Chapter 228: Ramiro and the Lions Spearhearts 1
One month had passed since the invasion from the Pocket Dimension into Desert Red Star.
A young man who appeared to be around fifteen rapidly moved through the foliage beside a young woman of similar age. Both wore the uniforms of the White Star Radiance sect. Volleys of ki blasts shot toward them as they were chased by a group of enemy experts. The young man wielded a short spear in his right hand and a shield in his left. He blocked incoming blasts that would have struck him or the young woman. She continuously chanted magics in an attempt to counter.
Constant jeering and taunting echoed from the pursuers in a language neither of the two could understand.
With a wave of the young woman's wand, the ground between them erupted and a barrage of stone pellets shot toward the attackers. As if expecting the move, three enemy magic users swiftly countered with wind and earth spells, blocking the pellets and sending more attacks toward the duo. They gritted their teeth as explosions crashed around them.
"Damnit. My apologies for getting you caught up in this, Garold," the woman said. Minor injuries covered her body.
"It's alright. I just hate how weak I still am. How can I call myself a follower of Sir Ramiro when I move around so pathetically," the young man, Garold, said with a bitter smile.
"Do not give up hope. I will also not give up on my dream of standing proudly with Sir Ramiro. We must persevere," the young woman said with eyes full of fiery resolve.
Garold felt her determination and nodded with renewed vigor. He blocked another blast with his shield, grunting in pain. Bit by bit, the gap between them and their pursuers continued to shrink. The jeers grew louder. A defiant glint appeared in both their eyes as they prepared to unleash a desperate counterattack.
At that moment a misty vapor slowly filled the area. No one noticed at first. Cries of alarm suddenly rang out as blades of water rained down from above, slicing through the pursuing experts. It was gruesome. Many were caught off guard and were unable to defend. Those who managed to defend still suffered heavy blows and injuries. Only a few were able to evade with grim expressions.
The water and vapor then condensed around the enemies and rapidly chilled until it froze them completely. It was a shocking sight. Immediately after, a rain of ice pellets shot in from a distant angle, shattering against the frozen enemies without mercy.
Garold and the young woman stood in awe at the chained sequence of water magic.
A moment later, a small group of eight riders charged in on beasts resembling horses. At the lead was a woman with long dark hair wearing a mage's hat and a variant of the White Star Radiance mask that revealed the lower half of her face. She and the others wore the White Star Radiance uniforms marked with a lion's head and two crossed spears on the right side of their chest.
On the left side was the larger embroidery of a golden tree surrounded by stars with a blue sword at its center. This had become the primary symbol of the White Star Radiance sect.
Four of the group quickly approached the frozen enemies. They checked for survivors, examined affiliations, and looted the bodies. Two women jumped down from their mounts and rushed to Garold and the young woman with concern written all over their faces. They questioned them while beginning to heal their injuries.
"Are you two alright? We received your signal," one of the women asked.
"Thank you for your concern. We are fine. Thankfully you arrived in time, but…" Garold answered with a downcast look.
"Thank you senior sisters. We are very grateful you appeared at such a dire moment. Ah, Squad Leader Sophia, thank you for saving us," the young woman said with a bright expression toward Sophia, the leader of the rescue team.
"I am just glad we made it in time. Alright everyone, we need to move quickly and return to camp. That demon army is heading back in this direction. I get the feeling this will not be a small skirmish," Sophia said with a firm expression.
Everyone nodded seriously and quickly finished gathering information before mounting their beasts and riding rapidly toward the camp.
…
Some time later back at the camp, Ramiro sat alone in meditation inside a tent made specifically for him. His large body brimmed with power as roaring ki circulated through him. With every breath steam pushed in and out of his nostrils. Seralily lightly tapped the tent entrance with a calming magic that safely interrupted his meditation without causing harm.
"You can come in, Sera," Ramiro said, eyes still closed.
Seralily opened the tent flap and walked inside with a calm expression and reverence in her eyes.
"Rami, that army of demons has arrived. They will reach us within the next five minutes," Seralily said as she stopped a single step away from him, her eyes bright.
"So the time for our Lion's Spearhearts to face a dire battle has come. As always, I will stand at the forefront. All of you must be sure to focus on survival before anything else," Ramiro said as he rose from his seated position, towering over Seralily with excitement.
Unable to restrain herself, Seralily suddenly leaped up and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her feet dangled in the air. Ramiro, as if long accustomed to these displays, automatically held her by the waist while she pressed her cheek against his like an affectionate beast.
"Sera, what are you doing right after talking about a brutal clash with demons?" Ramiro smiled wryly, entirely helpless.
"It is extremely difficult not to want to touch you, Rami. Hehehe… omph," Seralily teased before she slowly began biting at his neck seductively. Her fangs slid in lightly as she drank a bit of his blood. Magical runes lit up across her skin. After two minutes a shattering sound echoed within her body. Her gaze sharpened as an explosion of energy erupted from within.
"Hoooh? Hahaha, congratulations on your breakthrough, Sera. Out of all me and that damned Katana Devil's long time comrades it is Sera on my side who reaches Gold tier four first. Hahahaha," Ramiro laughed wildly as his own aura surged a bit in response to hers.
"It is because Rami is my greatest tonic," Seralily said, refusing to release him even after her breakthrough.
Ramiro could only smile helplessly before his expression hardened. "They are almost here. They will attack any moment. Let us put on a good show, Sera."
Seralily's expression twisted into a cruel smile he could not see as killing intent rolled off her. "As you wish, Rami Rey."
…
Later that evening the battle between the demon army and Ramiro's Lion's Spearhearts raged fiercely. With time, reinforcements from allied native forces arrived along with additional White Star Radiance units. Even with preparation the demon forces had not expected such a show of strength. Their surprise caused them to hesitate, forming a temporary stalemate.
"This guy. He is human, yet he feels like some ridiculous beast with strength at the threshold of a Mortal Lord," muttered the Golden Lord demon commander as he glared at Ramiro standing proudly at the front lines like an immovable guardian.
"Sir, reinforcements should arrive on our side soon. We are at a disadvantage, but thankfully they are not pressing an all out slaughter like earlier," said a subordinate leader.
The demon commander stayed silent as he glanced toward the other 3 Golden Lord demons with him. They were weaker than he was, one particularly foolish. The enemy side had two native Golden Lords and 1 other human Golden Lord in addition to the massive spear wielding beastlike man (Ramiro). Although he yearned to fight the spear wielder again, he judged the situation logically.
"We will do a small retreat for now. I feel we are in for a difficult battle. Guwahaha! And I love it," the Golden Lord demon said with an excited grin. His subordinates watched him with a mixture of wryness, brutality, and calm acceptance.
…
"Hmph, so they are pulling back for now by the looks of it. After today things will grow far more dangerous," Willowna said with a tired voice.
"Regardless of what they do, I, Helga Helmsley, Princess of Brawlmanica, will cut them down without mercy," Helga said proudly as she raised her Sword-Bow high. Her voice stirred the morale of everyone present.
"You have certainly said it, hermana Helga," Gabriela smiled sweetly. Isabella beside her wore a barely contained barbaric grin, her hands trembling with killing intent around her spear as she watched the demons retreat.
"Regardless, I will be waiting for them. I will crush all enemies of the White Star Radiance sect," Ramiro declared with a confident and harsh tone.
The women around him stared with awe and adoration. The men watched him with respect and eagerness burning in their eyes.