The goblins and giants are the first to attack. Seeing them approach, Fanatio draws her rapier and points it forward. "First unit, draw your swords! Prepare for battle! Monk unit, prepare your healing arts and incantations!" On the sides of Fanatio are Eldrie and Deusoldert, the whipper, the archer, and their soldiers prepared for the fight to defend humanity.
Around the western side of the fallen gate, the leaders of the units watch the incoming battle nervously, but most of them keep their wits about them. Alice watches from above upon Amayori, waiting for her role in the fight to play out.
"It's begun… I shall...do what I must."
Deusolbert
"Wake up dear. It's morning." The one memory he possesses from his past is a faceless woman waking him up in the morning. Not too long ago, during the Clamp Crisis, the Pontifex used that memory against him. Then, he made the decision to protect the world that woman in his memory once lived with him in, and it is all the resolve he needs to reach for four arrows in his quiver.
"Enhance Armament!" Deusolbert's Conflagrant Bow ignites, spewing fire all around him. "I am Integrity Knight Deusolbert Synthesis Seven! Those who stand before me, you shall burn so not even your bones remain!" He draws back on the bowstring and fires all four arrows at once. The resulting attack incinerates all Flatland Goblins in the arrows' path, dwindling their numbers. Deusolbert grabs another handful of arrows and fires them in an arc, resulting in a devastating explosion.
Fanatio
"First, we're going to restore the decimated Order of the Integrity Knights. Next, we'll rebuild the Imperial Knights of the four empires. They'll need to be retrained since there are not nearly enough Integrity Knights. I'm sure some of you are unhappy about this, but right now, saving the people is our top priority. I ask that you lend me your strength." Bercouli asked all the available knights that were awake at the Cathedral right before the Cathedral Cedar appeared, and to this day, Fanatio has not changed her mind. She'll follow her lord wherever he goes.
She scans the multitude of approaching giants for their leader, hoping to cause some discord before they reach the Human Guardian Army. She doesn't take much time to spot the giant of giants and sets her eyes and the Heaven-Piercing Sword on her target. "Enhance Armament! Pierce… O Light!" A beam of pure light emits from the sword towards her target, but the giant chief moved his head just enough to get seared on the ear, while another giant tried to sacrifice himself to protect the chief.
Medina
"Oh, it's started, huh?"
"It looks like Boss Deusolbert is doing his best."
"The vice commander seems to be doing well, too."
"But the left flank doesn't look so go, does it?"
Medina looks away from the pair of junior Integrity Knights to the left flank that Eldrie commands. She hasn't seen the rookie knight fight, but as of now, there's not much she thinks he can do. Deusolbert and Fanatio have ranged attacks, Eldrie doesn't to her knowledge. But she's not as concerned about the left flank of the first unit compared to the left flank of the second. While she and Sheyta are composed, Renly is nervously shaking. Renly performed admirably during the Clamp Crisis, but the difference between humanoids and beasts is large. If he falters at the idea of taking away souls during this fight, not only is the empire in trouble, but the Supply Corps is threatened as they're behind the left flank.
And at the Supply Corps is Ronie, Tiese, and Kirito.
Medina drops her gaze to the retreating juniors, believing they're sneaking away from her side. She is used to their shenanigans, but whatever they're cooking rarely leads to any good. Sighing, she decides to let them be. They have proven they can take care of themselves, so why bother? She much rather focus on what's in front of her, now that the Mountain Goblins have crossed the border between territories.
Eldrie
"Don't let a single one get past us! Engage the enemy!" Eldrie holds his whip out, preparing for close-quarters combat. His eyes linger on the lead goblin, definitely the leader, and frowns as he sees something in the enemy's hands. "What's that?"
"Now! Throw them!" The front line of the greener goblins throws spherical, black objects. They explode before Eldrie realizes what's happening, and his unit is covered by a cloud of smoke.
He can only order the one thing that makes sense at the moment. "Wait! if we swing our swords now, we'll end up hitting each other! We have to let Sir Renly in the second unit behind us know what's happening!"
Medina
Smoke surrounds the first left flank...what is happening? Interested, she listens to the messenger who arrives at Renly's unit. "It seems there's been a disaster on the front lines! The Integrity Knight… Where is Sir Renly?"
"The thing is...he's nowhere to be found!"
Renly… Damn it. Knowing this would possibly happen, Medina asks her wayfarers to stay put and rushes over to the left flank. "Forget Sir Renly, what is going on?"
"Goblins are passing through Sir Eldrie's forces, Lady Orthinanos." So that smoke was a veil for the goblins to use to get around the front flank. Eldrie must fear attacking and getting friendlies caught in the battle… Damn it Renly.
"Left flank, I'll substitute for Sir Renly until he returns! For now, we're the only thing standing between those goblins and the Supply Corps!" Medina draws the Mirage Blade and holds it in anticipation for the goblins' advance. "Prepare yourselves!"
Deusolbert
Another explosion rocks the left flank of the Dark Territory's forces. The goblins haven's retreated yet, and Deusolbert expects himself to be their primary target. Right now, they're trying to flank him, thinking like any sound strategist would. Not even the best archer, with multiple arrows on the bow, can hit both sides at once.
"Protect Sir Knight! Don't let their blades touch him," a young man with brown hair and hairy sideburns calls out to the soldiers. He heard this man in green clothing is a recent Disciple graduate of the academy, much like the girl in purple who was a part of Jaymes' team months ago. His name is Golgorosso Balto if he remembers correctly.
"Sorry. I'm counting on you!"
"Leave this to us!" Balto and the knights take the fight to the goblins, and Deusolbert continues shooting to the best of his ability.
Fanatio
The giants' chief looks at the trail of dead behind and in front of him before he locks eyes with the female knight responsible. He looks afraid, and that puts a little satisfaction in Fanatio's mind. If she attempted the attack again, she might hit him...or make him run back to the Dark Territory.
Instead, she sees a glowing red right eye and the giant beginning to fizzle in and out of existence. She frowns, having never seen the phenomenon before, but it is vaguely familiar in the description Alice and Eydis reported after encountering reborn giants in Sothercrois months ago. They described it as the collapse of a Fluctlight when one's perception of the world clashes with reality. If she's hearing the giant correctly, he experienced fear from a human, something that he didn't believe possible.
And as the knights reported, that fall of reasoning somehow leads to an enhancement of abilities. The chief leaps in the air and lands hard enough to send some giants flying, then brutally rips a giant apart before launching himself towards Fanatio and her group of Integrity Knights. Yet, for some reason, Fanatio can't move herself. She's unwillingly exposed to the attacking giant.
"Lady Fanatio!" One of the other Integrity Knights step forward, blocking the giant's weapon with their sword.
"Dakira?" Dakira's sword breaks against the giant's hammer. She tries to hold back the hammer with her arms, breaking them in the process. Her helmet shatters, her ankles burst, but Dakira still stands to defend her lady. Blue energy pops out of her body and collects against the mallet, sending the giant flying back to his forces. "Dakira!" Fanatio finds herself able to move, so she runs over and catches Dakira before she falls on the ground. Seeing her broken and bloodied friend causes the normally composed Fanatio to weep. "Dakira! Don't die! I'll see to your wounds right now!"
Dakira shakily raises her right arm to wipe Fanatio's tears. "Lady...Fanatio. I shall...adore you...forev...er."
With Dakira dead in her arms and the other Integrity Knights advancing to protect her, Fanatio angrily raises her head towards the giant's chief. "I won't forgive you!" She stands up, drawing the giant's attention, and holds the Heaven-Piercing Sword skyward, the blade emitting a larger laser of light. She frowns as the chief charges at her again, but this time, she won't kneel and submit to death. "Return to the bowels of the earth!" She swings her blade down, and the laser follows, cutting the airborne giant in half.
As the laser vanishes, Fanatio gives her orders. "First unit, center, advance! Push the enemy back!"
Deusolbert
Deusolbert only caught a glimpse of what Fanatio did, but it was magnificent. He cannot fall behind now. The humans and the goblins continue their fight, and the archer has to be careful his Perfect Weapon Control doesn't engulf any living humans.
The fight against the beasts was one thing, and the fight against the reborn Dark Knights might have given him a glimpse, but this fight right here against the Dark Territory is war. He knows not how long the battle has been, but he knows that the goblins are relentlessly advancing despite being bombarded.
Even worse, he just ran out of arrows.
"All right then. So you're finally run out of arrows, huh?" A group of goblins approach Deusolbert, one of them more clothed than the other, and wields two blades in his hands.
"Are you one of the dark empire's Council of Ten? A goblin chief?"
"That's right. I'm the chief of the Flatland Goblins, Lord Shibori!"
Deusolbert reaches for his back and draws his sword, just for dueling occasions. "I am Integrity Knight Deusolbert Synthesis Seven."
"Whoa! Like I care about some Ium's name! You're just meat to me! The annoying piece of meat attached to the head I'm about to take! All right, everyone, get him!"
"How absurd!" Deusolbert's sword skills may not be as refined as some of the Integrity Knights present, but it doesn't stop him from slicing a goblin in half in one vertical swing. He takes out four of the other goblins coming at him, almost getting impaled by one. The remaining two, small in size, grab Deusolbert's legs and cause him to fall. Shibori advances, just for him to take his attention off Deusolbert and strike his would-be savior, Balto. Shidori approaches the knocked-out man and doesn't hesitate to go for the kill.
This erupts Deusolbert in a rage of fire. He grabs his bow and stands up, his body again cascaded by flames that reduce his captors to ashes. Using his sword as a projectile, he aims at Shidori. "O Flames! Burn to ash!"
Ash is the final fate of Shibori and many of his goblins.
Eydis
"Reporting," a soldier says as he runs up to Commander Bercouli, Eydis not too far away to hear the conversation. "Lady Fanatio faced the giant chief and Sir Deusolbert faced the flatland goblin chief. And they defeated them both."
Bercouli nods. "I see.
"That said, we are still overwhelmingly outnumbered by the enemy forces. It's only a matter of time before the battle lines for each unit collapse."
"What about the enemy's aerial forces?"
"So far, there's no sign of their flying dragons or minions."
Bercouli then ordered Eydis to return and take her position with the reserve forces. She hates not being in the front to help fight… But, in the end, it eventually won't matter… No, Eydis refuses to believe it. Something has to give, to turn things in their favor, even if it is just for the night. If only he was here… "Lady Integrity Knight!" A soldier runs up to Eydis, gaining her attention.
"Don't be so formal," she says to the tired runner. "So what's up?"
"Our vanguard has approached the enemy lines and has initiated combat!"
"Yeah, I heard that earlier. So it's finally begun. Our central troops, Fanatio's troops… I hope they all fight bravely. No, I hope they don't die."
"Is our platoon also going to join the battle?"
"Not yet. We're far behind the main platoon. We are the Reserve Platoon. We must hold back and conserve our strength."
The soldier sighs apologetically. "S-Sorry, my Lady Knight!"
She nods to appease the soldier. "For now, keep a vigilant guard, and all remaining troops should rest up. I doubt you'll be able to sleep even if I order you to, but try to stay rested."
"Aye, my Lady! I will relay your order!" The soldier salutes and dashes off to the soldiers behind Eydis. She turns her attention back to the distant front lines. if it becomes all hands on deck, they really will be in crunch time with this war. Fanatio's plan for Alice is a double-edged sword in itself.
"Excuse me, Lady Eydis!" Another soldier approaches Eydis, but this one looks vastly more alarmed.
"Hey, hiii. What's up?"
"News from the front! A small enemy platoon has broken off towards the south. The front and second lines are now immobile. If possible, they wish for backup!"
Eydis cups her chin. "A split attack, eh? I guess they're trying to invade from the caves in the south? The enemy has a garrison as well. We should crush them if at all possible."
"Would you like to marshal the troops? If I had time, I could gather the elite…"
Eydis shakes her head. "Nope. I'm gonna have a look first. Then if it looks feasible, I'll crush them."
The female soldier's eyes widened. "B-By yourself? But that's too reckless…"
Eydis chuckles. She bet, if Jaymes was around and suggested such a move, she would be in this soldier's position. He really did donate some of his recklessness to her. "Hey, I'm an Integrity Knight, remember? Don't worry. I won't fight recklessly. Stay on standby until I return. Don't move unless the Commander gives the order. If I'm not back by sunrise, contact the Commander and receive his orders."
"A...Aye!"
Eydis leaps upon her dragon, Kirimai, and waves to the soldier. "Well, see ya later." As she settles upon Kirimai, suddenly a slow whisper of wind breezes past her ear. If she was crazy, she'd say the wind was like an invisible hand as it caresses her hair, her right cheek, and lingers on her shoulder before vanishing altogether.
And as if it recognizes the touch, her heart pumps faster as she takes flight.
Alice
Alice watches from the sky as the battle on the front lines and partially through the center rages on. She watches as Fanatio's unit engages the giants, Deusolbert's the flatland goblins, Eldrie and Renly's the mountain goblins, and she did notice Medina has taken charge of the back left flank. Through it all, Sacred Power accumulates from the slain into the air.
Amayori growls softly, worried for his master. "it's all right," Alice replies, and concentrates as she collects the Sacred Power into a huge ball of light. Slowly, it turns into a clear orb above Alice and continues to collect more power...
Fizel, Supply Corps
"Why are the goblins this far back," Fizel asks as she and Linel fight through the goblins. Somehow, the second left unit failed to stop the advance of the mountain goblins, so the forces defending the supply corps now fight the goblins. Even worse is the dense smoke surrounding them that hampers the Human Empire's soldiers' ability to fight. If the goblins get past here... They must not let them reach the supply corps.
"Zel, there are more than we thought! There might be too many for us to push back on our own!"
"Why isn't Renlicchi defending the area ahead like he's supposed to?" As Fizel leaps up. Linel slides under a goblin and slashes it. Fizel drops from the sky and eliminates a globin trying to sneak up behind her partner. With a momentary peace around them, Fizel looks towards the barely visible supply camp some distance away. "I knew it. That coward." However, with the way things are… They'll need a miracle to get out of this--
A booming impact breaks the ground and fills the air between the girls, the soldiers, and the goblins. Confused but alert, the pair turn their blades to whatever just landed to hear the yell of "Arcfire" and to see fire rain down around the human forces. As the fire settles, the goblins try to run away from the person hidden in the debris, but a golden light breaks the veil. That golden light streaks through the goblins, destroying them all.
Linel, Fizel, and the soldiers gasp in awe as the light fades into a sword and is caught by a hand, revealing the newcomer. A dark-skinned man with black and red hair, an armored red and black tunic, and a red cape flowing down from his back. He looks at the girls with chocolate brown eyes and twirls the shining sword with seven-colored jewels inserted in its hilt. Linel squeals with happiness. "You're here! You goblins are screwed now!"
Fizel clicks her tongue in annoyance. "You're late and here to steal our thunder."
He smirks and holds his sword up at the goblins who wonder who just showed up and defeated their comrades with his amazing power. It glows again as the girls run out and join him in charging the goblins. "Enhance Armament! Empowered Falchion!" He leaps up and darts down as a streak of red and gold in the middle of the goblins, causing a small but powerful explosion.
The second strongest in the realm, the Lord of Knights, and the Hero-King of the Underworld, Jaymes, has arrived.
Lets tslk Jaymes. If you haven't read Steel and Lycoris, Jaymes possesses a weapon that can perform Perfect Weapon Control. Being that I based him this time off of Marth from Fire Emblem (as you can tell by the sword's name and one of his titles), his PWC, Sacred Arts, and Secret Sword Arts are based on some abilities of the series.His Enhance Armament, Empowered Falchion, is more or less Marth's Critical Hit from SSB. Underworld lore included, it's the sword being infused with the seven elements of the Underworld that make up the seven stones.The Release Recollection is Exalted Falchion. From the FE series, it takes the shape of Chrom's version of Falchion. Since Falchion has the powers that make up the Underworld, and Jaymes himself is one of the creators, the RR allows him to manipulate the data of anything the sword touches. So far, it has erased a good number of things, but it could change data as well. I was going to use it that way later on, but it didn't work out.It has another ability, in which it absorbs resources from the atmosphere over time or can release it. The latter, which I don't recall using much in the last story since it wasn't necessary in the resource-rich Human Empire, appears at times too, and keep in mind about Alfheim, reintroduced last chapter as his Incarnation to wield the arts without resources as long as he has the stamina to do so.I think that's everything for now. The war continues next chapter.