Regulus of Sorn... It was a name he earned back in his old days of youth, when he was still training in the way of the sword under his now-aged master.
He remembered those days with a sense of fondness that was rarely ever visible on his face, for it was a time back when the people he had known and loved were still alive, and it was also a time when he had not known the true horrors that lied just beyond the far corners of his peaceful life.
Alas, before he had gained his title as well as his swordsmanship, a sudden tragedy swept through his own home, like a natural calamity that couldn't be stopped by any form of action.
"... What happened to this village, boy?"
"..."
An army of monsters, specifically an entire raiding horde of greenskins, had pillaged their settlement and took everything they could steal, torching their wooden homes as they killed everyone in sight, leaving only the young Regulus as the sole, remaining survivor of the Village of Sorn's decimation.
For some reason, however, there was a man clad in silver armor standing behind him as Regulus knelt and mourned the sight of his burning house and family. He was a strange man, the young lad thought; his armor was not like the ones that the passing knights and mercenaries would often wear, and he was also holding a full, bloody sack that seemed to be full of something.
A question immediate rose within his mind as he turned to face towards him- who was this man, and why had he come here all of a sudden?
"... Was it attacked by monsters, perchance?" the man uttered again with his stern voice that had a hint of concern.
"... Yes... It was..." the kneeling Regulus replied weakly as he wiped his tears off. "... I am the only one left..."
"... I see... Not to fear though. I've killed most of the ork savages who barbarically destroyed your home." he raised his arm that was carrying the bloody sack and showed its contents, revealing the bodiless heads of several of the greenskins who had raided the village. "There were about 50 of these brutes, and I managed to kill 37 of them before the others fled like cowards. It's a miracle that you managed to survive such large numbers, boy."
The young child's eyes would widen in surprise as he saw the ichor-soaked bag's contents- who exactly was this man, and why was he so strong? More importantly however, why had he come at such a late time? If only he had arrived earlier, then none of the Sornian villagefolk would have died as a result.
"... However, I have another question I would like to ask... If you don't mind..."
Regulus responded as he sighed while his eyes looked down. "... Go ahead, mister..."
"I used to live here in my childhood days, you see. The people here are practically my family..." the armored warrior narrated. "... Do you have nowhere else to go, I wonder?"
There was a temporary silence that ensued, as the young Regulus would refuse to respond for a while- he didn't yet want to admit that his family had truly died, and by confirming the man's question, he would have had to come to terms with the devastating loss he had suffered, and his fractured psyche was unable to do that right now.
In the end, however, there was no other path forward but to move on: to stay here and linger on about the tragedy that had happened would lead to nothing, and so the young child finally answered the warrior's query after a long moment of quietness.
"... I don't..." Regulus answered. "... Why are you asking me this, though? You couldn't possibly be thinking of taking me in or somethi-"
"Indeed I am, though. Leaving you here all alone does not sit well with my conscience after all... And besides..."
Confused, Regulus would immediately pose a question himself. "Besides?"
"I can see it in you, boy. You have the potential to become a warrior like me."
"... W-what?" The young man's mouth would run slightly agape, unable to believe this man's words. "... That can't be possible... I'm just a weakling, I can't even carry a bag of flour-"
"That's because you're still young, boy, of course you'd still be physically weak." the man hastily corrected him. "But as a warrior of incredible prowess, I can easily tell the potential that lies within the bodies of all the people I encounter."
"And you, young man..." the man continued, pointing his index finger to Regulus as he kept talking. "You have a deep potential that not many warriors have. In all honesty, it greatly surpasses even my own..."
"... R-really...? Then..."
"Become my disciple." the man extended his hand as he made his offer. "I will take you in as my son and teach you everything I know. In the future, I shall make this continent safe from threats that will never again threaten the lives of its people..."
"... And I will make sure that you are part of this future..."
This man... He was strange, but he was making an offer that Regulus found himself unable to refuse- he had nowhere left to go after all, and becoming the student of this man would at least provide him a decent future. Not only that, however, but the fact that this man had stated that he had some sort of hidden power in him, and that he could help him achieve it... It was a tempting thought that made him really want to consider this man's deal.
"... Alright then... I accept..." Regulus finally decided. "... May I know your name though?"
"My name is Arnus, boy. Arnus von Arslan." the man said as he took off his helmet, revealing his somewhat old face that was clearly in its 40s.
"Remember that name for the rest of your life, as my family name is now yours to bear as well."
________________________________________
Despite the cumbersome weight of his gigantic, silverine greatsword, Regulus was easily managing to swing it around as if it were nothing more than a normal blade that held not much weight- it was the result of his years of training and physical improvement, and by now his strength was enough to break through a tree's thick trunk by simply embracing it.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The blade moved 4 times at a speed that not many eyes could see nor track, though despite this, its impressive striking forces, while incredibly powerful, remained futilely unable to pierce through the protective barrier that surrounded his enemy.
[Lighting Storm.]
[Magic Missiles.]
Multitudes of arcing, bolts of electricity surged forth as speedy constructs of pure arcane material simultaneously speeded towards their crimson-eyed enemy: trailing from behind these attacks was Regulus' flying form, with the spells serving as a smokescreen that would give the powerful warrior more time to pierce through the witch's protection with his massive blade.
... Although, as expected, the attack would fail to work once more..
CLANNGGG!!!
"I told you, it's useless."
Both the spells and the greatsword would instead collide with their target's shields, negating its impact as Regulus withdrew once more to prepare for another attack.
"Mentes, do something and disable her barrier!"
"I'm trying, Regulus, wait for a moment! Keep her distracted, both of you!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The strange, mechanical cannons behind their enemy would suddenly erupt as they began unleashing terrible beams and projectiles that speeded towards their direction: fortunately, another mana-shield construct would protect Regulus from harm, as the 2 mages were also simultaneously safeguarded by protective barriers of their own.
"You are all quite the troublesome opponents, you know?"
"Silence, witch! Accept your death with grace!"
CLAANNGGGGG!!!!
The sword-wielding warrior struck again as he made his charge, slashing his blade downwards with a force that held more power than his previous blows, making the enemy's barrier shake and strain more visibly as it negated its impact...
A small sense of hope formed within Regulus' heart as he witnessed the moment of weakness of his enemy's defence- nothing was invincible after all, and even the strongest of bastions could eventually be broken through with enough power, or perhaps, a sufficiently effective strategy.
"Any time now, Mentes!"
"Just keep charging at her! Anatoly, help Regulus with keeping her busy!"
"Understood! I'll begin casting immediately!"
The blue crystal of the adept's staff began glowing with a fervent glow, as a series of magick circles swiftly appeared before her- Anatoly was casting as many spells as she could in order to keep their enemy busy, and she was going to do everything she could to assist with this monster of a woman's defeat.
[Swords of Light, come form and pierce our enemy at once.]
[Strength and agility, bless this determined warrior to his very limits.]
Mana constructs made of blades instantly materialized around the combat-maid, surrounding her with their teeming numbers in almost every angle and direction. Simultaneously however, the other magick spell Anatoly had casted was currently amplifying Regulus' body to its peak performance, boosting his power to an even greater state than what it was previously.
"Die, you inhuman witch!"
Regulus performed a sideways cleave that struck his enemy's shield with a great, intensive force, making its very surface quake slightly as a small crack formed on the place of its impact- their efforts were definitely working, and all they had to do left was to bide for Mentes some time to allow them to finally break through the barrier snd cut the white-haired demon down.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
A rain of light, or so did it seem to the 2 mages, particles of rapidly moving steel that sped towards Regulus' body, would be unleashed from the combat maid's mechanical constructs, each of which had the ability to tear through the warrior's armor with ease and render his body into a mangled mess.
SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!
Unlike the mages however, Regulus' sharp eyes were able to determine the true nature of this attack: they were nothing more than pieces of metal that were being propelled towards him at impressive speeds.
They weren't that fast when compared to his movements, and so his blade moved incredibly fast, cutting, blocking, and parrying all of these little metal things until the rain of light finally ceased with its hail of assault.
"Alright! I've figured it out! Regulus, I can disable her shields, but I can only do it for a couple of seconds! Cut her down the moment it disappears!"
Relief and adrenaline surfaced into his body as he heard those words- without a delay, Regulus immediately gave his answer in response, all while his sword kept moving and striking to bring down the protective enhancement that was guarding their enemy from harm.
"Alright! Please do it now!"
Another magick circle formed, this time in front of the motionless, casting Mentes, and almost immediately, the spell he had been preparing for a while would finally materialize into existence and provide them with an immense advantage over their adversary.
[Anti-Barrier Spell- Disablement]
Their efforts would finally produce results amidst the terrible battle they were in- the immensely durable barrier that was protecting their enemy had disappeared, leaving her completely defenseless against the next attacks that Regulus and his 2 companions would unleash against her.
And of course, the 3 of them wouldn't hesitate to unleash everything they had on their foe, as their enemy was now completely vulnerable to them without that powerful barrier that once safeguarded her from their attacks.
"Attack her all at once! Don't waste any time!"
[Magickal Rain.]
[Light Barrage.]
[Oh, winds of destruction, gust forth and rip apart our enemy into pieces.]
"Meet your end, you monster!"
...
...
What a surprise, Speranza momentarily notioned within her mind... This was quite the astonishing series of events, and she couldn't have expected that what they were doing would actually work.
Her shield had been disabled, and they were now rapidly closing in to land their attacks against her in a splendid unison: it was a combined, praiseworthy teamwork that she would have commended, had they not been her enemies.
... Well, in any case, she had taken too much time fighting them already: the only reason she had chosen to even prolong their minor skirmish was to determine her strength and power in this world, and to see whether or not she needed to make some improvements to her abilities.
"You all did well... Unfortunately..." a crimson light radiated faintly from her eyes as an expectant grin formed on her face. "You all failed to consider one unknown variable..."
"Then again, it's not your fault that you people don't know about it at all."
[Synthesis Complete: Generating AM Field...]
Deathly, red radiances emerged from the combat-maid's armor, as Speranza's finally pulled out her ultimate weapon against these magickal interlopers...
"I can only hope that you die quickly after you hit the ground from such terrible heights..."
...
...
It was over in an instant, at least for the trio of Arslan's Hand members- their magick attacks ceased to exist, and every single one of the spells they had casted were rendered useless as soon as the blaring, crimson lights appeared from their opponent.
"... W-what?"
"... O-our magick stopped working..."
An impossible scenario had occurred before them, as it seemed that magick within the vicinity of their opponent would immediately begin to fail and dematerialize out of existence- it was a horrifying concept to even think about for these magickborns, a nightmare that had unfortunately taken place and is now existing within the folds of reality...
"AHHHH!!!!"
"H-HELLPPP!!!"
The flight spells they were using to hover in the sky were terminated, and instantly these 2 now-normal, magickless human beings were reduced to the flightless primates they had always been, as they were quickly pulled down by the immense forces of gravity and began rapidly plumetting towards the ground.
SWOOOSHHH!!!!
SWOOOSHHH!!!!
It was impossible for them to survive such a fall: the heights they were at were too high, and the moment they hit the ground, the force of impact on their bodies would break every single bone in their body and kill them instantly.
"S-shit... We can't just fail here... Now of all times...!"
For Regulus, whose body was now also currently speeding towards the ground, this was a completely unprecedented scenario- he wasn't certain if he would be able to survive the fall, and he was completely certain that his 2 free-falling companions definitely wouldn't. There was no other way around the situation they were in, and all they could do was to await whatever outcome would happen next.
... However, there was one more trick he had up his sleeve that could perhaps allow him to seize victory from the jaws of defeat.
"Fuck this! If we're going down, you're going down with us!"
Unlike his 2 allies, Regulus had been charging towards their enemy before their magicks were somehow stolen from them, and as such, he still had enough momentum to make one more attack on the enemy that was negating their connection to the arcane.
Luckily for him though, the seemingly-invincible shield that once protected his foe from harm was still gone: it had only been a few seconds since their magick had been rendered useless, and it would obviously take a bit more time for his enemy's protection to recover from Mentes's spell, even after its complete, though brief negation.
As such, Regulus quickly realized that if he was going to attack one more time, he had to act fast and put everything he had left into this final blow of his...
"DIIEEE YOUUU BAASTARRDDD!!!"
As his body was still being propelled towards the combat-maid by the last charging movements he made before his flight spell disappeared, Regulus' muscles strained themselves to their very limits as he lifted his sword, his body putting all the physical effort it could make into making this one attack of his as strong as possible as he moved in for the kill...
There was no other way nor choice.. He had to finish her off with this attack, or else everything would be for nought: they had come so far in bringing this powerful monster down, and they wouldn't be defeated after simply having their magicks stolen from them.
SLAASHHHHH!!!!
Regulus made another cleaving strike, the most powerful one he had ever done in his entire life, an attack that aimed to cut his terrifying adversary cleanly in half...
"!!!"
As the blade's sharp edge moved to make its dismantling cut, the sword itself would appear to be moving at a speed that was faster than sound...
________________________________________
"Master~"
"..."
"Master~" she continued teasingly. "Hey, don't ignore me... Mas~ ter~"
"... Didn't I just tell you to stop calling me that?"
The 2 were bantering about inside a small bedroom, where Novus lied down comfortably on his warm bed as Speranza served him some tea to drink: it was a tiring day, and he wanted to get some rest for the moment... Though unfortunately, there was something that one of his companions needed from him at the moment.
"I know, but..." the maid said as she put the tray of teacups down on the drawer beside his bed for a moment, drawing closer to her 'master' as she did so. "You keep refusing to answer my question~ of course I won't stop teasing you until you give up!"
"... Do I really have to answer that?" Novus responded with a sigh.
"Of course. I mean, isn't it quite unfair that you're willing to accept punishment from my elder sister..." she answered as her smile trailed off into a somewhat saddened expression. "... And yet somehow, you're not willing to at least answer this question of mine for me?"
".... Don't tell me you're going to pay less attention to me again... If you're going to atone for how you ignored us, then at least do something for me too..."
A cursing sense of guilt began pervading in his inner thoughts as Novus heard her words: this cheeky woman, she knew exactly how to get what she wanted, all while she perfectly made herself look like the victim in this scenario.
Well, it was truly his fault in the first place- what she was saying did hold some truth in it, and so Novus eventually had no choice but to finally give in to her one desire.
"... Ahem... Fine, but..." Novus said as he cleared his throat. "... What was the question again?"
The previously warm, mischievous smile would immediately return to her lips again as Speranza laid witness to his confirmation. "Yay~ now as for my question..." the maid uttered aloud.
"How did Whitlea punish you, I wonder? What did she make you do? She refuses to tell me what and how she did it, so... I want to hear it from you, my creator."
"..."
"... Please, my creator? Don't ignore me again... You know how I don't like being ignored..." Speranza began pleading a bit, desperate for her question to be finally answered. "Pretty please? Even if it's something humiliating, I swear I won't laugh or judge you... I absolutely promise."
He then took a deep breathe as he prepared himself for what he was about to say- indeed, what she made him do was a bit humiliating, and Novus found himself unable to tell her what exactly happened during that time as a result.
Ultimately though, he really couldn't find himself to refuse answering Speranza's question any longer, as he would then eventually give his answer after a short period of silence.
"... She wanted me to kiss her while she sat on top of my lap..." he explained sheepishly. "... And of course... I... Ahem... Did it..."
Of course, Speranza immediately became shocked as her mouth ran agape in surprise: out of all the punishments her sister could choose, why did she choose something so... Mundane and straightforward?
"... R-really now? And here I was thinking that she made you do something worse..." Speranza uttered with her confusion still clearly visible. "Well, she did tell me that she was romantically interest in yo-... ah... P-please pretend you never heard that, my creator~"
"... She's interested in what now?"
"N-nothing~... Anyway..." the maid quickly attempted to shift the topic. "I suppose I should be punishing you too, hm~ I mean, my sister did so already, so it should be my turn by now, correct?"
"... W-what will you be making me do?" he inquired nervously as a bit of sweat formed on his forehead.
"Oh, it's nothing too complicated, my creator~ you know how gentle and loving I am after all, right?" Speranza explained with her ever-mischievous tone. "I just want you to do one thing for me..."
"... And that is?"
"... Pat my head and praise me for the work I do for you everyday~" the maid answered with a wide smile. "Surely, that wouldn't be too hard for you to do, hm?"
... That was it? That was all she wanted? Surely, she wanted him to do something of a more difficult, and humiliating nature? Why was it that these 2 mischievous women kept asking for such simple things that couldn't even be considered as punishments in the first place? If he had been in their place, he would have most likely asked for something more difficult at least...
"Fine... Come here then, Spera."
Without hesitation, Speranza moved closer to the one she considered as her master, lowering her head as she prepared to receive the well-deserved praise and attention she had been longing for. Novus' right hand then moved towards her head, and eventually, he would then begin gently patting her as he began showering her with praises.
"There, there, you good, hardworking maid of mine. Even though you don't work for salary, you always do the best maidwork known to man, even though your master doesn't deserve it." Novus commended her works with a bit of humor and exaggeration.
"I love you, and I will never forget about the things you do for me, no matter how simple they are.... Thank you."
Without warning, Speranza would suddenly rush towards him and wrapped her slender arms around his waist, trapping him in a tight, yet warm embrace as she refused to let him go: this was always what she had wanted from him, as she didn't want anything else but attention, validation, and love from the one she considered her one true master.
"... Thank you too, my adorably pathetic creator~"
While Novus would immediately become quite surprised with her sudden display of affection, he of course wouldn't dare to refuse such a warm act of love that was being done to him- it was from one of the people he was close to after all, and pushing her away would simply be outright terrible.
After all... The way Speranza had always been acting... It reminded him of his own child that he once had, that little girl who never grew up to reach her potential, all because of her frail, sickly nature.
After having known the true value of what it means to love, and to have someone to care for and consider as family, Novus wouldn't dare to refuse this simple act of affection she was showing for him.
"... Seriously, Spera... You're like a little kid sometimes, you know?" Novus replied as he expressed his thoughts about what Speranza just did. "Still... This hug from you... It's not bad at all."
Her head then moved closer to his as she whispered faintly into his ear in a teasing manner.
"Well... I was technically born just a few months ago after all." she spoke softly. "So don't ignore me again just because I'm acting like a child, you hear?"
________________________________________
SWOOOSHHH!!!
The cleaving strike was particularly fast and powerful: it was so swift in speed, that even Speranza had little time to avoid the killing blow that was about to split her cleanly in half.
"!!!"
Instinctively, Speranza's body moved sideways in order to avoid the incoming blow, though of course, with the blade being faster than her own agility, the staggered combat maid could only manage to partially dodge what was about to hit her.
SLASSHHHH!!!
Regulus' greatsword pierced through the portion of her armor that was covering her left shoulder, and the blade instantly became lodged into that area, as it was now unable to cleave through any further nor be pulled back by its wielder despite the immense force that had been used with its attack.
"... I did... I did it..." Regulus muttered with his heavy breathing quite audible, as it took every single ounce of his strength to do that miracle he had just done. "... You're dead now... There's no way you can survive that..."
"... We may have nearly failed our mission, but we ultimately won in the end..." Regulus continued to speak to the monster he had his sword lodged as the vile monstrosity remained silent all the while. "... If I don't survive the fall, then... I'll be seeing you in the afterlife, witch... Or maybe not..."
Victory... It was a costly success they had achieved, one that had already doomed both of his companions to a brutal death, and he wasn't even sure now if he was going to manage to survive his own fall back to the earth- he had been rendered quite weak by the tremendous effort he had just done, and there was no way for him to exert any more energy to ensure that he would survive his inevitable descent.
As such, Regulus continued to hold onto his greatsword that remained firmly planted within his enemy's torn body, grasping tightly onto its metal grip for dear life in an attempt to prolong what little time he had left before both of them would be pulled down by the weight of gravity.
"...?"
... Strangely enough though, his mysterious enemy was still somehow managing to hover in the air, a sight that instantly made him somewhat confused as he began to wonder...
Did he truly manage to deal the killing blow to this monster? Or had she somehow managed to survive against his sword despite the tremendous power of his strike?
...
...
Shock... Disbelief... Bewilderment... And eventually, anger, would be the main emotions that quickly clouded Speranza's mind as her line of thought ran completely wild: she couldn't believe how this man, who was already supposed to have been defeated, had managed to land a devastating blow that would have killed her had she not managed to alter her position at the last second.
How dare he... How dare this man touch her with his vile, primitive weapon? He should have just quietly accepted his defeat as he plummeted back down to the earth due to gravity, yet he still had the audacity to unleash one more attack- what was even more bothersome to her, however, was that fact that this final gambit of his had somehow managed to work despite all the odds that were stacked against his favor.
"..."
Despite her terrible injury though, the combat maid felt not even a wince of pain wracking her nerves at all: as a being of a biosynthetic nature, Speranza had already been rendered completely resistant to the likes of such trivial sensations like pain and hunger, and the sword that had been violently rammed into her body made her feel not the vexing emotion of agony, but a terrifying feeling of rising fury and a desire for vengeance instead.
"... W-what... How are you still alive...?"
It was impossible, Regulus thought as he cursed within his mind due to the ridiculousness of what he was seeing with his very eyes- she was still alive, and what's more was that she was staring into his eyes with a cold, wrathful expression that had suddenly formed on her face...
In truth, a violent impulse of hatred began shrouding all of Speranza's thoughts in a sea of darkness, as Speranza was still unable to fully accept the impossible scenario that had just appeared before her: it was an anger so powerful, that it was beginning to override all her sense of rational thought, and as such, her eyes began staring back into her would-be killer's own with a fierce, piercing gaze that made even Regulus somewhat terrified.
"... I have to admit, that attack you just did would have worked had you aimed more properly..."
"Argghhh!!!"
One of Speranza's hands, whose connecting shoulder hadn't been cleaved through by Regulus' sword, would rapidly move towards the helpless warrior's right arm, seizing him rather helplessly as she easily carried his helpless body around as if it were a puppet with one string attached to it.
"Well, not that it matters anyway..." Speranza, unlike her usually cheerful self, would speak with a tone that seemed incredibly cold. "... My job here is done, and all that's left for me to do is to leave and let the artillery finish all of you off."
"Let me go, you witch! Unhand me this insta-" Regulus shouted as he moved and struggled with his body to resist her pull, though it would ultimately be a meaningless endeavor due to the superior strength of her grip.
"What a poor choice of words." Speranza cut him off without delay. "Meet your end through gravity then, you overbearing sword-wielder."
Almost immediately, Regulus would be thrown away by her into the vast open sky that surrounded them, propelling him into the air as the poor warrior sped pitifully towards the ground...
"AHHHHHH!!!!!"
His body crashed rapidly towards the earth like a descending meteorite, and as its momentum only grew even more intense as he came closer to colliding with the ground, the cold expression on Speranza's face would only become more evident as she observed the crashing warrior's body...
Speranza was still incredibly bothered with the grievous injury that had just been inflicted upon her, and the sight of the one who had hurt her to this extent, the same being who was now descending helplessly towards the ground in a pitiful manner, brought a strange expression within the combat maid's mind that could only be described as a 'he deserved it' kind of emotion.
She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was indeed finding some sort of sadistic pleasure seeing her would-be killer meeting his end, as if her subconscious self thought of the entire thing as if it were some sort of karmaic retribution that was destined to strike him mercilessly.
"... Then again... I'm feeling rather displeased at the moment..." Speranza muttered to herself, as the angered expression that had formed on her face never ceased to be. "Well, most of my body is still functional anyway, so I guess I have a few more moments of fun before I have to return..."
There was a sense of extreme rage that had formed within her heart, as the thought of being hurt to this extent filled her with a rage that was so indescribably large, so much so, that the combat maid had never felt something like this before: it was a direct, polar opposite to her normally gentle, kind-hearted nature, and it was a deep, uncontrollable sensation of wrath that she could barely even keep contained within herself...
Right now, she had the strong, impulsive desire to act out on her desire for revenge, and there was little that anybody else could do to stop this destructive madness from transpiring...
"Change of plans..." Speranza said all of a sudden, as the mechanic matrixes of steel behind her began powering up again, with blaring lights forming from their sleek metal bodies as they drew closer to unleashing their terrible power once again.
"I'll be blowing all of you up to smithereens as payback, you imperial shits."
________________________________________
THUD!
And just like that, the 1st rank of the Hundred Seats had died in battle as his body met the hard surface of the earth in a fatal crash that instantly pulverized his flesh and bones.
The last of the Arslan's Hand champions who took the skies to bring down their dangerous, aerial enemy had been soundly defeated, with their magicks seemingly nullified as they were simply swatted down as if they were nothing more than flies...
"... E-even Lord Regulus stood no chance against that behemoth..."
"Who is that woman... Is she a monster?"
"Just what kind of enemies are we facing... For just a single one of their own to be this powerful?"
For the soldier known as Vernalius, both his eyes and his mind couldn't believe the series of impossible scenarios he had laid witness to- from the quick, disastrous defeat of the imperial experimental weapon they unleashed, to even the deaths of the 3 powerful members of the Hundred Seats...
Vernalius had quickly come to realize that the enemy before them was no foe they coulr ever hope to defeat with the forces they brought with them: she had effortlessly taken down their best warriors as if they were nothing more than nuisances, though granted, the efforts of the 3 Hundred Seats champions were not in vain due to the terrible injury they managed to leave on her before their deaths.
Even still though, despite that, the soldier knew to himself that they had no way to exploit the opportunity that was left behind for them: there was no way for them to bring that monster down from the sky and unleash their numbers on her, and the only thing they could most preferably do right now was to retreat this losing battle and re-rally their forces.
... However, before they could even consider doing that...
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A terrifying cacophony of echoing explosions could suddenly be heard throughout the air, as powerful detonations tore apart the imperial army and began wiping out its men by the masses.
There was nothing they could do to stop this now: the 2 who were previously responsible for preventing this from occurring had already died at the hands of their enemy, and there was no other mage within their ranks that could ever hope to erect a barrier that could protect themselves from such deadly forces.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"R-RETREAT!!! WE'LL BE WIPED OUT AT THIS RATE!"
"THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO, WE HAVE TO RUN AWAY FROM THIS MONSTER!"
"RETREAT! RUN AWAY! FLEE, ALL OF YOU, AND DON'T LOOK BA-"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The very ground beneath them turned into a sea of hellfire, as scores of imperial warriors were vaporized and slaughtered by the eruptions that tore through their rank-and-file formations like a hot knife through butter: a few moments had passed, and thousands upon thousands of men had already instantly met their ends due to the explosions that continuously materialized to torment them.
Vernalius wouldn't even live for more than 5 seconds amidst the orchestra of destructive eruptions that were wiping them out, as he his body had already been completely torn apart and vaporized by one of these explosions that occurred within his close proximity.
It took an entire minute before the explosions would cease to be unleashed, and by then, not a single imperial soldier would be left alive to tell the tale of the one-sided massacre that had just been inflicted upon all of them...
...
...
After what seemed to be an eternity of hell, Speranza's rampage had come to a grinding halt for a moment...
The fields of frozen grass where the soldiers once stood upon were riddled with countless, gaping craters, as a thick layer of dust, dirt and snow enshrouded its ruined landscape from view :simultaneously however, glowing, molten slags of stone and ground poured about its uneven surface, a sea of scorching deformations caused by the sheer, searing, energies that had been unleashed upon the once-pristine, open fields.
So devastating was the continuous barrage that Speranza had unleashed on the Neugomian forces, that the entire area she wreaked havoc on had been turned into a desolate wasteland where not even the most stalwart, enduring creatures could hope to survive in...
"... I think you can stop now... Speranza..."
A gentle hand patted the combat-maid on her right shoulder amidst her temporary blind rage, a soft touch that instantly made her snap out of her madness in an instant.
"... A-ah... Did I go too far, Miss Thurien...?"
Silence.. And then a brief, nervous laughter would come out of the medical android's mouth before she responded. "... Yes, you kind of did go overboard this time..." she explained to her. "... There isn't even a single human left from the destruction you just unleashed..."
"... I'm truly sorry..." Speranza immediately turned to face towards her as she lightly bowed her head in shame. "I guess you wanted to 'save' at least some of them, am I right? But now you can't, and it's all my fault..."
"Well... In any case, they were going to kill us if we didn't deal with them. Don't think too badly about their deaths~" Thurien said as a gentle, empathetic expression formed on her face. "Although, the way you blew them all away until nothing remained of them... It's honestly a bit terrifying, even to me..."
"..."
"... Hahaha, don't feel so bad now, Spera~ I'm not disappointed in you at all." Thurien tried to cheer her up. "I'm actually surprised you chose to wrap things up quickly... Though, in an excessive way..."
"... Aren't you disheartened with the fact that I was too merciless on them?" Speranza asked as she continued to look down in shame. "I mean... I didn't even try to at least use that realm-weapon-thing you gave me... I'm really sorry for what I just did..."
The medicae then responded with a sigh as she spoke again. "We're in a war with these people. We can't and won't be able to save everyone, you know? Especially in a conflict with people as stubborn as them." Thurien explained patiently. "I learned that a long time ago ever since I was first built by my creators, so... Try not to get too bothered by this, okay~?"
"... Y-yes, Miss Thurien..."
"One more thing..." the medicae would add. "Learn to keep your emotions in check in times like this next time, alright? You wouldn't want to repeat this situation again in the future, wouldn't you?"
"... I don't..."
"Good~ now let's go back to the fortress, we need to patch up that injury of yours." the medical android smiled as she gave her another light tap on her shoulder. "That man really did something terrible on you, hm? You really should've just gone for the kill from the beginning..."