Realms of Magic: Demon Invasion

76. Hidden Enclaves

"So it's here?" I mutter as I enter the toilet. The toilet is surprisingly fine–the type one would see in malls or stores. Lita activates her ability.

"Yup. There are some strong auras below here."

I feel a small bulge on the floor. Lita grabs it forcefully, opening a secret door. We descend down some stairs, and then a massive chamber lies before us.

"My, my. Well, Mr Anderson, our talks end here. Your wife has earned us that much, and half of it has been given unto you. Meanwhile, I need to greet my guests."

Dita Luxor and John's uncle?

Several giant snakes slither upwards, sealing off the entrance. Several lightbulbs are lit by Dita. She smiles.

"Hello, Vio. We meet again." Dita flaunts her forked tongue. Her yellow eyes stare at me intently.

"Careful about her," Lita whispers, "she's quite strong."

"I know," I say, "I fought her once."

Dita licks her lips. A snake tail protrudes from her lower spine. "Once I bring your heads to the Princess of Terror, I'll be her most trusted subordinate."

I don't remember seeing that tail before. Did she get more modifications?

"I never imagined there would be an enclave this large in Irvine itself," Lita murmurs, "this place is almost as large as Lord Eugene's headquarters."

Dita swallows a white pill. "Ready to rumble, Vio? Ahahahha!"

A giant green snake bursts from the ground, slithering on the ground. It lunges at us.

"Mana Blast!" Lita cries, a burst of white light decimating the serpent.

This feeling!

I sense a strangely strong aura somewhere in the distance, but then it disappears. I draw my sword.

Dita swallows another white pill. "Vio ... you'll regret all you have done against me!" She dashes at me, her scaly hand aimed at my throat.

Lita slashes Dita's arm. "You are dead wrong if you think you can touch my sister just like that!"

"Heheheh ... little traitor."

Snakes grow out from her shoulder, replacing the severed arm. She swallows another white pill. Now, how should we approach this? I can't use my large-scale spells in this confined area, while Lita's short range capabilities would be neutralized by Dita's snake abilities.

"Hey, Vio," Lita whispers. "Look at those pills. I wonder what they are for her to consume so frequently."

"Let's find out," I reply. "Blood Orb Bullet!"

Dita flicks, summoning a snake wrapping her body, protecting her. Maniacal laughter fill the room. "Hahahhaha! Is that it? Is that it?" she taunts while swallowing yet another pill.

"Blood Vortex!" I spawn a vortex of blood. Dita stomps the ground, creating a wall of snake flesh to absorb it.

"Heah!" Lita makes a mana hand, stealing the pouch of pills as Dita's wall quell my spell.

"Painkillers," Lita says as she smells one of the pills. Her hand glows, exerting power, destroying the pouch.

For the first time, I see sweat on Dita's forehead.

"ARGH! ARGH! AAAA–"

Dita screams, piercing our ears. She clenches her own body, ripping apart parts of it. Soon blood gushes out from her orifices.

What the hell?

"Vio, watch out!" Lita warns. The ground shakes madly.

Four massive snakes break through the ground, crumpling the iron ceiling as if it were paper. Lita weaves a white silk barrier around us.

Drats, she's not controlling herself! Just how much pain is she suffering?

"We'll put her out of her misery," I say. "There's no point in holding back anymore. She's going to annihilate this entire town."

Lita nods weakly. "But with that kind of biology, how should we approach this? I doubt cutting off her head would do much."

"I don't know. We have to stop her summons first," I reply. I clap my hands. "Blood Avatar!"

A massive humanoid being rises from the ground, clad in red armor, armed with two swords. Lita and I stand on its head.

"Hey, you maniacs!"

Remi dashes from nearby ruins, landing on the Avatar. "What the hell are you doing?" Remi asks brashly.

"It's Dita Luxor!" I answer. "Remi, round up your men and evacuate the civilians. Lita, help me erect a barrier!"

"You sure you don't need my help?" Remi asks, smirking.

"Don't underestimate us Vonvilles," Lita says. "Save the civilians. We can't fight properly with them on the way. Mana Prison!"

Lita weaves a giant barrier, trapping Dita, her snakes, and us. Remi dashes to the outskirts of the city.

"Krr ... krr ...."

Dita is still clenching her chest, tearing off parts of flesh in a futile attempt to sate her pain. My Blood Avatar pins down two of the snakes with its swords. Lita punches one in the eye, knocking it down.

In a flash, a snake tongue wraps around Lita's neck, dragging it from the top of my Avatar.

"Lita! Blood Chains!"

My own chains coil around Lita's stomach. "Ocular Blast!"

Lita tears apart the tongue. Dita hisses; she no longer acts insane.  "Heheheh. I should not have counted on that trick to work for long. World Serpent!"

A massive serpent emerges, at least two hundred metres long. Its eyes are glowing red, its scales dim gold.

Damn it! She was faking insanity to make us put our guard down!

Lita retreats back to the head of my Avatar. I retake my blades from the bodies of Dita's fallen summons.

"She's clever," Lita mutters.

"I know," I reply. "We have to fight her head-on now."

The World Serpent opens its mouth, two smaller snakes lunging from it. Lita's palms emit white smoke.

"Heah!" Lita punches away the snake as it almost bites the neck of my Avatar. My Avatar raises its swords, almost pinning down the serpent, yet it slithers away at the last second. It coils itself around my Avatar.

Damn it! This thing is slow!

"Blood Lightning!" Red thunder pours from the Avatar's mouth, electrocuting the serpent. I glance at Dita, who is on the ground controlling her serpent. Lita glances at her too, and we nod in unison.

The best chance to strike her down is while she is busy with her World Serpent!

"Mana Blast!" Lita unleashes a strong explosion from her palms, disorienting the snake.

Now!

"Blood Bone Serpent!"

I release a blood serpent of my own, blowing up Dita. She screams. Lita pumps out a huge chunk of her remaining mana into a condensed ball on her hands.

"Armageddon!"

Lita hurls the minuscule yet compact white ball of mana at a moaning Dita.

"Wall of Anguish."

A massive wall rises from the ground. The mana ball explodes, but is dampened by the wall.

This voice ... this spell .... Don't tell me!

"Damn it," Lita curses, "why her of all people?"