Branches swayed. Armor clattered. Holy mana flickered along moving shapes like liquid gold as knights surged upward—some climbing, some vaulting, some using mana-charged leaps to reach the lowest limbs.
They followed Thane's command without hesitation.
"UP THE TREES! MOVE!"
The first blood-snakes struck instantly.
From the corpses below, crimson lines whipped upward—thin as needles, fast as lightning—solidifying into serpentine chains of blood. They slithered between branches like living whips, angling toward the knights with spear-tips sharpened to a killing point.
FWISH—FWISH—FWISH!
Knights twisted aside, shields snapping up. Some slashed, holy mana flaring bright along their blades.
One knight cut a blood-chain clean in half; it burst into a spray of mist. Another blocked two at once—his shield dented slightly, but unbroken.
Not all were so lucky.
A younger knight failed to track a snake's trajectory. It pierced straight through his thigh. He screamed—then toppled backward off the branch.
Two others grabbed him before he fell, dragging him behind the formation as more blood-chains hunted for unguarded gaps.
Lyriana watched from higher up, her silhouette hidden among the rain-wet leaves, aura low and controlled. Blood magic pulsed gently around the demon spawn as she shifted her weight, judging where next to move.
Below, the forest erupted in a frenzy of motion. Knights leapt from branch to branch, dodging serpentine spears of crimson light.
Thane, however—Thane walked.
Every blood-chain shot at him first.
Lyriana noticed it instantly.
He's marked.
Golden sigils along Thane's armor blazed, drawing in every hostile spell like a magnet. Each snake recoiled, re-angled, launched toward him—only to crash against his shield or be split by his upward swing.
He advanced through the storm as if wading through tall grass.
She frowned.
Hmm… his armor… it's baiting my magic. A magical armor?
Below, Thane's eyes never left the canopy. His thoughts sharpened:
These constructs respond to her will, but also to mana density. They prioritize threats. And everything reacts more violently when I draw near…
Another blood-chain lunged. Thane cut it in half with a golden arc. He exhaled once.
Good. That's the confirmation I needed.
A knight called out behind him, panic tinged with awe:
"Captain! They're everywhere—how do we find her in this forest?!"
Thane didn't look back.
"We don't look for her." He raised his shield and let another blood-chain shatter against it, feeling the vibration through his arm. "We let her magic come to me."
The knights hesitated, processing.
"These constructs react to mana concentration. The attacks target the strongest, but I'll draw them all. Watch."
He took three calculated steps toward the thicker branches above. Instantly, four blood-snakes changed direction, all whipping toward him at once, turning sharply midair.
Thane watched their angles. Their origin points. Their alignment.
"There," he said quietly.
"What?" a knight gasped.
Thane pointed toward a cluster of overlapping branches lost in the gloom of the upper canopy.
"If the blood shifts toward me with a predictable delay…" Another snake shot from the left—Thane shifted two steps right. The snake curved, correcting its angle. He counted the heartbeat it took to alter direction. "…that delay indicates distance from the source."
Another chain lunged—he blocked it with a ringing crash, sparks of crimson and gold scattering.
"And the angle indicates height."
A final snake shot from above, nearly vertical.
Thane raised his head slowly. The knights followed his gaze.
Up there. Hidden beneath layers of leaves. Where the red glow pulsed faintly in the rain.
High. Three trees over. Two branches above the last stable line. Perfectly placed to attack without being seen.
Thane's voice dropped to a growl:
"She's there."
Knights tensed. Thane lifted his sword, golden mana blazing along the edge like liquid dawn.
"ALL SPEARS—UPWARD! LAUNCH ON MY MARK!"
But he wasn't finished. He used her own logic against her:
"She will move the instant she senses the volley. So we don't aim where she is…" He angled his blade to the branch behind the point he'd indicated. "…we aim where she must go."
A cold breeze swept through the canopy. Lyriana stiffened. Her blood-magic pulse wavered for a fraction of a second—then she realized:
They've found me.
A hundred spear-tips brightened below. Thane's sword carved a golden arc as he roared:
"Archers—UP!"
A dozen blades rose. Holy mana surged, glowing with pale-gold radiance.
Lyriana felt the mana gather—a cold, divine hum. She spun behind a trunk, cloak flashing red. But she knew—if even one attack touched them…
Her jaw tightened.
> "No."
Her arm swept outward—crimson mana curving around the children like a shell.
The knights swung.
SZZZT—SZZZT—SZZZT—
The first volley struck her barrier.
CRACK—CRACK—
The barrier held—for two seconds—then shattered like glass.
Lyriana dove aside, twisting her torso around the children, taking the second volley across her ribs instead. Holy slashes tore into her flesh—burning—refusing to let the wounds close. Her breath hitched—but she kept silent. Silence was survival.
She landed on a new branch, kneeling, skin trembling. Smoke rose from her wounds. Blood slid down her side in slow, dark streams. Healing began—but the holy corruption sizzled inside her veins.
Lyriana quickly stood upright.
> "You three… feel heavier than usual today…"
Elenya's red eyes filled with tears. Lucifer slept on, soft and oblivious. Lyriana exhaled sharply, pain stabbing through her still-healing ribs.
Below, Thane watched her sway. He raised his sword.
"Again."
Another volley loaded. Lyriana's eyes narrowed—no barrier ready. Balance off. One child in each arm, another at her side.
She threw her body around them, forming a shield with her own flesh. Slashes struck her shoulder, thigh, and back. Holy light blazed inside the wounds, burning too fast for regeneration to keep pace. She dropped to one knee, gripping the trunk to stay upright. Blood dripped freely, breath uneven. Healing fought—but she was losing ground.
Thane stepped forward, voice iron:
> "You drag these three—demon spawn all—through life and death alike. Every instinct you spend protecting them only prolongs their corruption. You cling to darkness while refusing release. If you would have laid them down, you could have spared yourself the torment. I thought that's what demons are for… why cling to what should be unmade?"
Lyriana lifted her head slowly—eyes glowing like burning rubies through the rain. Her voice was low, steady, furious.
Thane's blade hummed with holy power. He pointed it at her, gaze burning with divine judgment.
Lyriana's aura flared. Blood magic ignited around her—violent, sharp, alive—turning the air crimson. Her fangs glinted. Her voice dropped to a whisper:
> "Over my lifeless body, you will not touch them."
The forest seemed to tighten—branches trembling, rain slowing, leaves vibrating with crimson power.
Thane's blade hummed, voice like steel:
> "Then I will exterminate every last one of you demons. By the Radiant Mother, every demon under your care—every shadow you shelter—will be purged. Her light will consume them, and the darkness you clutch will be extinguished. If you will not lay them down… you will fall beneath her judgment, and all you protect will be unmade."
Lyriana gathered the children close, her wounds bleeding almost fully healed, her mana pulsing like a heartbeat. She glanced at Thane, a dark smirk curling her lips.
> "You're getting way too far ahead of yourself."