―A Battle for Survival at the Eighth Gate―
In the heat of battle, Fiora had become separated from Aurora's company.
Aurora and her company fought desperately to break through and reach the Eighth Gate, but the Scarlets continued their relentless assault, turning the battlefield into a massacre. Aurora wielded all her mystical rings, summoning an array of elemental weapons to counter the beasts.
"Hold the formation! We're almost at the gate!" the beautiful queen commanded.
The protective shield the soldiers were holding began to crumble under the relentless breath attacks of the scarlet dragons. Then, three even larger Scarlets emerged, planting themselves before Aurora's company. With a powerful blast of their breath, they shattered the protective barrier, incinerating four soldiers in the front lines. Aurora was forced to conjure an enormous boulder to shield them, while the rear guard tried to hold back the onslaught. They were trapped, there was no way out.
Amid the raging snowstorm, Fiora fought for her life, blocking and countering the near-perfectly synchronized attacks of the Scarlets. She wielded her spear and shield with expertise, parrying and dodging each strike. But one of the beasts finally landed a hit, its tail smashed her through the air. Fiora quickly repositioned herself, but another Scarlet was already waiting, jaws wide open, ready to devour her whole.
At the last second, Fiora raised her shield, bracing against the crushing bite. Her armor held, absorbing most of the impact, but the Scarlet then unleashed its fiery breath, slamming her against an ancient wall. The impact made her drop her spear and shield, leaving her barely conscious. The Scarlets slowly closed in, savoring the moment, eager to tear her apart.
Fiora struggled to move, her limbs heavy from the direct hit. Even though her armor had absorbed much of the damage, she was still badly wounded. As she reached for her shield, she suddenly noticed something—the Scarlets had stopped. They were backing away.
From within their ranks, a mysterious figure emerged, walking toward Fiora.
"You are the last person I expected to find here, Fiora Windham." A cold, eerie voice declared.
Fiora couldn't recognize the figure. Through her blurred vision, she saw a woman with long blonde hair falling to her waist, dressed in a deep blue trench coat. Her skin was so pale it looked cadaverous—as if she no longer belonged among the living.
"Who the hell are you?" Fiora asked, an unfamiliar fear creeping into her heart.
The strange woman stepped closer, grabbing Fiora by the throat and lifting her effortlessly into the air. Fiora struggled to break free, shocked by the sheer strength of this woman.
"You wouldn't recognize me. You've never seen me before." The woman said calmly. "But your name and reputation echo through every stone in these lands."
Fiora's vision darkened as she lost oxygen. She was on the verge of losing consciousness.
"Imagine the reward he will give me," the woman whispered.
Fiora's fading vision caught sight of the snowflakes falling from the sky, the world slipping away.
"When he learns that I have ended the life of Fiora Windham."
But before Fiora's life could be extinguished, many searing-hot rock spikes suddenly impaled the mysterious woman's back, one of them cut off the very arm that was choking Fiora. The woman staggered back, snarling in pain, as Fiora collapsed onto the snow.
The attacker turned, searching for the source of the assault—only to find the Scarlets behind her had been pierced by massive volcanic stone spikes, left motionless.
"How did someone get this close without me noticing?" the woman muttered. She quickly regenerated her lost arm as she cautiously advanced. Then, she spotted a silhouette.
"You're bold… and quite skilled to have surprised me like that." The woman admitted.
The silhouette remained still. The woman lunged with inhuman speed, slicing through the stone—but she had been tricked.
"Interesting." She whispered, her reptilian eyes glowing with a deep purple hue, filled with anger. Her demonic wings unfolded, and she took flight, disappearing into the blizzard.
Fiora slowly regained consciousness, realizing someone was carrying her with great effort, whispering a healing incantation.
"Am I dying?" Fiora wondered, lifting her gaze slightly. She was still in the heart of the snowstorm.
Turning toward her rescuer, she was stunned to recognize Woodrow. She had taken her shield and was using it to protect her back.
"Woodrow… what are you doing?" Fiora asked weakly.
Woodrow smiled with relief, realizing she had managed to save Fiora Windham's life. He carefully set her down and returned her shield.
"Your grace, I arrived just in time. I thought you were dead!" Woodrow exclaimed happily.
Fiora tried to stand, but Woodrow urged her to remain still so he could properly heal her.
"Woodrow… where is my spear?" Fiora asked.
Before he could answer, a powerful crash shook the ground before them. As the dust and snow cleared, massive demonic wings unfurled, dispersing the mist and revealing the mysterious woman who had nearly ended Fiora's life.
"You were clever… you managed to deceive me." The woman admitted. "But you won't live to see another day."
Woodrow finished healing Fiora just in time. Both warriors assessed the battlefield, and Fiora issued a firm command.
"Woodrow, watch my back."
"KOMMT ZU MEINEM OMEN!!" Fiora whispered.
She summoned her spear and a new shield from her mystical bracelets.
"Woodrow, get ready!!" Fiora ordered. Woodrow raised his staff, conjuring a barrier. The mysterious woman grinned as she advanced toward them.
"Why are you here, Fiora?" she asked. "Are you after something in these ruins?"
"For now… I'll just end you." Fiora said coldly, "Now you're going to tell me you weren't really fighting my dragons" the woman sneered.
The battle ignited. The mysterious woman moved at blinding speed, but Fiora anticipated the attack, smashing her shield into the woman's face and sending her crashing into a wall. As Scarlets emerged behind Fiora, Woodrow obliterated them effortlessly.
The woman rose from the rubble, furious.
"Now I see why they call you the Iron Lady." She admitted.
Fiora charged forward, clashing fiercely with the enemy. In a decisive strike, she impaled the woman through the abdomen with her spear. But the enemy retaliated, shattering Fiora's shield. Fiora swiftly countered, cutting off both of her opponents' arms before landing a devastating, mystic-infused kick to her face.
The battle was far from over, and the true terror was yet to unfold. Near the eighth gate, the soldiers managed to launch a second attack with the arcane cannons, but the scarlet dragons continued to regenerate. Aurora realized this and exclaimed, "We're killing the same dragons over and over again. We're doomed!"
TO BE CONTINUED…