One Way

The thunder of the Spirecrusher cannon was deafening.

The air rumbled and the ground shook, a veritable earthquake rocking the knights and nobles stationed at Jestel Plaza as the Spirecrusher spat out its enormous payload. Tons of pure steel careened through the air, annihilating all that stood in its way. Not even the infinite regenerative properties of the witchspawn would save them from the sheer power of such an attack, the cannonball annihilating them in a single strike as it shot through their feeble bodies.

The massive sphere of smoking steel buried itself in the black Spire, forcing open the twin doors of obsidian metal that once barred its entrance. That alone served as enough of a signal for the knights of Avalyne Academy to continue surging forward, striking at the witchspawn forces from all angles and preventing them from clogging the path that had been carved by the Spirecrusher.

Atop her mount, Medrauta looked at the cannon’s remains as she offered a hand to Viviane, helping the noblewoman up. The Spirecrusher’s parts laid charred and smoking on the ground, a mere vestige of its former glory. Though it now rested after serving its purpose, the vibrations that it had sent through the air when it was fired mere moments ago still shook Medrauta’s body to its core.

If only we had another one of those... She thought, a grim smile on her face. Though she was a knight, she had never really been enamored by weapons of war until now. It was only after seeing the immensity of the witchspawn army that she had gained a new appreciation for artillery, especially heavy artillery like the Spirecrusher. There would likely never be a weapon of its magnitude ever again, but she couldn’t help thinking how something like that would change the tide of the war in the north in an instant. After all, they’re still hard at work up there.

“Something on your mind, Medrauta?” Viviane asked as she observed her knight’s thoughtful expression.

Despite her relaxed demeanor, adrenaline coursed through the noblewoman’s body as she prepared for their imminent rush into the sea of witchspawn that awaited them. The Spirecrusher had parted a channel for them to charge through, but the prospect of being so close to so many witchspawn was still daunting. After all, she had only ever shot at them from afar.

Medrauta shook her head. “Just... thinking is all. Thinking about how we’ll still have Kaslavna to deal with after all this.”

“Yeah... I hope mother and father are doing alright up there.”

“I’m sure your mother is having the time of her life based on the stories I’ve heard. Didn’t the Round Table try expelling her a couple years ago, only to be completely destroyed in a one on twelve match?”

Viviane laughed nervously. “T-That’s just an exaggeration, I’m sure!”

Although she knew it would be inevitable for her mother and Medrauta to meet one day, she genuinely feared that eventuality. After all, there was no doubt in Viviane’s mind that her mother would demand a duel, and the tone in Medrauta’s voice as she recalled tales of Artoria’s antics certainly implied that the silver-haired knight would be more than eager for a duel. At the moment, Viviane didn’t even want to think about the destruction that would result from such a match.

“Let’s hope we find out after this all blows over, eh?”

Let’s not... Viviane thought as she flashed Medrauta her best smile.

The sound of hooves echoed from behind Medrauta and Viviane. Eris urged her steed forward, Scarlet holding onto her knight’s waist tightly. It was very obviously Scarlet’s first time on horseback, and the poorly-veiled fear in her eyes showed. As it turns out, the noblewoman had primarily journeyed in a carriage even during the civil war as she absolutely refused to wear anything other than a dress.

Viviane had to admit that Scarlet actually looked quite fetching in riding gear, but nowhere near as dashing as Medrauta in her shining silver armor.

“You’ll be bringing up the rear, Medrauta?” Eris said as the silver-haired knight drew parallel with her, the two of them riding straight down the trench created by the Spirecrusher’s earth-shattering shot.

Medrauta nodded, raising her voice as Eris began to pass her. “Leticia looks like she’s in a bit of a bind at the front there! Save her the trouble, yeah!?”

Eris waved in a gesture of assent as she sped past Medrauta, drawing Carnwennan in preparation to assist Leticia. Their riding formation had been assigned by Scarlet herself beforehand. As Medrauta was the strongest knight of the bunch, she had been appointed as the formation’s rear-guard, ensuring that no witchspawn circled around and attacked them from behind.

Meanwhile, Leticia had been assigned as the vanguard due to the powerful ability of Rosaline’s Crest which allowed her to manipulate time itself, a power that would come in handy if she encountered anything unexpected as the rider in the lead. Rosette and Eris both rode in the middle, with Eris riding nearer to the back due to Scarlet’s ability to manipulate space. In a pinch, she would be able to teleport both herself and her knight along with Viviane and Medrauta to the objective so long as they were close enough.

It was also thanks to this ability that Eris was now able to break free from the pre-arranged formation to ride forward and assist Leticia. The blonde-haired knight surged forward from behind Leticia’s mount, her glowing dagger becoming a single streak of light as it extended to the length of a greatsword and cleaved through several of the witchspawn leaping in front of Leticia’s horse before retracting to its normal form.

“...I should get myself one of those.” Medrauta muttered, clicking her tongue in displeasure. She could still recall how she spoke to Eirlys in the morning, asking for one of the fancy glowing artifact weapons that all her friends and Eris wielded. Apparently, there weren’t any more in existence, but she doubted that.

Viviane grinned, patting Medrauta on the back. Having been present during the negotiation, she was well aware of how her knight felt left out.

Frustrated, Medrauta clapped her legs against the sides of her horse, causing it to speed up and draw closer to Rosette’s mount, careful to leave enough space in front of her for Eris after the blonde-haired knight was finished assisting Leticia.

Aside from the slight hiccup caused by a group of witchspawn leaping in front of Leticia’s mount, the four pairs were making excellent time toward the entrance of the Spire which had been forcefully gaped open by the sheer power of the Spirecrusher. During the morning briefing where they had reviewed the plan of action, Eirlys had stated the possibility of the Spire possessing self-regenerative properties, but it was clear that the Spirecrusher had negated that factor.

As the knights and noblewomen neared the Spire, the dimly lit interior slowly became visible, revealing walls and pillars made of obsidian stones within its depths. Vine-like objects were sprawled all across the surface of the Spire’s innards, but closer inspection revealed them to be more like veins. They pulsed grotesquely, crimson liquid flowing through them as they glowed with an ominous light.

“We’re almost there, Medrauta!” Viviane cried excitedly. She peered over her knight’s shoulder, her eyes focused on the entrance of the Spire that was steadily getting closer. Despite the disturbing-looking interior of the Spire, she was eager to finally put an end to all this suffering. With the finish line so close, her greatest wish was to simply return to those halcyon days at the academy with her beloved knight.

“...No. I don’t think so.” Medrauta said, reaching for her sword. She had a feeling something was coming to stop them, and it wouldn’t be pretty.

In the front, Leticia sensed it before she saw it. A thunderous boom echoed from above the group of riders as a massive object fell from the very top of the Spire, hurtling toward the ground and forcing Leticia to pull desperately on the reins of her horse. The blonde-haired knight barely managed to stop in time, looking up to stare at a monster of epic proportions.

It was another behemoth wielding massive greatswords in both of its hands, this one nearly twice the size of the colossus Medrauta and Viviane had previously encountered. It stepped forward, shaking the ground beneath it with strength that rivaled even the Spirecrusher.

Leticia didn’t hesitate even for a second. She spurred her horse on, drawing her sword and cutting at the beast’s heels even as she drove through the behemoth’s legs, barely managing to avoid a thrashing kick that would’ve turned her and her lady into nothing more than a crimson smear on the great beast’s hooved feet.

Leticia was through, but Eris, Rosette, Medrauta, and their respective noblewomen would soon have their advance stalled by the monster’s massive weapons.

“Ah, shit. I thought something like this might happen.” Medrauta said, feeling the power of the Lake course through her body as Viviane immediately bestowed her Crest upon the knight.

Viviane grit her teeth, staring up at the enormous monstrosity. She unslung her bow, nocking an arrow to its string in preparation for combat. Behind them, endless swarms of witchspawn nipped at the heels of their steed. “There’s only one way to go, isn’t there...?”

Medrauta nodded.

“Forward.”