Algernon Black

(Chapter 94) Peonies Instead?

Orenza recognized the direction of Luke's trap. He was leading her to the statue of the goddess of light. She assumed it was as good a battleground as any for her fully energized team and questioned what Luke's numbers were. They had to be about the same if he even had a chance of overcoming her's, but still, Orenza was certain in her recruits because she'd trained them herself.

Part of her also worried if Algernon would reach Lucy in time, but Algernon was in a league of his own. More than him, she should probably worry for Lucy. She hoped that the lessons of mercy she had tried to distill in him throughout their sessions would stick because though she wanted to win, she didn't want to succeed brutality. But for now, she had to concentrate on the potential threat of one of Luke's stupid plans.

Heinz, a student Orenza had recruited for his keen sense, stopped suddenly as they reached the small clearing around the statute of light's shrine. Orenza called for the rest of her team to halt. The sun shined right above the goddess's stretched-out hands, about to settle completely into her palms, but for its final moments basked the students in its diminishing rays.

Orenza signaled for her team to form into their offensive positions. They did as they stared into the forest for any signs of movement.

"Mind your head!" Broke the silence from above as Luke suddenly descended from the treetops.

Thanks to his inability to ever shut up, Orenza was able to evade the ambush, but a few of her teammates weren't so lucky. Luke's team dropped from the sky to attack with beams of light energy. He made sure that they used light magic to attack because when Orenza's team looked up they wouldn't be able to see where the attack was coming from as it blended in with the strong sunlight this area received during this time of day.

Orenza thought it was a clever trick as Heinz, who was right beside her, stared right into the sunlight but of course, couldn't see anything as he got shot down. She shook her head in disgrace while forming a shield of dark energy above her head. Thankfully most of her team was quick enough to do the same.

"I swear to the gods if you don't stop announcing ambushes, I'm going to kill you!" Rowland screamed, landing next to Luke as the remaining members of Orenza's team swarmed them. "What's even the point of going through all these lengths of a surprise attack if you give it away!" Rowland beat the ground in front of him, so the attackers lost their balance and faltered, enough for his subunit to shoot them down.

"You have a point," Luke admitted, fighting off two skilled members of Orenza's team that had got on either side of him. Luke jumped with his wings expanded as they shot at him, and the two boys ran under him. Luke smiled as he thrust his shoulder forward and his metal wings returned back to their half-circle form. He put the two halves together as he hurled himself to the ground. The two boys fired more magic at him, but it was getting deflected by his shield, which was something they could only see when he swung both ends around to knock them out at the same time. "But Orenza would be mad at me if I didn't give her at least half a fair chance."

Rowland glanced to where Orenza was cutting down members of their team like it was nothing, taking out almost as many of them in a few minutes as their team had taken out with the surprise attack. Orenza was scary strong and even scared Rowland, but Luke had this unrelenting love for her that lasted for as long as he knew them both.

"You're letting one stupid crush get in the way of winning?!" Rowland yelled and would have punched in Luke's face for his idiocy if he wasn't already punching in someone else's.

"No, but one is getting in the way of hers." Luke gleefully sang, dodging a bullet of light energy sent from Orenza.

"Aw." Luke cooed, as she advanced on him. "Your beauty overwhelms me, especially when you look like you want to kill me."

Orenza grabbed Luke by his shirt and threw him over her shoulder. He landed on his back with a big thud as all the air ousted from his lungs.

"There are much easier ways to get me on my back you know," Luke muttered, still managing to smile through the pain. His grin dropped when Orenza shot a blast of light magic straight at his face that would have blinded him if he hadn't gotten his shields up in time.

"What are you planning?" Orenza grilled, as Luke put a foot of distance between them.

"Our wedding," Luke chirped, "Do you prefer white or red roses?" He asked to which Orenza justifiably responded with an immense discharge of magic.

"Or peonies instead?" Luke proposed to then be bombarded with an even fiercer attack.

By Luke's smile, Orenza knew whatever it was he had planned was probably working out and she charged him ready to punch that stupid smile off his face.