Things have become quite complicated recently, most of HQ’s been reduced to rubble, but nothing that can’t be fixed with time. Allowing Euthemia to get away with my name accelerated things a little, as knowing the ‘exile’s spawn’ name and health condition would certainly Incite King to make a move. He attacked earlier than anticipated however, out of desperation, or perhaps he wanted to catch me off guard. Either way, Loki is now at HQ with Theo, and Ninigi shouldn’t be too far himself.
Atalanta’s cooperation with him is a large thorn in my sides at the moment, but a belfry invading Paradise is a valuable opportunity I will not let pass me by, even if it only serves to buy me time. She is going there, and won’t be an obstacle in my way. Now, for the greatest threat in all of this, a major variable not even I could’ve predicted.
What do I even call you… Champion perhaps? The title alone makes my skin crawl, Ninigi is one thing but… I’ll just use the same name that mother gave to me, I am part of this family now after all. Harumi, a legendary knight the world came to know as ‘The champion,’ just like Ninigi. Although this puts a dent in my plans, I can’t allow such a monster to roam free for too long, stopping him is my top priority.
Regardless of that ends for me, everything will work out just as planned. I’ll expand the Deadlands once more, now that no one can get in the way. I will consume further south, this time through the east, starting from Kaldstein into Heildin. This might cross the line Ninigi set for me, but no innocents will be harmed, and I’m confident he won’t just bust through my door and end my life in a flash.
Of course, I haven’t forgotten about Lionheart; I never do. Things didn’t go quite well on her end, and now she is trapped in Paradise. This is the second time my heart has beaten so fast ever since mother died, but I reworked Juno and Jupiter specifically for her; They should be more than enough to avoid any tragedies.
Floating City of Paradise, Knight’s District: 936, May 14th, Monday, 12:00 PM.
Having reached the large fountain of the hidden garden behind King’s throne, multiple gladean knights gathered around their ruler as he placed one foot on the crystalline water of the fountain. King carried the lieutenant in his arms while striding his way towards Gladea’s statue at the center, he gently lowered her body—submerging her into its deep waters.
“Take her into your arms, Gladea.” he prayed to the goddess.
King’s eyes glowed with a strong azure light, and the water became agitated with small waves. However, a sudden sense of dread abruptly overtook the knight’s mind—prompting him to release Claire immediately.
“King!” Theo’s voice called out from the distance—sprinting with all his strength towards the fountain.
Turning his head in the man’s direction, King spotted one of his knight’s flying at him like a fast projectile. Responding quickly, he swung his arm to the side and smacked the knight’s body with the back of his hand—avoiding the hit, and coming face to face with the one responsible. Just outside of the fountain, surrounded by the motionless bodies of the gladean knights, was a horned crimson demon patiently waiting outside of the water. Theo stumbled his way near them—heavily injured by his fight with the daemon at Cerberus HQ. The specter paid no attention to the blonde knight however, its sole attention entirely fixed on the giant in front of Gladea’s statue. Claire’s body floated with her face looking up at the sky, breathing calmly through her nose as she remained unconscious.
Bracing himself for a fight, King pressed his fingers together as he stomped his way out of the water—the veins in his arms surfacing on his skin. The horned demon took a few steps back as the knight approached, allowing him enough space to stand his ground.
“I’m here to assist you, your majesty.” Theo announced from behind the beast—closing his eyes with a calm expression as he bowed.
“I recognize your face,” King expressed—his gigantic Warhammer materializing in his hands with a strong azure glow. “You will regret coming here, demon.”
Democratic Republic of Pelkesk, Underground Facility: 936, May 14th, Monday, 12:00 PM.
Eutychia rolled across the burning floor of the facility, the intense smoke of the narrow hallways—combined with the rubble tightening the space even closer, offered little space for the princess to recover—eventually coming to a stop when her back collided with a piece of the fallen ceiling.
“Gh!” she groaned in pain, having most of her armor teared up by the gladean knight’s attacks. “Bastard, you’ll pay for that!” she roared.
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The tall knight emerged from within the black smoke of the hallway, the scorching flames of the facility surrounding his stride. He slashed the air with his sword—a carefully crafted blade made of carbon steel—and proceeded to charge Eutychia into a rapid sprint, avoiding the falling rubble and crumbling walls.
Bracing herself for impact, the black knight placed her sword at the front in a horizontal position—absorbing the frontal kick of the knight. The force of the impact caused her to slide away on the floor, raising a path of dust and smoke. The silent knight continued with his assault, leaping at her from a distance with its blade at the ready.
“Not a chance,” the princess snarled—bending her knees slightly before jumping backwards into a flip.
The knight brought its sword arm down with great magnitude, shattering the concrete as his blade collided with the floor. Having avoided the attack successfully, Eutychia pushed forward in her counterattack with a slash of her own—crossing her right arm over her left shoulder, and slicing at the gladean knight.
“Ah!” the black knight’s arm swung back violently, feeling her weapon clash against the knight’s blade.
Eutychia was one to feel pride in her own strength, having been trained since childhood to become a knight of Heaven’s castle at Heildin. Her force and skill in battle was undeniable, but the power and stamina of a pure knight was simply too much for her hybrid blood to keep up. The princess stumbled backwards after having her blade deflected by the knight, and her arm dangled on the side as fatigue overtook her body—gasping for whatever little air remained in the smoke-filled hallway.
The lack of oxygen forced the princess into an intoxicated state, her head spinning violently with a blurry vision. Despite her delirious condition however, Eutychia was able to react just in time to deflect the knight’s sudden attack—swinging her sword into an upwards slash, and clashing with her opponent’s blade.
“I won’t…” the princess attempted to speak, but her violent coughs interrupted her sentence. “Be defeated by you!”
With a thundering roar, the princess rushed the knight in a frontal assault—lifting one leg in the air at the height of her opponent’s chest. Still recovering from the clash, the gladean knight found himself unable to react to the princess’ attack—feeling the sole of her boot striking at his chest in a powerful impact.
The potent force of the kick hurled the knight away into the blazing flames of the hallway, engulfing his body completely. Although the battle had stopped momentarily, Eutychia continued to cough aggressively as her lungs begged for oxygen—prompting her to break into a mad dash towards the exit. Although the path was unclear due to the amount of smoke and rubble blocking her way, the young princess was able to retrace her own steps with little to no effort—eventually spotting the bright light of the open outdoors through the long tunnel.
With a last effort to save herself, Eutychia leaped at the door and crossed the portal into the city of Kapono—rolling on the floor away from the fire and smoke.
“Aah!” Tori screamed at the sudden appearance of the princess—stumbling backwards before regaining her balance.
“Lady Eutychia!” Eric’s eyes opened wide in surprise. “Gaspard!”
“As you wish, young master.” The butler hurried to provide aid to the princess, carefully dragging her body into a safer position.
Tori looked at Eric with scrunched brows, her eyes quivering nervously. “W-wait, where’s the lieutenant!”
Looking back at the injured black knight, the noble spotted the bruises, slashes and burns covering her skin—multiple speculations running uncontrollably through his mind. Eric proceeded to check inside the facility with both his mouth and nose covered, spotting nothing but the blazing hallway blocked by the falling rubble—leaving the area as quickly as he entered.
“Eric, are you alright?” Tori approached as he exited through the door—her medical equipment ready in hand.
“I am,” the noble replied. “I just took a quick look…”
“…”
Despite the girl’s silence, Eric knew exactly the answers her quivering eyes were asking of him. Taking a deep breath to calm his pounding heart, the noble led one hand towards his earpiece to inform Scott about the situation.
“Foley, how are the survivors?”
“I’ve managed to get them to safety,” Scott reported. “Cerberus units are ready to depart immediately, do you need my help?”
“The lieutenant, she…” Eirc looked at Tori one more time—noticing the tears building up in the redhead’s emerald eyes. “Dammit… lady Eutychia was unable to locate her, and I can’t see anything inside.”
“What!”
“Let’s stay calm…” the noble said. “I’m going in myself, maybe I can find something she missed.”
“Wha—h-hey, let’s not do anything hasty!” Scott suggested. “I’m on my way back, let’s think this… let’s think this through, alright?”
“She can’t be…” Tori’s voice broke halfway through her sentence. “Right?” her begging eyes looking up at the noble.
Eric approached quietly, placing his hand on her shoulder and nodding with a smile. “She’s got those strange weapons with her, remember? She probably found another way out.”
The young medic sniffed before wiping the tears from her eyes, returning the smile with a clenched jaw. “Yes! She’s the lieutenant after all,” Tori’s spirit lifted with hope. “She’ll come back to us, I’m sure.”
“Right,” the noble nodded in agreement. “Let’s check on the princess in the meantime.”
As the pair moved away from the emerging smoke of the entrance, the piles of concrete that blocked the path suddenly burst into pieces with a powerful impact—granting the flame engulfed knight a way out of the facility.
END OF CHAPTER