Chapter 45: Aligned Fate

The mountains of Jieting reeked of corpses.

The armies of Shu and Wei had annihilated one another in a fit of mutually assured obliteration. While the bungling Ma Su managed to escape with a small portion of the survivors, the battle continued to rage on between the commanders of the two factions' remnants. Ma Su's fearful, weasel-like face looked relieved as the silver-eyed women finally arrived to fight in his stead – as if it was meant to be. His punishment for his tactical blunder would come later at the hands of Zhuge Liang. But for now, there remained a battle to finish.

Yet… this was no longer truly a battle, for the troops had already fled in ten directions, and the formations scattered long ago. Gone were the banners that the flagbearers once held so proudly in the air. They were all dead, lying silently alongside their compatriots in a cold communion of extinction. Many Imperial Lancers had been cut down by the combined strength of Miria's Phantom Mirage, Jean's Drill Sword, and Flora's Windcutter. They struggled against Miria's Phantoms in particular, for the latter disrupted the momentum of their charge, running circles around the stallion steeds and compelling them to throw off their riders in fear. The Central Plains Guardians, through their hallucinogens and herbal drugs, managed to continue fighting despite losing over a third of their comrades. The Shu reinforcements, meanwhile, had all but collapsed. Flora felt rather guilty for abandoning them in Galatea's immediate presence, but the latter was simply too powerful to engage without undivided attention.

One mistake would mean instant death by her blade.

She is strong. Far beyond my capabilities, thought Flora, pushing harder against Galatea's blade. Sparks danced off screeching, indestructible metal. No matter how she struggled, she could not overcome the power of the woman who stood facing her. Even as she felt the strength of her legs give way, her abdomen recoiled in shock as Galatea dragged her blade across her stomach. She stumbled back and fell onto one knee, momentarily helpless to a finishing blow. Why are her attacks so much more effective than mine? Why can she cripple me with merely one manoeuvre? What… is the secret to her power?

I must delay her long enough for Lady Huang's strategy to come together.

Galatea did not relax her vigilance one iota. "Unbelievable," she whispered, as Miria sliced apart two Guardians at the waist before lunging at her. "You have come this far since we last met in battle, Miria?" They exchanged a flurry of blows before Galatea finally kicked Miria away with the flat of her metal greave. Jean's Drill Sword smashed into a line of Imperial Lancers, puncturing through two of the horsemen and slaying them instantly. The linear attack narrowly brushed by Galatea's cape. "You're a bother, Number Nine," she admonished, dashing towards Jean and banging down onto her raised sword, again and again, relentlessly forcing the latter on the defensive as the desperate Wu Claymore resisted the primal urge to simply buckle and give way to Galatea's brutal, almost loutish assault. But Galatea indeed had other plans, for she swept her foot upwards, smashing her steeled toes into Jean's chin, and sending her crushed face reeling back into the mountain of Shu corpses.

Flora leaped up behind her, gripping her sword handle tightly. "Prepare yourself," she warned, and a matrix of metal appeared before her, hurtling below towards Galatea's head. The Tigress Guard rolled away as the Windcutter tore apart the ground and sundered the earth, hurling up blocks of rock and stone like small meteorites. Lending herself momentum by pushing at the ground with one hand, she leaped back up and calmly parried the remainder of Flora's lightning-swift strokes before compelling the younger warrior to miss with her last attack, gently directing her to crash painfully into the stony mountainside. In one swift stroke, Galatea was upon her. Flora's eyes widened, and she let out a high-pitched scream as Galatea cleanly severed her right hand, depriving her of her weapon. "I will end this," declared Galatea, aiming to cripple Flora for the remainder of the battle with a smooth blow to the kneecaps. She swung –

"Hey-ho ~!"

Her eyes narrowed as she suddenly detected the Yoki of four Claymores behind her. "Think fast!" She whipped around and raised her steel as Helen, Deneve, Yuma and Tabitha's greatswords bashed against her blade and flung her away from Flora. "Yo!" mock-saluted Helen, baring her teeth in primal enthusiasm. "Moony's reinforcements, reporting in!"

Galatea gave a cluck of impatience and frustration as she glared at them. "Well, well. If it isn't the 'rookies.' So you're the next ones to go six feet under."

"Number Three," whispered Yuma in awe. Her eyes steadied as she and Tabitha edged closer in front of Miria. "We won't go easy simply because we outnumber you."

Galatea shrugged. "Whatever." She sliced apart another Mirage from Miria and weaved past the horizontal slash of Flora, who had taken up her sword in her left hand. She danced away, commanding Flora's body to collide painfully with Helen's. They crashed against a mountain of corpses as Miria roared and slashed her sword across Galatea's chest. Galatea felt blood trickling hotly from just below her collarbone, but calmly pivoted and slammed her pommel against Miria's stomach.

"Your illusions won't work against me."

Miria gasped as three Phantoms vanished behind her. The sudden shock from Galatea's blow had dispersed her concentration, and Galatea smashed the flat of her blade against her face, and Miria felt warm blood spurting from her crushed nose and lips as she fell back helplessly. But she was saved from a finishing blow when Helen, Deneve, Tabitha and Yuma surrounded Galatea and attacked simultaneously. Galatea somersaulted up and parried Yuma's slash, but Helen's elongating arm was too strong to shift away with mere Yoki, and she was forced to block it with her full bodyweight. She felt Yuma and Tabitha slashing at her from her sides, and she gracefully leaped up and forced their swords to stab into each other's arms as she landed behind them. Even as the two women screamed in surprise and pain, she raised her sword quickly cut across their legs, severing their sinews and bringing them crumpling to the ground. "That's you two taken care of."

But Yuma and Tabitha were inconsequential. She sent a knee into Helen's ribs, hurling her winded form onto the ground. She forced Deneve back with a nudge of Yoki. But just as she prepared capitalize on her momentum, a shadow descended on her from above and she shifted away, allowing the newcomer to drop onto a Wei archer's cold body. For just one heartbeat, Galatea's eyes widened in nostalgia.

"Kid!" she cried, as she found her sword meeting that of Clare's.

"Galatea," acknowledged the junior powerhouse, as Irene's arm struggled against the Tigress Guard's. "I knew your strength would be vast. I can only imagine how much the Kingdom of Wei has benefited from your service."

"Flattery doesn't change the fact that I'm going to trounce you here and seize Jieting for Wei." Galatea pressed the attack, forcing Clare several feet as her superior swordsmanship overcame even Irene's arm. But Clare… this woman was a volatile little troublemaker. Galatea had realized that ever since her foray into Riful's cave. Three years had passed since then, but she still remembered the… trepidation in her heart when she witnessed Clare's enormous potential.

She would cage it before it could threaten her. Today. "Don't even try," she said, shifting her head and narrowly avoiding Clare's Quicksword as it nicked away two strands from her long blonde tresses. She kicked her away indignantly. How dare you tear at my hair? Only Mengde can… well. Never mind. "That's the closest you'll ever come to injuring me, anyway."

"Perhaps," said Clare, clutching her abdomen. Her eyes turned yellow. "But with so many of us, not even you can be certain you're going to trounce us all." On her verbal cue, two new auras flared and dashed from behind her. Galatea gasped as two severe cuts were inflicted across her legs. She staggered back, audibly swearing. A flash of light, and Cynthia and Zhou Tai crouched before her, flicking her blood off their swords. They had at last managed to catch her off-guard. And in that one brief moment, the possibility of victory opened up before them.

Flora could not help her relieved astonishment. "Cynthia! Master Zhou! You've been… concealing your auras all this time?"

"We did so on orders of the Grand General," replied the Wu admiral quietly.

"Senior," cried Cynthia, addressing Galatea. "I'm sorry. But not even you can defeat us all. Our supreme commander, Huang Yue Ying, foresaw this, and outmanoeuvred Sima Yi's reinforcements with her own. Now, it's up to us to stop you here, so that Jieting fort can be taken by our vanguard!"

Galatea cursed her luck again. "Just how many cards was your leader hiding?" she growled. "I did not even expect you to arrive so promptly. It truly is as if you had planned for this to happen all along."

"Not even Sima Yi can match the tactical foresight of the Shu Grand General," said Flora plainly.

Galatea ignored her and looked around. Aside from the incapacitated Yuma and Tabitha, eight warriors had surrounded her – seven of her kind and one distinctive, silver-eyed man. "I believe this is slightly unfair," she said wryly. She raised her head. "Well, I can't expect Sima Yi to aid someone as incompetent as myself, can I? Not after…" she looked around, her eyes clouding over slightly at the thousands of human corpses piled upon one another. The Wei bodies were indistinguishable from those who fought for Shu. But even if they were, there was little point in picking them apart. They had all lost that most precious blessing called life. That was the one and only tragedy.

"Considering our initial advantage, it seems I really have failed my men."

But the die had been cast. Cynthia had launched herself at Galatea, but was sent flying back into Zhou Tai by the latter's powerful kick. Zhou Tai caught his fiancée and steadied her shaky body. "I will wear her down," he offered, looking down at her. "When the command is given, help me finish it."

"Tai…"

He stepped forward and raised Duskstrike. He lunged as Galatea aimed her sword at his chest. Their weapons met, and for a moment, it seemed as if Galatea enjoyed the upper hand. But his eyes quickly shifted into that familiar, sickly yellow hue. In less than one moment, her energy was reversed against her, and she gritted her teeth as she pushed against him with difficulty. His muscles were larger and stronger, and his sword, while not as heavy as hers, was enchanted with sinister magic. "You're activating your power at such a high level already? Are you not afraid of Awakening?" she asked incredulously.

He snarled, baring his fangs. "No," he simply said. A flash of light burst from the tip of his sword and shot towards her. She leaped to her right and parried another crescent-curved cut, but it would not be enough as a bolt of lightning hurtled from Zhou Tai's clenched fist and coursed through her silver armour, shocking her into momentary unconsciousness. She twitched helplessly whilst Cynthia and Flora gasped in surprise at Zhou Tai's brutal, spectacular display of power. When her body finally found the strength to respond, he was already upon her. Her eyes widened as she blanked out, before feeling his sword inside her abdomen.

"Damn you," she gritted. "I knew a half-Yoma man fought amongst the Wu ranks, but never did I imagine that his power could surpass mine. And…" she half-stepped away, sliding off his curved blade. Blood spurted from her wound and dashed across the ground. "That a man like you can release so much Yoki without Awakening almost immediately… simply put, it's marvellous."

"Were it not for Cynthia, I would not stand before you as your opponent this day," confessed the Wu warrior, his thoughtful, small eyes fixated on hers. "But I am stronger now, because of her." He riposted and slashed at her abdomen again, and she was forced back again, almost stumbling over a Central Plains Guardian's corpse.

This isn't good. The shock of his lightning… hasn't completely left me.

Teetering from his ruthless offensive, Galatea felt her body rapidly weakening, heartbeat after rapid heartbeat. Her muscles burned with an aching fire after having successively duelled ten formidable opponents. And now, to struggle against this silver-eyed man that possessed abilities beyond that of a typical Yoma-human hybrid… the collective pounding was taking its toll, indeed. Zhou Tai continued to relentlessly strike at her, light pouring forth from his dark armour. "I will not falter."

That should be my line, she thought ironically. At last, her defence began to crack, and she fell down on one knee, desperately pushing upwards against Duskstrike. Sweat poured from every pore of her body as she felt her blade digging into her own shoulder, despite activating twenty percent of her Yoki to resist him. She swore and rolled away, narrowly evading Cynthia's supporting swing. Forcing me to turn my face into something so ugly for nothing is simply spiteful.

She sprawled against the ground, bruised, battered and bleeding. I must defeat Zhou Tai… if he still stands… there is no way I can take on the other girls.

But how? They outnumber me badly, even with Yuma and Tabitha out of the way. If only Wang Shuang and Guo Huai hadn't gotten themselves killed…

It was too late for further strategizing. "NOW!" roared Miria. Flora and Jean lunged beside Cynthia, who twisted and guided Zhou Tai and her own Claymore in one sharp dive towards Galatea's body. Exhausted and almost shattered from defending against Zhou Tai's onslaught, she could not pull up her sword in time to meet Helen and Deneve's simultaneous attack, nor could she evade Clare's monstrous downward cut. In one united attack, the allied warriors fell upon Wei's defenceless Tigress Guard.

All of a sudden, it was over.

Galatea screamed as eight swords from eight directions pierced into her body.

*

Royal Gardens

Cao Cao sipped quietly at a goblet of wine as Galatea stood behind him on the pavilion. She could not help smiling at his back fondly while his eyes remained on the scenic lake. Lotuses sprung from the waters, and cranes wandered near the lakeshore, dancing amongst the chrysanthemums and peonies. "So we see eye-to-eye on this?" he confirmed again. "That all silver-eyed warriors must be reunited in order for the Three Kingdoms to be unified."

She smiled. "That is the guiding principle you seek. And once the land is one again, you, its Imperial Chancellor, will no longer be necessary. You can simply disappear." She shook her head. "You are an arrogant man, Mengde. But to answer your question… yes, I agree. Which makes me as conceited as you, I suppose."

He turned to face her. "It is true that the world cries out for a strong leader, but not necessarily one from Wei. If the Path can be shown to the common people, the one who guides may not even be needed." He raised his hand and cupped her cheek. Their eyes plunged into one another's. "I have always believed that. I have always fought with this ultimate destiny in mind. It is the best choice. For the land as well as its people."

She lowered her head slightly and kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Then I will align my sword with this destiny of yours. I will align my fate with yours regardless of victory or defeat." She smiled. "At least you'll never be lonely."

He closed his eyes in grateful recognition, savouring their physical and emotional union. "My trust in you has already been fulfilled. I could not ask for a more faithful servant. Now it remains for me to fulfil my own promises. Watch me closely, Galatea. I will not disappoint you."

*

Mengde… I have failed you.

The pain was too much. God-Eye screamed again, resembling a grey, humanoid porcupine as she hovered upright for several moments, staring angrily at the Shu-Wu warriors. Her thighs were shaking. She had been stabbed in her right breast by Cynthia, and gored through her stomach by Clare, Zhou Tai and Miria. Jean and Flora quickly had thrust their blades into her chest, and Galatea coughed blood as Helen and Deneve twisted their blades inside her punctured kneecaps. At last, the eight allies wrenched out their swords from her body, and she slowly toppled to the ground, sighing quietly. Still, she clung to her vanity to the very last as the back of her head slammed against the rocky ground. A thin flow of blood trickled out of her mouth as she struggled to hold back the agony.

It would be rather unbecoming of her to shriek too loudly.

How strange. She could still… glimpse the sky of the early evening. She blinked slowly, her eyes finally meeting Flora's. But it was too exhausting to keep them open any longer. She allowed the darkness to overcome her, and the regretful faces of her adversaries disappeared in a watery mist. But she could hear that voice, Flora's echoing voice. It was filled with remorse, and even though Galatea could not longer see her, the aura of melancholy permeated across the mountains, and it lent warmth to her devastated body.

"Senior… I am sorry."

Silence.

"Do… not apologize. You are… everything… that I am proud of as a silver-eyed warrior," whispered Galatea. "My army lies destroyed, and my own body… broken. You deserve this victory, girls. I give this battle to you."

"But what… are we supposed to do?" came Cynthia's anguished cry. "Miss Flora?"

"We have broken Ma Su out of his encirclement and decimated the Wei reinforcements. We have fulfilled our military obligation. After all, the Wei army here has been defeated. The Grand General never requested that we do anything else," echoed Flora's voice again. "We will not engage any further. We are to return to Shu and report to our King."

Galatea could suddenly hear their footsteps retreating, scraping sadly over the rocks and pebbles and seared grass. "I will treat you as an archenemy worthy of every respect," said Flora, her voice sombre. "And for that, I have every faith that we will meet again."

Galatea tilted her bruised head ever so slightly, her eyes still loosely closed. Were they leaving? "You have a cruel way of showing mercy," she choked out bitingly.

"Farewell." The footsteps of the allies began to quieten and recede into the distance. The incapacitated Tigress Guard bit her lip as she felt the Yoki of the ten warriors fading away. Soon, their auras were nonexistent, their voices absent.

After several minutes of catching her breath, she tried again. "Flora. Miria. Oi… Clare. Cynthia?"

But no human response came; only the soft breeze of the evening breeze answered her. She was alone; they had abandoned her. No… they had shown her the same mercy that she had given them at Hanzhong – to leave them to their fates, if they possessed the strength of will to seize it. And now, they were returning that favour. They really had departed, leaving her to slowly heal herself amongst the corpses of her host.

You Shu-Wu allies have a lot of nerve, to leave me like this… after all that I have offered you.

But… I suppose I shouldn't expect too much the first time round.

She was in no condition to mount a counterattack. Her army had been annihilated, and Jieting was now lost to Liu Bei. Sima Yi had fled to save his own skin, the shifty weasel. And now, she would be forced to bear the brunt of the blame for this terrible defeat. Her Yoki flared. It seemed so unjust.

Nevertheless, in those last few moments of consciousness, she did not harbour anything less than an intense pride and admiration for her juniors. They had outsmarted Sima Yi, an impressive feat in itself. They had outfought and overmatched her. Of course, she would much rather have emerged the victor. But the knowledge that she had been surpassed was…

Was…

Exhilarating.

The battlefield was utterly silent as she held back tears of indignant pride.

I… have lost.