Sephiria had experienced many things in her life, but the mind-numbing situation she was currently in was undoubtedly something she wished never happened.

But what could she do? Even a demi-god had her limits.

She placed a rook at B-6. "Check."

The chessboard was silent for a while before it glowed red and moved its king backward to F-7. The spot wasn't exactly ideal, but it was either that or risk a checkmate with the enemy's queen. At present, it only had a rook and a king, whereas the princess completely dominated the board with her king, queen, and rook.

Sephiria pondered over her next move, but her thoughts were interrupted by a knight that barged into her chambers. "Your highness, I'm afraid to say we've lost several of our troops to the Holy Theocracy. At present, only our infantry stands!"

He kneeled. "Please, your orders!"

Sephiria held the necklace around her neck tightly before she turned to look at her subject. "We hold."

She returned her attention to the chessboard and moved her bishop to B-7. "Check."

The chessboard gleamed red for a while, analyzing its possibilities for victory before it moved its rook back to block the princess's rook.

The knight fervently raised his head. "But, princess!"

Sephiria sighed before releasing her hold on her rook. "Tell me, knight. Where are we right now?"

"What?" The knight asked, befuddled at why the princess was asking such an obvious question in such a critical time.

Sephiria stood up and banged her fist on the table that stood beside her. "This is the last time I'll repeat myself. Where are we right now?!"

The knight immediately lowered his head, not daring to face the wrath of the princess. "I-I believe we are currently at the Plains of Asylum!"

She laughed inwardly at the irony of the name.

"That's right." The princess kneaded her temples with her gauntlet-covered hands. "And tell me fool, with all the patience I have left, what will happen if we hand over this position to those maggots?"

The knight's face turned pale as realization struck him. "Then, the Holy Theocracy would obtain an extraction point directly in front of the Fantasia Kingdom and, therefore, have the power to interfere with our supply routes... "

She mercilessly ate the rook with her own as the chessboard shone before moving it's King backward to G-8. "And don't forget the many villages situated there. Is it in your interest to cause unnecessary bloodshed, hm?"

The knight shook his head and said, "Of course not!"

"Look. If we lose this spot, then it's basically, " Sephiria moved her queen to A-8. "checkmate for the Fantasia Kingdom."

The chessboard gleamed red sporadically before the light show died down in surrender.

Sephiria then focused her attention on the knight. "If we lose this fort, we might as well as hand over our kingdom to those greedy self-proclaimed servants of the gods."

Sephiria took a shaky breath. "Tell our men to hold the fort with their lives lest they want to see their wives get raped by those pigs. Do I make myself clear, knight?"

Sephiria stood on bending knees and stared directly at the knight that hid behind plated armor.

The knight turned his eyes away and nodded repetitively. "I-I understand, your highness. With the wind's haste!" He stood on shaking knees and ran out of the royal chambers like his life depended on it.

Sephiria looked on at her knight's retreating figure and plopped down on the nearest chair. She lifted the necklace, sleeping on her chest and stared at it with gentle eyes.

"Father, what am I supposed to do now?" She whispered. "All of our key lands are in the occupation of the Holy Theocracy. As we speak, they are now demanding the subservience of our fatherland."

The princess looked outside the glass panes of her royal chamber and winced when she saw that even the sky had turned black from war.

"Father, if you're watching me from the fields of Elysium, please grant me victory."

The princess held the necklace in her hands as she prayed to any of the gods that were kind enough to listen to a mortal's pleas.

'Please, oh mighty lords of heaven.' Sephiria kneeled on the floor. 'If any of you are listening, please help us all.'

And then she opened her eyes. Yet, nothing had changed.

But it was excellent; this was the cold truth of reality that she had long since swallowed with a heavy heart.

Her prayer was more of a desperate attempt, if anything at all. "But I can't deny that a small part of me desired their help. Who wouldn't? Even if I want to deny it, we're losing this war."

"Be that as it may, there's no changing the fact that this fort will fall sooner or later." She sighed. "I just hope I can salvage this situation enough by the time my beloved mother finish assembling her army."

Sephiria stood up and called for her lifelong partner, comrade, and sword [BloodFell].

The princess smiled when she saw her sword materialize before her eyes and gently traced the bloody blade of her sword. It nuzzled to the warmth of her palms, vibrating slightly in joy.

She held her necklace. "Father. I'll make you proud today."

Sephiria Faux Fantasia, the princess of the Fantasia Kingdom, grabbed her sword and equipped herself with her usual light armor crafted from the magic resistant ore of mithril.

She opened the curtains; her skinny, silver armor twinkled from the light that pierced the window. A maroon skirt made from the most beautiful fabric swayed from her hips, as her armor dragged a flowing white cape that had been embroidered with the golden tree which represented her kingdom.

'Mother...' She picked up a red scarf and wore it around her neck, covering the necklace underneath. Then, she walked out of her chambers and climbed up the spiral staircase, ignoring the many knights that bowed to her on her way up.

As Sephiria arrived on top of the brick fort, she frowned when the pungent smell of blood and ash entered her nose. She looked up. "Even the celestial objects are prone to the greed of humans, huh?"

The fiery star of Alterra swelled in anger, raging as its glory had been hindered by the fumes that were the mortal sins. The sky had turned pitch black as death hanged in the air. It was a soul-wrenching experience to see how ugly humans could be if they wanted something that they were denied.

She walked to a crenel between two merlons and looked onwards to the plains that had been scarred and tainted black. Her mind fell into disarray when she saw the waves of red dominating her little squads of white.

Bannermen of the Holy Theocracy stood tall and held their flags up high while trampling on the pride of the Fantasia Kingdom. Battalions of full plated knights and magicians dominated her quivering infantry that looked like it was about to break soon. The situation on the sky was no different. Thousands of wyvern riders oppressed the air, paving a way of blood and death through her men that tried to stop them.

'It's sad to think that only our mages are capable of holding back their army.' Sephiria grimaced, increasing her grip on the stone merlon. 'At this rate, this fort will be taken by dawn.'

She heard her men begging for help, wailing in pain, and some even wished for the sweet embrace of death. She knew if she didn't do anything soon, the fort would be conquered even faster than her expectations.

'I have no choice then.' She released her grip and turned around to the watchman beside her.

"Rally all of the men in this fort," Sephiria ordered. "I expect to see them by the time I descend."

The watchmen kneeled, frowning at the implied meaning. "My wish is your command." He trotted through the steps to the bottom of the fort to lay out his highness's orders.

The princess felt the cold hands of the wind caressing her face as her scarf flapped against it. She drew her sword and grinned when she saw the gleam of red for a split second.

"Well, it sure isn't hard to make you motivated." The war princess placed her eager sword back in its sheath. "I'll make sure you taste the blood of our enemies, old friend."

She took off her cape and tied it to her arm, showing off the golden insignia of her beloved kingdom to the rest of the world. After, she dusted off the dirt from her armor and clenched her fists. 'I'm coming for you bastards.'

Then, she walked down the spiral staircase until she made her way outside the fort's walls. The war princess smiled when she saw the result of her dutiful watchmen.

All of her men that had been stationed in the fort had assembled before her, kneeling to her authority. She could feel their hearts pound against their metallic chest as they awaited her command.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

She gratefully took the handles of a horse that her subject had given her and climbed it, petting the white mane of the sturdy horse. She turned to her soldiers.

"I believe everyone here already knows my order." The war princess started. "I know that everyone here has a family back in the kingdom, waiting for the sweet embrace of their son, father, and husband."

"If you are standing here now, before the crest of the Fantasia Kingdom, know that they will be severely disappointed." She banged on her chest plate. "However!"

"What they will see is the sacrifice of their husbands! The might of their father! And, the glory of their son!"

"Know that through your deaths, you will be placed on the highest pedestal of honor and enter the sacred realm of heroes!"

"Do not be scared of death! Instead, charge to him and tell him that you died a hero!"

"That is why I ask of you men, are you prepared to die?!" Sephiria yelled.

"Hoo-Ah!" They thumped their swords on the stone-ridden ground in response. Sephiria's heart throbbed with pride when she saw the hardened look on her soldier's faces. It didn't matter if they lost the war or suffered humiliation from their enemy, she knew that today, their pride as the defenders of the Fantasia Kingdom would be told through history.

"I said, are you ready to die?!" The war princess roared.

The army of Fantasia drew their swords and raised it above their heads. "Hoo-Ah!"

"Then follow me to hell, you maggots!" Sephiria drew her sword and aimed it at their end. "Charge!" She kicked her horse with her heel and rode onwards to death with her brave army following right behind her. They stormed past the frontline and onto their enemies, leaving only a trail of pride and roars on their way.

The soldiers of the Holy Theocracy stopped their seemingly invincible march as they looked around, wondering where the sound was coming from. They held their rectangular shields before their body and hid behind them, forming into a V formation when they saw the raging army led by the princess, charging at them like rabid dogs.

Whereas the injured soldiers of the Fantasia Kingdom forgot their pain and cheered for the arrival of their war princess, feeling a rush of adrenaline coursing through their veins. They stood up, wounded or not, and roared at their previously imposing enemies before following their princess's lead. A song of steel and blood played as the overwhelming march of the empire was stopped by the aid of the princess's emergence in the battlefield.

'Where is he?!' Sephiria speed-scanned the battlefield before throwing a lance of magical fire at a red wyvern. The wyvern screeched before it fell to the ground, killing both itself and its rider.

She continued to pave a path of corpses as her blood-thirsty sword throbbed in excitement, greedily sucking all of the blood that decorated its steel mouth.

She parried a slash from a Holy knight. "Where is your general?" She demanded, [BloodFell] growling at the young soldier.

"Like hell, I'll tell you, Fantasian whore!" He charged at the princess with his sword raised high. He imagined all the riches and fame that would surround him once he beheaded the well-known war princess, but reality hit him in the head and slashed his body into two.

The fountain of blood that sprayed out of the soldier was instantly sucked up by the cursed sword of Sephiria and gleamed continuously. 'This is why the theocracy's soldiers are...' She sighed before slashing her sword diagonally, leaving an arc of blood on the ground.

She continued searching for her prey. 'I'll find you and make sure you wish you were never born.' Since millenniums, the two kingdoms used to have an equal amount of power, but because of a single man's treachery, the delicate balance broke.

Sephiria sensed immediate danger to her right, and so she jumped from her horse and backflipped mid-air, narrowly dodging a blazing ball of fire.

Boom!

An explosion blew up meters behind Sephiria's location as she landed gracefully on the dirt.

The war princess's features darkened as a tall came into her view. The man wore leather armor hidden beneath the white overcoat that portrayed an inky eastern dragon swallowing a star.

"Erec." She gritted her teeth.

Erec brushed his long blonde hair that had been dyed red and smirked devilishly. "My beloved princess, Sephiria." He mock bowed.

"Draw your sword, deserter." Sephiria pointed her sword at the cause of her kingdom's plight and her men's deaths.

"Don't tell me you're still mad about the betrayal." Erec shook his head when he saw the steel on his ex-princess's face and held his silver sword. "Oh come on, they promised me a life of gold and women. Am I supposed to reject that for some honor? Besides, it's just one little kingdom, what's the big fuss?"

"My father should never have shown you mercy!" Sephiria kicked the ground with the force of a thousand suns and leaped at the defector.

Eric blocked the strike but still had to take a step back from the force. "Keogh. You're still as strong as ever, princess."

"Or should I say, Sephi?" Eric leaned into his sword.

"Don't use that name, scum!" Sephiria withdrew her sword and attempted for a kick to which Eric blocked with the face of his sword. Eric tried to grab her greaves but was forced to dodge a swing of Sephiria's sword.

He jumped back, trying to take control of the dance. "What? Are you telling me the princess can't take a little joke?"

"This is why I liked your father more. You see," Eric mimed a sword piercing through his heart. "Even after I killed him, he still told me he believed in me and tried to convince me to go back home like some saint."

Eric burst out laughing when he remembered the face of his victim. "I just love it, you know. The stupid look he had on when I stabbed his heart. It makes me so,"

"So very hard." Eric's features twisted into a deranged, distorted version of itself as his body shook with laughter.

Sephiria gripped her sword tightly. "I'll kill you," Sephiria whispered, the wind fleeing from the rage peeking from those words.

Eric stopped laughing and grinned. "What was that, princess?"

"I'll kill you!" A violent gust of wind suddenly blew from the warrior princess as Sephiria tightened her hold on her sword and kept it near her hip.

To his mistake, Eric blinked as the princess disappeared from his eyes and reappeared just before him, as she coiled her arms back, preparing to skewer his head. '?!' He dodged the blow quickly and jumped back to get some space but had to dodge another quick strike mid-air.

He masterfully cartwheeled on the floor and stuck his footing carefully on the ground. Realizing that it would be his demise if he underestimated his ex-princess any longer, he went for the offensive.

He charged an extreme amount of mana into his body, the effect causing his muscles to look as if they were about to burst. Even then, he could only barely catch the swift movements of the warrior princess. 'It's no wonder they call her a prodigy.'

He charged at the princess and entered into battle. For the next minutes, they exchanged a flurry of strikes and magic too fast for ordinary human beings to see.

With each exchange of swords, strong gales of wind blew across the battlefield as the sound barrier broke with every clash. It seemed like the battle would go on forever until Sephiria parried a careless poke from Eric and severed his left arm.

"Argh!" Eric immediately jumped back and grasped his lost limb, attempting to stop the blood from flowing forcibly. He raised his head and conveyed venom to his severer but instead, shivered from the coldness that emanated from Sephiria's eyes. He knew if he didn't do something soon, he would die by the princess's blade.

On the other hand, Sephiria calmly exhaled and held her sword diagonally at waist length. "I will have your head, renegade."

'Where the hell is he?' Eric released his grip on his severed arm and dropped his sword before raising his hands. 'He owes me one for making me buy time.'

"Princess, don't you think you're too cruel?" He said. "I mean, don't you have any feelings for your ex-fiancé?"

Sephiria felt anger bubbling in the pits of her heart. "All forms of mercy died the day you betrayed my kingdom."

"Surely, you're overdramatic." Eric waved his hands. "Please, I know there's still some good left in your heart."

Sephiria crouched down and sent a stream of mana to her legs and sword; [BloodFell] vibrated with joy at the delicious drink.

'Finally.' He smiled when he felt the familiar magical signature. "I see. Then before you kill me, let me tell you something."

"Save it for your grave." Sephiria kicked the ground under her feet and immediately arrived before the relaxed betrayer. She swung her sword diagonally, her blade eager to finally taste the blood of their prime enemy.

"Look, right." Eric pointed his index finger to the right.

Bang!

"Urk!" Sephiria's body flung to the right as her sword flew away from her grasp. Her body rolled continuously across the many dead bodies that slept on the ground of soot and eventually stopped hundreds of meters away from her original position. A sharp pain struck her right obliques as she coughed out gobs of blood.

"Wh-What?" Sephiria's hands shivered when she saw the streams of blood that flowed out of her sides. "Ho-How?"

Eric burst out laughing when she saw the confused look on the fearless war princess's face.

"That face was exactly what I wanted to see!" His inner sadistic switch had been flipped. "Are you shocked? Surprised?! Wondering what just happened?"

"Tell me!" Eric appeared in front of Sephiria and drove his sword deep into her plated thigh.

"Argh!" Sephiria yelled in pain. She tried to maintain a cool head but couldn't as Eric kept twisting his blade inside her thigh.

Eric released his handle on his sword and grabbed his ex-princess by her hair, and gazed into her angry golden eyes. "You see. I knew I couldn't win against you, so you wanna know what I did?"

Sephiria spat onto her ex subject's face. "Foul." He wiped the spit with a cloth he took out of his plated pants. "Don't ever do that again." He stood up and bashed Sephiria's head onto his knee.

Ignoring the shivering princess that continuously vomited blood, he clapped his hands and said, "Anyway, what I did was-"

"Just kill her already."' A tall man equipped with a simple silver chest plate and gauntlets stated coldly; his dead brown eyes are sneering at the weak figure of Sephiria.

"Ah, Edgar! I was just about to tell her about you!" Eric laughed and clapped his hands. He turned to the princess with a sadistic smile. "I believe you two have already met."

"Princess, meet your favorite uncle, general, Edgar! Edgar, Sephi." Eric waved dramatically.

Sephiria coughed out another gob of blood. "E-Edgar, how could you?" She held her heart that threatened to burst at any minute as she tried to ignore the sharp numbing feeling that spread around her body.

Was this how her father felt when Eric had betrayed him?

Edgar merely took off his gauntlets and cupped his nephew's* marred face. "Blame it on your dead father." He looked into his niece's golden eyes before frowning.

"Even until death, your father governs you." Edgar cursed softly. "If only the circumstances were different my dear niece. But the fates are cruel."

Edgar turned away. "Let us go, Eric."

Eric stood up and yanked his sword out of the bleeding princess's thigh and looked confused. "We're not gonna kill her?"

Edgar sighed. "What's the point? She'll die in the next couple of minutes anyway." He looked at the bed of roses that the princess was sleeping on.

"I guess you're right. What do you want to do next? Ooh! Wanna go kill some more little fantasia knights?" Eric giggled as he hopped beside Edgar, who only groaned at his friend's sadistic needs.

Meanwhile, the princess felt broken and weak in her growing pool of blood. She blew at the flickering flame that threatened to burn out and reached for her cherished necklace.

Her body moved like a snail, leaving a trail of blood as her shaking hand extended slowly to the necklace. She felt happy when the tips of her fingers curled around the steel chain. Then, her fingers weakly dragged the string until the entirety of the necklace was in the bloody warmth of her hands.

'Father... I'm sorry.' Sephiria weakly looked at the horizontal view of the war. Her heart burned with anger when she saw her men being slaughtered with each passing second as butterflies fluttered in her stomach when she saw the disrespect they expressed to the flags of her father's legacy.

She slowly pressed her numb fingers into a fist. 'Please gods. Anyone. Help us.'

She bit her lips enough to draw blood when no form of salvation arrived. 'What have I ever done to anger you? I've been a good girl ever since I was young! Why must this happen to me? To us?! It's not fair!'

Her surroundings remained the same scenery of carnage. 'Screw all of you then! I swear on my father's grave even after my death, I'll burn all of my enemies down. I'll break their limbs and sever their heads! I'll- I'll. .'

Sephira felt her consciousness dim. 'Please. I can't die here. Not yet.'

'Ple. .ase. .' And then everything was dark.

. . .

. . . .

. . . . . .

"Well said." A voice boomed from above the heavens as the sky immediately cleansed its moody atmosphere and prepared a golden robe for the descent of its lord. The repressed glory of the sun finally broke through the ashy blankets of human avarice and caressed the ethereal body of the goddess that hovered above creation.

Her starry, stygian dress danced with the wind as her void-black eyes looked down on the sins of man with contempt. Every soldier, be they from the Fantasia Kingdom of the Holy Empire, dropped their weapons as they kneeled to the coming of God.

The battlefield turned silent.