"Oh shit!" I cry involuntarily.

Barely in time, I squat under the huge demons obscenely horrifying swing, having to drop my swords to make it in time.

Some of my ponytail doesn't make it.

No choice!

I slam my gauntlet on the ground between his legs, and there, focus.

The cobble bursts outwards in a battering-ram like pillar and blows him away before he can adjust his aim and bisect me.

He smashes through the window of a restaurant. But no way I'm stopping with that. I stomp twice, sending a quaking fissure that way and collapsing the entire two floors on top of him.

I hope the proprietor was sensible enough to run or be in the basement.

Dammit. I had hoped to keep my trump cards closer to my chest, like father always said, but I had to reveal my Bladesward powers now just to survive.

Fortunately, I got Couronne and Wedge to fall back. They absolutely can't take this demon without dying.

I don't even know if -I- can take on this demon without dying.

He is surely not going to fall from that, after all. Most, even demons, would not resist the pain I've already given him. It was like slashing a brick wall.

There is always one stronger. Always.

But I have to try.

The scene of this massacre is sickening. In barely five minutes, hundreds of people have died. It makes me queasy.

I spare a glance to my unit as I roll on the ground and jump back upwards, grabbing my swords back into my grasp. My men have reinforced the mostly ceremonial parade patrol. Good. A few demons have been killed as well.

I dash forwards and support the squad, helping Vicks by stabbing his demon in the back, and throwing a boulder I summon at that troublesome fire mage. He tries to incinerate it but has a look of surprise as he just succeeds in turning the attack into a magma rock instead, as my Earth magery is not that weak. It blows him up in an explosion.

Now is certainly not the time for fair duelling. Sadly, most of the parade guards only have that level of experience.

The civilians behind us are safe for now, but we are at a disadvantage, for sure. Not many elite troops are here. And the demons are between us and the palace gates, which is hardly more than a stone's throw from here. The gates were thrown wide open for the parade.

It is, frankly, a disaster.

I have to take down this demon and make it inside to protect his majesty. Leanne is strong, for sure, but it won't be enough.

As I thought, the strong demon leaps out of the pile of rubble, covered in dust, but hardly taken down. It forces my attention back at him. At least the demon is down one axe. He must have lost the other one in the wreck.

But he effortlessly adopts a two-handed style and charges straight back at me, practically drooling from bloodlust.

I kick the ground and send another summoned boulder at him.

But then he flash-steps.

I miss fighting Kiku sometimes. This was her favourite trick.

But its twice as fast, triple the power. All I can do again is get one sword in the way and cover myself in stone rapidly.

I make it, barely, but the smash still blows me away, cracking my blade and vaporising my protective stone skin into smithereens.

I go soaring through the air. Any normal person would still hit the ground face first and splatter from that power, even after parrying and protecting themselves like I managed.

But I plead. I take in a frenzied breath despite the pain.

And I dive.

The earth and stone yields to me.

What would I have done if I had not have mastered this last week?

Well, it would have been the end.

I spin around whilst submerged in stone; and kick off a wooden pillar that is buried in the foundation of this building, using the upwards force to leap out the rocky ground with a shockwave of sandy dust behind me.

I can't stay there. The effect is still very short lived for me. Master Earth mages use it for infiltration, but my grasp on the magic is not that strong yet.

I soar through the air again.

I come down, the cracked blade below me, my skin still clad in rock, in a diving attack like a meteor.

He looks momentarily shocked.

But his axe starts swinging automatically and he backs up.

I impale only his arm, and the great-sword snaps off halfway up the blade with a ping. I don't have my best blades today. He roars and drops his axe from the shock.

I duck to avoid his backhand left strike.

But then, I'm still off balance. That should have been a kill move.

He punches me in the gut with a right.

That power. My gods. I vomit up blood and stagger backwards. My vision blurs as I can't prevent the tears spilling from that agony.

He pulls my own snapped blade out his arm, and even as it slices his hand to ribbons... it comes towards me in slow motion.

Oh...

Father. Kiku. It's over already, is it?

I smile. I hope Kiku finds her love and defeats the damn demon lord.

But suddenly, the blade stops, barely an inch from my throat, just giving me time to stagger out of the way, coughing.

I didn't do it. What the...

Ah, his entire arm has frozen?

You're an idiot, Your Majesty. You're weak right now.

Why did you come to help?