Indeed, true Calamity had come.
Xenos, after staring at the chaos below, the soldiers, the advancing Crocottas from the forest, hundreds of them, and then at his sword, jumped down, getting even closer.
The Wise Fool's smile was brighter than ever.
He loved a battlefield... its chaos.
This one was unfamiliar, but...
That didn't stop him from liking it all the same.
Men screaming their lungs out for Gods that didn't listen.
Monsters howling so loud, the very air rattled, shaking leaves loose from the trees.
Oh, what a scene this was... House Gift and House Vespera shoulder to shoulder, their shields up, and their blades down, charging together towards certain death for many of them.
"For the Houses!"
Perhaps those words left their lips.
Xenos didn't know; he wasn't exactly focused on that.
He simply enjoyed the battlefield, walking around it, looking...
Reminiscent.
It was suicidal.
It was stupid.
It was...
'Impressive.'
The first collision was wonderful, metal and elements clashing with claws, bones breaking, Divinity bursting from Runes. Crocottas lunged through the gaps in the shield wall, snapping jaws and cracking helmets.
"Hold! Hold!"
Many a soldier screamed before a claw tore them in half.
Xenos saw it all with his Beholding eyes.
The pulse before the lunge.
The twitch before death.
"They're actually holding..."
He folded his arms.
"Idiots, but respectable idiots."
No one retreated, even when half their front line was gone.
Another Crocotta leapt over the corpses and got skewered by a Gift soldier's spear.
The man roared in victory right before another beast tore him in half.
"...Okay, maybe not that respectable."
Eris hummed in agreement.
'You could help them, you know.'
'I could.'
He tilted his head as one soldier was dragged screaming into the dirt.
'But that would make me a hypocrite... and it'd ruin my plan.'
Another beast vaulted the barricade, swiping at three soldiers before it went down.
Xenos's gaze followed it lazily, tracing the lines of their motions as if studying them.
"Left flank's breaking."
Eris nodded and asked:
'Do you think they'll survive?'
He shrugged his shoulders.
'I'm not sure, but... probably.'
Hours of absolute carnage went by.
Every Crocotta that fell was replaced by another.
Even though exhausted, starving, and broken, the Houses' goons didn't cease.
They didn't even know if the Rune in the center was a Great Rune, yet they stayed.
The battlefield became a crimson swamp, boots sloshing in blood and eventual rain.
When dawn finally touched the horizon, there were barely two dozen soldiers left.
All breathed raggedly, their broken weapons hanging from trembling hands, too hollow to even think about screaming their victory, the Rune's bright glow reflected in their eyes.
"Well..."
That was when Xenos straightened up and stretched his neck with a crack.
"Curtain call."
Every head turned, catching this newcomer's appearance.
His cloak and tunic were a bit torn, his long white hair wild, and his body marred with Crocotta blood.
The survivors froze, both shocked and too tired to react, forced to only watch him.
Xenos slowly walked forward while brushing dirt off his sleeves.
"Your Houses have abandoned you."
His voice, though low, reached them all.
"This is your chance... defect. Leave this sinking ship."
They blankly stared, both confused and waiting for more.
"They lied to you... you'll never become one of them."
He gave them what they waited for.
"They'll give you a Title? Is that what you want? Legacy? Ha! Only after you're dead, are you sure your families want that? That's how the Houses work. Both sides have already lost this war, so…"
He gestured lazily to the Rune behind him.
"Let me take this trouble from you... If you're staying with your House and not quitting like most of the others would, just say that I did you in and that I'm a thief. It's not like any of you were allowed to claim it anyway. They'll know."
He moved as he talked, pacing in front of them like a preacher.
"Your captains are gone. Reinforcements? If it's not obvious by now, they'll never come. So please, you've already done enough. Go home, spend time with your families, and drink something that isn't your own sweat. I think you deserve a break."
A few of them dropped their weapons, relief washing over their faces.
His words made too much sense for men who had just spent two days surviving Tartaros.
They exchanged glances, muttered among themselves, and began to limp away.
Most did, anyway.
Because there were always a few who didn't have the brain cells to recognize mercy.
One of them—a soldier from House Vespera—pointed at Xenos and shouted:
"He's lying! He wants the Rune for himself!"
"Ah. There it is."
Xenos sighed, his smile returning.
"...thank you for this."
Three of them rushed him, all of the Ethereal Element.
Their Runes flared: Gravity, Light, and Shadow.
Weak, flashy, and terribly coordinated.
"The discount trio~."
Xenos took a stance.