Chapter Seventy Seven

The Emperor's Game of Chess

MELODY

"Bloody hell, these things just keep coming!" Tracy complained as she conjured up a fresh pair of sharp, purple tentacles and impaled an entire line of Soulless and duplicates alike. "And I could've sworn I saw more red coats!"

In the midst of fighting off more duplicates and undead soldiers alike, Melody honed her vision to zero in on the edge of the battlefield. Sure enough, fresh Exonian infantry were being fed into the battle, streaming through the thick clouds of musket smoke.

"Shit, the infantry's back," Melody let out an involuntary groan as she rammed an elbow into a Soulless and felt her entire arm go through its chest. Wincing, she withdrew her arm soaked with guts and blood. Tracy's spell wasn't wearing off yet, that was for sure.

She shifted her head as a Soulless snapped its jaws at her, then hooked her arm around its neck and brought it over her shoulder. As it landed, its green eyes began to glow, heralding sentience.

"By all means, fight. Fight as long as you like," the emperor's mocking words escaped the creature's lips. "You already know the infantry is coming. You're only delaying the inevitable."

Spitefully, Melody slammed her boot into the creature's skull, crushing it in a smear of blood and bones. "I don't know how much longer we can keep this up," she admitted.

"You gonna let that cocky bastard get in your head?" Tracy shouted as she clenched her fist, and ten of the Soulless and duplicates' heads exploded in a burst of purple energy. "We've got to be close! By now the ships are probably all loaded up and just waiting for us to retreat!"

"Not yet!" Peggy's voice trailed over as she ran up to the two girls. "We've got a new problem!"

Tracy sighed. "Oh, bugger it all. What now?"

"That," Peggy pointed at the rear.

Melody squinted, her enhanced sight piercing through everything else and focusing on what Peggy was trying to show her. Her eyes widened as she saw a giant getting to his feet slowly, his bare skin burnt and raw. "What the-"

"Janus said to find you," Peggy cut her off. "He needs your help."

Judging by what Janus had told her, it could only be the Mage Slayer called Beast. And he'll wreak carnage across the battlefield if he isn't contained. Melody whirled to Tracy. "You can handle things here?"

"Go!" Tracy shooed her off. "What you standing around for, get your ass over there!"

"Be careful!" Peggy shouted after Melody as she gripped her bow tightly in hand and raced straight towards the giant.

Unlike everything she'd taught herself, there was no time for caution. Beast couldn't be allowed to get near the rear lines. She and Janus would have to keep him busy or incapacitate him if that was even possible. Dashing with the bitter wind and falling snow in her face, Melody focused her sights on the Mage Slayer whom Janus had already engaged and grimaced as she watched Beast swat at Janus like a fly and forced the masked man to drop and pivot on the back of his foot to strike at the giant again.

Even from this distance, Janus saw her coming. He moved like lightning, falchion raised and slashing at the Mage Slayer in a bid to keep him distracted even as Melody closed the distance between them.

Good man. Clenching her fist tightly but not so tight that she would snap the riser, Melody adjusted the grip on her compound bow and bulled forward, moving with supernatural speed that rivalled any sorcerer or demon. With a loud grunt, Janus swung his sword two-handed at Beast, forcing him to retreat to avoid being cut open. And just at the right time too. With Beast's right leg off the ground, Melody put her full weight behind the bow's riser, slamming it into the back of the Mage Slayer's knee.

Beast's knee buckled and the assassin gave a loud bellow as he staggered. His body a blur, Janus sprung forward and thrusted his blade straight at Beast's heart. But though he was faster than ever, Beast was equally swift. Still on one knee, the Mage Slayer snatched Janus' wrist with an animalistic snarl.

Melody drove her bow again into the small of Beast's back with such force that the assassin let go of Janus and spun to face her with a blood-curdling roar. He towered as he rose to his full height, blocking out the winds and snow with his enormous frame.

"That's it. Come and get me," she muttered under her breath. As long as Beast kept his attention on her and Janus, the more time the Coalition had to fend off the other enemies.

But the giant was smarter than he looked. He sidestepped and rounded the two Warriors, keeping them both in his sights. He gave a deep growl, eyes flicking between the both of them. At such close proximity, Melody got a good look at the Mage Slayer. His skin had been burnt to a crisp, with bits of flesh hanging off his arms and chest in certain places, the rest raw and smelling horrible.

"Must be Deirdre's work," she said.

"Thought so too," Janus replied, his eyes still on Beast.

"How do you want to do this?" she watched as Beast stalked towards them. "Doesn't look like he's going to go down quietly."

"I should know," Janus said, removing a vial from his belt and hurling it straight at Beast's feet. Thick smoke rose and engulfed the immediate vicinity, giving the two Warriors a millisecond to dive clear as the assassin came lunging at them through the smoke. "Don't hold back. Not this time."

"This time, I don't intend to," Melody nocked an arrow and shot it straight at Beast's kneecap. As the arrow flew, she charged forward with her enhanced speed taking over. The Mage Slayer bent and snatched the arrow out of the air before it could bury itself in his knee, giving Melody the opening she needed. Leaping, she brought her knee up, crunching it into the assassin's jaw but felt no bones shifting.

Beast reached out to grab her but she kicked off from his chest, landing in the snow and angering the giant. From out of nowhere, Janus leapt onto Beast's back, wrapping one arm around his neck and raising the falchion in his other hand and positioning the point of the blade above the giant's skull.

Heart slamming in her chest in anticipation, she waited for Janus' blade to fall. But the Mage Slayer twisted and slammed himself and Janus against the side of the fortress wall. Stone crumbled from the point of impact and Janus slipped off the assassin in a daze. The Mage Slayer spun and charged at Janus, crushing him against the wall again.

Her hands moving on pure instinct alone, Melody shot a grappling arrow which embedded itself into Beast's upper back, tearing a hole in his already tattered flesh. With all her might, she yanked hard on the taut cable and brought Beast stumbling backwards and away from Janus. Whipping the cable over her back, she tugged it taut again and the hook in the assassin's back came loose.

Beast cried out with a deep rumble as blood sprayed from his back and he whirled to face Melody with crazed eyes full of hatred. Moving like lightning, Janus darted forward, bringing his sword parallel to the ground as he sliced through Beast's side, more blood and flesh flying. Melody saw her opening and hurtled towards Beast.

Janus dropped to his hands and knees and let her use his back as a stepping stone. She sprung off his back and raised a knee, driving it straight into the assassin's collar. Using the built-up momentum, she flipped herself over Beast's body and brought her bow down into his shoulder blade, feeling something give beneath her blow. She landed on her feet behind the giant and shot two more arrows in tight grouping straight into the wound on his back she'd opened not a minute before.

The successive barrage of attacks was too much for the Mage Slayer. He fell on his knees with a roar of agony. Janus hurled a pellet in his face, green fumes escaping upon impact and soaking into the assassin's pores. For a moment, it seemed like whatever Janus had thrown at him had no effect whatsoever, then Beast fell face first into the snow a couple of seconds later.

"What did you hit him with?" Melody said when they'd regrouped.

"Poison," Janus tenderly nursed his side. "It'll kill a man within minutes."

She blinked. "Since when did you start using poison?"

"You can thank Venom for that," Janus straightened with a soft grunt. "Saves us a lot of trouble."

Melody spared a glance at Beast who lay prone, surrounded by red-stained snow. There would've been a time when she would've felt squeamish at the idea of killing, but now when she looked at the Mage Slayer, she only felt relief. The war had really twisted her, she supposed.

"Melody!" Janus shouted and she spun.

A Soulless tore through the field towards them and lunged straight for her, but Janus slashed his sword one-handed across its midsection, spilling guts and blood as its momentum slowed. She caught it out of the air and slammed it against the side of the fortress wall.

"None of them have made it this far before," she grimaced. "We're running out of time."

"Right you are," the Soulless' green eyes glowed, signalling the blooming consciousness of Hans in the empty vessel. "You are running out of time."

Janus pressed the falchion to the Soulless' neck. "What are you talking about?"

The Soulless clicked his tongue. "Have you forgotten? You can't hurt me, not when I'm in this vessel. But you're very welcome to mutilate that corpse's body."

"Then maybe I should go right to the source and kill you myself, you bastard." Janus growled.

"No," Melody said sharply. "He's baiting us."

"Right you are again." Hans laughed behind his vessel's voice. "You really are clever, aren't you? I am impressed, Princess, I really am. You're good, but it won't save you."

"And why's that?"

"You think you just need to hold off my legion and the Imperial Horde long enough for you to escape? Yes, I know all about your little escape plan. Do you really think I haven't seen the numbers in the trenches slowly dwindling and retreating?"

Melody gave a sidelong glance at Janus who did the same.

"I know all about your new allies waiting for you by the coast," The Soulless grinned a bloody smile. "You see, all of this has just been an elaborate, amusing game of chess to me. I make the opening move, you manoeuvre to counter me with your pawns and bishops. With your pieces moved, you give me an opening to strike and force a mistake on your part, costing you valuable pieces and exposing your beloved queen. And then you commit your knights to counter me again, fruitless as it may be because we all know how this is going to end."

"What are you trying to say?" Melody felt her patience wearing thin. "Stop wasting our time."

"What I'm saying is, I've just forced your hand into making your last mistake."

"And why would you tell us that?"

"Because I want you to know what's coming. I want you to know it was I who orchestrated it from the very moment you stepped onto the battlefield. You lost this battle before it even began," The smile widened. "The end is near. Savour what's left of your life before you lose it all."

Janus' blade drew a trickle of blood across the Soulless' throat. "What's coming?"

"It has been nice knowing you both. You were formidable foes, and not many of my enemies get that sort of high praise. Fight hard and die well, Warriors."

The light behind the Soulless' eyes went out and the creature slumped limply in Melody's grip.

"What did he mean?"

"I can't be sure." Melody frowned. Usually, she would've been able to anticipate her opponent's moves but not Hans'. She had no idea what twisted, unpredictable threats the cunning emperor was going to throw at them next - a true testament to his genius-level intellect, no matter how warped it was.

Janus put a hand on her arm, drawing her attention. "Listen," he said. "Can you hear that?"

Focusing hard, she sharpened her senses and honed them till she could hear everything. The cannons roaring overhead, the snarling creatures, Coalition and Exonian soldiers screaming as they killed one another, musket and rifle shot, the howling of the winds…and then she heard it. The sound of galloping hooves on the far eastern flank.

Her blood froze in her veins. "No."

"The Exonian cavalry."

Wide-eyed, Melody stared at Janus. What are they doing? Are they going to attack the flank of the Coalition defenders? But the fields were still filled with stakes and Exonian soldiers. It was a risky and ridiculous move that would waste too many lives and yield less than maximum results. There was no way Hans or Kane would do it. Unless the field isn't their target.

"Oh God." Leaving a befuddled Janus behind, Melody raced towards the eastern flank as rapidly as her supernatural speed could take her.

ELSA

Her right wrist throbbed as she threw herself to the ground, just in the nick of time as inky webs shot out at her. Sharp pain lanced through her hand and up her arm and she bit back a cry. Her vision was laced with stars for a moment, but it cleared enough for Elsa to see Inque running towards her again.

Groaning internally, she forced herself to her feet quickly and threw out her left hand. Her aim with her left hand was decidedly poorer than her right, but it was decent enough to make Inque fade sideways as ice threatened to scythe him down. Instead, the ice slammed into the back of Mover, whom Eleanor was busy fighting, with Deirdre on the far end of the wall engaging Vertigo.

The Mage Slayer melted to the ground, slithering across the remaining distance in the form of a mud puddle, then sprung up at her and materialised back into human form in mid-air. Elsa tried to shoot him out of the sky with a blast of her ice, but he landed on her, dragging her back down to the ground. Inky tendrils coiled round her wrists and ankles, and forcefully slammed them to the concrete.

Elsa let out a cry as her injured wrist hit the ground and sent sparks of fire shooting up her arm. Tears welled up in her eyes and clouded her vision, the pain so excruciating that all thought of fighting back escaped her for a brief moment.

"What's the matter?" Inque leaned in close. "I hurt you?"

Reflexively, Elsa jerked her head up in a headbutt, slamming her temple against Inque's as hard as she could. The Mage Slayer stumbled backwards in a daze and the tendrils around her wrists and ankles loosened their hold. She took her opening and slipped out of Inque's restraints, putting some distance between the assassin and herself as she came up to her feet. Trying her best to ignore the pain, she set her eyes on Inque, trying to figure out a way to keep him down for the count.

"Forgot about me?"

With a short gasp, Elsa jumped aside as Banshee's sonic scream erupted and pulsed past her, slamming straight into Inque. The man shrieked as the sound waves struck his inky body, causing him to vibrate at an unnaturally fast rate. And then he exploded, sending dark blue ink everywhere, coating the ground, the parapets, even Elsa and Banshee.

Gasping in horror, Banshee glared at Elsa. "Look what you made me do?"

Elsa dropped to a knee as Banshee opened her mouth to let loose another awful screech, striking the ground with her uninjured hand. Ice shot across the ground, freezing it over so quickly that it gave Banshee no time to move. Banshee was frozen to the ground, ice creeping up her legs and trapping her to the spot.

"No!" Banshee shouted, looking down and opening her mouth to let her scream shatter the ice.

"Not this time," Elsa darted forward like a cat and delivered a sorcery-laden left cross to the assassin's cheek. Unconscious, Banshee slumped, her legs still trapped in ice.

Elsa turned to survey the situation. It seemed Deirdre had taken care of Vertigo, and was now helping Eleanor put the finishing touches on Mover before he could uproot the entire fortress wall. Meanwhile, it seemed that even a sonic scream couldn't destroy Inque, for he was trying to reform himself from the splattered remains of his being.

Dark clouds materialised in front of Elsa and she recoiled, left hand laced with cold particles and ready to strike at whoever came at her next. Instead, a single brown cloak emerged from the clouds, hands clasped behind his back.

"Salvadore," Elsa growled. "You-"

The Mage Slayer raised a hand to halt her. "I am not here to fight, witch. I am simply here to collect my brethren," He looked round and shook his head. "So much violence."

Elsa narrowed her eyes. "Violence that you helped perpetrate."

"I may believe in the same cause they do, but I am a man of peace."

"That's hard to believe."

"It doesn't matter. Now please step aside, witch."

She tensed. "I'm not letting you take them so that you can all repeat this cycle. This war of shadows ends here."

"I'm sorry, but that choice is out of your hands," Salvadore said calmly and turned one palm to the sky.

Right before her very eyes, Elsa witnessed new, separate clouds materialising to engulf Inque's dismembered remains, Mover, Vertigo and Banshee. When the clouds cleared, the Mage Slayers had vanished into thin air, leaving only Salvadore behind.

"Salvadore!" Eleanor cried and sprinted towards the priest engulfed in clouds.

Frustrated, Elsa grabbed at his fading form and came away with nothing. "What's Hans playing at? Tell me!"

"Farewell, witch," The Mage Slayer disappeared behind his clouds.

"No!" Elsa lunged forward and to her chagrin, grabbed nothing but handfuls of mist and clouds.

Eleanor snarled acidly as she came to a stop before Elsa. "You let him get away?"

"Back off, Eleanor," Deirdre said as she came up behind Eleanor.

"I don't understand," Elsa said frustratedly. "What is Hans doing?"

"I need more cannons on the eastern wall!" A voice hollered from the wall facing east.

"Enemy cavalry!" Someone else screamed. "Flank them!"

"Move! Move! Deploy at the eastern wall!"

"Southeast too! We need some help here!"

"What?" Elsa spun to face walls facing east where more artillery teams were already amassing to lend support to the Danish batteries manning the two adjoining wall. "But that's suicide! The palisades and the trenches-" she trailed off. "It doesn't make sense!"

"Enemy cavalry swinging past the skirmishers' flank and heading for the coast!"

Deirdre paled. "They're not aiming for the skirmishers."

"No, no, no, no, no," Elsa felt all the blood drain from her face. Hans and Kane's strategy went far deeper than she'd ever imagined. And it looked like they were all going to die.