"Oh brother, why have you forsaken us and your duty?"
Morugarius's in her final battle against her brother at the steps of the Divine Hall.
The Royal Knights closed rank faster and faster as Hope and her group watched in the skies the great airship rain spell fire upon the unholy abomination Queen Malphas had summoned.
Never mind the fact the other abominations Lucrezia had summoned herself were actually being pushed back, so fierce was the fighting she had no words to express the myriad of feelings running through her mind.
"Does thou wishes to be a hero child? to save your dying companion from certain death?" The voice spoke to her with kindness "Yet that fight is not ours, nay today we must fight the ancient enemy, he who Father failed to truly kill, unwilling to kill him with the nefarious magic he once sealed away..."
"Rally the men, the enemy, and be ready Hope, for you and Richard today will be forged into heroes true"
Hope turned to Arthur, her beloved who was as stunned as her, Vivienne and even Kaine himself all watched wordlessly "Arthur, command the Knights to stop and join us, we must subdue the..."
Their Radios beeped and Richard's voice came through, full of conviction "Hope, Arthur, take whoever you can and stop that thing, the entities Lucrezia summoned have contacted me and they can distinguish friend from foe, they are on our side now" he paused " If I fail to save her, It will be up to you lot"
It was Arthur out of all people who replied back "Steady my friend, you will succeed, this will be over soon and we shall share our stories over a cold cup of ale"
Richard laughed over the radio and said his goodbyes "Command the Knights, we must join forces against the...Rage" Hope spoke feeling weird, her own powers singing at the Avatar, no doubt the same was happening to Arthur who nodded and spoke to Kaine "Broadcast my voice to the entire fields, those loyal to my mom will not falter but I think we can round a few up"
Kaine nodded "Richard is preparing an honest to gods charge through the remaining forces west of us, those are the ones who I doubt will heed you" he began casting a range of spells "But the rest who are near us or retreated behind those hopefully will answer the call.
"I PRINCE ARTHUR SHATTER-SPEAR HEREBY DECLARE, LOYAL KNIGHTS TO THE VERMILION KINGDOM, JOIN US IN SLAYING THE AVATAR OF RAGE, FOR IT IS OUR TRUE ENEMY!"
They then heard Malphas's voice boom across the fields as well "YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE WHELP"
Hope saw Arthur narrow his eyes, but the war cries from the Knights closest to him told them another story, as the clearing they stood in was swarmed by men and women loyal to the kingdom.
Any mortal worth their salt knew the Rage was not something one could play with, even the most accomplished warriors who had it took great care to not fall for its ruinous influence, yet the young prince was sad to see a great host still remained close to his mother's last known position.
The Avatar roared in rage as it tore through the smaller Airships and ships in the bay that were lobbing enough fire at it to level a mountain. Peeling off from Malphas's position towards Hope and the rest.
The fight was on, no sooner it began focusing on the ships, than the men Arthur rallied, and the rest of their group went on the offensive, the Avatar was huge, easily the size of a large tower, but that meant nothing to the Royal Knights and Mages, Kaine, in particular, rained so much spellfire on the beast it had to dodge him instead of just brushing him off.
Hope let her own Rage speak as she leaped and blasted Magic and Ki attacks at the Avatar, Arthur by her side they forced the Avatar to stop in its tracks, making the rest of the troops hammer the thing with so many offensive skills she lost herself in the carnage.
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"Looks like her front is now under control" Veronica spoke as she rode upon one of the Magi-Tech warhorses Lucrezia's people had brought over, with the whispers of the Goddess Richard counted nearly a thousand riders, including the Arch-Duke's men and some last minute defects from the Royal Knights.
"The Avatar peeled off" The commander of the Imperium forces spoke, the woman's face hidden under those scary helmets they were so fond of "Now it's the time for action Field Commander."
"Gods this feels weird" Richard spoke "It's not right for me to lead when so many of you..." but he was cut off by the Arch-Duke who walked into the conversation with the Arch-Duchess "Sometimes son, we must do what we have been entrusted with in spite of circumstances"
"And besides, you survived against the Royal Commander's trial, far as I see it, you are fit to lead son" Lucrezia's Knight-Commander spoke "Everyone is here Field Commander, all we need now is to save the lady"
"For once we will be taking her out of the fire" Lucrezia's maid spoke from the shadows "My spell tells me she's knocked out but the Wraith she can summon still fights on, likely dragging the body away from the Queen.
"This is it then, the final charge" Richard sucked in air, it burned at his lungs
as he watched the Royal Knights prepare themselves for the offensive, magic, and Ki flared from their ranks as the stone was raised, mud pits made and pikes raised, be they iron, crystal, or magical.
"Why I am even here," Richard thought to himself finding his sword arm shake "You know why Richard, it's hard to say it, especially to yourself but deep below you know the reason" the voice of the Goddess spoke to him with such kindness it reminded him of his mother and father whenever they coddled him after one of his ventures went wrong in his childhood.
Richard felt the power of the terror from beyond the stars surge inside him, the being spoke in hushed words that granted him conviction so strong, it gave him goosebumps, he turned his head to the battle of titans, Morugarius leaping in the air shining golden with the light of the divines.
Malphas together with her as they were pushed back, Richard couldn't help but sigh in awe at the sight, and Veronica joined him as the people got ready for the final charge.
"What a day eh kiddo?" Veronica smiled as she watched the battle unfold "I can feel the Rage coming off from Hope and Arthur, we always suspected Malphas had something going on with her powers, but the King never gave me the go-ahead to research it in depth, a shame in hindsight"
The Arch-Duke walked up to Richard, his Griffin following him close with eyes that betrayed intelligence beyond that of a common beast "Field Commander, I am sure you already know this but it is tradition for any proper Vermilion engagement, a speech! tho sharpen the minds of those who will lay down their lives in this hallowed field of battle, and ignite the flame of ambition within their hearts"
Veronica smiled "I was not fond of the King's arcane trickery made to stop those speeches, the music that man likes is simply too gaudy for my tastes, but it helped keep morale high mid-speech, the first battles against Vermilion proper were shameful displays for the country"
Richard knew, well versed in the stories of Knights roaring in anger as the elven forces fell back with the fear of the gods in their hearts. It became a point of much debate within the many bars he frequented.
"Then let's get on with it, Command your men as you see best everyone, I will deliver a speech worth dying for, or at least try" as he mounted one of the mechanical horses Lucrezia's people had made and trotted forward, getting nods and cheers from everyone while doing so.
Was that how she felt when she took over the castle Richard wondered, nay he had heard the maid speak of it, it was a far more horrible deal, a desperate attack against abominations and kin.
"Reclaimers! friends! today we made history, and we broke the siege led personally by the Royal Knight-Commander! together with the great machines of war in the air and sea we pushed back the best warriors in the new world! and now we have one more task to accomplish, one more battle to win and become legends! for the nobles among us who fight for their pride and status, the merchants seeking new ties, and commoners looking for a piece of glory this I give you!" Richard pointed his spear toward the enemy and bellowed out with the strength of the divine upon his voice
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"Let the world and the Gods know we did not back down in the face of overwhelming odds! that we stood true as did our antecessors and with sword and arrow, tooth and claw, magic, and miracle we fought for glory, for honor, for the red dream the first king had!"
"FOWARD!"
A bean of light slammed right on top of Richard as he rushed forward, the Avatar of the Goddess Kaal'Duvat shone and gasps were heard across the field, earning the favor of the ancient ally of the first king, Richard's life was forever changed.
"Tell me, child, why do you fight?" she asked and he knew the answer.
"For love" Richard replied back with a smile on his lips, the truth finally coming out and giving him a wellspring of power.
"Then love you shall find" Kaal'Duvat replied.
"I CALL TO THE GODS WHO FAVOR THESE NOBLE CHILDREN, TO COME DOWN AND AID THEM IN THIS FIGHT!" Kaal'Duvat spoke through Richard and the Divine answered, as multiple students were struck with the same sort of beam of light Richard was, he felt Kaal'Duvat's energy spreading across them, enabling this once-in-a-lifetime event of divine intervention as multiple avatars were manifested.
Time slowed down to a crawl as the riders inched towards the Royal Knights, who themselves had sent their remaining cavalry to halt the charge, the only thing Richard could hear was his heartbeat as his union with Kaal'Duvat grew tighter by the second he was in a state of pure thought, and as the first enemy came just inches of his max range he leaped into the air and honed into them, the sound came back as his forces crashed against the opposition and the all-out melee begun in earnest.
Veronica warped to his side and was dicing up Knights like they were made of wet paper, the title of Windreaver once again making terrifying sense as green wind blades tore into the enemy, Richard bellowed out a war cry and the men around him fell in despair as his own soldiers grew bolder and faster, stronger too.
There wasn't much time before he could feel it, Lucrezia's vitals were failing fast and he had to do something, with another war cry he dashed forward, spear tip aimed at the heart of the remaining Royal Knights, from his side he saw arrows falling like rain, weapons being fired and blades striking flesh as he quite literally opened a way towards the Queen.
Such ferocity actually made the enemy falter, and a horn was blown from their backline, all retreat his mind told him as the path towards Malphas was opened.
Yet in his battle-drunk state Richard failed to see the scores of his men being cut down, and then he heard the pleas of the other leaders for a retreat as well, Richard allowed but he kept going forward, Veronica by his side as the elven woman and he beheld Morugarius destroying the terrors Lucrezia had summoned.
Kaal'Duvat spoke and Morugarius's eyes widened in terror, the Goddess form shimmering and then vanishing without a sound.
Queen Malphas locked eyes with Veronica "Of course, its a shame your name isn't in the blade, you would get to meet your family today" Veronica snarled but said nothing as Malphas stared Richard down and he felt the weight very few people had felt and lived to tell the tale.
"Make this fun will you?" she spoke with a wolfish grin etched on her lips.
"Together" Kaal'Duvat spoke to Richard and he went forward, Veronica became a blur in the wind as Richard's mind entered a state of pure attention, every fiber of his body working in perfect synch with the next as he engaged the Queen.
Parrying her first blow he nearly was knocked down, biting down a scream of pain as Malpha's grin turned into a devil's smile "That's 1 hit" He dodged the second as Veronica warped right at the end of it, slamming her blade into Malphas's tight.
The queen roared in rage, grabbing Veronica by the neck "Elven scum" she toyed with Veronica long enough that Richard got close and slammed his spear into Malphas's belly, activating the barbs in the blade to pull backward and hopefully destroy her guts.
Malphas kicked him in the shins as she pulled the spear herself, dropping Veronica on the ground in the process, blood barely dripping from the wound, with the spear in both hands she raised the Magi-Tech weapon and slammed into her knees, breaking it apart.
Richard could barely get up, his leg that got kicked screaming in pain. grabbing a staff of thunderbolts he began hammering the Queen with spells but she easily made them vanish, it would take a mage of Kaine's caliber to hurt the woman.
"Hands it is" Richard leaped into the fray with a double leg kick right into Malphas's back as the Queen got distracted with Veronica, she buckled and he didn't miss the opening, leg swiping her, the Queen responded by landing a left hook straight to his face and Richard went flying backward.
Veronica screamed to the skies as a green whirling enveloped her "I will have my revenge" she spoke rage and venom dripping from her voice as she began hammering Malphas with wind blades and pikes.
"HAHAHA, MORE YOU WEAKLINGS, GIVE ME MORE" Richard felt his skin crawl as Malphas taunted them, yet the presence of Kaal'Duvat within him calmed his mind and healed his body, once again getting up ready for another round of fisticuffs.
"Speed, I need more speed," Richard said to the Goddess and she nodded, lacking in weapons Richard once again used his arms and legs like a monk from the Dynasty, but another set of moves flooded his mind, grapples, throws, armlocks, and head-choppers, Kaal'Duvat was blessing him once again with the knowledge of ancient orcish martial arts and he couldn't help but smile as the goddess smile back at him, their minds in synch.
Speed, fury, and blood were all in his mind as both he and Veronica absolutely went to town on Malphas whose grin was replaced by a serious expression, she was done playing around he could tell.
A burst of energy came from the Queen, as the miasma from the Rage enveloped her and her speed increased tenfold, from crazed melee to a dance as Kaal'Duvat's form shimmered behind Richard's back and began telling her where each attack would land, or how to minimize the impact for the ones that landed on him.
From behind him, he heard a faint chant, growing louder by the second as a number of orcs, be they Royal Knights or students of the academy edged closer to the battle to chant to their Goddess.
Malphas didn't spare a second towards these people as she hammered Veronica right into a nearby tree, the woman spilled blood from her mouth as she got up, yet the elven warrior did not stop as she and Richard became whirlwinds of pure martial might.
Malphas missed a stab and Richard lept in, grabbing her arm and pulling her leg upwards, he then enveloped his arms around her torso and neck and dropped to the ground, Malphas twisted under his grasp nearly freeing herself but Richard was faster, feeling his entire body burn with Divine energy he twists himself again and grabbed Malphas's left arm.
"AHH" Richard screamed as pure unrelenting power flowed through him as the Queen bellowed out insults towards him, with a sickening crunch her entire arm came flying off the socket, and for a second Richard was stunned, a wave of pure malice knocked him and Veronica down far from Malphas as she began laughing like a madwoman.
Malphas threw her sword at Richard, the blade flew at speeds so fast, he could barely react as Veronica leaped from the ground and kicked the blade away, yet the Queen would not stop as she charged forth like a mad bull towards him, knowing he couldn't dodge Richard committed to what the better part of his mind was screaming madness.
"Bring it on!" he roared as Malphas came for the tackle, time slowed down to a crawl as Richard beheld for the first time in his life the fair Queen in all her battle glory, a terrifying visage of a woman whose power could only be compared to the gods themselves, her face a mask of pure rage and excitement.
Malphas's arms wrapped around Richard's torso as he fell, immediately he wrapped his legs around her and his arms pulled the Queen's head to the ground, a grunt of sheer physical might came from the woman as she couldn't believe the boy was holding her.
"Expose her neck NOW!" the Goddess spoke to Richard and he screamed again as Malphas's neck became exposed and for a split second, the Queen couldn't move an inch.
"VERONICA, DO IT!" Richard saw a flash of green as Malphas's face made the most terrifying smile he had seen yet.
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Hope tapped into the power of the rage at its deepest level, she together with Arthur held the Avatar at bay with magic and Ki while Kaine and the others scrambled to do something to banish the beast.
"Fall Back!" Kaine commanded them and they did so, Vivienne healing Arthur as his arm had a nasty claw running through it, Hope watched above as Kaine summoned absolutely inhumane quantities of mana together with the Kitsune, chains, and spears appearing from the whirling of magical energy and slamming into the avatar holding it to the ground as it screamed, the sound unholy to all of creation.
"BY MY COMMAND, TIME BENDS, SPACE KNEELS" Kaine chanted and another voice joined in, Kaede by his side in the air now, her tail dividing into 8.
"THE INSTRUMENT OF DAMNATION WE BECKON, THE RULES OF EXISTENCE BEND TO MY WILL" Sigils of mana appeared around the Avatar, rising to surround it.
A great maw appeared in the skies, the pitch blackness sending a chill down Hope's spine as she beheld the cosmos in a fraction of its glory and horror.
"FROM DARKENED SKIES, WE SMITE THE DESTROYER" Kaine's entire body was brimming with enough mana that even a God would find it hard to shape into a proper spell.
As the Sigils closed in the Avatar roared again but it wasn't enough, a blade of purple flames fell from the maw in the skies and the sigils closed around it, the Avatar was engulfed in dark and purple flames of the cosmos.
"...It's over, Hope we won!" Arthur said as he turned to congratulate Kaine when Hope heard a crack, she leaped to protect Arthur but was a second too slow.
A rod of iron-like flesh pierced his chest, his own rage draining away as Hope froze in place, Vivienne screamed and tried to heal him but it was too late, his body disappearing into the mechanism that protected life inside the field.
Kaine and Kaede moved in a flash as a wave of mana blasted around them, yet they too were taken out by Avatar who had stolen Arthur's power, she could feel his own rage imprint on the beast resonating with hers.
Just like that the most powerful people Hope knew were destroyed, for the first time she felt hopeless, only for Vivienne to scream out her name "Hope! DO NOT GIVE UP, NOT NOW, WE MUST DEAL WITH THE AVATAR BEFORE-" Vivienne's body went limp as the Avatar's tendrils borrowed into her chest from the ground, and then Hope was alone.
The Avatar stared Hope down, its freakish face forming into a smile of pure malice.
"It's time little one, as your friend committed heresy to save herself, so too must you commit the gravest of sins to save her and the others, are you ready? are you willing?" The voice from so long ago spoke to her, and she knew it well at this rate.
Letting go of her sword Hope closed her eyes and felt His particular blessing fill her core, power golden and eternal surged within her as a halo of light beamed from the skies, a hammer made out of gold and crystal forming in her hand as Hope called the last option she had.
"In my hour of need, I beseech thee, GOD OF PERFECT AND ETERNAL ORDER, COMMANDER OF ARMIES AND HEIR TO ALL OF CREATION! AUGURIOS THE GOLDEN!"