with spear, the hammer smashed at them once more sending flying towards the gate that was quickly followed up with the beheading of one, and the impaling of another. Now there was one left standing, and he no longer felt as confident as he did earlier before the battle began. He tried to channel more power into him, causing his body glow in black while he roared in hate. Leo, unimpressed with all this, simply looked at the demon as he pointed his spear towards him, firing a a quick burst of electric energy from its tip, sending him flying away into the abyss.

With his enemies dealt with, Leo approached the gate, inspecting it for weaknesses, knowing where to strike it with his hammer. He held out his hand and the hammer rested there, and with a few inspecting glances more, he took a massive swing at it, making it reverberate and sound like a massive gong. And though the gate wasn't busted open yet, the huge dent on it would say only a few more swings are needed to make it topple down.

Post WC: 1,085
Leo's Total: 5,567

Enemies left: PLS KEEP TRACK OF WHAT YOU KILL!

100 Mortal Slaves
75 Minor Demons
12 Major Demons
1 Boss - Demon Lord

It was a good thing that he had come to rely on these two a bit as opposed to just going about it all on his own, given how the things he saw were quite something. As the man fought against the elite demons with various weapons at the same time, it made him want to get better at wielding his own sword, which was quite hard considering how all he really used it for right now was as a means of casting spells through. Because it amplified the power of his spells when he passed them through it, and because it was considered a family heirloom, he had come to wield as his main weapon after his old gladius got lost in a fight with a Necromancer. Always having been the kind of person who preferred the smaller swords over the big and bulky ones, the fact that he was no blacksmith and had no idea how to work a forge meant he couldn’t exactly reforge the weapon into something more along those lines. Drawing a lot of attention to himself as he waved around his weapon, it seemed that several of the elite demons had already forgotten about Solmar to some degree.

While it felt somewhat insulting to just be forgotten like that, he knew that he could work with this and use it to his advantage. So as he channeled his magic into his sword for another powerful blow, he watched as the woman used her wings to fly towards the demons on the other side of the makeshift chasm. There, she released a scream that was audible enough to make his ears ring even from a distance. At times like these, he wasn’t all that happy about his enhanced senses, though he had little trouble biting through it and getting the job that he had set out to do done. Engaging into battle with the demon he had knocked head first into the gate not long ago, the sword that had started glowing bright white parried and blocked various strikes that were thrown at him by the axe wielder that had gotten back up on his feet and dove straight back into battle. That was one of the things Solmar could appreciate about this brand of demons, they weren’t the cowardly kind that would slip back into the shadows or try to come up with some elaborate ruse.

Continuing to fight with it, Solmar knew that the magic he had built up in his sword by now was already enough to deal with the demon in one go, though he needed to get a little more in there to do what needed to be done. Keeping it up long enough for the woman to fly back to them and engage the ones near the older man, he knew that now would be the time to unleash his pent up magic power. Bringing his sword down on to of the demon, it dashed back to let Solmar’s blade crash into the ground beneath him. Digging his clawed feet into the ground, the demon prepared to dash back towards the black haired mage as soon as the weapon collided with the ground, which was most likely the last thing its brain could formulate as a bright white light came blasting forth from the weapon. Moving in a straight line, the intensity of this attack was so great that the demon was evaporated just by standing in its way. In what seemed like an instant, the light had burned away what remained of the gate, as well as part of the stonework that surrounded it, creating a circular hole in the castle wall where the gate had been.

More than that, the three mages could peek through the wall and see that the opposite wall on the far side of the castle had a similar hole in it. Along with the gate, part of the wall and the elite demon that stood to defend it, various other demons that had amassed on the other side of the gate had been burned out of existence by the ray that was so incredibly powerful that it ate a big chunk out of his magical reserves. Knowing that he would not be able to use it again for some time, they now had a clear way into the castle, as well as a potential way out on the far side if the threat proved too great for them to handle, making it a win-win situation for as far as he was concerned. Huffing and puffing deeply, he stuck his blade into the ground for a bit to use it as a crutch for a few moments. Figuring that the light show might have acted as a distraction from the fight and would most certainly have made quite a few of the monsters piss their pants in fear, he just looked over his shoulder and grinned a bit. Taking this moment of brief reprieve to watch the other two mages fight, his active magic was triggered when he felt the woman had used a spell that covered up her entire body and turned her into an anti-demon killing machine with quite a few more demonic features.

Had his magical reserves not taken such a beating from the light spell, he would probably have tried to do more than temporarily copy it and actually use it in the fight as a pair of wings would do wonders for how quickly he’d be able to vanquish more of these demons. Keeping it around as a potential trump card for when he really needed it, he decided to stick to his physical skills for a bit so his mana would get the chance to recharge. Taking the blade back up and moving in through the circular hole which still had the edges look like magma due to the molten stone, Solmar imagined the two would come in after him once they were done fighting the elites. Lucky for him, the fact that so many of the elites had stationed themselves outsides as a means of intimidation and stomping out the threat to their master before they could become a bigger problem meant that most of the ones he encountered on the other side of the gate were but small fry. Cutting down several of them by moving at high speeds and using the velocity and momentum to cleave them in two, he did not really need to be physically strong like the other man. He had his own ways of dealing with the problem after all.

Now in the courtyard of the castle, arrows were coming down from the top of the walls, though those that actually came close to him just got eaten by the white flames that were clinging tightly to his body. Acting like he did not even register them, the archers started shouting angrily, attracting more demons to come out of the Keep at the very center of the courtyard. From what he could tell, it was in there that they would find the one who had crowned himself the king of this place and ruled over all of these demons from within. Even though it made sense for the king to be in the Keep, he could not properly sense what to expect, and that bothered him a bit as he cut down another charging demon. While his armies were being gradually thinned out, his elite demons were fighting a losing battle and the humans that had apparently been dragged in to fight for the demon king were beginning to realize the fault in their decision, nothing seemed to rouse him. This could only mean a few things, and they were all almost equally troubling. Either the demon king was not bothered by them and would just sit things out and wait for them to come to him so he could kill them, or he had set some kind of trap for them to spring upon entering the Keep.

Whatever the case, until he got closer to his full magical power, Solmar would take it easy and fight the demons and the humans that decided to throw themselves at him. In his eyes, demons and humans were both very capable decision makers, meaning those that threw themselves at him in an attempt to kill him did so willingly. That simple fact made them no better than the demons they served, as Solmar wasn’t so naïve as to believe that all demons were evil, all angels were good and all humans were just frightened little sheep.


(1435 // 6058)

Remaining forces:

The loud gong Leo made when he struck the metal gate reverberated throughout the area and caused a much more devastating dent than initially thought once he had the pleasure, privilege and opportunity to take a small step back and take a quick gander on his work and it would seem that just one more strike is all that is needed to completely bust open the gate. Leo bent his knees and twisted his body to wind up for another shot at the gate at the same location where the dent was. He was about to take a swing, but his movement was suddenly interrupted that it looked like he flinched out of hesitation when in fact he had sensed a tremendous surge of power. The heat was getting warmer and warmer as it grew closer to him. All of a sudden, he had heard a loud crash that made him snap his attention to the gate’s upper area, meters above him only to witness a violent light pierce through it like a hot knife through butter.

Thankfully the attack wasn’t anywhere near Leo that had to duck down for it but he could still feel the heat from it, as well as from the molten remains of the metal gate still sizzling from the attack and emitting smoke. He stood up straight with a surprised face, his head the only thing visible from the hole the attack made to take a look at the damage it caused, slowly turning his head to look behind him noticing that it came from the pale mage and that it strained his mana reserves greatly. Leo wished he had a way of giving his to the powerful mage as he wasn’t any of his that much. No, he He then looked back at the gate to see that they’re angel has swooped in to join them, demonstrating her take over magic and used it to strike fear upon their demonic enemies. He nodded while having a small smile on his lips, impressed with the abilities his teammates possessed thinking that they indeed made quite the team for this mission.

Quickly he decided to join the fray, kicking the gate open easily since there was no lock anymore. It swung wide open and collided with the walls that made them come crashing down as soon as they did, slowly walking towards Alliannah and the other mage who had come charging with his weapon, clearly deciding that he will rely on physical damage and his skills with a blade while his magic power replenishes itself.

They were headed to the courtyard now and Leo was still walking slowly towards them, looking around while all three of his weapons: the hammer, spear, and sword floated around him, killing any foolish enough to dare attack the seemingly easy to defeat man and any archer that dared fire upon him or his comrades were answered by telepathically stomping the hammer to the ground to pull earth from the ground and block the arrows with it. Demon upon demon fell to his weapons all wielded by his mind while he assessed the extent of the light attack’s damage and where to go from there. It was at this moment that Leo noticed the humans at the Demon King’s employ.

Personally, Leo harbored no guilt if he were to kill them now for they have succumbed to darkness no matter the reason why, hope is lost for them. Yet he would remind himself of his journey throughout Earthland. How everyone, dark as they may be, can still change that they can overcome their demons if they tried. But when he let one get through his defense, and deliver a sucker punch to his face, he was able to grab the one by his collar with his right hand and looked straight to his eyes. He was afraid he had no choice, he could even hear him mutter please under his shivering breath. Perhaps they did not deserve death, that they had hope still. But for them to go all out and effectively deal with what is purely evil, he must devise a plan to get these people to safety. So he thought of a ruse, a cunning ploy to attract all the mortals to attack him.

He let go of the man who gave him a sucker punch, tossing him behind him where no other demon will come from now and continued to destroy any demon that came for him with his weapons all the while letting any mortal get through and hurt him however they can. Even so much as pretending to be severely injured just so he could entice more mortals to come for him. The demons laughed when they saw how weak Leo seemed to look because of his “conscience” and ordered all the mortals to come for him, believing they could deal with Leo while they dealt with the two other mages deeper in the courtyard.

He screamed and knelt down, letting them get him in a dogpile with their clubs, stones, knives, and fists but they really don't know where to hit the man. It also helped that he had his back on them making it the only area they can go for though there were some who were smart enough to go for his head making him bleed out a bit. Breathing heavily under all that, and seeing as no one else was coming by the glimpses of feet coming for him, he can say that this must be all of the mortal slaves. Quickly he stomped the hammer down on the ground creating a wave that carried all the mortal slaves to the same spot where he tossed over the first one.

Shocked and afraid with what just happened, Leo quickly got up and telepathically slammed the hammer down again, imprisoning all the mortal slaves in a square cage of earth and metal that had a huge hole on top for oxygen.

Panting under his breath, and blood trickling down his forehead he thought to himself Well then…. that takes care of that… before he continued on to the courtyard to join his comrades. He could see that the battle was being slightly in their favor as the demons just tossed themselves at them. No one looks to be tired on their side as far as Leo can see, so what is it that the enemy could be planning? None of the major guard of the Demon King seem to be after them yet. But already this could turn out to be exhausting if they put more effort into it. No. The enemy hasn’t shown all his cards yet, and they better do the same by reserving their energy. So he simply stood among his allies and continuing to swat any demon foolish enough to come after the man whom they think might’ve killed all those mortal slaves.

Post WC: 1,157
Leo’s Total: 6,724
Thread Total: 18,593

Remaining Forces:

Enemies left:
0 Mortal Slaves
30 Minor Demons
9 Major Demons
1 Boss - Demon Lord

Spells in Use:
Hell's Councelor
Demon's Whip

Abilities (You will want to look at the buffs as you get them as long as you are in range):

They have been slowly walking deeper into the castle grounds, meeting a few more minor demons along the way that were easily swatted away like flies as their trio made their way in. It had been running smoothly so far still, no sign of any stronger demons that are required to open a way to their master. Time was indeed of the essence as he felt magic in the air being flown ever further in the castle. As if something, or someone, is siphoning ethernano for their own nefarious means. Leo stroked his chin, worried about the fleeting time, and thought of how they can get their enemies to come after them. He looked to his sides to see his confident and competent allies for this mission. He thought it was best for them to all stay together, but it appears they had different things in mind as they went on their separate ways, with the woman Alliannah having flown above them, being their surveyor of the battlefield. The other mage that had gone with them followed suit and separated. Perhaps believing that it was best that way to cover more ground, in order to find the Major Demons more efficiently.

Leo was once again left to his own devices, merely continued to walk the path and further investigate, all the while keeping a good enough distance between him and the rest of the group. He didn’t want to be too late to help once disaster struck either of them. There was a reason they were brought together. To be the ones that should stop such a threat to the world. And Leo would very much like to be there at the end to know why.

Now, being able to fly meant that one can find a target quicker, as was the case with Aliannah. And being confident and powerful meant one could afford recklessness, as was the case with their third companion. Aliannah quickly found a major demon for her to play with that seemed hard to put down. Leo could feel magical power spiking to impressive levels from her direction. Why, even Leo seems to be affected by it. He muttered interest to himself as he held his right hand up as if examining it against the what little sunlight shone to the barren place. Though he would raise a brow when he discovered that such a gift of power was only given to a limited area. Much was surmised when the battle between the two got further into enemy territory and the power waned off from his hand. Though he indeed wanted to stay close, the plae mage was getting dangerously far away from them. Not only that, a large group of minor demons was headed his way. He tried to stop them from getting to him while he was endowed by a boon from Aliannah. Though weirdly enough, death did not stop them. They mindlessly just ignored the swordsman and kept rushing the mage at the other side of the yard. The demons’ eyes were empty; they portrayed no emotion, no even rage, or the bloodlust of a potential kill. They were just simply there. Leo eventually relented and simply stood still as he held his weapons. Leaving the pale mage to the deal with the rushing minor demons.

Though Leo now felt as if someone had been compelling these demons to blindly rush into their deaths. The wind grew stale. Stillness hung over it, not even the faint breeze he would feel would brush his cheeks anymore. Leo took a deep sigh. He chests puffed up slowly, gradually, receded back to their original size as he let the air out through his nose. His eyes were closed as he took this breath. And slowly as he produced the wind from through his nose, he slowly opened them. A blank expression hung from the man’s face. He was as still as the minor demons that passed by him. Though clearly not affected by any kind of external power but rather of being unimpressed. A figure that has been slowly walking up to him suddenly stopped and tilted its head. It was wondering why Leo had a long face when he was not yet struck by the same shadowy touch that lets him compel individuals against their wishes.

“The ability to force someone to abandon all reason and emotion and replace it with your desire, be it dead or alive is not unique as you may think. Why, you even tried it on these humans but their fear won out.  They weren’t completely devoid of any individuality. Which is why I was able to save them.” Leo explained.

The major demon on the other hand simply chuckled. He admitted that they weren’t under his full control. But he wasn’t trying to. A slave that has initiative is still better than a lifeless husk. With a scoff, the demon waved his hand and called Leo the weakest link. Being able to deal with the rabble now would leave them plenty of more time to deal with the more threatening mages.

Leo was amused by this line of thinking. In fact, he had been using this simple misdirect to confuse his enemies of the true skill and capability he possessed. For while it was true that he isn’t exactly filled with raw power, he had spent years honing his skills. The demon now made his move. And while he looked deceptively dapper in his black suit and tie, the demon who looks like a handsome manipulative executive had shadowy black eyes, signifying his use of power. The air around them became more still and dead for it looked like he controlled their space. Soon skeletal hands sprung from beneath the white-haired mage to grip him, but the quick swing of his blade would shatter his supposed bonds. The same swinging motion hurled bits of bone and stone towards his opponent that was seemingly being protected by some sort of barrier. Specifically, this barrier pushed all objects away from the major demon with such force and intention - with such will.

Leo scoffed and found how even more unimpressive the major demon’s entire act was. To snuff the will and replace it with his own, and collect all the will into himself to protect him as he attacks. The demon clapped for Leo slowly and boasted that he should just give up at that moment, for there was nothing that could penetrate the will of the world around them.

Leo simply walked towards the demon slowly as the entity attacked him. Every bit of ghastly remains and objects that once belonged to animate and living beings were flung his way. Why, there even came a point where an entire army of wraiths was summoned to fight Leo. But they would all be flung away. By wind. Leo had summoned a gust of powerful wind in the area. The demon wanted to control it too. And drew the galelike force towards him to add to his barrier. And as Leo got closer and closer, and the demon taking in more and more wind, the barrier surrounding him became visible, and the attacks stopped. The demon could no longer attack as he kept the strength of his defensive barrier. Even taunting Leo that at this state nothing could harm him for he controlled a lot of will. Leo simply smiled at him and agreed. He had circumvented the will of his wind. But they were still his wind. And Leo’s will has always been stronger. His return to Fiore is proof.

The confident Demon’s expression slowly changed. He could his barrier growing smaller, as if pressing down against him and crushing him. His will was circumvented and he had to release it with such force that sent even Leo flying away, but not before he impaled a small dagger to the ground near the demon. Numerous debris flew and continued to fly as the enemy continued to release a lot of the will he had gained.

Once everything calmed down, the demon was shocked as he gasped for breath continuously. Despite being flung far off, Leo was already right there in front of the demon with a sword through his chest, while his other hand held the dagger. For in reality, once the winds stopped, Leo moved to the location of the dagger with his magic instantly. Leo shot him a look of inevitability and lack of choice. He raised a brow for the demon one last time before he said “I guess they sent the weakest for the supposed weakest.” And went to work on the demon’s body quickly. Opening it up and cutting every bit of its organs in a bloody flurry, which was only possible by the power given to him by Aliannah. The demon felt every writhing pain right after it was done. For the movements were so quick that it was as if nothing had happened.

As soon as he was done, Aliannah showed up and suggested they make haste. Leo nodded in agreement and returned his weapons to his pocket space and simply replied “Lead the way, leader.”


WC: 1,531
Leo: 8,255
Total: 15,475
@Aliannah

Enemies left:
0 Mortal Slaves
15 Minor Demons
7 Major Demons
1 Boss - Demon Lord

Spells in Use:
Hell's Councelor

Abilities (You will want to look at the buffs as you get them as long as you are in range):

The pair ventured deeper into the heart of demonic territory, feeling a bit more ominous for the kind of uneasy mystery that shrouds what remains of their foes, and yet there was confidence because he could completely trust his partner in the mission. Of course, he is still well aware that there was a third in their party, whose whereabouts they are unsure of, but again, the trust they have accumulated thus far somehow assured Leo that he could handle the remaining minor demons. If the man can blow a thick steel gate up by himself, he’ll probably be able to handle a few demonic low lives. Yes, the trust was indeed apparent for both, but the trust towards Ali was stronger. There was something more to it than being confident in martial and magical prowesses. There's faith, somehow the feeling that she is worth dying for but to feel such for a person he had just met is indeed weird but also interesting. It’s not like he had not felt strong connections with people before. In fact, the very essence of Fairy Tail in the ancient days was that people, strangers no less, became a family almost instantly from the point they decided they wanted a guild mark on their body.

But as they ventured deeper, with Leo following closely behind the woman, who had been cutting away demon upon demon on their way to the castle. He didn’t dare get on her way, he felt that eagerness to help would just cause problems sometimes as the concept of too much rings true in Leo’s everyday life. But she was somehow struck by demons on top of the castle gate’s walls. He witnessed Ali get knocked back and produce a dent.

Leo was shocked with worry, there were still some that can pull that off. The feeling carried off to a worried cry to his partner’s name “Ali!” he said. Extending an arm out for what seems to be involuntary action. The old man then looked by turning his head towards the top of the wall where the shots were coming from. His body was still turned a bit more towards where Ali crashed, his right wrist rotating and a spear of crackling lightning appeared on his hand, held in the middle. The demons were attempting to fire again. The spear suddenly concentrated the cackling electricity and lightning into a ball of plasma on its tip. He pointed the spear towards the demons to provide cover fire as he ran to help Ali. The plasma burst out in a violent beam that took out some of them while the rest took cover behind the slowly melting stone wall.

He looked over to where Ali was and saw that she was getting out of her predicament. She was being classy about it too, at least from what Leo can tell. She was dignified, even in her recovery and subsequent action to eliminate all that dared attack her before she flew off to exact her justified revenge in a way that had manners to which he simply smiled at and let her be.

In the sky, Leo saw how she seemingly got shot. And while that is usually a cause for concern, Leo simply watched as he knew, or more accurately, he felt that she was ok. He knew at least that people who got damaged in mid-air tend to usually fall down to earth rather quickly and not stay exactly where they were and spare a moment to utter a few taunts at the opponent. It was curious really. She got struck where a heart should have been, but there was nothing. She was heartless? Maybe not in the usual sense and more of the literal side of things, but what keeps her alive then? Magic? Possibly. Leo’s inquisitive side took hold of the entire situation as the mage swooped down like a bird of prey at her enemies while the old man just stood where he had been standing all this time, looking in wonder and awe at the creature before him.

But of course, this was a battlefield, and everyone was fair game. Demons tried to rush the swordsman out of fear instead of the usual intent of self preservation. No, they were being forced perhaps as they were getting awfully close to the castle of the Demon Lord, the last of the minor demons were flung their crude and flimsy weapons at him as they charged. A single stroke however was all it took to send the lesser creatures flying back as Leo was surprised at the strength of his own arms. His blades felt lighter and easier to wield with sheer force behind them. He casually glanced at his shoulder, specifically where his cursed family crest was on and noticed how the crest was pulsing. Reacting to the power of demons he had been infused with before slowly looking up to his companion, realizing it came from her. Angelic wings and demonic powers? Leo wished to know more, but perhaps that could wait for more noises were heard as the last of the lesser demons got up once more in an attempt to desperately defend their master. The swordsman glanced over their direction as he waved his weapon to the side as it slowly disappeared in a thin black mist until finally it was no more and only an arm with an open palm rested at his side, alluring and allowing the demons to come close. Finally, he could see every last one of them, all fifteen by his count roaring and snarling at their old looking prey. The arm that once held his blade was then lifted slowly. The fingers on that hand were used to snap and an eerie shockwave of faint dark energy washed across in front of him, putting a stop to every charging demon. They checked themselves, feeling something different in them but after having found nothing, they tried to continue, but the first step they took, they felt their very being, their essences flee them and flow towards Leo’s right hand from which did the snap. Slowly, they withered away and fed Leo’s power until nothing remained of them but dust.

But it wasn’t over yet. As soon as the last of them fell, Leo’s position was struck by a devastating bolt of lightning causing the area to go up in smoke. From the shadows, a major demon emerged, revealing to be the perpetrator of the attack. It snickered and thought that the man was only good for lesser demons and was no match for someone as strong as it was. But behind dark energy gathered, and formed into a Leo that was sitting casually on the debris as if it was his throne. On his right arm a gauntlet that nestled a glowing emerald gem sat. The demon turned with a swing of a weapon, a scimitar made of lightning crackling as it was moving through the air. The weapon was blocked by a blade made of pure energy that came out of the gauntlet that Leo had casually lifted near to his head as he stared at the demon with dismissive eyes. He was taunting his enemy, but it wouldn’t work as much as he had hoped. The demon still believed itself to be far superior and thought the old man to simply be bluffing.

Leo’s enemy decided to charge itself with electrical energy with an intention for an explosive ending. A pulse of electrical energy shot out from it sending bolts in every direction outwards the demon roared as he let loose such incredible power but also because he had witnessed his enemy simply block it by surrounding himself with a radiant shield while also now holding a hold blade on his right hand. Having been fed up, the demon resorted to close combat as he summoned forth his rapier that had plasma for a blade. A smirk would then be seen on Leo’s face, now they were dancing to his tune. The demon would swing his weapon at Leo and parried it easily and countered with a thrust of his own.

By not having been able to defend that thrust in any way, the cockiness of the demon was dwindling as he now faced Leo, whose expression has remained the same, with anger. With a fury, the demon tried to unleash several strikes that Leo blocked to the best of his ability. Granted some got through and he got a few cuts, he was still more than alive. Skill was still more important than brute strength for as he defended himself, Leo too was able to sneak in a few strikes to some very important points that at the end of it all, Leo was in more condition to keep fighting than the demon.

Their dance continued as Leo kept moving around the demon, forcing its back to face the swordsman that continued to dish out better blows than he was getting. Until the demon was out of breath, panting for dear life as he tried to out match a soul empowered, holy sword wielding warrior in front of him. With a rage, he mustered what little power he could and quickly unleashed a devastating blast of concentrated electricity. The speed of such an attack rivalved that of lighting striking and carried with it a force of more than a thousand gigawatts.

He thought his enemy defeated at last. Only to find himself stabbed with the same energy blade Leo used the first time from behind. With the demon’s dying breath, he witnessed that he had unintentionally cleared the way into the Demon Lord’s castle where more of their stronger brethren waited. Bested, the demon pulled itself out of the blade and made friends with the ground.

The ever cold and calculating Leo retained his blank expression until the end of the fight before turning to Ali, signaling to his partner that the way was clear as pointed towards the way in from which more soldiers spewed out, ready to lay their lives for their demonic masters to give them time to prepare themselves and whatever unholy power they possessed. It was tiresome to be sure, having to deal with more small fry. Though one among stood, far more imposing than the rest, the general of this force no doubt, sending his undead minions to soften the intruders up before he took all the glory. Leo was prepared to face them, to kill thaem all in a graceful bloodbath. But Ali, ever the considerate and attentive partner came to his assistance. With her strength, he toppled an entire tower at the enemies which was impressive to be sure. He looked at her with such happiness along with a small nod of thanks before turning once more to the demon general with a smirk that carried malintent while the new enemy looked on in annoyance. Before long and not a moment too soon, Leo charged at him, his holy sword raised to his head.

WC: 1,853
Leo: 10,108
Thread: 19,002

Enemies Remaining:
Major Demon - 6
Demon Lord - 1
@Aliannah