Sovereign's Tourney: Part 2

The two halves of Mr Hide flopped to the ground, swimming in a pool of his own blood. His organs had been released from his body, rotting on the ground. I wanted to vomit at the sight.

The lady had effortlessly slaughtered him.

I couldn’t wait any longer. She was a dangerous piece on the board. Only one person was skilled enough to take her on. It was time for the trump card.

“Chiyo! Teleport her to Yukino now!” I shouted at the top of my lungs. My throat was still caught with the grief of Mr Hide’s sacrifice.

Without wasting a second, she aimed her staff from afar, imagining the killer’s position.

“Raptaberis!”

Black sludge formed beneath her feet. No matter how hard she kicked it out of her way, it refused to leave her. The darkness consumed her body, throwing her to the depths of the shadow world. As soon as she disappeared, the cavalry pushed through, attacking through Aethelheim’s armour.

—--------------------------------

I heard everything. A monster of a swordsman had entered the battlefield and murdered Aki’s close friend. It was unacceptable.

I gripped the hilt of my katana. The moment I had trained for had finally come. Chiyo was about to transport her to me. In a second, I would cut her down just like she did to Mr Hide. It was the perfect revenge.

“Lux dei mihi luceat”

Sparks of light flowed through my blade, charging its intensity. I focused my eyes, awaiting my enemy’s arrival. The rest of my squad members prepped themselves as well.

A puddle of black sludge grew before my eyes. It formed a silhouette of a young woman. As the curtains of darkness revealed her silver armour and hair, my legs shot forward. I unsheathed my blade, revealing a golden blade of pure energy. It aimed directly for her head.

But she expected this.

Clang! Our blades clashed—gusts of pressure released from our impact, cracking the ground beneath. My squadmates flew far, unable to handle our auras. That was fine, though. I wanted this to be a one-on-one fight.

“Your head is mine!” I shouted as I kicked her away with my foot. I readied my stance and calmed my mind. An image of a dew drop falling onto a puddle formed inside. The sound of its plop cleared my thoughts.

“We’ll see about that.” She spoke matter-of-factly, also readying her stance. Her blade was not much bigger or thicker than mine. This was a competition of pure skill.

We circled each other, waiting for who’d attack first. The sounds of our footsteps and the blow of the wind alone remained in this silent battlefield we created. There was no space for distractions.

I had had enough. I couldn’t waste more time than I already had.

Once again, I dashed forward in a straight line. It was an obvious move to counterattack, but I wasn’t stupid. Depending on where she shifted her weight to attack, I would counter on the opposite side. But she wasn’t stupid either. Her movements barely telegraphed her next attack.

Our blades collided with a vertical slash. Several slashes followed, all blocked deftly by her. She showed no openings at all.

I hopped back and charged some light magic. With some swings in the wind, I shot some energy blades.

Shwoo! The blades of light zoned in on her. Yet, with a single swing, all of them were nullified. She didn’t even use magic, yet she countered my move as though it was nothing.

“Geez, you’re good.” I couldn’t help but compliment her.

“You’re weak, that’s all.” Her words stung. She was right. I severely underestimated her.

But I wasn’t going to back down now. Father, Mother, and Aki are all placing their hopes in me. Their expectations made me stronger.

The echoes of our blades’ cries sang into the wind.

—-----------------------

Cries of pain and anguish stained my ears. A river of blood had formed in the centre of the battlefield, covered by Chiyo’s mist. The suffering of war was being concealed right before our eyes. On the other corner, the cavalry continued to push against Aethelheim’s home base, being supported by the archers. One loose piece on the board remained on my mind, though.

The hulking suit of armour in the centre of the mist remained still during the conflict. It hadn’t moved even a millimetre. What was Aethelheim planning with him?

“Leave that man to me, Kurokawa. I’ll do something about him.” Mr Arakawa read my mind, though not in the way I anticipated.

“Are you sure? That monster is dangerous.” I could not understand what his plan was. It genuinely baffled me.

“I’ve got to get my revenge. Though I know I can’t do it alone.”

“I’ll support Master from behind. Leave him to me,” said Chiyo confidently. I was still worried, however.

“You have enough mana for that? Don’t overexert yourself.”

“Relax. I can do this all day! Tell Master to go on ahead.” A slight grin grew on her face. Smiling in the middle of a war was unheard of. Chiyo really was a freak of nature.

Mr Arakawa rushed towards the centre on horseback, slashing his enemies left, right and centre. His wrinkled body hid his prowess. It was no wonder that he was Emperor Nobunaga’s right-hand man.

Boom! An explosion erupted on the other side of the map, near Aethelheim’s base. I was dumbfounded by what I saw. The enormous dome had fallen, leaving shattered walls of its former glory. A second bloodbath had formed there. Soldiers of Aethelheim and Aogiri stabbed, cut, and tore each other apart. The cavalry tried to push through, but it was impossible with the onslaught of ranged attacks. There was no other way to push through.

“Hey, Aki Kurokawa, I’ve got a terrible idea. Wanna hear it?” Riku pitched in.

“I’ll take anything I can get at this point. Hit me.” It was embarrassing for a strategist to say that, but I had no choice. All our troops were at a stalemate.

“Send me to Aethelheim’s base. With my shots at a short distance, I’ll create a massive hole for the rest of the infantry to pass through.” It made sense. An area near the enemy’s base needs a general to lead and push through when required.

“Are you confident in your close combat skills? We still don’t know what else they’re hiding.”

“Who do you think taught you how to swordfight? I can handle myself just fine.”

“You’re right. I trust you with spearheading the assault. Chiyo, I need one last teleport for Riku!”

“No can do, I don’t have enough mana. There’s another way to send him, though it is not as safe.” Chiyo admitted.

“Just do it. We’ve got no choice.”

“Fer eum spiritu venti!”

A gust of wind blew underneath Riku, causing him to float in the air. Wait, there was no way she was going to-

“Chiyo! What are you doing!?” I heard Riku’s cry even without my observational magic.

The miniature tornado carried Riku through the air, dodging the incoming aerial attacks. It seemed less that he was being carried and more like he was being dragged by the wind against his will. Once he was right above the enemy’s base, Riku pulled on his bowstring.

“Sagitta flammarum penetrans!”

The phoenix once again blossomed from Riku’s bow. Without hesitation, he shot it down, melting the remaining walls and blowing up a part of the base. We were one step closer to winning.

But that victory wasn’t short-lived. A roar broke out in the middle of the battlefield. The mist had dissipated, revealing piles of bodies thrown atop each other. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The armoured beast had awakened.

At the same time, Mr Arakawa arrived. He was face-to-face with the monster of his nightmares. The unsheathed sword in his hands was shivering, the complete opposite of his stone-cold face. Mr Arakawa stared at him, gauging his next move.

“This time. I will kill you with my own hands. Be prepared for my vengeance, you fiend.” Mr Arakawa uttered with bloodthirst.

“....” The armoured soldier grumbled at Mr Arakawa. Did it recognise him from the past?

The soldier rushed towards him with his bare fist ready to attack. As it threw its fist, a gust of wind flew past, blowing soldiers from both sides away. Mr Arakawa deftly dodged it and slashed his skin. It barely left a mark.

With every punch the soldier threw, Mr Arakawa returned with a clean slice in his exposed areas. The hulk of a man bled profusely from these areas, yet it didn’t seem perturbed at all. Mr Arakawa was winning the fight with a large margin.

Shwing! With one slash towards his face, its mask was split into two. The face behind the helmet didn’t seem human. He was bearded with unkempt hair, and his eyes were crossed. The man’s skin was as rough as the rocks beneath. He was the spitting image of a caveman.

The soldier was not happy.

His roar bellowed the entirety of No Man’s Land. Shivers ran down everyone’s spine. No one felt safe, not even that monster’s comrades. In that soldier’s mind, it was either kill or be killed.

Mr Arakawa kept the grip on his katana firmer. The real fight began now.

The monstrous human flailed his arms at Mr Arakawa. His speed and accuracy had improved drastically, even though his attacks were random. I could tell that Mr Arakawa was struggling to dodge his attacks. He winced in pain when even his fist slightly grazed him. There was not even a time for a counterattack.

“Flamma ardens spiritus sancti!”

The fireball collided with the man at the speed of a ramming car. His armour was burning, yet he was still standing, though he was startled. Mr Arakawa took advantage of this and continued his multiple slashes.

“Graahhh!”

It happened in the blink of an eye. Mr Arakawa soared above the ground. A direct punch from the soldier had hit him. My mouth and brain were frozen. A hit like that was a death sentence. It would easily shatter his bones and stop his heart. I tried to cry for Mr Arakawa, but fear wouldn’t let me. I was paralysed.

“I’m not dying yet. Not until I have his head in my hands!” It was a miracle. His mouth was pouring blood. Bruises on his body from broken bones were swollen and purple. Yet, Mr Arakawa stood, blade in hand, ready for battle.

“Affer salutem et prosperitatem a Domino!”

The bruises disappeared in a second. Chiyo’s healing spell was wondrous. Severe injuries were healed in a second. Nothing was holding Mr Arakawa back now.

He was tired of taking the defensive approach. He dashed forward and side-stepped around him. For a man over 40, his movements were swift and accurate. The soldier was struggling to follow his movements. His eyes darted at Mr Arakawa’s afterimage, unable to keep up. Flailing his arms was a failure. It didn’t take long before it got exhausted and dropped one knee.

“Now!” Chiyo and I screamed in unison.

Shwing! With one simple slice, the soldier’s head slid off his body, rolling to the ground.

Mr Arakawa swung his blade, throwing the blood away from his sword. He then grabbed the monster’s head with his hand. 10 years of planning this revenge had finally been accomplished.

He prayed towards the head, respecting his previous comrades before collapsing.

“Master!” Chiyo screamed with terror.

“Relax, Chiyo. I’m fine. Just tired… and happy.” With those final words, Mr Arakawa fell into a deep slumber with a smile on his face… Evident by his loud yawning. There was nothing to worry about.

One of the generals of Aethelheim had been taken down. It was a cause for celebration. There was only one more left to take down. But weren’t 2 generals too few for an army? Was that all they had?

My question was answered with a sharp scream from Riku.

“Gahhh!! This girl’s too strong!” Riku coughed up some blood as he readied his bow.

In front of him was a single girl wearing a priest's robe. She floated in the air, holding spheres of concentrated magic. The soldiers around both of them had either collapsed or died. It was purely a one-versus-one.

That girl, with her blonde hair and sea-blue eyes, must have been the final general.

“Hohohoh! I think I’ll enjoy playing with you for a little while.” The girl giggled like a child who had found a new toy. Her eyes were devoid of any humanity.

“Well, I don’t!”

Magic spheres were barraged at Riku. He tried countering with some magical arrows, but it was ineffective. She dodged them while floating in the air. How was her mana pool high enough to even fly?

Even with one general down on the opponent’s side, this battle was far from over.