Maria watched helplessly.
At that moment, she could not move. Fear overtook her. The fear of losing someone close to her.
Even after being asked not to fight, she wanted to. To protect Celestia. But, it did not matter anymore, as Celestia was now not in the world of the living.
"Lady Celestia!"
She screamed.
After leaving a small part of Aristonia in ruin, Reinhardt gorged his hand through Celestia's heart. It rested in his hand.
"Unfortunate, isn't it? Oh, well."
The Emperor pulled his hand out of her lifeless body and squished her heart, blood dripping from his hand.
The blonde-haired girl watched.
Before, she never understood the importance of life. Maria believed it was something that had to be lived out. But questions came to her mind.
Like why do gods exist?
Why are they immortal and humans are not?
Even after being freed from the life of a slave, she still did not understand. Even while taking lives, animal lives, she still did not understand.
It was now that she understood.
The death of one is not only the death of one, but the ones around them too.
Death breeds pain and pain breeds hatred and hatred breeds revenge and revenge breeds more revenge, eventually leading to war.
Maria did not stop to wonder how family would feel. Losing one of their own.
(I finally understand why Altair avoids killing...)
She thought.
"Mari! Oi, Mari!"
Zephyr shook Maria with her hand.
"Huh, oh."
"Back me up."
"What?"
The black-haired girl stared at the smiling Reinhardt.
"We're going to kill this guy!"
"K-kill, but--"
Before Maria could say anything else, Zephyr rushed forward, picking up a sword from the ground.
Maria could not stop her, so she joined her, just so she would not get killed easily.
"You know, I just killed a vampire progenitor..."
Reinhardt pointed out, dodging Zephyr's erratic slices.
"Honestly, you're not anything too special, meanwhile your partner here--"
Maria silently approached him, aiming at his head.
Reinhardt flipped.
"--is something to treasure."
He dodged Maria's jab and Zephyr's stab, kicking them both backwards.
["Tempest Storm!"]
The Shadow mages cast a high-level Wind Magic spell, Tempest Storm; it raged toward Reinhardt.
The Green Emperor dispelled it with a Wind Bullet.
"!"
Zephyr's blade barely touched the base of Reinhardt's neck.
The sword broke when it made contact.
"What?! Is an Emperor not human?!"
Zephyr exclaimed.
"No, Emperors are human, not me though, it's just that I..."
The base of his neck became solid like metal.
"...hardened my neck."
The Emperor grabbed Zephyr's hand and tossed her.
"I wanted you but I already have a vessel. You can rest there for this battle."
Reinhardt looked over at the corpse of Celestia.
"Honestly, I wasn't expecting to kill a vampire progenitor, so I'll have to use her as the vesse--argh!"
The green-haired man coughed blood.
"What the?!"
Silently, Maria had been waiting for the opportunity to catch Reinhardt off guard.
Like a lion, she stalked her prey from a distance, before concentrating her mana into a sharp shape around a sword and plunging it into him.
Putting most of her mana into the sharp mana cloak, she was able to pierce the stomach of Reinhardt with his guard down.
"You... Get off of me!"
He elbowed her away.
"Fucking lower species! I'm a fucking Demi-God! You don't stab me like that!"
Reinhardt vented.
A faint orange glow engulfed Reinhardt's wound as it slowly began to heal.
"I'll just have to kill all the mages here and then take Celestia's body."
The Emperor had two flames in his hands. They were an unusual colour, blue.
"Getting rid of every mage here isn't a problem, it's just--"
"C-Celestia?"
A faint voice spoke from behind Reinhardt.
The voice sounded shaken.
The Emperor turned.
It was Altair. He held the body of his beloved, gently and peered at her pale, sleeping face.
"Oh, you've finally appeared, Altair."
He said, dispelling the blue flames.
"Your wife is gone from this world--"
"Erebus. Nyx."
Shadows jumped from over the walls of Aristonia and into Altair's hand. Erebus took the appearance of a sword while Nyx took the appearance of a shortsword.
Gently putting Celestia's body on the ground, he looked over at Reinhardt.
The verdant-haired man smirked.
"Oi, that's quite the look you're rocking."
Altair did not appear mad. He looked lifeless, in turn.
Reinhardt pivoted and raised his hand, hardening it. Erebus could not break through Reinhardt's guard.
"You're fast, Altair. Isn't this the first time we fought?"
"Shut up."
The Black Emperor grumbled.
"Your Singularity hasn't even surfaced yet! Do you think you can beat me?!"
He said.
Altair sliced at him with the shortsword, Nyx; he dodged it and backed away.
"Do I think I can beat you?"
Altair muttered.
Suddenly, he went mad.
He began laughing. It was like he was a completely different person than he was before.
(What's happening with Master?)
(He's...)
"I can beat you! That's the difference! I'm the strongest there is!"
He spread his arms out.
"You've broken, haven't you, Altair?"
Reinhardt commented.
"No, it's just that I realised this now."
He smirked, looking up at the sky.
"Throughout the heavens and the earth, I alone am the honoured one."
"What?"
"My wife would always tell me that. I would always deny that fact but... maybe it is true. Who knew that being the honoured one felt so..."
The man shot flames at Altair; he parried them and rushed toward him.
They had a melee confrontation.
Altair was relentlessly striking Reinhardt. He did so at terrifying speeds. Reinhardt was blocking with a grin on his face.
"You can't break through my hardening, can yo--"
"You don't have much integrity, Reinhardt, despite the place you rule. Stop boasting. Remember, I AM the honoured one."
"That's just stupid hubri--"
The Green Emperor's arm came off and his stomach was cut open.
"How?!"
"It's no big deal, really. Not if I repeatedly strike the same places over and over."
(So, he wasn't just attacking me erratically?!)
Due to his sudden burst in emotion, Reinhardt's healing capabilities spiked. His arm grew back faster than usual.
"You! I'll kill you!"
He shouted in his fit of anger.
"I may hate you, Reinhardt but I won't kill you."
Altair said, in a melancholic tone.
The first battle of the Shadow District in the Emperors' War ended with their undeniable victory.
Those from the Integral District retreated, including Reinhardt, retreated.
Only some mages died.
Many felt sad and others felt unfulfilled.
As for Maria, this battle changed her life. Or, at least, how she viewed it.