Anaelle assumed a defensive fencing stance, holding up her ground as the task force members quietly stepped back from her majestic presence. I watched intently behind Anh's cloak as both of them prepared to engage.
"The Seat of Eternal Consciousness. It would be my honor to take the life of a hypocrite like yourself."
The masked man pointed the blade of the polearm at her before leaping ahead of it in a flash. Yet Anaelle stayed still, unmoved by the incoming danger before her.
The polearm swept through the air in the shape of a crescent — splitting apart the dust beneath his footing as he lunged forward with frightening momentum. The sharpened blade aimed directly for Anaelle's neck with enough force to sever steel.
"Predictable."
She took a few steps back without losing her footwork, letting the polearm scream past her shoulder close enough to slice several strands of her violet hair. Is she mocking her opponent mid-battle? Talking about taunting…
The masked Discord twisted his weapon immediately, reversing the momentum into a second strike aimed lower toward her abdomen. But instead of dodging, Anaelle's sword collided with the polearm with a loud clang. A violent burst of black-violet sparks erupted from the rapier as Anaelle intercepted the heavier weapon with only one hand on the hilt.
"You too shall fall, and a new order will stake their names in this world that you so cherished. Under the sovereignty of our Lord, all lives shall thrive."
The sheer difference in force cracked the concrete beneath her heels as he pressed harder. The polearm trembled violently against the thin blade, its shaft infused with crimson markings that crawled like veins beneath the metal surface. Heat distorted the air around the weapon.
Suddenly, jagged pillars of dark matter energy burst upward beneath Anaelle's footing one after another in rapid succession — attempting to impale her from below.
Noticing the sudden change of tactics, Anaelle made a bold move and immediately disappeared from our sight. For a few moments, everyone was left confused; there were no sounds except the burning ember of the scorched earth.
But then, a shockwave exploded behind the masked man, his instincts barely saved him as he swung the polearm backward. The rapier parried the shaft with surgical precision, redirecting the entire weapon away from its defensive angle.
"You talk too much." She commented.
The masked figure staggered half a step before immediately regaining balance.
"Tch, you wretched!"
He extended his palm outward as a circular formation ignited beneath Anaelle's feet. Chains made of blackened light erupted from the sigil and wrapped toward her limbs like starving serpents. The temperature around the barricade dropped instantly. Frost crept across nearby vehicles as the temperature dropped beyond 0 Celsius. It's… freezing… I'm going to catch a cold…
However, the cold doesn't seem to shake her will at all. She stood there, lowering her weapon to rest on his waist and closed his eyes as the chains drew nearer every moment.
Before the chains could reach her, it suddenly halted in the air — as if having a mind of its own as it remained still like an icicle.
The task force members stared in silence as the glowing restraints trembled violently against an invisible pressure before collapsing into fragments of dim particles on the concrete pavement. I grabbed Anh's cloak, seeking warmth in the still-cold environment despite the burning road surrounding us outside of the barricade.
"You… stopped my attack..? Just like that?"
Anaelle stepped forward once, the sound barrier shattered — the asphalt beneath her exploded outward as her figure crossed the distance between them in a single blur of black and white. The rapier pierced through the air with almost no visible movement.
The Discord lackey swung the polearm desperately at her to stop her advance, however futile. The blade carved through the polearm's shaft cleanly as the upper half spun violently into the air before embedding itself into the side of a burning transport truck.
The attacker immediately retreated backward, raising the remains of his weapon's handle defensively as crimson energy surged around his body in unstable waves.
"Stay back you witch!"
But she doesn't stop, she continues walking towards the man like a promise of impending doom while he shivers in boots — staring into her soulless eyes that windows no soul.
"Kneel." She commanded.
And the light that surrounds the man suddenly glows brighter, pushing him into the ground as if the gravity itself is pulling him to earth. He tried to resist it with all his might, standing on one knee before collapsing entirely into the road, his weapon lying forgotten beside him as he was completely subdued by the unseen force.
"One thing I hated the most is fighting an arrogant bastard that doesn't know his own battlefield."
Yet the man kept on struggling, managing to lift his head to gaze at Anaelle's cold expression.
"This… isn't my war to win… it never was… and you… have walked into our trap!"
He announced loudly as sounds of rifles being cocked filled the air from above. When we raised our gaze up to the nearby building, we realized that… we've been surrounded by armed men!"
"T-there's too many of them!" I exclaimed in fear as I clutched at Anh's long white cloak while crouching — shielding myself with the fabric of my own jacket.
"Stay behind me, Fumiko! I'll make sure they won't get to you!"
The pinned-down henchman laughed at our face with a smug grin, this arrogant guy… he thinks he had already won this battle for certain. But, I'm sure that they will protect me till the end of this campaign. Right..?
"All of you are fools! Easily tricked like a moth to a flame! You're trapped here with me."
Anaelle on the other hand paid no mind to his speech. Instead, she analyses the position of every gunman on the rooftop of the buildings. A flash crossed her eyes as she looked down at the lying man.
"Perhaps you're mistaken, we are not the ones who are trapped with you. You are the one who is trapped with us."
The laughter subsided, he looked back at Anaelle one more time as anger etched on his face was undoubtedly visible by Anaelle's provocation.
"Insolence! Brothers! Open fire!"
With the shout of his command, the enemies above us pressed their index finger on the trigger of the high caliber weapon. One after another, bullets rained from above like a raging storm while I hid under Anh's protection.
Is this… really the end? If so, then… How am I still here? I weakly reopened my eyelids, realizing that not even a single bullet had reached my body. But how can this be?
"W-wait.. I'm alive?!"
I slowly looked up at the sky once more, as it turns out, Anh had created a sort of energy dome from his summoned gauntlets that surrounded the whole perimeter — stopping all bullets in their tracks like an unstoppable fortress.
"Are you okay, Fumiko? Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked me with concern.
I shook my head hesitantly as I reached for his helping hand instinctively. He pulled me onto my foot as we stood side by side and offered me a gentle nod of acknowledgment.
"Blasphemy! All of you! How dare you ruin my perfect plan! I swear that I'll take my revenge, and when that time comes, all of you—!"
"Enough, Sergius."
A sudden unfamiliar voice cut through his speech before he could even finish all his twisted promises. Someone's coming, their intoxicating and suffocating aura filled the air from where he stood. The figure slowly approached from the entrance of the barricade, stopping just a few meters from Sergius.
"Your duty is to stall them, not to wage war without the Overlord's command. They who fought without reason, walk without dignity."
"But my Lord.. I.."
"Silence. If your will can save everyone, sever my life with your hands."
Anaelle who has been watching the exchange approached the taller man in the black cape. Her eyes narrowed a bit at the familiarity of the man's face.
"So it's indeed you, Discord Maker."
He nods once.
"So you still can't let go of me from your memory. That blade of yours... Ever-burning in the scar of mine."
Anaelle crossed her arms, looking up to meet him at eye level.
"The last time I saw you was millennia ago after your exile for leading the Second Ascension of Calamity. They left you to die by deprivation in the uncharted territory, yet somehow you're still alive after all these years. You have indeed exceeded my expectations."
"The gods of the starry sky have abandoned the world, they spared no thought for the masses. I have roamed this earth long enough, for this war was never mine. For my belief lies with the Orderbane, and that you can never wipe out."
The lackeys of the Discord Makers started to retreat, leaving no trace of their presence except the flattened bullets that had rained down moments ago.
"We will meet again, that I promise. Even now, I know that no one is your match, Lady Anaelle. I shall wait for the arrival of the Overlord and overthrow the injustice of this world once more, even if it meant waiting for another millennia."
Anaelle stood there, not making a move to stop him as they retreated. Simply watching them returning into the realm of shadow. But before leaving, the Discord Maker looked over his shoulder for the last time.
"The officers are kept in the tower, don't concern yourself over their well-being. You have my word... Sister."
And so, they left the scene immediately, carrying the defeated Sergius on his back before being engulfed in total darkness. While for us, we could finally breathe a sigh of relief as the task force members quickly attended to the officers injuries.
But… these people… who are they really?
No matter... Even if the future is full of hardship, I have no doubt that there will be companions of mine who will help me overcome every and each one of them. A treasure of memory that will accompany this journey henceforth.