MODRED: "Now, with your death, I can finally finish what Mako Blaze could not. The taint of your existence ends here, today. Die you pathetic scum of nature!"

Modred's ominous utterance echoed as a sharp flash of purple lightning ripped through the sky. With a decisive motion, he directed the raw energy toward David's motionless, entranced body.

Upon impact, a violent explosion tore through the area, sending shockwaves across the landscape.

Modred's lips curled into a sly smirk as he watched David's form disintegrate before his eyes in a brief flare of flames.

But his satisfaction was fleeting.

Something caught his eye - another David, unconscious and whisked away into the distance, cradled by none other than Fiona.

Shock crossed Modred's face. He looked back to the body before him, only to watch it dissolve into nothingness.

Then it dawned on him. The figure he had struck was nothing but a fiery mirage, a clever illusion woven by Fiona's elusive trickery.

~How it truly happened~
<<<<Earlier on, Fiona, having recovered from her battered state, descended upon the scene with silent scrutiny, keenly observing David's vulnerable predicament. She witnessed Modred preparing to unleash a lightning-charged strike upon the defenseless teenager. However, the sorcerer's malevolent intent was met with her steadfast resolve.

She summoned her 'Ultrasonic Flame,' a captivating fusion of fire and sound, intricately designed for moments of peril like this. Unlike its mundane counterpart - the 'Sonic Flame,' the Ultrasonic flame was deployed for defense, diversion, and swift escapes.

In a blaze of sonic fire, Fiona darted to David's side like a swift comet, moving with such speed that she went virtually unnoticed in Modred's brief lapse of attention. Upon reaching David, she deftly substituted his actual body with a false but realistic imagery before evading the lightning's assault, using its sizzling sounds as a makeshift to escape.

As they disappeared from the scene, only the illusory projection of David remained, cleverly left behind as a diversion to facilitate their escape and fool Modred.>>>>

The sorcerer groaned in fury. For all his cunning, he couldn't stomach the fact that a mere teenage girl had outsmarted him. Seething with frustration, he turned to retrieve Gary, only to find himself faced with another act of elusiveness. Several captives, including Jeffrey and Professor Oliver, had vanished without a trace. Fiona had orchestrated their escape, slipping them out of his grasp under his very nose.

(What in the hell just happened?) His thoughts seethed. (Damn it! I underestimated that Yali whore. She's becoming a thorn in my side!) Modred's eyes widened, flickering between shock and grim fury as he processed the sudden disappearance of his captives.

(But no matter,) he thought, his scowl substituting into an unsettling sneer. (The Map of Mysteries is mine. That's all I need to unleash true hell. No one can stop what's coming next.)

Without hesitation, Modred pricked his right finger, drawing a thin line of blood and using it to trace a circle on the ground. He stepped back toward the few captives that remained, clutching the Map of Mysteries in one hand. In response to his will, three ancient spellbooks materialized in the air around him, swirling with dark energy. He began to chant in a language not meant for mortal ears, his voice carrying an eerie, foreboding weight.

The blood-drawn circle blazed to life, igniting with black, unnatural flames. As the flames roared higher, Modred spoke a final abyssal word, ripping the souls of the remaining captives from their bodies and casting them into the scorching circle.

As the last soul was consumed, the circle pulsed with energy, and a jagged rift tore open in the air above, heralding the arrival of something deadly, something far worse than any mortal had yet seen.

******

Meanwhile, Fiona successfully transported the unconscious David and the rescued captives to a distant, secure location, entrusting their care to her remaining troops. Yet, her moment of relief was short-lived. Her gaze snapped toward the horizon as a jagged crack in the sky began to form.

(No!) Fiona's heart sank. (This can't be happening. Modred's lost his mind. He's actually using the Map to summon a greater devil from the 12th Abyss. Someone has to stop him.) Her face darkened with dread as she witnessed the growing rift.

Acting quickly, Fiona turned to her partner, Dexter.

FIONA: "We need backup - now! Call for critical support from the military base. This situation just escalated beyond anything we've faced," she ordered, her tone firm with urgency.

<<Greater devils are demonic entities whose power levels were more or less comparable to that of the Pillar realm's hierarchy. In some cases, they could even be stronger than superhumans of the Pillar realm depending on their infernal race and heritage.>>

At this point, If a greater devil infiltrated the city, Fiona feared that a good number of the military troops including the Chaos Force themselves, would suffer great losses.

Such was the extent of Modred's madness. He didn't need to care about the safety of his minions, prioritizing the destruction of his adversaries and the descent of the city into chaos above anything else.

Fortunately, additional army troops arrived shortly after Dexter's call for reinforcements, bringing with them a fleet of fighter jets and armored tanks.

They launched a relentless assault on the growing spatial crack, bombarding it with rockets and heavy artillery. But despite their efforts, the crack continued to widen, impervious to their firepower.

Fiona knew that sealing this rift would require more than military might. It demanded a divine touch - a pure spiritual essence. Only the Order of Light's Crusaders or David's Spirit Mode could possibly close the crack.

(Damn it,) Fiona cursed to herself as her eyes fell on David's unconscious form. (He's still under the effects from Modred's dark spell.)

She grimaced as she watched the ineffective bombardment against the expanding crack. With no Crusaders in sight and David still trapped in his cursed slumber, she knew she had no choice but to act. The only way to stop this growing catastrophe was to reclaim the Map of Mysteries from Modred's grasp.

Fiona weighed her options. Reclaiming the map could halt Modred's summoning ritual, potentially sealing the crack and preventing the arrival of a greater devil. But it also meant confronting a powerful sorcerer at the peak of his strength, with no guarantee of success.

She was alone in this, without divine backup or the support of David's abilities. But waiting for help could mean allowing Modred to complete his summon, dooming them all.

Spotting a growling, winged creature as it soared past her toward a nearby soldier, Fiona made her decision.

With precise agility, she leaped onto the airborne beast, intercepting its vicious charge just before it reached the unaware soldier. She wrested control of its path, skillfully redirecting its trajectory toward Modred's position.

Riding the reluctant creature through the chaos, Fiona closed in on the vile sorcerer. Modred's eyes flickered with recognition, and without hesitation, he summoned a crackling bolt of magical lightning, hurling it toward her and her unwitting mount.

The lightning bolt surged through the air with tremendous power. But Fiona, anticipating the attack, sprang into action. Just before impact, she disengaged from the creature, activating her Ultrasonic Flame technique in a swift burst. She evaded the deadly strike in a blur of motion, leaving the creature to suffer the full brunt of the lightning. The beast was instantly obliterated, disintegrating into a cloud of smoldering debris.

Fiona landed gracefully, tucking into a fluid roll as she hit the ground. In one seamless motion, she rose to her feet, regaining her balance. Without losing momentum, she flashed toward Modred like a fiery streak, her form leaving behind a battle-poised afterimage.

She closed in on Modred within seconds, her speed blurring as she positioned herself behind him for a swift roundhouse kick. But he was quick to react, vanishing into a shadowy mist.

He reappeared behind her, aiming a backhand strike, yet Fiona anticipated the move. In her place, only the fiery illusion of her afterimage remained - Modred's hand swiping through nothing but fading embers.

Fiona materialized above him in an instant, launching a powerful flaming drop kick. But Modred crossed his arms just in time, absorbing the brunt of her fiery assault. The impact drove him to his knees, the force of the strike creating a sizable crater beneath him.

For a moment, there was stillness.

Then, in a swift and calculated move, Modred reached up and grabbed Fiona's leg, catching her off-guard. He had studied her movements throughout their clash and finally deciphered the elusive pattern of her Ultrasonic Flame technique.

Her illusionary trickery, which had fooled him time and time again, could be overcome if he grabbed her real body with precise timing.

Now that he had her in his grasp, Modred wasted no time. With a cruel grin, he tightened his hold and raised his head, chanting an arcane incantation. Dark energy crackled in the air as he summoned a bolt of magical lightning, aiming it directly at the ensnared Crestivenian.

Desperate and with no chance of evading the incoming strike, Fiona summoned a Sonic Flame shield around herself. Though she knew the shield's power was limited against magical attacks, it was her only hope of dampening the force of Modred's onslaught.

The lightning found its mark, and with a thunderous impact, Fiona got struck, plunging three feet beneath the ground, teetering on the brink of electrical demise.

But her fiery shield, though fragile, held strong enough to prevent her fate from being sealed.

Even so, Fiona was left battered. Her military uniform hung in shreds, blood dripping from her mouth and nose. Her arms, thighs, and legs were streaked with bruises, representing the punishment she had endured.

Yet, against all odds, Fiona displayed remarkable resilience, dragging herself back to her feet, every movement agonizing. Wiping the blood from her lips, she fixed on Modred a defiant, mocking stare.

FIONA: "Is that all you are capable of, sorcerer? It appears I overestimated you," she taunted him.

MODRED: "[Unveils a disdainful sneer.] Humph. Crestivenian, you'd be wise to surrender David Blaze to me. Know that you are out of time for I still have the Map of Mysteries here with me."

FIONA: "Heh, what map?" Fiona questioned Modred, a tired but mischievous smile adorning her battered face.

Taken aback by Fiona's unexpected response, Modred's expression flickered with suspicion. A gnawing sense of dread crept over him as he hurriedly patted himself down, searching for the Map of Mysteries.

His heart sank. The map was gone.

Confusion gave way to fury as his eyes locked onto Fiona. With a sly grin, she held up the map, making it painfully clear that, once more, she had outsmarted him.

FIONA: "Getting hit by your lightning spell was worth the try, sorcerer."

MODRED: "Oh you unholy bitch! You will die in misery!" Modred's face contorted in a dramatic blend of bewilderment and anger.

Blinded by fury, he summoned another lightning bolt, determined to finish Fiona once and for all. But as he unleashed the attack, something strange happened - the bolt was deflected mid-air, redirected away from its target.

A middle-aged man, draped in a flowing white cloak, had intervened, effortlessly intercepting Modred's assault. The man was none other than San Pedro Dantes, leader of the Crusaders and, to Modred's shock, David's supposedly dead uncle.

At last, the Crusaders of the Order of Light had arrived, joining the fray against the Chaos Force sorcerers.

Without hesitation, San Pedro raised his hand and issued a divine declaration, summoning a bolt of celestial lightning from the heavens. The strike roared down with devastating power, aimed directly at Modred with vengeful precision.

Desperately striving to evade sudden demise, Modred hastily conjured a magical shield. But upon impact, the overwhelming force of the lightning assault proved too formidable for his barrier to withstand. It effortlessly broke through his defenses, propelling him away like an electrocuted ragdoll into the midst of several isolated buildings.

(Impressive. So this is the divine power held by the Order of Light?) Fiona struggled to hide her awed expression as she bore witness to San Pedro's power display.

SAN PEDRO: "Hey, kid. Aid the wounded while I deal with the sorcerer," he abruptly instructed her, snapping her out of her absent-minded expression.

FIONA: "[Abruptly disagrees.] Not yet, sir! We've still got two other problems to deal with." Fiona responded, extending her finger to indicate both the location of the expanding spatial crack and David's lying position.

Meanwhile, Modred emerged, crawling out through the window of a demolished building, bearing a battered and disheveled appearance. A crazed expression adorned his face, accompanied by an eruption of ominous laughter.

MODRED: "Hahaha! You may have the Map of Mysteries, but so what? The summoning cannot be undone. Everyone will be damned soon, Hahaha!"

Following Modred's manic retort, a deafening roar resonated from the spatial crack. The greater devil was slowly emerging, clawing its way through the rapidly expanding opening, its monstrous form beginning to materialize.

Paying no heed to his crazed and battered adversary, San Pedro deftly ordered his fellow Crusader brethren to prevent the crack from expanding any further. Subsequently, he swiftly joined Fiona in returning to David's location, intent on undoing the Lazarus Trance spell cast upon his nephew by Modred.

******

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