Roy and Yuri almost fixed things.
A heavy silence settled over the battlefield. The war had almost been avoided.
Then…
Screams.
The ground trembled under the sudden footsteps. Hundreds of figures emerged from the shadows, a swarm of masked assassins flooding the battlefield. They struck with terrifying speed, heading straight for Drayton's forces, straight for the princess…
They didn't attack the devotion army… this is a well-thought-out plan to put the blame on them.
"Ambush!" someone shouted.
Though disciplined, Drayton's army was in a difficult position. Many of his soldiers were holding prisoners and were unable to fight freely. However, they responded quickly. In a coordinated move, backup forces arrived on the scene, swords in hand and shields up, ready to engage in combat. This happened at the same time as arrows rained down on them from the enemy's position. The two forces then clashed in an instant.
Now, everyone could see why they are known as the strongest soldiers. They stood strong in front of the enemy, despite their large numbers.
Kevin was at the center of it all.
He was surrounded by enemies, and his sword cut through them with effortless precision. A soldier rushed at him. Kevin sidestepped, dodging the attack, and his blade sliced through the attacker's armor with ease. Another came from behind. Without turning, Kevin spun his weapon back; the steel edge tore through flesh. Three more charged at once, hoping to overwhelm him. Kevin ducked under the first attack, grabbed the second attacker's arm and twisted (snap of bone), then kicked the third straight in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. He barely seemed out of breath.
But the enemy's numbers were endless.
Yuri's voice cut through the noise. "Shields up and stay together! Wait for my order!".
Devotion soldiers rushed into formation, shields locking together, waiting... They weren't the target after all.
Roy barely had a second to process what was happening before he saw it…
The princess was surrounded by forces. The chaos of battle spread everywhere, and Kevin was now too distracted to protect them. A masked enemy attacked Lily, raising his sword. Lily retreated just in time, grabbed his hand, and punched and kicked him, snatching his sword in the process. But another enemy appeared from the side, ready to attack, so she blocked him and cut his throat. She was very strong. The problem was that there were so many of them attacking her specifically.
Andrew screamed. "If she dies, we're screwed… GO!"
Roy's body moved before his mind did. Then both of them stepped forward.
The princess didn't have time to react. The enemy's sword was rapidly descending, but before it could reach her, Andrew's axe slammed into it, stopping the attack with a fierce force. This forced the attacker to fall back. Before the enemy could recover, Roy was already there.
One clean, precise strike with his light sword. The attacker died instantly.
Roy shouted, "Lily, we'll support you, let's end this quickly."
Lily nodded without hesitation and fought alongside them.
Lily effortlessly blocking strikes with her own blade, and again the dress she was wearing limits her movement, but Lily quickly tore it from the bottom between her legs, allowing her to move freely. Roy eyes widened in surprise as she can hold her ground, she lands a hit with precision, swiftly countering and taking down one of the attackers.
"You're... not bad," Roy muttered
She shot him a brief, almost amused glance. " I've learned a few things," she replied.
Andrew was beside him. His axe swept through the enemies like they were nothing. One swing, tow fell. Another one, one more.
But they kept coming. Stephanie tensed, ready to rush in to help Andrew and Roy...
"Stay back!" Yuri's voice was commanding. "Only Roy and Andrew there, no one else!"
Roy saw another attacker break through and aiming to the back of lily, then he moved without thinking. He grabbed her wrist, yanking her to him and put his arm around her.
For a split second, her face was inches from his. Her eyes, full of shock.
Roy didn't look. He blocked the attack, then turned, twisting her behind him as he struck down the next enemy. A heavy breath escaped her lips.
No time to think. Andrew and Roy moved together, their blades dancing in sync. The attackers were skilled, but they were stronger. Where Roy was precise, Andrew was forceful. Where Andrew struck, Roy followed, filling every gap.
An unstoppable rhythm.
But the next attack came already. A wave of assassins broke through, surging toward the princess.
The two brothers fought like they had done it a thousand times. No wasted movement. No hesitation.
Stephanie's eyes widened, and then she murmured, "So that's how strong they are."
Yuri watched, his eyes assessing the battlefield. "Damn good, finally got to see these two in action." he muttered under his breath. Then he turned and noticed, Kevin was surrounded.
Kevin fought hard, but there were too many of them. He cut down one, and another took its place. A blade nearly reached his back when Yuri moved with no hesitation or words.
In a flash, he was beside Kevin. His fist slammed into an assassin's chest with bone-shattering force. The man was dead when he hit the ground.
Kevin nodded in acknowledgment; for now, they were fighting side by side.
Yuri's commanding voice rang out again. "Cover their backs! Help them push forward!"
Stephanie, Crimzo and some of his soldiers broke from formation and rushed to support the Drayton forces, cutting down enemies before they could overwhelm Kevin's men.
Stephanie moved first. She went to Roy and Andrew, and threw a knife, hitting one of the soldiers who was facing Roy in the head. She approached and pulled out her sword.
Roy looked at her and said, "You are cruel."
Stephanie replied, "There is no time for talking. Let's go."
With her eyes fixed on her target, she lunged forward. The first man barely had time to raise his weapon when she cut off his shoulder. Then, she lowered her sword and severed his legs.
The second man backed away in fear as she quickly advanced toward him. Their swords clashed, and she swiftly moved to his blind spot and cut his back.
Crimzo shot the enemy archers quickly and accurately with his bow and arrows, then used his axes skillfully at close range.
The battlefield was chaotic, filled with the sounds of clashing steel and men shouting orders.
Then, arrows rained down.
Roy moved fast, dodging the first few, his sharp eyes tracking their paths. But there were too many.
Before he could react, Andrew stepped in, raising his shield. The arrows hit the metal, deflecting them away.
"Stay focused!" Andrew said, keeping his shield up.
But then, another arrow cut through the air; this time, aimed at the princess.
Roy didn't hesitate. He moved instantly, closing the distance between them in a blink.
The princess barely turned, "Roy, don't…".
Roy reached her, protecting her with his body just as the first arrow struck Roy's arm. Then another. The third buried itself into his shoulder, but the armor absorbed some of the impact. Roy frowned. Blood had already started flowing from his hand, and then it began to feel paralyzed.
The princess's eyes widened, gripping the sword in her hand. "Why did you do that. You're hurt!"
Roy pulled one of the arrows free, his expression unreadable. "I'm fine."
She frowned. "You're not!"
Before she could argue, one of the enemies stepped forward. He was wearing a black mask covering half of his face. His hair was short and brown-black, and his eyes were focused on the princess. He was holding two identical swords. Roy was standing in front of her, then he stopped and raised his sword, pointing it at her. He said, "I'm only here to kill her. I have no interest in you." He waved his sword in the air. "You can step aside, and I won't kill you."
Roy stepped forward. "I'm afraid I won't."
Lily looked at Roy with a look of concern in her eyes, "I can take him down myself, no need to press on yourself."
The man smiled and lunged at us, aiming a direct hit at Roy's neck, which he blocked in time, but his second sword had already arrived, aiming at his injured hand. Lily stopped him just in time and delivered a powerful kick to his stomach that sent him flying backwards.
He stepped back, put his hand on his stomach and whispered, "A kick like that, so you're one of them too..."
Lily raised her sword, "He almost got you, take care."
Roy replied. "You're right, let's take him down."
They started attacking him. Roy kept up with Lily's movements, then struck him in the foot at the same time as her strike that targeted his shoulder, but he stepped back and was forced to block Lily's strike.
The assassin made a left turn, then turned toward Lily. She reacted just in time, blocking his blade with her own. Roy slid sideways, striking the man's ribs. The masked man twisted out of reach.
Then... more footsteps thundered across the ground. More enemies.
Five, maybe six of them.
Lily frowned, "The situation is getting worse."
One of them came straight at Lily. She turned just in time, blocking his attack and then returning the blow with a swift movement. She knocked him down after slashing his neck and turned to cover Roy's side.
Roy engaged another with his sword and pushed him back before the masked assassin quickly returned, aiming for Lily again with both swords. Roy blocked his path, their swords meeting centimeters away from his face. He pushed him slightly and delivered a spinning back kick that send him away.
Lily came low and sliced off the legs of another attacker cutting it completely and then blocked a sword that was aimed at Roy's back. Then they stood back-to-back.
"We're surrounded!" she murmured and looked nervous about the situation
Roy gently pressed his back against hers like a silent reassurance. "Stay focused, we can get out of this one."
Lily smiled faintly as if she was slightly relieved.
They moved together without needing to speak, Lily parried high; Roy struck low. One enemy fell. Then another.
However, the masked man kept coming, trying to slash them, but in every time, Lily blocked him and pushed him away. He spun around Roy's defense and wound him in his injured hand while he was fighting an enemy. Roy staggered a little, his hand losing a lot of blood, but he didn't slow down.
He lunged at him, throwing blows and pushing him away. He attacked with all his remaining strength, trying to find an open gap as his last hope... Suddenly, an arrow hit the masked man leg as Roy was pushing him. Roy didn't think for a second and took the opportunity to cut off the man's hand and let it fall to the ground, the masked man screamed in pain and Roy immediately snapped his neck and finished him off.
Roy looked around and saw Crimzo there who was helping him finish him off, he nodded as a thank you, it might have been a worse situation if he hadn't intervened. Then he looked at Lily, and she had already taken down the last enemy of those who had surrounded them.
He planted his sword into the ground and bent down, taking a deep breath as pain surged through him. His coat was stained with blood; he was hurt, badly.
Stephanie rushed in. Her eyes scanned he's injuries, worry clear on her face while Andrew came and stood up in defense for them.
"Roy, let me treat your wounds." She was already reaching for him, ready to help.
But Roy said under his hard breathing. "No."
Stephanie froze for a second. "Roy, you're losing a lot of blood…"
"I said no," he repeated, his voice firm. "We don't have time."
Stephanie clenched her jaw, but she didn't push further.
Roy rolled his shoulder despite the pain and grabbed his sword again.
Andrew rushed to Roy's side, refusing to leave. "I'm not letting you fight alone again, especially with an arm like this."
At the same time, arrows were fired in the opposite direction.
From a distance, Crimson had already taken his position, raising his bow. With smooth, practiced movements, he fired arrows, each one hitting its target. Beside him, Darius, a trusted soldier under Yuri command, wearing a goggle over his eyes, worked just as efficiently with his crossbow, taking down the enemy archers one by one.
Slowly, the battle began to fade away. And finally growing quiet.
The last of the attackers fell, their forces completely broken. Bodies covered the ground… Too many lives lost on all sides. The Drayton army had suffered heavy casualties, but the attackers had been wiped out almost entirely. Even the Devotion army had its share of losses, although they should never have drawn their swords.
Both sides slowly retreated to their original positions, their weapons still drawn but no longer raised. Only the doctors remained, carefully moving among the wounded to care for the living and close the eyes of the dead.
Kevin stood at the edge of the battlefield, his sword still in his hand, the blood of fallen enemies staining the ground beneath him. His eyes scanned the destruction, the corpses, the wounded, and the confused soldiers on both sides still clutching their weapons. The battle was over, but the real trouble was just beginning.
Yuri approached him, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable. "You know that wasn't us." His voice was calm, but firm.
Kevin let out a slow breath and nodded his head. "I know." He turned slightly and looked at the Devotion troops in the distance. "This was the work of a third party. Someone who wanted this trade to fail. I know they're on the move, and I'm trying to track them." He tightened his grip on his sword. "They almost succeeded."
Yuri studied him carefully. "Then you know what happens next."
Kevin exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "That's the problem. My father…" He paused, as if weighing his words. "He won't care about the details. He only cares about strength. He'll see this as a betrayal. And if I can't convince him otherwise…" He clenched his jaw. "Things will get out of hand."
Yuri's gaze didn't waver. "You don't seem like the type to let things get out of hand."
Kevin let out a dry laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You've never met my father." He turned to face Yuri fully, his expression colder now. "Drayton doesn't hold back. If I don't handle this properly, a war is coming."
Yuri was silent for a moment before finally speaking. "Then I will trust you with this."
Kevin held his gaze, understanding the weight behind those words. He had to find a way to stop Drayton from going into a full-scale war… But deep down, he wasn't sure if that was possible anymore.