Kat PoV
Jahi met Matilda in the center of the field, the two women's blades clattering together as they launched their first blows, the arrogant smirks and derisive sneers now gone.
In their place were serious, focused expressions, the two women realizing that the warrior opposite them was a challenge.
There would be no easy victory here, no quick battle fought; no, there would be a long, drawn out exchange of blows to decide the victor.
To decide who lived, and who died.
The Banshee made sure to remain close to its Mistress, but it turned to focus on the soldiers around the two women, keeping the ring around them unsullied by lesser fighters.
More and more soldiers surged over the tower, and Leone and I needed to turn our attention to this new surge of enemies, to make sure they were contained and killed as efficiently as possible.
Anput was on the frontlines, her whirling blades leaving glittering arcs in the air as she danced around, an ever moving bastion for the Legion to anchor itself to.
I layered spell after spell on my mate, each glow of dark blue or pale green adding to her arrogant charm as she picked up the pace.
Leone's magic rained down on the approaching soldiers, the flames sputtering in the air as Matilda's rain quenched some of their power.
Surrounded by the sphere of ice, I continued to draw more mana from the frigid air, offsetting my loses as I kept up the buffs on both Anput and Jahi, the two physical warriors displaying their martial prowess to the world. fr(e)ewebn(o)vel
Jahi blocked and pushed Matilda's shining silver Zweihander away, before trying to land a cut on the woman's bare skin in an attempt to begin the slow, drawn out death via poisoning.
The Demoness' gold and silver sword spun around in masterfully crude curves, the controlled blade leaving behind little to the imagination as she levied attack after attack on Matilda, her simple style belying her incredible technique.
Watching Jahi fight was always intriguing, as the Demoness fought with such an enigmatic fluidity that didn't match her size.
It was different each time, but the core of her style remained the same; she used power and control to overwhelm her opponents, and the deception of basic technique that had been painstakingly mastered simply crushed any flourish the enemy might have.
As for Matilda, her curved Zweihander sliced through the air with a whistle, the silver blade gleaming in the low light as runes shimmered on the surface.
She tried to rely on reactions instead of forward actions, hoping to counter Jahi via a riposte or a solid block, but the opportunity never came.
So, they were locked in a stalemate, where their blades clanged off of one another multiple times a moment, the sparks and sounds raining in the area around them.
It was during their exchange that the castle shook, followed by a loud bang moments later.
The air reeked of the sickly sweet scent of ozone, and our ears began to ring after the thunderous clap of Julius's most recent attack.
An attack that left the main gate little more than a pile of rubble, the earth scorched a deep black from his fearsome attack.
With the gate now broken open, the castle was being attacked from two points.
The first was our little courtyard, the tents and carriages long since blown away and shattered under the boots of hundreds of soldiers.
The second was the gate, where the tall, thin frame of Julius could be seen, the silver Gladius and Dagger held loosely in his hands.
Standing opposite of him was Adelina, her Command Squad, and Nirinia, the cluster of people staring warily at the approaching Justiciar.
I could only watch for a few moments as the Justiciar stopped a dozen feet away from them, the mans cloak shifting ever so slightly in the soft breeze that pervaded the castle.
Raising his Gladius, he said something to the group before the soldiers behind him surged forwards, a roar as loud as his lightning attack filling the space with ease.
That very roar revitalized the enemies before us, and their voices joined their comrades as they surged forwards again, rushing towards the Legion.
Matilda too got a second wind, and Jahi grunted as she swiftly blocked the jagged Zweihander from piercing her shoulder.
Hearing that, I grit my teeth as I continued to keep the enhancement spells up on both Jahi and Anput, my anger adding to the potency of each spell.
I wanted to be beside them, to truly shoulder the burden, but I couldn't.
My strength wasn't high enough for me to stand on the front lines beside them without worry.
My experience wasn't deep enough to allow for me to multitask as I protected them and killed our enemies.
That was a truth that I needed to swallow, no matter how harsh it felt in my heart.
I wasn't capable enough to stand beside them...
But that didn't mean that I wasn't able to support them from behind, and in a battle where most of my strengths are hindered, I needed to play into the ones that remained as best I could.
I was a good spell caster, and my knowledge on enchantments correlated to buff spells, meaning...
Even as Jahi grunted at the sudden pain of being cut, the silver blade didn't do any real damage as her enhanced skin proved tough to damage, while the small cut itself healed in a matter of milliseconds.
The amount of buffs on Jahi and Anput were staggering, and underneath the flashes of deep azure and pale green was an undertone of warm reds, which was coming from the array that still functioned behind us.
We were all still benefiting from the array that Leone had set up days ago, and it proved to be just the edge that Jahi needed to outpace Matilda.
Allowing the Zweihander to clang against her raised blade, the blue Demoness redirected the woman's sword and trapped it against the soft ground, the silver tip piercing the earth.
With this momentary advantage, Jahi kicked her booted foot into Matilda's side, causing the shorter woman to sputter out saliva as she staggered backwards.
However, she still held her Zweihander firmly in her two hands, and she glared up at the Demoness who approached her.
"Agh... damn Demon..."
Her blue eyes burned with anger, and she straightened her back as she slashed her blade forwards, a shining blue arc flying towards Jahi.
As it grew closer, the Demoness just smirked as she took another step forwards, unfazed by the sharp crescent of water hurtling her way.
Feeling the confidence surging through the bond, I frowned as I watched her reckless action, before sighing as I shook my head.
The blade shattered against a golden sphere that shimmered into being around Jahi, before it faded back out in a moment, causing Matilda to freeze in shock.
"Y'know, for someone who spoke all that shit about being superior to me, you're pretty pathetic. Besides that, if you can't even handle me, you have NO hope against Nirinia. None whatsoever."
Matilda gnashed her teeth in frustration as she swing her Zweihander again, a barrage of water bolts slamming against Jahi's shield again.
The bravado Jahi displayed seemed to get under Matilda's skin, and the shorter human screamed incoherently as she tried to keep the unbothered Demoness away.
Stepping back, Matilda maintained the distance between them, before her head snapped to the side as she heard a sound.
The thunder of Julius' spell reverberated throughout the castle again, and the woman's feral expression switched to a triumphant one as she began to gloat.
"It's all over now, you vile Demon! Watch as Humanity takes its rightful spot as this Empire's owner! Haha~!"
Her crazed laughter made all of us frown, and I glanced to the side to see what had happened, only to widen my eyes in shock.
That... was certainly not what I was expecting.
---
Nirinia PoV
Gripping the hilt of my Dadao, I used my shield to slam Julius' dagger to the side before tilting my wrist slightly to block his Gladius, grimacing slightly as a shock jolted up my arm.
The man was as grim and serious as ever, his bright blue eyes narrowed as he jumped backwards, reevaluating his position.
Spinning the Dadao in my hands, I followed him as he walked around me, keeping the distance between us even at all times.
His speed was his strength, and my hyper focus on his attacks was mentally draining.
However, a mistake here meant death.
Not only for me, but...
Gritting my teeth, I continued to walk in a circle with him, waiting for his charge.
I couldn't attack first; his speed was far greater than mine, and it was already proving to be more than adequate to land a few blows on me past my defenses.
With that in mind, I awaited his charge, all while the field around us continued to descend into the madness of war.
Adelina and her squad waded through the Cloud Mercenaries that Julius had brought with him, each member easily overpowering and defeating their opponents, while the other Cohorts began to push the remaining soldiers back.
That left just us; Julius and I needed to keep the other occupied, or else the tides would shift in a mere moment.
The second that one of us began to tear apart the others army was the instant that we lost, and neither of us could lose.
"You've been trained well."
"As have you."
We stared into the others eyes, our small talk not affecting our minds as we continued our circle.
"I will admit, I told the King that this attack was ill advised. Sadly, greed is as deadly as a well honed blade, and he refused to adhere to my council."
Scoffing, I rolled my eyes as I replied "Ill advised is saying it lightly. You've your own troubles to deal with, what with those Gates appearing around Tragon. Why provoke the Empire?"
Julius just sighed, and I readied myself as I saw him raise his Gladius.
"Again, it wasn't the Kingdom that wished to attack. It was... those outside of our borders. I dislike this course that we've set ourselves on, but there was little I could do. Sorry in advance..."
My eyes widened as I saw lightning coil around the short silver blade, and I raised my shield and braced for the impact.
A grunt escaped my lips as it slammed into my enchanted shield, before my eyes widened more as I heard Julius say "Viatri and Xerni, now!"
I turned my head, towards the twins in Adelina's Command Squad, Viatri and Xerni.
Removing their daggers from the Cloud Mercenaries, the two men pivoted and launched themselves towards Adelina, burying their blades into the Lioness' chest.
""Sorry Commander...""
Their melancholic voices filled the air, and I felt my breath hitch in my chest as the world around me froze.
All I saw was the spray of crimson blood in the air, while Adelina's golden figure dropped to her knees, her eyes filled with disbelief as she stared at her two trusted comrades.
All I heard was the sound of her armor clattering together as she slumped to the side, the thud echoing in my head as she began to bleed out, before she coughed out more blood.
Something slammed into my shield again, but I remained transfixed to the spot, my eyes rooted on Adelina's body.
The twins gently removed their short swords from her chest, blood dripping from their traitorous edges.
"No..."
My voice cracked in my throat, and I felt something hot and wet slide down my cheek.
"Sadly, Nirinia Radhi, this is indeed how this needed to play out."
The voice of Julius triggered something in me, and I growled as I turned my attention towards him, the tall man flinching slightly as I stared down at him.
Feeling something snap inside of my chest, I pushed his dagger from my shield and lunged forwards, surprising the man.
Mana surged through my veins, enhancing my body well beyond its normal limits, and I suddenly found myself standing before the man.
However, before I could move further to attack, two arrows thunked into my back, the barbed tips tearing through flesh with ease.
Grunting, I spat out a mouthful of blood as I refocused on Julius, who had backed away again.
"No..."
Muttering to myself, I focused myself despite the pains, and rushed forwards.
Raising my Dadao, I severed the mans head from his shoulders, before spinning and swatting the next two arrows from the air.
The twins rushed me next, only to let out a surprised gasp as my Dadao reached them before they reached me, the golden edge cleaving their bodies in two with a singular swipe.
With them out of the way, I rushed towards the still coughing body of Adelina, crouching beside her as I looked over the multiple stab wounds on her body.
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