Leraj sighed, concern in the way his lips turned down. "You're right. We should-" Then his eyes returned to their original colour and he went grey. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, only quick reflexes on my behalf stopping him from cracking his skull open.

"Leraj?! Hey, wake up!" I pressed my ear to his chest, feeling the slight rise and fall of it with each slow breath. At least he wasn't dead but now he wasn't waking up. "Leraj, I promise you that you can sleep when the day ends but right now, we have to keep moving," I pleaded, tapping his cheek. His eyelids fluttered but nothing more.

"Better get your boyfriend in there, Estra," Ban said.

My head whipped round. Diane and Gilthunder were enveloped in a large green sphere. It was one of the healing beads Holy Knights used in battle. I narrowed my eyes at the Fox's Sin of Greed.

"He's not my boyfriend." Brittle anger sharpened my words. Nonetheless, I picked up Leraj effortlessly and laid him inside the glowing sphere. In an instant, all his scratches and bruises healed, the colours of life returning to his face.

Amber eyes opening, I helped him sit upright. "I think my head hurts more from all these questions I have. I don't even want to know where he got this from."

"Man, I probably should have used this on the captain. Whoops."

I grabbed Ban by the collars, dragging his face level with mine. For a heated second, we held gazes before I thrust him away from me. He stumbled back while I held my ground.

"When this is over, I get a free punch in return." There were more things I wanted to say but the words had trouble formulating into coherent sentences in my anger.

"Fine," he said with a chuckle.

"I feel so much better," Diane marvelled. "It's like when King healed us with his Spirit Spear configuration."

"Guess that means we better use this newfound strength to do some damage," I said. I searched about then retrieved my sword, sheathing it.

"What's the plan?"

But before I could get an answer, a harrowed scream raised all the hairs on the back of my arms.

I spun round, scanning for the familiar voice. There! I sprinted towards her, leaping over debris and dodging the flying chunks in the air. When I was close enough, I pulled free my blade. A slanted wall made my route easier, gaining height easily for the flight in midair I take, a daring leap with my blade overhead.

With a roar, I brought my sword down on Jericho's demon hand, the one she held onto a young knight. Her screen could shatter glass. Blood poured out of the severed limbs, drenching me and the young knight who fell to the ground.

Gilthunder slewed past, catching the young man in his arms and drawing him out of harm's way. I alighted on the edge of a broken roof, staring down at Jericho's howling demon form.

"You!" she shrieked. A stubbied arm punched at me and I leapt just before impact.

I grabbed the edge of a broken building, feet planted on the side. Hanging like a bug on the wall, I shivered from the adrenaline coursing through me. Strength I never knew I had sent all my nerves firing.

She punched at me again, taking out the wall, as I somersaulted into the air and landed with a skid on the ground beneath Diane's shadow.

"Please, kill me already," Jericho pleaded to Diane, tears in her eyes.

"Don't say that. The last thing I wanna do is kill you."

"Then get out of my way, would you?" Ban said.

I may have hated the woman but she didn't deserve to die.

"Ban, kill me. I beg you!"

"Sure thing. Nothing would make me happier."

"Don't think of doing it, Ban!" I made to step between the two to stop the impending slaughter but Leraj grabbed my arm and held tight as I struggled. "Let me go, Leraj!"

"Wait, Estra! He knows what he's doing!" he spoke quickly, losing grip on me.

I ran forward. Ban whipped his nunchuk round and it struck Jericho dead centre. In between one step and the next, the demon roared and crumbled into nothing more than dust, Jericho's naked body falling, unconscious, over the side of the castle wall and into Ban's arms.

I confusedly pointed to Leraj then Ban, who cradled Jericho in one hand and held a demon heart in the other. With a simple squeeze, he turned the bleeding organ into purple mush.

"Now the Holy Knight you one were is dead. Alright, Jericho, it's over," Ban said.

"You knew he was going to do that?" I asked Leraj.

"I had an inkling."

"Why don't you ever tell me these things instead of grabbing me."

"And would you have listened to me before seeing it for your own eyes?"

He did have a point. "I concede." I spotted King suddenly, standing on the edge of the wall. Helbram was nowhere to be seen. "King! You're alive!" I jogged over, only to find him clutching a helmet in hand, tears on his cheeks. "You okay, bud?"

"Yeah, I will be."

Then a demon surged over the edge of the building, startling us both. I barely had time to draw my sword however before it was blasted out of the sky. I only knew one person with that magical signature.

Guila stood beside Gowther, Ziel at her side. "Good to see you awake, Guila," I said.

"How are you feeling?" Diane asked. "Any better?"

"Yes, I'm feeling better than ever."

"Awesome!" Diane exclaimed. I nodded in agreeance with that. The more people we had, the better. "Now let's all get out there and help the Captain and Elizabeth!"

"All right, I'll go round up the others," Gilthunder offered.

"As soon as Ban and I have purged the capital of the new generation, we'll join you," King said.

"We'll help too," I said to Ban and King, gesturing to Leraj and myself.

"You sure you can keep up?" Ban taunted.

"I could be asking you the same thing," I said back, turning my attention to King. "We'll take the east and you take the west. Once that's done, we'll rejoin you guys."

"Good plan."

"Time to go then," Gowther said while adjusting his glasses.

"Roger that!" we all chorused.

Ban made to throw Jericho on the ground but Leraj quickly stepped forward and took Jericho from his arms. "It's not nice to throw someone down."

"Like you know all about niceties," Ban retorted.

The tension between the two practically crackled in the air around them.

"Here, we'll take her." It was the lady who had been with Elizabeth. The longer I looked at her, the more I remembered the faded, fake memory of the oil painting. Princess Margaret.

"You don't have to carry her, mi'lady," said the young Holy Knight, the one we'd saved. "She is my sister, after all." He didn't look like he had the strength to stand, let alone carry someone; but he held her tight and even placed a tattered rag over her body to preserve the rest of her modesty.

Even though I despised her, Jericho was a victim of Hendrickson's games as well and I hoped that she came out of this as unscathed as possibly.

"Time to split. Best of luck, everyone," Diane said. Everyone went their separate ways.

"We'll see you soon, Estra. Take care," King said, and I raised a hand in farewell.

The cries of the demons rose around us, buildings toppling in the distance. This was it, the conclusion was nearing. I wasn't one for gods but I prayed that Elizabeth was okay and that Hendrickson hadn't hurt her in any way.

Surprisingly enough, the necklace from Leraj had survived all that ruff-and-tumble. I touched it now for reassurance. We can do this. Rescue Elizabeth again, save Liones. How much harder can it get?

"Ready to go?" Leraj asked.

He'd ditched the top half of his armour. Beneath it, the fitted black tee was drenched in sweat and stained.

I scowled. "You scolded me for ditching my armour earlier."

"Yes, well, call me a hypocrite. I just couldn't stand moving with the dented thing any longer. I need to breathe."

My mind flashed back to him collapsing into my arms. "Speaking of... your eyes, I've never noticed that they got red in a fight before."

He busied himself with tightening gauntlets and vambraces. "That's because they don't usually."

"Is this because you only have one heart left?"

Leraj stilled, meeting my eyes. "Yes. It means... that I've reached my limit. Red eyes is the last stand in a way, it boosts my strength, speed and powers. But the recoil is a bitch and I can pass out for a long time. That Hyper Recovery bead worked miracles for now but I have to be careful how much I can exert."

"What happens when you reach the end?"

"Don't worry, I'll make sure Hendrickson is face down in the dirt before it gives out completely."

I grabbed him. "But what happens?"

"I become... regular."

I let out the breath I'd been holding, relief cool within me. He laughed at my response.

"Pretty boring, I know. I'll be like all the humans not blessed with abilities. I wonder what I'd do with all my free time."

"You might have to take up a hobby, keep you occupied."

"Oh yeah, like what?"

"Hmm, I hear knitting is all the rage with winter coming," I joked.

He laughed. "Come on, we better get moving then. Gotta make sure I'm first in line for the yarn." Eyes twinkling and mouth pulled into that devilish smile, he led the way.

We didn't have to run far before we turned a corner and found five demons terrorising three young Holy Knights, magic blasting erratically in attempts to stave them off.

"We hit them hard and fast. Estra, go at them with everything you've got but avoid the Holy Knights in the centre of their chests. I'll deal with taking out the hearts."

"On it!"

Two chapters in one day. I've been away for a while from writing because of work and I haven't really had the motivation to write. But I told myself that I need to start holding myself accountable so I've been trying to write 500 words a day. 

I ended up writing almost 2000 words yesterday afternoon, and another 2000 today XD

I'm hoping to complete this entire book in (give or take) 2 weeks. Countdown is 7 and a half chapters - the half is another POV change, gotta add one last one in XD I'm hoping I'm right cause I wanna end on a nice round number lol

Remember to comment all your thoughts and that little star button isn't just for show, tap it to show us authors some love <3