It was surprising to see how few opponents they faced. They were still outnumbered, but not by as much as they should have been. Akira wondered idly at the reasons. Did the Azarians think so little of his force? Had the nightblades attacked too early? Ultimately, it didn’t matter. It would still be a hard fight. Half of his soldiers were volunteers, and he had seen children and women among them. Every Azarian trained in combat. The same could not be said of his own force.
Akira mounted his horse and raised his voice. He knew his words would carry, and he hoped his men would pass them along to those he could not reach.
“We all know what is at stake today. This is not just another battle between lords for territory. We no longer play those meaningless games. Today we fight for our land and for our families. Everyone here has seen and heard the terror that awaits our people should we fail here today.”
“You must fight with all you have! Your families and your descendants are counting on you! Think not of your own life, but of all the lives in the Kingdom. Think of wives and children. That is why we are here. If we fail today, there will not be another chance, so let nothing stop you! If you die, pick up your sword as a ghost and continue the charge!”
Akira drew his sword and spun it in an intricate pattern, a useless move in combat, but one that looked dangerous and impressive. A wild cheer came up from the men, and Akira pointed his blade towards the direction of the Azarian Gathering. His blood boiled, and for a moment, he was caught up in the emotions he had spurred in his men. His sword was all the command the men needed as they surged forward, the last army of the Kingdom. Akira kicked his horse forward, leading the charge as the lines came together.
The charge began, and Nameless watched as the clans and the troops of the Kingdom met. His experienced eye took in the sight, and he worried as Akira and his army penetrated deep into the Azarian lines. He watched Akira carefully and was about to wade through the battle towards him when he sensed something else, a feeling which left him cold inside. The power was incredible, and at this distance, there was no mistaking who it would be.
A few moments later Nameless was approached by one of his demon-kind. He came bearing dreaded news. “There is another force to the west. There are only a few hundred, but each of them is dressed in black robes.”
For a few moments, Nameless couldn’t even understand. It was too unlikely, too impossible. Renzo had told them there was no way the nightblades would ever leave their island. Was it a ruse? That would be the most logical conclusion, but his gut told him it was real. Either way, Nameless couldn’t take the risk. He had left the demon-kind in reserve for just such an event.
“Give the command to all the demon-kind. Attack to the west.”
Nameless worried. If the messenger was right, and these were nightblades, they outnumbered the demon-kind. He looked back to the battlefield, his heart torn. He could still see Akira’s armor, cutting through the clans with remarkable ease. It would be good to kill him, but Nameless wasn’t certain he had the time. He knew the boy was here, and if the boy was about, so was the woman. Akira was dangerous, but the two nightblades were the most immediate threat. They were also the people he most wanted to kill.
With a shout, Nameless turned from one battlefield for another. It was time to finish this once and for all.
The hunters met them on the fields to the southwest of the Gathering. Ryuu hadn’t expected anything else. There were fewer hunters than nightblades, but Ryuu only found a small amount of comfort in that. He suspected the hunters were individually stronger than they were. It would be a close fight.
The battle was much smaller than the one happening almost a league to the east, but it was no less violent. Every person on the field was an expert, and their swords thirsted for blood. The nightblades never stopped their charge. They rode straight into the mass of hunters, steel pressing against steel.
As soon as they approached, Ryuu reached out and allowed the energy of the world to course through his body. It was becoming easier every time, and there was so much energy to draw on. Ryuu’s muscles screamed with desire to attack his opponents as the energy flooded his body. Two hunters fell underneath his blade, taken by surprise in the sheer speed of his attacks. Ryuu’s horse was cut down underneath him, but he leapt from the stallion and rolled smoothly away. He was better on his feet anyway, more connected to the ground beneath him.
Ryuu found his next opponent and lost himself in combat. The sun continued its relentless march across the sky.
Time didn’t flow the same way for Ryuu anymore. His world moved slowly, as though everyone else was struggling to move through water. They were all so weak. Objectively, part of him knew he had been in combat for some time, but it didn’t stop him. The thought of resting never entered his mind. He didn’t feel tired, didn’t feel pain. A part of his mind warned him that when he let this energy go he’d collapse on his face, but it didn’t stop him. The power was intoxicating, and all he wanted was more of it.
Through it all, Moriko was at his side. They made a deadly combination. Ryuu attracted the hunters, and they swarmed around him like angry bees. They could sense him and rushed to attack, but the speed of his defense made him virtually invincible. And they were always surprised by the young woman who danced in front of them without warning, a woman they couldn’t sense coming. Moriko never gave them a chance to learn from their mistakes. Between the two of them, they cut a path of death through the hunters.
The Azarians rode out to meet them, and in the time it took for the two forces to meet, Akira felt as though he had never been more alive. He thought he could see every blade of grass trampled underneath his horse, could smell the sweat and the fear of the man next to him. He felt detached as he saw arrows start to fall around him. There was no fear in his heart. His only concern was to bring vengeance down on his enemies. It was all he could ask for.
His calm was shattered when the two armies clashed, the relative silence of the field broken by the sound of steel clanging against steel, man clashing against man. Akira could hear the screams of horses and men as they were wounded and died, and gradually his attention shrank further and further, until all he cared about was the area within reach of his sword.
He was surrounded by his honor guard, the men who had fought so hard and sacrificed so much over the summer. This battle was what they had hoped for, what they had waited for. It was their chance to strike back in a meaningful way. Akira watched as guard after guard rode through the Azarians like scythes through wheat. Akira sent several Azarians to the Great Cycle himself, each cut a vicious victory over the enemy.
Unfortunately, they didn’t have the momentum to carry themselves all the way through the Azarian lines. Their horses slowed, and as they did, more and more arrows found their mark.
Akira managed keep his mount for several precious moments before an arrow to the neck brought his horse down. Akira rolled from the saddle, coming smoothly to his feet, his blade flashing in the early morning light. He and his men were surrounded by Azarians, and although he took a few minor cuts, the cycles of training he had seen kept him safe. Azarians fell beneath his blade, and he and his honor guard were an island of destruction in the sea of the Azarians.
Although he couldn’t see anything from his position on the battlefield, Akira suspected his honor guard had made it further into the Azarian lines than any other group. They would need to hold their ground until the rest of Akira’s forces could reach them. He found Captain Yung in the commotion and together they ordered the men into a rough circle, maintaining a small safe space for soldiers to take a rest while they could.
For a while, the battle went smoothly for Akira and his guards. They formed a perimeter, with those on the outside being supported by those on the inside. Azarians fell beneath their blades, spears, and arrows, and his men cycled between the outer and inner rings of the perimeter.
Akira took a break from fighting in the outer ring. He took a moment to catch his breath. He tried scanning the battleground, but there was little he could see. His vision was obscured by the battle surrounding him. He scanned the area immediately around him. There was a shout from nearby, and Akira turned to see Yuki, the guard he had been locked up with at Hope, in trouble. Three Azarians were backing him up with spears, and no help was coming.
Akira glanced around and pulled a spear out of one of his men lying dead on the ground. He twirled it so its point was facing the right direction and gave a heave. His aim was true. The spear struck one of the attackers in the chest, knocking him backwards and dead. Akira joined Yuki at the line, his break over. Together, their swords penetrated the defense of the spears. The two remaining Azarians fell, but more were eager to take their place.
As the sun rose high in the sky, the battle started to turn against them. Akira’s group of guards was drawing attention to itself, and the pressure on their perimeter grew. They fell back step by step. Despite the skill of his men, no one could fight off a never-ending stream of opponents forever. One by one, his honor guard fell and they brought their perimeter in a step, continuing to fight almost shoulder to shoulder.
When Yuki died, it happened so fast, Akira barely even noticed it. One moment they were fighting side by side. The next, a spear was lodged in Yuki’s throat, a look of surprise on his face. A memory of Yuki pacing their cell together flashed through Akira’s mind, and he was overcome by rage and grief. He attacked without fear, slaying Yuki’s killer and three other Azarians before finding his way back to the perimeter.
When all hope seemed lost, a force of soldiers from the Kingdom broke through, overwhelming the Azarians surrounding Akira and his honor guard. After a full morning of combat, there was a sudden break in the fighting. Akira fell to his knees, well past the point of exhaustion. It had taken half the day, but finally his men had caught up with him.
Suddenly Makoto, his giant general, was there at his side. He helped his king to his feet while letting him know what was happening.
"It is a hard fought battle, sir. The Azarians are better fighters, but they are even more disorganized than we are. Most of our volunteer units have been destroyed, but our own soldiers are doing well."
“Are we winning?”
Makoto considered the question for a moment. It didn’t seem like a hard one to Akira, but the general always thought carefully.
“I don’t think so.”
Akira’s heart sank, but Makoto continued.
“This battlefield is very much up for grabs. I don’t know if you saw this, but a few of the clans we were fighting against broke early. So, in a way, we actually outnumbered them for a while. We might still win here. But even if we do, we won’t have any soldiers left. Even if we win, we’ll have nothing left. The hunters are also a problem.”
Akira’s ears perked up. He hadn’t spared much thought for the hunters, but then he realized he hadn’t seen any all day.
"Have we seen any hunters yet?"
Makoto nodded. “Yes, but not nearly as many as I had expected. Also, the ones who are in the battle don’t seem to have any coherent battle strategy. They are deadly wherever they go, but their actions seem very ineffective, especially considering what damage they could do.”
That was good news, at least. "We need to keep pressing our advantage," Akira said.
Makoto nodded, but as he did, shouts of concern reached his ears. He looked up, and Akira wondered what it was he was seeing. His general stood a head above most others on the battlefield.
"The Azarians have organized a counter-attack. They are pressing this way. We should get you to safety.”
Akira sighed. All he wanted was a break. Just to rest and lay down his head for a while, put all the worries of the world behind him. “No, I won’t retreat. We’ve been through a lot, but my honor guard is still one of the strongest units we have here. We’ll hold the center.”
Akira saw his men nodding around him as they listened in. He was so proud to fight by their side. They all knew he was probably sacrificing their lives, but none of them hesitated. He would be honored to die in the company of such men.
He saw the indecision pass over Makoto’s face. Makoto knew Akira was right, but he didn’t want to sacrifice his king. But there was no choice, and they both knew it. “I will see you when this battle is over, sir.”
Akira returned Makoto’s bow as the general gave his orders. Units reformed around them, and Akira and his honor guard took their place in a much larger line. This was going to be the final push.
Ryuu was starting to lose his shadow as the sun rose higher in the sky. Time was meaningless, and he couldn’t guess how many they had killed. All that Ryuu knew was that his blade was coated in the blood of his enemies, but its thirst was unquenchable. He had always been strong, but he had never experienced power like this. His rational mind was overpowered by a primal force inside of him.
Nameless didn’t announce himself when he entered the fray. There was no polite exchange. Ryuu sensed him coming and turned his attention to the leader of the Azarians. He screamed in anticipation. The hunters were too weak. He wanted stronger prey. He wanted to taste Nameless’ blood. Moriko dropped back a few steps. They had planned for this. Her responsibility was to guard him now. Ryuu had to trust Moriko completely if he was to have any chance of defeating Nameless. There was only one opponent that mattered to him.
Their swords met with bone-shattering force. Ryuu took the briefest of instants to size up his opponent. The man was the same as before, but this time, he was driven by even more rage. Ryuu had no problem sensing the strength of the hunter. Each of them was fully consumed by the power they possessed. Had he been given time, Ryuu was sure he would have felt fear, but no time was given. The battle was joined instantly, both men attacking with all their strength.