The Laughing Swordsman

Ela roared in anger. The air in front of her trembled.

Mildred clenched her fists.

"No... Ela."

Apollo's eyes widened.

"What is happening?"

Mildred sighed.

"Ela... has the bloodline of a dragon. If she releases it, she will transform into a dragon."

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"Woah..."

Ela and the transformed demon shot towards each other like they were cannonballs.

The transformed demon swung its claw and Ela returned in kind.

A boom resounded throughout the village. The shockwave could be felt from the palace, blowing everyone's hair back.

Below them, were villagers running around in a panic. Some of them ended up running towards the demons, though most ran towards the center of the village.

The transformed demon opened its maw and lunged at Ela's neck.

Ela retracted her head to avoid it.

Once the transformed demon's maw snapped, Ela attempted to chomp down on the transformed demon's neck.

The transformed demon did not have time to dodge.

It appeared that Ela was going to get a free hit.

However, the transformed demon suddenly twisted its neck. The horn below its maw pierced through Ela's upper jaw.

Ela roared in pain. She hurriedly retreated.

After getting some distance, she glared at the transformed demon. As blood dripped down her torn jaw, she noticed the transformed demon was looking at her mockingly.

Ela's eyes narrowed. She charged forward once again and the transformed demon did the same. Ela swiped with her claw.

The transformed demon was about to do the same but suddenly flew upwards.

Ela's claw ripped three long lines into the transformed demon's flesh.

In the next moment, all mana disappeared from the general area.

The transformed demon was just barely able to fly away in time. Its gaze shifted towards the palace.

It was looking at Alyx.

As for Alyx, she was looking back with a deadpan expression. Her long hair was being blown to the side, dancing in the wind.

The transformed demon shifted its focus to Alyx.

Its injury was already healing. Ela swiped once more, cutting into the transformed demon's stomach.

However, it did not even turn to Ela. Instead, it charged towards the palace.

Ela's eyes narrowed.

"You dare ignore me?"

She charged after the transformed demon. Her claws glowed with a lime green light.

Ela swung her claw. As she did so, the green light attached itself to the end of her claw.

She violently tore into the transformed demon's back. It cried out in pain.

The gashes were very wide and deep. On top of that, the wounds began to fester. These new wounds did not rapidly heal.

The transformed demon looked at Ela warily, but its main focus was still on Alyx.

Ela glared, trying to put up a strong front. However, that attack had cost her a decent amount of stamina.

At most, she would be able to recreate that attack a few more times.

The transformed demon opened its maw. An egregious amount of fire spat out, forming a massive flame wall between it and Ela.

The transformed demon no longer paid any attention to Ela, opting to charge for Alyx.

Ela hesitated.

The flame wall spanned at least forty meters. She wanted to charge in to help, but she knew her condition well.

She was badly injured.

It didn't show on her body now, but the damage she had taken before made her much weaker. If the flame wall was not a paper tiger, she may fall unconscious trying to force her way through it.

While Ela mulled over her options, the transformed demon got closer to the group.

Alyx curled her finger, sending her spell forward with an ethereal tug.

The transformed demon easily dodged it and continued charging.

Apollo stood at the ledge and raised his bokken. He was waiting for it to be in range.

Ned attempted to bombard the demon with firebolts, but any damage he caused would be healed immediately.

Apollo smiled.

It would be in range in just few sec-

A massive cone of ice appeared. The entire transformed demon was encased.

It was Erin. She finished the elementary ice spell, encase.

Erin jumped up and down.

"Yay, I hit it!"

Apollo gasped.

"Wow, you are almost as cool as this other person I know!"

Erin giggled but suddenly froze.

Cracks formed on the massive cone of ice. Like a piece of shattered glass, lines snaked across the transformed demon's prison.

In the next moment, it broke out. With a roar, it dashed forward.

Apollo gasped.

He hurriedly raised his bokken to fend off the transformed demon.

Then...

Ela roared. She dived down on the transformed demon, smashing its head. Her claws were elongated with a green glow.

Ela and the transformed demon slammed into the ground.

It flapped its wings one more time. Then, it became still.

It was dead.

Ned smirked.

"Wow, that was smart Alyx!"

Alyx tried to maintain a neutral expression, but a small smile uncontrollably appeared on her face.

"Thanks."

When Alyx threw her spell at the transformed demon, she wasn't trying to hit it.

She knew that it would dodge the spell. As such, the spell hit the flame wall, causing part of it to dissipate.

Ela flew through the hole in the flame wall, allowing her to arrive in time.

The transformed demon was none the wiser. It simply thought Alyx missed, thus was unconcerned about what happened behind it.

In the end, that slight negligence cost the transformed demon his life.

Apollo scratched the back of his head.

Was he really needed?

The demons continued their assault. With Ned's constant bombardment, they were having difficulty covering any ground.

The four-horned demon was displeased.

It lost its dense ball of mana but had nothing to show for it.

The four-horned demon's eyes closed.

Its entire body glowed with a strong white light.

Then, the gemstone within it shattered.

The four-horned demon let out a white explosion.

Once the snow cleared, a massive ice giant revealed itself.