"I hate patrol duty!" Hylian Soldier A grumbled, stamping his boot against the frozen ground. "If it weren't for those westerners, we wouldn't need to replace those Rito scouts. Curse those westerners!"
"Hey, don't worry!" Hylian Soldier B replied with a shrug. "Soon we'll get revenge on those westerners, plunder their city, steal their women, and other stuff like that. Our Hylian army is invincible!"
"Yeah!" Hylian Soldier A laughed. "Those inferior westerners really can't fight against us Hylians! But what about the Kylians?"
Hylian Soldier C, who had been quietly leaning on his spear, scoffed. "The Kylians are all bark and no bite. We'll screw them over just like how we did with the Sovians!"
"Hahaha! Agreed, brother!" Hylian Soldier B said, clapping him on the shoulder.
Meanwhile a Kylian Sniper muttered a few hundred meters away within the snow-covered tree line, watching over the Hylian Soldiers' antics. "Stupid Hylians! Acting so carelessly in enemy territory, are you asking for death?"
"Stop mumbling and shoot them already!" the Kylian Spotter next to him hissed. "Our fellow compatriots are waiting for us to clear any enemy scouting forces. We have to advance quickly before the Hylians catch on!"
"Ok! Geez, you can't rush a sniper!" The Kylian Sniper whispered back, steadying his rifle.
"BAM!"
"Thud! Thud! Thud!" The three Hylians collapsed at once, two with holes in their heads and one with his throat slightly torn out.
"Triple shot, double head shot! Three with one bullet!" The Kylian Spotter exclaimed in disbelief as he emerged from the woods. "How about that!"
The Kylian Sniper slowly lowered his rifle, exhaling a thin plume of frost into the air. "Quit celebrating," he said glumly, already cycling the bolt and checking the chamber. "This one is still alive, see?"
"Wheeze…" Hylian Soldier C strangled his lightly torn throat, trying to keep the blood from sweeping out and open his own airway.
The Kylian Spotter's grin vanished instantly as he examined the Hylian soldier from afar. "It appears that the wound is not immediately fatal. He will die, but it would be a slow agonizing death."
"Well?" The Kylian Sniper looked back at the Kylian Spotter, waving the muzzle of his rifle at the Hylian. "Want me to shoot him?"
"No." The Kylian Spotter spoke quietly. "It's not worth it to waste a bullet on a dead man."
"Well fine then!" Annoyed, the Kylian Sniper set his rifle aside as he pointed his finger into the snow-covered forest foliage. "Get me that big stick over there!"
The Kylian Spotter begrudgingly waded through the snow, grappling the large club-like stick with two hands before dragging it back to the Kylian Sniper.
"Here!" Lugging this stick into the Kylian Sniper's arms the Kylian Spotter shot a questionable gaze. "Gonna make it painless?"
"I'll try," The Kylian Sniper shrugged while he lifted the stick over his head. "But there is no guarantee!"
"Wheeze!" Hylian Soldier C thrashed around in terror as a shadow loomed over his head. Too weak to resist he could only watch helplessly as the stick accelerated downwards, accepting his fate.
"BAM!" "Crack!" "Whoosh!" "Thud!"
The stick had hit the Hylian Soldier at a steep angle on the chin, forcibly tearing his head off his neck, squirting blood onto the Kylian Sniper. The head then barreled through the air for a second before hitting a stump of a tree, splattering more blood all over.
The two Kylians stared at each other awkwardly at the gruesome sight before the bloody Kylian Sniper interrupted.
"Well…At least I think it was painless?"
"Shut up!" The Kylian Spotter rolled his eyes as he patted off snow that had accumulated on him. "We should get going, we spent far too much time here."
"Hehe, Agreed!" The Kylian Sniper embarrassingly chuckled as he tossed the giant stick away, picked up his rifle before following the Kylian Spotter out of the bloody clearing.
Around the Hylian Camp were countless incidents like this one that were happening, although less bloody. The eyes and ears of the Hylians were now blind and deaf as the main forces from Viskov City prepared to deal a fatal blow.
…
"What do you mean they're all gone?!" Lord Hairiahito questioned as he pounded his fist against a map laden crate.
"Yes, my lord!" The Hylian Officer knelt, not daring to glance up at his fuming lordship. "All twenty of our scout teams had mysteriously disappeared outside of camp! Not even a single straggler made it back! We are effectively blind and deaf now!"
Hairiahito tossed all the maps aside before he threw the crate against the snow, bellowing in anger. "Do you realize what this means? The Kylians know exactly where we are, and we have no eyes to warn us of their approach!"
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
"What was that!" The Hylian Soldiers that were present shot up to their feet, startled, as faint echoes reverberated through the valley.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Hairiahito and a group of Hylian Soldiers ducked down, covering their ears in fright from the thunderous noises coming from the center of the camp.
"Look! The Tents!" A few Hylian Soldiers exclaimed in panic as the center of the encampment. The once neat rows of Hylian tents now wrecked with charred craters, smoke, flames, and the screams of wounded soldiers.
"What in the name of Hylia is attacking us?!" Lord Hairiahito roared unwillingly before more screams of artillery shells screeching through the air drowned out his voice.
…
Dozens of Kylian artillery loaded shell after shell into the artillery pieces positioned along the ridge line a couple of kilometers west of the Hylian encampment.
"Target confirmed!" a spotter called, adjusting his scope. "Direct hit!"
General Odin stood at the highest point of the ridge, cloak snapping in the wind as he examined the smoke rising in the distance. "Fire again," he ordered.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The cannons recoiled in unison, shaking the snow beneath them. A moment later, distant explosions rippled through the valley, followed by faint shouts of Hylian Soldiers scrambling for cover.
Viskov and Sovi, watching from afar, then looked at each other with a little bit of fear. No wonder why the Kylians were able to conquer the Rosian Basin! If their own armies fought against the Blue Army, it would be an utter massacre!
"I think the Kylians got this covered." Sovi shook her head reluctantly, questioning her own aptitude.
"Nonsense!" Viskov leaned in to wrap around Sovi by the shoulders, waving his other arm and grandly explained. "If news comes out that we did not even participate in this battle, what will become of the reputation of us Valors? Besides, this is an opportunity to eradicate a ginormous portion of the Hylian Army! We cannot let them get away!"
"Get off me!" Sovi pushed Viskov arm away then questioned. "You are right, but what can we do? Our armies would only get killed by our ally's bombardment before we touch the Hylians!"
"We'll just destroy their high-end combat power, me and you!" Viskov walked towards the edge of the ridge exclaimed. "We will swoop in and kill. As Valors, we are invincible, what is there to fear?"
"…Fine!" Sovi grumbled, flexing her wings as she reluctantly followed her elder brother.
"Xa-xa!" Viskov roared out as he jumped in the air, wings extending as he accelerated to supersonic speeds, Sovi trailing behind.
"Now follow me! Vpered!"
…
Hairiahito staggered out of the clearing, boots slipping on churned snow as another artillery shell detonated somewhere behind him. The shockwave punched through his chest, forcing the breath he had just taken out of him.
Lord Hairiahito was having a very, very, bad time. Most of the Hylian Army was either in rout, injured or killed and yet they had not seen a single glimpse of their enemy. They were unilaterally suppressed by their enemy without any way to retaliate.
Now he could only hope and pray to the Goddess Hylia, lest they all get slaughtered.
But his luck was about to get worse.
"Look! See him!" Sovi, flying next to Viskov, pointed down at a worn down but once exuberant figure struggling through the chaos. With their Valor eyesight, they could spot out the numerous medals on Hairiahito gear.
"I see!" Viskov glanced back at Sovi, answering. "Instead of killing him, lets capture him instead! We'll get credit for taking their commander alive."
"Agreed! However, let's make it quick as it looks like he's about to be obliterated by those Kylian shells any second now!" Sovi quickly replied before pulling into a dive towards the Hylian Commander.
"Hey!" Viskov responded with indignation at Sovi's action before he solemnly followed, ready to interfere if the situation suddenly changed for the worse.
...
"May the Goddess Hylia be with me! May the Goddess Hylia be with me!" Lord Hairiahito earnestly prayed with fervor while being face down in a blown out muddy ditch. Around him were the flashes and booms of artillery shells raining down upon the encampment.
Hairiahito squeezed his eyes shut, bracing for the inevitable sweet release of death.
Fate had other plans for him.
"Wha-!" Hairiahito gasped in shock as something fast seized him by the end of his cape. The ground seemed to drop under his feet.
"Got him!" Sovi shouted out to Viskov as she gradually accelerated away from the battlefield, making sure not to go supersonic, as that would surely kill the Hylian Commander.
"Great! Splended!" Viskov complemented as he caught up to Sovi, before fantasizing on their next steps. "Now we just need to bring him back to our forces and we'll be free to set loose on the Hylian Army!"
"Let! Me! Down!" Hairiahito wailed, twirling in the air from the twists of his cape. His mouth filled with the air rushing towards him.
Sovi looked down and snapped at the thrashing Hylian Commander. "If you keep thrashing around like that, your cloak will tear or my grip will slip! So stay put and be a good prisoner! Okay?"
"Never! You filthy feathered-AHHHHHHH!" Before Lord Hairiahito could finish his curse, a sharp metal object came about at speeds that impressed the Valors, tearing Hairiahito's cloak into two.
Lord Hairiahito was now experiencing the joy of 'freefall'.
"Blayt!" Sovi cursed as Viskov next to her shot towards the falling Hylian Commander at supersonic speeds.
"AHHHHHHH!" Hairiahito could only shed tears, lamenting his poor luck.
"I'll save you!" Viskov roared as both he and Lord Hairiahito neared the ground.
Suddenly glittering golden sparkles enveloped the Hylian Commander's body, slowing his descent till he was just elevating above the snow cover ground. Next to the now unconscious Hairiahito a figure stood, arms outstretched and wiggling his fingers in a ridiculous motion.
Viskov and Sovi landed several meters away from the figure, wary and gauging his intentions. By now both had realized that it was him who shot out what they now recall to be a dark metal dagger with a ruby diamond in the blade's center.
"You both are very quick and meticulous, I suppose I should thank you for saving my target." The figure with the red mantle chuckled with sarcastic appreciation.
"Who are you?! Explain yourself!" Sovi bared at the figure, sword now unsheathed.
"Now, don't be so hasty!" The figure looked over his shoulder, away from the two Valors and presented with a flamboyant mocking tone. "I am simply a humble Demon Lord who fought many heroes and a dutiful servant of the Demon God himself. You may call me Ghirahim. In truth, I very much prefer to be indulged with my full title: Lord Ghirahim. But I'm not fussy."
"What?" Sovi stuck her chin up, eyes feigning ignorance as she mocked back. "I didn't hear you the first time. Fewer words please!"
"Sovi…" Viskov began to give out a soft, tense reminder but was interrupted by Lord Ghirahim's outburst.
"How rude!" Ghirahim sternly chided the offending valor. "Your younger sister, Kylia, was much more respectful when we met, she even cowered in fear knowing how powerful I am…"
"Now, I wonder how she knew I was so powerful in the first place?" Lord Ghirahim muttered silently to himself, raising the Hylian Commander into the air with his magic while watching Viskov's face contort with fury.
"DIE!" Now it was Viskov's turn to be blinded by rage, he charged towards Ghirahim with a sonic boom and a white glittery sword raised over his head. Sovi followed right behind.
Lord Ghirahim stood there as he raised two fingers, a smirk forming on his face.
"Boom!" Viskov appeared right in front of Ghirahim, his blade forming a 1 million degree celsius, 10 meter long plasma slash as he swung down with all of his might.
How arrogant would a man need to be to believe that he could block his attack with two fingers?
Courting death!
Yet a moment later Viskov stared in shock at the scene before him. His sword was now out of his hands, but in Lord Ghirahim's! Ghirahim with two fingers, was able to block his attack before forcibly yanking his sword from him!
How embarrassing!
"Hmm…Trash! Not comparable to Kylia's blade at all!" Lord Ghirahim commented as he inspected Viskov's sword. The terrain around him melted and charred but he was not affected at all.
Sovi, who was trailing behind Viskov, now circled around Ghirahim, performing a surprise downward strike.
Lord Ghirahim, unimpressed, raised his other hand.
"Klt-shing!" This attack was even easier for Ghirahim to block. Now he held both of their swords, one in each hand.
"Let me present to you two what happens to trash!" Lord Ghirahim exclaimed as he began to roll up the iron swords into a single small iron ball.
"Hmp!" Viskov and Sovi scoffed as they both began to attack barehandedly from their respective positions. Viskov swung his fist at Ghirahim's exposed head while Sovi lurched forward to punch Ghirahim's naval.
"Oh?" Lord Ghirahim showed an exaggerated gesture of surprise. Unlike Kylia, Viskov and Sovi had the combat experience to keep the momentum on their side. They now have a chance to take advantage of his unrevealed, hidden weakness. It's just that Viskov and Sovi are only a weak Mini-Boss and Half-Step Mini-Boss Tier in combat power. Too weak to bridge the gap of a Peak Boss Tier like him.
He has an easy way to deal with a situation like this.
"What! Where did he go?!" Viskov and Sovi shouted in panic simultaneously as they barreled towards each other, only by relying on fast reflexes and combat experience did they manage to avoid hitting each other.
Looking around warily, the pair finally found Lord Ghirahim up in the sky, standing on an orange, floating, energy platform with Lord Hairiahito.
"You two are much weaker than that of your younger sister, Kylia. Yet you both can survive a couple of rounds with me. Although it has been a pleasure of mine playing around here, I have matters to attend to that I cannot bear to delay! Goodbye and may we never meet again!" Lord Ghirahim arrogantly gestured with his hand before he and the Hylian Commander dissipated into gem-like particles.
With Ghirahim and Hairiahim's disappearance, the faint, soft sound of calvary trudging through snow reverberated through the air.
"Valord Viskov! Valord Sovi! I have come with reinforcements to aid you! We have won the battle back at the Hylian encampment!" Captain Kinnota of the 1st Cavalry Company exclaimed, 200 of his men on horseback stationed right behind.
"Great!" Viskov haggardly huffed, showing a gesture of holding something small with his fingers. "You're just a tad bit late though."
"Sorry about that!" Kinnota apologized to the beat down Valors. "When we heard the commotion back at camp, we rushed as quickly as possible to your location, but it seems like you might have already dealt with the threat?"
"Not quite…" Sovi folded her wings and let out a tired breath. "For now… let's make sure most of the Hylians don't escape. We can't let them recover from this blow."
"Agreed!" Captain Kinnota raised a hand, signaling his men forward. "Orah! Valords! Let's kill some Hylians!"
"Orah! Orah! Orah!" The Kylian Calvary roared as they surged forwards, hooves pounding against the snow.
Viskov and Sovi looked at each other with regretful understanding that they had gained nothing and passed most of the credit of destroying the Hylian Army to the Kylians. Wearily, both accelerated back towards the battlefield to try and kill some Hylians.