As defenders of the Holy City pursued the Salamander Knights out of its bounds, yet another force was about to finally join the fray. The tide of battle had just been turned by Eagle and Fuji when a massive Satanist militia flanked the knights in red, catching the Salamander Knights completely by surprise. Ironic, considering their excuse for marching on Holylight had been the hunting of Satanists.
The Tzardom’s most elite knights were outraged.
“Satanists!”
“I knew Holylight was in cahoots with them!”
“These wretches were working with the devil worshippers after all!”
Fuji shouted back at them, “As if! You’re just a bunch of pyros!”
The Satanists, of course, were attacking anyone that moved, even animals, while setting fire to more structures. To Fuji and anyone else who called the Holy City home, the Salamander Knights and Satanists were one and the same.
“Comparing the honorable Fire Clan to devil worshippers... Your ignorance knows no bounds!” a Salamander Knight shouted.
Fuji gestured to his city filled with smoke and screams. “Honorable? Is this what your Great Light commands you to do?!”
Both sides continued exchanging blows both verbal and physical.
Trapped where he stood, Flay could only shriek at his men. “Tear through the Satanists! Catch the eagle, already! And burn down that castle!” He had only ever launched attacks on defenseless targets, leaving him without experience in evenly matched battles.
The directionless commands only confused the Salamander Knights further. Trapped between the Satanists with nothing to lose and the Holy Knights desperate to defend their home, they could barely keep themselves alive, much less continue their siege.
Finally, Flay’s second spoke to them. “The Satanists are attacking everyone, making them less defended. Break through a single point in their line and fall back to the beachhead!”
“How dare you contradict my orders!” Flay shouted. “Charge, men! Charge! Storm their castle!”
The Salamander Knights pretended not to hear Flay’s idiotic command that would surely cost them their lives.
As Flay’s second had predicted, the Satanists spread thinner the farther they made it into the city, attacking Holy Knights and torching any structures around them. Now that three forces were fighting for control, the Salamander Knights managed to regroup at the city gate.
Without meeting Flay’s eyes, his right-hand man gave further orders. “Armored infantry to the front! Only engage with Satanists if they attack us!”
Flay’s shoulders shook as he watched his legion smoothly weave into formation. These elite fighters could form a well-oiled machine under competent orders... Which only bruised Flay’s ego more. “Stop listening to him! I’m the captain!” He turned to his second. “You’re fired!”
“Discharge of a second requires the Pope’s approval. I can not accept that order at this time.”
“Someone kill him!” Flay barked at the other knights. “Whoever kills him will be my second!”
The absurdly shortsighted order caused a ripple of murmurs through the Salamander Knights. A position like that was life-changing. Sure enough, several of them pointed their lances at the current second, blinded by a greed for glory.
“Lord Flay has spoken... Please surrender.”
“Drop your weapon! It never sat right with me that an outsider was our second!”
“That post belongs to a member of the Fire Clan.”
Flay had done an excellent job of deteriorating his elite army, despite his second’s best efforts to keep them alive. Even the best army in the world would crumble under inept leadership.
Suddenly, a carriage whirled to a halt before them, none other than Luna stepping out of it. “Finally, I’ve caught up to her...” Seeing the pyres rising throughout the city, she turned to the Salamander Knights. “What do you think you’re doing in my city?!” Gold energy pulsed around her.
Some of them recognized her.
“H-Hey! Isn’t that Luna the Golden?!”
“The youngest of the Holy Maidens!”
“She sent a blasphemous letter to His Holiness... She’s on our list!”
“Holy Maiden... She’s my game! Out of the way!”
Just as they had with Eagle, they became fervent at the chance at glory: a byproduct of the Tzardom’s brutally competitive social structure. The only way up the ladder was to rack up significant achievements, which meant that even their brothers-in-arms were rivals in their social conquest.
The Tzardom’s pressure to succeed had caused cracks on other battlefields as well. When their bishop was facing defeat against the Demon Lord, he’d resorted to a reckless summoning, and the scouting troop sent to Rabbi had intended to ambush the village without waiting for backup. A side effect of the Tzardom’s extreme competitiveness was a lack of unity among its soldiers, which could easily get in the way of vital operations.
And now, three carrots—a demi-human, a group of Satanists, and a Holy Maiden—were dangling before the Salamander Knights. Calm cooperation among their ranks was no longer achievable. One of them shouted and began a charge at Luna, with many more following suit.
In the face of a charge that might have inspired fear in the most valiant of warriors, Luna only scoffed. “Red armor... Looks like I have a score to settle for my slave!” She thrust the Staff of Ramd towards them, a whirlwind of Gold energy forming at its tip. “I will make you feel her pain, a hundredfold!”
—From Gold to Dust!
A massive laser of Gold shot through the middle of the crowded army before those in its line of fire could even cry out. When the blinding light faded, the surviving Salamander Knights fearfully opened their eyes to find only an empty space in their ranks where many of their comrades had been standing a moment ago. They could do nothing but stare blankly at the aftermath.
Puffing her flat chest, Luna proudly cackled. “I am the most venerable and powerful Holy Maiden this world has ever seen! Even Ancient Devils kneel before me, so fetch me your Pope, or whatever! It’d be way too easy to stomp out a bunch of little red ants!” Although she spoke without tact, her claims were true.
The Salamander Knights seemed to believe her after witnessing that spell.
“What was that...? I’ve never seen anything like that in our training!”
“She defeated the Ancient Devil?! I thought an Angel did that!”
“Wh-Where did they go...? They’ve all vanished!”
Meanwhile, Luna was already readying her next attack. The truly extraordinary aspect of her magical talent was her ability to cast such powerful spells in quick succession.
—Chain Incantation: Golden Hammerspark!
Lighting bolts fell in a rapid crescendo upon the Salamander Knights, thunder drowning out their screams as their once human bodies fell as lumps of charcoal. Some of them moved to attack Luna, but they, too, were silenced by golden bolts.
“W-We’re doomed! There’s no way to defend against that!”
“Aghhh!”
“Somebody help me!”
Those who attempted to flee were likewise charred, making the area around the city gate look like the site of a disastrous plane crash. In just a few moments, Luna had completely dismantled the Salamander Knights.
“What a bunch of pathetic losers...” she boasted. “Now that you understand you have no chance against my might, grovel on the ground and beg for your lives. That’ll be music to my ears.”
At this point, Luna was more like a devastating machine of war, swooping onto the battlefield and turning back the tide all alone.
Eagle silently landed beside Luna, whose eyes were blazing with triumph.
“Look, Eagle! I smote all those knights who were mean to you!”
“You never change, do you, Luna?” Eagle chuckled. The way she described her deed, it made it seem like the charred bodies on the ground were as inconsequential as loaves of bread that had been left in the oven for too long.
Kicking his way through the charred remains of his army, Captain Flay appeared before Luna and Eagle and began yapping. “Second-world filth... When will you inferior species learn to obey your betters?! Fire Clan, execute that sinful villain!”
Even to Luna, Flay’s immaturity was staggering. “I-Is that their commander? Tell me he’s joking. This is a prank, isn’t it?”
“Unfortunately, he really is their leader,” Eagle said with exasperation. “He only gained that position through his family’s wealth and connections.”
Alas, idiots in power had a habit of ruining everything they touched.
The girls’ astonishment at his attitude must have given Flay the wrong idea. He imperiously shouted, “What are you whispering about?! If you surrender now, I promise not to burn you at the stake!”
“Huh? How stupid are you? I am the Holy Maiden gleaming with Golden light! The princess gilded in divinity! Got it? So die already!”
“Shut your mouth, scum, or I’ll cut through it!”
Flay drew his sword and Eagle stepped forward. She had no intention of letting anyone else deal with him.
“Stay back, Luna,” Eagle said.
“Oh, fine. I was itching to blow this moron away with another flawless spell... But I’ll let you do the honors,” Luna relented with uncharacteristically little grumbling. She understood that Eagle had to settle that score on her own to break the chains that shackled her to the past.