Gold and Fire

Several hundred knights, all riding under the Unicorn Banner charged down the plain, right towards the exposed Empyrean siege machinery.

"Turn the cannons around, turn the cannons around!" Pikemen quickly ran forward, trying to get in front of the artillery to defend them, but the horseriders ran them down before they could get into formation, and barrelled towards the half-turned cannons. Limbs severed and bone snapped as the cannons splattered with Empyrean blood. Behind the horseriders, hundreds - no, thousands of Serian soldiers charged over the hills, maintaining their phalanx as they did so. As the Serian cavalry parted before the organized Empyrean second rank, the Serians marched towards each other. Massive rectangle formations of men approached one another as fast as they could while maintaining their formations as arquebuses blew giant holes into anyone unlucky enough to get caught by the fire. Jason laughed manically as the two pike formations eventually clashed. Serian and Empyrean soldiers began wildly stabbing one another as the opposing formations gradually amalgamated into one.

"Well general?" The Serian strike team cheered as their knights wheeled around the rear of the pikemen and fired their pistols and bows at the exposed Empyrean pikemen before running down the fleeing Empyreans with their swords. Serian engineers ran for the abandoned Empyrean cannons and began operating them of their own will. Dayan's eye twitched.

"Nonsense." Dayan muttered. "When did you corrupt Serian bastards get so competent?" Dayan ducked as a volley of bullets and arrows struck the area, killing a massive amount of Empyrean soldiers. The Serian cavalry, putting away their bows and pistols, now charged right at the Empyrean defenders that surrounded the Serian strike team.

"Everyone, break, now!" Aeneas yelled, as several of the Serian halberdiers charged to the side, opening up a massive gap. The Serian cavalry charged into the gap, and withdrew. Now, the Serian strike team ran in the opposite direction created by the cavalry's impact.

"Let them escape." Dayan said as he watched the Serian strike team successfully disengage from the square. "It matters not that we catch a small Serian task force. Only that their armies are disintegrated."

"General!" Niria ran up to Dayan, panting. "They...they must have sent a request out to Valengrau. There's Valor Company in there too, I don't believe it..."

"Valor Company?" Dayan looked at his sword. "Perhaps, I should face them down."

"We can't, general!" Niria looked at the sword. "You're not fully bonded with the blade, you can't just face  them down alone and expect to win." She looked out at the army. "No, with an army that large, even a fully bonded hero of great power would fall easily.

"That's true." Dayan snarled. "But don't underestimate me, Niria. I may not be bonded to the sword, but by the authority of the sacred throne of Lady Regina, I am capable of unlocking...certain powers." Dayan closed his eyes. "Get to the northern wall. Empyrean forces are still stable in North Eldingenau. I will have you two travel there and retreat, alongside the rest of the army."

"But sir, you'll be alone here..."

"That is acceptable." Dayan turned to the two mages. "I will face the Serians myself." He looked at the blade. "My resonance with this sacred blade may be weak, but I have still been bestowed it by the Goddess herself. I'll tear the guts out of every last Serian that crosses my path."

~~*~~

"Open fire! Let not one of them escape!" The Serian knights charged across the fields of western Eldingenau, skewering the scattered Empyrean soldiers as they ran from them. One of the knights stopped to cut down an Empyrean gunman, before he was faced with another. Just before the Empyrean soldier fired, an arrow pierced his throat, and he fell down with a thus.

"Got room for one more?" Jason ran up to the knights.

"Serian?"

"I am Jason Bernice, the future Earl." Jason saluted the man. "I'm from the original strike team. I can ride well." A knight inspected Jason's choice of armor and armament, but after a brief look, he nodded.

"Wonderful, get to our camp." The knight pointed to a set of temporary stables that were being set up. "We'll have you mounted in no time. Get a lance too."

"I'm moving to the city outskirts." Aeneas said, looking through a spyglass as he observed Jason. "I'll take care of the supply lines to eastern Eldingenau, and finish off the Empyrean army with my men. So you lot stay put and stay out of trouble." Aeneas turned to walk away, but then stopped. "Actually, no. You guys are going to try something crazy again, aren't you?" He looked over to western Eldingenau, and then at the trio. "You know what, fine. Link up with Valor Company, they're moving somewhere to Northern Eldingenau. It's a hard battle, but you might be safer with them. Protect Valor's command, and escort them back. Should be easy enough for you to all do." Aeneas mounted a horse that a few soldiers had brought him, and took off with an escort of knights. "Hiya!" Hanna watched Aeneas from a distance as she looked at Eliza and Asta.

"Well, doing this?" She gave a small smile.

"Yeah, sounds good." Asta stood in the recently recaptured castle courtyard as several Serian soldiers moved in and out of the area. "Northern Eldingenau. Valor Company shouldn't be too hard to find." They gazed out at northern Eldingenau, where the red unicorn banner of Valor Company flew.

"Let's go."

~~*~~

Asta cleaved through an Empyrean soldier as he ran past the ruined market of Eldingenau. There was no formation, no shield walls, and no cavalry here. Behind every door was a sword, from every window an arquebus or crossbow. The Empyrean forces that found themselves pincered between the defending Eldingenau garrison and the fresh Serian army from Valengrau that had come to assist them had hastily fortified the market. Despite being surrounded by Serians on both sides - or perhaps because of it - they fought ferociously. But time was not on their side, and Asta could feel the exhaustion, thirst, and hunger from the formerly besieging, and now besieged Empyrean soldiers. A commander from Valor Company rode up and down on a horse, urging on the Serians. 

"Iwen!" Hanna shouted. "Valor Company's HQ is up ahead. Should we go and talk to them?" A column of Serian pikemen ran forth, wielding pikes and halberds. With the streets getting clearer, Hanna, Asta, and Eliza fell backwards alongside the tired Serians, who began to rotate out.

"Better idea. How about we join Valor Company's vanguard into Empyrean HQ?" Asta stared at the pikemen. "We've almost captured Dayan anyways." Asta watched as dozens of soldiers poured into the Empyrean command center.

Just then, there was a giant shockwave as the disembodied parts of many Serian soldiers went flying. Everyone stared in horror.

"Should we...maybe not?" Hanna suggested, looking at the gore.

"No, that's further evidence that I have to go." Asta ran towards the courtyard where Dayan was.

"One has to wonder where all that courage comes from..." Hanna shook her head.

"I'm with you this time." Eliza winced.

~~*~~

"Oi!" Asta walked past the shield wall formation that the other Serians were now nervously placed in. He drew his sword and pointed it at Dayan.

"Another fool approaches." Dayan turned to face Asta as the Serian soldier scampered back to Serian lines. He laughed. "If you truly believe you are stronger than the last few soldiers to face me, then by all means." He looked up and down, scanning Asta as he approached. Asta instinctually grimaced, but quickly shifted to a snarkier tone.

"If the 'weak' come charging at you with swords then, perhaps."

"Touche. And I suppose you believe yourself to be strong?"

"Does that matter, knave? You yourself seem to believe you are." Dayan's face grew dark. "It matters not. You will die like the rest of them."

Dayan ran in, his glowing sword impacting off of Asta's blade. Asta staggered back, shocked by the strike.

"Support the general! We can't lose with that sword!" An Empyrean soldier rushed in, aiming his halberd at Asta as he desperately blocked Dayan's flurry of strikes. A shot rang out, striking the Empyrean soldier square in the chest. Both the remaining Empyrean soldiers and the fresh Serian army charged into the melee as gunpowder and smoke obscured the small courtyard, where a brutal melee ensued.

Dayan fought like a bear, Asta barely managing to fend off each blow. He ducked as Dayan swung a massive strike at Asta, embedding itself against a still standing tree. Dayan turned and quickly charged back at Asta.

"Ugh!" Asta dodged a strike from Dayan, only suffering a small cut on his arm. This wasn't good. He caught his breath as he helplessly watched a Serian soldier stumble onto Dayan. The Empyrean general booted the soldier onto the ground, immobilizing him, and slowly raised his blade, before rapidly sending it down onto his throat.

Asta was aware of this maneuver. Famously used by Saint Aerlotte, it was a centuries old form - though, it had been starting to decline as of late. Asta watched as Dayan barely missed being shot by a stray arquebus round from one of his own men, and watched him yell at him. He had another idea.

"I'll have your throat, fool!" Dayan shouted at the soldier, before he saw Asta bounding towards him, wildly slashing his sword. Dayan was well aware of the ineffectiveness of the boy's strikes, and merely parried. He would tire himself out. Or, better yet - he noticed the boy's sword beginning to strain as well. Sword or human, one would give first.

Asta's sword was beginning to crack, as he hammered away at Dayan's sacred blade. Though he had no doubt Dayan was unaware, he rapidly parried a blow from Dayan's sword that he could easily have parried. The sword shattered, but Asta saw the opening.

"It's over!" Dayan yelled as he saw the sword snap in half. Victoriously, Dayan slowly raised the sword over his head for a finishing strike, as Asta bounded right at Dayan, too close to be struck.

"I got you!" Asta hit Dayan with the rear of his sword, sending the man tumbling down by the statue, and pointed his shattered blade at his throat. "It's over Dayan!" Eliza and Hanna ran in alongside a group of Serian troopers as Asta climbed onto Dayan's body. The other door opened up as well.

"No!" Niria and Mayran burst in with another squad of Empyrean soldiers. They aimed their weapons at the Serians, but found themselves outnumbered. Dozens of arquebuses, bows, and crossbows were aimed right at them. Dayan quietly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" A Serian mage asked as he approached Asta and Dayan. "What are you laughing for?" Dayan burst out laughing.

"You, you all think you have won." Dayan grinned. "You all think you've beaten me."

Dayan staggered up, and plunged the Sword of Hresvelgr into the heart of the statue. It tore apart, as if reality itself had hinged upon the statue. Asta briefly saw a void of nothingness inside of the statue before a beam of pure darkness emerged from the wound on the statue.