2151 Big Guns (Part 1)

The moment the darkness sealing array activated, the chains connecting the Void with the Nemesis Demons shattered. They still had the energy he had stored inside their bodies but without the chains, they had no longer access to his abilities.

All Lith's notions about modern magic, Light Mastery, and Forgemastery faded like fog under the sun, making the conjured equipment of the Demons crumble along with their teamwork.

The members of the Council and the Royal Guards quickly dispatched of their respective opponents, turning to help Faluel.

Each one of her seven heads had cast a tier five spell but they were all frozen in the space between the Abomination and the Hydra as they wrestled for control. Faluel had experience on her side but the black tendrils sucked her strength and kept slamming her against the ground.

It was a mere battle of Domination, but what everyone saw were seven elemental beams coming out of the Abomination's eyes fighting against those emitted by the Hydra's heads.

On the other side of the room, after Call of the Void had been dispelled, Sylpha had discovered that her opponent wasn't Lith but Tiennon Zavra. The second Lost Magus of Balkor's generation had never left the Royal palace after his death and had jumped at the opportunity to get his revenge.

A normal person would have shivered at the sight of the Lost Magus now wielding Lith's semi-sentient blade but to the Queen it just meant that she had no reason to hold back anymore.

"Enough!" She deflected War with one hand while releasing a pulse of golden light from the other. It killed the Demon so quickly that Zavra didn't even manage to curse at her one last time.

Then Sylpha trapped War inside a Sealed Space to keep it from returning to Lith and activated the seven magical gemstones on the Saefel Blade, tipping the scale to Faluel's advantage.

The seven spells hit the Abomination, each one meant to weaken and restrict him, not kill.

Light and earth formed a straitjacket that Spirit Magic made harder than a diamond. Bolts of lightning coursed through the construct, inducing spasms. Darkness sapped his strength while frost slowed his movements and fire made the air too hot to breathe, sealing his breathing techniques.

The darkness Lith's body was made of ignored the electricity, the cold, and the heat. He roared a jet stream of Void Flames, uncaring for the damage his lung took while also hitting the Council representatives with a mix of heat rays and hard light constructs.

Alas, he was one against many.

Each one of his opponents was stronger than him and Kamila still held his equipment. A collective Spirit Barrier easily blocked the Cursed Flames and Saefel's Blade overpowered the Light Mastery spells, turning them against the Abomination.

"Stop hurting him!" Now that there was no more risk of friendly fire, Kamila stepped in front of Lith to protect him from the Council and them from him.

"We would if he stopped lashing out like a rabid beast." Feela said in exasperation. "Can you convince him to revert to his human form?"

The moment Solus and Kamila had gotten closer, the Void had ceased his attacks to not risk hurting them. Yet at the same time, he was focusing his strength against the restraints to break them.

"I can try." Kamila nodded before turning around and kneeling next to him. "Lith?"

"Kami?" His voice was weak and slurred as if he had just woken up from a deep slumber.

"Hi, sweetie." Seeing the frenzied madness that had twisted his features until a second ago disappear made her sigh in relief. "Can you please shapeshift into any other form? You gave us a big scare."

Her gentle hand caressed his face, allowing him to experience both her and Solus' touch. She had used the plural intentionally, to let him know that they were both there for him.

Yet all she achieved was to give the Void new strength.

"Something is wrong." Faluel said. "I can feel the power of my spells being sucked away."

Abominations fed on the light element, no matter its source, and constructs were no exception. The Void swallowed the straitjacket, adding its power to his own and breaking free.

"I will protect you!" His whole body swelled as the darkness shapeshifted into new limbs and weapons.

The Void's eyes brimmed with mana of the seven elements but before the fight could start anew Xenagrosh Blinked in front of him. She placed the medium and index finger of her right hand on his forehead and those of her left on his core, releasing two small pulses of Chaos magic.

"I thought you were on my side." The Void said while fainting.

"I am, little brother, and I always will." Xenagrosh replied while supporting his body to keep it from falling.

Everyone glared at her for staying her hand for so long, but the Shadow Dragon ignored them.

"Why isn't he going back to human?" Raagu asked. "Isn't he supposed to be a Tiamat and the Abomination to be just one of his sides?"

"Shapeshifting is always shapeshifting." Feela shrugged. "If someone knocks me out while I'm in human form, I stay that way. There are only two ways to return to your natural appearance. Either you do it by your own will or you die."

Actually, there was a third option. People with great skill in light magic, like Tyris and the late Manohar, could force the shapeshifting in others but it required a degree of mastery that very few achieved and none of those present was even aware of the possibility.

"So, we have to wait that Verhen wakes up and hope he doesn't go on a rampage again?" Sylpha said while panting.

She hadn't taken much damage and her violet core was already rejuvenating her body, but fighting a creature that powerful had taken its toll on her.

"What if we are not that lucky? Are you going to step in this time or you'll just watch again?" The Queen's voice was stone cold as she glared at Xenagrosh.

"I had no reason to intervene." The Shadow Dragon made sure with her diagnostical spells that Lith was alright before answering. "Your guards attacked him first, he was just defending himself.

"Also, you heard him. He has never trained his Abomination form and a little squabble was the perfect opportunity to test his powers. If you really want to send Lith inside the Golden Griffon, he'll need at least his usual level of skill to survive.

"I considered this nothing but practice. I was ready to step in the moment his life was in danger." No one missed how she had expressed worry solely about Lith's life and disregarded everyone else's.

"Enough with this pointless quarrel we have bigger fish to fry." Faluel reverted to her human form and raised her hands toward both sides to make them lower their voice. "Xenagrosh, you are the expert about Abominations. Do you have any idea why Lith lost his mind?" 

"I'm afraid that's our fault, little sister." The Shadow Dragon said with a sigh, her words made the Royals look at the Hydra as if she was a traitor. They were unaware that Xenagrosh considered anyone of Dragon bloodline her sibling.