A/N:
Before we dive into the action, I have a (somewhat) sad announcement to make. I kind of fell behind in writing the next chapter (98) and it's not quite ready just yet. I may need a few more days to get it ready for your (dubious) viewing pleasure, so apologies for not following up on the promise of having both War of Underworld chapters ready to go, back-to-back. I'm planning on having it ready and posted by Sunday, if all goes according to plan.
It better go according to plan, because I am not backing out of my promise to release Chapter 100 on SAO's canon release date. I will die on this hill, dammit!
Anyway, public service announcement over with.
It's time to go to war.
"Come on! Hurry up, we're going to be late!"
Leafa hovered in the sky just outside the city of Alne, waiting impatiently for her friends to finally get up off their sorry asses and get over here! So what if they weren't as good with the flying system as she was?
The broadcast waits for no man!
…or woman!
"We're trying!" Shinichi – username Recon – shouted, dipping sporadically as he tried to fly forward. Much like herself, Shinichi chose to play a Sylph, the elf-like race of fairies. "Give us a break!"
"I'm just as excited as you to watch this in person, but come on!" Ren – username Leviad – shouted, coming up right behind Recon. Keeping in line with the blue-haired theme of his brother, Ren chose to play as an Undine, the water-themed race of fairies.
"I don't get what's so hard about flying. Just think like you have a pair of wings! Simple!" Sulinea – username Suli (way to be creative there, girl…) – grinned as she sped past them. She also chose to play a Sylph like her two best friends.
"That's easy for you to say." Selka – username Selka (just had to take after her sister) – grumbled as she, too, struggled to fly without the controller. She was the only one in their group to play a Cath Sith, the catlike race of fairies.
Leafa huffed in annoyance. An agonizing thirty seconds later, they finally caught up to her. Unwilling to waste even a second more, she grabbed onto Recon and Leviad's arms and pulled forward, with Suli and Selka grabbing on at the last moment to hitch a ride. The squad of five – Kouichirou said he would join them later and Trish had to keep the bar open – glided down into the main plaza of Alne, where a large congregation of other players were assembling.
In the middle of the plaza stood a gaping portal; the ALO devs – mostly Mr. Yuuki – decided to allow their players to spectate the war in the Underworld through ALO as spectators. Just like her previous forays into Amusphere spectating, no one would be able to interact with the players actively fighting in the war, but they would be able to freely fly about and watch from above the battlefield.
(According to the announcement, no one would be allowed to set foot on the battlefield itself, so as to allow everyone an impeded view of the action below.)
And there was no way in hell she was going to miss watching her brother kick ass in person, not like this.
Not even bothering to stop, Leafa dragged all five of them through the portal. In a brilliant flash of light, the quintet found themselves on the mountains and cliffs overlooking what was soon to be a bloodbath. Fortunately, the devs implemented a censor for younger ALO players, so they would not have to be subject to needless and gratuitous gore and dismemberment. They would instead watch pixelated wounds, much like one might see in Aincrad.
"Damn… it's frickin' bleak here, isn't it?" Recon asked as he looked down upon the ruined and rocky landscape.
"Would you rather see them ruin a perfectly good meadow instead?" Leviad asked, extricating himself from Leafa's hold.
"Look, I can see the Renegades!" Leafa chirped, flying down closer to the cliff edges, where the barrier stood to prevent further flight downward. She pointed over at a small group of soldiers headed by none other than the world-famous Kirito the Black Swordsman. "There's my brother!"
"Your brother?" A familiar voice called out. Leafa whipped around to see Lady Sakuya – the elected leader of the Sylphs – approach, with a small entourage of Sylphs accompanying her. "Which one is your brother, Leafa? I was not aware you had family trapped in SAO."
"Oh, uhh…" Leafa faltered. If she claimed that Kirito was her brother, Sakuya might think she was lying. After all, Kirito was the most famous player in the game… many people would try to claim –
"Kirito's her brother." Suli blurted out, completely oblivious to the shocked expressions around her.
"SULI!" Leafa shouted, now red in the face with embarrassment. "You can't just say that!"
Sakuya rose an eyebrow. "Really? Kirito, the Black Swordsman? Strongest player in the game… is your brother."
Leafa could only meekly nod.
"Well…" Sakuya gave her an appraising look. "You just became a lot more interesting, Leafa. After this is all over, let's chat. If you're anything like your brother, you're going to make waves here in ALO."
"Y-yes!" Leafa stammered out. Yes, it was mostly roleplay, but the way that Sakuya carried herself was very much like nobility. She couldn't help but be a little intimidated by her. "I suppose I'll talk to you later?"
"I look forward to it. Now, I'll leave you and your friends to watch the broadcast in peace."
Any comments that anybody could have made were summarily interrupted when a bright purple beam of light blasted into the sky from where the gate was. Everyone – SAO players and ALO players – snapped their attention to the scene below. While they were all here for entertainment's sake, everyone understood the gravity of the situation. A literal war was about to ignite. Lives could – would – be lost. A reverent silence fell over the assembled fairies, in stark contrast to the fierce battlecries down below.
The War for the Underworld had begun.
It was like thunder.
Kirito breathed deeply as he stood next to Bercouli, trying his best to not let the sounds of the approaching army get to him. The pounding of hundreds of feet. The monotonous groans of what looked like a horde of giants as they rumbled through the canyon. The screams and battlecries of a battalion of bloodthirsty goblins, punctuated by whoops and hollers as the enemy relished in the thrill of the hunt.
Cardinal claimed that the Dark Territory monsters had fluctlights, too, and for some reason Kirito could not find it in his heart to disagree, but for all the wrong reasons. Just listening to the approaching army was proof of that.
Joy. The screams and yells he heard were full of it. These goblins and giants were glad for the prospect of shedding blood.
Kirito gripped his swords tightly. Anyone who enjoyed spilling blood really was a monster. He needed to shove down any apprehensions, any fears he might have for the coming battle. Each and every single one of these creatures would gladly rip out the hearts of those he loved.
He would not let a single one past him.
He was ripped from his musings by a blip on his HUD, alerting him to an army-wide message sent from Argo.
[Argo: Archers, fire when ready. Sin-chan and Deus-bou, light the bastards up.]
Why that woman felt the need to use nicknames in a situation like this was beyond him.
*FWOOSH!*
Kirito winced as five different bolts of fire soared over their heads and crashed into the charging enemy. In truth, Deusolbert's Perfect Weapon Control was less of an arrow of fire and more the twisted lovechild of a missile launcher and a flamethrower. Each plume of flame dove straight through the enemy lines, ripping and tearing its way through until eventually reaching its end, whereupon it exploded and took out even more goblins. It seemed Deusolbert was focusing his attention on the goblins, which Kirito had to admit was a smart move. The goblins were far more numerous than the giants, and large AoE strikes like his were more effective when used on larger groups.
Several streaks of piercing light, bright as the sun itself, zipped by right after Deusolbert's strikes. Sinon's first level of Perfect Weapon Control made each of her shots pierce targets, not unlike Fanatio's Perfect Weapon Control. The Renegade archer was focusing her attacks on the giants, which despite their name were more like most depictions of ogres and goliaths. Over twice the size of a human, but not the gargantuan titans of myth. Still, her bolts of radiant light pierced and burned through the giants' ranks, felling lines upon lines of unsuspecting foes, who really didn't know how to react to the deadly shots.
Then came the rest of the arrows, their lack of intensity made up for by their sheer number. A rain of arrows came down on the approaching enemy, and what was once the screams of joy and bloodlust turned into cries of pain and death.
Yet still, they swarmed forward.
"Prepare to engage!" Bercouli barked, and they obeyed. "Phalanx!"
The front line brought forth their tower shields flawlessly and in perfect unison. Not a moment later, a line of spearmen came up from behind and poised their pikes between and above the shields, ready to thrust and skewer at a moment's notice. Once in formation, they grew rigid; whether their stiffness was the result of training or in anticipation of the oncoming clash, Kirito didn't know.
"Brace!"
Like a tidal wave crashing upon a breakwater, a platoon of goblins – or what was left of them – collided with the shield wall. The imagery worked a little too well, as instead of ocean spittle splashing up into the air, the sounds, smells, and sight of blood flew up instead, staining the air itself red. The shield wall held firm, each man or woman behind their barrier pushing with all their might. The spearmen were constantly striking out from behind their cover, skewering goblin after goblin.
The curious thing about goblins, Kirito learned that day, was that they were crafty and nimble little monsters. Bastards were starting to crawl over the shield wall.
"They're climbing over!" Kirito shouted, readying his blades. "Infantry, move in! Keep the goblins off their backs!"
Kirito rushed forward, blades already singing as he cut down two goblins who'd already gotten past the defenses. He skidded to a stop before making a sharp ninety-degree turn and burying his swords in the gut of one more goblin who was about to attack one of the shieldbearers. He noted that Bercouli had followed, but veered in the opposite direction, carving a path down the line away from him.
Kirito had to fight the urge to leap over the defensive line and start slashing away. Not only would that get him surrounded, but he would also be undermining the crux of their whole strategy. Creating a chaotic melee would only increase the number of friendly casualties.
A startled shout broke his concentration, and he whipped around to see a section of the shield wall had fallen, a stray giant having bulldozed through. The shieldbearer who'd been knocked over struggled to stand up, only to get pulverized by a hammer to the skull.
Was that the first casualty? Kirito didn't know, but he was going to do everything in his power to make it the last.
"I've got it!" Kirito shouted before Bercouli could respond. He was the faster of the two captains, after all.
Before he knew it, his legs had carried him to his quarry, who looked surprised at the speed displayed. Jumping up and using a goblin as a springboard, Kirito leaped up and crossed his swords in front of him like a giant pair of scissors. Kirito ignored the spray of blood as the forcibly removed the giant's head from its shoulders. He landed roughly, though, having expected to hit the ground but instead finding purchase on a stray goblin. The two stumbled over one another before collapsing a short distance away.
Apparently the goblin was faster to recover than he expected, because the next thing he knew, the damn thing was on top of him. He kept his blades up, blocking the goblin from planting the business end of his sword into his chest.
"Die, ium!" The goblin roared, spittle flying and landing on his face.
Kirito chose not to answer, mainly because he was too busy trying not to die. The goblin might not have been stronger on its own, but it was pressing down with its full body weight. Kirito roared instead, pushing up against his assailant.
"Get off of him!"
A watery trident entered his vision, skewering the goblin's side and pushing it off of him. Kirito watched as Sachi removed her trident from the goblin and slashed, cutting it down for good.
"Thanks." Kirito gulped.
"Anytime." She offered him a hand and smiled, looking – for all of a moment – like the reserved yet cheerful girl he met over two years ago. The image quickly faded as her eyes hardened. "Are you okay?"
Kirito took her hand and let her pull him to his feet. "Yeah. This is chaos."
"Could have been worse." Sachi said, quickly lashing out and cutting down a goblin that tried to sneak by.
"Worse how?" Kirito cut down two more goblins with a ((Double Circular)). He looked over to another part of the shield wall down by Ran's unit. "We're already getting overwhelmed."
"...They could be using magic?"
"Sachi, please don't tempt fate like that." Kirito scolded.
"Sorry."
Noticing more goblins breaching the shield wall, he ran to meet them, Sachi hot on his heels. As he and the Renegade spearwoman cut through goblin after goblin, sometimes poking past the shield wall to alleviate some pressure, he realized she had a point. Initial scouting reports suggested that the Dark Territory was capable of using their own form of Sacred Arts, and had more than enough casters of their own.
So why weren't they using any magic? Or at least trying to?
A flurry of roars from Aiko's section of the front line turned his attention north. That seemed to be where most of the giants were fighting. He and Sachi exchanged worried glances, but kept fighting nonetheless. They could not afford to relocate and leave their section down two of their strongest fighters.
Hopefully Yuuki and her estranged sister could hold them off.
"I see why they call you the Tornado, sister!"
Yuuki twisted and twirled her way through a small squad of goblins. In truth, she didn't want to fight in this war; despite her reputation as a skilled fighter, she hated the idea of taking lives. Fighting and defeating NPC monsters back in Aincrad was one thing, but each and every enemy they fought here had a soul. She was ending the lives of real creatures. Virtual creatures, yes, but living things nonetheless.
It was the fact that she was defending her sister and the lands she called home that made the experience bearable.
Still… fighting alongside her sister was a welcome experience.
"It's my style!" Yuuki grinned back, leaping over a goblin before kicking its back. It stumbled forward into the waiting Underworlder, who capitalized on the opportunity and ended the poor creature's life.
"I still find it hard to believe that you are self-taught." Aiko huffed as she fended off a goblin duo. Her duplicate sword flew around and sliced the exposed backs of the duo and they slumped to the ground. "You fight like a master."
"Mostly self-taught." Yuuki corrected. She gulped for a second at the sight of a giant staring her down before ducking between its legs and bringing her blades across its thighs. "Kirito and Asuna taught me a lot. Kirito taught me how to dual wield and Asuna taught me how to make the most of my lighter build."
"I shall have to thank them one day." Aiko said as she blocked a hammer strike from a giant. There seemed to be more of those over here than in the other sections. "Perhaps I can even duel with them. They seem formidable warriors."
"Oh, they are!" Yuuki chirped as she leaped onto the back of the one her sister was fighting. She buried her blades into its shoulders and pulled back, sending the giant off-balance. Aiko dispatched it while Yuuki backflipped off its slumped form. "They say they're the strongest of us Aincraders. A lot of people are thinking one of them will be the one to take down Kayaba."
"And do you agree?" Aiko asked, taking a step back and regaining her breath. "I should think many of you would want to be the one to defeat him."
"Oh, a lot of us have beef with Kayaba. We just think Kirito or Asuna have the skills to actually take him on."
Aiko tilted her head, causing Yuuki to smile; even brainwashed, her sister kept some of the mannerisms that made her… well, Aiko. It was like every day she became more and more like she used to be. "I think you underestimate yourself, sister. You are quite the fighter. You may be Kirito's student, but you are strong as well."
Yuuki shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just don't have as much of a beef with him as the others do. Yeah, what he did was really sucky, but a lot of good happened to me because of him."
"How do you mean?" You are trapped just as much as – by the goddesses, what is he doing?!"
Yuuki looked behind just in time to see Lokuss, who'd somehow managed to not only climb onto one of the larger giant's backs, but was using his grappling hook to restrain and manipulate the giant into rampaging and attacking its allies. Fairly standard Lokuss fare, if she was being honest.
"I'm not surprised." Yuuki giggled, ducking around her sister to cut down a goblin that was trying to sneak up on her. "Lok's always been a bit… unorthodox in his fighting style."
"I'll say." Aiko gaped as Lokuss and his impromptu mount barrelled into a group of goblins.
Huh. What was the collective noun for goblins? Group sounded too generic. Gaggle? Nah, that was geese. She'd have to ask someone to look it up when they got back to the real world. She'd do it herself, but chances are she was going to stay strapped into her Medicuboid anyway.
"Lok!" Yuuki called out, garnering his attention. She pointed towards the breach in the shield wall. "Bring him over there! We can hit them as they come in!"
Lokuss smiled before tugging on the rope and forcing the giant to turn around. "On it!"
"GET OFF, HUMAN!"
"Nope! I don't think I will!"
Yuuki grinned as she and Aiko chased after the rampaging giant. In all seriousness, they needed to patch up the hole in their defenses. That had the potential to snowball into something terrible; a breach in the defenses here could compromise other sections.
*POP! POP-POP! POP!*
Yuuki looked over towards Eldrie's section of the army. Then again, whatever was causing the smoke over there could be just as bad.
What was it that the Renegades always cursed? Murphy's Law? Whatever could go wrong would go wrong.
The startled shouts from that section of the front line seemed to agree with that assessment.
"Is that… smoke?" Asuna asked, peering into the distance from the command post. She squinted her eyes and saw that Eldrie's entire section was obscured by heavy smoke. "Argo, any updates?"
Argo sat on her high chair, overlooking the field, yet her eyes were not truly focused on the battle below. Instead, her eyes darted back and forth through dozens and dozens of messages and status updates. Her fingers moved just as quickly, if not quicker, as she kept the lines of communication open.
"Eldrie and Klein are sayin' that the giants are fightin' the shield wall but the goblins are movin' through or around and runnin' past 'em entirely." Argo relayed.
"They're trying to infiltrate the back line!" Ali exclaimed.
"Your sister's sayin' the same thin', Ali-chan." Argo nodded before pointing to the sky, where Alice hovered on her dragon. "Good to have a bird's eye view. Keepin' her above was a good call, Fana-chan."
"Thank you, Argo." Fanatio stared at the battle below. "Have Renly's unit engage – not that he has much of a choice. He's right behind Eldrie."
Argo nodded. "Renly's movin' in. I'm glad Sil-chan talked to the kid. He looked real skittish up until yesterday."
Fanatio sighed. "He is not as experienced with battle as the other Integrity Knights, I'm afraid."
"Mmm." Argo hummed noncommittally. Asuna would have accused the information broker for not paying attention in any other scenario, but the fact that she was juggling so much information at once in the middle of a battle was impressive and more than made up for any perceived rudeness. "Aiko and Yuuki are havin' trouble patchin' up their defenses. Orders?"
"Send in Silica and Fafnir." Asuna said. "Just one or two passes should do; we don't want them sticking around too long and risk getting shot down."
"Copy that." Argo confirmed, typing out another message. A minute later, a draconic cry filled the air as Fafnir descended from his perch nearby. Argo whooped, a grin plastered on her face. "Give 'em hell, Sil-chan!"
Fafnir – now outfitted with a saddle for his seated master – circled around before swooping low in front of their front line. Asuna watched with morbid fascination as the green wyvern spewed out a line of noxious gas onto the approaching enemy forces, parallel to the shield wall. She could see goblins and giants already starting to topple over from the poison gas, which gave the reinforcements behind them pause.
"Incredible." Asuna heard Fanatio mutter under her breath.
"That should buy the front line some time to recover." Alice sighed.
"Good. Now we just need to hope Renly can hold his own until the smoke dissipates." Fanatio said. "I hope he's up to the task."
Renly was wrong. So very, very wrong.
"Pesky iums! We kill you a - URK!"
War was more terrifying than he thought.
He'd forgotten how long they'd been fighting. The sun was lower now than it was before they started, so… maybe a couple of hours now? Everything just progressed so damn quickly. His arms were starting to get tired from throwing his ((Twin-edged Wings)). Just how many of these things were there?
He'd lost count, truthfully. Fortunately, the sun was behind him so he didn't need to worry about getting an eyeful of Solus's rays whenever he tried to aim at something. If anything, the blinding light was a hindrance to the enemy. There were at least a handful of times when he saw a goblin swing wildly with squinted eyes.
The advantage didn't make things any less terrifying, though. If anything, the crazed, haphazard attacks were more unnerving.
A chakram bounced between two goblins before returning to its owner's hand. Nezha, one of Silica's guildmates, was with his unit. Apparently the man found some sort of solidarity being next to another person whose weapon of choice was a thrown blade. Nevertheless, there was a clear difference in experience, if not skill.
Renly found himself lacking.
He had never attacked something that was actively trying to kill him before. Yes, he'd sparred with the other Integrity Knights prior to today, but never had he encountered a foe that was so bloodthirsty.
"Hang in there, Renly." Nezha said as he caught his chakram. "We'll get through this. I'm gonna say not to worry because that'd be stupid."
"Huh?"
"Silica – hra! – told me what you two talked about." Nezha confessed as he threw his chakram again. "Hold onto that fear. It'll keep – damn, missed – it'll keep you alive. Keeps you from getting reckless."
Renly nodded, internalizing that advice as best he could. Noticing that Nezha was making his way through the ranks, using strange tactics to distract and disorient the enemy, he decided to follow. Perhaps there was something he could learn from his senior.
Nezha's style of fighting was not something a knight would do, he realized. Integrity Knights would often face down their foes and triumph in a battle of strength and wills. This… was not that. Anytime Nezha attacked, he would immediate seek cover if it was available. This had the twofold effect of staying on the move as well as preventing the enemy from pinpointing where the attack came from. It took him a second, but he realized that these were hit-and-run tactics; he wasn't ignorant to the strategy, but it was so rarely used as an Integrity Knight. It was a tactic that small town guards would use when defending against goblin attacks, actually.
Yet, for the weapons he and Nezha were using… it was perfect.
Renly could not hope to overpower a foe of equal strength. His blades were small, like the daggers Fizel and Linel used. They were not meant for parrying and blocking and clashing with the weapons of his foes. No, these were surgical, precise instruments of killing. There was no honor in their use; there didn't need to be. The honor from using these blades came from their use; every enemy that fell to them was one less monster that could hurt and kill his people.
Renly steeled himself as his eyes met with a particularly large and ornately dressed goblin. Adorned in a prestigious fur collar, a pair of feather tufts on either side of his head, and a rather imposing sword, this had to be the goblin chief. The way he held himself and the way he fearlessly held Renly's gaze. There was no doubt in his mind.
"Are you their commander?"
Though… it couldn't hurt to verify, he supposed.
"Yeah. I be Kosugi, Chief of the Mountain Goblins." The goblin growled, looking back and forth at the bodies piled up around him. Renly blinked; he hadn't even realized that he killed so many goblins. He was just going with the flow, so to speak. It couldn't have been Nezha; he was on the other side of their unit, oblivious to the opponent Renly was facing. "Shame. You done killed some of my best warriors. You be an Integrity Knight, ain't ya?"
"I am Renly Synthesis Twenty-seven, and you will go no further." He brandished his blades before throwing them to either side, watching them spin in wide arcs out of the corner of his eye.
Kosugi smirked before smacking both blades away with his sword. "Thought I was just another goblin, did ye boy? Well, I ain't so impressed with ye either, boy. Aren't Integrity Knights supposed ta be able ta take on a thousand? Some Integrity Knight ye are."
Renly paled. He was right. He wasn't the right Integrity Knight for this; he was hardly an Integrity Knight at all… even by his own admission. Fear gripped at his heart; if this goblin could so easily swat away his weapons, what chance did he have?
Silica's words echoed in his mind.
"He told me once that the only way he's able to fight the fear is by remembering that if he lets that fear paralyze him, then those he cares about will die."
And wasn't that why the order of the Integrity Knights existed? To prevent the needless deaths of others? He might not have been an orthodox Integrity Knight, but that didn't mean he was going to give up.
"You are correct."
Kosugi gave him a questioning look. "Eh?"
"I am not much of a knight. Even so… let us be clear." Renly brought his blades to bear. "Though I might be defective, these are not! Double Wings! TAKE FLIGHT!"
A gust of wind billowed out as he threw his Divine Weapon to his sides once again. As predicted, Kosugi knocked them away and up into the air. Good; he was planning on that. He carefully tracked them as they rose high into the sky, both blades circling one another like two eagles in courting.
"Release…"
The blades split off before rejoining at their zenith.
"...Recollection!"
"Quit playin' around!" Kosugi roared as he charged forward.
Renly stood his ground, hand outstretched as he mentally commanded his weapon to do his bidding. Just as Kosugi was upon him, mid-air with an arm outstretched to deal a fatal blow, the new-joined blades came up from behind and sliced him cleanly in two. Kosugi's roars came to an abrupt end as either half fell to the side, almost parting before Renly. With the goblin chief now in two places, he held his hand out. The ((Twin Edged Wings)) dutifully floated down and rested in his hand.
He eyed the other goblins around him, and for all of a second met Nezha's proud gaze. Noting the scared expressions on the foes around him, Renly smirked.
"Who's next?"
"Nezha's reportin' a full rout from the gobbos that snuck past Eldrie." Argo said. "Apparently Renly grew a pair and absolutely destroyed the goblin chief in charge of that group."
Fanatio smiled. She wished she could have seen Renly come into his own, but alas, she had a duty to fulfill here at the command post. She could congratulate him later on his victory.
"That's good." Ali said as she watched over the war map displayed on the table nearby. She removed the figure meant to symbolize the goblin squadron Renly destroyed, then moved Renly's figure into the vacated space. "Argo, how are we doing on the front line?"
"Front line could use a good push." Argo reported. "Or a break, but they need it soon. Aiko and Yuuki are doin' their best to hold their ground, but their shielders are startin' to flag."
"Is Alice Synthesis Thirty ready for her attack?" Fanatio asked.
"Negative, boss lady." Argo shook her head. "She says she could use it now, but it wouldn't be nearly as effective as it should be. She needs more time or more spatial resources."
"Then we'll give her both." Asuna said, taking the figure for the elven platoon and moving it forward, pushing it past Aiko and Yuuki's unit. "Tell Kizmel to push forward down the center. The elves should be quick enough to cover the distance in time and it'll relieve some pressure off of the front line."
Fanatio gasped. That would certainly take the pressure off, but it would also draw the enemy's attention more than what was healthy for a single unit to handle. "They'll be slaughtered."
"Hold on." Asuna held a hand up. "We'll have Scheta and Renly overtake and flank from the sides at the same time. That'll push the front line up some and give the current front line room to breathe."
"Send Silica and Fafnir out one more time and have them create a line of poison gas further out." Ali added. "Once they're both out of the way, have Deusolbert light it up."
Fanatio bit back a smile. She remembered what happened the last time Fafnir's poison gas met Deusolbert's fire. The results were rather… explosive. Having that kind of power on their side for once would be incredibly useful.
Perfect.
"Anythin' else you want me to add?" Argo asked, glancing their way.
Asuna smirked. "Tell Kizmel and Leonn their role in this. They need to be as distracting as possible to take the pressure off the front line."
Argo cackled, a sound that sent tingles up Fanatio's spine. How was her laugh simultaneously amusing and unnerving? "Oh, this is gonna be good!"
And what was that supposed to mean?
"This is… intense." Recon gaped.
Leafa could not find it in herself to disagree. Watching Asuna, Alice, and Fanatio strategize and coordinate troop movements was incredible to watch. She knew that her sister-in-law was a clever strategist, but every single player on the field was expertly used. Moreover, thanks to Argo, she knew the condition of each unit, and by the looks of it was currently in the process of giving the exhausted front line a much-needed break.
"They're moving the elves in." Leviad pointed down at the rapidly moving mass of elves. Leafa could see Kizmel and Leonn at its head, leading the charge.
"And they're flanking, too." Leafa added, pointing out the two reserve units sweeping around from the sides.
"Psst. Leafa." Recon whispered, poking her shoulder. She turned to face him. "I think Lady Sakuya wants you."
Leafa looked taken aback before she looked over to the side. Not only was Lady Sakuya over there, making eye contact with her, but she was also hovering beside Alicia Rue of the Cait Sith and Eugene of the Salamanders. It was no secret that Alicia Rue and Lady Sakuya were friends and unofficial allies, but to see Eugene there as well? Certainly peculiar.
She nodded in acknowledgement before starting to fly over. Before she could get far, she heard a notification pop up.
[Sakuya: Feel free to bring your friends, too.]
"Hey guys, they said we could all go." Leafa announced.
"Damn, hangin' with the big wigs?" Suli giggled. "Alright then. Lead on."
Unwilling to let the leaders of three of the ALO factions wait, Leafa and her entourage flew over. The entire way, though, Leafa kept an eye on her brother. He looked tired, but that was to be expected from fighting for almost two hours straight. Funny how time flies when fighting a war.
"You called for us?" Leafa asked as she and the others came to a stop.
"Yes, we were wondering what your take on the war was." Sakuya asked. She looked at them carefully. "Don't worry about Eugene. We may have rather… tense… relations in ALO, but this is neutral territory. Not only did we enter from Alne, but the seriousness of the situation below warrants the cessation of any perceived hostilities. Here, we're all on the same side."
Leafa let out a sigh of relief. "I think Asuna, Alice, and Fanatio are doing a great job coordinating their forces. They're adapting quickly. Even that goblin smoke bomb trick was taken care of before it got to be too big of a problem."
"I'm inclined to agree." Eugene chimed in, looking stoic as ever. "They're clever tacticians, though that's to be expected, I suppose. Alice – or Ali, I suppose she's calling herself for now – and Asuna have literal years of experience leading and coordinating troops in combat, and Fanatio seems to have a good head on her shoulders as well."
"Sakuya here tells us that Kirito's your bro?" Alicia Rue asked.
Leafa's eyes widened. Why had Sakuya divulged that information, especially with Eugene present? That would –
Oh. Even here, the leaders were playing politics. It was a show of dominance. Leafa now knew she was being used as a potential bargaining chip; with her squarely on the side of the Sylphs, there were two possible outcomes, both of which greatly benefited the Sylphs. First was the fact that she could be just as strong and skilled as her brother. Second was that so long as Leafa was in the Sylph camp, there was a real possibility that Kirito himself could eventually join one day.
And wasn't that a hell of a trump card?
"Yeah." Leafa eventually answered, still slightly embarrassed and sheepish about the whole thing. "I… I wasn't trying to brag or anything."
"Psh, I would have." Alicia Rue laughed. "Got yourself one hell of a wild card there, Sakuya."
"Indeed I do." Sakuya smiled before pointing at the battle below with her chin. "Now, pay attention Sylphs. We could learn something from this war here, especially with regards to our strategy and tactics. In fact, I already have – "
Anything she was about to say was summarily interrupted by a deep rumbling voice in a language she did not understand.
"Se trys sobter mantas bleud! Sy leats demant nostaspaer!"
Leading the elven forces was a massive treant, walking slowly but covering great distances with its long strides. It stood at least twice as tall as the giants of the Dark Territory. Its bark was a marbled color that reminded her of a mixture between the two Sacred Trees of the elves. Its face no longer resembled the one she knew, though its gnarled features were sure to strike fear into their enemy's hearts. A set of sprawling branches decorated its shoulders, and its fists were the size of boulders. Riding atop its right shoulder was Kizmel, looking forward and ready to jump down on some unsuspecting goblin at a moment's notice.
A chorus of shocked gasps and excited screams sounded out from every ALO player around. None could hold a candle, however, to the hyped-up fanboy that was Shinichi "Recon" Nagata.
"Did Leonn just turn into fuckin' Treebeard?!"
Ren chuckled. "Looks more like Durthu to me. No beard there and looks a lot more badass."
"Still! Tree man! What the fuck?!"
Leonn walked, and the earth trembled.
He roared, and the winds roared with him.
Perfect Weapon Control made him the embodiment of nature, its wrath incarnate. With every thunderous step he took, the roots that made up his feet planted themselves before violently ripping away from the ground with his next step. Every little goblin caught underfoot was mere insects under his tremendous arborous mass. A resounding, rallying cry erupted around him as his allies were emboldened by his presence.
Never let it be said that Kayaba wasn't a genius at neural interfaces, because this was intoxicating.
Leonn had never felt more connected to the earth - even if it was virtual - than he did in this form. He could feel the barren and lifeless soil, feel the vibrations as war raged around him. He was, on some level, in tune with everything around him. It was almost sensory overload, and Leonn had to actively ignore most of it to focus on the immediate threat in front of him.
"I do believe we have their attention, my friend." Kizmel laughed, perched on his shoulder.
A trio of giants approached him, hammers in hand. He chuckled, a laugh that sounded of rustling branches and splintering wood. Leonn roared and swung, smacking one to the side. He reached out and grabbed the one on the left before throwing him into the distance, whereupon it crashed into a group of goblins. The last one was crushed underfoot.
"Sameve Silica?" He asked, stepping over the shield wall and pushing forward. The elves behind him cheered as they vaulted over the defenders to join the fray. "Lomin demant Fafnir nyd untasen jamost vetrer seun."
"I have no doubt they will arrive soon." Kizmel said, patting the side of his head with her comparatively tiny hand. "We need only buy them time."
Leonn nodded; he could do that.
He roared before surging forth, grabbing giants and crushing goblins in his rampage. Their axes and swords did little to his bark, but soon he felt something – many somethings, actually – begin to climb up his legs. He looked down to see that the smaller goblins were now using the lodged weaponry as handholds to begin scaling his treelike limbs.
"Setsects! Kizmel, sotan rema…?"
Before he could finish that sentence, he felt another creature begin climbing his legs, but as it climbed higher and higher, more and more goblins fell to the wayside. It continued upward once Leonn was freed of his pests.
"Kirito!" Kizmel gasped, peering around Leonn's head to view the swordsman perched on the other shoulder. "You should be resting!"
"I'm fine." He insisted, though he sounded far from it. "I need to be here."
"Rema nyd untasen jamost lina-ina umana treups."
"...Translation?"
"You need to be with your soldiers, Kirito." Kizmel sounded exasperated, not that Leonn could blame her. Kirito was stubborn like that, sometimes. His heart went out to Asuna and her saint-like patience.
"Bercouli has it, and Naut's there to back him up. They'll be fine."
"Phe jama-ti pristi rema demant samanti rema lina-ina umana treups, Kirito."
"..."
"He says he'll put you back with your soldiers, Kirito." Kizmel sighed.
Before he could act on that impulse, Leonn staggered to the side. Kizmel and Kirito yelped in surprise and held on tight for fear of falling off. Once he'd recovered, Leonn looked down to see a giant, slightly larger than the others, standing with a crazed look in its eyes. Leonn furrowed his gnarled brow. Something wasn't right about this giant, and it wasn't just his larger size and expression. In fact, he seemed to be…
"Is he glitching?!" Kirito shouted.
The slight flicker of his form. The glowing red hue of his right eye… Kirito was right. This thing was legitimately glitching, and that was terrifying in and of itself.
"Ķ̴͆͊̓̈́Ḯ̷͉̥͙̝̊͋͘L̸̗̜̀Ĺ̷̲͎!̵͓̲͔͋ ̸̧͘ ̵̟͚̰͋́̓͋K̷̳̣̎̀͜Ì̶̟̪͂̓͠ͅL̶̼̽̆̒͝L̸̙͕͔͕̾̒̃͋!̵̳̀̀̒ ̶͓͎̔̌̎ ̵͇͚̝̰̌K̵͉͙̄͋̊Ị̶̫̗̈L̷̦̈Ľ̸̡̼̖̮ ̵̦͗͘ͅŤ̴̤̗̊H̴̼̭̊̇È̴̬͖̒̈́͠ ̶̡̱̻̘̽̂H̸̺̭̮̄̀́U̸̦̭̥̇͒̕̕M̸̟̏̐̾A̴̮̔͌̚N̴̲̬͠S̶̡̆!̸̢͔̗̎͒"
Another giant stepped too close to the rampaging one and was subsequently grabbed, smashed to the ground, and tossed aside. Everyone – goblin, giant, elf, and human – all scurried away from the maddened giant as it stared down Leonn and his passengers.
"This thing's crazy!" Kirito cried out. "We need to stop it before it gets to the front line!"
Leonn glanced back. The front line itself was maybe a hundred yards away; it wouldn't take much effort for the glitched giant to go on a rampage and tear apart their defenses.
"Ket sobter noka letas untasen jatalmes. Phe-remlit sobter lovietd limina." Leonn agreed as he marched towards the crazed giant.
"Should we get off?" Kizmel asked.
Kirito gulped. "Probably."
The duo dismounted as Leonn increased his pace, his steps rumbling and shaking the earth around him. The mad giant met his gaze and rushed forward to meet him.
"K̵̢̲̟͖̜͑̾̅̃̉͝Î̸̱͕͎́̂L̵͇̟̭̖̥̠̀͑͛̾̊͘L̷̻͕̮̈́͊̇́̚͝ ̸̧̲̾͋͋̀͛T̸̡̪̻̮̫͒̊̈́̅͑͝H̵͖̝̣͉͉̐̄́̒͗̚Ẹ̵̈͆̈͠ ̶̡̰͙̬͕̇͊͠T̷̪͍̭͔͋̄̀R̸̨̻̗̘̆̅E̷͍̾̈́̔͊E̵͍̣̞͈̅̌̚ ̶̨̛̖̬̣̀͌̔̈́̈́M̴̳͚̳̏Ā̸͍̤̘͈͌͜N̶͖̖̈́̂!̶̡̛̞̦̻̀̏̆̕͝"
Leonn roared his defiance and thundered forward, landing a solid right hook in the giant's face. He was rewarded with a hammer to his side, splintering wood and staggering him. Spitting out what looked like amber or sap, Leonn swung again with a two-fisted slam. The giant was quick, though, and dodged to the side before crashing his hammer into the back of Leonn's knee.
Leonn rumbled with frustration, catching the hammer as it swung again and before it could cave in his shoulder. He then retaliated with a punch to the giant's face.
This… this was going to take a while.
"Welp, Leo-bou's a bit tied up at the moment." Argo reported.
"What with?" Asuna asked, baffled. Leonn turned into a treant; what could possibly be the issue?
"Kii-bou says one of the giants – probably their leader, he's guessing – is… wait, it's glitching? It's on a killing spree and doesn't seem to care if what it's smashing is friend or foe. Leo-bou's trying to keep it from going towards the front line."
"Trying?" Fanatio asked.
"Leo-bou's bigger and stronger but he's slower, and the glitched giant leader is faster and more mobile." Argo frowned. "Only thin' keepin' Leo-bou in the game is his crazy durability right now, but at least he's got the problem contained."
Asuna frowned. This wasn't good. Leonn, with his titanic presence on the battlefield, was supposed to push forward and clear room for the reserves to become the new front line. With him busy keeping a rogue variable in check, their forward momentum halted entirely.
*BOOM!*
Well, at least the Fafnir/Deusolbert combo attack worked. Now a wall of fire separated the enemy reinforcements from those engaging their army. The faint sounds of screaming were evidence enough of the goblins that were caught up in the attack.
"Is Alice ready?" Ali asked. She made a sour face. "That still sounds really weird to say, by the way."
"Nearly. Just a minute more, she says." Argo said.
"Tell her to fire when ready." Fanatio ordered.
"You got it, boss-lady."
"Please don't call me that."
"Let all forward units know to stay alert. Don't push forward too far and keep together. We don't want Alice catching our own soldiers in the blast." Asuna ordered. This was going to be messy, and she knew it could backfire if they weren't careful.
"Got it." Argo said, typing out another message to the whole army.
[Argo: Orbital strike confirmed, you may fire when ready, Thirty-chan. Everyone else, keep an eye on the sky and stay out of the way.]
Alice Synthesis Thirty looked down on the battlefield sadly, the raw carnage on full display. She had the unique displeasure of having a perfect view of the death and destruction down below as she sat on Amayori's back.
In the six months leading up to this war, she'd undergone a change. Not a readily noticeable one, but a change nonetheless. No longer was she driven by blind loyalty to the Axiom Church. When Administrator's crimes were revealed, Alice was forced to re-examine what she truly fought for.
Did she fight for the church? Did she fight for Administrator?
Or was her core responsibility with the people?
She would have puzzled long and hard over this question were it not for the interference of her "sister." Alice Zuberg – or Ali – was a woman of identical talents, strength, and skill, yet wholly different priorities. Zuberg was a leader, a woman who people followed not because of her inherent strength and ability, nor was it because of divine mandate, but instead she was followed for her priorities.
Ali was not concerned with keeping and holding power, like Administrator was. Not long ago, she'd sacrificed herself so that thousands could be freed. Unfortunately, that sacrifice proved futile, but it inspired hope and loyalty in the men and women who followed her. In fact, it was that sacrifice in itself that led to the birth of Alice Synthesis Thirty.
It was an incredible legacy to live up to.
She gazed down upon the battlefield again, wondering if all of this death and destruction could have been avoided. The front line had more or less dissolved into a chaotic melee; Eldrie's unit, as well as Bercouli's and Ran's, had since fallen back while Scheta, Renly, and Kizmel's groups had moved in to become the new front line. What forward momentum they had with the push from the elven brigade was lost the moment Leonn was forced to stop. She could see the two massive combatants below, and immediately drew parallels between the two sides of the overarching conflict in this duel.
One side, monolithic and unmoving, sought peace and balance. It was the slower of the two, but far more resilient in its defense. It sought to protect others, and in doing so kept the enemy's ire focused upon itself.
The other, a titan of madness and bloodlust. Erratic, wild, and driven by primal urges. It cared not what or who it trampled in its quest for power. It crashed and crashed upon its enemy, intent to break through and pillage all that laid before it.
Then her eyes settled upon the bodies of the fallen. Thousands belonged to the enemy, while their own numbers rested in the hundreds. Their bodies, shortly after expiring, began to glow and dissipate into spatial resources. Through the entire battle, Alice had devoted her concentration – most of it, anyway – to the collection of these resources. If she could lock them away, they could deprive the Dark Territory of their use against them.
Her gaze drifted to the orb of concentrated power before her.
"Why is it that the souls of the fallen below, whether human or demi human, generate Sacred Power that is so warm and pure?" She asked to no one in particular. She gave a fond look to Amayori, who so dutifully kept her afloat above the danger below. Perhaps she would listen to her thoughts. "The people of the human empire and the monsters of the Dark Territory have, essentially, the same souls. The only difference is if they were born on one side of the End Mountains… or the other."
Alice frowned. "If so, then why are they – why are we – fighting…?"
She thought back to the actions of her sister and the other Aincraders. They fought against the Axiom Church and, in doing so, freed the people of the human empire of a cruel tyrant. Now it was her duty to keep it safe and see this through.
Amayori trilled, as if in agreement. Alice smiled and patted her dragon's back. "Thank you, Amayori. I know not if you can understand everything I say, but your presence is a constant comfort."
A message sounded out, a relatively new sound Alice was still growing accustomed to. When the Aincraders introduced her to this instant messaging system by way of the Stacia Window, at first she was baffled. It was as if a crucial piece of the Stacia Window was suddenly made evident, as if it should have always existed. Yet, it hadn't… not until the Aincraders showed up. How perplexing.
[Argo: Our forces have been notified and are out of the blast zone. Fire when ready, Thirty-chan.]
She nodded, also noting that many of the ranged units and spellcasters of the Dark Territory had also lined up in the ravine. The timing could not have been better, really. They looked ready to attack.
Unfortunately for them, they would never get the chance to.
"The burden of taking countless lives… shall be mine to bear." Alice intoned. She released her grip on the mirror-like orb in front of her, where luminous elements ricocheted and reflected infinitely. It was time to unleash that power. She raised her sword, ((Fragrant Olive Sword)), to the sky and her expression grew steely. "Bloom, flowers!"
In an instant, the golden blade of her sword was replaced by thousands and thousands of tiny motes of energy, each shaped like a tiny flower. Perfect Weapon Control was, for her, more about the control itself than the power contained within. Yes, each flower was as potent as a throwing star, but it took immense concentration to command her flowers precisely. Fortunately, she'd spent years honing the art. Pointing the hilt of her sword forward, the flowers span and twisted, funneling into the reflective orb before her.
The flowers multiplied, blossoming forth into a massive array of four petals, its size dwarfing anything seen on the battlefield thus far, even Leonn in his treant form. At its center was the orb, still bustling with untapped energy. Carefully, she angled the corona of the megaflower down and aimed it at the enemy.
She took a deep breath, centering herself.
"Burst Element."
DEATH.
FLEE.
Leafa's eyes grew wide and she instinctively flew away, colliding with other panicked fairies as Alice Synthesis Thirty's Sacred Art erupted forth. She crashed more than once into someone – she cared not who – before coming to a stop near the cliff face that bordered the southern edge of the ravine.
On a rational level, she knew that Alice's death ray could not hurt her, but even from here, she could feel the raw power that the blonde's attack exuded. She wasn't alone in her hasty retreat. In the face of such an attack, the fight-or-flight response triggered.
Unsurprisingly enough, everyone chose the latter.
The screams and cries of hundreds, if not thousands, of Dark Territory forces sounded out all at once before being brutally silenced an instant later. She dared a glance back at the death ray that descended from on high.
Now, Leafa did not consider herself religious. She respected those who subscribed to a religion and admired their dedication to it in the face of the modern age of science and technology. Yet, as she looked upon the field before her, she only had one thought.
If God exists, then this is what it would look like if he dragged a finger across the earth.
A massive linear trench was carved into the land, its deepest parts glowing with bubbling molten rock. Fires whipped and licked at the empty air on either side of the line of impact. Charred corpses – and that's exactly what they were; there were no survivors here – littered the sides of the ravine. Leafa surmised that those who found themselves unlucky enough to be caught directly by the ray had been atomized, or whatever the digital equivalent was for being erased from existence.
"HOLY FUCK!" Recon cried out. He wasn't far from her position, but he was backed up against the cliff face and stared out at the molten destruction before him. "What the hell was that?!"
"That…" Leviad gulped, flying over towards them. "That was a magical nuke."
"Such power…" Sakuya said, her eyes wide with fear and awe. "I'm glad ALO has nothing like that."
"We'd be in a state of Cold War if that were possible. Mutually assured destruction." Eugene commented, looking rather pale in the face and short of breath. "That… that makes our skirmishes look like child's play."
"This whole war of theirs makes our squabbles look small by comparison." Alicia Rue gulped.
They were right, but there was one crucial difference. The fights and battles in ALO were recreational. There were no real stakes involved, just reputation and politics. Anyone who died in battle respawned at their respective capital. In short… there were no lasting consequences.
The same could not be said for what was below. Each and every person down there, human or monster, was fighting for their lives. Death was permanent, and so in order to prevent more death, more permanent solutions were sought out.
It was as sobering as it was terrifying.
"Look." Suli pointed out. "The fighting's stopped."
Leafa looked down to see that what Dark Territory forces remained were the lucky ones, having been out of the blast zone of Alice Synthesis Thirty's death ray. Many among those survivors were already on their knees in surrender. Even if they wanted to fight back, they were now effectively cut off from reinforcements. They were caught between a hard place and nothing. No help and no hope. It was no wonder they yielded.
The few that were determined to fight to the death, like the mad giant leader, were granted just that.
However, Leafa looked over to the Dark Territory, spotting what remained of their forces in the distance, safe from Alice's death ray. There were still a lot of enemies left.
Was it really over?
Kirito was tired.
So very tired. He trudged along alongside Sachi and Bercouli as they returned to camp. After Alice's Sacred Art – and holy shit, was that a sight to see and fear – the enemy retreated to lick their wounds.
That wasn't to say that their own side wasn't without damage as well. Almost immediately afterward, the command trio ordered the bulk of their forces to retreat and immediately begin using Sacred Arts to heal the wounded. Alice's attack, while devastating for the enemy, did open up more sacred resources that could be used by the enemy for a counterattack. They needed to use that up as quickly as possible.
As they walked back to camp, they passed right by those assigned to keep watch for the night. Among those assigned to keep watch were Leonn – who was still in his treant form to dissuade attackers – as well as Liz, Sinon, Keita, Kizmel, and Liena. A small smattering of foot soldiers were also with them as well, keeping watch while the higher-ups reconvened.
"Hell of a day." Bercouli sighed, his armor absolutely drenched in blood.
"No kidding." Sachi agreed. She was not much better.
"And it's not even over." Kirito groaned as he tried to wipe the blood from his hands. It didn't work; if anything, he smeared it more.
"That's war, though." Bercouli said. "We knew it was coming."
"Didn't make it any easier, though." Kirito retorted.
"Your first time taking a life, kid?"
"...No."
"Ah." Bercouli winced. "Guess you know what you're talking about, then. No sense in trying to comfort you; you already know about the nightmares that'll follow."
"All too well." Kirito agreed. Fortunately, he had a wife and daughter whose presence helped ward those nightmares away. On those rare occasions where that wasn't possible, they'd always return with a vengeance. Having to watch the faces of those he'd killed during that raid would now be joined by those he'd slain today…
His eyes widened. Was Laughing Coffin here in the Underworld, too? If he ever saw them again…
"...Kirito?" Sachi's voice knocked him back to reality. "You okay? You zoned out there for a moment."
"...Yeah. Just thinking."
"Well, come on. You need to get back to the command tent, and I need to take a bath." Sachi gave a soft smile.
"Heh. Right." Kirito chuckled as they went their separate ways. He, to the command tent, and she, to the bath house. He hoped that the meeting wouldn't take long. He just wanted to sleep.
It seemed he was not alone in that sentiment. Bercouli had already arrived, but everyone inside – save the command trio – were covered in blood and looked weary and about ready to collapse. Kirito dragged himself over to Asuna, who was quick to give him a hug, blood-soaked armor be damned.
"Are you okay, Kirito?" Asuna asked, worry etched on her face.
He offered her a pained smile. "I will be."
"We will make this quick, as I am sure many of us are eager to find sleep after the day's activities." Fanatio began, casting a solemn look of sympathy towards Bercouli. "We suspect that the enemy will spend the remainder of the night recuperating their losses and healing what wounded survived Alice's attack."
Kirito looked around. Alice was noticeably absent.
"She is resting." Fanatio said, looking at Kirito. "Use of that Sacred Art drained her greatly. It was all she could do to advise our healers to begin using the latent sacred resources generated by the… results of her attack."
"What's the plan come tomorrow?" Lind asked, his characteristic blue armor stained red. "While morale is relatively high, all things considered, the men and women are exhausted."
"It is unlikely that the enemy will try a frontal assault through the pass again, especially now that they know what we are capable of." Fanatio thought aloud. "That would be inviting another attack from Alice."
"She can't do that again without more resources though, right?" Kirito asked.
"That may be true, but they'll sense the lack of resources in the ravine now – when they would expect an abundance otherwise from the casualties – and will assume we may be ready to strike again in such a manner." Fanatio explained. "They will be hesitant, and if they do attack they will likely send their aerial units across the mountains and avoid clustering together."
"They have more riders than we do, though." Asuna pointed out. "They hold aerial superiority."
"Which is why we need to press the advantage." Fanatio continued. "If we send our forces through the ravine and invade, they may be caught unaware."
"We'd be sacrificing our chokepoint on the other side." Kibaou said. "Even after that laser beam attack, they still outnumber us. That'd be suicide."
"It's a risk we'll have to take." Fanatio sighed. "We need the element of surprise if we're to finish this war as soon as possible with as few casualties as possible. If we can strike directly at the leadership, we can force a surrender."
"Okay, but we need to time this right." Kirito interjected. "The way I see it, we have two options. Either we attack at night or we attack at sunset."
"Those are basically the same." Kibaou scolded.
Kirito shook his head. "Not exactly. At night could mean during the middle of the night, but sunset is a particular time of the day."
"Okay, but why sunset?"
"Because that's when the sun will be at our backs and in their eyes."
"I see." Fanatio hummed. "Either we blind them or catch them while they sleep. Clever."
"That will let our men rest, too, and keep the enemy on guard during the day." Asuna said. "It'll give them more time to rest and plan, but I think it works in our favor for the most part."
"I have a suggestion." Lind said. "While we rest, we post our ranged units along the cliffs bordering the ravine. That will give us a forward scouting force, and their position will let them harass the enemy if they decide to push through again."
Fanatio nodded. "We'll make sure to issue evacuation plans in case they need to, but excellent idea. Any more thoughts to share?"
A beat of silence passed, and the tension in the room bled out.
"Excellent. Get some rest and do whatever you need to do to prepare. Tomorrow evening, we make our move."
"Lemme see if I understand this right." PoH drawled, thoroughly unamused with his lackey. "Your strategy failed because the enemy used up the spatial power before you could. Am I right?"
D.I.L. shivered. Good; he always did like a little fear to wallow in. "Y-yes, your majesty. I swear, we had no idea they had someone who could cast such an art. Perhaps the Pontifex, but she is dead!"
D.I.L. – as odd a name as it was – was a competent lackey of his. Not only was she a charismatic and ruthless leader, she also had an ambition he could admire. The fact that she was exotic and beautiful was just the cherry on top; it was so nice not to have to work around the Japs any more, really. The people here in the Dark Territory understood the value of strength, and PoH was more than happy to assert his dominance.
"We'd need more spatial power to replenish our forces, wouldn't we?" PoH asked. He'd spent enough time here in this land to have a basic grasp of how magic worked. He was no fool. She was a fool for not acting sooner and allowing the enemy to capitalize on a resource before they could, but that was in the past. "Do you have any suggestions?"
"W-well…" D.I.L. gulped. "Each life has power, and… we were planning on using the resources from the casualties on both sides to fuel our assault. It seems the enemy beat us to it."
As she prostrated herself in apology, he gave her a careful look. She was willing to sacrifice their forces in that first assault in order to fuel her own spell? She was willing to forsake their allies, all for personal benefit?
A woman after his own heart!
"Blood and life, huh?" PoH trailed, walking past her and looking out at his remaining forces. Specifically, his gaze settled on the orcs. Vile creatures, they were, with a sense of honor, piglike faces, and ugly bodies. Honor got you killed, and he really didn't want to have to suffer looking at them any longer than necessary. "Would, say, 3,000 be sufficient for your attack?"
D.I.L. gasped with surprise. That astonishment turned to delight as she began to purr. He'd admit that sound did things for him.
Perhaps they could meet later for… further strategizing.
"Yes, your majesty. That would be enough."