The Red Hand

*SLICE* *SLASH* *SCREAM* *GURGLE*

"This is just getting farcical. I knew that they'd be weak..." Silfana said as she sliced a soldier's head off, terrifying the others around her and causing them to flee. "But I never imagined they'd be this worthless." She laughed as she licked the blood from her blade. "Though the taste of terror in their blood is suitable compensation." She smirked.

Silfana's frontal attack had thoroughly devastated the Demon Army's ranks, and while the Ninja were no slouches and had been causing destruction at respectable levels, none had taken more heads or spilled as much blood as the Vampire. It was hard to tell how many of the roughly seventy-thousand-man army had been killed by this point, but it was likely tens of thousands by this point, and per Akagi's orders, Silfana and the Ninja were going to exterminate most of them, leaving a contingent behind for Akagi to finish at her leisure.

{I suppose I shouldn't be so disappointed. After all, none of these fools can compare to-} (Silfana)

"I see this so-called Demon Lord has some quite detestable creatures in her employ." Ariel said as she, Bathrumd, Phima, and Melifous rode up to the blood-soaked battlefield that surrounded Silfana, interrupting her thoughts. The other soldiers had long since backed away from the Vampire, creating a large circular area where nothing but blood and body parts existed. "Though perhaps I shouldn't be surprised." She said as she leaped off her horse. The Princess-Regent was wearing armor that reminded Silfana of a heavy trench coat. It was segmented and overlapped, woven fabric of black and gold taking the place of the normal scale plating that one would traditionally see on an outfit meant for war.

{A masterful piece of gear. As to be expected of a Princess.} (Silfana)

"Ah, Princess Ariel, it's nice to finally meet you in person." Silfana snapped her fingers, clearing the blood off her body and clothing with magic. "You wouldn't happen to be here to deliver your unconditional surrender, would you? I prefer such things to be delivered via groveling but I think I'll make an acceptance and take it if you get down on your knees." She smirked.

"You must be joking. Surrender is the last thing we'd ever do! No, we're here to smash you, Vampire!" Bathrumd barked as he leaped off his horse, slamming into the ground with a mighty thud. "And either way Demons don't surrender, period." He smirked as his body crackled with magical energy. "But lucky for you we do accept the surrender of others, though I'd rather beat you into submission if I'm being perfectly honest." He laughed as she clanged his knuckled fists together, creating a burst of fire between his hands.

"Funny, I feel the same way." Silfana flashed a wicked smile that briefly revealed her fangs. "It would be a shame for you to give up before I've thoroughly humiliated you."

"Yeaaaaah... So I think it goes without saying that she's dangerous." Melifous said as he walked up next to Ariel. "Slaughtering so many of our men is already an impressive feat, but to do so without a hint of exhaustion is..."

{Its fucking unreal. She's no better than those Demons from the South. At this rate we may have no choice to fight one Demon with another.} (Melifous)

"I know, but we have no choice but to win here." Ariel said as she summoned two war axes with magic, one in each hand. "If we don't..."

{I fear our people will suffer a fate far worse than death. Consumption by a Demon Lord is one f the worst fates possible, and enslavement by her isn't much better.} (Ariel)

"You may have killed many of our soldiers, but now you're dealing with the real deal." Bathrumd snorted. "I've killed countless Demons and Vampires in my time, and I'll be happy to add your head to my collection."

"Ohhh! I'm so scared that I'm quaking in my boots." Silfana said sarcastically. "Perhaps I should run back to Akagi and cry for her aid in this unwinnable battle?"

"Mock us all you want, Vampire, but the four of us working together should be more than a match for you." Ariel said as the two Phimas began channeling Dark and Light magic respectively, creating wells of magic around their bodies.

"I've never met a Vampire that didn't burn in the light of day, but perhaps it just takes a stronger light?" Phima asked as she channeled a bit of daylight in her hand in an attempt in intimidate Silfana.

"That or maybe we should drag her into a darkness even more empty than the greatest abyss?" The other Phima agreed as she channeled dark power.

{I'd still rather Jerome be here with us, but he's so busy handling those Beastkin that we can't afford to interrupt him, and since Delora and Balour aren't fighters we're nowhere near as powerful as we otherwise could be. Father... Why couldn't you be here for this? If it was you... If it was you... I just know you'd find a way to win.} (Ariel)

"While the light magic might be something to watch out for, I highly doubt your little Dark magic can compete with the Darkness is Akagi." Silfana scoffed.

{If you want to talk about darkness and abyss, then she's so far ahead of anything else that it makes comparisons farcical.} (Silfana)

"However, you're all more than welcome to try and defeat me. Use whatever little tricks you so desire, though it will not change the outcome of this battle in the slightest." Silfana performed a curtsy as she formally introduced herself. "But before we begin, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Silfana Tildeshide, the true heir to Erlathan and rightful ruler of the Empire of the Blazing Phoenix." Her words caused Ariel's heart to skip a beat in shock.

{WHAT?!?} (Ariel)

"What kind of nonsense is that?" Bathrumd raised an eyebrow. "Erlathan's bloodline ended with Kendral's death centuries ago."

{And anyway, a Vampire can't claim the Imperial Throne, especially not with that idiot occupying it.} (Bathrumd)

“Its not nonsense, its the truth. I'm the truly heir to the Empire and I'll be reclaiming my birthright soon enough.” Silfana replied.

The Empire of the Blazing Phoenix was the proper name for the Empire, though few actually used it in the modern era. It once covered the entirety of the Northern and Southern continents, and according to surviving records, its founding dynasty claimed descent from the Eridal Empire that once controlled the entire world. At one point in the distant past it prospered under the founding dynasty and its members, but after a disputed succession, the death of the last member of the original Imperial Family, and the extinguishing of its founding bloodline, the Empire began to decline until it was reduced to the rump state that existed in the Northwestern portion of the Continent. Of course, Silfana was not

"It doesn't matter! I don't care who or what you are, monster." Ariel growled as he grip tightened on her axes. "This ends now! I will not let you harm my people anymore, and I will not allow your master to have her way with my home!" She said as she kicked off the ground, bringing both axes down at Silfana, who blocked one and dodged the other by stepping out of the way.

*CLANG*

"I mean, you can stop the carnage by surrendering." Silfana said as she blocked a flurry of attacks while avoiding attempts to sweep her feet out from under her.

"There will be no surrender to monsters." Ariel hissed as she channeled wind magic around her body, increasing her speed and making her blades sharper. "There will be only death for you and your kind!"

"Hah! For once, you and I seem to agree on things!" Bathrumd roared as he slammed his fist into the ground where Silfana had been moments prior, causing a large flaming crater to form. "Demons don't give in to petty tyrants, and we'd never bow our heads to someone like you!" He said as he sent a blast of fire toward Silfana from the palm of his hand.

"And yet you 'bow your heads' to Gods who couldn't give even the slightest of a fuck about you!" Silfana laughed as she slashed the fire in two while dodging Ariel's attack from behind as she landed, twisting her body just enough to avoid both axes. "Good try, Princess, but you'll need more than a little wind boost to out speed me!" She cackled as she leaped away.@@novelbin@@

{She's fast!} (Ariel)

"Those stupid Gods do not rule us!" Bathrumd said as he leaped into the air, powering up his body and slamming into the ground where Silfana had landed, causing it to crack and buckle under his strength, though failing to harm her as she leaped away once again. "Our kind do not need those fools! We need only rely on ourselves!" He roared as he ran forward, punching Silfana, who deflected and parried a flurry of strong blows that shook the battlefield with each hit.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

"You know, for all that bluster you're quite weak for such a big man." Silfana laughed as she slipped around one of his fists and slashed him across the face, inflicting a diagonal gash that quickly filled with blood. "I've even seen cats that hit harder than you!"

"AHH!" Bathrumd screamed in pain as his entire body erupted in fire, creating a blast that blew away or incinerated the fallen soldier's bodies to ash and forced Silfana to move away or risk being burned. "I'll turn your skull into a cup to drink my wine, Vampire!" He fumed as the flames around his body roared, launching blasts into the air that quickly rained down on Silfana.

{Great, he's gotten pissed... That's the last thing we need.} (Ariel)

"Listen, if we're going to win this then I'm going to need you to restrict her movements before you go unleashing anything big." Ariel said as she landed next to the two Phimas. "This Vampire is too fast to try and compete with head on, but I know you've got powerful magic, and all it's going to require is a second."

{One good blow can end things. Vampires are resilient but they die just like anything else.} (Ariel)

"We'll give it a try." Phima nodded as they began chanting a powerful magical spell.

"Oh Earth, become fluid like water and strong as steel, Earthen Bind!" Phima chanted their spell, combining their two powers into one and turning the ground around Silfana into a muddy mess that quickly swallowed her up like quicksand. She'd been sucked into the mud like ground in seconds and only her neck and head had been left exposed.

"Now's your chance! Quickly!" Phima yelled as they struggled to hold Silfana back with their magic and prevent her from breaking free.

"Thanks Phima! I'll make it cout!” Ariel flashed forward, bringing both axes down on the trapped Silfana, aiming for her head. “This will be the end, Vampire!"

{Strike true, Nefiel! End this monster's miserable existence!} (Ariel)

"Unfortunately for you, such a trap is merely an inconvenience for me.” Silfana smirked. “Night Blade, take of mine blood and convert it into supreme power!" She cackled as barbed vines extended from her blade, digging into her wrist and draining blood into the blade, causing it to dye red.

“Watch out, she's going to-” Phima tried to warn Ariel, but it was already too late. The enormous power that erupted from within Silfana broke their restraints and struck them with magical feed back, while also allowing the Vampire to move freely once again.

"What's going on?!?" Ariel didn't know what was happening but could feel a large burst of power from Silfana as she dove in, unable to stop or change course.

*CLANG* *BANG*

"Oh come on, did you really think you had me?" Silfana cackled as she burst out of the ground and easily blocked both Ariel's axe attack with her sword as well as a powerful punch fromBathrumd's with her offhand.” Because such thoughts only make me more disappointed in you, Princess.”

"Impossible!" (Ariel x Bathrumd)

{She blocked both of us?!?} (Bathrumd x Ariel)

"Impossible? No." Silfana's lips curved into a wicked smile that seemed to chill the very air around her. "I'll have you know that this is just a fraction of my true power." She laughed as she tossed both away with ease before stepping out of the small pit of hardened stone and shaking off the remnants of the spell with ease.

“Phima, what the hell happened?!?” Bathrumd turned and yelled at the two of them. “Why didn't you hold her?!?”

“We tried! But her magical power skyrocked!” Phima yelled back, sweating.

{Even the two of us combined weren't enough to hold her and whatever she just did felt like a sort of blood ritual. This isn't good, she likely just powered up by making a sacrifice of her own blood, and with how much she's killed with that blade its possible its strength could go even higher if she uses the nearby bodies as fuel.} (Phima)

"But fear not for I am a just and nice rule, and because I'm so nice..." Silfana said as she pointed the Night Blade toward the sky, standing in just the right position to where she seemed to be positioned directly below the blackened Sun from Ariel's point of view. "I'll show you a bit... Hmmmm more." She cackled as she activated the Night Blade's special ability, though unlike when she fought Hishya, no moon appeared in the sky above as Akagi's power blotted any such thing out entirely. "Queen of the Night Lords! Fifth Phase!"