Hope wasn't something many in the Empire had anymore, and Elaine found it understandable given the kingdom's state of decline. The very rules first implemented to instill order, discipline, and prosperity of the state were twisted and bent to the whims of political powers in lue of a Child Emperor with no foresight to veto a horrible decision. Instead, the child emperor's closest advisor was to aid in the choice between right or wrong, but Honest himself was the vilest of all.
A puppet on strings, guileless, yet inherently guilty as the target of nationwide animosity.
It was almost sad given that all the evil attributed to a child was all an indirect cause of snakes and gilded tongues wagging into receptive ears.
No longer. No more. Never again.
Those words, and with the same determination to see things through, spurred many onward.
"Secure the point across the stream and prevent the crossing from being destroyed!" Elaine gave orders while surveying the army's encroachment towards the capital's inner walls. "Spread thinner! Do not let them encircle us and create a pincer. Enemies may be hiding in buildings or behind large rubble! Smoke them out, and advance!"
Elaine clicked her tongue.
Progress was slow, and the chain of command that had to pass down orders from one unit from another was almost always destabilized by unrealized factors and variables.
"If unit six and nine don't respond, they're likely dead," Elaine muttered before chewing on her lip in frustration. "Spear! Your old man was in charge of those units and that sector! What's going on?"
Spear clicked her tongue, hard-pressed to answer while flourishing her weapon and stabbing through enemies. One glance at Elaine surrounded by five burly men with ripped muscles and rugged faces was enough to exasperate Spear.
A leader should lead in the front, and that was exactly what Elaine was doing.
However, Elaine was utterly protected, which was fair since she was a designated commander, but unlike Elaine who could trust in her brothers for protection, Spear was on her own as a unit commander.
Sucking in a breath, Spear flourished her weapon into a low sweep until she got enough breathing room, and only then did she manage to choke out an answer between panting breaths.
"I only knew a few things before I separated from my father's unit," Spear answered with a grimace. "Father said that unit six was being slaughtered by a witch that drained their blood and energy. Unit nine moved to reinforce them and were ambushed and are now engaged in battle."
Elaine furrowed her brows at Spear's answer.
Elaine and Chouri had split their forces to better command a wider area. Keeping the both of them together would have been a waste of resources given the size and morale of the army.
The Empire was at its turning point, and none missed the brief moment chaos ensued atop the empire's inner walls. Shirou and Night Raid must have already penetrated through, making Elaine more than determined to ensure nothing went wrong on her and Chouri's end.
"Does he need help?"
Spear hesitated. As a daughter, the impulse to say 'yes' if only to ensure her father's safety in numbers was weighed against her father's pride and ability as a leader.
"It should be fine," Spear shook her head. "Raiko and the ninjas of Jinsoku were already on route, and the Hunters of Heiwa were there to defend my father. Diverting our forces now will only slow the encroachment down."
Neither Spear nor Elaine were saying it, but it was understood. Their side had the overwhelming difference in manpower after the capital's defenders were defeated at the Empire's outer walls. No matter how capable or elite a unit the empire deployed, there was no stopping the momentum of the army unless your name was Esdeath or Shirou.
"Advance!"
The only issue was casualties.
Elaine did not know how many would die, but the strategy of throwing eggs at a rock until the rock itself broke weighed on her.
But this was war, and not everyone was capable; a majority were just common soldiers or conscripted fighters. The burden of these deaths fell on their leaders.
At the very least, Elaine refused to make their deaths meaningless by retreating here.
However, just after pushing the advance closer and closer to the capitals inner walls, Elaine's march gradually began to slow to a crawl as the expression on her face began to twist. Muted silence was all that followed.
The slums and residential districts in the Empire were located outside the capital's inner walls as a form of class separation.
Those in power cared not for them, but at the very least, the outer walls offered defense from invaders…and yet offered nothing from treachery.
.
.
.
"...These bastards." Elaine whispered, staring at the atrocity before her.
Budo crossed his arms while Shirou stood across from him. The seconds ticked away just like that, neither making a sound as they regarded each other, assessing the others capabilities and demeanor.
Budo was like a steadfast wall, unbreaking, and immovable while Shirou was a tattered blade, stubborn and unbending.
Shirou wasn't sure what exactly Najenda had whispered to Budo as she had passed him by, but he was certain that it wasn't some passing remark between former comrades.
Budo's eyes had flickered for the briefest moment, before Shirou recognized the tell-tale signs of acknowledgement bleeding over his entire figure. Whatever Najenda had said, Budo appeared to have tacitly agreed to it.
"My name is Budo, the Great General of the Empire, and the personal honor guard of the Royal Family."
"Shirou."
It was a curt introduction. No titles, no last names, no added sentiments.
Brief and concise, it hinted of impatience.
Budo could discern everything with a single narrowed glance, and yet it only cemented the belief he had regarding Najenda's request. The man who stood before him, a child with the blood of the emperor's family, had no regard for his own physical state.
Focusing on Shirou's limp arm, then to the numerous injuries over his person, Budo uncrossed his arms into a more ready stance.
Budo had asked for Shirou to convince him, but half that goal was already complete.
A weak-hearted emperor would never have allowed himself to remain alone against someone like Budo. It spoke of courage and heart, but screamed of noble self-sacrifice.
What the empire needed now wasn't another dead emperor, but one who could lead the kingdom to a new golden era.
To that extent, Budo had enough motivation.
"How about you just stop here?" Budo suggested after much consideration.
Budo had wanted to test Shirou in a more concrete and physical manner, but by now, it was apparent that Shirou was in no state for further strenuous activity. Rather, Budo was concerned that he could be the one to dishonor his entire family by being the only Royal Guard to inadvertently kill someone he was sworn to protect.
Budo could test Shirou later. When he was rested and recuperated.
Moreover, Budo was certain that Honest's forces would fall, and Shirou's would soon occupy the capital. Besides the issue of Honest escaping or not, there was no harm in waiting for Shirou.
Shirou's involvement was nothing more than a guarantee.
In Budo's mind, that goal was secondary.
"And if I don't?" Shirou tested the waters, only to knit his brows from the pressure Budo began to release.
"Your nearest destination should be a bed." Budo rolled his shoulders, his stern visage loosening into a stubborn scowl; a prized bull ready to charge. "You need rest, and I will escort you."
"What I need is to see this through."
Shirou was stubborn. With a weak body and a trembling arm, he continued to grip tightly to the sword in hand.
Budo imagined he could subdue Shirou with a finger due to the mess his body was in. The question of how he was still standing and pushing on was a testament to his fortitude.
Still-
"Victory at the cost of sacrifice will change nothing," Budo grunted out.
Persuasion was never his strongest suite so…don't force him. Because in the end, he'd have no choice but to resort to one universal truth.
An answer that all understand.
Violence. It fixes everything.
"You're wrong then," Shirou replied, unperturbed and utterly foolhardy. "Because change will be decided by the ones left behind."
"Is that why you fight?" Budo scoffed at the mindset of what could only be a martyr. "Where is your ambition, your personal drive?"
"I alone am not the Empire." Shirou answered, causing Budo to glare. Clearly, Budo thought otherwise.
The empire was the emperor, and the emperor was the empire itself.
Shirou continued on regardless. "And besides, is peace for the kingdom and my family not an ambition?"
No. Not at all, but Budo wasn't here to argue. Rather, he focused on another aspect.
"Family?" Budo echoed.
There were more people he opted for that needed guarding?
"Beyond my cousin, I have two younger siblings." Shirou answered without pause.
"...I see," Budo processed the information before shaking his head and firming his mind. "But that doesn't change the current matter."
Budo's muscles bulged, the earth cracking beneath his feet as he took a mere step forward towards Shirou.
"I am the Empire's Royal Guard, and my duties stipulate the safety of the royal family before the empire. In your state, I cannot allow you to proceed further. Leave the rest to your allies, or do you not trust them?!"
Shirou suddenly gave pause. No. He was forced to due to his own emotions.
All this time, and even now, he realized that he was still trying to shoulder everything on his own because that was how it had always been.
"I can't vouch for the others, but Najenda was a capable woman and leader." Budo spoke up, his gruff voice containing a hint of acknowledgement. "The fat pig won't stand a chance when caught."
"If caught," Shirou stressed, though Budo noted a waning in the fire within Shirou's eyes.
"Does trust mean so little to you? An emperor cannot run a kingdom on his own. Therefore, it's those under him that act as his arms and legs that ensure success. A man who can't trust his own limbs may as well be crippled."
"..."
There was nothing Shirou could use to refute. In fact, Budo was right. Esdeath was defeated, and the only one who could rival Esdeath was Budo. Given that Budo was here, and not intent on defending Honest at all, then the relative scale of difficulty was no longer at a point where Shriou's participation was necessary.
The Third Sword Shirou had Traced and the last step it encompassed…may not be necessary.
Shirou's taut features gradually slackened, his body wobbling.
If willpower was his sole crutch, then thinking that being able to 'rest' was fine, would snap his strings in an instant.
In contrast to Shirou, Budo could see that he was finally making progress.
Just a little more. Another push, and regardless of Shirou's intentions, his body would give out first.
That ideal outcome however, was taken out of everyone's hands when a towering giant suddenly appeared in the distance; a burst of magic energy generating fierce gales that sent tumultuous gusts of wind throughout the entirety of the Empire.
Budo's expression immediately stiffened as he glanced at the palace, and then back into the distance where a towering figure stood.
Fury contorted Budo's features at the implication he was drawing, but it still didn't mean he could let Shirou go in his current state.
Expectedly, stubbornness had bled back into Shirou's demeanor.
"Stay here. I will handle it," Budo seethed.
This time, Shirou would not concede. "That's not something I can do."
"Then you leave me no choice."
"Sorry," Shirou shook his head, and raised his sword. He'd have to end things now. "But it's the same here."
The sword in Shirou's hand cracked and shattered.
"Arondight."
The shattered sword's fragments did not scatter or fall, rather they remained, held together by tranquil blue light.
"Overload."
Sorry for shorter update! I attended a friend's wedding and was forced to drink too much in the after party. With work in-between from the last update, I ran short of time
Next update: Brith of a Legend V2
P a treon. com (slash) Parcasious
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The Lonely Peak
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