The Poem of Lightning (1)
The tide of battle shifted completely once Sabnack began unleashing her full power. The Raging Flames Demon King had descended.
The demons who caught sight of Sabnack, engulfed in black flames, couldn't hide their terror. The roaring inferno threatened every living thing without distinction between friend or foe. Flames spared neither enemy nor ally. Like a wildfire erupting in the wake of a rampage, it spread relentlessly, instilling fear in every elf and demon on the battlefield.
"Damn, what the hell is that pitch-black blaze? I've never seen flames like that in my life."
Bariteon Trident summoned a blinding blizzard with the power of Eternal Snow. The storm assaulted the black flames. But while the spread halted momentarily, the dark fire refused to extinguish even under the blizzard's chill. It surged forward like crashing waves.
In response, an elf shieldmaiden hefting a massive shield charged at the flames, blocking their advance. Combining the cold of Eternal Snow with her shield, she halted the black inferno's onslaught. Thanks to her, countless elves in its path were saved.
"Senior Bariteon, are you alright?"
"That's what I should be asking you. Blocking flames with a shield? No sane person would even dream of it."
"I'm pretty brave, right?"
"Not a compliment."
The spirited elf shieldmaiden replied with a grin as she pulled back her shield, which had repelled the black flames. Despite the clash, the shield remained unscathed. If anything, the black fire that had opposed it lost its momentum and scattered.
After swords, armor, and spears came shields. It was the Holy Shield, bestowed upon Rosta Buckle, the fifth-ranked elf warrior captain. This sacred relic, said to scale its defense with the user's courage and resolve, was renowned alongside Ardena Valencia's White Lily Scale as an armament capable of near-infinite power.
"The flames keep spreading from the center. We can't keep fighting like this. The monsters are already fleeing in panic."
Rosta raised her shield and glanced at the monsters turning tail. Beasts acted on instinct. Those gripped by terror from the black flames began to scatter accordingly.
Sabnack cared little if her own forces got caught in the crossfire; she was merely sating her battle lust. An arrogant confidence radiated from her—that she could single-handedly sweep away the entire Liberia Elf Kingdom army.
"Can't you do something about that jiggling ass every time you swing that shield?"
"Is this sexual harassment in the workplace?"
"Tch."
Rosta Buckle, the fifth-ranked warrior captain, wore armor that boasted as much exposure as any other elf shieldmaiden's. A knight from the Valua Kingdom might mistake it for some brothel-favored sex costume. The design was that provocative. But in the elven lands, it was standard issue. Elves absorbed mana through their skin, so they had no choice but to expose as much flesh as possible, even at the cost of armor coverage.
"This blaze spreading from the center feels off. My spear and your shield can only hold it back so far. The demons have already pulled back... Even if we miraculously suppress the flames, we'll just end up targeted by them anyway."
Bariteon and Rosta's desperate stand had stemmed the black flames' expansion. But the damage was catastrophic. Countless elf knights had vanished into the blaze, and the defensive lines lay in total ruin.
Elves who had tasted Sabnack's power were left demoralized, convinced no one could defeat a Demon King. They had witnessed an unbelievable might—one impossible to overcome. Seized by fear and dread, few would charge forward even under orders.
"Go find the twins. They're probably sniffling somewhere."
Smoke billowing from the black flames obscured vision. Screams rent the air like tearing fabric. Heat poured from the inferno. The stench of burning flesh hung heavy. The battlefield was a living hell.
And to make matters worse, a fierce wind howled, fanning the flames further. The sea of fire threatened not just the elves but even the demons who had wisely retreated earlier.
Visibility's too poor. It was bright daylight just moments ago... Even with the smoke blotting the sky, it's unnaturally dark. And the wind keeps picking up. Can't be sure with all this heat, but... the air's thick with moisture.
Bariteon looked up at the sky. Pitch black. Dark enough to call it night. He couldn't make out details through the smoke, but massive thunderheads surely blanketed the heavens. His instincts screamed it: brooding storm clouds had swallowed the land whole.
Rain? No way... The weather wasn't right for that.
Elves were especially attuned to the weather. Temperature, humidity, pressure, wind direction, speed—you name it. There was even a saying: if you want tomorrow's forecast, ask an elf.
Bariteon, a high elf turning 430 this year, ranked among the older, middle-aged ones. That made him even more sensitive than most. Which was why this sudden shift in the weather left him deeply uneasy.
* * *
Sabnack's dark sword sliced across Yushin Gilliard's chest, then carved into his shoulder and thigh in a fluid sword dance. Armor shards flew. Blood gushed from the cracks in his plate.
Despite the flurry of lethal wounds in an instant, Yushin reflexively swung back, meeting Sabnack head-on. His strikes, sharper than lightning, counterattacked fiercely enough to threaten her throat.
"Kahak!"
The tip of the Lightning Sword Karus pierced Sabnack's neck. Her uvula tore. Soft throat flesh ripped, spilling a gush of blood. Clutching the wound, she glared at Yushin with scarlet eyes. Coughing bloody froth, she ground her teeth.
It was a wound that would regenerate in seconds, but for Sabnack, it was utterly humiliating.
"Finally, that motormouth of yours shuts up."
Blood-soaked from head to toe, Yushin bared his teeth in a grin. Sabnack's face flushed—not from the pain in her throat. Clutching it with one hand, she parried Allen Rocksfield and Ardena Valencia's blades while weaving dazzling maneuvers. Her eyes burned into Yushin with unyielding murderous intent, promising to tear him limb from limb.
She swung her ink-black dark sword. Heukyeom Five Swords: Magic Heaven Return. Black flames erupted in all directions. The technique had devoured elves and monsters in a single gulp.
Allen and Ardena struggled against the engulfing blaze. Sabnack had aimed to buy time for Yushin to recover, but she shook her off only briefly.
Even when I crushed his heart before, and now... I definitely felt it...
Sabnack harbored doubts about Yushin, who kept reviving from wounds beyond death. It was a lingering question. How could a human escape death? Short-lived and frail compared to other races, no borrowed power could fully evade mortality.
"Graaaah!!"
Allen burst through the black flames, swinging her massive greatsword at Sabnack. Whoosh! The air screamed as it cleaved empty space. The flames flickered like candles in a gale against her monstrous strength. A slashing wind blade followed, scattering the blaze momentarily. Blue lightning capitalized on the gap, hammering Sabnack.
"Krrgh!"
Her throat wound had already healed. But fresh ones riddled her body from the azure bolts. She could endure. Not lethal. Raising her dark sword, she cleaved the lightning apart, averting disaster. She parried the barrage with swift precision.
"Even thunder and lightning cannot touch the Rampage Flame! Witness it fully and submit! No bolt can quench these eternal flames! I shall burn your flesh and very soul to ash on the path to the underworld!"
"Shut your trap!"
"......"
Yushin's roar silenced Sabnack. Her face twisted in fury. She gripped her dark sword. Parrying El Seed's glowing blue blade, she slammed down on Ardena.
"Give it up already."
"I will never yield. Not until you're dead. You die here today."
"You leeches!"
Even at full power, Sabnack couldn't fell any of the three. It defied expectations. She'd assumed total exertion would end it swiftly. But as time dragged, impatience crept in. Despite her overwhelming edge, inexplicable anxiety gnawed at her. It shook her resolve, like watching a lion ensnared in a crude trap she'd dismissed.
Her distorted expression betrayed it.
"Why won't you fall back?! Why won't you die?!"
Sabnack bellowed. It bordered on desperation. Their fearless advance terrified her. The Demon King slayer reviving via his dragon armor's power. The human swordswoman regenerating with innate physical prowess. The high elf swordswoman recovering wounds and vitality through her White Lily Scale and El Seed's sword. Who were the real monsters here?
Her face warped at their madness as they charged despite her flame-wreathed onslaughts.
"I will never fall...! I will cut you all down and claim victory!!"
Poison gleamed in Sabnack's eyes. She'd embraced death from the war's outset. If they kept reviving, she'd keep killing. This was a war of attrition—the first to crumble lost.
Sabnack spewed endless black flames, asserting her dominance. Heukyeom Forty-One Swords: Evil Dragon Reincarnation. The dark blaze roiled. Flames raging nearby rose as one, taking draconic form.
Using the inferno she'd spewed wildly as a medium, she unleashed the technique. It burdened even her; teeth gritted, she gripped the hilt with both hands and swung.
"Here it comes. One of her absolute techniques. Brace yourselves."
The air heated instantly. The already scorching atmosphere boiled like immersion in oil. The sheer thermal alone could kill.
As Sabnack slowly raised her dark sword, the inky dragons thrashed in response. Sleek heads and twin wings formed from black fire flicked forked tongues, targeting the Demon King's foes.
Fuck, how do we block that? She'll incinerate us to the last scrap before we regenerate. Even dropping the sun wouldn't hit this hard!
Yushin, wounds and armor scars fully regenerated, tightened his grip on the Lightning Sword Karus and glared at Sabnack. Victory seemed remote. He'd sensed it before, but never so bleakly.
"Come on, then! Fuck yeah!"
Yushin bellowed loud enough for Allen and Ardena to hear, steeling their resolve to stand firm.
And then, droplets fell from the sky. Plip. Plip-plip. At some point, the thunderheads blanketing the heavens had begun shedding water masses. Rain. Feeble compared to the black flames devouring the earth, but rain nonetheless.