Page 55 of Chaos Demons

“Yup, and keep your attention on those minions of yours, they’re starting to waver.”

For a moment, I’d doubted myself, not quite believing what Harmonia was saying, and in that time, my knights had faltered, letting several zompires move right through them.

Fuck.

I refocused my resolve to protect my loved ones. That reinforced my minions, ensuring they could keep the zompires at bay. Then I met the small force of undead that had gotten past them, quickly tearing them apart. I was getting a lot of blood on — what was now — myonlyleather jacket, which made me really mad.

“You fuckers messed up my outfit. You’ll pay for that!”

I bolted through my minions and into the horde of zompires, releasing the fury building inside me. I slashed and severed and killed, laying about me with… wait—

Where had this sword come from?

I must have manifested that too.

Also, no more blood was getting on my clothes because I was in glowing armor, matching the knights around me.

I could get used to this.

More shining minions appeared as I made room around me.

“No fair, Mom!” I heard behind me. “Why do you get a magical sword and… oh wait! If you can do that then…”

Blazing bolts of fiery energy began picking off zompires.

I risked a glance and saw Eva with her rifle, only it wasn’t shooting regular bullets anymore and there was an expression of awed-glee on her face. She was manifesting ammunition just like I’d summoned a weapon.

Like mother like daughter.

I waded into the remaining zompires, reconsidering my thought from earlier. Maybe Eva and I really were a lot alike after all.

GREY

My void toreat the swelling tidal wave of undead swarming the church. Windows shattered as more of the abominations surged into the building. There would be no way anyone inside could survive that for long.

But… Ana…

The mere thought of Ana in pain broke my mind and tore at my heart. I couldn’t contemplate that option.

If she was dead, I’d die as well. If she wasn’t in this world, there was no reason for me to be.

But she wasn’t dead yet. I could still feel the presence of three daemons inside, one far stronger than the other two. I had no clue who the third presence was… though it felt familiar. And I didn’t have time to contemplate it. All I knew was Ana and Eva were alive for the moment.

So, I redoubled my efforts, as exhausted as I was, and unleashed my void on the horde around the church.

Hundreds of zompires were crushed, but there was no end to them as more swarmed from the street toward me.

It was that moment when everything clicked. I hadn’t understood why so many of the creatures had come to the church. There’d been so few when we’d arrived. But only humans had been inside then.

They had to be attracted to daemons.

My heart sank even more.

“Ana!”

I unleashed all my agony and heartache into that one word. I had to get to her before it was too late!

With a wordless scream, I let my void tear at the world. The side of the church crumbled, forming a hole the size of a small house, and I leaped up onto the rubble and shouted again as I gaped at the sheer number of undead inside. “Ana!”

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