“Hmm… Is that what you think…?” answered Tarquin. “Be careful not to underestimate me again… Your pet is already dead because of that.” He pointed towards the corpse of the deceased Legend spread out on the snow.

Lu Bu clicked his tongue. “How presumptuous…” In the blink of an eye, he dashed right up to Tarquin, thrusting his halberd. The old warrior barely managed to put his sword in the way, before the weapon made contact. The force behind Lu Bu’s assault carried the duo with their weapons intertwined. The Incarnation kept flying forward, while pushing Tarquin into the ground. The old man’s body left a deep ditch in the ground. Finally the enemy let go and kicked Tarquin in the chest, making him smash into the fortress gate. The huge slab of metal deformed under the impact. The Flying General continued his assault, dashing straight into his opponent.

A loud explosion followed. The structure couldn’t withstand the impact, and one wing of the gate got ripped out of the wall, as the fight moved inside Tiberius.

Edward turned to his friends. “Shit, do we follow them or what?”

“We’re not going to be of any help in that fight… And also…” Marcus looked around the plains.

“We should probably take care of this first,” Layla finished.

The enemy army, which just a moment ago seemed ready to give up, was now aiming their weapons at the three Marked.

“Seems like Lu Bu’s arrival ignited their fighting spirit again… “ Marcus took a fighting stance.

“Time to crush it once and for all then.” Layla whirled her greatsword through the air.

Edward took one last look towards the base. Smoke was coming out of the structure, and from time to time he could see two figures smashing through the buildings.

‘Alexander better come here soon…’ he thought, brandishing his sword.

The weapons fired, and the warriors spread out, once again tearing through the soldiers. Armored vehicles went up in flames, blood was flowing on the snow, the night sky got lit up by numerous explosions, like fireworks going off during New Year’s Eve. And throughout all of it, Edward was haunted by the sounds of destruction coming from Tiberius.

It only took a couple of minutes for the Marked to handle the soldiers, who clearly grossly overestimated their chances. Just as they started running back towards the fortress, Lu Bu flew out from the fire spreading throughout the buildings. In his hand he held a bleeding figure of Tarquin. He was about to finish off the old man, when a golden ray of light came from afar, hitting Lu Bu in the chest. The Incarnation got pushed back, dropping his victim in the process.

Edward and the others managed to arrive under Tarquin, catching him before he hit the ground.

“He’s still alive, but oh damn…” Layla quickly checked on the old man. But there was one problem that was obvious to everyone from the first glance. Their master… seemed to be missing his left arm from the shoulder down.

“Fuck…” muttered Edward.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Mhm… indeed,” answered Marcus, looking at the sky.

Edward and Layla followed his gaze and squinted, noticing a shining golden light in the night sky. The glare dimmed a bit, revealing a young looking man with medium-length golden hair, dressed in golden armor.

“He’s finally here.” Edward sighed from relief.

“Our golden boy…” Marcus commented, earning a side eye from Layla.

The new arrival stood in the air observing the situation. His feet seemed to be supported by a thin layer of solidified golden aura.

“Lu Bu! Very bold of you to personally attack my fortress,” exclaimed Alexander staring down his opponent.

“Hmph, so what, would you dare do something about that?” The Flying General slowly got closer.

“You do know, that’s still my territory, yes?” He lifted up his fist and opened his hand. Suddenly a soft golden glow spread out all around the ground.

Edward immediately felt the air turn heavy. It was as if the young golden warrior held the entire surroundings in the palm of his hand. Lu Bu must’ve shared the same feeling since his mouth contorted in discomfort. “Even then, you wouldn’t dare attack… You know what’d happen if we fought.”

Alexander stayed silent for a moment before responding. “Maybe I’m willing to risk it?”

Seeing that his opponent still didn’t make a move, Lu Bu straightened out confidently. “The others are keeping a close eye on what’s happening here. You know that too. The moment we fight, they’ll take advantage of the situation.”

The golden warrior held the hit of his sword, hanging at the waist, but hesitated to draw it.

The Flying General grinned. “Exactly. Now be good and…”

Alexander moved without any warning. A golden sword flashed through the air, and suddenly a bloody gash appeared on the side of Lu Bu’s face. The attack must’ve ignored the laws of physics, at least in Edward’s eyes, since the two fighters were still several meters away from each other.

The Incarnations dashed towards one another. Each one pulled back their weapon, ready to strike. A furious gale traveled through the surroundings when they swung, but they stopped abruptly with their blades at each other’s throats.

“You’re playing a dangerous game Alexander…” Lu Bu gritted his teeth.

“You needed a lesson, General. Now go and run with your tail between your legs…”

“No one tells me what to do.”

“This is my territory, everything shall happen as I see fit. Be glad I’m allowing you to leave.” Alexander squinted his eyes and the golden aura marking the ground got brighter.

Lu Bu’s eyes jumped around the place and his brows furrowed. “You and that bloody power of yours… We will fight for real one day, remember that.” The man lowered his Halberd.

“And you better pray it doesn’t happen on my land.” Alexander sheathed his blade.

The General scoffed, before turning around and flying back towards the east.

Alexander looked at the fortress, checking for the damage. He extended his arm and the flames dimmed in response.

Edward marveled at the sight. ‘The Legend of Conquest… Forcing his will at whatever exists within his established territory. That’s a real Legend…’

The golden warrior lowered himself to where Tarquin lay in the snow. He nodded to the three Marked and checked on the old man.

“Sorry teacher… I should’ve predicted this could happen.” A soft glow appeared around his left hand as he reached out to stop the bleeding.

Tarquin grunted. “Can I finally go for my retirement for real…?”

Alexander laughed. “No way old man! We still need you to train the recruits at least!”

“Fuck…” The old master sighed and turned on his side.