Dirge of the Afterlife - Chapter 8 Dance of the Swords

The quartet of demons, each sporting scimitar-like claws, razor-sharp fangs and incredibly thick hides, dove at Xepher as one. They attacked in formation, striking simultaneously. Yet the guardian could fight off all attacks with ease, dealing bloody blows in return.

He gutted one of them, causing it to stumble backwards. The other three roared furiously and dove at him. Ristaccia swung her blade outwards, catching one with a glancing blow on the neck. It spun towards her and leapt at her.

Xepher nodded absently, and thrust his blade into the throat of another. Just as it gave it's last death throes, the one who stumbled backwards just now came back.

Two against one. Typical demon unfairness. thought Xepher wryly as he ducked a slash from one of a demon's claws.

Xepher slashed with pinpoint accuracy, decapitating the demon as he grinned tauntingly at the other. It obliged, pouncing at him. Thrusting his blade straight into the midsection of the demon, it died midair.

Just then, Kaffleen recovered. With a quick incantation, she froze the other demon into solid ice, which Xepher shattered with a sledgehammer blow.

'You didn't have to come.' muttered Kaffleen as she resumed her place at the tip of the arc; she sounded annoyed at Xepher's interruption.

'Felicia sent me here.' replied Xepher, hanging back a moment more to make sure she was okay. 'Anyway, I don't have anything to do up there, so why not?'

'Whatever. Take out the ogres there, they almost got past just now, and I can't leave my post here.'

'Consider it done.'
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Weiss glared down at the trio guarding the gate. With a single word, he sent a torrent of meteors down at them.

Just then, Xepher glanced upwards, and saw the attack. With equal skill, he sent a barrage of thunderbolts upwards, and the two magical attacks shattered.

Weiss glared down at Xepher, who stared back challengingly. Wings flaring, he dove.

Xepher didn't even wait for him to come. Demon wings of his own flexed and he shot upwards like fate's bullet. They clashed almost lazily, swords flashing in a deadly waltz of blades.

As they broke apart, both breathing heavily, they saw begrudging respect in each other's eyes. Each found the other a worthy opponent.

Weiss nodded, and they closed in again. The skirmish was quick and deadly, and a demon who fluttered nearby was eviscerated instantly, bloody motes raining downwards onto the battlefield. Xepher dived around Weiss, who sent a flare of blinding light at him.

The guardian dodged this latest attack, then struck a heavy blow with Cypheria, in the form of a warhammer with a long haft. Weiss doubled up, then charged forwards, ramming Xepher with the considerable propelling force of his burning wings.

Then another one came into the fray. With pure psychic power, Felicia was held airborne, and charged straight at Weiss. He turned, and parried the crimson sword strike before flapping out of reach.

Xepher crashed into Weiss, getting seared by the retaliating beats of the flaming wings, but managing to plunge Cypheria into Weiss's midsection. The death knight's eyes flared, quite literally, and he swung his sword at Xepher, striking if not for Felicia's intervention, intercepting the blow with her weapon, in shape of a kiteshield.

With a last rattling gasp, the light faded in Weiss's eyes.

He exploded with extreme force, sending Felicia spiralling away haphazardly, Xepher forced into the ground so hard he caused a massive crater in the middle of the field, crushing every shadowling in the radius of the impact.

He rose from the crater, battered but triumphant. Glaring at the horde that was the shadow army, he raised his blade, crimson and ivory with the shed life fluids of Weiss. The army backed away, slowly at first, then turning into a full-fledged run, retreating from the one who had so bested their feared general.

As the last one disappeared from sight, Xepher fell on one knee, laughing, then coughing up a little blood. Felicia landed lightly next to him, holding a hand limned with green healing energies to his chest. Kaffleen, Rachel and Ristaccia came running up just then.

'Xepher, my sister has arrived with reinforcements.' Kaffleen said without pause.

The injured Xepher healed himself quickly after regaining a little strength, then nodded. 'Looks like...she'd came too late for the party.' Xepher rasped, seeing the psychic master running over, dualblades in hand.

Kaithlyn punched him playfully, then sobered, adding ruefully,'That I did. Damn it. Now what?'

Felicia surveyed the army gathered by Kaithlyn, comprising of soul warriors young and old, strong and weak. In fact, all of the soul warriors alive came, willing to fight in this cause.

'Now what? Now we bring the fight to the Shadow. It seems that sealing it up isn't enough. They would find ways to break through, but if we destroy them utterly they wouldn't bother us again.'