"Even if you are my sister, if you intend to harm these people.... then as a knight, I cannot allow you to succeed. It is my duty as a Captain to protect the people of this city first and foremost."
Holding out her icy blade and pointing it down at Envidia, Evelyn spoke out in a bold tone.
She could not allow her sister to cause another scene of destruction in this city, and most importantly.... she could not allow her to take over her people, enslaving them.
A century had passed since the last time Evelyn had seen her sister, and the reunion was not a warm one.
Evelyn never once forgot about her sister, and carried the guilt within her each day.
The reason for her sisters actions, the reason Envidia was driven to madness, was because she did nothing.
She perhaps had the power to do something, but she didn't have the mental strength.
She deceived herself into believing that her sister was mentally strong, and that she was mentally weak- and for that reason, she allowed her sister to suffer while brushing it off.
It was her own weakness of heart which led to her sisters actions, and the death of Misticia.
And it was her own weakness of body which led to the death of Melissa, years after Envidia had left the city.
"I am nothing.... I am weak.... however even in my own weakness, I cannot let you pass. Men. Do you consider yourselves to be knights!?!?"
Evelyn shouted out, raising her sword and rallying the men around her.
"YES, CAPTAIN!!!"
"What does it mean to be a knight?"
"It means to fight honorably in order to protect those weaker than us!!!!"
Closing her eyes, Evelyn stood forward, stepping on the wall.
"The army before us outweighs us in strength and numbers. However there is one thing which will set us apart from the men before us, which will allow us to win this battle. Do you know what that is?"
Thinning her eyes with a smile, Evelyn shouted loudly for all to hear.
"It is the desire to protect. I tell each and every one of you here, if you are unable to succeed here today, then all of your families will be taken as the slaves of the people before you. Our academy will be overrun. Our streets will turn to chaos. Our homes will be torn to shreds. Our children will be abused, our women will be captured, and our men will be worked to death."
Standing now on the edge of the wall, Evelyn asked a question without so much as looking back at the knights behind her.
"Is there a single one of you here who would not die to prevent such a future?"
With eyes faced forward, Evelyn took a step.
"If there is, then run. Run far and wide, and leave this city. You are not fit to call yourself a knight."
Evelyn stepped off the wall, falling to the ground.
With a perfect landing, she stood up from her knees and walked forward, towards the army before her.
One by one, the knights on the walls jumped off as well, and soon enough two armies faced each other on this section of field with a mountain behind one party and a wall behind the other.
There was no route of escape for either side.
This battle had been locked into place.
"Bravo, sister. Bravo. You've really become quite the leader, haven't you?"
Envidia stood up with a smirk, her own hair bursting with flames.
"However, such bravery will not save you. I've already set my own goal. Whether you like it or not.... I will obtain those slaves."
The two armies rushed forth at one another.
Flame against ice, earth against wind, electricity against magma.
A torment of elemental fury raged across the battlefield, and shouts of fervor were heard for miles.
The sounds of the battle could be heard all across the city as mothers hid their children inside their homes.
"It'll be ok... the knights are out there to protect us....."
"Mhm...."
One man looked out his window with fear, hearing the sounds of explosions, shattering, thunderbolts, torrents of water, and all other sorts of spells being cast.
It was then that he noticed something by the windowsill.
Something creepy, crawling up the window.
"What the.... a spider? I've never seen one in person...."
Wacking it with his hand, it skittered away before he could kill it.
"Damn pest.... where did it come from?"
----
Evelyn pierced through her opponents with skill, cutting down one enemy after another.
Her sword would freeze over the bodies of her opponents, leaving them with frostbite across the wounds as she sliced them in two.
Swinging her sword for the sake of what she believed was right, she did not look upon the enemies with remorse.
This was a battlefield.
And on a battlefield, one must kill.
Even Evelyn understood this well, and did not hold the slightest hesitation.
Right now she was fighting for her people. There was nothing more important.
Dancing around her opponents, she left three men in pieces as she moved onto the next group.
One after another she pierced the line, forging a path towards the generals of this army.
Behind her, her own knights followed in a line, facing those around them so the path was not cut off.
Evelyn heard many explosions and spells cast behind her, but she continued to forge forward.
Just as she had straightforwardly lived her life from the moment Melissa had died, she pressed forward now- heading straight for her sister.
"It is partially my own fault.... no, perhaps even fully my own fault that this happened. I must take this responsibility..... and take care of sister on my own."
However, it was as she forged her way through that she began to hear screams behind her.
"Agh!!!"
"Ugh!!!!"
Her men were falling one after another.
Their strength, even when they were inspired by the speech of their Captain, could not match up.
This was due to the skill of Avarco- the Host of Greed.
By increasing the demand for slaves, the men underneath the command of Avarco held an even greater desire than the knights of Iciclaris.
This pushed them far beyond their normal levels of strength.
When combined with the fact that their numbers were superior, it would lead to a complete rout.
Evelyn continued pushing her way through to her sister, however just before reaching her the sounds of fighting stopped.
A few men now stood between her and her sister, however the battlefield had gone silent.
Turning around, Evelyn realized that she was alone and surrounded.
In the path she had pushed forward to create, each and every single one of the knights she led had died.
She had pressed on without looking back, and behind her the men had given their lives to protect her.
Without so much as complaint, and only one final scream before their deaths, they had all been reduced to shards which lined the ground.
"It would look as if your men were not up to par, sister. Perhaps I was the better Captain? Hahaha....."
Envidia stood up, walking forward through her own men who made way for her.
Avarco remained seated, twirling his mustache with an interested grin.
"What will you do now, dear sister? Your men are gone. You cannot win. I will take..... each and every one of the people of this city as slaves. And there is nothing you can do to stop me."
Looking at her sister with bitterness, Evelyn held her sword forward.
"I.... will not allow you to pass."
"We already have. This is not bravery, sister. This is the pathetic cry of a sore loser."
Unsure what to do, Evelyn frowned.
She was surrounded.
Her men were all dead.
Without a doubt, she would die here.
'I am.... too weak. As a leader.... I was not strong enough to protect my men..... my own efforts.... have never been sufficient.'
Looking down with despair, Evelyn came to a decision.
'But even so.... I cannot die without at least trying.'
Gripping her sword firmly, she took off.
Slicing up one man after another, the flame elementals couldn't match her own skill.
Even with their increased strength and morale, Evelyn looked like a blur as she sliced up one after another.
"That's not very nice, sister."
After she had cut down ten men, her sword was caught in the flaming hand of Envidia.
"Taking out as many as you can before you die?"
Evelyn furiously tried to free her sword, but it began to melt in the flaming hand of Envidia.
Left was nothing more than the handle as the water evaporated into steam.
"Enough of this. It is your loss."
[Indeed, it does appear as if the woman of ice has lost, doesn't it? Or I suppose, under normal circumstances, it would be her loss. That much is guaranteed.]
A voice resounded through the minds of the people in the field, causing everyone to look around in confusion.
It was the arrogant voice of a male, and he spoke with haughty tone.
[However.... perhaps there is another factor which may change the outcome?]
It was at that moment that each and every person in the field felt an overwhelming pressure come over them.
It was nauseating.
It was horrifying.
It was something which would make one wish to rip their own heart out in order to stop the torment.
The people fell to the ground with a gravitational force which could not be overcome.
They planted their faces into the ground, forming cracks in the soil which could not withstand the pressure.
Evelyn of course, was included among these people who were forced to the ground.
[My own investigation of the scenario has finally completed, and my simulations have finally bore fruit. Forgive me for my late appearance. After all.... the hero always shows up late, don't they?]
The voice spoke with a mocking tone, as if his very words were something which were nothing more than a cruel joke.
[Unfortunately..... there will be no hero showing up today. Only a late group of villains.]
It was then that another voice spoke into the mind of Evelyn alone.
[So, girl? What will it be? Are you going to let those people just up and destroy your city? Your people will become slaves, you know. Ah, but that will happen either way. So we'll offer you a proposition.]
This voice, also male, was less elegant and more straightforward. While the other voice spoke with high class, this new voice spoke as if he couldn't care less about the outcome.
[You can either be enslaved by those people around you, or you can leave things in our hands.... we'll take care of that army right there, and in exchange, we'll take your people for ourselves. Yourself included. Hahaha!!! Not a great proposition, is it? Either be enslaved or be enslaved. Pick your poison.]
Evelyn heard this voice and was instilled with an instinctual fear as it seeped into her mind.
Even more terrifying though was the tremendous amount of power which was being exerted on her- and with the user of such magic being nowhere in sight.
'Is this.... is this perhaps the trick of one of the people of this army? No, there's no way that would be the case.... there would be no reason to pull off a stunt like this. My knights have already lost. Then, whoever is doing this is an external party? Could.... could it be....'
[Ah, it looks like you're on the right train of thought. Just a little further, thot.]
The voice which spoke this time was the soothing voice of a woman, yet the words she spoke were anything but comforting.
'Could these voices be the antiheroes?'
[Congratulations. It looks like you have an IQ greater than 3. You've figured it out. We're the antiheroes, and we've come.... to take everything. Including your lives, your bodies.... and even your souls.]
The voice which spoke this time was a grizzled and horribly raspy voice, which sounded like the wind if it were put through a hundred audio mixer filters.
[So? Do you wanna give up? Or perhaps you'd like to continue fighting your little battle without our interference? Go ahead and do that if you want. Heh heh.... but we'll be there in a sec to finish things off when you bite the dust.]
Evelyn didn't understand exactly what was happening, but she understood one thing for certain.
Her people were doomed.
No matter which way she cut it, her people were doomed to be enslaved- whether by her own mad sister or the insane beings who spoke into her mind, commanding such intense power.
'Why..... why can I never be good enough? Why is.... everything I do.... never enough?'
Evelyn broke down, however she was being pressed to the ground, unable to move from this spot just as all the other flame and earth elementals around her were.
Of course, Envidia and Avarco were included among these.
'It.... doesn't matter anymore... just kill me. I'll never be good enough.'
The elegant male then replied, his voice resounding within Evelyn's ears alone.
[I see. How boring. However, I feel that we can use you.... to control your people. I don't intend on killing you, as you would make for a good.... pacifier. Your people respect you, do they not? However, if we were to merely kill you off.... well, would that not be killing off a link between ourselves and the people? How could we enslave them without proper communication? I invite you to become a link between us. Listen well, Knight. I wish for you to deceive your people into enslaving themselves to us. And I will not take no for an answer.]
'Eh?'
Evelyn heard the words of the elegant male, but did not understand their meaning.
'What do you mean.... you wish for me to.... deceive my people? You wish for me to trick them into becoming your slaves?'
[Exactly so.]
'I.....'
Despite being under great pressure, Evelyn could never accept this.
'I could never do such a thing.'
[Oh, you will. Even if we have to torture you, destroy your mind, and replace every piece of your body, we will get you to comply. Now then.... I suppose we should take care of the real threat first.]
----
'What the hell....'
'Why am I..... unable to move?'
'What's going on?'
Envidia tried desperately to move, but could not.
It was as if she was chained by some hidden force, and she couldn't so much as lift a finger before it.
'What the hell is this?'
[Jealous? Hehehehehe..... this is my power. I guess it's too strong for you to even realize that it could belong to someone? Kehehehe.....]
'This..... this is.... power? This force is magical pressure? How..... how can.... how is.... no..... what.... how.....'
It was then that the heads of each and every person present were lifted from their fallen state.
Before them, flying in the air were four beings.
The first was an elven figure wearing a suit and glasses, fixing his tie as he looked around the field without the slightest worry, arrogantly grinning as if he considered those around him to be below him.
The second was a demonic succubus, clothed in a sundress and emanating an aura of beauty despite her demonic appearance. She seemed to be smirking as she looked at the people around her as nothing more than insects to crush.
The third was a crimson demon who wore a suit as well, this one a darker red than his own skin. This demon wore a necklace of fingers and other body parts, and each of the four wore a similar charm on either their necks or wrists.
Finally, the one who caught the attention of Envidia was the spiritual girl.
Her green eyes had dark lines underneath them as if she hadn't slept in years, and her hair waved about with energy as she held out her hand, performing a spell. She wore nothing more than a dirtied and ragged nightgown, and seemed to be crackling to herself- enjoying the torment of those around her.
'Huberos.... Lustia.... Apathia.... and Vex.... no..... wait.... they're different? Why do they feel so similar?'
Looking up to the four, Envidia came to a realization.
'Those are.... the antiheroes.... I'm certain of it... but how..... how can they hold such power? How.... is this even possible..... I am..... so envious.....'
Envidia grinned to herself, even though she was pressed to the point where she was unable to speak.
'Ha.....ah....hahaha.... those idiots..... they.... they presented me with something insane to be jealous of.....'
"The insect is about to do something. Should we pay attention?"
"According to my calculations, no. Pay no heed."
"Alright."
The succubus and the elven figure had a quick exchange, leaving Envidia laughing.
'Heh..... they don't understand my power at all..... it's time to change targets....'
[Allocation of Jealousy]
It was at that moment that Ashley looked down, feeling a strange disturbance in the magical energy of the air.
"Hmm..... that's weird. She did something."
Pressing more energy onto Envidia in particular, Ashley grinned.
"But it won't be enough. Try your best. Try all day. Try and try and try and try and try. You'll never be able to do shit."
"That's what you think."
Envidia spoke out, answering to Ashley as she spoke.
"What..... did you just say?"
Ashley looked at the woman before her, pressing even more pressure onto her.
"Ahem.... this is quite the development.... I took account of this possibility within the simulations, however.... to think this scenario actually came about....."
Trevor spoke with interest as Ashley pressed with even more energy onto Envidia.
"Hahaha.... what's wrong, antiheroes? This pressure is a little heavy, but that's all it is. Watch and learn."
Envidia lifted a flaming finger, and began to push herself up.
As she did this, Ashley's droopy eyes went wide.
She held out both hands and began to apply even more pressure, at which Envidia fell back to the ground- though she held a smile on her face.
"It will take a little time..... but the skill has already been activated. Heh.... hahahahah!!! Your power..... it is being transferred to me... through my own jealousy..... I will become just as strong as you, freak!!!!"
Ashley's eyes twinged as Envidia stated this, and she increased the pressure to the point where Envidia was now sinking into the earth.
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. I don't..... wanna hear anyone call me a freak."
Closing her eyes as her hands trembled, Ashley breathed in and opened them.
When she did, they were filled with madness.
An insane bloodlust came across her expression, and her hair began to flail in all directions.
"Heh....heh heheheheh..... AHAHAHAHAH!!!!!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SHIT, BITCH!!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND AT ALL!!!!!!"
It was then that Envidia stood up, flying out of the hole in the earth which had been created, and into the air before the antiheroes.
"I don't understand? You're the one who doesn't understand."
"No, you are. Hehehe... your skill is funny. You take that which you are jealous of for yourself? Is that correct?"
"That is right. And I have just taken..... your own energy for myself."
"Hehehe..... then you'll probably realize it yourself."
It was at this moment that Envidia felt something strange within her.
She felt a horrid torment of heat.
Despite being made from literal flames, Envidia felt as if she was burning.
She was on fire.
"W.....wha- agh!!!!!"
"You cannot contain within that pathetic body of yours.... even a single percentage of my energy. For you are not an origin. You are merely a host. Let me give you a piece of advice, flame girl. You may have your own problems. You might have some sort of sister complex or whatever, and to be honest I don't really give a shit. You can do whatever you want, and I wouldn't really care. You wanna take revenge? Fine. You wanna enslave people? Sure. I don't really care what you do..... but as soon as you stepped on the same stage as me, you were my enemy."
Looking at Envidia with an expression of complete and utter insanity, Ashley's green eyes flared with complete bloodlust.
"And my enemies..... burn."
Envidia exploded into flames as Ashley waved her hands about like a conductor.
Her screams pierced the air, and she fell to the ground, her own crystal core burnt to a crisp.
"Keh heh..... see? I told you everything would be alright."
"Indeed..... it is quite the interesting phenomena. She was able to take things for herself, but as soon as she obtained them there was nothing preventing her from dying. When she stole your own energy, she was jealous, but as soon as she obtained it.... hahaha.... well, her jealousy disappeared. After all, who in their right mind with such power could be jealous of anyone else?"
"Keh heh.... only me.", Ashley stated while looking down with glee.
"Yes, only you.", Trevor replied with a sigh. "Now then.... there are still those who remain, no?"