The next morning came as my ears twitched to the sound of leaves rustling to the beat of the wind. I got up from the cold but comforting crimson metal plating of my soul guardian.
I stretched my arms as I let out a moan of pleasure at the feeling. I looked to my right where I found Daniella already awake and staring at the beyond over the forest. A new set of clothes materialized over my body as I stood up. My boots clanked to the steel underneath me as Daniella looks back at me and spoke. "Are you awake now, Sera?"
I chuckled softly as I stared at the rising sun. "As you can see, I had done my morning stretch and adorned new clothes for the day." I spoke in British accent, taking an interest from Daniella.
"What's with the new accent?" She asked. "Well, I guess since I received a new Identity, why not make it entirely new, down to the manner of speech?" I answered, still maintaining the accent.
"Fine, I guess your reason is reasonably reasonable." She replied. Silence enveloped the atmosphere as we silently watched the sun rise. "What's for breakfast?" Daniella broke the tension.
"Since I learned how to materialize food now…" a barbeque appeared on my hands as I took a bite. "We'll be eating some barbeque I guess, not that it tastes super good or anything."
I took another bite and materialized another one, handing it over to Daniella. "But it'll be the first ever thing we could consider as food since we started our journey to west." Daniella took the barbeque and took a bite. "Yeah, it'll take long to wash off the taste of fish from my mouth." She spoke. "Hey! Fish is good you know, at least to me it is."
The both of us laughed at each other as Daniella dawned a face that was a bit sad. "You know, I actually forgot for a moment, a moment where time passed, and war continued."
I smiled as I put my hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, once we arrive back to your kingdom, we'll save the day!" I faced the sun and held my left hand up in the sky. "We'll be heroes! War Heroes!"
"Yeah, now, we should get going now." Daniella spoke. I entered the soul guardian as its eyes glowed with the psyche of life, its joints moved gracefully showing control as it stood up high.
Crimson particles of mana wafted in the air as I dematerialized some of the armaments, leaving only four swords and a shield to increase mobility. I first started slow and walked as I slowly picked up speed until I was running as I fast as I could.
*Flicker*
Smokes and flames littered the sky as the sound of sword, guns, and giant knights clashing weapons sounded out. The regular infantry hiding behind the shield of mechanical behemoths.
The battle wasn't looking good for the Aragan soldiers as the enemy was too fierce and suicidal for them to handle, dishing out as many injuries as they can while they still live. "What monsters."
The general on the battlefield spoke as he stabbed an enemy soul guardian in the chest and slashed out, destroying it. "Troops! Hold steady and believe! Fight back with your all!" He shouted.
He himself charged and kill two enemies down in a single horizontal attack. The soldiers let out a battle cry and fought with their all, they did as much as they can.
They, thought up strategies, used bullets to stab, used stones as bullets, and even punch their enemy soldiers. But… "damn it! The enemy battalion is too strong." The old general cursed.
The only thing they could do was delay the deaths of the innocents behind the walls behind them. No matter, they would give it their all, "Faith on behalf of thousands inside many is stronger than that of one!"
The general shouted as he slid down and kicked the heels of an opposing mecha and stood up, stabbing in the chest, and holding his sword up to block another sword. "Aaargh!"
He shouted as he pushed of the sword and slashed. He was a legend in battle, undefeated if his faith stands, if the faith of the thousands fighting beside him burn bright.
"Men, we are the wall that protect the people, we are their shields from harm!" he shouted. "We cannot fall down now; we must win this war!" he spoke as he activated his trump card.
His pure white soul guardian's joints and gaps in the chassis glew with the hue of blue as particle of mana flew in the air. "Haaahhh!" He shouted as he thrust his sword forward.
With every strike he does, dozens of enemies fell. The soldiers grew in power due to trust and faith, trust that if they fight, they will win. But reality is cruel; the concept of exhaustion still exists.
*Screech!*
The sound of metal creaking rang out as the general's soul guardian fell on its knees; a sword stuck to its right chest. The wound couldn't kill the general, but it destroyed major systems needed for the soul guardian to function.
"Is this it?" The old general spoke in grief. "Is this the end of our kingdom, our beloved princess?" Their princess had promised she will come back and save their kingdom with a legendary soul guardian, but it already had been almost a month since then. "Is this the end?"
A glinting sword was held high by and enemy, ready to fall upon the general's soul guardian and kill him. As the sword fell, another pierced the enemy's chest.
The enemy soul guardian fell to the ground to reveal a mech of grand design, plated in crimson, eyes, glowing with both ruby and beryl, a manifestation of death. "It is not."
An enticing voice rang out, as if belonged that of a goddess. A promise held true as the crimson soul guardian turned towards the enemies, an irradiation of pure red shot out and decimated the battlefield.
The soul guardian walked as it jumped into the air and spun around, wielding its crimson glazed sword, cutting apart an artillery round midair, exploding. Smoke spread and decorated it like wings as it fell and stabbed a mech in the head, pinning it to the ground, the Valkyrie in red held another sword from its back and slashed to its back.
Another enemy fell as it ducked a swipe from a sword, the Valkyrie stuck its shield on the enemy's chest as a blade suddenly popped out and pierced the enemy through. An enemy got to its back as it rolled to the right and pointed its gun at the enemy, shooting for three times before jumping and dodging a bullet to the back.
The stray bullet hit the enemy on the knee as it fell. The Valkyrie swung its leg as the enemy behind it slammed to the ground, it brandished another sword and pinned the enemy to the ground.
The enemy tried to pull out the sword, but a crimson heel stabbed into the head. The Valkyrie pulled out another gun with its left hand and began to point at the enemy soul guardians.
Rounds of gun fire rang out in the battlefield as each bullet blew, another enemy fell to their knees. "Such skill, such power, is it not of an emperor rank soul guardian?" The general muttered.
The princess' promise struck truth! The gods had not abandoned them, it was a test of patience, perseverance to fight a losing battle. Another soul guardian stood in front of him and pulled the sword out of his chest.
"Men, be at ease. Help has come, your sovereign has returned with the power no less that of emperor rank soul guardian. We will win! Take up your arm, we fight to protect those who are weak!"
The very familiar voice rang out from the soul guardian in front of him. The soldiers felt their spirits invigorated as they faced their enemy once more, they fought as if they would die if they didn't. (A/n: Well, they would.)
Their enemies fell down thousands, and so did many of them. But they did what they thought impossible, turned possible. All because of the presence of a single Crimson slanted Valkyrie.
(A/n: The "slanted" that I meant is "colored" lol, they are the same word with different spelling.)
Eyes of crimson ruby and beryl azure looked over the battlefield, the mere stare could instill fear into the very soul of a person. They contain the very essence of death, beastiality.
The Crimson Valkyrie put its sword back to its back, adorning it like wings, wings of death. The red behemoth slowly walked among fiery battlefield, cloaking it with a strange aura of danger.
It stopped in front of the general and the princess of Aragan and spoke. "Unit [Azrael] reporting, mission to debacle the enemy has been successful, Sovereign. Awaiting further orders." The same alluring voice from before rang out.
"Stand by for now, dematerialize your Soul Guardian and ride on mine. That much should have cost you mana." The princess replied. "Alright, Sovereign." The Crimson Valkyrie faded into particles of mana to reveal a woman of weird features.
Cat ears adoring her head, and a furry tail behind her. But those features only enhanced her beauty. Adorned with the clothes of a royal guard, she jumped up and easily scaled the 10-meter soul guardian with unrivaled dexterity. Alike a cat…
The general was confused, who was this woman, where did she come from? Why was she wearing a uniform of a grand royal knight? "Wait! Who are you?!" The old general asked.
The woman turned to face him, her face dawned a smile full of pride and confidence, but it was beautiful to behold. "I am Seraphina Falchion. A grand royal knight under the direct control of Aragan's lesser Sovereign, princess Daniella Aragan."
"Any more questions?" She inquired. "No. Not for now." The old general answered. "Good." She replied. "Then let us depart to the walls." The princess spoke as she willed her soul guardian to head towards the safety of the walls. And so, the first battle with Seraphina's interference in the war for Aragan's survival dawned a new chapter into the world