The only warning had been a single flash.
As Medrauta and Viviane struggled to hold back the tide of cannonspawn that were steadily advancing toward the human army’s position, a single incredibly bright flash of light spread through the air behind Medrauta.
In the following instant, a pillar of light had burst through the behemoth’s chest. A pillar of light so great that it towered over the Spire itself, bathing the great beast's colossal body in a shower of unstoppable radiance that spread rapidly through the whole of the battlefield.
Both Medrauta and Viviane winced at the luminous explosion, momentarily blinded by the abrupt advent of searing light. Likewise, the cannonspawn they had been fighting for the past fifteen minutes had stopped completely, almost as if they were gazing upon the heaven-piercing pillar with reverence or fear despite their lack of emotions.
“W-What the hell is that?” Medrauta blinked rapidly, clearing her vision before the cannonspawn began to move again.
Viviane stared at the heaven-piercing beam of light that had burst through the air so abruptly. It shone with unfathomable radiance, compensating for the shadows cast by the waning rays of the setting sun. As the ochre light in the sky dwindled, Viviane could feel there was something she was missing.
Indeed, she quickly realized that what she was gazing upon was not a pillar of light, but an impossibly long blade that stretched to the sky and beyond. Her mouth hung agape, staring at the weapon in awe and disbelief. A blade so large should never be able to exist, yet there it was, cutting through the rapidly reddening sky and the very air she breathed.
Stretching from behind the behemoth all the way to the heavens and beyond, the blade held the behemoth in stasis, its titanic blades no longer in its hands. Its massive weapons had fallen to the ground as its mountainous body was being lifted up by the gleaming blade. The titanic beast remained silent and still, unable to even struggle as it hung in the air helplessly, suspended by an impossibility even greater than it.
Though its body still remained largely intact for the moment, the behemoth’s fate was clear to both Viviane and Medrauta who could only marvel at the sight from afar.
So long as the blade remained impaling the behemoth’s chest, it was as if time had stopped. But just as quickly as it had appeared, the colossal blade vanished from sight. The behemoth fell from the air, no longer suspended. The earth trembled with a great thud as the beast landed, its slowly dissolving corpse remaining the only proof of the unfathomably large blade’s existence.
“Did that—” Medrauta ducked instinctively even before she registered her body’s movements, narrowly avoiding the first shot of a rapid cannonball volley directed her way. She clicked her tongue in annoyance, failing to even finish her question before she was quickly reminded that she was still engaged in combat.
“Medrauta! I think it’s time for us to start regrouping with the army!” Viviane shouted from the slope of the mountain. “They’re beginning to advance into the pass!”
Medrauta acknowledged her lady’s words with a quick nod as she flicked her blade through the air several times, its glowing steel screeching as it deflected cannonballs from their intended path. “I’m pulling back, then!”
Both Medrauta and Viviane began retreating, the noblewoman sticking to the safety of the mountains while Medrauta rushed toward her lady’s position. Through their efforts, a large portion of the cannonspawn had been slain, but a sizable number still remained, their cannonfire enough to endanger Medrauta the further she distanced herself from their formation.
“Take my hand, Medrauta!” Viviane exclaimed as her knight drew closer. She flinched as several explosions of cannonfire struck the terrain beside her, causing her to shy away from the blast area. Still, she held strong and continued reaching her hand toward Medrauta, adjusting her pace so that the knight could quickly catch up.
The muscles in Medrauta’s powerful thighs tightened as she leapt forward with her hand outstretched, sailing through the air easily while explosions peppered the ground she stood on mere seconds before. She caught Viviane’s hand easily, the noblewoman pulling her onto the mountainside effortlessly.
The two of them quickly dove behind a cluster of boulders, shielding themselves from the next barrage of shots from the cannonspawn. Now that they were no longer forced to divide their attacks between Medrauta and Viviane, the air rumbled violently around the pair, explosions raining down upon their position like thunder as every cannonspawn’s barrel unloaded their ammunition into the boulders that shielded them.
Within seconds, the stone formation that had stood for centuries was pulverized into nothing more than earthen powder and dust. Medrauta stood in front of Viviane bravely, urging her toward the next set of boulders several paces away as she brandished her sword.
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Given their accuracy and focus, it was obvious that the cannonspawn were currently being controlled directly by the Sworn commander. Medrauta had suspected as much during the momentary pause that occurred when the gigantic blade appeared earlier, but the fact that the cannonspawn were now staggering their firing patterns now confirmed her theory.
Although their forms differed vastly from the rest of their misbegotten ilk, the intelligence of the cannonspawn remained the same. Incapable of utilizing advanced tactics, prioritizing targets, or timing their volleys to ensure there would always be a group firing shots while the others reloaded, the cannonspawns’ current behavior was an obvious giveaway of a human intelligence directing their actions.
“I’m not leaving you behind, Medrauta!” Viviane protested, grabbing her knight’s arm tightly.
Medrauta shook her head as she focused on deflecting the barrage of cannonballs directed toward them, her sword moving so rapidly that it appeared as no more than a silver blur in the air. Based on the speed and power of the shots she was parrying, Medrauta suspected that her sword would have long given way if not for the power of Viviane’s Crest reinforcing it.
...Which means we also can’t afford to get hit by a single one of those damned things. Medrauta thought, gritting her teeth as she slowly shuffled back, attempting to cover her lady while also retreating to the next piece of cover. Had Viviane obeyed and fled first, the two of them would’ve probably managed to secure some respite by now, but Medrauta couldn’t exactly blame her lady.
After all, it was much more logical for Viviane to seek shelter and comfort by her knight’s side rather than behind a few rocks. The noblewoman flinched as black-red cannonballs flashed through the air, exploding behind her in a fanfare of destruction as Medrauta continued inching toward the boulders. The moment they were close enough, Medrauta wrapped her arms around Viviane, hoisting her lady up and diving behind cover just in time to shield themselves from the next barrage.
Thicker than the previous set of boulders they hid behind, Medrauta and Viviane were finally able to gain a moment of respite even while under constant fire. Catching their breaths, the two of them exchanged a glance before taking a peek around the corner. Looking at the mountain pass’ entrance, the two could spot over half the human army negotiating their way over the uneven terrain of the rockslide with more soldiers beginning to make their way up the collapsed rocks.
A frown touched Medrauta’s face as her eyes lingered on the soldiers’ shields. While they were more than enough to stem the tide of witchspawn, she doubted they could withstand a blast of cannon fire. After all, they were made with the purpose of shielding against melee weapons and lighter ammunition like arrows.
“They’ll be slaughtered...” Medrauta realized.
Viviane could do nothing but nod in agreement. Although she wasn’t as familiar as Medrauta with the implements of war, even she could tell that the soldiers’ shields would do little to protect them against a direct hit from one of the cannonspawn.
“Look, it’s Eris!” Viviane exclaimed, pointing toward a blur that was moving rapidly toward their position. “Perhaps Lady Scarlet has something figured out already,” she said hopefully.
Medrauta offered her an optimistic smile before sheathing her sword and picking Viviane up by the waist, carrying her in both arms. While she would lose the ability to parry any incoming cannonballs, the distance she’d put between herself and the cannonspawn was more than enough for her to reliably dodge any shots fired her way.
More importantly, she had just learned from Viviane’s refusal to leave her side that her lady’s stubbornness was much more dangerous than any barrage from the cannonspawn. To Medrauta, the ability to parry shots simply wasn’t as important as getting her lady to safety.
With Viviane in her arms, Medrauta took a deep breath before leaping out into the open once more, moving in an unpredictable zig-zag pattern as she cradled her lady tightly, darting from one piece of cover to the other all while cannon shots burst like blooming flowers hot on their trail. She continued moving without stopping, dashing toward Eris’ position and out of the cannonspawns’ range as quickly as she could.
“Medrauta! Lady Viviane!” Eris shouted as the silver-haired knight drew closer. Her white-hilted dagger was drawn and ready, its equally pale blade strangely bright in the rusty light of the setting sun. “Are the two of you alright!?”
Medrauta skidded to a stop in front of her fellow knight, finally out of range from the cannonspawn. She gave a nod to Eris before promptly setting Viviane down.
“We’re fine,” Medrauta said. “But I feel like I’m the one who should be asking that question. I wasn’t the one fighting the behemoth, y’know?”
“S’pose that’s true,” Eris grinned. “I had Carnwennan with me and Lady Scarlet by my side, so I wasn’t too worried.”
Viviane frowned as Eris tossed the dagger into the air, allowing it to flip twice before catching it. “Wait, that huge blade in the sky! Was that...?”
Eris nodded. “Yeah. That’s a question for another time, though. Lady Scarlet wants me to tell the two of you to push to the tower. The soldiers won’t be able to hold against a bombardment from those cannons, but we’ve gotta take the shield tower before sundown.”
“...Why?” Medrauta frowned.
“Not sure, but Lady Scarlet says the cannonspawn won’t stop even during the night. She’s got a feeling that they’re tied to the sphere above the tower, and the Sworn commander is fueling it at all times. If we give them another night, they’ll probably be able to reform the army.”
“...Fair enough. What about the cannonspawn? You gonna take ‘em on alone?” Medrauta raised an eyebrow.
Eris shook her head with a smile. “‘Course not. I’ve got the brave knights of Spinel with me. We’ll clean house as quickly as we can and then join up with you. That said, you’ll probably be done with the commander by then.”
Though Medrauta returned Eris’ grin with her own, she knew it wouldn’t be that easy.
Not by a longshot.