Xers slammed the door shut and left the base. A deep silence spread through the area. After a moment, Gein finally spoke.
"Xers is very strong, everyone. Even he can't fully control that power yet."
Fushiroma stepped out of the room and replied to Gein.
"If he can't control his power, then he'll train until he can! I served as a general in Kurotsume for 14 years. You don't run a clan with this mindset, Gein. You do your duty with honor and full discipline. Xers became Supreme Commander without ever receiving commander training. He didn't allow many experienced commanders from the old Kurotsume to manage Tshusenkai."
"T-That's not fair—"
"No, it's not unfair at all, Gein. Xers used to be just a captain. In Shadowia, Supreme Commanders are responsible for hundreds of divisions. Captains can only handle one. Even I, as a general, can barely handle fifty divisions. And this guy is supposed to manage an army of 26,000? Tell me."
"Y-You're right, Fushiroma..."
"Good. Then if I'm right, let's end this tension. Everyone go to sleep. Tomorrow, instead of the 64th fortress, we're heading to the 3rd fortress. Understood?"
The reason for going to the 3rd fortress instead of the 64th was simple: half of the army was dead. But the remaining troops had no morale left either.
That night, Xers returned to his old hut and opened a bottle of beer, drinking alone.
"Am I exposing myself too much by drinking beer? I don't think so. I'm overwhelmed and stressed. What Fushiroma said really hurt. I humiliated myself in front of hundreds of sorcerers in the hut. Did this happen because of my ambition? N-no… I was just trying to save myself..."
Xers kept sipping his beer for the rest of the night, until morning finally came.
Under Fushiroma's command, the Tshusenkai army began marching toward the 3rd fortress.
"Kiminage and Gein, you will advance from the front with the 4th, 6th, 8th, and 12th divisions. The rest of us will enter from behind and trap them in the center, understood?"
"Y-Yes, General Fushiroma."
Kiminage and Gein moved toward the front of the fortress.
At that moment, Xers had woken up and gone outside the village to prepare food for himself. As he stepped outside, a former Kurotsume sorcerer came running toward him.
"X-XERS! XERS! C-CAPTAIN!"
"W-What's wrong?!"
"X-X-Xe—"
"Calm down, Luma!"
"X-Xers, N-Nystral—"
"What happened to Nystral?!"
"Nystral is heading toward the 3rd fortress! And Fushiroma and the army are also going there! Since half the army is dead, he's going there himself to wipe out the remaining Tshusenkai forces!"
"W-What?! G-GEIN! KIMINAGE!"
Xers immediately sprinted back toward his hut.
"X-XER—"
"I don't have time, Luma! I have to save them or Nystral will trap them!"
Xers grabbed his belongings in a rush and set out, but reaching the fortress on foot would take hours.
Meanwhile, Nystral, Tsurogami, and their army were almost at the 3rd fortress. Kiminage and Gein stepped forward to the front line. The battle between the two armies had already begun.
"Kiminage, you control the front! I'll handle this side! Hiah!"
"O-Okay!"
Even on their own, Kiminage and Gein were tearing through the Kurogiri army.
Gein used his blue ability midair, piercing hundreds of Kurogiri sorcerers.
Kiminage used Red Crescent, copying herself dozens of times and shredding dozens of sorcerers every second.
But Nystral and his army had reached the 3rd fortress.
"Tsurogami."
"Yes, Lord Nystral?"
"Are Kiminage and that idiot who uses colors here?"
"Of course. Look, both of them are there. But they're far apart. You can take one down alone."
"Hahaha. Good. I wonder who I should start with..."
"Kiminage looks easier, my lord."
"You're right, Tsurogami. Leave this to me..."
Nystral began walking toward Kiminage with steady steps, stretching his arms and drawing his sword from its hilt. After cutting down the last sorcerer, Kiminage locked eyes with Nystral.
"N-NYSTRAL?! Y-YOU BASTARD! AHH! MY EYE— I REMEMBER IT!"
"Long time no see, Kiminage..."
"Nystral... you dog!"
Kiminage charged at Nystral in rage. Nystral walked toward her without changing his expression.
"Are you ready to die for the second time, woman?"
"Shut up!"
Kiminage leaped at him. Their swords collided, and they were thrown around the battlefield at extreme speed. They were moving so fast they couldn't be seen by the naked eye.
"I haven't even used my abilities yet, Nystral!"
"Smph! And what if you do? Are you going to kill me with that filthy mask of yours?"
"Then let's see! Red Crescent!"
Kiminage created ten clones around Nystral.
"Wooow! It used to be five."
"This is nothing yet!"
All of Kiminage's clones attacked at once.
"Victor Gale!"
Nystral slammed his sword into the ground, summoning storms from beneath the earth. The storms blasted Kiminage and her clones into the air.
"Now we finish this. Dead Wheel!"
Nystral's swords split into five and began cutting everything around him like a spinning wheel.
Kiminage quickly created another clone and teleported to it.
"(Gasping) That was close! That bastard Nystral has gotten insanely strong."
"You surprised me, woman. But this time, you are really going to die."
Nystral lunged forward and sent Kiminage flying several meters away.
Kiminage rolled across the ground before stopping. Her hair was a mess. She stood up, cracked her neck, and readied her sword again.
"Come."
"Are you playing games with me, Kiminage? You're going to die!"
"I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, NYSTRAL!"
Kiminage rushed forward again, and their battle resumed at full speed.
"You really haven't had enough, Kiminage! Then let's play our final cards."
"Red Crescent!"
Kiminage cloned herself twenty times, placing each clone at different ranges instead of the same distance.
"Wooow! That's new!"
"DROP DEAD, NYSTRAL!!!"
Kiminage and all her clones attacked at once. Nystral remained still and spoke calmly.
"You idiot. The Comp Evolved is one of the most ancient divine powers. The ruler of worldly forces. Infinity Shield!"
Nystral trapped himself inside a cage-like shield of nearly unbreakable durability.
Kiminage and her clones struck the shield with hundreds of sword slashes per second.
But nothing happened to Nystral's shield. Kiminage's stamina ran out from maintaining twenty clones, and they vanished one by one.
"(Gasping) M-my clones... I'm out of stamina..."
Nystral's cage opened, and he stepped out as if nothing had happened.
"The greatest mistake of your life was facing me, Kiminage. World Hammer!"
Nystral raised his sword and swung it at Kiminage with the World Hammer ability.
With the last of her strength, Kiminage swung her sword at Nystral.
"HIIIIAH!"
The swords collided midair. Kiminage's sword shattered from the impact, and the remaining force continued forward, slicing through her throat.
Blood burst from Kiminage's neck as she collapsed to the ground. Her final words were:
"I-I-I... I lost."
From that moment on, Kiminage was truly dead. Nystral bent down, pointed his finger toward Kiminage's mask, and his own mask began to glow. In the end, he absorbed Kiminage's Red Crescent.
"Red Crescent has been added to our collection."