ghikiJ: Sorry for the delay readers. As you can see, this is a long chapter again and it's so action-oriented that it took me a long time to get everything to look the way I wanted it to. It has been a long time since I got to write an Eli chapter so it was challenging. I had to reread a whole bunch of chapters and consult with my co-author for opinions, but I guess the effort is worth it. Thanks for the people who wait for this story to continue. I know you waited a long time but you guys are awesome for sticking around for as long as you did.

Athyra: It's a riveting chapter that showed the ugly facets of war and how our Kaguyan fighters get through each battle, whether it's on the battlefield or created from one's chaotic mind. It's fast-paced so be sure to hand onto the edge of your seat! Thanks for the support as always and hope you'll enjoy the great general's narration!


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Act V: To the Stars

Chapter 25 - False Victories

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"Remember, Honoka, that fighting is very different in the field. Be sure to keep an eye out for enemies sneaking behind you or attempting to catch your squad unaware."

"Don't worry, Eli-chan! I can do it. I must. Fight-o da yo!"

This was Kousaka Honoka's first battle and Ayase Eli was apprehensive. After all, the ginger-haired girl was only sixteen, a samurai fresh out of training with an unbloodied sword at her hip. Out there, beyond the tall grass and gravelly road was the Black Knight, who had bathed in the blood of Kaguyans for years. Kira Tsubasa's reputation was not made up on boasts either, for Eli had faced her fearsome courage and wicked wit a few times already. Several times had the Mikadon swept victory from under their feet with a mere swing of her sword, and no warrior in the Kaguyan army could match her ferocity. Armed with Taiyou, the Black Knight was a terror on the field, unstoppable.

But now, Kaguya finally had her White Knight, her savior, and so many soldiers rallied and cheered for their hero. The morale had never been so high and Miyano-taisho, Eli's superior officer, had great hopes for this battle. However, the blonde was anything but excited. Honoka was her friend, the girl she had watched over at the ranch, and one of the few she considered as a younger sibling. Honoka was family and now she must watch her fight the most feared fighter of their generation.

She stayed as close to the ginger's team as she dared while not breaking formation with the rest of the regiment. She even had a few archers under her command to keep vigilant and protect the White Knight whenever possible. Nevertheless, all the protection she supplied the ginger meant nothing the moment Kira Tsubasa charged at Honoka on that giant buckskin of hers. They seemed to be a world away the moment they clashed, riding past each other with their swords spitting sparks.

Honoka was awe-inspiring, with her white sword and armor. Underneath her, Pan's red mane and tail whipped along with the wind like fire. Suddenly, the Black Knight did not seem so scary anymore and that had boosted the soldiers' courage. They fought like stampeding horses, leaving their foes trampled and broken at their wake.

"We won?" The White Knight did not sound quite sure about the fact even after Mikadons had sounded their retreat. Eli had to ride up to her and pat her on the shoulder before she even noticed that her opponent was no longer there.

"Yes, we did." The blonde was so proud. This was the first tactical victory they have had against the Black Knight's forces and they won with so few casualties that she found it hard to believe. Perhaps Honoka was indeed the charm they needed to break this war, to win and reclaim the chunk of land that Mikado had carved from Kaguya's western province. Maybe they could finally avenge the Nishikino patriarch's death as well.

"H-How can that be?" The ginger-haired girl pulled off her helmet as if she could not breathe and dismounted her horse in such a hurry that Eli thought she had fallen. "I-I-I thought I was going to die, Eli-chan!"

The blonde commander's eyes widened at the sight of Honoka's tears.

"The Black Knight was t-this close—and I was just trying my best to block her a-and…"

Eli hurried down from her mount and held the White Knight steady, but the latter latched onto her a moment later, crying her heart out. "I-I was so scared, Eli-chan!" Honoka sobbed, again and again, and the older girl could only pat her back in empathy. She knew the terror of looking at death in the face, and trying to fight a nemesis that seemed so undefeatable. She had told them, Honoka and Umi, that this was exactly what they would face if they picked the path of the sword. She had even beaten them up just to give them a taste of what it was like, but the two younger girls persisted despite her warnings.

Tough little things, they were.

Eli could no longer tell Honoka to put down her sword, especially now that their country had great need of her as the White Knight. Blood had been drawn, and once baptized, a pupil must let the warrior be born.

Unfortunately, it was never as easy as it sounded.

A horse's neigh woke Eli's consciousness from slumber. Her cerulean eyes opened to find her bath water as still as glass on the tub and as cold as the morning. She must have fallen asleep again while she bathed, but evidently, even sleep did not spare her from her memories. Try as she might, she could not recall Honoka's happy smiles, how her eyebrows arched when she laughed, or even her determined expression which always gave Eli an energy boost when she needed it. Her protégée was ripped away from her so abruptly that she never had the chance to memorize those invaluable features. All she remembered was the sensation of the ginger's tears on her shoulder and the sound of her terrified wails. The people of Kaguya believed that the White Knight was their defender, not realizing that the moniker was only a mask that smothered the happy girl underneath. Eli did her best to be the source of Honoka's encouragements and support, but where was she when the latter plummeted down that cliff?

I was her mentor, her protector, but where was I?

The blonde brought a hand to her face as she tried to evoke any memory of that battle while cold water seeped in her hair and streamed down her cheeks. However, only panic came to her, for the moment she had heard that the White Knight had fallen, the battle just somehow disappeared around her. Every fiber of her being wanted to race to where Honoka was last seen, to search and rescue the younger woman who had been such a bright beacon of hope and courage for her and her country. Eli remembered that what greeted her there were only the empty cliff and the torrents beneath and the amalgamation of anger, fear, disbelief, and sorrow that churned in her heart.

"Taisho!" Kurosaki Shun called to her from the other side of the tent walls. The tall lieutenant was easily discernible with her boyish voice and messy brown hair that she always tried to manage with a loose tie. Eli could see her silhouette from her bath holding the reins of a horse, perhaps to give the beast its warm-ups, a habit that the former stable hand from the Ayase Ranch was not able to shake off. All for the better, the general mused, for sometimes, a samurai was only as good as his horse. Even the best swordsman could fall to his death if his mount was not prepared for battle.

"How many times must I tell you not to talk to me through the wall, Shun?"

"Eh?" Eli saw the younger woman raise a hand to scratch the back of her neck. "I'd rather do this than try to navigate that labyrinth you call a tent, taisho. With all due respect, I don't want to accidentally misplace something important. You know how clumsy I am in tight spaces." It was a statement she could not deny. Shun was probably a horse in her past life, for she had all the leg length, stubbornness and clumsiness of one. "Besides, your servants simply pointed me toward this direction when I tried to look for you earlier."

The general sighed and left her cold bath. "What is it that you came for, Shun?"

"Ah, that's right. Sumimasen, taisho. I just wanted to let you know that Sonoda-san has returned to Otobe. Oh, in fact, there she is now, marching this way."

How long was she asleep? With another sigh, the general swept her long blond tresses over one shoulder and dried herself off before slipping on the first layer of her uniform.

"I'll see her immediately. Thanks, Shun."

"No problem!" Her lieutenant gave her a salute from outside, "Should I bring Shiro-san out for some exercise too?"

"Yes, please do so. I will need him later and we may have a long ride ahead of us. Make sure he's in top shape."

"Will do! I'll take my leave now, taisho."

Eli felt a small smile tug at the corner of her lips in spite of everything, thinking that she was fortunate to have a dependable, loyal, and amusing friend like Kurosaki Shun. The brunette was the daughter of one of her family's horse handlers, a peasant by birth. However, the Ayases soon found that Shun was practically born a centaur, riding a horse so well at four years old and training her own colt at the age of seven. Since then, the young brunette had been a good friend of Eli's. They were so close, in fact, that Shun followed her into the military when they came of age. Eli had never said it, but she felt very indebted to her lieutenant for many things and she was glad that Shun was around.

She really tended not to say a lot of things, did she?

The general emerged from her personal chambers and found Sonoda Umi conversing amiably with her servants by the war table. Of course, the raven-haired beauty only exchanged pleasantries in her succinct yet polite manner but the blonde's retainers looked absolutely thrilled by the attention. Eli had no doubt that the girls admired the captain greatly, for a couple of them took up swords to be just like their dark-haired heroine. It was unfortunate that only a select few could be royal guards, otherwise these aspiring young women would probably have lined up for a position amongst Umi's elite. Though, now that Eli thought about it, she should say that it was fortunate that there were limited space because elsewise, she might not have recruits at all.

She smoothed out her sleeves and made sure the wrapping around her forearms were snug before giving Umi a nod in greeting, "Captain."

The amber-eyed woman returned the gesture, "General."

"How was your tour?" Eli immediately went down to business as she waved away her flock of pining adolescent hens to fetch her armor. "I did not expect you to return until later today." Her ice-blue eyes glanced at the map she had been studying since the night before as she tied her hair up in a high pony-tail. "Did something go amiss?"

Umi only shook her head, "Moriyama is still suffering harassing assaults."

"That is stale news. I've provided all the troops they need. With spiked walls, fire arrows, and a good captain, they can hold. What I need to know is Toudou's location and movements. Were you able to get information?"

"No," Umi frowned deeply, clearly displeased by the fact. "There is nothing on Honoka either. Her squad still wishes to continue the search and I intend to go with them to Tsuchito as soon as they are ready to depart."

"Perfect, we can march to Tsuchito together tonight. That ought to give the Mikadons a fright when they wake up the next morning."

"We?" Confusion flickered in the captain's amber eyes.

Eli gestured towards the placeholders on the table, where she often did battle simulations whenever new reports came in. Right now, Toudou Erena's piece was still across the river from Otobe, but there were rectangular blocks that represented battalions across from Tsuchito, the southernmost village in the Nishikino province's western front. "Some of the White Knight's riders are scouting for me as well as looking for her and they've given me this piece of information just yesterday. There is a large contingent gathering around Tsuchito, with approximately two thousand horses and twice as many infantry. They mean to take the village as it is an easier target than Otobe at present. If they're successful, they can take the town of Kaede in the same day. I mean to relocate my own men to Tsuchito to prevent this from happening."

"Eli…" Umi furrowed her brows, "You mean to leave Otobe's command? To whom?"

"Otobe is well-defended now. Even in my absence, I'm confident it can withstand an attack, and I will be leaving someone with a good instinct in command, someone who takes after my own heart."

"Honoka is not here, and it is too dangerous. If Tsuchito must be defended then I will do so. I swore that I will end Toudou Erena and that vow still stands. You must stay here and command, Eli."

Perhaps what she saw was fear in the captain's eyes and maybe some anger, but that did not dissuade her from her decision. "I am a soldier too, Umi. If I am seen to be too frightened to leave my own base, then how can I expect my subordinates to do the same? A sound mind also needs some physical exercise, and maybe a little vengeance to melt away the despair."

"And what if this is a feint?" The other woman challenged solidly. She could always trust Umi to try and find weaknesses in her arguments. "Then we shall be both in Tsuchito with no one to defend Otobe and Moriyama."

Truthfully, Umi made a solid claim and Eli had definitely contemplated about that as well. In war, however, every move was a risk, and she had seen the ups and downs of the decisions she had made in the past, for better or worse. Nowadays, she was more experienced and clever at this game, but sometimes to be able to play it properly meant to withhold information even to her most trusted people.

"Shun will be defending Otobe in my place," the general said with authority in her voice. "I will make the official announcement later once I have briefed you of my plan."

The captain's frown grew deeper as she ruminated. "And Moriyama?"

"Can defend itself, as I have said." In spite of her own words, Eli gestured towards the map and placed a new placeholder on it, where Moriyama was inked. All walls have ears; this was a lesson she had learned years ago from her mentor, a wise old woman she had been proud to call her grandmother. If she could not reveal her plan with words then she did so with gestures, and thankfully, Umi was quick to pick up on the plan. The captain merely took one glance at the table and understood.

"Still, you must tell me more about what is to happen in Tsuchito." The dark-haired woman demanded, "I cannot read minds."

Eli's lips curve up to an amused smirk, "Indeed, my dear captain, you cannot."

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Umi was gone before noon. She had proposed to take her own men to Tsuchito as a vanguard force and prepare the smaller village to accommodate Eli's much larger army. The general would have sent a bird in her place, but there was no way to shake the captain's resolve by then. So the blonde used the remainder of the day to hand-select several captains under her command. Fumiko was one of her first choices. Without Honoka to lead, her lieutenant had become the temporary commander until such a time as when they have either rescued the White Knight, or proved that she had been slain. Regardless of the situation, however, Fumiko was a solid soldier with a good head on her shoulders, just the right kind of person Eli needed.

And there was yet another subordinate Eli trusted as much as she did Honoka, though the person herself did not seem so thrilled about her new station.

"Eh? What do you mean 'Otobe is mine,' taisho? Do you truly expect me to command the fort in your place? Wouldn't Kurokawa-taichou or Saitou-taichou be better choices?"

Eli frowned when Shun made such a huge fuss about being chosen. "First of all Shun, do not question my decisions."

"H-hai!"

"Secondly, Kurokawa and Saitou will be coming with me. If there will be a battle in Tsuchito, they will be needed." The blonde mounted her pale, grey stallion and left her lieutenant with no room to argue. She stroked Shiro's pale silver mane while the stallion pawed at the ground in excitement. It felt so nice to have a horse beneath her again. "Mika has left birds for you if you should need to contact me there, and Otobe is as defensible as any fort can be. You should be able to deflect a force twice your size by just sitting inside the walls and firing arrows."

"And what if Toudou Erena attacks?" More than anything, Shun was terrified of the Mikadon commander.

"Send a bird immediately as soon as you see her banners, though I doubt she would spare that much effort in taking Otobe now." Eli tugged on Shiro's reins to turn him towards the fort's gates. "If she tries, she'll find herself surrounded on three sides."

"I understand, taisho," Shun saluted, then much to the general's surprise, she bowed low in reverence. "I am honored that you trust me for this assignment, taisho!"

Eli nodded and kicked at her mount's flank, "You'll do well, Shun."

The general's forces marched well into the night, hoping to catch their opponents unaware, but by the time they had reached Tsuchito the next morning, the battle had already begun. Fire could be seen on the southern horizon, like an ill-positioned sunrise, and soon after, the sounds of war drums and horns signaled the skirmish that they were facing. From the look of the battlefield, Eli deduced that it had begun the night before and continued to rage. It was a miscalculation, but not something she could not fix.

The general gestured to her herald to assemble the cavalry. Normally, Honoka would have led the first charge but she was not there, so her absence rippled through her men's confidence. Eli was glad that at least they still had faith in her, for even though they remained as unsure as green boys and inexperienced warriors, they still rallied to her call.

Three thousand mounted samurai assembled and their horses' hooves kicked up enough dust to smother the morning fog, and with one blow from Eli's warhorn, they were off galloping towards their enemies. With them went Saitou-taichou, who the general knew would lay waste on the field with his aggression and brilliant offensive strategies.

"What about us, taisho?" Asked Fumiko, who Eli had kept by her side.

The blonde looked at the faces of Honoka's comrades, the people who fought by her side and would have died for her in a heartbeat. "Until Kousaka-taichou is found, you will ride with me. Mika, send a bird to Umi for me. Tell her that we have arrived."

The short brunette saluted, "At once!"

Command after command, all the pieces gradually fell into place. Eli sent the mounted archers next, and behind them were the armored infantry armed with naginatas, katanas and spears. Next, she moved her own unit, along with her battle standard, towards Tsuchito and planted the golden kitsune banner upon its walls. That alone seemed to have made the Mikadons fluster and clumsier in their efforts. By then, the warzone had become a strategic board game for the general. She watched the battle atop her eye-catching mount and adjusted her troops with the efficiency that had made her infamous. Whenever Ayase Eli commanded on a battlefield, it was like watching a spirit fox fanning its many tails and smothering its enemies with them.

She found Umi's flag in the thick of the battle. The blue Sonoda crest whipped against the wind as the royal guard's standard bearer raced after his commander. The general wondered how long the captain had been fighting and thought about calling her back in order to take a breather. However, when she saw Toudou's standard on the other end of the field, Eli knew that the younger woman would not back down. It was evident enough from the way Umi fought in the skirmish. The captain fired arrow after arrow, never missing a beat or a target. For every quell she let loose, a soldier fell from his horse or keeled to his death.

The raven-haired woman almost tempted Eli to ride down into the battle herself, but only a foolish commander would do such a thing. Songs were written about brave generals who fought and died alongside his soldiers in the thick of battle, while the kotos and shamisens were always silent about the ones who stood back and commanded with calculated cunning and strategic expertise. No songs would be written for her, but at least Eli could guarantee a better chance for victory.

Only… an ominous feeling fell into her gut as the battle raged on for another hour.

She immediately called Tsuchito's guard captain, "When you were attacked, how many enemy soldiers were estimated?"

The middle-aged captain saluted in spite of the blood from a wound on his temple, but he still looked to be fit for battle. Barrel chested and bearded, the man was a war veteran who had fought in the Kaguyan-Mikadon war for most of his adult life. His fierce reply showed his vigor. "About a thousand mounted and near double that on foot, taisho."

"Were the Black Knight's forces accounted for?"

"No, ma'am. The Black Knight is dead. We didn't see her banners."

The news had Eli clenching her jaw. Their enemy was too few, and the most dangerous ones were not spotted at all. "Bring me your dove keeper, now."

"As you command, general."

As Eli watched the captain lumber off, she gestured for Mika to come closer. The short woman was busy scribbling away on top of her horse, using quill and parchment over a custom wooden tablet wrapped in leather to ease the writing and prevent the paper from tearing. Ever since the battle had started, she had been sending the general's orders to the captains' heralds. Her expertise with doves and communication was an essential part of the Kaguyan army's coordination.

"Sumimasen, taisho, but what can I do for you?" The twin-tailed brunette inquired as she wiped her ink-stained hands.

"Mika, go to the village's aviary and review all the messages received within the past three days. If you can find copies of the messages sent as well, peruse those too. I want to know details about Tsuchito before this attack began, understand?"

The dove keeper nodded without question. Typically, commanders consulted the resident dove keeper for that information, but Eli always ordered the keepers under her command to double check the letters and logs for her own records. As a figure of authority, the general had learned that information could be sharper than any sword, and sometimes, it was the only blade that she could use against previously unexpected foes.

When the Tsuchito keeper finally scrambled by the foot of Eli's horse, he was shaking so badly in terror that Hideko had to right him. The man was like a withered twig, skinny and had a wind-burned face, as if he had done nothing in the past days but sit atop a tower waiting for birds that bore news.

"Have there been any doves from Kaede?" Eli's frown deepened when she noticed the man's eyes widen in unuttered fear. Kaede was a village just half a day's ride to the northeast of Tsuchito. The two towns were separated by a narrow river, which served as a natural barrier that protected the former if the latter was attacked, but it was nowhere near impregnable.

"N-no, Your E-Excellence, I-I have not gotten a-any news from Kaede. W-why d-do you ask?"

"Because I am fighting only half of the enemies my scouts have told me about," said the general, as sharp as an ice shard. "I want to know where the other half is."

"I-I am ill-suitable f-for such a question, my lady. Perhaps the master scout w-would be a b-better choice?"

Eli studied the man as he hid his shaking hands in his robes, like a thief stowing away his plunder. She did not like him. She despised people who would not look her in the eyes when she spoke to them for it was a clear sign of a liar, and Eli hated liars.

"Does Tsuchito not send scouts of its own?" The general's tone was frigid. "Your captain told me that he regularly sends scouts by the riverside. In fact, it was from one of his scouts that we have received an estimated number of Mikadons that should have crossed during low tide. However, all I am seeing out there is but a fraction of the numbers I was told about. Kaede is the closest village from here. If some of the Mikadons are missing then even the dullest mind would assume that they are headed to Kaede as we speak, so I ask, have you gotten any letters from the village?"

She could see the whites of the keeper's eyes almost bulging out of their sockets in terror.

"N-no, Ayase-taisho."

Dove keepers were highly trained individuals who cared for and trained doves or other birds to take messages from one location to another. However, that was only the surface of their real duties. Keepers were also privy to their leader's commands and the whole village's communication with the outside world. They sent and received messages, and the oaths they swore upon completing their training held them accountable for the information they shared.

And therein lied Eli's problems with keepers.

Information was a weapon and keepers were also only human.

The general's jaw clenched. The keeper's answer was not what she wanted to hear, and when she found Mika hurrying towards her in panic, she ordered her guards to detain the man in front of her.

"Catch your breath, Mika. Tell me what you found."

The brunette glanced at the keeper with apprehension and nervously told the general what she had learned. "Many messages were burned, taisho. Most of them were still in embers when I entered the study, but I managed to salvage this piece." She handed the tiny piece of parchment to the general. "I can't make out the whole message but if you look closely, it was signed by the keeper in Kaede, dated just this morning."

In her anger, Eli clenched her fist around the paper and glared at the spindly keeper. "Explain, now!"

"I-I-I… I d-d-d-didn't-"

"Why were these messages burned?" Furious, the general gripped the man's collars and yanked him up until he was only standing on the tips of his toes. "Tell me!"

"T-taisho… t-t-t-they t-took my s-son. H-h-he was s-scouting… he's j-just fourteen. He was c-caught and the Mikadons hold h-him h-hostage. T-they sent me a m-message to k-keep quiet… t-to keep you here."

"Do you not understand that by withholding information like that could mean the deaths of many people? What did the keeper from Kaede send you? Tell me now or I swear you will never see your son, or your family ever again."

The man wailed and fell onto his knees quivering like a leaf in autumn. He could scarcely speak, though Eli could already guess what was happening. She turned her horse around and commanded her guards, "Detain this man. Lock him up until I return and learn as much as you can from this." To the keeper, she said, "Pray that Kaede has not yet fallen and pray hard. Otherwise, your sentence will be death and I will take your head off myself."

The man lost all his strength then, defeated. He just slumped onto his knees and stared blindly at the mud beneath him. He did not resist when soldiers grabbed him by the arms and dragged him towards a cage designed for prisoners of war.

Eli gave him one last glance before she mobilized the soldiers directly under her command. She left Tsuchito to Kurokawa, whose wariness and cautious personality suited defending a base well, and a message for Umi, who she would not be able to take with her. The captain was still fighting in the field and it would be brutal to force her into another one without rest. Besides, if a trap awaited them in Kaede, Eli did not want her captain to be anywhere near it.

"Kaede is in danger," declared the general as she trotted in front of her infamous army. In front of her was a thousand horsemen, and behind them, were the samurais she had learned from and respected as a younger woman. She took pride that they looked upon her with utmost trust. "The battle of Tsuchito is ours, but the war is not yet over. We must hurry to Kaede, lest we will be trapped with the remnants of the Black Knight's forces and Toudou Erena's army. We would be like soft metal in between a hammer and an anvil. We have a long day ahead of us, gentlemen, but we have faced worse before. Show our enemies your strength!"

The men roared and raised their swords in fury. They were eager to fight and were thirsty for Mikadon blood.

Eli raised her naginata to quiet them down, "We will ride to Kaede and attack them from behind as they had planned to do to us. We shall ride hard and fast, in order to reach our countrymen in the village. Let us hope that they have not yet fallen. Infantry, guard our backs and make sure no Mikadon escape you."

She donned her iconic fox-crested, gold-plumed battle helm and dug her heel into Shiro's belly, kicking the white stallion to rear up and gallop northeast into battle.

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What they found in Kaede was worse than Eli had imagined. The village was aflame, and the screams of its villagers and the fury of its guards could be heard at a distance. Mikadons were still there, torching wooden huts and houses, executing defeated foes, and abusing women before killing them. The black lion flew proudly with the wind, as if still hungry for blood. These were definitely Kira Tsubasa's men, for no other company of horsemen were so brutal. Only the Black Knight's reputation and iron grip kept them in line, and now that she was no longer with them, they did as they pleased like common bandits and pit fighters.

The general clenched her fist around her naginata's shaft. These were the people who Honoka had fought in every single battle, the men who had led her to her death. Now they dared to rape a village under Eli's protection.

She had had enough.

The general charged at the helm of her forces, riding towards their foes like a bolt from a crossbow. Spearheads shone in the afternoon sun, all pointed towards the band of horsemen still holding torches. Clearly, the Black Knight's men had not expected them, but they were still highly trained veterans who knew how to handle surprise attacks. They were all on their horses in a heartbeat, steel hissing and reflecting the bright sun as they were unsheathed from their scabbards. And in less than a few strides of Eli's horse, they were also charging at them in reckless abandon.

Spears and swords clashed and many fell in the first pass. Eli used her naginata's sharp blade not only to impale her opponents but also maim or kill their horses, leaving the rider broken and trampled on the ground. She pierced through soft leather armor and stabbed at either neck or groin, the weak spots of a mounted warrior, and many fell to her spear. If the blade missed, she expertly twirled the shaft around to bludgeon her enemy with the polearm's counterweight.

She had not felt this powerful since her shoulder injury. The general had feared that she had lost some of her strength because as a spear-wielder, she relied on the shoulder and back more than the strength of her arms, and with such a front-heavy weapon, she worried that her movements had slowed. A bit of adrenaline and a thirst for vengeance righted those easily enough. She relished at mowing down the people who had taken Honoka away from her.

The sight of her leaping fox gave second life to the Kaede guards, who regrouped and began to cut down the Mikadons who lagged behind, a righteous execution for invaders who still had their breeches around their knees when the golden general brought the village its salvation. Yet, in spite of their element of surprise, it took hours to chase away the Black Horde, and many of Eli's men lost their lives. Her younger self would have lamented each life lost, but she was more than a woman now, more than a mere soldier. She was the head of this army, its leader, and in times like these, cold aloofness was necessary. She would have to grieve later, in her nightmares where she burned at the funeral pyre along with the dead.

"Thank the gods!" The village chief nearly prostrated himself before Eli's stallion with tears streaming down his weathered old face and seeping into his gray moustache. "I have sent bird after bird. I've even sent a boy to Tsuchito. I thought you would never hear from us, taisho. Thank you for aiding us."

The general flicked the blood away from her spear's blade, "The battle is not over yet, but rest assured that we will not let them do further damage. Take all of your women and children and bring them inside. Bar the doors and do not let anyone in. You will receive word from me once it is safe."

"At once, Ayase-sama. I will do anything, just save us!"

Eli ordered a squadron of infantry to secure the villagers in the houses that had not yet burned before returning to the battlefield. Her troops cried in victorious fury, galloping after her as if they were part of her body. They formed defensive crescent around Kaede and braced themselves for the battle ahead. The Horde might have disappeared, but as soon as the last of them faded into the woods' shadow, a greater threat emerged. Rows upon rows of footmen marched out into the farmlands, their feet kicking up dust so thick that it blurred Eli's vision and skewed her estimation of their numbers. Nevertheless, she had expected this many and she was prepared to combat them.

What she did not expect was the person who fearlessly rode forward, well beyond the reach of the Mikadon at her back. Clad in black armor trimmed with gold was Toudou Erena herself. Eli nudged her horse and met the infamous commander in the middle of the field.

The Mikadon smirked condescendingly, "While I knew that you would eventually figure it out, I did not expect you to come so soon. Your battle sense is definitely remarkable, Ayase Eli."

"You left your banner at Tsuchito," the blonde retorted. "Does honor truly mean nothing to Mikado? Or does this mean that you are now the Black Knight?"

"I had to separate you from your dear royal guard, and Sonoda Umi never fails to fall for the sight of my flag behind enemy lines. It is you I want, Ayase. I will deal with Sonoda when I have slain you."

"Clearly you do not know Sonoda-taichou." The captain was already determined to avenge Honoka. Should Eli also fall here…

"I know her well enough, general."

"Enough talk. Leave now and no further blood will be spilled," Eli gripped the spear shaft by her hip.

Erena merely chuckled at the threat, "We both know that negotiations are no longer in our options. I only wanted to see your face and your despicable eyes before I kill you."

"Then we are both wasting words."

The two titans of the battlefield turned their backs to each other and cantered back to their respective sides. No sooner had both of them enter their troops' lines did the real battle began. Arrows nearly blotted out the sun, while the war cries of men and horses deafened Eli so much that she had to shout to give out orders.

Unlike the battle at Tsuchito, however, the general soon found herself fighting as well. They were fewer this time, and Eli had no captains fighting in the field for her. In order to orchestrate and move her men properly, she had to be in the thick of things, goring riders, stabbing men's throats and decapitating others. Blood spurted and splattered over her armor and stained her cloak. It made her grip slippery and her horse mad. Shiro's pale coat was soon tainted red and pink, yet the stallion continued to fight for his rider. He reared up and stomped on foes, or he would kick if he felt a lick of steel across his flank. He even bit a soldier's face. Indeed, sometimes it was the samurai's horse that was his best weapon.

The fighting dragged on until the sun was ripe orange, ready to set any moment. The farm plots were plagued by the dead, both Mikadon and Kaguyan alike. For every man who fell, the feeling of vengeance in those still alive blazed even more, until honorable fighting became straightforward murder. A Kaguyan clubbed his opponent with a hoe until the Mikadon's head was unrecognizable, while another had run out of weapons and instead relied on a wooden stake to kill his enemy by stabbing his eye with it. This was no longer the type of battle that bards sung about. This was the true face of war, ugly and horrifying in its brutality.

Eli was covered in blood. She could feel its viscosity dribbling down her helm and its wetness in her hands. Beneath her, Shiro had lathered and was exhausted. Unwilling to risk her long-time battle companion, the general dismounted and relieved the stallion of his burden for the time being. She twirled her slick naginata and marched menacingly into what remains of the fighting. Opposition came towards her, though now that the Mikadons were also tired, they moved slowly and clumsily. Some even tripped and fell over corpses as they charged at her. Their roars were met with a viper's kiss. As quick as lighting, Eli's spear slashed and bit, only to retract again in one quick motion. She used the polearm as both weapon and shield, to slice in between armor or to parry an attack to the side.

Soon, the blonde was dancing with corpses, which fell one after another at the edge of her spear's range and almost never within it. She was one with her weapon, a state of high that she rarely reached since she became an officer. Her blood sang with each turn, jab and cut. However, her performance was cut short when Erena's nodachi clanged against her naginata's blade. Eli was suddenly thrown back several weeks ago when this very same scene had played. This time though, she would not be careless.

They circled each other, their bodies as taut as notched bowstrings. Eli unclasped her helm and let it fall to the ground. Let all see that the golden general of Kaguya was not afraid to fight her own battles. The daring feat had its benefits though, for Erena was a renowned swordswoman. Having unobstructed vision was more to Eli's advantage than having a helmet, for her opponent could simply slice at the weaknesses of her armor. Caution and swiftness were better comrades in this battle than brute defense.

"Let's finish this," the general challenged.

Her opponent smiled wickedly under the helm she wore, "Yes, let's."

But it was not Erena who charged. Much to Eli's surprise, it was the soldiers that surrounded them who bulldozed towards her.

The woman in black armor did not even move and only cackled maliciously. "It is time to topple the king in this board game. Checkmate, Ayase Eli."

Her own men rushed to defend her, but the fighting became a brutal melee faster than a blink of an eye. She found herself in such close quarters with her enemies that she had to punch and struggle to find a way out. She discarded her spear and drew the katana at her hip, but the brawl was still far too close for a sword. The general was forced to stabbing people with her dagger while trying not to get stabbed in return. She saw her own men vomit blood in front of her face, and when she turned away, she caught a glimpse of a soldier trying to catch his entrails and prevent it from falling out of his opened belly.

Eli screamed, partly in fright, but also to gather her wits about her. She lunged at the closest enemy and slit his throat, then she drove her dagger into another Mikadon's eye socket. That gave her enough space to properly wield her sword. She searched for the nearest escape route, but found only beds of killing at every direction. She persevered, for if she did not, she would not escape this trap alive.

Panting and spitting out blood, she came face to face with a black-garbed man, a ninja, who quickly raced towards her at a frightening speed. In his hands were kunai knives and on his face was a demon's mask snarling in fury. Gazing at him was like looking at death straight in the eyes. Was this what Honoka saw before the end? Instead of fear, Eli felt rage, and that gave her enough courage to lift her sword and meet this shadow warrior head on. Her mind immediately remembered Yazawa Nico and her impressive acrobatics. She only had the privilege to spar with the Kaguyan ninja once or twice, and in both times, their quarrel was unceremoniously halted by Toujou Nozomi. Eli had little experience fighting ninjas, but she hoped that she learned enough from the black-haired woman to survive.

She braced herself but the ninja suddenly fell lifeless on the ground. Lodged in his skull was a long arrow shaft that was fletched with goose feathers, dyed blue. One after another, the Mikadons around her dropped like flies, each and every one with an arrow either between their eyes or through their hearts. A few moments later, the twang of bowstrings became audible, and once again, the sky was overcast with projectiles.

"Eli!" The general yanked her katana from a corpse and spied Umi riding towards her with a daikyu in her grip. Behind the raven-haired woman were the prestigious royal guards, the best swords, spears and maces in the kingdom. All of them wore the silver-enameled armor of their station, trimmed by the greens of the royal house, except for their commander. Umi still displayed the iconic blues of the Sonoda Clan, as well as their insignias. The captain's helm was engraved with the likeness of the black tortoise of the north, embezzled with feathers as homage to the fire bird of the Minami Clan.

However, it was not the imposing uniform that had Eli averting her eyes in shame, but the anger in Umi's eyes. Covered in blood, she was probably not in her most presentable state, and she knew her dear captain hated seeing her in red. "Are you hurt?" The royal guard asked.

"I'm fine," she replied as she surveyed the battlefield. "Erena was here."

She saw the captain's face contort into a hateful scowl, even though half of it was covered by her helm. "I figured as much since I was unable to find her in Tsuchito." Umi reached down and helped Eli mount her black mare, Kohaku. Once seated behind her, the general sheathed her sword and let the younger woman take her back to where she had left her own mount while leaving her entourage to secure the perimeter. "Eli, why? Why did you leave Tsuchito knowing there was foul play involved?"

The blonde wiped her bloody face with her sleeve and tried to ignore how much her hands trembled. Even now, after so many battles behind her, Eli was terrified of fighting. Yet she continued to fight for her country and everything she believed in. "Immediate action was necessary. Had I waited, Kaede would be doomed."

"You doom us all by riding into a trap!"

Eli winced the captain's emotional outburst. Umi rarely raised her voice after all, especially to her. "I deserved that."

"You must not let this misguided desire for revenge cost you your life." Umi lectured her furiously, even though her voice trembled and cracked. "You, of all people, should not lose your reason. Yes, Honoka is not here with us, but what would all of this matter if you die before she returns? What would she say? What would I tell her? What would I tell Arisa? What would I do?"

In her anger, the captain shot at enemies at point blank range or used an arrow to stab them at the throat or eye.

"I'm sorry." Eli briefly embraced her lover from behind at the last few strides Kohaku took before halting by an agitated Shiro. "But you know that I do what I must."

She quickly dismounted the mare and climbed atop her stallion, a big effort considering her fatigue. The general then called for a subordinate, who supplied her with another naginata. She tested its weight and spun it over her head experimentally. Once satisfied that the weapon would do in place of her personal polearm, she tugged Shiro to face the battle again.

"Not going to stop me?" Eli jested and flashed a playful smile at the fuming captain. She expected Umi to tie her to a chair so she would just sit still and command as she should, but the raven-haired woman remained silent as if weighing her options.

"I cannot do that even if I want to." The captain muttered as she clasped her bow into a holster attached to her saddle. "You will still go. You and Honoka both, you never listen to me."

"I never wanted you to protect me," the general retorted. "Having you by my side is enough."

"That I will gladly do wholeheartedly, unless you run off on your own like you did today. I cannot be by your side if you do not tell me where you are going."

"Guilty as charged," Eli chuckled in spite of herself and the situation they were in. "But you still came, my handsome heroine."

"Eli…"

"We outnumber them now," the general returned to the task at hand and did her best to ignore Umi's incensed warning. "Were you able to secure Tsuchito?"

"Most of the territory, yes. Mikadons still haunt the woods by the border."

"Good, then let us sweep them back to where they came from."

Eli turned towards the reinforcements that Umi brought and what remained of her own troops. "Kaguya!" The general yelled, "The battle is not over yet! Let this be the last charge. Make no quarter! Drive the invaders out of our land!"

She kicked Shiro into a gallop as the Kaguyan soldiers roared behind her. Though battered and wounded, their courage fueled them to lift their swords one more time. They rode behind their leader's heels with ferocity, ready to make one last offensive.

To her right, Umi rode with confidence while the royal guards listened attentively to her commands. "Surround the general," she commanded, "Do not let anyone get near her."

The captain's lieutenant, Aikawa Ryo, yanked at her mount's reins and took her position to Eli's left, while the rest of the royal guards assembled themselves in a circle around the blonde. The Guards' discipline was as impeccable as their reputation. As the battle raged until sunset, never once did a Mikadon manage to step inside their formation. Although this feat could also be attributed to the fact that Umi cut down most of the enemies that came in front of them. The Royal Guards' captain had finally unsheathed her infamous katana and showed exactly why she led the best fighters in the country. It had been at least a year since Eli saw Umi fight with a sword, so seeing her precision and sheer destructive abilities with the weapon again impressed her. Honoka might be the most gifted swordswoman in Kaguya, but Umi was definitely a master of the blade, as anyone would expect from a daughter of the Sonoda and being a royal guard only sharpened her skills.

Seeing her former kouhai fight so adeptly reminded the general just how much she had lagged behind.

Nevertheless, Eli concentrated with what she did best; command. Now that her hands were free from hand-to-hand combat, she had more time and focus to orchestrate the soldiers around her. Gradually, the Kaguyan army moved as one organism; her light horsemen herded what was left of their enemies like sheep to be feathered by her archers' arrows, while the heavy cavalry rode down and smashed the Mikadon infantry.

Much to the general's lament, she later heard that Toudou Erena had slipped out of the battlefield. Most warriors would call the Mikadon commander's retreat cowardice, but Eli saw it as a sound tactical decision. With Umi in Kaede, Erena knew that continuing this battle would give her no strategic advantage. It was the general she wanted, and with the royal guards around her, she was untouchable. Even the ninjas would prove useless against these elite fighters, who also received rigorous ki training as well as martial arts.

Soon, the fighting died down and left nothing but corpses on the ground.

Eli watched as the sun set to the west and as the crows circled high above the slaughter field. In the past decade of her life, she had watched the sun retire like this, surrounded by death and agony, often covered in blood and deafened by the screams of the dying. She would always ask how many died that day. How many widows and orphans have these dead men left at home? How many parents would have to bury a child before their time?

"We never win," she told Umi as they stood by their horses after the battle ended. "Neither do our enemies."

The captain was wiping her hands with a cloth, permanently reddened by blood. "Such is the nature of war. We are led to believe that we have accomplished something once we have killed enough of our enemies, yet all we get are false victories."

Eli nodded. She could not have worded that better.

"You should retire, general." Umi worriedly told her. "The medics await you."

"Let them treat the ones who need treatment first. Despite how I look, I'm relatively unscathed."

"But your wounds…"

"Mere papercuts. Go on…" Eli forced herself to smile, "I'd like to stay here until the last light."

Umi opened her mouth to convince her otherwise, but a messenger came galloping towards them. It was one of the dove keepers in Eli's army. "Taisho! A bird just came in from Moriyama!"

The blonde took the piece of parchment from the keeper, "Moriyama?"

"Hai! They've been attacked today as well by the Black Knight."

"What?" Alarmed, Eli opened the parchment and read.

"I write this to Ayase Eli. I am Kira Tsubasa, and I have returned. Your White Knight had failed and perished. Give me Taiyou. Return my sword or I will burn every village until you gain the wisdom to do so. Moriyama is just now tasting my vengeance and it will dine in its own people's blood, blood spilled by Kousaka Honoka's own sword."

Eli clenched her fingers around the letter in anger. Kira Tsubasa was alive? "What is the meaning of this?"

"T-Taisho… several birds flew from Moriyama, all of them saying the same thing. The Black Knight is back and she wields the sword of Kaguya, Tsuki."

"No!" Umi exclaimed, stepping before the general with her eyes wide in fear. "That cannot be. How could Kira get her hands on Tsuki? I refuse to believe this."

Kira Tsubasa could have only gotten that sword if Honoka has indeed…

Eli shook her head and pressured the herald. "Are you certain?"

"H-hai! There is no mistake, taisho. I am only telling you what information I've received."

The blonde gritted her teeth. She wanted to scream and return to killing if only to relieve the pain in her chest. But she could not. She did not have the luxury. "No… we found no body. I will not take this letter at face value… not until I see her with my own eyes."

To the messenger, she ordered with great urgency. The fatigue had faded away from Eli's body and was replaced with dread. "Prepare a room for me and tell my captains to rest as much as possible tonight. For tomorrow morning, before sunrise, we will march back to Tsuchito to bring this letter to light."