The Two Empresses
Dancing Devil

The flame-covered Ilmol charged forward and burned Vatra, but Vatra moved faster by making a stone shield around him.

"You think you escaped me?" asked Ilmol while increasing his body heat to melt Vatra's shield. Finished regenerating completely, he leapt back and bound Ilmol with his magic chain. Ilmol tried to melt the chain, but failed and was shackled.

"Pipycoon!" sahut Istvan's.

"Don't go! The temperature is still too high" said Ilmol.

"Nii, let me help them," whined Kezia as he pulled on his sleeve.

"Can't, Kezia. You've heard that the place is still too hot, we could be grilled" Nero said, stroking the girl's head. Vatra was not just silent. He threw back his chains to capture Istvan, but failed because the young man was faster than his chains.

"Based on a fucking monkey," complained Vatra. Istvan remained silent as he prepared hundreds of swords to attack. Ilmol was still standing in place while looking for a way to escape. While Vatra was distracted with Istvan, he moved his body carefully so that the chains did not entangle him getting stronger.

"If even a magic chain I can still destroy it, but why can't this one?" luh Ilmol. He began to lower his body temperature, but still remained hot so that Vatra could not use his blood. "Call Ilmol, you can do it."

"Nii, help them" he whined again.

"Kezia, I'm going there just as dead on the spot" Nero said, thinking. "Calm down, Kezia. The more you panic, the harder it is to survive."

"I'm sorry, nii," said Kezia. Nero gave a smile and called out a few golems. "Gollem?"

"Help them to take the man down" Nero said, pointing to Vatra. The golems rushed across the river and turned the soil array into suction mud which made Vatra difficult to move. When he turned around he threw some small stones and crushed the golems.

"Damn it," complained Nero.

"How is this?" chirps Kezia worried. Istvan stopped at a large oak tree while pulling a greatsword from another dimension.

"Weight," he lamented. "Ilmol still can't, huh?"

"What are you muttering, boy?" ask Vatra. He was already behind her with half a body full of mud. Istvan flinched and turned away, but he had already been hit hard right on his nose. "New first time I've had trouble fighting you guys, embarrassing. Just die you guys."

"Just kid!" sahut Kezia while sticking his scythe on Vatra's shoulder. "Don't hurt people!"

He pulled his scythe and twisted it, producing more wounds on his body. He did not give the man a gap to attack by continuing to move his scythe quickly. The flabbergasted Nero realized that his cousin's sister had already left his side.

"Huh? Eh? Oh, my God, that kid. Max can get angry if anything happens to him. Ugh, whatever. Forced to wear him" Nero complained as he bit his fingertips to blood and made a symbol on the back of his hand. "If you hear my call, come here. Siren!"

He dipped a hand in the river and a siren emerged from the puff of smoke in the river. He turned to Nero with an angry look.

"Just you attack me, you won't be able to do it. You see that guy over there? Bring him into your illusion" said Nero coldly. The siren hissed, but he was already in a contract that was impossible to release. He swam as close as possible to Vatra and began to sing. The melodious voice that captivated the heart managed to make Vatra turn to her. Istvan instantly numbed his sense of hearing with magic.

"Siren's? Heh, I guess what. Their attacks aren't..hah?"

Vatra stopped talking, his body suddenly paralyzed until he fell. The siren still continued chanting, making Istvan unwillingly retreat for fear of being caught in a deadly illusion. Vatra tried to focus, but his brain would not cooperate. Elsewhere, the chains that bound Ilmol began to loosen, making him move quickly to escape. After escaping, Ilmol grabbed his twin swords and walked up to Vatra, but stopped as his eyes caught the siren busy singing.

"fsa, Ilmol. You hear me?" whispered Istvan. Ilmol turned around and found the young man standing behind a tree with ice magic to stabilize the high temperature. "Don't get close to them first, you might get carried away in an illusion."

"I just found out that sirens can be a calling creature" whispered Ilmol.

"me too. I don't think he's an ordinary tamer" Istvan replied. "Can...Ilmol, rear!"

"Eh?" chirps Ilmol while turning and surprised to see Vatra behind him carrying a siren head that has been separated with his body. He hit the girl until it bounced into a tree about 10 meters away.

"Your tricks are really troublesome," said Vatra coldly. He looked at Istvan and attacked, but quickly the young man twitched and thrust a knife into his elbow. Just about to stick another knife, a kick landed right on his face until it bounced. Vatra threw out the siren head and whipped out the knife violently. He turned to the two brothers with a cruel look. "Next you dead."

"Maybe," Nero replied as he removed his seal and turned into a demi-human that looked more like a real wolf. His eyes were blackened, with a diamond-shaped iris in color with his hair glowing red. The snout tapered, thin smoke emanating from the snout. He howled like a wolf.

"Huh, is a dog a dog?" sindir Vatra stretched all his muscles. Nero ran over and pounced on his neck, but Vatra managed to hold on by kicking him as hard as he could. Nero stood up and attacked him again with his long, sturdy claws, but he only managed to injure his chest. Vatra took a step back, breaking the trunk of a nearby tree and swinging the object to keep his distance with Nero. Kezia instantly grabbed his scythe and lunged, swinging his weapon until it managed to slash his chest as deeply as possible. Bones and flesh were torn apart, blood flowing like water. Surprisingly, a small object was beating rapidly near its hull.

"That's the heart?!" sahut Kezia's. Vatra laughed loudly and threw the tree trunk in his hand until it hit the girl's forehead. "Aragh!"

"Really, kid. It was one of my 5 hearts" he said, closing his wound as quickly as possible.

"Grr, so in order to defeat you we have to destroy all your hearts simultaneously?" chirps Nero interrupted growling.

"Eitherway. Why not try?" ask Vatra to challenge. Nero grew increasingly upset to hear it, but a soft clap on his shoulders loosened his concentration.

"You can help us?" ask Istvan.

"What help?" ask Kezia. Istvan pointed at Ilmol who was trying to get up from his place.

"The girl will attack him, you help from behind" Istvan said.

"Just you say that, we don't want to, '" Nero replied annoyedly.

"That means you're ready to roast?"

"Er.no. Can't the temperature be made as cold as possible?" kezia.

"It can, but later his blood can be used to attack us. The only one who can and is likely to attack at close range is the Ilmol. But I think you can help closely," Istvan replied as he coated the two demi-humans with ice magic. "It'll keep you guys from the hot temperatures."

"Immole! Dance!" sahut Istvan's. Ilmol ran quickly and ambushed Vatra, plunging both his swords on his thighs. He removed his sword and took out the sword from the hundreds of swords that Istvan had prepared nearby, then spun around and tore through his stomach. Before Vatra flicked his fingers, Ilmol stuck the man's arm on the tree with the sword in his hand as deep as possible.

"Khh!" erang Vatra's. Ilmol retreated and picked up the sword, this time he cut the joint on his foot and pierced the sole of his foot. Fresh blood adorned the woman's face, but it instantly evaporated in a matter of seconds. Ilmol continued to stick the swords almost all over the body of Vatra, leaving the chest to the stomach is barely pierced.

"Huh.hah... now there are still 4 hearts that have not been pierced, right?" ilmol lirih. He unleashed fire magic and grasped a knife, then gave it to Kezia.

"Eh?"

"My task is done, you can kill him" said Ilmol. He approached Istvan and collapsed, but the young man managed to catch him before his head hit the ground. Kezia was silent for a moment and pierced the one heart he had seen before. Vatra vomited enough blood, until he was out of breath.

"Where's the rest?" ask Kezia.

"Use your sense of hearing" said Nero. Kezia sharpened his sense of hearing to detect the rest of his heart, then prepared 3 long needles. Vatra grinned, making Kezia shudder at him. But he steadied his heart and swung his needle. Before the needle touched his skin, a katana brushed him off until the needle fell off. Kezia immediately looked up and was surprised to see an old woman familiar to him. The others looked up and were in shock.

"Grandma!" sahut Istvan's.

"Huh? Grandma said?" chirps Nero. Erika jumped down and threw Kezia with just one flick. With his instinct Nero hurriedly jumped up and caught him. "You okay?"

"I.iya," Kezia's great-grandson. Erika glanced at Vatra with an astonished look, while the one being stared at only retorted with a cold gaze.

"Stop playing around, sir. You've lost 2 hearts" said Erika. The dozens of swords that stuck in his body suddenly shot out, gaping wounds and small wounds instantly closed quickly. Vatra scratched his head and stretched his muscles leisurely.

"I want to make them feel strong, that's all. Excitement also deceives them in this way," replied Vatra. "Well, I was stupid to sacrifice my heart, but that's okay."

"So...during this time you just... pretend?" Istvan soil.

"of course. You think I'm that weak?" reply Vatra. Istvan bit his lower lip until it bled and prepared to attack, but a needle was ready to nest in his neck.

"Not so fast, son," said Erika coldly. Istvan could not frown, he just growled and looked at his grandmother with deep hatred.

"Why did Grandma betray you?" ask Istvan. There was a fairly long pause, making the atmosphere even more tense.

"Because I want to change the world" replied Erika.

"Change the world? Likewhat?" nero asked as he transformed into a normal and hugged Kezia.

"Making this world inhabited only by pure and powerful witches. It just so happened that my goal with Mr. Vatra was almost unidirectional, so we worked together," Erika said.

"Psychopath!" maki Istvan's.

"It is still more psychopathic Mr. Vatra who has the ambition to slaughter all the gods in this world, Istvan. You don't know what it's like to hate and curse someone too deeply" Erika said coldly. "Let's go, sir. Prince Dominic is waiting for his next plan."

"Then the witch of death?"

"I haven't been able to reach him yet" Erika replied. Vatra turned and intended to walk, but Kezia's voice stopped him.

"I'll kill you!"

"Heh, interesting. See you on the battlefield, boy," said Vatra as he opened the dimensional portal and walked in, followed by Erika and disappeared. Istvan bowed his head, his logic was no longer willing to cooperate due to his feelings destroyed by the betrayal committed by his own relatives. When the relief force came, they were on standby to attack upon seeing the two witches, but Nero raised his hand.

"They won't attack us. Prepare a horse carriage for them, others please help me clean up. Kezia, accompany them to the palace?"

"Good, Nii. Umm, sorry, let's get out of here" Kezia said as he approached Istvan cautiously. Who was invited to raise his head with a look of a nelangsa.

"Alright," he answered softly. He carried the unconscious Ilmol into the car, followed by Kezia and they went straight to the palace. While Nero and the others hauled pieces of the bodies of the fallen soldiers into the open carriage without a sound, some refrained from shedding tears.

...****************...

Max, who was standing welcome at the door, was shocked to see Kezia back with two strangers. He frowned and turned to Kezia for an explanation.

"They helped us when we attacked the enemy, Nii. I've met you."

"Only one of them, Kezia. I won't forget that time" Max growled. "Servants, serve them as best they can. They are our guests of honor here for having helped the kingdom to protect the people."

The servants rushed to serve the two witches, taking Ilmol to the living room while Istvan was taken to another room to change clothes. When the servant approached Kezia, he made a gesture so as not to serve him.

"Nii, many of our soldiers have died" said Kezia. Max sighed and stroked the girl's head gently.

"They are our best soldiers. Prepare for the funeral tomorrow. They deserve the best final respect" Max said. The adjutant nodded and went inside. "You need to change clothes, Kezia. His blood is enough to make us nauseous."

"Ah, Nii is right. I'll be back as soon as possible" Kezia said as he walked in along with several maids. Max sighed and lowered his head, trying to refrain from showing weakness to the others. He was still standing in front until Nero's entourage came complete with the bodies they had collected. Nero jumped down from his horse and saluted Max.

"How many of our soldiers died?"

"About 180 people" replied Nero bitterly. "If only me and Kezia could get there sooner, they might still be alive."

"It wasn't your fault. Go in and clean yourself up, I'll take care of the rest" Max said softly. Nero nodded and walked in, while Max and some of the soldiers put the scattered body pieces in the hundreds of coffins that had been prepared by his aides.

"I want their names written on the headstone tomorrow. Tonight, we'll grieve."