O Fire.
O Flame.
O Inferno.
O God.
Grant me strength. Strength enough to slay demons. Grant us fire to purge this evil.
✦ ✦ ✦
My throat tightens; my heart pounds in my chest. With trembling hands, I grip the pommel of my sword. Fear overwhelms my heart. If it weren’t for all the watching eyes, I would have run away by now.
Is this all you are, Agias Willow? The burden of my house’s name means nothing. My desire to be the pillar of humanity doesn’t change the fact that I am merely human. I’m weak. This thing forces me to face that fact.
So this... is a demon. Regenerative powers that trump even those of a troll; physical strength that makes a bugbear look like a child; savagery that scares even an ogre; massive size that looks down upon even a cyclops. Every rumor I’d heard was true.
This is a monster. Its mere presence is too much for anyone to bear.
“M-Majestic! Majestiiiic!”
Who is that? Who’s screeching like a mad man? There, in the center of the enemy army: a man dressed in black.
“Behold its might! Hee ha ha! Humans are trash! Nobles? Slaves? The palace? What of them? Every last one is meaningless! Worthless!”
A starred armband adorns the shouting man’s shoulder, as well as those that surround him. So that’s the Starlight Band, huh? The political organization that criticizes the throne and wishes for vampire dominance. I heard their leader might be a colleague of Felipo and Jashan son Peine.
“Everyone should die! Everything should be destroyed! It’s all insignificant! In this world, everything is decided for you from the moment you’re born! Children starve to death as adults grow fatter! Humans are sold as commodities! The strong eat the weak and call it destiny! There is no such thing as fairness in this absurd world of ours! It is hideous! Repulsive! There is no value in living!”
So you wail and smile as you denounce this world, crying tears of blood?
What atrocities must have happened in his life to make him say these things? What grief drove him to gather supporters and rise to action like this? This man in black is like a symbol of the stagnant despair that plagued the south.
“Now is the time for us humans to be annihilated by the great Demon God’s power! At least our worthless lives will be taken by a divine hand! A grand end to our fruitless beginnings—”
A boulder thrown by the demon crushes the man.
But that’s not the end of it. The sky rains down giant objects; roofs, walls, and pillars are tossed about like a child’s toys. Each impact shakes the earth, thunders in our ears, and covers the sky in dust clouds. Any who are unlucky enough to get caught are mercilessly splattered into bits. Countless lives are simply erased from existence.
I cannot bring myself to move. This is akin to a natural disaster—it is not something we can fight against. Humans are trash, huh? I see. There is no honor or meaning in a death like this. It is certainly worthless.
“Higyaaaaaaaaaaaaan! Bah! Pugyawahwahwah!”
What the hell? Who’s screaming like a clown? The king’s sister, huh? She’s fallen from her palanquin and is crawling toward me, trying to get as far away from the demon as possible. Unable to move her arms and legs, she’s forced to worm through the grass and mud with her elbows and butt.
“Eek! Ahh! I’m scared! Save me! I’m so scared! I don’t want to die!”
Ah... A human. Covered in tears and snot, yet still struggling to survive... that is what it means to be human. We are weak. No matter how great our numbers or perfect our techniques, we are like candles in the wind before the tyranny of dragons and demons. Our burning souls do nothing to stave off the darkness of death. This is reality.
And that’s why I reach out my hand.
I dismount, take the lady’s hand, wipe her face with a cloth, and help her up. I look towards those who once stood opposite to me on the battlefield... and I welcome them. Let us all act as brothers. Good and evil, costs and benefits, advantages and disadvantages... Let us all put those aside for now.
We are the same. We are all weak. None of us can stand strong and proud alone.
“...Do not be afraid.” I do my best to speak, to give reassuring words. I’m reminded of a time long ago, back when the Frontier was facing an oncoming tidal wave of monsters. My only thought had been to at least die cleanly. How sullen; how cowardly. “Despair may threaten to destroy us, but there is no need for raw fear. Behold! We are no longer alone. We are not abandoned.”
It was from the church’s observation tower that I witnessed her first battle. That raven-haired girl fought more fiercely than any man I’d ever seen. That was her beginning; that’s why I can now say:
“God does exist. Let us believe in Him, pray to Him, and serve Him! God loves us, and has granted us His blessing... through her.”
Lady Kuroi. No family name or history to speak of, yet here she sits atop her horse, fire magic rising from her entire body as she fixes the demon with a stare. She doesn’t attempt to ride out alone, like she usually does. Instead, the rabbits surround her, thousands of sharp horns at the ready. Her shadow warriors, wavering in the light of her burning dual swords, poise to intercept.
Her back, though silent, seems to ask: Wouldst thou fight with honor? Wouldst thou fight alongside me? Wouldst thou believe in God?
Ah... The fog of fear is lifting. My sword is drawn before I can even answer.
Agias Willow, are you a fighter? I am! My soul cries before my mind can move.
“Concentrate, men!” I bark.
The trembling has stopped; strength is rising within me. All I can do now is leave everything to my years of battle training.
“We are about to fight that demon! And once we defeat it, the Demon God—and the world—shall know of human majesty!”
Lady Kuroi looks over her shoulder at me—I can see approval in her fire-colored eyes. Yes, I will go. We are together, not alone. We shall challenge the world as one.
“Felipo, instruct your men to take any who can’t fight to the rear! Then set up a base in a suitable area! Zakkow, your fireproof soldiers will enter the palace to rescue any surviving citizens! Lead them to the rear base!”
This battle must be humanity’s salvation. It will all be meaningless if we cannot ensure the maximum number of survivors. We must do all that we can!
“Odysson, the Mage Company is our trump card! Position yourselves on a hill and wait for my signal! Son Peine! Guard them with your cavalry!”
Fire magic. Fire is stronger than steel against a demon. Assuming it’s a higher class of vampire, while its strengths are massively amplified, it should still share the same weakness. We shall destroy it with an inferno large enough to burn an entire army.
“Marius! Annihilate the vampires remaining in the palace! You have a thousand prey to hunt!”
My orders are rough at best, but this is fine. Marius gives me an invincible smile.
“Origis! You and I shall attack this demon in tandem! My men shall ride ahead as a disruptor, and you follow up! I expect great things from our best formation, the Inferno!”
Cheers rise one by one, eventually rousing a limitless fighting spirit. Once-slumbering morale burns bright again. Here and there, soldiers unleash battle cries. Their spirits are rising.
You see, Lady Kuroi? We are ready. No matter what your plan is, we will assist you. We will fight by your side.
“Begin!” I shout.
The demon approaches. With enormous strength, it crushes a human city underfoot as it makes its way to bring our end. Every step it takes is a massive earthquake.
But we are no longer scared. My horse paws at the ground with its hoof, as if to say, “You think this scares a war horse?”
Hmph! What was that? The demon bends over, then rights itself. Its eyes, glinting with yellow monstrosity, narrow... Its maw opens wide, revealing rows of fangs... That beast! It intends to eat humans before our eyes! What evil! Is this a symbol of the cruelty of this world?
Someone shouts. Was it me? Or was it Origis? No, it was everyone. We howl for the people who are now undoubtedly crushed in the demon’s hand, as well as for our own loved ones.
That was the first strike. A streak of fire shoots through the air like a comet, riding on our voices. It’s a spear—a javelin thrown by Lady Kuroi. Magical fire illuminates its sharp steel as it rips through the world. The distance it has to travel is far... perhaps too far. Regardless, it hits. It pierces the demon’s hand, burning its victims, and travels through the other side into the demon’s right eye. The monster unleashes a frightful scream. It almost looks pitiable as it clutches its face; shock and confusion consume the creature. Wickedness can only exist within those with intelligence.
Two things fall to the ground: One is the demon’s eyeball—it melts into smoke. The second is the ashes from its cremated victims. May their souls be at peace.
This first strike was a display of Lady Kuroi’s will. Armed with rage, she challenges this absurd world; burdened with grief, she sends off the dead... just as in days past. Then she rides ahead again, our Lady Kuroi. This Apostle speaks only with actions.
Let us follow her. Let us fight harder than we have ever fought before. And then, here and now, we shall reverse the rules of this world.