Royal Princess of Blood

The military officials who got weapons from the nearby guards stepped forward, directing their blades towards the demon. Altogether, they charged against the demon, and the demon cast her spell, sending fiery projectiles in all directions. The infernal arrows hit a few warriors, but a lot of them got through.

Isaki parried the oncoming blades, but a few of them got through her. A sword deeply slashed her back, a spear stabbed into her belly, a sword pierced ‌her leg. Isaki became frantic as she saw Satomi coming in fast. A burst of flames surrounded her, attempting to burn the surrounding humans, and it compelled them to back away. At least for the moment.

But there were those brave enough to push through the flames and try to swing at her. Isaki dodged the blade, while at the same time another one pulled up from behind. She spun around and swiftly thrust her claws through the human in the back. She pulled out her blazing claws as another came in to attack her. She slashed the warrior on the chest, and then a spear struck her in the arm.

Isaki grimaced, trying to break free, but the hold was surprisingly firm. She recognized the one holding her; it was Satomi’s master. And before she could think of another way, Satomi came in and swung her blade, deeply slashing her leg. The wound steamed and sizzled.

“S-Stop that!” Isaki lashed out, violent flames bursting out of her body. Because of the intense heat, the warriors had no choice but to withdraw for the moment.

Satomi’s master had to let the spear go as he struggled to pull it, and Isaki pulled it out her arm with blatant irritation then snapped it in half.

“There goes my weapon,” Tori, Satomi’s teacher, casually said. “Can’t really go and punch a flaming enemy.” He glanced at Satomi, who retreated beside him, and his eyes shifted to her two katanas. “Can I borrow one of those? Maybe I can help chip away at that demon.”

Satomi glanced down at her swords. “Doesn’t work that way. It will revert to a normal sword if I give it to someone else.”

“... I see. Guess I’ll leave most of it to the others for now.”

An old man slowly approached Isaki head-on, one of the generals. He held a sheathed sword. Stopping, he wrapped his hand around the handle. He moved a foot forward, and in a flash, he dashed and arrived right before the demon. Before Isaki could react, her blood spurted out all over her limbs.

“W-What the fuck…?” She turned around and glared at the old man. But before she could move to attack him, some warriors daringly charged at her. She dashed backward, but there were just so many of them against one.

The warriors struck her, and then Tori suddenly came in and punched her strongly in the face, stunning her for a moment.

“Agh, it’s hot.” Tori shook his fist as he retreated.

It was then that Miyako came from above and swung down her blade against Isaki’s back, inflicting a wide tear that severed Isaki’s wing from the root. Miyako then instantly followed with another strike, severing the other wing. Isaki cried out in pain, and she staggered forward, then cast a burst of flames in a wide area, driving her enemies away. With a heaving breath, she moved into a safe area to heal. However, her healing was becoming weaker.

Dammit, I don’t want to die here… This is bullshit. This isn’t fair… Not a fair fight at all.

She couldn’t escape as well, that goddess was in her way.

What the fuck is a goddess doing here, anyway? What the hell is going on here?!

She heard that there was something up back at the homeland, she even heard that elite imps were dispatched. But she was not privy to such matters. It was out of her jurisdiction. So she didn’t know what they were doing or where they were sent to.

However, she recognized the goddess. She glanced at the white-haired girl standing near the throne. She knew of the goddess who sealed their god away. But she couldn’t understand why she was here of all places and of all times.

I should set that aside for now…

It would still take several more hits from the holy magic before her regeneration would be greatly affected or disabled.

If I could dwindle their numbers… then I can win.

They clashed once again. They were using the same tactic, using the warriors to distract and restrain her. She knew their plan, but it was hard to fight against it. Her only advantage was that she was naturally stronger than them.

As they clashed, Isaki stabbed her claws into a man’s chest before severely slashing another. Tori picked up a sword from the fallen and swung the blade at her, and Isaki held out her claws to block him. But then Satomi suddenly came up beside her and slashed her waist. Isaki fell back, but the other warriors came and stopped her retreat. They engaged, and Miyako eventually came in from behind and pierced her blade from the back.

“Aaah!” The entry wound sizzled as ‌sharp pain radiated all over. Isaki attempted to attack her, and Miyako immediately pulled out her sword and stepped back.

However, no matter how much resistance Isaki put up, she wouldn’t be able to win this fight. The humans have worked together to defeat her. She was outnumbered, and they were coordinated. Isaki gradually suffered more and more damage from the holy magic. And gradually she felt weak as her wounds slowed down in healing.

She retreated and hit a wall. Desperate, she cast a wide burst of infernal flames. However, Miyako and Satomi came in from both sides and cut her simultaneously. Isaki cried in pain as blood burst out of her wounds… No, she had been bleeding, her regeneration barely worked anymore.

She collapsed on the ground, feeling weak. She had eliminated plenty of warriors, but they were never enough.

I can’t die here…

She was terrified.

But her regeneration had been disabled.

A sword then cut her at the waist and she flipped upward. As she lay on the floor, Isaki looked up to see Miyako walking up to her.

“You’ve killed enough here, Isaki,” Miyako said as she pointed her blade at her, while Satomi stood on the other side. “I didn’t want anyone to die here… But I had no choice. Sacrifices had to be done…”

Isaki took a raspy breath. “... You left me no choice but to resist…”

“You never should have come here.”

Isaki’s body then suddenly shifted, morphing. Miyako stared in confusion as Isaki’s appearance changed — turning into the Isaki she knew. Her human form. Isaki had a pitiful look on her face.

“P-Please Lady Miyako, d-don’t kill me,” she begged. “P-Please have mercy… Not all our time together was a lie… Please… I’m your friend.”

Miyako’s hand trembled. “H-How dare you…? You would do this to me now?” Miyako’s face crumpled. She was her friend, at least she believed so. And now Isaki was doing something this outrageous? Showing her this face. Trying to play with her emotions again?

“... We ended up… in a rough patch, but we can still get along. I’ll, I can help you with whatever you need.”

Miyako closed her eyes. “You lied to me… for so long. You conspired to kill me… You betrayed me. How can I ever trust you again?” She opened her eyes and raised her blade.

“W-Wait! Please, Lady Miyako! Don’t do this!” In desperation, Isaki tried to crawl away to safety. But where would she go? Nowhere. She had nowhere to go. This act of fleeing was nothing but the reaction of someone living finally realizing that death was close and inevitable. For the first time, she was at the mercy of another. “Please!”

“Die, my old friend, now enemy.”

“Wait—” And the sword was plunged into her head.

Miyako let go of her sword and slowly took a step back. Isaki was no longer moving.

“… She’s dead… We did it.” For some reason, she was feeling emotional. But she kept her composure and turned towards the others, directing them a triumphant look. “The demon has been slain!” She raised her fist in the air.

And the warriors raised their fists and cheered.

***

I watched with a small smile as they cheered upon the defeat of a demon. They quickly moved in to heal the wounded, especially restoring Miyako and Satomi. However, they have suffered multiple deaths. The fight today still bore sacrifice, even as Miyako tried to avoid it. A shame.

“Is that truly a demon?” I heard Miyako’s father, Kiyoshi, mutter, placing a hand on his face. It would seem he had never seen a demon of this caliber. “That is just one.”

I cast a glance at him. “There are demons weaker than that one. What you saw here today was an elite.” Although I doubted she was at the same level as the imp I killed on the sea. “As Miyako defeated one, you should do fine in the future.”

“These are the enemies that Miyako hopes to cleanse? Monsters walking among us.”

“... Miyako is aware of the danger.”

Once the mess had been settled, I approached Miyako, but she went on to speak with her two assistants first.

“Aeko, Shijo… It’s good that you’re both alright.”

Aeko glanced at Isaki’s corpse. As she was killed in her human form, what they beheld was indeed the corpse of the Isaki that they knew. Aeko placed a hand over her mouth, as if the sight made her sick. “I cared for her as a dear friend… Her lying to us since the beginning… is unbelievable.”

“A demon of all things…” Shijo muttered with a sad expression. “I’m glad you’re alive, Lady Miyako. That’s what matters.”

Miyako nodded. “Both of you, rest for a moment. Our job is not done for the day. There are still more we need to check.”

With that, the both of them sat down at the corner for a while.

Miyako glanced back at Isaki’s corpse, her gaze seemingly distant. From the looks of it, killing Isaki pained her. Despite her being a demon, the time they had together was still real for her. Her turning out to be the demon among them was too shocking and sudden.

“Will you be alright, Miyako?” I asked as I stood beside her.

“... Estelia… It’s just, it doesn’t feel real, this.” She lowered her gaze. “Isaki was the friendliest, the kindest among my assistants. Always willing to help with whatever problem she could fix.”

Bet it was just for the character.

“Hm… betrayal is difficult to deal with.” I then noticed moisture welling up in Miyako’s eyes.

She realized it herself and quickly rubbed her eyes. “I need to focus… Time for emotions is for later.”

“... This is a good start. You beat a winged demon, you have taken a wide step forward.”

Miyako sighed. “Yes.”

“It's going to be a long day for you. Rest while you can, let others clean it up.”

“We haven’t checked everyone here yet, the guards and others here. Once that’s done, I’ll take a brief rest.”

I nodded. “Very well.”

As for me, I had a bit of a headache to deal with. I walked over to Nira. “Nira, once the doors open, search for Taneva and Hartwin. Bring them here.”