Chapter 3: Day of Sorrow
Lucretia Regina de Saxon was Duke Regio's only daughter, in a family of pureblood human heritage. She was dressed up in a pristine scarlet robe, in preparation for the Day of Ascension, a mass procession held in the Cathedral of Illa-Ville yearly to celebrate the descent of God's archangel in the mortal realm. It was a common tradition dating roots back to the founding of the Knavensborn Empire, marking the date when God's messenger arrived, bestowing gifts on the inhabitants of the world.
She looked across the duke's estate, in the middle of the town's plaza, where the town's residents have gathered in front of the Cathedral. She quickly spotted some of her friends amongst the people. As much as she wanted to say hi and wave, her duty comes first.
"Father! And Baroness Celeste, you're here too!" A warm curtsy towards the woman who had often visited Lucretia and her family as a bearer of good news from the Athisian Kingdom.
"Lucretia, you have grown a lot since the last time we met, beautifully if I might add." Lucretia blushed at this, looking down at what the baroness could be referring to.
"A compliment well placed. Baroness, I presume it's not your first time attending the Day of Ascension ceremony?"
"Not at all. I have oft travelled west, and I had the chance to witness such a procession in Vannensberg."
"Then you must have high expectations hahaha. This is nothing when compared to the likes of the massive parades they hold in Vannensberg, but regardless, you're welcome to join us Baroness." Duke Regio added.
"Happily." Replied the Baroness.
"Pardon me Duke, the captain of the Illa-Ville sentry watchtower would like to speak to you regarding an urgent matter. There's an army at the gates, requesting to talk to you."
"An army? Are they Knavenborns? Athisian? Or the Shogunate?" His tone turned grim at the mention of the last nation.
"It seems to be an unknown army of humans."
"Continue with the ceremony, I will be back." The Duke's voice trembled, implicitly knowing what the guard meant by that – the only human nation capable of gathering an army like that was the Western Shogunate. How did they even get as far as the Illes peninsula?
"Take me to the gates."
Taking deep breaths, she prepared herself for the speech during the ceremony.
"Do not worry, Lucretia, your father is strong."
Outskirts of Illa-Ville, New World
Punitto Moe sat inside an IS-3 tank looking out at the small porthole with her binoculars. On the walls, the town guards were uneasy and running about trying their best to achieve some sense of normalcy. A horse carrying a passenger man rode out of the gate towards the direction of her army. A messenger perhaps.
Unlike Momonga, Punitto did not have any spells to improve her hearing range or eavesdrop on other individuals. Instead, there was the commander perk of being able to hear the thought processes of her subordinates. She focused onto the soldier who was approached by the duchy's messenger.
"The Duke of Saxon would like to know the intentions of the army which has stepped foot into the Duchy's lands. Your answer will decide the duchy's next actions." The messenger unfurled the scroll, reading it. I see, they're playing it safe, meaning either they're a weak nation or a sleeping giant that should not be provoked.
"We are here to reclaim back the land that is rightfully ours, by the order of the Tsaritsa." The soldier spoke proudly. What the heck is this soldier talking about?
"I see, that is unfortunate. The Duchy has no option but to declare war." Of course, this had to escalate.
"Silence!" Just as the soldiers were about to create a rallying war cry and rush to battle, Punitto Moe, as Tsaritsa, stepped out of the tank and landing on her feet, phased instantaneously towards the frontline where the conversation was taking place.
"I am the leader of this army and I have commanded my subordinates to stand down. We have sent an emissary from our nation to yours, but your people have rudely turned us down. Care to explain?"
"I have not heard of such a diplomatic entourage."
"I see, in that case, I wish to talk with your leader."
"Barbarians?" Punitto clenched her fist. This speech reminded Punitto of the interactions between the nomadic tribes and imperial China in ancient history, where the USSR was the nomadic tribes. "We are more developed than you assume."
"No offense, but this is how the world works." The Duke crossed his arms. The pair of leaders sat down in the Duke's living room.
Never had Punitto had to explain herself towards others. She knew she grew up in a privileged background, and overt racism was something that Punitto had never experienced before.
"Still, I'm glad that we're able to reach a favourable conclusion. In exchange for this plot of land, the USSR will help defend the Duchy of Saxon's borders from barbarians." Punitto smiled. "The deal is thus concluded."
"Deal? There will be no deal. My liege, as you requested, I will finish off this barbarian." Before knight was able to unsheathe his sword, Punitto cast a spell.
[Maximise Magic: Liquefactive Necrosis]
The knight's body exploded, sending blood, solid streaks of fat and organ tissues splattering all over.
"Guards help!" the Duke shouted. "Kill the barbarian!"
"How unfortunate that things have to be this way. I only wanted my nation to prosper. If war is what you desire, then so be it." Punitto rationally thought about the scenario multiple times, and the outcome was the same. The best outcome was if the Duchy of Saxon was destroyed altogether, eliminating the possibility of a future rebellion.
Punitto needed legitimacy for her nation, and the destruction of the Duchy of Saxon would be the first stepping stone.
There would be no casus belli for this war. In the face of international diplomacy, it will be difficult to develop future relations with other countries if any news of this atrocity was leaked out. However, if all evidence were to be eliminated, it would be a different story. That was the idea of the fog of war. This was assuming there was no long-range communication via [Message]. And due to that, the attack was to be initiated as soon as possible.
[Command: Fire For Effect]
"Idiots." tears ran down her eyes, first left, then right, as she reflected the many innocents that would be slaughtered for the Duke's stupidity. She teleported out of the base just as the first bass note sounded, signalling the beginning of the artillery bombardment.
"What-t is this?" a cult member of Zurrernorn fell backwards, his eyes filled with terror as the blast that rocked the city of Illa-Ville was strong enough to push him backwards. Streaks of light formed arcs that launched up to the sky like meteors before falling down upon houses, streets, walls, and everything in the vicinity. It would stop for a second, before the drums sounded again and the meteors rained down upon the wreckage of Illa-Ville.
"Everything we worked for, gone in a single day."
"My brother, he's in the city!"
"Leave him! There's nothing we can do."
The shrills of scream of the people in the city sent chills down their spine. The thousands of men and women trapped in the city was being pounded by the meteors without remorse.
They were standing in a forested hill overlooking the city.
"Are you seeing this, master Damien?" the cult member turned towards a man wearing a fedora and a black robe. He had the sharp teeth of a vampire. The sound of the artillery shelling the city only momentarily paused. The silence was followed by muffled cries before the shelling started again.
"Terrifying. At this rate, not even their bodies will remain." Damien snarled. "A new enemy is the last thing we need. We shall teach them the price of interfering with our business."
Lucretia felt heaviness in her body. Her head was ringing. She opened her mouth but was unable to speak. The taste of dust in her mouth was overwhelming. She was finding it difficult to breathe. With each inspiration, she felt a deep sharp pain on the right side of her rib cage.
Then, slowly came the taste of blood in her gum. The pain all over her body was overwhelming. It felt like every inch of her skin had been peeled off.
She was unable to feel her hands, but some sensation returned on her feet. Grunting, Lucretia tried pushing herself up, heaving on the count of 3. She screamed and pulled herself up. 3, 2, 1. There was a weird sensation of locking in her neck, and suddenly, she was unable to breathe. Horrified, she tried to force her hands, her legs, her shoulders, but nothing was moving.
She had no mouth, and she must scream.
Silently, under the rubble, Lucretia lost consciousness.
[Recommended Music: Подмоско́вные вечера́ (Moscow Nights) 1956]
"Why am I so scared right now?" Punitto Moe's feet trembled as she approached what was once a cathedral.
The clouds were coated in grey, and the air was speckled with flakes of ashes which the wind blew westwards. The scent of soot and decaying bodies hit Punitto's olfactory receptors rather hard, as she stared at the charred body of another victim of the heavy shelling of what once was a beautiful city.
She walked up the stairs to the cathedral. She took out her ceremonial longsword and stabbed a rat that was running through the rubbles. The blasts exposed the sewers that ran beneath the town, leaving behind a horrible stench in some areas.
Not all the victims were humans. She noticed the bodies of demihumans nearby, a lot of them wearing rather decent clothings. This indicated that the town was quite diverse in its demographics.
The dim glow of sun was setting in the horizon, and the curtain of night fell onto what was once the town of Illa-Ville. Acid golems roamed the wreckage, dissolving bones, limestone, and concrete.
"Death always comes hand-in-hand with war. Victory only comes at the destruction of the other. I think you made the best choice you could given the circumstances." Zhukov said, setting the conversation into a deep silence, as both walked without speaking for minutes in the ruins.
"There's quite a number of undead spawning in this area as we speak, such as that Dullahan over there." Punitto Moe finally straightened up. "We want them to stay dead."
"Of course, Tsaritsa. I could allocate some forces away from cleanup to dealing with the supernatural enemies."
"There's no need, Zhukov. I have called upon the White Army." Punitto Moe added. "Unconventional enemies call for a more elite force."
"T-the White Army?" Zhukov stuttered, his face pale.
"Yes, I have called on Admiral Kolchak."
Admiral Kolchak and his regiment of Cossacks made their way on horseback under the moonlight, towards the direction of their Tsaritsa. Holding a whip in one hand with the other hand on the saddle, each Cossack posses a unique weapon designated by their Tsaritsa. In contrast to the decorative rifles of the conventional red army, theirs were more practically designed.
The life of a White Army Cossack is not an easy one. Wherever the Tsaritsa was, they shall go to the ends of the world to pursue that goal. Death, pain, and suffering is secondary to the objective. Their life, their entire existence, belongs to the Imperial Family.
Minutes after, the ruined city of Illa-Ville was finally in sight.
"In the name of God, what happened here." A Cossack commented.
"Everything is destroyed or dead here. It's like standing in a mass graveyard." Another commented.
"The Tsaritsa wills it, so it must be (for a righteous cause)." Admiral Kolchak firmly stated, leaving no room for dissident. "But each and every one of you are right, I have not seen anything like this since the Battle of Tsaritsyn."
"How many casualties did we suffer?" the youngest asked.
"Zero." The Tsaritsa suddenly appeared in front of them, shocking even the steeds.
"My Tsaritsa." The Cossacks all dismounted, kneeling in front of their liege at the first instance.
"Admiral Kolchak, Cossacks, you may rise."
"As you are all aware, we have just won a decisive victory. The cost of victory has been largely borne by the enemy. They attempted to assassinate me in the middle of negotiation, and as such, the punishment had been justly proportional to the severity of their crime."
Instead of pity, their eyes burned with hatred and anger upon hearing the news. Contrast their reactions with General Zhukov's and it was clear to Punitto Moe that the Red Army and White Army should be utilised in different manners. When it comes to administrative tasks, emotions are a hinderance and she would prefer to let General Zhukov deal with this. On the other hand, it was better to delegate routine guard duty towards the White Army, due to their excessive zealousness to their task.
"I have called upon the White Army today to undertake an important assignment. First, there must have been enemies or stragglers who have witnessed or escaped the bombardment unnoticed. I want you to track them down and eliminate them, regardless of who they are. Anyone living within 10 miles radius of this town must be executed."
"Second, I want a smaller task force to deal with troublesome undead which have spawned in this area. You will have the Red Army to support you, and if things look serious, the Archbishop is also here to help."
"I want the executions to be as quick as possible. Note down the locations of their bodies, and I will let the Red Army take care of them afterwards."
wHY dID yOu dO iT?
KiLL thOuSAnDS oF iNNoCeNtS?
wHy aLicE, WHY?!
Alice woke up gasping for breath.
She sat down in front of the mirror, tears streaming down her mascara. The image of Suzuki Satoru smiling appeared behind her back.
"Suzuki…" She softly spoke, reaching out to his image.
Slowly the figure morphed into a lifeless skeleton, with an evil grin, laughing and mocking her.
Suzuki is dead. I am but Ainz Ooal Gown.
"No…" the image of Suzuki slowly turned around and walked away from her. "Come back…"
Author Notes: Thanks for everyone who supported my story from the beginning & folks in the discord server.
Not really proud about the length of this chapter, but really starting to build up the ideas I have regarding shipping OC Punitto + Ainz together. Thanks dpsn777
CZ2128DDelta :)