"Oh, absolutely not!!"
Vanguard gripped his head.
"We're going to lose the boy before he even has a future!!"
The falling star prepared to destroy everything in its path as it plunged through the air.
Everyone watched.
At the moment of impact, the ground exploded into chunks of rock and soil in every direction.
The blast illuminated the entire area.
In a distant spot on the Oukosian side of the river, the plain cracked into jagged pieces from the sheer force of the collision.
__
"The Bright Morning Star."
A Grace emptied into a weapon... or as people in this age call it, a "Blessed Weapon." There are several similar weapons, but they are rare between these two kingdoms.
The Morning Star relies on its distance from the ground; the higher it rises, the greater the impact of its shockwave.
..
This concept was understood among the Oukosian ranks, but...
The price paid to witness the sight of the falling hammer from space was very high.
Bismarck looked toward the pillar of smoke and dust rising against the leaving sunset.
"Baz!!" He couldn't believe it. "BASILIIIIIIIIIIISKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!"
His throat nearly burst from the scream.
Astria was in a state of shock that prevented her from doing the same.
"What happened!?.."
Astria didn't know what had occurred. Neither Astria, nor Bismarck, nor the commanders in the Oukosian camp could deduce the events that led Basilisk to execute his final attack.
_______
"What do you mean by that, Vanguard?" Vandall asked.
Vanguard pointed toward the rising cloud of smoke.
"The boy from the Inckhardt family took it upon himself to face Basilisk, but..." His face showed an unusual look of anxiety and confusion.
"...but we weren't prepared for things to reach this point!!"
Vandall understood his brother's feelings،the weight of responsibility, the importance of the rising talent Rodeln Inckhardt, and above all, the guilt of thrusting a boy that age into the front lines, into the mouth of an angry volcano.
Everyone felt the weight of Vanguard's emotions, as if the attack falling from the sky had landed on them.
Vandall analyzed the situation. "...So, he was the reason the rocks stopped falling," he thought to himself.
After a few moments of silence, Vandall gripped his sword and headed toward the site where the hammer had fallen.
"Where are you going, Vandall?!"
He didn't answer and moved quickly, disappearing among the trees and the darkness that began to cast its shadows over the desolate place, save for a bit of moonlight.
"I think I understand..." Canaria said.
"If the boy is as talented as you say..." she smiled, "...he will likely be fine."
Canaria provided the reason for Vandall's sudden departure.
"I believe the brat has reached the same conclusion." Canaria was still smiling, proud of her student.
Behind the river, Nokio sat alone, resting a bit from the exhaustion of the fight, the movement between the Oukosian camps, and returning to join his comrades to share the news he carried.
He saw someone approaching from afar. It was Tartar, and with him was Kasper.
"Huh?! What are you two doing here!? Casper! Aren't you supposed to be resting?"
"You need to go back, Nokio," Casper said. "Chaos is going to spread. Go back to the camp to rest."
..
A calm, feminine voice drifted through the darkness.
"Will you two be enough to accompany a lady on this ill-fated night?!"
Everyone turned.
A beautiful, angelic face emerged into the light of the fire burning around the three men.
Astria Pauli smiled as she stood before the three mercenaries.
"A Graceful!!" Tartar prepared by drawing his axe.
"Nokio, leave quickly!!" Casper shouted.
Nokio obeyed his comrade's advice and vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, the two stood before Astria, with nothing between them but the quiet fire.
"I like your looks... did that bitch tell you about my ability?!"
The two men didn't respond. A moment of anticipation.
"Where will a fight like this even begin?" Tartar asked himself.
She stood sideways and extended her arm toward them.
"Heh heh... let's play fair and square, agreed?"
A fight ignited at the riverbank.
_____________
Vandall reached the point of impact. The place was wreckage upon wreckage, with a large crater in the middle. Vandall leaped between the debris, searching for something.
He found nothing.
But from a distance, he heard a sound like fighting.
"Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die! You bastard!!!!"
Bismarck was striking with all his strength, his blows irregular and his face filled with rage.
As for his opponent, he was defending himself with great difficulty.
The talented boy, Rodeln, was still standing
,but barely.
"How are you still alive!! Why won't you just die!!?"
Bismarck was entirely consumed by rage.
Rodeln could only raise his sword by a miracle. His eyes were tired too. He wanted to collapse, but his body refused.
..
"Why don't you fight someone who is actually capable of fighting, you Oukosian piece of shit?!"
Bismarck noticed the voice. He woke up slightly from his rage, looking around for the speaker, only to find Vandall standing from afar.
"Who are you... what do you want?" Bismarck said.
"I want you to leave that boy alone," Vandall pointed toward Rodeln.
"I think I'll refuse," Bismarck snarled.
"I don't think I asked you," Vandall challenged.
Vandall threw his sword toward Bismarck with all his might.
Bismarck almost took a fatal hit from the sword, but he parried it at the last second.
"What a throw! Who is this guy...?!?!" Bismarck thought.
He followed Vandall's movements as he dashed toward him.
"He's good!!" Bismarck realized the danger of his opponent.
He stepped back, thinking, "I have to leave this place. Two against me, and I can't use my Grace here!"
Just as he turned his back to flee, a rock hit him in the back, forcing him to face Vandall again.
"Huh?! Are you an idiot!!! Who throws rocks in a fight?!"
Vandall moved toward him with another rock in his hand.
"Oh, don't you think you forgot someone who fights like this?!" Vandall reminded him of his friend.
Bismarck grew angry instinctively upon hearing that. "...I'll kill him."
Rodeln wasn't finished yet either. Before falling to the ground, he dropped low and kicked Bismarck's feet. Both fell, and Bismarck's sword slipped from his hand.
He rushed to get up and finish Rodeln, but he received another precise throw from Vandall to his head.
He almost lost consciousness from that throw. "Damn this bastard... are you a sniper, you..." Bismarck's internal thoughts were cut short.
Vandall picked up his sword and stood near Bismarck.
Quietly, Bismarck picked up his sword as well. He closed his eyes and breathed to calm himself down.
"...If he was good from a distance, he's even better with a sword." He looked at Vandall with a challenge.
Vandall did not share the sentiment. His heavy, pitch-black eyes had found a target. They were reading the opponent well. He wasn't looking with a challenge; he was looking at a goal.
"...I'm going to gouge out those hollow baggy eyes of yours, you bastard!"
Bismarck charged toward Vandall.
The fight broke out between them under the gaze of four Oukosian commanders.
The four talked among themselves:
"The Supreme Commander retreated to the capital with the soldiers. We must stop Questia from winning everything."
"We lost a Graceful. We must minimize losses as much as possible."
"That collapsed boy over there is the reason we lost Basilisk. The Questians will lose a Graceful too."
"We lost Basilisk, but we won't lose the BlessedWeapon."
They lunged toward Bismarck and Vandall.
Vandall had the upper hand in the fight; Bismarck couldn't match his level in the duel.
"Damn you!! Do you dare fight a Grace user!!? You Graceless bastard!!?"
"I don't see you using any of your Grace, you Oukosian loser."
Although Vandall was winning, he noticed the commanders approaching to help Bismarck. He quickened the pace of the fight to finish him off, but the commanders arrived quickly and surrounded Vandall.
Vandall stood alone against the five. After Bismarck found himself in a good position, he grew bold and attacked Vandall. At that moment, Vandall dodged the attack quickly and wounded Bismarck's shoulder.
Some blood splattered from Bismarck's shoulder toward Vandall. When the blood landed on one of Vandall's open wounds, Vandall felt a shock go through his entire body. The ringing in his ears nearly made them explode.
Vandall staggered, feeling dizzy. "Wh-what is this... what hit me!! A Grace...?"
Bismarck couldn't fight anymore, but the commanders were ready to finish off Vandall, who had become an easy target due to his abnormal state.
Two stepped forward. While the first prepared his stance, the second raised his sword.
But he stopped when he heard the sound of a fall. When he turned, he found his comrade dead from a direct hit to the forehead.
"What... what is this?! Where did this attack come from!!"
The three remaining commanders were in a state of confusion, searching for the source.
Another throw hit the shoulder of one of the commanders, but it was less effective.
Tension and alertness increased.
..
From within the scattered trees, the blonde woman watched the situation, tossing up some little rocks in her hand.
"...Damn... I can't get a clear view of the Graceful..." she said as she prepared another throw.
This time, she hit the middle of a standing commander's chest. The throw was like the first one; it pierced the man, who fell dead instantly.
"It's that bitch!! It's Canaria!! Over there!! Through the trees!!"
Canaria was constantly moving to change her position and throwing range.
"Also, what's wrong with Vandall?.. is it the boy's Grace..?! "
She threw again, but it was a distracting throw not aimed at anyone.
The sound of the pebbles passing right and left, piercing the wind, terrified the two commanders even more. They dropped to the ground for cover.
"That bitch's Grace has put her in a perfect position!!" the commander on the ground said in bitter rage.
Canaria stopped throwing for a moment.
"Let's make a deal, honorable commanders," she shouted to her opponents.
"I'll take the two boys with the two BlessedWeapons, and I'll kill that Graceful kid... and you two can leave here on your own two feet."
"Shut up, you bitch!" one of them shouted.
"It is impossible for a free Oukosian man to agree with a mercenary traitor like you."
"...Yeah, I thought so," Canaria sighed to herself.
Vandall regained some of his consciousness. He looked around.
"Vandall, if you can hear me, finish that boy! I know he's a Graceful, but I don't know what his power is!!"
Even in his state of confusion, Vandall responded to his commander's voice and orders.
He picked up his sword, staggering toward the struggling Bismarck. Vandall struck with his sword, but Bismarck dodged.
"Bismarck!!" one of the commanders called out.
When he turned, he saw the commander pointing to the pool of blood coming from the two corpses.
"No... I don't think you're asking me to...!!" Bismarck was shocked by his commander's request.
But the look on the commander's face left him no choice but to obey,a look full of plea and hope in Bismarck.
Bismarck dodged more of Vandall's random strikes with difficulty.
Canaria targeted Bismarck for her throw, but he was too close to Vandall.
"...Damn, this guy's luck never runs out," Canaria lamented.
Bismarck fell to the ground after dodging another strike.
Near his hand was that pool of blood,blood shining under the moonlight.
Bismarck looked with deep sadness. He closed his eyes and touched the blood.
Vandall raised his sword to strike the target who wasn't defending himself.
"I'm sorry, Bismarck... I'm truly sorry," the commander apologized.
Bismarck's lips moved with all sadness.
"You are the Moon..."
Vandall's sword flew from his hands after that blood erupted in a roaring explosion toward him.
The blood chased Vandall after he retreated from the collision of the blood and the sword. When the blood was close to catching Vandall, Canaria launched a direct throw toward Bismarck, but one of the commanders rushed to defend him. The throw hit his chest, but it didn't pierce it.
"I wasn't the target, was I?!" The commander smiled, looking toward Canaria from afar.
Canaria was furious at his smile. "You bastard."
When Bismarck looked at the commander who defended him, the blood fell to the ground again.
Vandall returned to his senses; Bismarck was without defense. Vandall struck, but the other commander defended. The fight intensified.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Mr. Commander," Canaria threw again toward the commander.
"Those trees are the Moon..." Bismarck said, kneeling to touch the blood once more.
Canaria's throw disappeared amidst the wave of blood rushing toward her.
She jumped back to avoid the attack, watching as the blood crashed with brutal weight into the trees.
"What exactly is this cursed Grace!!" Canaria wondered. But she moved forward again to watch the heated battle. Vandall against two commanders... but...
"Huh?! Where the fuck did that damn boy go!!" Canaria ran at full speed toward the fight.
Far from that, Bismarck was running. "I have to retreat to the river... I'll end it there."
"Vandall!! Where did the boy go!!" Canaria said as she attacked one of the commanders with consecutive punches to separate him from Vandall.
Vandall wanted to answer her, but his mind was wandering a bit.
"You idiot!! How many times have I told you not to flood your mind in thinking!"
Canaria's words woke Vandall from his state.
"You only have to think about one thing... focus on what you have and leave the rest for the time you need to act!!" Canaria scolded him. "I've told you that a thousand times!!"
Vandall's movements, which were almost automatic, became more precise. He returned bit by bit. He pressed his opponent until...
"Alright... you're right. I'm sorry, teacher." A finishing blow from Vandall ended his fight with the commander, who fell beside one of his dead friends.
Canaria smiled. "Welcome back, you brat."
The barrage of punches raining down on her opponent ended after the commander lost his sword. He looked at Canaria with terror and fear, but he was looking at certain death.
Canaria clenched her fist and took an attacking stance. She focused on the commander's chestplate, and with one strike, she blew through his chest after the plate bent inward from the impact. The man's mouth erupted with blood, his eyes rolled back, and he fell to the ground.
The fourth corpse joining the group.
Canaria checked on Vandall, who was in a state of shock. He took a breath and sheathed his sword, saying after a sigh:
"I'm fine." But Canaria still looked at him.
"I'm fine, Canaria, I promise." She looked a bit longer, then turned her gaze toward Rodeln.
"Alright, I believe you." She pointed toward Rodeln, who appeared to be unconscious.
Vandall went to Rodeln, picked up his sword, then carried him on his shoulders, while she went to pick up thehammer at the heart of the crater.
"Let's go... let's settle this."
..
Their gaze turned toward the river, where all this chaos was taking place on its banks.
The river was not to blame,the peaceful, quiet river.
The river whose waters are dirtied with blood.
The river that witnesses much... and continues to witness more.