IV
At the conclusion of his duel with Olivia, Vollmer Gangrett’s massive form sank to the ground and moved no more.
As the Crimson Knights began to retreat, the royal army thundered after them in pursuit. The soldiers of Osmund’s regiment rode alongside the Independent Cavalry Regiment, rage burning in their eyes.
Captain Gordeau Kreis oversaw the retreat. He was fifty-five years old, but his body was still hale and hearty, and age had done nothing to diminish his spirit. Already six out of every ten of his soldiers lay dead, but he was determined to give those who remained whatever time he could to flee.
“Not long now! Hold out!” he cried.
“Yes, ser!” his soldiers called back, their vigor restored by his words. Commander Vollmer and his second-in-command Lamia might be dead, but the Knights’ will to fight on was as strong as ever. Rosenmarie commanded the absolute loyalty of every one of her Knights, and their honor would never permit them to bend the knee to their enemy. This, however, would not help them to get away. Gordeau, if he was honest with himself, knew that they had next to no hope of a successful retreat. The reason was right in front of him, plain as day.
“Captain Gordeau!” called his advisor, Heinrich, galloping up from behind him. “They broke Lieutenant Burkhart’s defensive formation!” Gordeau looked up at the young girl on a black horse, her hair billowing out behind her.
“The monster caught up to us already?” he said. The story had already spread of how the monster in human skin killed Vollmer the Man-Butcher only after slicing off all his limbs. It was a clear answer to the “invitation” Lamia had sent the Seventh Legion. They had laughed at the tales of thousands of soldiers terrified by one little girl, but now they all tasted that fear themselves. Gordeau immediately sprang into action, issuing orders to his full force. “Get the wounded out first!” he called. “Form up in a circle with pikes at the front! Don’t let the enemy break through! I want three ranks of archers in the back firing volleys! Not one soldier gets past us!”
“Yes, ser!” they answered.
Watching this, Claudia turned to Olivia and said, “Major, the enemy is shifting to a circle formation. It appears they plan to keep resisting to the last.”
“Trust the Crimson Knights...” Olivia said, with an impressed nod. “They’re holding out well. If we try to break through, our losses are going to really pile up. I’ll go in first and upset their formation. Can I leave you two to judge the right moment to attack?”
“Yes, ser!” barked Claudia. Ashton blew a high blast on his trumpet to signal to the rest of the force.
“Crescent formation!” he shouted. He then turned to Olivia, concern in his eyes. “Olivia, I know as well as anyone just how strong you are, but don’t do anything stupid, okay?”
“I know,” she said with a smile. “Thanks for worrying, though. See you in a bit!” She waved, then pulled out ahead of the force.
“Let’s go, horsey,” she murmured, stroking the neck of the black horse. Sensing its master’s will, it gathered speed. Z always told her that horses were highly intelligent animals, but Olivia thought her black horse was especially clever. She decided after this battle was over, she’d think of a nice name for it.
“Pikes forward!” shouted a man from the enemy’s ranks. With practiced efficiency, they moved to form a solid wall of spearpoints that screamed “this far but no further.” Olivia took the mini ballista from her back and aimed it at the man’s forehead. Then she pulled the trigger.
The metal spring twanged, and the bolt passed clean through the man’s skull. Olivia immediately loaded another bolt, then pulled the trigger. With each shot, another pikeman crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut.
This is so handy! Olivia thought. So much more powerful than a bow, and with a bit of practice I can get out consecutive shots. It was definitely the right move accepting it from Brum back at Fort Caspar. She stowed the mini ballista on her back again and drew the ebony blade. The black horse galloped faster still, and in an instant, she plunged deep into the enemy ranks.
“The monster’s gone crazy!” yelled a man, probably their captain. “We’ve got her surrounded! Impale her!” Olivia cut off the heads of the pikes that jabbed towards her, then struck back, severing the heads of her attackers and sending them flying. Blood rained down on them all, staining the Crimson Knights’ armor an even brighter red.
A soldier stabbed at Olivia from the side, trying to get past her guard. Her blade cut right through his helmet and into his skull, and brain matter oozed out like the juice of an overripe fruit. She then spun the black horse and began to attack in earnest, her sword flashing in all directions. One by one, the faces of the Crimson Knights twisted in horror, and they began to retreat. Their formation was breaking down.
“Lieutenant Claudia, a section of the enemy formation has collapsed!” Ashton called out. Claudia took a deep breath.
“This is it!” she bellowed. “Smash them to pieces!”
“Yes, ser!”
The Independent Cavalry Regiment, with Osmund’s soldiers alongside them, began their charge. Facing enemies within and without, the fearsome Crimson Knights faltered, unsure whether to flee. Another fell, and then another, their lifeblood pooling crimson on the battlefield.
“C-Captain!” a soldier wailed, their face a mask of terror. “We can’t keep this up!” Their ranks were rapidly crumbling, and soon the enemy would have them surrounded. There was no hope of repairing the formation now.
Gordeau looked forward and saw the monster in human skin approaching with terrifying speed. Her blade was a black blur, bringing down another of the all-powerful Crimson Knights with every swing. They were helpless before her. He felt like he was watching a bad theater performance. That black sword, wrapped in dark mist and dripping with blood, seemed like something out of a fantasy world.
“Captain Gordeau, we can’t hold them...” Heinrich groaned.
“How many wounded remain?”
“There’s...” Heinrich replied haltingly. “We’ve only got half of them out.”
“Only half...” Gordeau was silent for a moment, then said “Go support those bearing the wounded. Then, when you judge it right, take your soldiers and flee.”
“Captain? What about you?” Heinrich replied, horrified. Gordeau didn’t answer. He turned back to the monster and spurred his horse forward. As he sped towards her, he reached into his shirt and pulled out a pendant in the shape of the Goddess Strecia. He wrapped it around his left wrist and said a silent prayer.
Please, Goddess, lend this old man your protection. The monster had toyed with Vollmer the Man-Butcher like a cat with a mouse. Gordeau knew he had no chance in hell of emerging victorious. Even an old man like him, however, could buy some time for his soldiers to flee. Right now, even one more moment was of immeasurable value.
“No further, monster! You have to go through me, Gordeau Kreis of the Crimson Knights!”
“Oh, not again,” Olivia said, groaning. “I’m not a monster. My name is Olivia.” She pointed her sword at him and charged. He waited until she was just alongside him, then stabbed his trident at her heart. Even a monster had to die if you stabbed it through the heart.
“No!” he shouted. His attack got nowhere near Olivia. He threw aside the remains of his trident, cut cleanly in half, and drew his sword, turning his horse to confront Olivia.
“Can we wrap this up?” she asked.
“Wrap what up?” he repeated, confused. Olivia tilted her head at him, then her eyes widened, and she laughed.
“Oh, sorry! That’s me using the wrong words again,” she explained. “What I mean to say is, I’m going to kill you now.”
“Ah,” replied Gordeau. “I see.” So the monster wasn’t comfortable with human language, Gordeau observed, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter. He let out a quiet breath, then spurred his horse to a gallop, heading straight at Olivia.
“Diiiie!” he shrieked, summoning more strength than he’d known he possessed into a sidelong sweep that Olivia parried easily with her black blade. His sword caught, then was sent flying away into the sky. Without thinking, Gordeau looked up to follow the sword, only for a dark shadow to descend over his vision.
“A-A scythe?!” he cried out in shock. He rubbed his eyes, doing a double and then a triple take as he took in the great, ebony-black scythe before him. There was no sign of the black sword Olivia had held before. The only thing that remained was the disturbing black mist that flowed from it.
Aren’t there children’s stories where death gods wield scythes like that? Wait... Death gods? His mouth twisted at this chance insight, and he began to laugh uncontrollably. Oh, now I understand! There was never any hope! Colonel Vollmer died for nothing. What arrogance, to think mere humans could stand against a god!
That was true even if the god was only one of death.
“It’s all come together at last,” he said. “You aren’t a monster, are you?”
“That’s right,” she said, pleased. “I’m Olivia Valedstorm. I’m so glad a human from the empire finally gets it.” She nodded at him, but Gordeau shook his head.
“No, that’s not it,” he replied. “I see it clearly now. You are a God of Death.”
“A god of death?” Olivia said, her eyes going wide. “No, that’s Z.” She swung the great scythe. Pain like Gordeau had never experienced before coursed through his body like lightning, and his vision went white.
“I wonder if this Gordeau guy knew something about Z,” Olivia mused. “Ahhh, I should have taken him prisoner instead of just killing him.” Holding her head in her hands, she looked down at the two halves of Gordeau’s body at her feet. On the ground beside him, a shattered pendant sparkled.
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