A Desperate Defense

“This is no time for such words!”

“I’m sorry…”

Saranya extended a pale hand and gently wiped Paresha’s cheek.

“You foolish child…”

She opened Paresha’s collar, her brow furrowing at the sight of the priestess, covered in wounds.

Stopping the bleeding was paramount. Normally, in such a situation, she would have prioritized using Ice Armor to seal the wounds.

The problem was her current demonic form; she couldn’t summon ice magic, and her new powers remained unfamiliar.

She dared not cast spells blindly, fearing her dark, corrupted demonic energy would inflict further harm upon Paresha.

“It’s alright… please… Lady Saranya… please take Xiao Sha away first… at least… don’t leave Xiao Sha’s body to those monsters…”

“Stop talking nonsense! You’ll be fine!”

She couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer!

Saranya, mimicking the technique of casting Ice Armor, guided her grey demonic energy, allowing layers of it to solidify and coil around Paresha’s wounds.

“H-h-huh…”

Paresha’s face contorted in pain, and she clutched Saranya’s arm, trembling for a moment. Finally, her brows relaxed, and she settled down.

Saranya’s demonic energy transformed into a resilient, gelatinous substance, filling the priestess’s wounds and staunching the flow of blood.

While not the precise effect she had intended, it had nonetheless achieved the goal of saving a life.

“Let’s go.”

With the situation somewhat stabilized, Saranya scooped Paresha into her arms, turning to leave the side corridor in search of another cabin for refuge.

The *Monster* was massive, designed with multiple compartments and boasting four decks. Even if such a grand vessel were fully exposed to enemy attacks, it would be difficult to sink quickly.

Given Saranya’s demonic appearance, it was unlikely the sailors would accept her or fight alongside her. It would be better to find a place to lay low, ensure Paresha’s safety, and then seize an opportunity to ascend and assist Kaelan against the demons.

However, events rarely unfolded as she anticipated.

“Watch out!”

A thunderous boom erupted overhead, the sound waves causing agonizing pain in Saranya’s eardrums, followed by a sharp ringing.

The *Monster* plunged rapidly under the terrifying force, the compressed seawater emitting a deep rumble, and inertia instantly flung the two occupants of the cabin into the air!

“Ah!”

Saranya cried out, swiftly twisting her body in mid-air to shield Paresha in her embrace. Her back slammed heavily against the deck above them.

“Thud!”

Yet, it wasn’t over. As the *Monster* was violently forced underwater, the immense buoyancy of the seawater then propelled the entire ship back into the air, and the powerful inertia dragged the two women back down to the floor.

Reacting instantly, Saranya twisted her body with astonishing core strength in mid-air, positioning herself beneath Paresha. She alone bore the brunt of this second impact.

“Thump!”

Again, she landed on her back.

Just then, the deck above groaned under the strain, its surface crisscrossed with countless cracks that spread to their breaking point. Wood splinters and dust mingled, cascading down upon the two like a waterfall.

‘!’

Realizing the deck above was about to collapse, Saranya’s pupils constricted. She forced her almost-shattered body upright, flipping over a third time to shield Paresha. The small, fleshy wings on her back spread to their fullest extent, enveloping Paresha beneath her as much as possible.

The deck exploded, and at the rupture, demonic light surged violently. A massive, grey-black orb of demonic energy abruptly flashed forth, plummeting with immense force!

“Rumble—!!!”

The demonic orb struck the deck like a crushing hammer blow. Instantly, the cabin filled with swirling dust and smoke. Fragments of wood, snapped ropes, and twisted metal components scattered violently, along with chaotic magical turbulence, sweeping through the entire corridor and unleashing waves of crimson blood.

“Urghhh!”

Even though they weren’t directly beneath the demonic orb, Saranya and Paresha were still propelled by the shockwave, carving a deep furrow into the floor before finally coming to a halt.

Saranya laboriously lifted her head, her gaze piercing through the pervasive smoke and dust to fix on the impact point of the demonic orb.

There, the wooden floor had caved in, forming a semicircle that burned with purple demonic flames. In the center of this semicircle, a petite figure knelt, enveloped by a flickering, rhomboid barrier.

Saranya’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“Kaelan—”

“Don’t come closer!”

A bolt of dark purple lightning suddenly tore through the deck’s gaping hole, striking directly at the young witch. With a fierce flick of her hand, the magical barrier around her body swiftly converged to a single point, erupting in a brilliant flash that perfectly intercepted the incoming lightning.

The air vibrated violently as the lightning struck the barrier, crackling loudly and bursting into several purple flame blossoms. In an instant, a large section of the cabin wall ignited.

Kaelan softly chanted a spell, and large masses of dim demonic energy surged from her sides like flowing water, dousing the purple flames.

“Kaelan…”

Saranya stared, dumbfounded.

Kaelan’s dress was tattered, revealing skin beneath that was slightly scorched. Her delicate face was taut, and her alluring features were smudged with dirt and blood. A vivid streak of crimson stained the corner of her lips, presenting a truly disheveled sight.

“Hah… hah… hah…”

The witch panted, fiercely wiping away the blood from her lips with the back of her hand. She then turned to look at Saranya, and upon seeing her demonic form, her expression faltered slightly.

“You… they’re very strong, Xiao Ya, you need to retreat—”

Kaelan’s words were cut short as another bolt of lightning struck from outside. The young witch braced her arm, reinforcing her barrier, and withstood the attack once more.

However, the enemy offered the witch no time to recover. Following the second bolt, a third and fourth flashed down consecutively, each precisely aimed at Kaelan’s forehead.

Kaelan let out a low growl, wringing more demonic energy from her small frame. Yet, even with this effort, she only managed to block one more attack. The barrier before her shattered into specks of magical light, utterly powerless to stop the incoming lightning.

“Master is in danger!!”

Saranya channeled her magic, igniting her longsword with grey-black demonic energy. She leaped towards Kaelan, twisting and turning in mid-air, bringing her blade to meet the sharp bolt of lightning.

Unfortunately, her weapon gained little sturdiness from the demonic energy’s enhancement. The demon’s lightning struck her sword guard, lingering for only a brief moment before utterly destroying the longsword her master had specially gifted her.

A searing sensation—the lightning coursed over her skin, igniting intense burning pain. She let out a guttural scream of agony.

“Arghhhhh—”

Thankfully, the sensation lasted only a fleeting instant. A chaotic, mirror-like transparent demonic orb swiftly coalesced before her, deflecting the terrifying purple lightning bolt back.

“Cough…”

Kaelan lowered her casting arm, bending over to cough up a mouthful of blood-tinged phlegm. Her limbs began to twitch uncontrollably.

These were signs of magical overload; the witch’s body was rapidly nearing its limits.

In Saranya’s estimation, Kaelan’s control over demonic energy was already among the absolute best. Yet, even that proved insufficient against the two unknown demons.

‘Even Master…’

The demons’ power surpassed Kaelan’s, surpassing all of them…

This cold, hard truth was like a bucket of icy water poured over her head, instantly extinguishing Saranya’s confidence.

Above the shattered deck, the figures of two demons, a male and a female, slowly drew closer, their presence growing more menacing with each step.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating.

‘What can I do…?’

Saranya grasped Kaelan’s wrist, gently supporting her body, her mind feeling somewhat dazed.