The Last Stand

As the Coalition invaded Paris, they were met with fierce resistance. Louis had gone AWOL, leaving Napoleon to organize the defense alone. Paris was a difficult city to navigate normally, so trying to get troops, tanks, and artillery through the streets was a complete nightmare, something that the French army took full advantage of.

As the tanks attempted to squeeze through the narrow streets, French troops lobbed explosives, and the winding roads made it difficult for the artillery to get clear shots, giving the enemy ample cover.

Unfortunately for them, however, the Coalition at this point had several times the troops, so even if they were taking greater losses, it was only a matter of time until the French were overrun.

The Russians, British, and Germans made up the bulk of the invasion force. Keitaro intentionally had the Japanese troops hang back. He didn’t want Japanese blood paying for this victory. However, he did want at least some prestige from this, so both him and Toko were on the frontlines being escorted by the Kurotai.

As the day went on, the battle progressed slowly but surely, bodies piling up higher as each minute passed. Soon the crown jewel was on the horizon.

“The Palace of Versailles…” Keitaro peered through his binoculars. “Almost surreal seeing it like this.”

“D-do you think Louis and Sylvie are in there?” Toko looked at it too.

“Hard to say. If I was backed into a corner like that, I’d probably go underground. Fight a guerilla war until the perfect moment to strike back.”

Keitaro’s memories of Versailles were far from happy, but it really was a shame to watch such a beautiful building get shelled. The entire city, in fact, was being turned into a pile of junk. By the time the battle was over, it’d probably look just as bad as Rome and Istanbul.

As the army reached Versailles, another fierce battle ensued. The gilded windows shattered as gunshots rang out, and the statues and fountains were ground into dust as the artillery roared. The palace was soon decimated but taken as scouts returned with their reports.

“Louis Delacroix was nowhere to be seen on the premises,” Musashi relayed the information. “However, Sylvie Marche has been found dead.”

“What!?” Keitaro stood up in shock.

Meanwhile, Toko only gasped.

“Her Core had been removed. And as you know, only a Knight or a Maiden could’ve done such a thing.”

“Impossible… Did one of our allies already get to her?”

“No. At this moment, there seems to be only one possibility…”

“You don’t mean…”

“Yes, that seems to be the case.”

Keitaro took a step back as Toko covered her mouth. Sylvie might have been the worst kind of witch, but her fate was still disturbing.

***

The Battle of Paris was over. While the remnants of the French army put up a valiant defense, they inevitably fell to the Coalition’s superior numbers. However, while the French leadership had been taken into custody and Sylvie’s body had been collected, one man was still missing. Louis Delacroix. The Blue Knight had murdered the Blue Maiden and abandoned the frontline. His current whereabouts were now unknown. Not even Napoleon knew.

This variable was concerning to the Coalition, so a city-wide manhunt was enacted. Victory would not be declared as long as Louis was still out there.

Although for Keitaro, finding Louis was the least of his concerns. A stroll through the Eiffel Tower gardens was what he needed to unwind after the campaign. The area was under lockdown by the Kurotai with Musashi commanding them, and Toko had a bout of fatigue, so she was currently resting under Tomoe’s care. Therefore, it was just him.

A walk through the Eiffel Tower gardens ought to have been an enchanting experience. Unfortunately, the atmosphere left a lot to be desired. The smoke in the air and the backdrop of a destroyed Paris was just simply depressing.

However, there was one thing even more depressing than the surroundings. A homeless man who seemed to have slipped under the radar.

This man was dressed in a long, ragged black coat, his hair was unkempt, and his eyes were dark, sunken in.

But this wasn’t just any ordinary homeless guy.

Most people would’ve been fooled. However, Keitaro knew right away. There was only one man in this city who could be that defeated.

“Louis Delacroix, right?”

The man looked up, his eyes fully devoid of light. He made eye contact with Keitaro for a few seconds before looking back down, even more hopeless than before. “You’re here to kill me, aren’t you?”

Keitaro didn’t say anything.

“Just do it…” He buried his head in his knees. “Please…”

“Come on… Lift your head…” Keitaro didn’t want to kill him like this.

Louis buried his head even deeper. “No…! Just kill me…! Just do it…! I fought so hard…! And for what!? I did everything for her! And she…! She…!” He went silently. Before the faint sounds of crying snuck through.

“Look, man…” Keitaro knelt down. It wasn’t hard to imagine what had happened. “We’ve all had problems with women…”

“This is way more than that!” Louis screamed as he shot his head up. Tears were streaming down his face. “I loved Sylvie more than anything else in the world! I went to war with the world for her! I suffered the humiliation of losing for her! And I would’ve done it all again! B-but…” His lip quivered as the memories started rushing back.

“Still…you can’t just give up like this…”

Louis chuckled weakly as he looked down. “Whatever… I’m going to die anyway…” Looking back up, he explained, “Her Ability was called Toxic. Just one scratch from her nail puts a deadly, slow-acting poison right into your veins.” He coughed violently before pulling aside his coat, showing off the scratch marks covering his face and neck. “And she got me real good.”

Keitaro narrowed his eyes. Louis’s ticket had already been punched.

“If you’re not going to kill me then just leave me alone…”

But as Louis buried his head into his knees, he was sent reeling as Keitaro kicked him as hard as he could.

Louis hit the ground on his stomach, coughing from the pain of impact and the poison.

“Shut the hell up!” Keitaro grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. “The woman you loved betrayed you, so what!? Is that really all you ever fought for!? Even if you’re about to die, what does that matter!? We were all brought here for a reason! Win or lose, live or die, that still doesn’t change! You are France’s last hope! Do you really want to die as a sniveling little wreck! Or do you want to die fighting to your last breath!? What does your nation deserve!?” With all of his strength, Keitaro sent his fist flying into Louis’s jaw, knocking him to the ground.

Coughing, Louis tried getting back up but buckled, falling again. But Keitaro had walked up beside him, kneeling down and offering him a hand. Taking it, Louis was pulled to his feet by the Black Knight.

“Now let’s do it.” Keitaro tightened his fist, smiling. “One last fight. Give the French people the send off they deserve.”

Returning the smile, Louis nodded. “All right!”

But as soon as the battle was to start, a beam of light tore through Louis’s chest, barely missing Keitaro.

“Louis!” Keitaro ran up and caught him, but it was already too late. His Core had been destroyed. “Louis!”

As Keitaro kept crying out his name, it only became clearer that the life that he had brought back to the man just before his death was already long gone.

“A clean shot, if I do say so myself. I suppose that finally ends this war.”

The voice was unfamiliar. Looking up, Keitaro saw a new face. He had a very proper demeanor, and his uniform was perfect even though they were in a battlefield.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. Sean Thompson. The Pink Knight. Thank you for finding Louis. Your efforts will not be forgotten.”

“Why did you kill him!?” Keitaro was barely listening.

“Why? What are you talking about? This is a battle royale.”

“Well, have you ever heard of honor!?”

Sean scoffed, “This isn’t a fairytale, and I definitely don’t want to be hearing that from you.” He started walking away. “We had an objective and I accomplished it. That is all that matters. There’s no place for ‘honor’ here.”

The body of Louis still in his arms, Keitaro gritted his teeth. This was yet another bitter victory.