"Hold your positions! No relenting men!"

It was an impossibly odd sight, even for a battlefield that was as chaotic as this one- armored men in pike and shield formations were fighting against giants of metal whose very steel bodies gave off an otherworldly feeling that unsettled even the sternest amongst the Neugomian soldiers.

One of the northwestern military sea-ports of the Neugomian Empire, Port Tallius, was currently being assaulted by an army of automata that were rising from the shores like an undead army that had been summoned by a greater lich- the metallic monstrosities had suddenly come from out of nowhere in great numbers, and were now laying siege to everything they could see within their sights.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The mages from the sidelines then casted their spells against the army of automata, scholars whose very fragile beings were being dutifully protected by a vanguard of knights who would drive away any enemy that would manage to get near- in truth, the horrific part of the battle was that these magickally talented individuals were the only ones in the defending army who were able to damage and even destroy the enemy golems; the foot soldiers who were swarming ahead served only as mere fodder that would clash and distract the main enemy force and allow the more important figures to do their work and win them the battle.

Today, however, was a different day unlike the rest- in this local skirmish, the number of constructs that had been sent against them were incredibly teeming in number, so much so that they had proven more numerous than the usually, numerically-superior forces of the Neugomian Empire.

"There are too many of them! We're going to get wiped out at this rate!"

"No running, fools! Better to die in battle than to get executed for cowardice!"

Those words seemed to quickly motivate them enough, as the fear of being strung up from a street lamp was a thought they couldn't bear, especially in a place where they could die at any moment: without any form of respite, the armored soldiers of Neugomia continued to hold the line, even as the steadily approaching lines of marching constructs gradually approached their positions.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"D-damnit! There're too many of these monsters! The spells aren't even effective anymore!"

"T-they're getting closer! Tighten your shield formations, they're getting-"

SPLAT!

One of the nearby golems would simply backhand one of the soldiers with its mechanical hand, sending the poor lad flying into the ranks of the soldiers, the sheer force of the impact having already instantly killed him. Eventually, the formations of lines that the soldiers had formed would rapidly begin to deteriorate and falter, as the automata simply pushed their way in without any regard for their own lives.

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"W-we've lost too much men! Sound the retreat horn! We'll only get wiped out at this rate!"

The bellow of a deep sounding horn would then echo throughout the skies of the chaotic, open battlefield, a tone that all of the soldiers were all too familiar with already- without a single moment's delay, the soldiers then all ran for their lives towards the opposite direction, not even caring if they had left behind their weapons in the process due to the impossible dangers that were gradually making their unstoppable march towards them.

SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT! SPLAT!

Some of the men had ran too late, while the others chose to remain and fight the behemoths in vain as well as in their lonesome- of course, the latter amongst these men would not even hope to last a second, as both the unfortunate and the brave bastards were either crushed or pummeled to death by the advancing army of mechanical, steel golems.

It would have seemed to be a battle where victory was both unobtainable and completely pointless- not only was there nothing they could to stop the mindless approach of their enemies, but they had also lost countless men for a mission that had failed all too quickly.

However, not everything in this minor conflict would seem totally hopeless.

"T-the princess! The princess has arrived!"

"Hahaha! Those monsters, they're screwed! They're boned, I tell ya!"

An armored woman in horseback had stormed into the scene, with her left hand carrying a long, deadly halberd- her entire body was covered in silver protective plating and chainmail that could ward of most attacks; on the other hand, a small helmet protected her head, where a beautiful face with green-iris eyes and rare, crimson hair remained as one of the many proud features that distinguished her beautiful self from all the rest.

"..."

With a quick look of her surroundings, the warrior-princess leapt off from her horse and into the battlefield with a beautiful, agile, acrobatic display of technique: as she landed onto the ground, her spear would pierce one of the hardened golems with great ease, skewering its body using her javelin as she managed to completely destroy such a durable creature without much issue.

"!!!!"

Her sharp eyes would gaze towards her other enemies, as her hands moved to swing and thrust her halberd against the marching golems that were encroaching towards her direction- in only a few cuts and stabs she made into their formations, the constructs would then easily begin to fall and become destroyed with ease, as if they had never been the threatening targets they were in the first place.

ROOAARRR!!!

The ground beneath her would suddenly erode and burst, causing her to leap into the air for safety- it was then a massive metallic beast that resembled a huge worm would come out of the ravaged ground, producing a roar as its serpentine body slowly crawled out of the hole it made as it scanned the soldiers beneath it; to such a monstrous creature, the little men beneath it were nothing more than targets to be annihilated, as electricity began to charge and crackle from its mouth, a form of attack that would easily be able to wipe out all the soldiers in sight.

However...

BLAM!

Aldyth had lost her spear as the creature had suddenly rammed itself towards the surface: instead, she delivered a single, powerful blow to the creature's steel abdomen, leaving a massive crater on its dirt-enveloped, metal hide, quickly killing it and reducing it into a useless pile of scrap.

THUD!

The iron worm's lifeless husk would collapse onto the ground with a large thud- eventually, after only a few minutes' worth of time, the warrior princess would descend onto the battlefield once more to pick up her fallen spear and completely slaughter the remaining constructs down to their very last soldiers. Seeing this, the soldiers of Neugomia would scream and cheer at her monstrous display of strength, hailing her name with their loud, praising voices as they raised their weapons into the air in victory.

And of course, after the last enemy golem had finally been slain, their cheers would only become even louder.

"We've won!" the men screamed into the air in utter exultation.

"All hail Princess Aldyth! All hail the Princess!"

"All hail the Princess! Our enemies stood no chance against her power!"

The words they were shouting would not blot out the emotions she was truly feeling however, as there was a deep sadness in her heart that had lasted for more than 10 years- the only kin she ever cared for in this worthless, scheming royal family, had suddenly disappeared without a trace all those years ago.

Aldyth still believed that he was still alive- her hope refused to break as she would, until now, continue to deny the horrid possibility that he had already died a long time ago.

Amidst the cheers and commendations that were being shouted at her, the princess would simply stare aimlessly into the sky as she remained completely lost in her own thoughts.

"My little brother..." Aldyth silently thought to herself, unable to say a single word due to the muteness she had been cursed with for many years already. "... Where did you go... Where are you...?"

Until now, she was still clinging on to the hope that he was still alive... Fortunately though, this belief would eventually turn out to be true, though she will not be able to find this out for a little while longer...