The first to advance was a man with a round shield and a short sword.
He did not rush in like the others.
He waited.
The others spread out to the sides at the same time, forming a half circle in front of Liza.
She understood immediately.
They might have been few compared to the number she had killed, but they were better.
The man with the shield entered first, not to kill her, but to close off her spear. Liza stepped back, turned the shaft, and struck the edge of the shield with enough force to deflect it. In that same instant, another man attacked from the right with a short spear, aiming for her leg.
Liza jumped back.
The tip passed beneath her, but the movement forced her to shift the weight of her body.
The captain did not move.
He only watched.
"Do not surround her too much," he ordered. "That woman is stronger than all of you. If you get scared, she will cut you down just like the others."
His men obeyed.
That was annoying.
An enemy who shouted, ran, and attacked without thinking was easy to read. A group that listened to orders, maintained distance, and adjusted their steps was different. Liza could kill them, but she could not do so without paying for every movement.
The one with the shield came in again.
This time, Liza did not retreat.
She stepped forward, lowered her body, and drove the spear beneath the edge of the shield, piercing his thigh. The man screamed, but did not fall. He clenched his teeth, held the shield more firmly, and pushed to trap the shaft against his body.
Liza tried to pull it back.
Another bandit took advantage of the instant and brought a sword down toward her shoulder.
She released the spear with one hand, turned her body, and let the cut graze her armor instead of landing cleanly. It still hurt. The impact made her lose her balance by half a step, but her tail moved behind her, and she recovered her posture before falling.
Then she kicked the man with the shield in the chest.
The crack of his ribs was clear.
The bandit was sent flying, dragging the spear lodged in his leg just enough to free it. Liza pulled the weapon back, spun, and cut the second attacker's neck before he could raise his sword again.
Seeing this, the captain brought a hand to his forehead and sighed.
One had fallen.
The one with the shield was still alive, but coughing blood.
Liza did not have time to finish him.
Two more advanced.
One carried a short mace. The other, an axe. They attacked from opposite sides, not at the same time, but with a slight difference between their strikes to force her to respond twice. Liza blocked the mace with the shaft, deflected the axe with the blade, and felt the impact climb up her arms.
Her left shoulder protested.
The previous blow still weighed on her.
Liza clenched her teeth and entered the distance of the man with the mace. Her knee struck the bandit's stomach, and when he bent forward, the spear came down on the back of his neck. The axe came from behind. Liza turned, but not quickly enough.
The edge opened the skin of her side.
The pain was hot and irritating. But it was also useful; it forced her to move better.
Before the man could recover his weapon, Liza drove the tip of the spear into his throat and pushed until he fell onto his back.
The captain clicked his tongue.
"Do not approach her one by one, idiots."
Liza breathed through her nose.
Three dead.
One unable to fight.
Two others remained beside the captain.
Wait, should there not be one more?
The archer had moved to the tower entrance at some point and drawn the string. Liza saw him too late, but she did not ignore him. She turned her body before the shot, and instead of sinking into her chest, the arrow crossed the upper part of her arm.
Blood ran down to her hand.
Liza threw the spear.
The archer barely had time to widen his eyes before the weapon pierced his torso and pinned him against the wooden door.
The courtyard fell silent for an instant.
The captain smiled.
"Now!"
Two men rushed toward her.
Liza advanced as well.
She broke the first one's wrist before he could use his sword. She grabbed his arm, twisted it, and used him as an obstacle against the second. The latter's blade entered the body of his own companion. Liza released the wounded man, slipped beneath the second man's arm, and struck his throat with the edge of her hand.
The man fell, choking.
Liza wanted to run toward the door to recover her spear, but she abandoned the idea at once. She crouched, took a fallen axe beside one of the corpses, and raised it just in time to block the captain's sword.
The force of the blow drove her feet into the dirt and forced her back a step. The captain was in front of her, holding the longsword with both hands, but with a confidence none of his men had shown.
The captain's stance was different from the others.
He did not simply hold the sword well. His feet were placed firmly, his shoulders had no unnecessary tension, and the blade pointed toward Liza with a calm that spoke of practice. He was not a man who had learned to fight by surviving on roads and in taverns. There was discipline in the way he moved.
Liza pushed with the axe and separated the weapons.
The captain observed her with more attention.
"You are fast," he said. "And strong. But you also seem a little desperate to kill us."
Liza did not answer.
The man tilted his head slightly, as if he found that reaction interesting.
"Is there some grudge between us?"
His tone was light.
He spoke surrounded by corpses without looking at any of them with true interest. He did not seem furious over losing men. Nor hurt. Nor worried. If anything, he seemed annoyed by the disorder all of this had caused him.
"Muno sent me to deal with the bandits in this area," Liza replied.
The captain looked at her for an instant.
Then he laughed.
"Is that so?"
Liza's expression did not change.
"Yes."
"Then you made a mistake. I served in Muno for a time, before I was forced to leave. If you think killing men like us will bring justice to this land, you still do not understand who you are working for."
Liza tightened her grip on the axe handle.
"I did not say I was fighting for justice."
The captain stopped laughing, though the smile remained on his face.
"No?"
"I am not loyal to Muno either. I am temporarily working under its orders."
That seemed to catch his attention.
The captain lowered his sword slightly, not enough to open his guard, but enough to look at her with more curiosity.
"Then we return to the same question. Do you hate us? Did we kill someone important to you? Did one of my men abuse you?"
His eyes passed over the axe, the blood on her clothes, and the way Liza held her body despite her wounds.
"No. With that strength, that someone would already be dead."
Liza shook her head.
"You are thinking too much."
The captain narrowed his eyes.
Liza held the axe more tightly.
"I am here to become stronger."
For a moment, the captain said nothing.
Then he let out a brief laugh, without joy.
"I see."
He attacked first.
The longsword descended toward Liza's shoulder. She raised the axe to receive the blow, but the weapon was not made for that kind of defense. The impact shook her arms and forced her to give ground. Before the captain could fully recover the sword, Liza turned and threw the axe toward his face.
He tilted his head.
The edge passed beside his cheek and disappeared into the darkness of the courtyard.
Liza was already moving.
She picked up a short sword from the ground, still wet with the blood of its previous owner, and entered the captain's range. She used it to deflect the next blow, not to block it head-on. Even so, the force of the impact ran down to her wrist and immediately reminded her that this weapon was not her spear.
The captain noticed.
"Nothing special without your spear, huh?"
Liza did not answer.
She threw the sword toward his legs.
The captain stepped back by reflex, and Liza used that space to grab a fallen shield. She raised it just as the longsword descended again. The reinforced wood withstood one blow, then another, but the third impact split one of the inner straps and numbed her arm.
Liza pushed the shield against him.
The captain took half a step back.
She released the broken shield, grabbed a mace from the ground, and swung it toward his side. The captain blocked with the lower part of his sword, but the weight of the mace twisted his posture slightly. Liza tried to take advantage of it with a kick, and he barely avoided the blow, stepping back just enough to keep it from landing cleanly.
For the first time, his expression lost part of its amusement.
Liza was not as precise as she was with her spear.
But she was still dangerous.
Every weapon she picked up lasted only a short time. She did not fight elegantly, but she fought with determination. She used what she found, wore it down, and abandoned it before it could become a burden.
The captain stepped back again.
Then again.
His eyes moved toward the tower door.
Liza saw it too. Now she had her back to the exit, and without hesitation, she ran.
For an instant, the captain thought she was trying to flee toward the entrance. He almost welcomed the decision.
But she was not going toward the exit.
She was going toward her spear.
The captain's eyes widened.
What was wrong with this lunatic?
She had lost blood, had open wounds, and her breathing was no longer stable. He, on the other hand, was still in perfect condition. Any reasonable person would have tried to escape, or at least create distance to recover their breath. But Liza showed no fear. There was no doubt in her eyes, not even concern for her own state.
She only advanced.
All of that just to recover her weapon.
All of that just to keep fighting.
The captain could no longer call her a simple intruder.
That woman was a lunatic.
"Is all of this really to become stronger?" he murmured.
Liza tore the spear from the archer's body and turned toward him.
The captain changed his stance.
This time, he did not leave the sword on his shoulder or hold it in a relaxed manner. He lowered his center of gravity, placed one foot behind him, and pointed the tip directly toward Liza. His light expression disappeared, replaced by a much more serious concentration.
"Ganza," he said.
Liza stopped for an instant.
She breathed.
Then she adjusted her grip on the spear.
"Liza."
They looked at each other from opposite sides of the courtyard.
Liza was wounded, covered in blood, and her body was heavy with fatigue. Even so, she did not feel she was going to lose. Until that moment, she had not used her battle skills. She had relied on her strength, her weapon, her speed, and what she had learned, but she could still force her body further if necessary.
Ganza also seemed confident, though for different reasons.
Their stances remained until Ganza took a step.
Liza responded, closing the distance in a blink.
The spear advanced with terrifying speed.
Ganza's sword moved to deflect it, but he could not do so completely. The tip passed beside his face and opened a deep line across his cheek. Blood immediately ran down his skin.
For an instant, neither of them moved.
Then Liza's body trembled.
Her expression tightened, fierce and distorted by pain.
There was a bolt lodged in her side.
On the ground, not far from her, the man whose throat she had only struck earlier was still alive. He held a small crossbow in his hands, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and satisfaction. He had waited among the bodies until he found an opportunity.
Ganza looked at the bolt.
Then at Liza.
And began to laugh.
"Idiot."
Liza tried to advance.
Ganza stepped back, still laughing.
"Did you really believe in that game? Names and stances? This is reality, you damn brat!"
Liza clenched her teeth and took another step.
Her leg responded late.
Ganza's smile widened.
"You are not so fast anymore. Though if you keep fighting with that stuck in you, I suppose I cannot even call you human. Of course, you are not human either. Animal would be more fitting."
Liza straightened her body as best she could, keeping the spear between Ganza and the man with the crossbow.
Then her vision twisted.
It was not only pain.
The lights of the courtyard stretched for an instant and then broke into irregular stains. The sound of her own breathing reached her ears too loudly, and the ground seemed to move beneath her feet.
She did not need anyone to tell her.
Poison.
Liza cursed under her breath.
Ganza raised his sword with a smile.
"At least you tried hard. I will grant you that."
Then he gestured with his head.
"Shoot her again."
Nothing happened.
Ganza frowned.
"Are you deaf? Shoot."
The silence remained.
Annoyed, Ganza turned his head.
The man with the crossbow was already dead.
His body lay crushed beneath one of Black Demon's massive feet. Beside the corpse, the towering demonic figure rose from the darkness of the courtyard, so large that the light of the campfires barely reached its edges.
Ganza opened his mouth.
He did not manage to scream.
One of Black Demon's enormous hands shot forward and closed around him.
The bandit captain struggled for an instant.
Then the grip tightened.
His body cracked once before going limp.
Liza did not take her eyes off Ganza, though her vision continued to fail.
Black Demon let the corpse fall aside.
"That is enough."
Liza raised her head.
Her eyes did not show gratitude.
They showed fury.
Black Demon looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"Do not look at me like that. I just saved your life."
Liza clenched her teeth.
She wanted to say she could continue.
She wanted to point out that, despite everything, she could have won.
But blood was running down her side, her breathing was irregular, and the ground beneath her knee felt far too solid. If Black Demon had not intervened, she really…
Liza lowered her gaze.
"I…"
She did not manage to finish.
Her vision blurred.
Strength left her fingers, and the spear fell to the ground with a dry sound.
Black Demon moved before her body touched the earth and caught her with one hand.
Liza tried to remain conscious for a few more seconds.
She could not.
The last thing she felt was the firm pressure of someone else's hand preventing her from falling among the blood and corpses.
Black Demon observed her in silence.
Then he looked at the destroyed fortification, the bodies scattered through the courtyard, and the captain still trembling on the ground.
"What a troublesome woman," he murmured.
The darkness closed over the courtyard again.
***
When Liza opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was the clear sky between the branches.
It took her a few seconds to remember where she was.
She was not in the courtyard of the fortification. She was outside, lying on a cloak spread over a clean area among the trees. The light of dawn was only beginning to touch the forest, and the cold air brushed her skin when she tried to sit up.
Then she noticed something.
The pain was gone.
Liza brought a hand to her side. Her clothes were still torn and stained, but beneath the fabric, she did not find the wound from the bolt. Nor did the burning of the poison or the heaviness of the accumulated cuts remain. Her body was tired, but not broken.
"You woke earlier than expected."
Black Demon's voice came from one side.
Liza turned her head.
The demonic figure stood a short distance away, looking toward the fortification as if he had spent the entire night watching it. The darkness around him no longer formed a visible cage, though the air still carried a strange pressure.
Liza sat up slowly.
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Less than would have been reasonable for someone in your condition."
Liza lowered her gaze.
"I see."
"Your body endured well. My magic took care of the rest."
Liza placed a hand on the ground and stood. Her legs responded without trembling. That surprised her more than she allowed to show.
Black Demon observed her.
"You do not seem satisfied."
"I am not."
"You survived and eliminated their base on your own."
Liza looked toward the fortification.
"I did not do it alone."
"You never said you had to do it alone. You said you would enter, fight everything you could, and kill the leader."
Liza remained silent.
Black Demon tilted his head slightly.
"You failed in one part. Not all of them."
Liza closed her fingers for a moment and then bowed her head.
"Thank you for your help."
"I accept your gratitude."
Liza lowered her head slightly.
"And… I apologize for how rude I was after you saved my life. I was frustrated. I am sorry."
Black Demon looked at her for a moment.
"I do not care."
Liza blinked.
"If you truly wish to compensate me, then finish your mission quickly. The sooner you are done, the sooner I can return to the investigation your master entrusted to me."
Liza understood immediately what he meant.
Her master's seal.
"I understand."
Liza glanced toward the forest, in the opposite direction from the village.
"You may go," she said after a brief pause. "I will return to the village, gather the others, and then head back to Muno. It would no longer be prudent to keep advancing after this."
"¡A reasonable decision! You are a little late in reaching it, however."
Liza did not answer.
Black Demon stepped back into the shadow of the trees.
"Then, until another occasion."
The darkness closed around his figure, and an instant later, he was no longer there.
Liza remained alone.
She took her spear, checked its edge, and began walking toward the village.
At first, she advanced with caution, waiting for her body to show some hidden weakness. But each step felt lighter than the last. Her legs responded better. Her breathing was more stable. Even the weight of the spear seemed to settle more naturally in her hands.
It had been worth it.
That thought did not erase the frustration.
Nor the mistake.
But it was there.
Liza continued forward until the forest began to open.
Then she stopped.
Something was not right.
She did not hear calm voices. She did not hear villagers moving with the slow rhythm of morning, nor soldiers preparing to return. What reached her was a dry, repeated metallic sound.
Weapons clashing.
Liza ran.
The village appeared between the trees, and with it, chaos.
The soldiers of Muno were retreating near the main road, forming an uneven line under the sergeant's orders. They were being pushed back step by step by several armed men pressing from the front.
"Keep the shields together!" the sergeant shouted. "Do not separate!"
His voice remained firm, but Liza noticed the effort behind every order.
The soldiers were barely holding.
Beyond them, near the center of the village, Tama and Pochi were fighting against a single man.
He was large, broad-shouldered, with an enormous sword held in one hand. He did not move like an ordinary bandit. Each time Pochi tried to close his path with her shield, he deflected the impact without losing his stance. Each time Tama entered from the side, his sword changed angles just enough to force her to withdraw.
He was not merely handling them; he was clearly playing with them.
As if measuring how much they could do.
Pochi panted and raised her shield again.
"You will not pass!"
"Do I still need to pass? My men seem to be doing fine on their own."
Tama appeared behind the man, aiming for his back.
"You should worry more about yourselves."
He barely turned his wrist.
The enormous sword cut through the air in a short arc, too fast for a weapon of that size, and Tama had to jump back before completing her attack.
"Really, what terrifying girls," the man said with a brief laugh. "One is small but sturdy. The other is cute, but decisive when cutting. Unfortunately, this is as far as you can go against me."
Liza did not hesitate.
She crossed the distance between the soldiers and the center of the village in a straight line.
"Tama! Pochi!"
Both turned their heads when they recognized her voice.
"Liza!"
The man did as well.
Liza entered his range and struck with her spear.
The enormous sword moved to receive it.
The clash echoed through the entire village.
For the first time since he had arrived, the man retreated half a step.
"Oh?"
His eyes opened with interest.
"Instructor!"
"The instructor is here! Keep holding!"
The soldiers of Muno recovered their spirits when they saw Liza confront the man.
However, Liza did not share their excitement. She felt the weight of that block in her arms and understood immediately.
He was strong.
Not like the bandits from the fortification or Ganza. This man belonged to another class.
They were at the same level, even… No, she could not be sure from that exchange alone.
"Help the soldiers," Liza ordered without taking her eyes off him.
"Yes, Sister Liza!"
"Understood!"
Tama and Pochi separated immediately and ran toward the sergeant's line.
The man with the greatsword did not try to stop them.
He only looked at Liza.
His smile widened.
"Another girl? Haha, what an amusing day this is!"
Liza adjusted her grip on the spear.
The man rested the enormous sword on his shoulder, as if the weight meant nothing.
"This will be interesting. Do not disappoint me."
Liza did not answer.
The wind moved the dust between them.
The village was still fighting behind her, but her attention was fixed only on the man before her eyes.
Her true trial began now.
*****
Author's Note:
As always, thank you very much for reading and continuing to follow the story.
I do not have too much to say this time, but I wanted to talk a little about Liza.
Liza is somewhat different here from how she is in the original material. In Death March, she is usually shown as a much calmer and more professional girl. She probably would not do something as reckless as what she did in this chapter, nor would she act this way with her companions.
However, that Liza was constantly traveling under Satou's care, and she was often given the feeling that she was appreciated. Satou also tends to trust her as the main strength of the group, or as his companion when he goes out to do something.
It is not that Satoru does not appreciate her in this story, nor am I saying that Satou never faced incredibly dangerous threats in the original. However, Liza has the mentality of both a warrior and a servant, and what she fears most is being abandoned. Her loyalty is precisely what is working against her.
From Liza's perspective, Satoru has faced far more dangerous enemies in succession than Satou did, or at least more than Liza ever knew, since Satou usually kept many of his actions and the enemies he faced hidden from the others.
Because of that, being under Satoru's care is stressful for Liza, as I have mentioned in previous chapters. That pressure is pushing her to become reckless. But in a certain way, perhaps this is the only way she can grow enough to stand firm in the future.
This chapter was also the second half of the part I mentioned before, the one I had to cut because it ended up becoming much longer than expected.
That said, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.