Chapter 42

  The seven remaining demons had already surrounded them. Rillian Adore tried to hold them all off, but found it difficult.

  Drakkel was at Sword Hero. However when he tried to attack the demons, his sword energy would not come forth. It was like a calm sea, stagnant and still.

  His Grand Master was correct. He really couldn’t do much now. He could only dodge their attacks and retaliate with ordinary moves. Despite this, he did all he could to make sure Rillian Adore could take them out.

  And it seemed to be working.

  The demons fell one by one to Rillian Adore's blade. The ones he couldn't keep track of, Drakkel would make sure to keep distracted.

  Soon, Drakkel and Rillian Adore had slayed all the demons. As they went to offer Taliyah Raven some assistance, the demon and masked figure who were trading blows with her on the roof of the small building suddenly jumped back, creating a large distance between them all.

  The demon smiled and around twenty more demons came running in from afar.

  Rillian Adore and Taliyah Raven were already exhausted, they couldn't handle fighting for much longer. Even Drakkel felt drained of energy and was still unable to bring up his sword energy.

  “Why are you chasing us? What do you want?” He asked.

  The demon who seemed in charge smiled. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  Taliyah Raven spit out a mouthful of blood. With what seemed like the last of her energy, she breathed out, "They... won't..."

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  Drakkel gazed upon her figure which stood atop the roof covered in scrapes and cuts. With sweat falling from her forehead, a resolute demeanor came over her. She smiled thoughtfully at Drakkel before placing her hand up.

  “Wait!” Drakkel yelled, trying to reach her. But, it was too late. A sudden gust of sword energy pushed Drakkel and Rillian Adore off the mountain side.

  Drakkel could feel it. The energy…

  It surpassed the height of the sky and the weight of a mountain, flowing seamlessly through the air like the first cold wind on a winter morning. As sure as the stars in the sky and as sturdy as the ground, it was immovable, inconceivable, yet still there.

  Drakkel’s heart could not help but be moved by its presence even as he plummeted down to an unknown fate. For only one explanation could arise from this. When he was still a Sword Master he had felt it before. Like something at the tip of his tongue that he couldn't quite recall. It was elusive because he wasn't sure what he was reaching for. He just knew it was there… Sword Epiphany.

  Drakkel's eyes widened in realization as he fell.

  Someone had actually reached it.

  Then, there it was. Like what happened with Lord's Tincaid's manor and the Thousand Petals Sword's Clan, an explosion occurred.

  Taliyah Raven's home had burst into flames.

  From Drakkel's vantage point, it was all he could see.

  He had only known her for a short while, but his heart still trembled as he watched the scene.

  He couldn’t afford to stay distracted though as Rillian Adore and him were plummeting to the ground.

  He was suddenly brought back to his current situation when Rillian Adore turned him around and wrapped his arms around his waist.

  Under normal circumstances, Rillian Adore and Drakkel could use their sword step to minimize any damages they might have had during the fall. But one was nearly exhausted of sword energy and the other couldn't use it at all. Because the Sword Step was a move that required it, they couldn't do much, so Drakkel wondered what Rillian Adore had in mind.

  Then, something suddenly dawned on him. Rillian Adore couldn't be planning to…!

  But he did.

  They went through a tree and Drakkel closed his eyes. After a few moments, he felt a jolt coming from Rillian Adore's body and a soft thud as they hit the ground.