The eighth day of the twelfth month of Imperial Year 1026
A flock of birds soared overhead in the gentle morning sun. Glittering rays illuminated the earth. The weather was brisk, but the air was muggy, heavy with the stench of death. There was no question as to the cause. Corpses covered the earth in horrifying numbers as though belched up by some convulsion of the hells, a sight almost too pitiful to look upon. Trodden over again and again by armored boots, most of the bodies were too mangled to tell whether they were even human.
A sword stood thrust into the earth near its dead owner’s hand. After some time, it began to shudder. The vibrations grew stronger until it shook itself free from the earth, falling on its side just in time to vanish beneath the feet of an armored host roaring battle cries.
The soldiers belonged to the allied human forces holding back the monsters under Surtr’s command. After days of vicious fighting, they were on their last legs, and more fell by the hour. Determination and conviction could not fuel them forever, but they persevered in defense of those they held dear. Even Surtr himself fought on the front line, inspiring those around him.
Hiro wiped a spray of blood from his cheek as he came to a stop. Something seemed amiss. He surveyed the field suspiciously before turning to Garda. “Does something seem strange to you?”
“More so than usual?” the zlosta asked. “What about this war is ordinary?”
“That’s not what I mean. Something’s wrong.”
The monsters had begun the morning with a furious assault, quickly turning the battlefield into a chaotic melee. That much Hiro had anticipated, and he had placed seasoned commanders in charge to ensure his forces held formation. Second Prince Selene led the right flank, Claudia and her zlosta made up the bulk of the left, and he held the center personally with his lieutenants and the Crow Legion. Thanks to their prowess, the allied forces had stood strong against the monsters’ greater numbers. Everything seemed to be going to plan. Nonetheless, he could not shake a growing unease.
He stopped in the middle of the battle and studied the fight raging around him. The movement of the air, the shifting of formations, the chaos in the ranks, the fluctuation of morale—he absorbed every last piece of available information.
“What are you doing, One-Eyed Dragon?!” Garda bellowed. “You might not have noticed, but we’re at war!”
Hiro was too preoccupied to hear him. The monsters had begun their onslaught early and kept it up, a crude yet ferocious assault...almost as if they were trying to distract him from something.
“So that’s their game...” Something clicked in Hiro’s head, and he spun to stare into the distance. “Garda, reinforce the right flank. Actually, forget that. No time. You’ll have to go in person.”
Sensing Hiro’s alarm, Garda moved to mount up, but he only had his foot in the stirrup before Hiro interrupted him again.
“Never mind. It’s too late.”
“Hm?” The zlosta peered back quizzically.
At that moment, a dust cloud billowed over the right flank. Distant shouts and screams filled the air. Anyone could tell something was badly wrong. Hiro’s face turned grave.
Garda cut down a monster with a single weighty stroke, then strode up and grasped Hiro’s shoulder. “What shall we do, One-Eyed Dragon? If we sent reinforcements, could we restore their line?”
Hiro knew he could salvage the situation if he went in person, but there was no guarantee he would arrive in time. Besides, if he left the center, the enemy would come for that next.
“No. They’ve been pushed back too far already.”
He was concerned about Selene’s well-being, but no matter how much he worried, he would not learn whether she was alive or dead until the dust had settled. What mattered now was to staunch the bleeding on the right flank and to fall back before the impact reverberated through the rest of the army. If necessary, he would settle in for a siege behind the walls of Fort Caputo.
“We need to retreat. Tell all units to fall back, maintaining formation. And send a messenger to Claudia too.”
“Aye, I’ll see it done.” With a curt reply, Garda hoisted himself into the saddle and galloped away. He cut an inspiring figure as he departed, barking orders to his men as he clove through the melee with his broadsword.
Once the zlosta was out of sight, Hiro returned his attention to the front line—or rather, to the enemy camp that lay beyond. “So you’ve finally taken command, Demiurgos.”
The monsters were moving with a new clarity of purpose. It was clear now that the reckless charge of earlier had been a ploy to pin down the imperial center and left flank, keeping them from responding to events elsewhere on the field. After battle was joined, the monsters had coordinated deftly to mount a focused assault on the right flank. Selene was not at fault. No doubt she had responded as best she could, but there was only so much she could do against such numbers.
“Now I see why you let your followers take charge. You couldn’t risk Uranos seeing through your plans.”
Leadership of the monstrous horde had changed hands several times over the course of the battle. Hiro had adapted to each new commander, analyzing their character and changing tactics appropriately to maintain the upper hand. To prevent Uranos from realizing he had taken control, the Demiurgos had opened with an offensive just as simplistic as the rest before abruptly pivoting once everything was in position. Hiro had fallen squarely into the trap, and now he was paying the price.
Garda returned, his chest heaving. “Word has been sent. We should fall back, One-Eyed Dragon.”
Hiro smiled, shaking his head. “I don’t think we’re going to have the chance.”
The Demiurgos was no fool. He would not have sprung his trap unless he knew it would succeed. He would not let Hiro escape so easily.
Hiro looked around. The allied army’s flanks were falling back on either side, but instead of chasing them, the monsters’ flanks were collapsing on his position. The Demiurgos had never cared about winning this battle. From the moment steel was first drawn, he had sought one thing and one thing alone: to take Hiro’s head. No doubt he had predicted exactly what Hiro would do.
Hiro smiled ruefully. “He knows me too well.”
“Then you go first,” Garda said. “I’ll take the rear guard.”
Just then, Luka came galloping up with Huginn and Muninn in tow. “Have you a death wish?!” she cried. “The rest of the army has fallen back already! Why are you still here?!”
Hiro breathed a sigh of relief to see the three of them safe. As he did, Luka thrust her hand out for him to take.
“Are you just going to stand there grinning like a fool?! Get on! Let’s be away from here!”
Hiro smiled but did not take her hand. He produced a long, cloth-wrapped object from within the Black Camellia and laid it in her grasp.
She frowned at him. “And what is this?”
“Igel’s arm. Just like I promised.”
Once upon a time, on a distant battlefield, he had offered her fallen brother’s arm in exchange for her allegiance. That had not stopped her from trying to take his head every chance she got, but even that had died down in recent weeks. The invasion of Six Kingdoms seemed to have calmed something in her.
“But...” she spluttered. “Are you saying...? No!”
Hiro pressed a finger to her lips. The glint in his eye compelled her to listen. “Enough, Luka. I’ve kept my end of the bargain. Our contract is dissolved.”
“How dare you? How dare you?! I... I will not...!”
Hiro pointed south with a smile, privately amazed she was resisting Caelus so fiercely. “Get out of here. Live to fight another day.”
“I’ll kill you!” Luka screamed as she rode away. “I’ll rip off your head and spit down your neck!”
Hiro shot Huginn a meaningful glance. She nodded and turned about, although not without glancing back over her shoulder. For a long moment, it seemed as if she was going to say something, but in the end, her nerve failed her and she took off after Luka.
He turned back to Garda and Muninn. “You two had better get out of here too. I’ll take care of the rear guard.”
“I thought you’d say that,” Garda grunted. “But if you’re staying, so am I.”
In a blink, Hiro closed the distance and drove a fist into Garda’s sternum, then grasped him by the neck and threw him to the ground. Satisfied that the zlosta was out cold, he picked him up and tossed his limp body to Muninn.
“Boss?!” Impressively, Muninn managed the catch, although the effort nearly took him off his horse. He looked at Hiro reproachfully. “You didn’t have to rough him up like that.”
“Anything less wouldn’t have knocked him out. He’s hardy like that.”
“I s’pose, but still...”
“Take care of him, Muninn.” As his allies fell back, Hiro turned on his heel and walked away, waving over his shoulder.
Muninn grinned. “You take care of yourself, chief. I’ll see you once this whole mess is through.” He dipped his head and took off across the plain with Garda in his arms.
As the hoofbeats of Muninn’s horse faded behind him, Hiro faced down the approaching monsters. A horde of teeming figures filled the plain in front of him, extending all the way to the horizon. He unleashed a blinding slash. Blood rained.
With a small sigh, he looked up. The sky stretched out above him, clear and blue as far as the eye could see. It was beautiful. Had he the wings of a bird, it would have been a fine day to soar high without a care in the world. He had once known someone who wanted nothing more, only to pass away before he ever had a chance to fly free.
“Surtr, my old friend,” Hiro murmured. “This time I’ll keep my promise, I swear it.”
He clasped his chest and closed his eyes. Surtr’s face flashed through his mind, just as it had looked on the day they’d parted ways—smiling in a world stained red with blood.
“You meant what you said, brat?” Blood trickled from Surtr’s mouth, forced up by the blow that would have taken Hiro’s life. “You really want to slay the Lords?”