In the rays of the rising sun, falling snowflakes sparkled. In an instant, the nocturnal darkness gave way to the morning glow. No one understood what had happened; for them, only a couple of seconds had passed, but it seemed to me that I could grasp what had happened during those twenty minutes.
Time froze, and the baron's movements became slow, as if a petrification curse had taken hold of him. I couldn't move a muscle, but my eyes could still discern movements in front of me. Besides me, only Rion and Asura saw the changes. Horror flickered in the baron's eyes as he realized his helplessness.
In a split second, the entire clearing was enveloped in white mist, and snowflakes fell slowly, melting against the face of their mistress. Leaning on the ground, Asura stood up and stepped aside. The fiery blade barely lowered to the ground. The girl took a deep breath, and her katana once again embraced the icy fury. The numbness passed for a moment, and the sword plunged into the ground, where the warrior had been sitting only seconds or maybe minutes ago. The baron barely had time to turn his head towards the girl standing beside him when the white mist once again held him in place.
Asura raised her katana over her head and unleashed all the might of her icy aura onto the base of the sword, right where the crack had appeared just a moment ago. Along with the hilt, the blade also cracked and, in slow motion, began to break into small fragments. In the baron's hands remained only a broken handle.
Asura executed a perfect turn on one leg and sent the massive baron flying with a precise blow to the jaw. Time sped up again, and the baron collided with the wall at a speed multiplied several times over. The impact was so powerful that I could hear the crack of his ribs, and droplets of blood spilled from his mouth. Asura pushed off the ground and leaped towards the wall where the enemy sat, aiming the katana's tip at his throat. However, at the last moment, her hand trembled.
Hilda lowered the icy barrier, and we saw what had happened to the duelists. The white mist, like morning fog, dissipated in the sunlight. The baron lay by the stone wall, coughing up blood, while Asura sat in front of him, clutching the katana protruding from his right shoulder. Tears streamed down her cheeks, transforming into snowflakes in mid-air.
"I wanted to kill you so much for tormenting my clan and betraying us when Ultras exterminated us," her voice was filled with sorrow. "But even with all your twisted logic, you thought of the country's interests. I'll show you that you were wrong. My people will defend Verania from enemies, both external and internal, and without this treaty."
The ancient scroll that Yuki held began to crumble into dust.
"Haha, what a fool I was. The treaty was made so that in case of danger, you could protect the world from the Red Demon, not to betray the king. I should have understood that earlier."
Asura pulled the blade from the defeated opponent's shoulder and staggered aside.
"You lost, and now these lands are MINE! Let the king decide your fate. I and my friends will stop the war and convince the Imperials that it's senseless. You've put so many lives at stake for nothing."
"You foolish inexperienced girl," the wounded Rion sprawled on the ground. There was no more anger or hatred in his words, only respect for the victor. "Do you really think you can stop her? The Imperials are not the only ones who want to unleash a war. Nowadays, the court is mainly ruled by the nobles, and the king is under their control. They have repeatedly tried to persuade Henry to start the war, and I've done everything to dissuade him. But if a battle breaks out here, your pathetic five hundred soldiers won't be able to protect anyone, and all these lands will be devastated."
"Why start a senseless war? We don't need the Empire's lands; it will only bring pointless sacrifices!"
"But it's also the best way to rise in ranks!" Lying on his back, the baron raised his hand towards the sky. "In the civil war, almost all the higher nobility on both sides were wiped out, and now only a couple of counts and barons remain, most of whom serve the Church. Of course, young and ambitious nobles want to prove themselves in battle, and the bloodier the slaughter, the more soldiers they will gather and send to the warfront, the more honor they will earn at the court. Your attempts are laughable; to stop the war, you need to convince not only the Empire."
"Ahem!" one of the riders who had been observing the battle up close rode up to the defeated baron. He was a massive man in a bear skin, even bigger than Rion, perhaps even larger than Nordic King Siegfried. "What in "helvete" is going on, Rion?!"
It's intriguing who could be so rude to a high-ranking noble; this mercenary was clearly not from a noble class.
"Krig, it's over, these are no longer my lands. You are all free, of course, you can keep the payment I gave you," Rion struggled to get up from the ground. He didn't seem eager to stand; he was just wary of lying defenseless before such an opponent.
"What? Have you completely lost your mind? I don't care about that money; you promised my people a good slaughter," the warrior sneered maliciously at Asura. A scar ran across his cheek from a glistening metal grin, "I said I'd take a couple of girls from this herd. Our people have heard legends about the strength and beauty of local women."
"What are you talking about? Your soldiers were the last to join the battle and barely suffered any casualties. Leave if you don't want to become an enemy of all Verania!" The baron trembled as he attempted to gather flames in his hands.
"I don't care! If there are no witnesses, there'll be nothing to accuse us of!" The barbarian drew a massive curved sword from its sheath, "So, Baron, will you join us for a feast, or shall we meet at the warriors' table on the other side!?"
"Seems like trusting mercenaries wasn't the best idea," I stood behind Asura with all my comrades, ready to defend the fort to the end.
"Yes, it was a mistake to hire the most fierce northern clan," Rion had little strength left, but he intended to keep his word, "I never thought I'd have to perish by the hands of my own mercenaries."
"Ah, the bear paws, I've heard many nasty things about this clan," Hilda gripped the axe's handle firmly.
"Hmm, a familiar axe," Krig smirked, looking at the adamantine axe, "could it be the disobedient daughter of the GREAT JARL!?"
His last sentence was loud enough for his men to hear, and they responded with fierce roaring. It wasn't good; judging by the ratio, out of the remaining four thousand soldiers, three belonged to this maniac.
"Your father banished you from the council of thanes, and now I see it was for a good reason."
"How unwise to insult your elders. But don't worry; my bedroom has everything needed to tame a disobedient wench. Too bad your father won't witness it, but I'll turn you into a cute little dog," the sight and words of this man made me feel sick, worse than from a rotting corpse, yet he exuded an aura of indescribable power and might.
"Stop right there!" A thin Leran-made blade appeared at his throat. The assassin girl, who had fought with Seleria before, held a dagger against his neck, "Our princess ordered to stop this slaughter, and you better obey if you don't want to leave your clan leaderless."
The girl stood on the horse's back behind the barbarian, and she had jumped there so silently that we only noticed her when she pulled out the dagger. The terror on the chieftain's face quickly turned into a malicious grin.
"Bear paws!" He turned half away from her and addressed his men, "I don't care what happens to me! Plunder, rape, kill, and take as many slaves as possible! Those who bring me these three will receive a special reward!"
The barbarian pointed at Hilda, Asura, and Kageyuki. The assassin attempted to cut his throat, but he quickly pulled the reins, causing the horse to rear up. The girl stumbled, and the warrior snatched the blade with his teeth.
"Now she's mine," the barbarian growled through his teeth, twisting the assassin's arm. Flipping her over his shoulder, he threw her onto the saddle and knocked her unconscious with a swift elbow strike. The cloak fell from the assassin's face, revealing a pretty girl, clearly a few years younger than us. "She's a bit small, but she'll do for a change. No one dares to threaten Krig, the Fury of the North! Kill them all!"
At his command, his soldiers emitted hoarse cries and frightened shouts. The barbarians, outnumbering us, quickly spilled the remaining soldiers of the baron and advanced towards us, rubbing their blood-stained weapons.
"Krito, I hope you have some backup plan for the backup plan for such occasions," Katrina assessed our chances grimly. Only she, Ragni, and the surviving defenders of the fort could fight.
"Oh, but I do have a plan for such an occasion," I feigned concern, and my comrades looked at me in fear. However, at that moment, three massive shadows darted above us, and I grinned happily, "I just called for reinforcements."
They arrived at the most opportune moment. Thankfully, they hadn't flown too far, and Sheraza caught up with them midway. Three massive red creatures, spewing flames, landed on the battlefield. Two huge dragons settled on the side of the fort, and a smaller one perched on a cliff behind the hidden shinobi.
"Where the hell did these lizards come from?!" The barbarian pointed his jagged blade at Rion, "Are these your allies you mentioned? You'd better recall them."
"Hah, they don't answer to him. They are under my command only," Seleria stepped forward with pride, "your herd is just a minor hindrance for them. I wonder, are you as tasty as roasted bear meat?"
Seleria sneered, and the dragons unleashed walls of fire, sealing off the fort from the advancing army.
"Tch, I hate these creatures. Fine, you won today, but I'll get even with you," the barbarian spurred his horse and rode through the wall of fire, rushing away.
"SISTER!" The leader of the assassins shouted, but the mercenary was already out of his reach. The wretch had just grabbed the young assassin.
I swiftly drew a throwing knife from Seleria's possession and leaped into the flames. The dragons' fire was hotter than magical flames and burned despite my protection, but I managed to pass through the wall and saw Krig, racing toward his men. I had only a couple of seconds before it was too late. Channeling lightning mana into the dagger, I hurled it at his horse. The lightning paralyzed the horse, causing it to collapse with the rider and his prize.
Several barbarians rushed to their leader, but I accelerated with lightning magic and reached him first. I held my blades to the barbarian's throat, and he snarled angrily.
"What? Can't even take the consolation prize? You Veranians are so greedy. Devil take it, take her then," lifting the girl with one hand, he hurled her into the oncoming flames, "I'm tired of your intrigues."
Smirking, the barbarian rose to his feet. The fire approached the girl, and I had to save her, but he knew I'd have to let him go.
"I hate being deceived," the chief glanced at the paralyzed horse and effortlessly cut it in half with one sweep, "let's get out of here."
The barbarians, annoyed, clicked their tongues and headed towards the forest, soon disappearing from view. Only then could I relax and run towards the assassin, but someone had beaten me to it. The girl lay within a ring of flames, but the fire didn't touch her, as Seleria held her in her arms. The fire flickered and waned around them, obeying the princess's breath. The girl took a deep breath, and the flames dispersed in the air, partially absorbed into the sorceress's body.
The dragons folded their wings and transformed into human forms. That's how the battle ended.