"Haa… Ha… Haa…" Sonia Drake panted raggedly, expelling misty airs with each leaden breath. Droplets of sweat continued to stream down her facial feature while the bloodied broadsword in her tight grips felt far heavier than it should have been.
With each desperate swing of her long-trusted friend, it became a little heavier while her vision blurred a little more. Even utterly exhausted, Sonia could not stop herself, for doing so would mean to give up and accept her fate.
And she, as the third daughter of the Drake household, would uphold her house until the very end.
But in spite of how many monsters Sonia had managed to dismember, they just kept on coming. Their number was truly endless, and with each of her friends and comrades fell victim to their assault, their number increased a little.
Sonia had to cut down her once former friends and comrades. She shredded no tears in doing so since it was better for them to remain dead than becoming an instrument of death, thus breaking their vows to serve and protect. Despite that, her heart screams out in pain, and soon, she knew, she would join them.
And there would be no one to stop her from breaking her vows to serve and protect the people behind her. As an undead, she would not be able to stop herself from devouring the innocents, so she would have to make sure she would not rise up as a monster in the end.
There was only one way to do so, and with the last of her strength, she would behead herself. Not just beheading herself but also dismembering herself. It should be possible with her skill, but it was difficult due to her exhaustion.
"Lady Sonia!" the people she tried to protect called out, and she could only give them a faint smile to assure them that help would arrive soon.
It was a lie, but perhaps, it was better to live the lie than to know the truth that they were abandoned by the powers controlling the Holy City Celestia. Despite being called a Holy City, the people within its walls were not all good and righteous. In fact, some were downright evil.
Some were far vile than even the demons themselves. Sonia should know, as she had seen things that she should not have.
Michael continued to watch the woman from afar without revealing himself. There was no point since she was one of many of his victims. He had watched her and her comrades from the start, and judging from her battle, she was a Magic Swordsman.
A very powerful Swordsman.
Not everyone who could use magic followed the path of a Sage. It was unreachable to many, so instead of wasting their life away trying to attain something that is out of their reach, they opted to do better with what they had.
There were more Swordsman than Mages, and Swordsman usually served as meat shield for those in safety to cast their spells. That also meant Swordsman were the first to die.
But Sonia refused to die at his hand, and if she killed herself, her soul would escape his grasp. Michael wasn't allowed to happen.
In an instant, Michael took control of one of the Abominations engaging her. With his mind now within its body, the connection between him and it was realized. As a result, a powerful aura manifested and shrouded the Abomination.
"Did that undead just evolved?" Sonia uttered in surprise.
She had seen untold number of undead evolved in the countless of battles she had partaken in these last few years, but she had never seen one switched class, going from Fighter-type to Mage-type.
Before Sonia could find an answer, the Abomination vanished from her field of vision. Her mind raced in alarm from the deep footprint it left behind in the concrete. It did not vanish, she instant knew the truth. It was simply so fast that even a seasoned veteran as her could not even track it with her eyes.
Her instinct reacted, however. And her broadsword attempted to block the strike from her side. It was a failed attempt, and the next thing she knew, she was choking in her own blood. Her broadsword laid shattered along with what remained of her armours.
The punch was so devastating that it broke through her defensive stance, striking her armour and then penetrating through it along with her.
"What… are you…?" Sonia uttered as her vision swirled in darkness. Even with her mangled body, she would raise up as an undead, and she would commit crimes against the human race. That knowledge was far more painful than the hole through her chest from the side.
"The end," Michael answered as his aura exploded. "Your greatest fear. I can feel it. But do not worry, you will feel nothing like I have. Now rise."
All the undead under his command so far was either created by him or being reanimated afterwards, but in this case, he was actively transforming a person into an undead. This required far more powers, but the result would be a very unique undead. One as powerful as Window if not more due to all their skills and experiences.
Window was a physical monstrosity, but it was a Fighter and nothing more. Sonia, however, was going to be far more. And considering her incredible willpower and resilient in the face of death, she would not become a mindless monster, at least, Michael hoped not.
"No… no… please… no!" Sonia could feel what was happening to her body and mind and soul, and she desperately tried to fight it with all her might, but the being responsible was too powerful.
She was merely postponing the inevitable.
Michael was impressed by her will, but even as strong will as she was, he was much stronger, for if he was not, he would have been devoured by the primordial miasma that once filled the chasm of bones and deaths.
Once the deed was done, Michael exhaled deeply, and foul air filled the air from the Abomination. His control of the undead creature was severed when it was reduced into mincemeat by unending slashes and lashes.
Sonia stopped when the Abomination was nothing more than a blood paste splattered all over. Tears streamed down her eyes as the last of her freedom was stripped away. The broken broadsword slowly descended onto the ground, distancing itself from her grip. She was no longer fit to wield it.
"Lady Sonia! She did it! She kills that monster!"
The people called out, cheering her, but she felt absolutely nothing. No fear. No pain. No exhaustion, and most importantly, no desire to uphold her vow.
Sonia still desired to serve and protect, however, but only to serve and protect her master. Her creator. Her ruler.
"I am your blade, and your will shall be my command," Sonia spoke up as the miasma swirled around her, forging into her armour and granting her a new weapon. A cursed weapon. She then eyed those she had gave her life to defend.
"Lady Sonia…?"
Within an instant, those people were reduced to mincemeat.
And while Michael watched, he pondered whether he should create more Death Knight. While they were not as powerful as Window in term of raw physical prowess. They were still very powerful.
With a handful under his command, breeching the city should be child's play.