The swords clashed without cease.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Adelheid blocked. Dodged. Counterattacked.
Every movement was precise. Calculated.
Eldric attacked with uncontrolled fury.
But effective.
Every blow had brutal weight behind it.
Adelheid retreated three steps.
She was sweating. Breathing heavily.
He's strong. Stronger than I expected.
Eldric smiled with contempt.
"Tired already? Is this all the great commander has?"
Adelheid didn't respond.
She countered with a clean thrust.
Eldric deflected it.
"Where is Kaito?" he asked as he attacked.
Adelheid blocked.
"Your coward king? Sends his bitches to fight for him?"
Adelheid tensed.
"Don't speak of him."
Eldric laughed.
"What? Does it offend you? It's the truth."
He attacked with a brutal descending strike.
"He hides while you die!"
Adelheid blocked, but the impact sent her stumbling back.
"He is more of a king than any noble of Avernor!"
Eldric kept provoking.
"A king? He's a failure. Always was."
He struck again.
"And you're his pet. Obeying orders like a loyal bitch."
Something in Adelheid broke.
Her cold composure evaporated.
Her eyes blazed with fury.
"SHUT UP!"
She attacked savagely.
Without technique. Without control.
Only rage.
Eldric smiled.
There it is.
He blocked easily.
Adelheid, blinded by fury, left her guard open.
Eldric seized the opportunity.
He struck with the pommel of his sword.
Directly at Adelheid's wrist.
CRACK!
Adelheid cried out.
Her sword flew from her hand.
It fell to the ground three meters away.
Eldric didn't waste time.
He kicked Adelheid in the abdomen.
She was thrown backward.
Fell onto her back, gasping.
Eldric slowly walked toward her.
Raised his sword.
"This ends now."
Adelheid tried to get up.
But her left shoulder... dislocated.
It wouldn't respond.
Eldric smiled.
"Say hello to the gods for me."
He raised his sword for the final blow.
But then...
"ADELHEID, RETREAT!"
Kaito's voice resonated from the platform.
Adelheid looked at him.
She didn't want to retreat.
Didn't want to admit defeat.
But the order was clear.
Eldric lowered his sword.
"Run. Like the coward you are."
Adelheid clenched her teeth.
Stood up with difficulty.
Retreated.
Neudämmerung soldiers covered her withdrawal.
Eldric didn't pursue.
He only watched.
"First blood," he murmured. "For me."
---
Drake charged like a bull.
Claws extended.
Supernatural speed.
Naporia waited.
Calculating.
At the last second...
She dodged.
Drake swept past.
Crashed into a rock.
CRASH!
Naporia smiled.
"Fast. But predictable."
Drake turned, roaring.
"I'M GOING TO TEAR YOU APART!"
He charged again.
This time more erratically.
Naporia blocked with her sword.
CLANG!
Claws clashed against steel.
Sparks flew.
Naporia was pushed back.
Strong. Very strong.
Drake attacked with his other claw.
Naporia dodged.
Counterattacked.
Cut through the scales on Drake's arm.
Dark green blood gushed out.
Drake roared in pain.
"DIE!"
He struck with his tail.
Naporia jumped.
But Drake caught her in mid-air.
Struck with his fist.
BAM!
Naporia went flying.
Crashed against a rock wall.
CRASH!
She fell to the ground.
Spit out blood.
Stood up slowly.
Smiling.
"Good."
She wiped the blood from her mouth.
"Finally a challenge."
Her eyes gleamed.
"Now I'll take this seriously."
She vanished.
Drake blinked.
"What...?"
Naporia reappeared behind him.
Full speed activated.
She severed the tendon in his left leg.
Drake roared.
Turned.
Naporia was gone.
She reappeared at his right.
Severed the tendon in his arm.
Drake collapsed to his knees.
"NO!"
He tried to stand.
Naporia appeared before him.
"End."
She raised her sword.
Aiming at his throat.
Drake closed his eyes.
But then...
BOOM!
Golden light exploded.
Naporia was pushed back.
Marcus had intervened.
Divine shield activated.
Protecting Drake.
Marcus gasped.
"I won't... I won't let you kill him."
Naporia growled.
"Interference."
But she didn't attack.
Drake was incapacitated.
That was enough for now.
She retreated.
---
Arrows crossed the air.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
Aria shot from her elevated position.
Selene from the enemy rear.
Both dodging. Repositioning.
Selene shouted.
"Traitor! You abandoned us!"
She fired three rapid arrows.
Aria dodged them.
"I abandoned a corrupt kingdom!"
She shot back.
Selene blocked with her bow.
"Avernor gave us everything! Home! Purpose!"
Aria clenched her teeth.
"It used us! Like disposable tools!"
She fired a teleported arrow.
It appeared behind Selene.
Selene ducked just in time.
"You were my friend!" Selene cried, her voice breaking.
Aria felt pain in her chest.
"And I still am! That's why I want you to open your eyes!"
Selene wept.
"No... I can't..."
She drew a special arrow.
Silvery. Glowing.
Moon Arrow.
"If you're not with me... you're against me."
She aimed.
Directly at Aria's heart.
"Forgive me!"
She released.
The arrow flew.
Shining like a star.
Aria reacted.
Tried to teleport an intercepting arrow.
But the angle...
She miscalculated.
The Moon Arrow pierced her left shoulder.
SHHHT!
Aria screamed.
Fell backward.
Lost her balance.
The elevated position...
She fell.
Three meters down.
CRASH!
Impact against rock.
Aria lay motionless.
Blood gushing from her shoulder.
Selene watched her fall.
Horror crossed her face.
"Aria... no..."
But then Neudämmerung soldiers arrived.
Dragged Aria to cover.
Before Selene could finish her.
Selene lowered her bow.
Trembling.
What have I done?
---
Lilith walked in circles.
Marcus at the center.
Shield planted in the ground.
Golden light emanating.
Lilith tried to approach.
The light repelled her.
Like opposite magnets.
Marcus spoke with a firm voice.
"Filthy witch. The light of the gods will purify you."
Lilith smiled.
"Gods?"
She laughed.
"I've killed priests more devout than you."
Marcus gripped his shield.
"You lie."
Lilith shook her head.
"I don't lie. I've just lived longer than you, boy."
She began to whisper.
Names.
Of the soldiers around Marcus.
One by one, they stopped.
Looked around, confused.
"What... are we doing?"
"Why are we fighting?"
Marcus expanded his protection.
Covering more soldiers.
But the effort made him tremble.
Sweat ran down his face.
Lilith continued whispering.
More names.
More soldiers falling under her influence.
Marcus had to expand further.
"Resist! Faith will protect you!"
Lilith smiled.
"Your faith is strong. But you have a limit."
She stepped closer.
"How long can you maintain that light?"
Marcus gasped.
"Long... long enough..."
Lilith shrugged.
"We'll see."
Tactical stalemate.
But both knew...
It was a matter of endurance.
And Lilith had all the patience in the world.
---
Kaito watched the chaos.
Gorman reported.
"Adelheid retreated. Shoulder wound."
"Naporia has the advantage against Drake but Marcus intervened."
"Aria down. Seriously wounded."
"Lilith and Marcus at a standstill."
He paused.
"Current casualties: thirty of ours. Sixty of theirs."
Kaito clenched his fists.
We're losing.
He looked at the battlefield.
Three queens: wounded, bogged down, or stalemated.
Aria: out of combat.
Soldiers: outnumbered two to one.
He had three options.
Option 1: Total retreat.
Abandon the gorge. Take refuge in the fortress.
But Avernor would besiege them. Only a matter of time.
Option 2: Summon the fourth villain.
Use the remaining cards. Shift the balance.
But the cost... losing more of himself.
Option 3: Desperate tactic.
Risk everything on one move.
Kaito closed his eyes.
Breathed deeply.
Made a decision.
"Gorman. Option three."
Gorman blinked.
"Commander?"
Kaito opened his eyes.
"Activate the final charges. All of them."
Gorman paled.
"But that... will collapse the gorge. We could get trapped..."
Kaito looked at him.
"I know. Do it."
Gorman hesitated.
Then nodded.
"Yes, Commander."
He signaled the hidden engineers.
---
Explosions resounded.
Not from above.
But from the side walls.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Explosive charges detonated strategically.
The gorge walls began to crack.
Rocks fell.
Not massive like before.
But precise.
Separating the battlefield.
A wall of debris formed.
Between Eldric and Marcus.
Another between Marcus and Selene.
The army of Avernor...
Divided into three groups.
Eldric looked around, confused.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Marcus shouted from the other side.
"ELDRIC! WE'RE SEPARATED!"
Eldric cursed.
Looked around him.
He only had thirty soldiers with him.
The rest... isolated.
---
Naporia's Counterattack
Naporia saw the opportunity.
Drake was wounded. Isolated.
With only twenty soldiers protecting him.
Marcus separated by a debris wall.
She smiled.
"Now."
She signaled her assault forces.
Forty elite soldiers emerged.
Surrounding Drake's group.
Naporia led the charge.
"No mercy! No survivors!"
Neudämmerung's soldiers attacked.
Ferociously.
Without honor. Without rules.
Only brutal efficiency.
Avernor's soldiers tried to defend.
But they were disorganized.
Frightened.
In five minutes...
Eighteen dead.
Two survivors fled.
And Drake...
Unconscious. Bleeding.
Naporia looked at him.
Raised her sword.
A voice stopped her.
"Alive!" Kaito shouted from a distance.
Naporia frowned.
But obeyed.
Lowered her sword.
"Bind him. Tightly."
Drake was captured.
---
Eldric assessed the situation.
Separated from Marcus.
Drake captured.
Selene isolated.
Sixty soldiers dead.
Thirty wounded.
One hundred ten remaining... but divided.
Marcus shouted from the other side.
"ELDRIC! WE MUST REGROUP!"
Eldric clenched his teeth.
He hated to admit it.
But Marcus was right.
"RETREAT!" he ordered. "EVERYONE, OUT OF THE GORGE!"
Avernor's army began to retreat.
Orderly at first.
Then faster when arrows pursued them.
Kaito watched.
Gorman asked.
"Do we pursue?"
Kaito shook his head.
"No. We're too wounded."
He looked at his soldiers.
Exhausted. Bleeding. But alive.
"Let them go. For now."
---
When the dust settled, Kaito descended to the battlefield.
Gorman handed him the final report.
"Thirty-five dead. Fifty wounded."
Kaito felt weight in his chest.
"Who?"
Gorman read names.
Some Kaito knew personally.
Rolf. The loyal ex-bandit.
Mirena. One of the fortress leaders.
Ten other veteran soldiers.
Kaito closed his eyes.
Thirty-five families without a father, mother, child...
Gorman continued.
"Avernor lost seventy. Thirty wounded. And we have a prisoner."
He pointed to where Drake was bound.
Unconscious. Guarded by six soldiers.
"And our queens?"
Gorman guided him.
---
Adelheid was sitting.
Shoulder bandaged. Arm in a sling.
Staring at the ground with an empty expression.
Kaito approached.
"Adelheid."
She didn't look up.
"I lost to Eldric."
Her voice was hollow.
"I failed as a commander. Lost my composure. Let myself be provoked."
Kaito knelt before her.
"You didn't lose."
Adelheid looked at him.
"What?"
Kaito touched her healthy shoulder.
"You survived. That's what matters."
Adelheid shook her head.
"But Eldric..."
"Eldric outmatched you in brute power," Kaito interrupted. "But you held the line. Gave time for the tactic."
He smiled faintly.
"Without you, we would have collapsed in five minutes."
Adelheid felt tears forming.
"Commander..."
Kaito stood up.
"Rest. I need you recovered."
He walked away.
Adelheid watched him.
Commander... thank you.
---
Another Section of the Tent
Aria was unconscious.
High fever.
The Moon Arrow wound was infected.
Medics worked desperately.
Kaito approached.
He looked at her pale face.
Sweating. Trembling.
"Will she survive?" he asked a medic.
The man nodded.
"Yes. But she needs time. The arrow... had residual magic. She's fighting a magical infection."
Kaito touched Aria's hand.
It was cold.
"Hold on," he whispered. "We still need you."
He withdrew.
---
Drake was chained.
Still unconscious.
Wounds bandaged but not fully treated.
Lilith was there.
Studying him.
Kaito approached.
"What do you think?"
Lilith touched the chains.
"He's contained. For now."
She looked at Kaito.
"What do we do with him?"
Kaito observed Drake.
A hero of Avernor.
But also... a person.
Like he once was.
"We use him."
Lilith raised an eyebrow.
"Use?"
Kaito nodded.
"We turn him. Like we did with others."
He looked at Lilith.
"Can you do it?"
Lilith smiled.
"Of course. But it will take time. His will is strong."
Kaito nodded.
"You have time. Avernor will need days to reorganize."
He turned.
"Make it worth keeping him alive."
Lilith tilted her head.
"As you command, my king."
---
Balcony
Kaito was alone.
Looking at the battlefield from a distance.
Campfires illuminating.
Soldiers clearing debris.
Burying the dead.
Thirty-five.
Thirty-five lives that ended under his command.
He heard footsteps.
Naporia appeared.
Surprisingly... clean.
She had already washed off the blood.
"Couldn't sleep either," she observed.
Kaito shook his head.
"No."
Naporia leaned on the balcony.
"First real battle. First real losses."
She looked at Kaito.
"How do you feel?"
Kaito was silent.
Finally he spoke.
"Like a fraud."
Naporia raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because I sent them to die. And I survived."
Kaito clenched his fists.
"Thirty-five families... destroyed by my decisions."
Naporia nodded.
"Yes. That's how it is."
Kaito looked at her, surprised by the frankness.
Naporia continued.
"You're a commander. A king. A leader."
She turned to him.
"And leaders carry the deaths. Always."
She paused.
"But they also carry the victories. The ones who survived because of you."
She pointed toward the camp.
"Seventy soldiers alive. Because you made hard decisions."
Kaito looked down.
Naporia touched his shoulder.
"The weight never goes away. You just learn to carry it."
She walked away.
"Rest, mon général. Tomorrow you'll need to be strong."
And she disappeared.
Kaito remained alone.
With the weight.
With the guilt.
With the responsibility.
Thirty-five.
I'm sorry.
But I won't stop.
Not until this ends.