This was a desperate strategy used to survive against difficult odds, but was just lip service to rally the men, rather than a viable tactic. So it was a surprise that the enemy was stupid enough to actually put this to practice.
They probably set up this formation since they had inferior numbers, but this was still too shockingly r.e.t.a.r.ded.
“What should we do?”
“Do you even need to ask? Spread our formation to the sides, and continue firing from mid range. Send that so called Death G.o.d and her men to the abyss.”
“Yes Sir!”
On Hynel"s orders, the archers fired upon the Death G.o.d"s unit. However, the enemy raised large shields to cover themselves, blocking all the volley fire. They moved with practiced movements, as if they already expected this and prepared countermeasures. The arrows were useless against this iron-clad defences.
On top of that, the enemy retaliate with their own arrows through the gaps between the shields, inflicting losses on the Imperial soldiers instead. If this continued, the losses would continue to mount.
“Your Grace, this isn"t going well.”
“I know. Just parlour tricks. Attack with pikes, surround them and push them off the cliffs!”
“Yes Sir!”
Hynel gave instructions loudly, ordering the pikemen to advance.
“—The enemy is moving just as Ashton expected.”
Ashton smiled when he heard that from Claudia. They intentionally let the enemy scouts detect them, and lured them here. Faced with the tough defences of the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment, the Crimson Knights gave up on ranged attacks, and switched to melee combat.
The enemy wants to push them down the cliff with their pikes.
“Everything is going as planned so far. As discussed earlier, the two of you will need to lead the way, please.”
“Yes, leave it to me. Fufu, I"m all hyped up.”
“I will do my best too, Ashton.”
Claudia was fearless, while Olivia smiled brightly. Ashton couldn"t help smiling as he watched the both of them. The old Ashton could never smile at a time like this. Being with the two of them was one reason, but the most important factor was that Ashton had gotten used to wars. Whether this was a good thing was a different matter though.
The history of humanity was the history of wars. If there were humans, there would always be wars. After all, this was a part of being human.
And what he could do now was to think of ways to let the people around him survive. Ashton was willing to go to any length to do so.
“— It"s almost time to go.”
On Ashton"s orders, the unit switched to a wedge formation.
“We will now charge through the center of the enemy"s formation!”
The Autonomous Cavalry Regiment began to charge, which surprised the Crimson Knights a little. Olivia and Claudia used this chance to cover each other"s blindspots, and cut open a path with their swords.
Any who dared stand before them were cut down. They slowly tore a gap in the middle of the enemy"s formation.
To avoid falling too far behind, Ashton advanced with his escorts and a sword in hand.
“— Now!”
Seeing a corner of the enemy formation flailing, Claudia shouted immediately. Olivia stood still and lowered her stance, just like she did when facing a One Horned Beast. An instant later, the soldiers in her path suddenly started spurting out blood and collapsing.
Olivia started cutting down the soldiers in her way, too fast for the eyes to see— and broke through to the center.
“Ashton!”
Olivia turned around and shouted loudly, and Ashton immediately blew his horn. After Olivia broke through the enemy lines, the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment moved orderly into a fan formation. The vanguards braced their shields, and the rear guards readied their bows with practiced movements.
“This is the final phase of the battle! Crush them in one go!!”
Claudia"s clear voice reverberated in the b.l.o.o.d.y peak of the hill—
The tables had turned, and Listenberg"s unit was the one being surrounded. Pushed back by the relentless arrow fire, they were slowly forced to the edge of the cliff. Listenberg regretted not preparing tower shields like the enemy did. After seeing the smooth movements of his opponents, he finally realized that this was all part of the enemy"s scheme.
“d.a.m.n it, having their backs to the wall is just for show. Those whippersnappers and their dirty tricks!”
“Your Grace! They are going to push us off the cliff!”
Hynel kept turning back to gauge their distance to the cliff as he shouted. Listenberg said with a sinister smile:
“Then we will do the same thing. Switch to wedge formation! We will break through the enemy"s center, and force them off the cliff instead!”
“Yes Sir!”
On Hynel"s instructions, the unit quickly transformed into a wedge formation.
—However.
“This is it! Fire arrows!”
A young officer gave the signal, and a large number of fire arrows rained down from the sky. The troops were very shaken by this scene.
“Your Grace!”
Hynel looked towards Listenberg with his face pale.
“Don"t panic! The fire isn"t that damaging. Keep calm and carry on!”
Listenberg shouted angrily, and his men regained their composure, blocking the fire arrows with their swords and shields. At this moment, something unexpected happened. When the fire arrow hit the ground, the place erupted in flames. Even the veteran Listenberg was shocked by the fire that broke out from that tiny flame.
This abnormal situation resulted in the soldiers getting engulfed by the fire helplessly.
“—!? Where did this huge fire come from!?”
Hynel said hysterically. Listenberg told himself to calm down, and he smelled something strange in the air.
(This smell… I see, they spilled oil on the ground ahead of time.)
But it was too late now. Their tight formation amplified the damage of this fire. Listenberg wanted to use the enemy"s tactic against them, and didn"t expect such an insidious plan behind all that. His men were either burned alive or falling off the cliff.
The peak of the hill was now a living h.e.l.l, and the screams of the soldiers echoed out loud.
“Fufufu…”
“Y-Your Grace?”
Hynel looked at Listenberg confusedly, but Listenberg didn"t mind.
“Splendid. I don"t know who came up with this plan, but he saw through every move that we made. He might be the enemy, but this is splend—”
Listenberg didn"t finish his compliments. An arrow struck him in the throat, ending his life there.
“Your Grace!?”
Hynel who rushed to his side and the rest of the soldiers died to the arrows shortly after.
Seeing the sea of fire before her, Claudia said:
“The Crimson Knights had stopped any organized resistance. The commander and key officers are probably dead. We have won.”
Olivia put Chachamaru back on her back and nodded.
“I think so too, but we can"t be careless until the end. A cornered rat will bite the cat. Well, we can just stomp them flat if they try anyway.”
The enemy either died in the fire or jumped off the cliff into the waters. The survivors were in disarray. They made a desperate charge against the Royal army, but was too disorganized to be effective.
“Sigh, in the end, we still didn"t find out where the enemy basecamp is.”
She was planning to take the enemy commander alive and find the location of their basecamp. It was a pity that he died, but the primary goal of Ashton"s plan was to minimize the losses of the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment. They also accomplished the secondary goal of shaving down the enemy"s number, so it was fine.
Olivia understood that she shouldn"t be too greedy. This also applied to delicious meals and tasty desserts too.
“Commander, we found an enemy unit near the foot of the hill— Uwah, this is really something…”
Gauss gasped at the fiery scene before him. The scouts that were sent out had returned safely.
“Yes, good work. Let"s break for lunch after killing the rest of the enemy. We need to find our next prey— Hey Ashton, please give me a mustard bun with plenty of jerky.”
“You want to make it again? I"m really tired now…”
The exhausted Ashton protested.
“When I eat the food prepared by Ashton, I will be filled with energy.”
Olivia flexed her muscles with a smile. As for Ashton...
“Olivia, you are always br.i.m.m.i.n.g with energy— Sigh, Olivia is the commander after all, so I will carry out your orders…”
Ashton"s expression softened, and Claudia smiled at him.
The Autonomous Cavalry Regiment enjoyed a peaceful meal that seemed out of place for a battlefield.
“Alright, it"s almost time to go.”
Leaving countless charred corpses and rolling smoke behind, the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment set off to hunt for their next target.
Ⅲ
West of the Carnac valley, Crimson Knights Basecamp
“How goes the battle?”
Rosenmarie who was seated in a chair inside the large tent asked.
“Yes, right now, we have the upperhand.”
Gaier laid out the map on the table, and reported the situation at each area one by one. The thick fog resulted in additional losses, but it was still within acceptable range. Their opponent"s attacks were based around longbowmen, which meant that they admit to being less capable than the Crimson Knights in melee combat.
Gaier felt this was a good time to launch an all out attack. But the Seventh Army still had the Death G.o.d as a wild card, so it was best to exercise caution.
“— Got it. The enemy is basically moving as we expected. By the way, where is the Death G.o.d?”
Gaier shook his head.
“No, none of our units found any signs of her.”
“What, so she"s running around like a gutter rat again?”
Rosenmarie smiled faintly, but her eyes weren"t smiling at all. She might not have noticed, but her killing intent towards the Death G.o.d had been overflowing recently. From Gaier"s perspective, her murderous intent didn"t have any negative emotions at all.
It was a killing intent similar to a heat wave. Gaier felt an indescribable fear towards her. That was why he had to slaughter that Death G.o.d before Rosenmarie took the field personally.
As Gaier made up his mind, a messenger barged into the tent with panicked footsteps.
“Report, the body of Major Mills had been found near the Vetnam river. There are a large number of bodies found downstream too. Major Mills" unit had probably been destroyed.”
Rosenmarie frowned a little, and asked Gaier:
“If I"m not wrong, you sent that unit to attack the enemy"s rear.”
“That is correct.”
The decimation of Mills" unit came as a surprise. This would definitely affect the battle adversely. Gaier sighed, and realized that the messenger was still down on one knee, as if he wasn"t finished.
“Yes, what is it? Anything else to report?”
“—Sir, this is just my speculation...”
Despite him saying that, the messenger sounded confident. Gaier hesitated a little, and looked towards Rosenmarie. Rosenmarie nodded, granting permission for the messenger to speak.
“Let"s hear it then.”
“Yes Mdm. According to the reports, Major Mills was cleaved in half at the waist. There are several bodies found in the same state too. In my humble opinion, this couldn"t be done by normal people.”
“Are you saying that the Death G.o.d did this?”
In response to Rosenmarie, the nervous messenger nodded tensely. At this moment, another messenger rushed before Rosenmarie, genuflected, and said loudly:
“Report! Major General Listenberg was killed in action on Levis Hill! His unit was also wiped out!”
The consecutive bad news caused an uproar among the officers inside the tent. This was the first time a General died since the founding of the Crimson Knights, and was a much bigger problem than what happened to Mills. The rapid deterioration of the battle caused the unease in Gaier"s heart to bloat.
“Major General Listenberg has 4,000 men under his command! How can they be wiped out so easily—”
Gaier refused to accept reality, and rejected the messenger"s report. But what the messenger said next deprived all of his excuses.
“Their opponent was the Death G.o.d Olivia"s unit! They number about 3,000!”
“What…!?”
The implication was clear. Just four days into the battle, they lost two tenths of their forces to the Death G.o.d. The illusion of a Death G.o.d"s scythe swinging down flashed across Gaier"s mind, making him shiver.
“Fufufu… That accursed Death G.o.d Olivia. She seems to be having fun. Looks like it"s time for me to take to the field.”
Rosenmarie gulped down the water canteen she got from an attendant, and banged it down on the table. Her crimson eyes were gleaming like a beast that found its prey. The thing he was worrying about all this while was turning true. The anxious Gaier quickly said:
“Your Grace! Please wait!”
“Wait for what? Who else but me can take her on?”
Rosenmarie grunted unhappily.
“I have a plan!”
With a nod, Gaier started explaining the plan. First, gather all their forces, attack the Death G.o.d"s unit with 10,000 men, and destroy her by attacking in waves. Her unit might be strong, but they only had 3,000 soldiers, and would eventually fall to the overwhelming difference in numbers. This plan relied entirely on the advantage in numbers, but it was effective.
After listening to Gaier, Rosenmarie"s face looked troubled.
“This isn"t much of a plan. You want to send more than half of our forces against the Death G.o.d"s unit? If we go with that, the Seventh Army aren"t dummies and will launch an all out attack on our basecamp. If I were in their shoes, I would definitely do that.”
“You are right, Your Grace. But if we put the Death G.o.d"s unit and the Seventh Army on a scale, the Death G.o.d unit will be heavier. We will win if the Seventh Army doesn"t have the Death G.o.d.”
He wasn"t underestimating the Seventh Army. Gaier had evaluated them objectively, and they were not much of a threat. This was based on the consolidated reports sent in by all the units, but it shouldn"t be too far off. Even if the Seventh Army a.s.saulted the basecamp en ma.s.se, with proper preparation, they could be fended off.
Once they destroyed the Death G.o.d"s unit, they could even launch a pincer attack on the Seventh Army. All the officers present concurred with Gaier. He had to make Rosenmarie agree with this, no matter what.
“No. I won"t approve of your plan, Gaier.”
But his proposal was rejected by Rosenmarie. But Gaier wasn"t giving up, since this concerned Rosenmarie"s safety.
“But why? Can you give me a reason?”
“A reason, huh… very well. It will take quite a lot of time to muster our forces. Do you think the Death G.o.d unit will sit still obediently in the meantime? That will be giving them the chance to pick our units off piece by piece. More importantly, this valley is too cramped to deploy an army of 10,000. I did so anyway to make full use of our proficiency in fighting in the hills. That"s why we divided into small units, allowing each group to make use of the terrain. And your plan will kill off our advantage.”
“But they are picking us off part by part right now. And there might be a place to deploy 10,000 men around here.”
“I see. Well then, how will you lure the Death G.o.d"s unit there? By using dessert as bait?”
Rosenmarie asked with a hint of ridicule. Gaier proposed setting up a unit as bait. This was the tactic that defeated the Empire during the Battle of Berkerley in the past. The scale was much smaller, but the essence was the same.
“Hmm, not a bad idea. Only if you a.s.sume that the Death G.o.d is a r.e.t.a.r.d.”
“What do you mean?”
Rosenmarie started expounding:
“Have you forgotten? They paralyzed 30,000 of our troops. They won"t bite on a trap of that level.”
Rosenmarie brushed her slender fingers gently across Gaier"s cheek. Gaier groaned, and Rosenmarie patted his back, as if she was consoling a kid.
“Haha, you are an adjutant, don"t make such an unsightly face. I said they won"t take that bait, but that doesn"t mean I reject your plan.”
“T-Then—”
Gaier couldn"t help leaning forth, and Rosenmarie raised her left hand:
“We will go with parts of Gaier"s plan, with some changes to the details.”
“Changes to the details…? May I know which part?”
Rosenmarie merely smiled at Gaier"s question. She wanted Gaier to figure it out himself. After pondering over it, Gaier still didn"t get it. Gaier admitted defeat and shook his head. Rosenmarie"s smile deepened, and breathed seductively into Gaier"s ear:
“You still don"t get it. I will be the bait to lure in the Death G.o.d.”
“You won"t tell me where the basecamp is either? I can spare your life if you tell me— Oh, I will throw in some cake too.”
“Don"t look down on me!!”
An enraged man slashed his sword. Olivia pinched the weapon aimed at her throat, and the man"s eyes widened in disbelief. She paid it no heed, and placed her blade at that man"s throat.
“I will ask again. Can you tell me where your basecamp is?”
“…………”
“I will spare your life, and I"m not lying about the cake either— Oh, are you afraid of your jaws dropping because it is too sweet? Don"t worry, it won"t drop from that.”
“…………”
“— I see, it"s a pity.”
Olivia tightened her grip, and slit the man"s throat.
“Major, we have finished sweeping up the remnants. —as expected, you still didn"t get the position of the enemy"s basecamp, huh.”
Claudia glanced at the head on the ground and handed her a handkerchief. Olivia thanked her, and said as she wiped her face:
“Yes, they didn"t say anything. Why are they so eager to die?”
“They are all warriors of honor. Loyalty is part of their creed. They might be our enemy, but I can respect that spirit.”
Claudia nodded in admiration.
“But they can"t eat delicious food and desserts when they are dead… I will definitely not want that.”
Olivia sheathed her blade after wiping away the blood. Claudia said with an awkward smile:
“That"s what honor means.”
Claudia"s tone had a sense of pride. Was honor that important? Olivia didn"t get it at all. She still had much to learn about humans. And Claudia seemed to be very fixated on honor.
(But one thing is clear to me. If Claudia wants to die for honor, then I will not hesitate to slay that honor. That won"t change.)
Olivia clenched her fist and resolved herself. A familiar voice rang out at this time.
“Olivia, headquarters have sent out a recall order.”
Ashton walked over with a wave. Olivia stared at him.
(Well, Ashton should be fine. He probably won"t say that he will die for the sake of honor.)
“Hmm? Is there something on my face?”
Ashton rubbed his face in a hurry, and Olivia smiled at him.
“It"s nothing. So, headquarters are pulling us back? Did something happen?”
“Who knows? According to the messengers, the other units aside from us are having a hard time… anyway, let"s set off once the preparations are done. Olivia, use this chance to rest up. First Lieutenant Claudia, as for our schedule—”
Ashton approached Claudia with a map in his hands.
(For some reason, my chest feels warm when I look at the two of them. Why is that? I didn"t drink any warm soup. How queer.)
Olivia didn"t understand the warmth she was feeling. She never felt this way when she was living with Z too. If she continued to stay with the two of them, she would figure it out one day.
With that in mind, Olivia suddenly barged in between the two of them, grabbing the arms of the two surprised people, and showing an innocent smile.
South of the Carnac Valley, Seventh Army Basecamp
Heeding Paul"s orders, the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment returned to their basecamp. The war conference began after Olivia"s group arrived.
“You are gathered here on such short notice because of the sudden movements from the enemy— Adjutant Otto, please explain the details.”
“Yes Sir!”
Otto stood up, and briefed the officers on the situation. An enemy group we believe to be the enemy main forces are relocating their basecamp downstream of the Vetnam river. They are just 3,000 strong. Scouts report that there are no signs of the other units that should be defending this basecamp.”
“The location of this basecamp is in one of the widest s.p.a.ces in the entire Carnac valley. The Crimson Knights are proficient in mountain warfare, and they held the upper hand all this while. I can"t fathom why they are giving up on their advantage. They removed the escort units and exposed their basecamp that only has 3,000 men… I can"t understand what they are doing.”
An old officer from the Seventh Army stated his doubts, and the rest concurred with him. However, Ashton was different as he looked at the map on the table in deep thought.
By the way, Olivia was carefully cleaning her armor with a clean piece of cloth, she really likes this armor. Otto already cast icy gazes her way several times, and Claudia would remind her quietly. She would always stop for a time, before resuming a while later. This had been repeating since the very start.
“Their intentions are unclear, but isn"t this a great chance?”
“That"s right, if we launch a strong attack on their basecamp, we might even kill their commander. Lord Paul, we should strike.”
“I agree too.”
The officers all proposed seizing this opportunity and attack. They were all hoping to overturn their dire situation. The opinion to attack became the common consensus.
Paul rubbed his chin, and suddenly put Ashton in the spotlight.
“Warrant Officer Ashton, what do you think about this situation? Don"t hold back and speak freely.”
“Yes Sir… In my humble opinion, this is definitely the enemy"s trap. We should exercise caution.”
“I see… Why do you say that?”
“Sir, please look this way.”
Ashton picked up a black chess piece and placed it on the map to represent the enemy basecamp. That drew the attention of the crowd. Ashton"s opinion ran contrary to the consensus in the room, but no one showed him any doubts. This was probably thanks to his accomplishments so far, and even Hosmund who mocked him last time was listening attentively.
“The enemy is intentionally showing how empty their defences are. At a glance, this much looks like a good opportunity to seize their basecamp, but this is the enemy"s trap.”
Ashton then put a ring of black chess pieces around that basecamp.
“I think the enemy units are lying some distance away like this. That"s probably the reason why the scouts found no signs of the escort units in the vicinity. If we charged the enemy recklessly...”
Ashton placed a white chess piece beside the enemy basecamp, and pushed the black pieces towards the white chess piece.
“The enemy lying in ambush will surround and destroy us. From my estimates, these units will take an hour to arrive and reinforce their basecamp.”
Ashton saluted after saying that, and sat back down. The officers present started to moan in despair. Paul looked displeased and said:
“So you are saying that the enemy commander is confident of holding off our all out attack for an hour?”
“They are looking down on us.”
Before Ashton could reply, Otto commented calmly. Claudia felt the same too. But the Crimson Knights had the capability to back this up. The power difference between these two armies couldn"t be bridged so easily.
“Lord Paul is right. Their basecamp is probably being defended by top elites.”
“I understand what you are saying, Warrant Officer Ashton. But why is the enemy using this strategy now? Even if they don"t take this risk, they still hold the upperhand in this battle, right?”
A young officer stated the doubt that was hanging over everyone"s mind. He was right, the Seventh Army has been shaved down to 20,000 now. Even without taking this risk, the advantage of the Crimson Knights would stay the same. The Autonomous Cavalry Regiment scored several victories, but the overall situation was still bleak for the Seventh Army.
As Claudia was thinking about that, she heard a clear voice:
“Well, they probably think that the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment is an eyesore. They even lost a Major General to us, so they really want to destroy us. We are infamous now.”
Olivia said happily as she cleaned her armor. Hosmund shivered, probably sensitive to the term Major General. Ashton smiled awkwardly and scratched his head, then said:
“Major Olivia is right. The enemy has a higher evaluation of the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment than we expected. This is probably a trap to destroy the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment.”
The officers erupted into an uproar, and Paul nodded enlightened.
“I see, it"s true that the Autonomous Cavalry Regiment is the strongest unit in the Seventh Army. It"s only natural that our foe thinks of you as a threat. Warrant Officer Ashton is right —Adjutant Otto.”
“Sir, if that is the case, there are plenty of countermeasures we can employ. The key will be to mislead the enemy into thinking that we have fallen for their trap, and trap them instead.”
Otto said with a rarely seen cold smile.
“Very well then. Adjutant Otto and Warrant Officer Ashton, formulate a plan quickly. Once you are ready, we will move out.”
“Yes Sir!”
“… Yes Sir!”
(Speaking of which, Ashton has grown a lot. He isn"t as timid as before, however…)
Claudia suppressed her urge to laugh at the sight of Ashton"s eyes that was like a dead fish.
Crimson Knights Basecamp
“Fool me once, shame on you, but fooling me twice… This is the biggest shame of Rosenmarie"s life…”
Rosenmarie laughed in self mockery as she watched the raging fire in the distance. The enemy was attacking just as planned, with a rough estimate of about 10,000. That was less than expected, and could be held off easily for an hour.
However, when the battle started, a fire started burning around the basecamp. Even if their deployed units rush back, they would be kept away by the flames. Short of a heavy downpour, this fire would rage on for quite a while.
This was a brilliant way of beating someone at their own game. The enemy completely saw through Rosenmarie"s intention. It was the same when they tied down the 30,000 garrisoned units too. Her foe had a sharp strategist.
“— This is really a spectacular sight. It feels that I will get burned too if I stayed here. Ahaha!”
The girl before her turned around with light steps. By her feet were Rosenmarie"s bodyguards who were lying in a pool of blood. The girl looked like she was dancing gracefully.
“What a flimsical girl… so you are the Death G.o.d Olivia, huh.”
Her silver hair flowed down to her waist, over her porcelain-like skin, and delicate features on her face. It was easy to relate her to the Death G.o.d on the coat of arms adorning her dark armor. Especially her dark sword covered in black mist, everything matched the rumors.
Most importantly, no normal girl could ma.s.sacre the bodyguards like she was playing with children.
“I"m not a Death G.o.d, but I"m Olivia. You are the commander, I a.s.sume? I finally met you. By the way, did you get my message?”
Rosenmarie smiled.
“Ohh, that message, huh. That"s really a masterpiece. That"s why I invited you here, Olivia. Things are slightly different than I planned though —I remember that you want to take my life, correct?”
“Yes, you are right.”
Olivia was all smiles. Her forthright answer made Rosenmarie"s expression relax a lot. This was the best opponent prepared for her by fate.
“Actually, my goal is similar to Olivia in a sense. Don"t you think we will get along really well?”
Rosenmarie pulled off her cape and tossed it aside, then slowly drew her sword. The steel blade slowly turned hot and was dyed red.
Olivia reached for her hilt and pulled out her dark sword again.
“Yes, I think we will get along splendidly. Hey, can you tell me your name?”
“Alright, think of it as a gift for your journey to the underworld. I"m Rosenmarie von Berlietta. Let"s get along since we are both girls.”
“Ms Rosenmarie von Berlietta, huh. Nice name. I"m Olivia Valedstorm. Nice to meet you too.”
After smiling at each other, they charged at each other.
Their swords clashed with a sharp metallic clink.
Ⅳ
—Olivia versus Rosenmarie. The battle between them had started.
After clashing for a few rounds, Olivia slashed diagonally. Rosenmarie twisted her body to dodge, and used her momentum to kick at Olivia"s stomach. Olivia quickly pulled back, dust flew into the air when her feet touched the ground and she kicked. Their feet hit each other.
A split second later, they were knocked far apart.
(I see, no wonder she has the guts to threaten me with death. Not just her skills with a sword, she is good with unarmed combat too. No wonder Volmar died in her hands…)
After a few rounds, Rosenmarie had yet to hit Olivia. As she was considering her options, Olivia said ecstatically:
“Ms Rosenmarie"s ‘Odic force" is very high. Much stronger than Mr Volmar that I killed some time ago. Z said there aren"t many people like that. Am I just lucky?”
With that, Olivia slowly lowered her stance.
(My Odic force is very high…?)
That sounded familiar to Rosenmarie, but now wasn"t the time to brood over that. In response to Olivia"s unusual stance, Rosenmarie braced her sword.
(That"s fast!)
Olivia suddenly appeared before her, thrusting her sword at Rosenmarie"s face with incredible speed. Rosenmarie blocked with the flat side of her blade, and slashed at Olivia"s head.
Olivia leaned to the side to evade, spun around and cleaved horizontally from the left. Rosenmarie quickly parried with her sword. Sparks flew with a clang.
“Phew… That was a close one. No wonder they call you a Death G.o.d. I can"t let my guard down around you.”
“You are the same too, Ms Rosenmarie. This reminds me of my ‘training" with Z. Just a little though.”
Olivia had a nostalgic look on her face. Rosenmarie struck at this opportunity, but she missed, cutting down the trees behind Olivia instead.
The birds took flight with noisy caws, followed by an intense crackle— as the cut surface of the tree erupted into flames.
“Ehh?”
Olivia"s jaw dropped at the sight of the burning trees. She immediately looked towards the sword in Rosenmarie"s hand.
“Fufu. You looked surprised.”
“Yes, what a fascinating sword.”
Olivia looked with envy, and Rosenmarie said with a wry smile:
“Olivia"s sword is fascinating too. But you should understand now what will happen if my sword cuts you.”
“I will catch on fire like the trees? I don"t want that, that looks hot.”
Olivia said as if it didn"t concern her at all.
“This is the first time I"m cutting people with a sword enchanted with Sorcery. Let"s see whether you will catch on fire.”
When she heard that, Olivia tilted her head puzzledly.
“Sorcery? Someone mentioned that in the past too. Are you talking about Magic?”
“Magic? What"s that?”
It was Rosenmarie"s turn to tilt her head quizzingly. She had never heard of the term Magic before. On the other hand, Olivia frowned and complained “Z didn"t teach me either.”
Unlike Felixus, Rosenmarie didn"t have any dealings with Sorcerers. They were whimsical and hard to track down, and she had no intention of contacting them either.
After all, Sorcery were the powers of the G.o.ds, so it was strange for mere humans to use Sorcery. The people from the Church of Saint Illuminas would be mad if they found out.
As for Rosenmarie, she would use anything she could make use of.
“Forget it. I don"t know what Magic is, but it doesn"t matter.”
Rosenmarie pushed herself forward and attacked rapidly. In her flurry of quick attacks, she would mix in strikes that were slow enough for a child to dodge. This was a wily sword technique that Rosenmarie was proficient with. She combined it with her unique footings that changes speed constantly to catch her opponents off guard. All her opponents were forced into committing mistakes and died to her sword.
However, Olivia was different. She evaded or parried all of Rosenmarie"s attacks, and even counterattacked. A slash to cut off her legs whiffed through the air, as Olivia jumped and somersaulted elegantly, before landing softly. Despite her st.u.r.dy armor, Olivia looked as if she was as light as a feather.
“Fu. Olivia, do you have wings on your back? To dodge my sword so easily… it"s messing up my rhythm.”
“Ms Rosenmarie is really strong too. Aside from Z, you are the first to have lasted this long against me.”
“Hey, you have been talking about Z all this time, who is that person? Olivia"s teacher?”
It wouldn"t be strange for a girl in her teens that was so strong to have an extraordinary swordsman as a master. No, it will be strange if such a person exists. But it would be a different matter if she really was the Death G.o.d.
“Ehh? Z is my teacher? —Hmm, nope. Z is different from a teacher. Hey, what do you think Z is to me?”
“How would I know!”
Rosenmarie retorted on reflex, and Olivia laughed out loud.
“That"s true. By the way, I have been thinking that I saw a similar sword techniques somewhere else in the past.”
Olivia tilted her head as she swayed her dark sword. Rosenmarie learned her swordsmanship from Osborne when she was young. She had her own unique style now, but the fundamentals of Osborne"s teachings were still deeply rooted in her sword.
In other words, Olivia saw Osborne"s shadow in Rosenmarie"s sword. Rosenmarie felt the hair on her back standing on ends.
“Could it be… Olivia, are you the one who killed General Osborne?”
After saying that, the doubts in Rosenmarie mind cleared. Osborne might be old, but mobs wouldn"t be able to kill him.
“General Osborne? —That"s right! It"s similar to Mr Osborne!”
Olivia snapped her fingers.
“Answer my question!”
“Ehh? I"m the one who killed Mr Osborne.”
Olivia answered casually. Rosenmarie felt something inside her heart snapped.
“Olivia… I will cut you to pieces and send you to h.e.l.l. Don"t think you can die in peace!!”
“Ehh~ Didn"t you say earlier that we should get along?”
Rosenmarie ignored Olivia and attacked with the fury of a storm. The one who murdered Osborne was right before her, and she lost her cool. On the other hand, Olivia parried the attacks with nimble movements. She was smiling faintly, but her dark eyes were serious. Olivia"s eyes shone like a predator that found her prey.
“—This is weird. Your movements are getting worse. Hey, are you okay?”
“Shut up!!”
Olivia"s provocative tone enraged Rosenmarie further. At the same time, she felt something strange. When their swords clashed, she felt her hand getting more numb. This was proof that Olivia was using more strength. Rosenmarie felt she was. .h.i.tting a block of steel.
“d.a.m.n it!”
Rosenmarie back-dashed a large distance away, and crudely wiped the sweat on her brow. Olivia didn"t pursue her, probably to show that she had everything under her control. At this moment, Alvin"s warning came to her mind.
(The Heat Haze"s observation is impressive. She"s probably, no she"s definitely more athletic than me. And her prowess too… It will be bad to drag this on further. I need to suppress my anger, and fight her calmly.)
After taking several deep breaths, Rosenmarie charged forth. Vertical, diagonal and horizontal slashes, and also thrust. She tensed her senses to be ready for any attack.
However, Olivia didn"t go with either options, and used an attack Rosenmarie wasn"t expecting at all.
(—!? Sword throw!?)
Olivia pushed off her left foot, and threw her sword with movements as smooth as a whip. The dark sword came at Rosenmarie with the sound of the wind, and she quickly turned to dodge it by millimeters.
(That was close. It almost pierced me.)
Rosenmarie relaxed a little.
“An opening.”
“What—!?”
Olivia suddenly appeared before her and kicked with her right leg, sending Rosenmarie"s sword flying. She then moved in one fluid motion to punch out her left fist from her waist. Rosenmarie immediately crossed her arms to block, but it didn"t slow Olivia"s punch at all.
A heavy thud flashed across her mind, and Rosenmarie"s arms bent at unnatural angles. At the same time, Olivia"s fist landed on her chest. A powerful impact spread throughout her body, bypa.s.sing her armor as if they were just paper.
“Ughh!”
As Rosenmarie staggered from the blow, her chin was. .h.i.t by an uppercut, filling her visions with stars. After knocking her down with this combo, Olivia stepped on her mercilessly with her right foot.
“D-d.a.m.n it!!”
“Haha, both your arms are broken, and you are still so lively. No wonder your Odic force is so high. But it"s time to end this. Ms Rosenmarie von Berlietta, I offer you my thanks. I can give a good meal to Z again.”
Her voice was accompanied by the sound of Rosenmarie"s armor creaking. The only thing Rosenmarie could do was to glare at Olivia.
At this moment, Rosenmarie heard frantic footsteps and a familiar voice.
“Your Grace! We are here to rescue you!”
She looked towards the source of the voice, and found Gaier and his men shooting at Olivia. Olivia dodged the incoming arrows and retreated.
“Forgive us for being late, Your Grace.”
“Gaier… You are still alive.”
“Yes Mdm, I managed to survive.”
Gaier picked up Rosenmarie with an awkward smile. The intense pain made Rosenmarie grit her teeth. Gaier wasn"t unscathed either, his arm was dyed red with blood.
“Where are the others?”
“Apologies for my incompetence. The basecamp unit had fallen to the enemy. But if Your Grace still lives, then we will rise again— Don"t let the Death G.o.d near Her Grace!”
Gaier carried Rosenmarie on his back, and instructed his subordinates.
“—Let"s retreat. This will hurt, but please bear with it.”
“W-Wait! That girl! I have not avenged General Osborne yet!”
Her sworn enemy was right before her, so how could Rosenmarie flee?
“We lost! Besides, what can you do in your condition? I feel vexed about this too, but please reconsider.”
Gaier had a firm air about him. He was right, and Rosenmarie couldn"t refute him. Suppressing the anger in her heart, she said:
“… Retreat.”
Gaier nodded quietly, and ran for the forest…
“Ehh!? Wait! I will be troubled if you run away!”
Olivia thought there would be some drama, and was watching them enthusiastically. But if this went on, Rosenmarie would escape. Olivia wanted to pursue them, but was stopped by the soldiers of the Crimson Knights.
There were 30 of them, and every one of them were ready to fight to the death. These were the most troublesome foe to kill. She would need to literally walk over their dead body to pa.s.s.
“Sigh, this is a failure.”
Olivia sighed heavily.