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Luka's Story-Paradox	By : Ditmag Category: +M through R > Monster Girl Quest Views: 2709 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Monster Girl Quest Paradox is the intellectual property of Tortorro Restistance. I make no money from this.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
As per our norm, the journey to the Forest of Spirits drew a crowd. The monsters enjoyed the camaraderie of traveling together, rather than simply hanging out at the castle, and were very protective of their favorite tasty tidbit as well. I’m sure it was more than that. Their affection towards me seemed to be about more than filling their bellies. Since the wildernesses of Sentora continent were vast, you could actually travel with a mob of monsters and no one would be alarmed, or even aware, in most cases.
Nanabi in particular was interested in seeing the Forest of Spirits, and hopefully meeting a genuine spirit. Like Promestein, she was intellectually curious, a voracious reader, and a student of science and magic. She would be the brains of the day’s adventure, since Promestein had decided to stay in her lab. As with the haunted house, Promestein had at first expressed zero interest in the Forest of Spirits. However, the next morning, she had pronounced herself ready to go. Alice shot her down, however.
“You can walk with us to the forest, but you can’t go in,” Alice said.
“But…. I worked all night on a special fairy cage,” Promestein whined.
“And that’s why you can’t go into the Forest of Spirits!” Alice scolded her. “That place is sacred to the beings that live there. No sample taking, no kidnapping cute little fairies!”
“I guess I’ll just stay here, then,” Promestein replied, utterly deflated.
Nanabi was better suited to the day’s quest anyway. Unlike Promestein, she had a kind heart and could respect boundaries. Being a monster, and a gentle kitsune to boot, she would be welcome among the elves and fairies. A seven tailed kitsune was also a powerful deterrent to monster attacks. All of the monsters we encountered gave us a wide birth, except for two.
One, a pretty blonde lamia, earned a stink eye from Alice when she approached our group and started hitting on me. Despite Alice’s tolerance of me feeding other monsters, and despite the fact that a lamia could be a powerful ally, Alice made it clear in no uncertain terms that this particular lamia should take a hike. I tried to gently ask Alice why she’d reacted that way.
“Two reasons,” Alice explained. “The first, jealousy. It just rubs me the wrong way to see one of my own people look at you that way. Not only that, she’s prettier than me.”
I doubted that, and told Alice so.
“You’re sweet, Luka, but look at me,” Alice said. “Granted, I’m hot, but only men into the exotic are into me. That girl was blonde, with fair skin, and very human like facial features.”
Alice did have a point. I’d always found her to be lovely, but I guessed that blue skin, silver hair, weird body art(even though it was mostly natural), and alien-looking eyes would not be every man’s cup of tea. But a blonde bombshell of a lamia? Only men addicted to legs would have turned her away!
“The second reason is that some lamias can’t be trusted,” Alice said. “I know her type. She’d either try to keep you for herself, or more likely weaken you with great sex and then eat you. She’d do it right in my castle, too, and then try to deny that she’d done it. ‘Oh, Luka? I haven’t seen him. I think he went out for a walk. I hope nothing happened to him.’”
“It’s good to see that even the Monster Lord recognizes how evil some of her followers are,” Ilias snarked.
“Are humans any different?” Alice shot back. “Some monsters are terrible. Wouldn’t it be understandable that I’d want to limit this group to monsters who we can probably trust? Like that one.”
That one? Alice was pointing at one of the strangest monsters I’d ever seen. She seemed to be a girl leaning on a watermelon. I wasn’t even sure that she was a monster. Except for the watermelon covering up her lower body, she seemed to be a normal young woman.
“What a strange group!” the watermelon girl said amiably. “Where are you all off to?”
“The Forest of Spirits!” Pochi answered enthusiastically, earning a dirty look from Alice.
“Why not just announce it to the whole world, Pochi?” Alice asked irritably.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know it was a secret.”
“It’s not, just…. Oh, never mind. I just need to remember to keep most of you inside for the really secret missions. So, pretty alraune, what’s your name?”
“I’m Melon,” the watermelon girl replied. “I was on my way to the Forest of Spirits as well! May I join your group? There are some scary monsters out here. Some of them even prey on watermelon girls!”
“I understand why,” Alice said. “You’re delicious!”
“Don’t break my watermelon!” Melon protested.
“I’m the Monster Lord,” Alice replied. “I would never hurt one of my cute little subordinates. Of course you may accompany us.”
“Can I suck on your male? I’m pretty hungry myself.”
“How about no?!” Sonya interjected. “Why do we keep on adding monsters to this party who want to chew on Luka? What does she contribute to our mission?!”
“Wow, that human’s mean,” Melon said, shrinking back. “Is he your mate, lady?”
“No, he’s not my mate! He just… I…. Oh, I give up.”
“You may suck on him on two conditions,” Alice said, barely concealing a smile at Sonya’s expense. “First, he’s actually the leader around here. So he has to be at full strength until we finish our mission in the forest. Once that is complete, you will be invited to dine with the rest of us. On foods other than semen. Luka is an amazing cook. Following dinner, Luka shall be your dessert.”
“That sounds amazing!” Melon said enthusiastically. “But there’s gotta be a catch. What’s the second condition?”
“I want dessert as well,” Alice said. “And I want watermelon for dessert.”
“Deal!” Melon exclaimed.
“Wait, you’re going to let Alice eat you?!” I asked.
“Only my watermelon, silly!” Melon laughed. “It’s supposed to be eaten. Even I eat it. It grows back quickly.”
Well, if it was okay with her, it was okay with me. I wasn’t about to turn down yet another new experience. I was beginning to wonder if some of the monsters I was encountering for the first time had existed back on my world. I brought up the subject to Alice as our journey continued.
“How would I know?” she answered. “I don’t know anything about other worlds.”
“I might have a theory,” Nanabi said. “Luka, didn’t you say you traveled all over and lived a very long time?”
“Yes, I did,” I replied. “That’s why it’s so amazing that I’m seeing so many monsters I’ve never seen before. I know I hadn’t seen all of them, so I imagine some of them existed back on my world and I just never ran into them. But I can’t believe I missed so many.”
“From what you’ve told us, this world seems to have higher magic saturation than the world you came from,” Nanabi mused. “That would result in a wider variety of outlandish monster types. No offense, Melon, but when I first read about watermelon girls I thought the writer was pulling my leg.”
“None taken,” Melon chuckled. “We get that reaction a lot.”
Melon’s movements were so odd. She propelled herself along the ground using a combination of vines and her larger front watermelon rolling on the ground. It looked exhausting, but Melon seemed to keep up without much effort. I wasn’t sure what she’d contribute to the party other than to give Alice something new to eat. I guessed that was Alice’s sole reason for bringing her along.
Upon our arrival at the sacred forest, Alice turned and addressed the group.
“I’m going to leave the Pocket Castle out here at the edge of the forest,” Alice said. “Those of you who want to go back inside are welcome to. Those of you who would like to simply wait here are welcome as well. But we can’t bring too large a group inside. Luka and I will go in for certain. Melon as well, since she was planning to travel here anyway and is a cute little alraune. Her presence won’t alarm anyone. Anyone else?”
“Wait, you’re coming with me?” I asked.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Alice countered.
“Sorry, you just didn’t the first time. I guess I assumed you’d want me to do this alone, since there aren’t any threats in the forest of spirits.”
“Um, guys?” Ilias piped up. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that. I’m sensing something very unsettling in there.”
“I feel it too,” Alice agreed. “That’s one reason I want to join you, Luka. The other is that I’m not sure there is a mission without any threats where you’re concerned. That situation with Chrome escalated to the point where someone could have died. It was completely unnecessary, and it was your fault. I don’t want to see something like that happen with a spirit.”
“I would never get into that kind of a confrontation with Sylph!” I objected. “Chrome was different! She was using human souls in unspeakable ways!”
“Nevertheless, I’m not going to risk you throwing your power around in this forest,” Alice said firmly. “I’m going with you. If a confrontation comes, I can help keep things under control.”
“I’m going in as well,” Ilias said.
“A holy being in that forest is a terrible idea,” Alice said. “It should just be Luka and I.”
“And me!” Melon said helpfully.
“A holy being is already in that forest,” Ilias said. “You felt it, didn’t you?”
“I did, but it felt wrong, somehow,” Alice replied. “As if it was warped and twisted.”
“So you did feel what I felt. I can’t ignore that.”
“Actually, now that I remember,” I said. “I know what’s in there. It’s a chimera.”
“A what?” Alice asked.
“A chimera. It’s made up of several different beings. I believe in the case of the creature in that forest, it’s made up of human and plant parts. Very dangerous, but nothing we can’t handle.”
“It must have angel parts as well then,” Ilias said.
“Maybe. I’ll just obliterate it. It’s not even alive.”
“Okay, but do it carefully,” Alice cautioned. “This forest is a very delicate place. Use your power as a last resort.”
“I’m still coming,” Ilias said. “I need to know who is perverting holy magic in such a way.”
“I can already tell you that,” I said. “It’s this world’s Promestein. She has a lab nearby, underground I believe.”
“And she’s doing that kind of research?! I didn’t authorize that! How has that been kept from my eyes?! Did she just start that work recently?”
“We’ll have to find that lab, then,” Alice said. “All right, Ilias, fine, you can come in as well, but keep your use of force down to a minimum in there!”
“This having to do what other people say is getting really old,” Ilias groused.
“I’ll go as well,” Nanabi said. “That’s why I came along. I wanted to meet Sylph.”
“Sorry, Nanabi, I’d forgotten,” Alice replied. “Yes, of course a kitsune would be welcome in the forest.”
“Then I guess I will complete our little adventuring party,” Sonya said.
“No,” Alice said firmly. “Luka may be tolerated because he’s going in to contract with Sylph. You, on the other hand, have no business in there. It’s bad enough that we have to have Ilias tagging along. Another human carrying a big club? It’s just too much. Stay out here and keep these monsters under control.”
“She’s right, Sonya,” I said. “Cindy isn’t here to lead, so you’re the best candidate.”
“Fine,” Sonya said. “I guess if they’ll acknowledge me as the boss it could be fun. Be careful in there, okay? And try not to bring any monsters home with you.”
“Elves could be very useful allies,” Alice said, trying to bait Sonya. Sonya didn’t take it, however.
That decided, Alice, myself, Nanabi, Ilias, and Melon entered the Forest of Spirits. The forest was abundant with life, not just monsters, but animal life as well. There were no predators in this forest, which made it a refuge for harmless monsters like Melon, as well as deer, rabbits, and various birds. Ilias surprised me by whistling to a bird, which landed on her arm. Ilias pulled a small piece of fruit out and placed it directly into the bird’s beak, whereupon it flew off.
“I didn’t know you liked animals, Ilias,” I said.
“I love animals,” the goddess replied. “it’s monsters I can’t stand. Monsters are unnatural, creations of the Dark God through her creations’ unholy mating with the various life forms on this world. Humans and other animals arose naturally, through the process of evolution.”
“I thought you created all of them?” Alice asked.
“Oh yes, sorry, I misspoke.”
“Ilias, it’s okay, I know the truth,” I laughed. “You guided the process of evolution. That’s quite an accomplishment. If you had anything to do with this forest, take a bow. It’s lovely.”
We earned some stares from passing fairies, but none approached us. That was a very different experience from when I’d entered this forest alone. They’d wanted to play when it was just me. That had led to an unfortunate confrontation with an elf. Maybe Alice was right that it was better for her to accompany me. With my companions by my side, I might find Sylph without having to fight anyone. We did encounter an elf, however, who popped out of the brush, an arrow nocked and pointed at me. She quickly lowered her bow once she got a look at us.
“Oh, just a human and some friendly monsters,” the elf said. “And a lowly angel.”
“I’m the g-!” Ilias started to say, then corrected herself. “Yes. A cute little angel. That’s me.”
“We have been far less hostile to human and angelic visitors since the Great Disaster befell this world, but be warned. There is a dangerous looking creature stalking this forest. It hasn’t attacked anyone yet, but those of us who can see magic can tell how powerful it is. Please be cautious.”
“I think I know what it is,” I said. “And we’ll be sure to solve that problem for you while we’re here.”
“Please talk to it first, if at all possible,” the elf said. “We don’t want a big fight in our sacred forest if it can be avoided. It hasn’t harmed anyone yet, so perhaps if it can be communicated with it can be convinced to leave.”
I assured her that we’d try and we moved on. We walked for quite some time, at least two hours. I didn’t recall having to be in the forest that long before Sylph had chosen to appear. I began to fear that by bringing companions in, Sylph might not show. I’d been warned the first time that I could search the forest for an eternity and never find Sylph if she didn’t want to be found. I expressed my concerns to Alice. Alice shrugged and said that Sylph was probably taking longer because she wanted to observe us. We were an unusual group, after all. Alice was with her greatest enemy. And Ilias was present as well! Haha, bad joke, You see, Nanabi is a kitsune and.... ah, never mind.
We crossed a bridge over a stream that I had no memory of. Also crossing was a small fairy, who like the elf, warned us of the creature in the woods that was scaring everyone. I was more interested in why a fairy needed to cross a bridge over a small stream, to which the tiny fairy embarrassingly admitted that she was afraid of water, so felt more comfortable flying over the bridge than directly over the stream.
Shortly after we crossed the small, thin bridge, Sylph did appear. I ran to her and hugged her. So many emotional reunions on this trip. Nanabi smiled, commenting that running up to powerful beings who didn’t know me wasn’t the wisest course of action.
“Gee, I’m glad you’re happy to see me!” Sylph cheered. “But who are you? You’re not one of those weirdos who worships me, are you?”
“You know, I was going to give you a piece of my mind, wind spirit,” Ilias said. “But you just made me a lot happier by saying that. I mean, who worships a stupid spirit?”
“I agree!” Sylph laughed. “Especially the spirit of holy energy!”
“I’m far more than a mere spirit!” Ilias said hotly. “I am the goddess!”
“The spirits of dark and holy energy have always fancied themselves to be gods,” Sylph explained to me. “While it’s true that they are more powerful than us elemental spirits, they are still just spirits.”
“Wait, Ilias and the Dark God are spirits, like you?” Alice asked. “That’s… interesting.”
“Yes, but boring spirits!” Sylph answered. “They don’t like to play with us!”
“Sorry if governing all of creation makes us boring,” Ilias said, folding her arms. “Anyway, get on with the contract. We still have important business here. We need to find out what that creature is and deal with it.”
“Hmmm… I agree. I assume the human hero who was so happy to see me is the one who wants to contract with me?”
“I am,” I said. “This might sound weird, but I contracted with you once before, in another universe.”
“I’m afraid that doesn’t mean anything to me,” the wind spirit replied. “And yet there’s something familiar about you. Why do you want my strength?”
“I guess the simplest way to put it is that we’re trying to save the universe. And possibly many others.”
“I sense that you wouldn’t use my power for evil ends, but if you’ve contracted with me before, then you know that the power of a spirit can’t be wielded by a weak man. You have to be tested first.”
“I am aware of that,” I said. “So what will the test be this time?”
“Hmmm… let me think. You know, human, I sense the truth of your words. You have already contracted with the spirits before.”
“Really?” Alice asked. “I mean, I know he’s done it before,because he told me, but how can you tell? I sense no elemental energies within him.”
“You wouldn’t,” Sylph explained. “And to be honest, I wouldn’t have noticed either, except that he didn’t make a normal contract with the spirits of his world. He made the extra super solid forever contract!”
“The extra super sol…. What?”
“The sexual contract!” Sylph laughed. “It’s a tighter bond! I wonder why they contracted with you that way?”
“It’s a bit of a story,” I replied. “The short version is simply that under the circumstances it was necessary.”
“In that case, I know what the contest will be!”
“Please tell me it won’t involve having sex right here in front of all of us,” Alice said.
“No, although a battle fuck would be fun,” Sylph giggled. “But a contract like that isn’t necessary right now. The basic contract will do. Here are the rules of the contest. I’m going to fly around this forest, and you have to catch me without running into any trees.”
“There’s no way I can catch you, Sylph,” I said. “That’s an impossible contest for me to win. Last time you only asked me to touch you through your wind shield. Why can’t we do that?”
“Because you’re capable of so much more!” Sylph said happily. “Let me show you!”
Sylph wrapped her small arms around me the same way I’d done to her earlier. I felt power surge through me. A familiar power. The power of wind. A gale exploded inside my heart.
“See, your heart already knows how to play with the wind!” Sylph laughed. “You just didn’t know how to awaken it. Catch me, and we can play with the wind together!”
With a cry of delight she zipped off. I could barely contain my excitement. I looked at Alice and smiled.
“What are you looking at me for, idiot?” Alice asked. “Go get her.”
Feeling like the Flash, I tore off after Sylph, dodging trees and jumping over bushes. Despite my wind power which Sylph had awakened in me, the contest would not be easy. Sylph knew the forest and probably played around with the wind every day. Even with my experience, I had never used my wind power precisely this way. Fortunately, I had my natural reflexes to guide me. If I could catch an arrow in flight, I could avoid slamming into a tree. Or so I hoped.
Flitting through the trees at chest level, Sylph looked behind and stuck her tongue out at me, then increased her speed. She intentionally flew close to a patrolling elf, causing the wind to ruffle the elf girl’s hair. My larger form passing by knocked the poor elf down. Sylph made an abrupt turn to the left that was almost ninety degrees. I had to slow down and make a slower, curving turn, thus losing ground on the wind spirit. But she was either holding back, or I was faster, because I caught up to her soon enough, just in time to plow through a large group of fairies. Fortunately, Sylph’s arrival had already scattered them by the time I came barreling through.
My shoulder painfully brushed a tree trunk as the merry chase continued. Did that count? Sylph said nothing, so perhaps it did not. Then I hit a tree branch head first. That was going to leave a mark. Thank goodness I had healers in my party. Sylph flew over the stream my group had crossed earlier. I had to jump. I went sailing through the air, the other side well within my reach. Or so I thought. I lost momentum and ended up flopping belly first into the water.
“Hahaha!” Sylph chortled. “I hope you’re not giving up! Why didn’t you just fly over the stream? I know you can do it!”
Oh yeah, I thought, remembering that I had learned some basic flight over the years. I flew right out of the water, straight up. I wasn’t very maneuverable. In fact, I’d always been amazed at how much power I had and yet how terrible I was at using it. But straight up, that I could do. I ascended over the forest canopy and surveyed the area. There! I couldn’t see Sylph, but I could see where she was disturbing the leaves by passing by them at such ridiculous speeds. I dove down, back towards the trees, trying to get ahead of her. I exploded back through the canopy, breaking branches on my way down, but I did succeed in overtaking her. She was only meters in front of me, coming at me head on. Surely she’d try to go around me. She had the agility. Instead, she grew to human size and slammed into me, knocking the wind out of me. We rolled on the ground together, coming to a stop next to a large tree, Sylph on top of me.
“You are so much fun!” Sylph yelled in my face.
“Urmph…” I replied.
“You’ll be fine,” she said helpfully. “Give me your hand.”
I weakly held out my hand to the wind spirit. She touched my wrist and disappeared, taking up residence in my heart. When I recovered my breath, I greeted her there happily.
“It’s so good to have you back, Sylph!” I said. “I already feel your gale within my heart.”
“It was always there, Luka,” she replied. “But together we can make your heart even windier than before! Now let’s go rejoin your friends!”
I smiled and took off at top speed, dodging trees, elves, and fairies. With Sylph in my heart I was moving even faster than before. I almost wanted to run straight through the Sabasa desert and find Gnome. Heck, why not collect all four spirits and just come back to rejoin my friends? How long would that take? An hour? Two? Okay, I was probably being optimistic, but it’s hard to describe the high that Sylph brought me.
“Um… Luka?” Sylph said. “You’re going the wrong way.”
Oh.

When I finally got back to my companions, they were all smiles, even Ilias. While she didn’t approve of my contracting with a spirit, which she regarded as a false god, as if she could talk(she really just hated the competition), she was pleased that her protector had acquired more power.
“The way you took off…” Alice said. “After all this time, your mastery of the wind so soon after recovering it is impressive.”
“It’s like learning to ride a bike,” I said flippantly.
“Speak like a normal person,” Alice scolded, although I could see she was quite pleased.
“Now to find the source of that wrongness Alice and Ilias were feeling,” Nanabi said. “Melon, this could be dangerous. You should probably stay here.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Melon replied.
“Um, guys, I think the source of that wrongness is coming our way,” Ilias said. “I feel it getting stronger. Is that what happened the first time you did this, Luka?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” I confirmed. “Okay, ladies, this is a tough enemy but we’re a strong group. Just hit it with everything you have as soon as you see it come out.”
“But try to spare the forest,” Alice cautioned.
“Hit it with as much concentrated power as you feel comfortable exerting, then Nanabi and I can close in and hit it physically once you’ve weakened it enough.”
“That’s… not the worst plan I’ve ever heard,” Alice said. “You ready, Ilias?”
Ilias had a look of determination on her face. “Ready, monster lord,” Ilias confirmed.
“Would you mind capitalizing my title when you say it? I think we’ve been through enough together that I’ve earned at least that much respect.”
“How do you know whether I’m capitalizing your title or not when I speak?”
“Oh, I know, believe me. It’s in your tone.”
I could hear a disturbance in the wind. I’d forgotten how much Sylph enhanced my senses. If I had been paying attention more closely, I probably would have sensed the thing’s appearance before Alice and Ilias did. But now the disturbance was unmistakeable. I waited, sword drawn, in the clearing with my companions. Nanabi’s tails stood at the ready. She’d be able to strike seven times for every one of mine. Ilias and Alice were powering up their holy and dark magic, respectively.
What emerged from the forest was not what I had expected. Instead of a chimera, it was an armored figure. And when I say armored, I mean fully armored from head to toe, an uncommon site on this world. Most soldiers on this world favored speed over protection, keeping their armor light. This was true of monsters and humans alike.
"Luka, is that the chimera you were talking about?" Alice asked.
"No," I replied. "That is definitely not what happened last time."
The armored form paused and looked around. He looked at me, then Nanabi, then Alice, then Ilias. His reaction to Ilias was violent.
“ANGEL!!!!!” he shouted, and charged.
“It can’t be….” Ilias breathed, then she panicked. “LUKA! Save me!”
The man wasn’t waiting for us to hit him, charging forward much faster than his armored form would have indicated him capable of. While Ilias cowered, Alice managed to get off a bolt of dark magic, and even followed up with a lightning bolt, trying to take advantage of the man’s metal armor. He wasn’t even slowed down by either.
I placed myself between the armored man and Ilias, using all the leverage I had to block his attack. Despite me being the main threat in front of him, his swing was clearly aimed at the little goddess. I blocked his strike with my sword, nearly breaking my arms in the process. He was the strongest being I’d ever faced, at least physically. And I’d faced some pretty strong sword wielders in my time. But thanks to my superior knowledge of leverage techniques, something I came into Alice’s world with a mastery of, I was able to hold his sword at bay. Then I saw his sword. Ilias saw it as well.
“It is him…” she gasped. “Heinrich… How?”
“Heinrich?” I asked in disbelief, before being batted aside by an arm as the warrior went in for the kill.
Ilias screamed in terror as Angel Halo came crashing down. There was no way that I’d be able to get my sword out to block the strike. He was too strong and I’d have to stretch to do it. Seeing no alternative, I placed my body in between ‘Heinrich’ and Ilias. I screamed in pain as another Angel Halo cut right through me. I knew the cut wasn’t fatal. But I felt significantly weaker. My power was draining out of a massive cut running from my shoulder to my waist. Heinrich raised his sword to strike again.
One of Nanabi’s tails wrapped around Heinrich’s neck, yanking him back a few steps. Another tail wrapped around Heinrich’s sword arm. Heinrich turned to face Nanabi. Nanabi’s eyes flashed.
“Sleep,” she ordered.
Heinrich’s response was to rip off the tail from around his neck, and with another of Nanabi’s tails still wrapped around his arm, he roared and swung his arm around, lifting Nanabi off the ground and sending her flying through the tree tops.
“Nanabi!” I screamed as she disappeared. Foxes weren’t meant to fly! I thought ludicrously. Heinrich ripped the remaining hairs off of his armor with annoyance.
“She’ll be fine!” Alice yelled. “She has the power of earth! She’ll survive the impact!”
“Luka, you have to use your power!” Ilias yelled. “All of it!”
“I’m not killing Heinrich!” I yelled back.
“Ilias is right!” Alice exclaimed. “Heinrich’s body isn’t in there! It’s just his soul! That armor is simply a vehicle for his soul to use so that he can fight again!”
“That’s the greatest hero this world has ever known!” I countered. “I have to believe he can be reasoned with! I just have to take some of the fight out of him!”
“Luka, don’t be a fool!” Ilias shouted, as I charged forward to meet Heinrich sword to sword.
“Luka,” Sylph said in my heart. “I’m sending a message through the wind for all of the forest creatures to get out of the area. If you can’t beat Heinrich with your sword, you’ll have to use this power they’re talking about.”
“Got it,” I said, as our swords clashed once again.
Although I had been weakened by Heinrich’s cut, I still had some fight left in me. And while Heinrich was enormously skilled, I’d fought better, and he was in a berserker rage. He was leaving himself open to counterattack. I desperately parried and dodged his attacks, aided by the power of Sylph’s wind to avoid the attacks I couldn’t parry. I can win this! I thought. Until I actually found an opening and hit him. It was a hit every bit as good as the one he landed on me. It should have opened a cut capable of nearly sealing him. Instead, my sword clanged off his armor, my hand vibrating painfully.
“It’s no good!” Alice yelled. “His armor’s enchantment is too strong! Your sword can’t touch it!”
Great, now she tells me, I thought. Enchanted armor provided some protection from Angel Halo, but such protection was never complete. Granberia had enchanted armor that could lessen the impact of blows from Angel Halo, but they still got through to some extent. Heinrich’s armor was proof against my sword. But how could that be? Angel Halo was forged with Seraph-level magic! Only god-level magic beat that!
“Luka, everyone’s out of the way!” Sylph yelled. “Hit him!”
“Luka, do it!” Ilias agreed. “It’s our only chance!”
Using Sylph’s power, I retreated quickly, standing next to Alice and Ilias. Nanabi was still nowhere in sight. I had to believe that Sylph would tell me if Nanabi was close by. Heinrich charged again, ignoring me completely and going for Ilias.
“Last chance, Heinrich!” I warned. “Don’t make me do it!”
“ANGELANGELANGELANGELANGEL!!!!!!”
Wrong answer. I cut loose. It was less than I would have had earlier in the fight. His sword had leeched away some of my power. Nevertheless, the explosion was spectacular. Smaller trees were blown away, larger ones bent. From a distance, it would have looked like a small nuke had gone off. I’d directed the force in front of me, so that my companions wouldn’t experience the direct effects of the explosion. Heinrich, however, bore the brunt of it. When the dust cleared, I saw Heinrich lying on his back, his armor very much intact. Nanabi came staggering out of the woods behind us.
“Did we win?” she asked weakly.
“I don’t think so,” Ilias said, her voice quavering. “His soul is incorporeal. That armor has to be destroyed. Luka’s power fell short. I don’t think it’s over yet.”
Heinrich sat up. Looking around for his sword, he picked it up and got back to his feet. He didn’t even look unsteady. Oh, crap, I thought. How do I fight this thing? I realized with horror that I couldn’t teleport us away. I’d exhausted my power for the moment. But Ilias could.
“Ilias, teleport out of here!” I yelled. “It's you he's after!”
“Okay!” Ilias replied, and concentrated. Nothing happened. “He’s blocking me! I don’t want to die! Luka, please save me!”
“ANGELLLLL!!!!!” Heinrich cried, and charged once again.
“One more card to play,” I said with determination.
“I know what you’re thinking, Luka,” Sylph said. “Don’t do it!”
“Aren’t you always the one telling me to throw caution to the wind, Sylph?”
“I never say that! Cute, though.”
My gale turned into a hurricane as I flung myself at Heinrich, knocking him back. I held onto him and took off into the air. My plan was to carry him a few miles away and dump him somewhere. He hadn’t been attacking anyone until he saw Ilias. It made sense. Heinrich was the angel killer. As long as no angels were unlucky enough to cross his path, he’d be harmless. I could figure out how to free him later.
My plan didn’t work out. Heinrich didn’t just have a sword. He had magic too, which I should have known given that he used it to prevent Ilias from getting away from him. I only got just above the tree tops when his own holy magic exploded outward, forcing me to let him go and which sent me tumbling back towards the ground. I hit several branches on the way back down. Everything went dark before I even hit the ground.
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Luka's Story-Paradox