Ether desperately tried to avoid fighting Danitour, but felt like it was useless. Causing him to spin under an incoming slash of a serrated blade, then he drove Tellendor straight through Danitour.
All nearby warriors could see next was Danitour's body touching the ground and going completely lifeless. Confusing Volatile and Infinus alike, and aggravating Volatile elites.
"He just killed one of our own!" one warrior cried out. "That one betrayed the treaty, this was a setup!"
Their voices were drowned out by the calamity surrounding the entrance to a tunnel dividing the first town from the first major city. Shields came down slightly, allowing shooters to fire into the incoming forces.
Confused Volatile warriors turned on Infinus, and they fought back. Causing a massive three way battle. One that caught Valentine in the middle.
He charged in the direction Conqueror was in, signaled by his heart. Then he used his own blood to form a disc sharp enough to cut through their defenses, then he hurled it at them.
It bounced off Variants, drawing out more blood and killing many. Fueling Valentine's rage and thirst for Hitirus' death.
As they fell, blood spewing out their limbs, Valentine trotted over their dying bodies. Savoring the bitter, metallic taste of blood in the air.
Something felt off as he walked deeper into the tunnel, almost as if he was alone. Which he was. Everyone else was too busy fighting each other to move in unison.
Warriors clashed as elites struggled to understand why it happened. They were unsure if they should blame each other or to defuse the situation.
Ether screamed at every Infinus warrior who was fighting a Volatile warrior. "Stop! That elite I just killed was trying to kill me. Do not fight each other, let's take down Hitirus instead of each other!!"
A Volatile elite landed beside Ether, raising their pike up to him. "Why did you kill Danitour?"
"It's a long story. But the short if it is I stood up for one of my friends and he hated me for it. And that hatred caused another elite to challenge him to a fight, that's when he left," Ether frantically explained.
"You sound sincere, but I am sure you know what you just did came with a great price. This will be the first and last time Volatile stands shoulder to shoulder alongside Infinus," the elite warned.
They turned around to the other forces and began to howl orders. Telling them to stop fighting each other and to focus their efforts on Conqueror.
While they dealt with this conflict, those that did not see what happened dropped warriors on the other side of the tunnel. Where Conqueror warriors prepared for the invaders.
Arrows and explosions rocked their numbers, letting blood flow freely. Something that Valentine shortly used. Crimson waters consumed defenders, shredding their veins.
Blades belonging to friendly forces struck down the suffering defenders. Allowing them to progress just that little step deeper into the mountain.
Tinzor stepped past Valentine, holding a rapier close to his hips. He admired the fine hilt and even finer blade. Then he charged alongside fellow Infinus warriors.
Conqueror shooters lined the streets, taking aim at the incoming attackers. Then they fired with such perfect timing that everyone heard only one gunshot.
Dozens of warriors dropped dead to the ground, with even more dropping with serious injuries. When they reached the masterfully paved stone roads, defenders took position over them.
Desperately covering them from all incoming damage - an action Conqueror mirrored. Their own forces raised shields and stood firm before the attackers.
When they got close enough, pikes flew out from behind the shields. Catching them all off guard and dealing lethal injuries to the front row of attackers.
Those that came behind pushed hard enough to throw many defenders off balance, only to receive strikes and stabs from the other warriors behind them. Infinus and Volatile alike lost nearly a hundred men during that first push.
Tinzor gritted his teeth, focusing on himself as he rushed to a group of defenders. He drove the rapier's tip straight through a Conqueror's neck, killing them instantly.
Using his strength, he lifted them up and slammed them right onto a shielded defender. Driving the tip straight through their forehead. When Tinzor brought back his weapon, he realized it was bent.
"If only it worked as well as it looked..." he sighed.
Instead of lingering on the foolish display, Tinzor pried the shield and pike out of the deceased defender's hands. He stared at them, unsure of what the basic technique was.
Only to hear a loud bang, catching his complete attention. Out of instincts, he blocked with the shield and readied himself to resist against the impact.
Someone that wasn't as fortunate to not receive injuries was Valentine, he howled in anger as he felt the bullet wound on his gut. Using half of his built-up blood, he began to repair himself.
The other half went strictly to killing the shooters. Crimson spikes appeared beneath their feet, then they shot out. Mangling Variants and destroying corpses beyond recognition.
Unuwkus dove from above, firing quills into the flood of attackers. Tinzor fell onto his knee as he pointed the shield upwards, while Valentine rampaged out in the open.
Spikes pierced his knee, shoulder, and skull. Effectively killing him on the third quill. His lifeless body dropped onto one knee, enraged and desperate to see his lover one more time.
Inside his mind, he saw a gate. It was glowing a faint blue, just like his chest and upper back. Valentine realized he was capable of seeing again, that's when he grasped what this was.
He had endured enough, giving his Will the strength to shape his own existence in whichever method he believed was right. From then on, Valentine would be known as two Variants.
One being himself, and the other being Valentine Primed. He opened the gates as they began to crumble, letting out his primed version.
"You proved yourself powerful," Valentine Primed commented. "I am now in your command."
"Then let's get back to fighting," Valentine replied.
All injuries received before death quickly disappeared. A small ring of blood hovered over his heart, a larger one circled around his back, and the biggest danced around his entire frame.
His eyes were darker purple versions of what they used to be, along with his skin. Instead of looking like a Thawed, he became what he was at the core of it all: a badly beaten heart.
Now exposed and free to fight back, Valentine Primed chuckled as he took aim for the skies. Right where his killer was.