Center of the Deadlands: 936, December 31st, Monday, 2:00 AM.
“Loki…” Sovereign growled with bared teeth and a crinkled nose, angered by the gladean knight’s ambush on the ace of Cerberus Claire Lionheart. “At least I didn’t have to interfere, but to think Lucy would hide in the spectral gear…”
The man pressed both hands on the black throne’s armrests and attempted to pull himself up with a slow push, only to drop back down with a painful groan at the piercing sensation in his body, as if a cluster of knives had been encrusted in his flesh. He could hear the soft wheezing in his lungs with every breath, feeling his body deteriorate like an old rotten tree in the obscure depths of a swamp.
“Ngh…” Sovereign leaned his back on the throne, moving his head back to look at the tall broken ceiling of the castle. “That promise feels so distant now…” he spoke quietly as to not hurt himself. “Viktoria… I will her to Lionheart from now on… I hope that’s okay.”
Southern Region of the Deadlands: 936, December 31st, Monday, 2:00 AM.
Sparks of lightning crawled throughout the battlefield with loud and violent crackling noises, gluing a vast horde of specters to the ground by their feet, like a series of arms that held them in place for The Golden Lightning to strike freely.
She twirled around the battlefield with swift and precise movements, slicing through the army of demons in an extraordinary display of skill and power. Every pore in her body emitted the very same lightning sparks that covered the region, merging with the steel of her glaive as well to form an even more powerful weapon.
“You can’t…” she began with a low growl, proceeding to plant the blade of her glaive in one of the scorched earth’s fissures—finishing with an intimidating roar that thundered in the ears of every specter. “Defeat me!”
Creeping their way through every fissure on the ground, the gold lightning sparks created by the blonde knight erupted with a blinding flash of light that incinerated the beasts within range. Their armored bodies shattered, falling apart piece by piece while being utterly dismantled into tiny particles of ember by Atalanta’s attack.
All that remained from the demons was a cloud of dust and ashes that rained down on the soft golden hair of the proud knight, who stood as the sole victor of the battle. She teared off the blade of her weapon off the ground with a single pull, twirling the glaive above her head before swinging it in position behind her back—pointing its blade at the burnt and dry dirt.
“That should teach you a lesson, but I’ve wasted enough time.” she said before her eyes widened with a shocking surprise. “…!”
The blonde knight’s sharp senses fired up instantly with a pressing warning, feeling the menacing threat that approached her from behind with every intent on stopping her stride towards the center of the Deadlands. Reacting just in time however, Atalanta ducked under the heavy and sturdy black steel of a gigantic sword—its speed and power alone creating a gust of wind that blew the crimson fog away.
The Golden Lightning did not wait for even a second to counter with a blow of her own, twisting her upper body around from the hips to slash with her glaive at the mysterious ambusher that dared oppose her. Though unfortunately for the blonde knight, the fast reflexes of her new opponent proved enough for him to jump away from the sparking waves of electricity emitted by her weapon—leaving her swinging at the air instead.
“Whoa!” the man reacted as he leaped away from the steel of Atalanta’s glaive, landing back on his feet with a sigh of relief. “Phew… that was close…”
Atalanta finished her spin to stand firmly and face her foe, who’s familiar expression managed to force a gasp from her lips. The man smiled at her as he would an old friend, casually resting the enormous blade of his sword in one shoulder. His white and gold uniform from Cerberus was also familiar to her eye, slightly torn and dirty to reveal a small part of his muscular torso.
“You…” the blonde knight said under her breath, remembering the man she fought many months ago near Heildin’s borders.
“Miss Atalanta!” Sebastian enthusiastically called to her. “It’s been some time, I’m glad to see you doing well.”
“Hm…” The Golden Lightning tightened the grip on her weapon in response, ignoring the friendly tone of the major as she took a fighting stance. “I told you what would happen next time I saw you,” she reminded him.
Though despite her serious and threatening warning, Atalanta’s intimidating words had no effect in diminishing the man’s chummy attitude. “Sorry,” he apologized, politely stating his purpose in the battlefield. “But I can’t let you proceed further, miss Atalanta. I have something to protect.”
“The god?” replied the knight, bending her knees slightly as she prepared to engage. “You seem to be in control even after all this time… why are you doing this?”
Responding to The Golden Lightning’s fighting stance, the major proceeded to firmly clasp the grip of his sword, and prepared to defend himself against one of the strongest knights alive. The words Sovereign offered to him many years ago flowed back into Sebastian’s mind, as nothing in the world had the power to stop him as long as the god will it. This one rule had kept him alive ever since the incident at his home village, becoming a crucial part of Claire’s rescue, and the many battles he’s participated within the region throughout the years.
His warning did not escape the mind of the major either, whose calm and happy expression hid the fast beats of his pulsating heart. For a second time in the same year, he had been thrown into the ring against a powerful gladean knight, the only thing in the planet that could break the will of a deity, and put a short end to the journey he’s endured with the sole purpose of taking back the life he lost with his daughter.
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“He’s quite a swell guy if you take the time to know him,” joked the major.
Atalanta found no amusement in the man’s words however, and simply allowed her blade to speak in her behalf. The time she wasted with the army of demons felt heavy in her shoulders, as her main objective to kill Specter had been delayed once again by the presence of the giant sword wielder.
She pressed both feet firmly on the ground, and propelled herself forward against Sebastian. Twirling her glaive around while cutting the distance with a fast sprint, the blonde knight executed the first attack of their battle with a horizontal swing of her weapon. In reaction to the aggressive actions of his opponent, Sebastian blocked her attack with the blade of his sword and repelled her strike with a forceful push—emitting a series of bright sparks as the steel of both weapons clashed against each other.
Being forced to jump back by the major’s counterattack, Atalanta chose to attack low with a rapid swing against his ankles—making use of the wide range of her weapon to her advantage. Her opponent would react just time to leap over her glaive however, utilizing the impulse of the motion to charge an attack of his own by lifting the giant sword in the air.
“Don’t get hit…” he warned the knight, forcing his blade down with a strong downwards swing. “By this one!”
The spectral steel of his sword gathered energy from the crimson fog itself, absorbing its power within it to enhance its own strength. However, Atalanta’s confidence in her own skills through decades of battle experience fueled the intensity behind her next strike, throwing her fist forward against the sharp edge of the major’s blade.
Both attacks clashed with a magnitude that shook the earth below, but the Golden Lightning’s wisdom in battle was shown by the witty implementation of her abilities as a gladean knight. Though their two attacks met with similar strength, the electric capabilities of Atalanta’s artery network became the driving force that would tip the scales in her favor.
“Ngh!” Sebastian’s eyes widened at the waves of lightning that began to crawl over his body through the blade of his sword, forcing his muscles to tense up and restrain his movements.
With a clear opening now present before her, the blonde knight reeled her glaive back before thrusting it forward with all her strength against the defenseless major—aiming to pierce the man’s heart. Atalanta’s attack would successfully hit its target with a powerful blow, but what could’ve ended the battle in a swift second, became an opportunity for the major to strike instead.
“Ah!” Atalanta gasped as her weapon bounced off the armored chest of the man, flinging her arm backwards on impact.
Having turned the situation to his advantage, Sebastian gathered the spectral power within his body to fuel the spectral gear in his hands. A bright crimson light glowed within his heart and crawled its way through the veins into his right arm, followed by another stream that took over his left arm as well—transforming his body into a half spectral appearance, clad in the same obsidian armored skin as the demons.
He wordlessly placed his left hand on the sawed-off shotgun that rested in its holster on his leg, quickly drawing out the second piece of his gear to aim it straight at the face of his opponent. With a finger firmly on the trigger, the major did not hesitate in unleashing a burst of shells against The Golden Lightning with a powerful blast that echoed through the region.
“Tsk!” Knowing she’s been caught off guard, Atalanta rapidly twirled her glaive with one hand as she placed it in between her and the flying projectiles—deflecting each shell at tremendous speeds. “Not too fast…” she whispered, anticipating Sebastian’s next move.
Predicting that the blonde knight would not fall to a simple burst of shells, the major pressed on the offensive with a sprint that matched the speed of his own bullets to finish the assault with a long-winded strike of his giant sword. Sebastian pressed his fingers on the heavy grip of the weapon, reeling both arms behind his back before forcing it forward with a horizontal strike against the distracted knight.
Already on the lookout for the half specter’s response, Atalanta flexed one arm and raised it above her head while inhaling deeply through her nose. It all happened in a fraction of a second as both combatants showcased their absurd speed, unfortunately for the major however, The Golden Lightning proved to be the fastest of the two with a powerful downwards elbow that shattered part of his sword—missing its target by an inch as her strike diverted the blade’s direction towards the dirt.
“Gh!” Sebastian was forced to stumble forward, leaving himself wide open to the skillfully knight.
Making good use of the opportunity, Atalanta pushed forward against the major with a short jump as she lunged her leg forward, shattering the major’s jaw with a violent knee to the chin, and successfully landing the first strike of the battle.
“Augh!” Sebastian groaned in pain as the sheer force behind the blonde knight’s strike propelled his body away.
He bounced off the dirt multiple times before sliding across the battlefield, lifting a trail of dust in his path. The man pressed both hands on the ground, and managed to lift himself to continue the fight. Although he was wounded and with a stream of blood rolling down from his mouth, Sebastian still offered a friendly smile to Atalanta before speaking—never losing his cheerful self even through the pain.
“Will you still waste my time?” asked The Golden Lightning, directing her words as a threat more than a question.
“Haha… yes, I’m afraid.”
“You shouldn’t believe the words of Specter,” Atalanta said calmly—keeping a proud fighting stance as she talked to the major. “Whatever he offered you is a lie, and will dispose of you the moment you are not needed.”
“Sorry… but I kinda trust him.”
“Someone with your skill should be smarter than this,” she growled at him. “You are being used like a tool by the god, waiting to be repurposed, or even tossed aside… the same way I was used by the order for decades. I’m warning you now… wake up, and stop being a fool.”
Huffing a quick chuckle at the blonde knight’s words, Sebastian wiped the blood from his mouth with a familiar bright smile plastered in his face. “But I am a fool, miss Atalanta.” He met the woman’s sincerity with his own. “I was called a fool when I threw away a life of success and riches... all because I wanted to live my own adventures and share them with the world.” He continued, casually narrating his story to the knight. “I was called a fool when those adventures never reached the ears of anyone but my own… When the rich life I led as a youth became one of poverty through my adulthood…” the major’s smile widened despite the words that his lips uttered, unable to tell Atalanta’s reaction to his words through the golden mask that concealed her expression. “And I am a fool for facing you in battle to protect someone like him, but you know what…” he said while standing firmly with his head held high. “Through all my years of being alive that never actually bothered me even once… because this… is the fool that is loved by his daughter… and I’ll be damned if I ever see the day where she does not recognize me.”
Atalanta clasped the pole of her glaive despite the casual wide stance of her opponent, realizing the fight was long from over. “Then you leave me no choice…” she said, gently placing one hand in her face to remove the mask that concealed it—tossing the item aside into the dirt, and meeting the major’s happy gaze with her determined azure eyes. “Know that I take no pleasure in this…”
END OF CHAPTER