[Ezio PoV]
Five giant beasts appeared in the heart of the city, beginning a rampage and slaughtering the soldiers stationed near their landing zones.
Dammit, those mages are truly a nuisance! They always find a way to pierce our defenses.
"Fire at them! Don't let them get close!"
On the other side, our archers and Musketeers were firing at the Imperial troops who began their advance now that the five monsters were wreaking havoc inside the fortress.
"Ezio, I think we need to get off this wall," Marcela said, pointing toward the giant monsters.
Two of them were heading our way. The Giant Gorilla and the Giant Bear seemed intent on destroying the artillery and the shooters atop the wall so their infantry could enter the city without heavy casualties.
— ROAAARRR!
Both roared lungs-deep, making my heart race from the sheer intimidation of the two beasts.
"Fire at those stupid monsters!" ordered the squad leader of the shooters on the wall.
The thunder of gunfire erupted from up here; everyone discharged their rifles at the two monsters charging us.
However, despite being riddled with lead from the firing squad, the monsters did not break their stride. The giant bear was suddenly right in front of us, launching an attack with paws full of razor-sharp claws.
"Get down, Marcela!" I shouted, trying to evade the bear's swipe.
The giant beast's limb passed right over me, followed by a horrific scream not far away. Glancing to the side, I saw two unlucky souls whose bodies were impaled by the bear's claws because they hadn't moved in time.
— ROOAARRR!
The bear and the giant gorilla then went on a rampage, smashing cannons and killing the firing squads atop the wall.
"No, no, no! Don't kil—"
A shooter's body was pulverized by the Gorilla's hand. This horrific sight shook my morale and that of the other soldiers; the thought that any of us could suffer the same fate in this war loomed large.
— Clack!
Suddenly, a ladder leaned against the city wall. The Imperial troops had reached the base of the wall with ease while we were distracted by the two giant monsters.
"Climb quickly! We take this city as fast as possible!"
The Imperial troops began to climb. I rushed to push one of the ladders away, but it was incredibly heavy because several men were already halfway up. Still, I pushed with all my might, straining every muscle to prevent them from seizing the top of the wall.
"Arrrgghhh!"
With one powerful shove, I finally managed to topple the ladder. The horrific screams of men falling to the ground echoed below.
"Die, you lot! You'd better go home and never step foot in our territory again!" I screamed at the falling soldiers.
Turning around, I suddenly saw a giant hand about to crush me. I jumped by reflex without thinking, and only then did I realize I was falling from a height of 15 meters—a drop that could easily maim me.
I quickly pulled a rope with a hooked end from my pouch and threw it toward a wooden support beam on the wall's scaffolding. My body swung through the air and landed smoothly on the city street.
"That was close," I muttered, thinking about what just happened. "A few seconds late and I wouldn't have escaped with just minor scrapes hitting the ground from that height."
Looking up, I saw that many enemy troops had already scaled and secured the top of the wall. If left unchecked, the enemy army would flood into the city with ease! I climbed onto a building to get a better view of the city's condition. The giant Dog and Bull monsters were rampaging in the eastern district, but I couldn't see the giant Tiger monster anywhere.
"Fall back! Move to the second defensive phase! Quickly, to the city square!" ordered one of the soldiers.
The second defensive phase was where we would have the best tactical advantage in a holding position after the walls fell or the enemy entered the city. The remnants of the forces near the wall began to retreat while defending themselves against the encroaching enemy.
I had to find the other Squad members. Unfortunately, Marcela and I had been separated by the bear and gorilla's attack. Running and jumping from one building to another, I moved toward the city square while searching for my comrades. However, when I reached the trade district, I saw a pair—a man and a woman—facing an armored Knight wielding a sword.
I recognized them. The man was Renalo and the woman was Valentia. Both were my comrades from the Cavalier Squad. They looked overwhelmed facing that Knight. I had to help.
Running to the edge of the roof, I pulled out my grappling rope again and threw it toward a metal fixture on a building ahead. I jumped and swung toward the spot where Renalo and Tina were fighting the Knight. The Knight seemed poised to decapitate Tina with his blade. I let go of the rope and launched a slash toward him.
He sensed my presence and spun around, shifting his target to me.
— Clang!
Our swords clashed, but thanks to the magic the Knight used, his striking power was far greater than mine. The impact sent me flying into the wall of a building.
"Ezio!" Tina cried out, sounding worried.
I tried to stand. Renalo launched a thrusting attack at the Knight, but the man evaded it easily and delivered a kick to Renalo's ribs, sending him tumbling across the ground.
Is he using $Accel$ magic? According to Captain Siena, this magic can accelerate a person's physical reactions.
"Arrghhh!"
I heard a woman's scream. After kicking Renalo, the Knight turned back to Tina and managed to wound her leg. I rushed to assist, launching a vertical slash from behind at the Knight who was about to finish off my female comrade.
However, the Knight sensed my movement again and spun his body while launching a $Back\ Hand\ Slash$. But I had predicted his move; I ducked and lunged a thrust toward his stomach.
"Repel!"
The Knight moved aside, but my attack managed to graze his abdomen.
— Bam!
Because of that attack, my guard was left wide open. The Knight capitalized, kicking my face so hard I was sent flying back into another building wall.
"Ugh... he still managed to evade a direct hit," I muttered, clutching my aching stomach. "But at least he's wounded from my strike."
Looking at the Knight to check his condition, I was shocked to see no cut at all on his stomach—even though I had aimed specifically for the gap in his armor. Alright, concentrate. Remember the lessons from Captain Siena.
A Knight has magic to reinforce their body's defense called $Repel$. I think I heard him whisper the spell before my thrust connected.
The Knight then murmured something else, and his sword became wreathed in flames. This was the first time I had seen someone use elemental magic!
"$Fire\ Fox\ Slash!$"
The Knight swung his sword; the fire enveloping the blade shot toward me at high speed. I reflexively dodged by jumping to the side. However, the Knight was suddenly at my landing spot, swinging his sword at me again.
— Clang!
I tried to block with my sword. An explosion occurred, sending me flying far back and rolling on the ground. My body was in agony; my sword looked half-melted, and both my hands were red and blistered from the burns of that attack.
But that wasn't the only bad news. Four other Knights had arrived. It seemed the area around the southern city walls had been completely overrun by the enemy.
"Hey, Maren. Finish him quickly and move toward the city square," said one of the Knight's comrades. "We are ordered to clear the shooters and archers so the main force can advance without significant hindrance."
"Very well."
The Knight turned his gaze back to me. He leveled his sword and began to charge. I pulled out a Revolver and tried to fire at him.
— Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Knight ran in a zig-zag pattern, dodging every shot I aimed at him.
Dammit! Magic users are truly unfair! They can even dodge fire from this new weapon!
The Knight arrived before me, raising his sword with both hands. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the end of my life.
— Clang!
Instead of death, the sound of clashing steel rang out. Opening my eyes, I saw the back of a woman with black hair flowing in the wind. She delivered a slash that sent the Knight flying back toward his four comrades.
"Captain Siena..." I called out weakly. "I'm sorry I look so pathetic like this, Captain..."
Even though the Captain had trained me and given me instructions on fighting Knights, I still couldn't rival them in a real fight.
Hearing my words, Captain Siena glanced back. Her distinctive orange eyes looked at me flatly, devoid of emotion.
"The ones you are fighting are no ordinary Knights, Ezio," Captain Siena said, shifting her gaze back forward. "They are Senior Knights with experience and techniques far superior to common ones."
Is that so? Is that why their combat instincts are so sharp—from a lifetime of life-and-death battles?
"You did well to hold that Knight off, Ezio," Captain Siena said, as her hands and feet began to emit an orange glow. "This time, leave everything to me."
Captain Siena then vanished toward the five Knights using Acceleration magic. No—this was even faster than the $Acceleration$ she usually used during training.
"She's a Knight too, apparently!" one of the Knights remarked.
Captain Siena began her assault on the five of them. Her swordsmanship was vastly superior; the Knights were clearly overwhelmed by her attack combos. However, whenever the Captain was about to land a fatal blow, their comrades would cover for them, making it difficult for her to secure a kill.
"Fire Fox Slash!"
The Knight I had fought earlier attacked the Captain with his flame slash. But instead of dodging, the Captain parried the flames with her blade, shocking the Knight. She then lunged at him, aiming a thrust at his throat. Suddenly, his comrade arrived, attempting to punch Captain Siena with a fist wreathed in blue electricity.
This forced the Captain to halt her strike. Instead of retreating, she spun her body to avoid the punch and kicked the electricity user into the fire-sword Knight.
"Die!"
The other three Knights attacked, but the black-haired woman read and evaded their strikes with ease. She tried to counter, but the Knights' teamwork was excellent, protecting each other during their offensive rotations.
The Captain then leaped back to where I was. It seemed five Senior Knights were still difficult for even Captain Siena to defeat easily.
"Spatial Magic..."
Captain Siena whispered something.
The bodies of the five Knights began to glow; their swords were enveloped in the elemental magic they mastered. It seemed they were about to launch a finishing move at the Captain.
"Blade of The Future!"
The moment the Captain invoked her spell, the heads of all five Knights were severed, rolling onto the ground. Their bodies collapsed as blood splattered everywhere.
"What just happened...?"
I didn't know; their heads were suddenly gone even though Captain Siena hadn't appeared to move at all.
"Ezio, let's move to the second defensive position! We must get there and protect the shooters from the Knights targeting them!" Captain Siena ordered, then began running toward the city square.
I nodded and walked toward Tina, who couldn't stand due to the gash on her leg.
"Ezio, your hands..." Tina whispered.
"It's nothing. Let me help you walk," I said, helping her up.
I supported her as we walked toward the city square. Explosions echoed everywhere. Everyone was fighting to hold this city.
"Have you seen Renalo?" I asked Tina.
She only shook her head. My male comrade had been kicked quite far by that Knight. I hoped he was alright and only unconscious.
We finally reached the barricades around the city square.
"Hey, you! Get in here quickly! The enemy's main force will be here any moment!" shouted one of the soldiers at the barricade. I helped Tina inside.
"Find a medic for her, she has a deep wound on her right leg," I told a soldier.
"What about you? Your hands don't look good," the soldier replied.
"I can still fight. I'll help here," I countered.
He nodded and took Tina further into the square.
Soon after, I heard the sound of many footsteps approaching. Looking ahead, the main army was visible about a kilometer from the barricade.
"Ready!" shouted the firing squad leader.
All the Musketeers stood and readied their rifles at the sight of the Imperial main force.
"Aim!"
Everyone leveled their rifles at the approaching enemies. They were still about 700 meters away—not yet within the effective firing range of the rifles.
"Steady!"
600 meters...
Everyone held their fire, waiting for the perfect moment to maximize the lethality against the Imperial troops.
"Steady!"
500 meters...
The enemy drew closer. Unfortunately, the effective range of my Revolver was no more than 100 meters, unlike the Musketeers' rifles.
"Steaaaady!"
400 meters...
The Imperial troops entered the Musketeers' effective range. However, the squad leader still ordered them to hold.
"Fire!"
— BANG! BANG! BANG!
When the enemy reached 300 meters, the order was given. A thunderous roar and clouds of gunsmoke filled the area. The first and second ranks of the Imperial main force collapsed, sending the rest into a panic as they scattered toward nearby buildings for cover. However, their commander shouted for them to keep advancing despite being in our Musketeers' kill zone.
"Reload!" the leader ordered.
The Musketeers began loading black powder and paper along with round bullets into their rifles, tamping them down with thin wooden rods.
"Ready!" the leader called again.
Hearing the shout, the Imperial troops looked hesitant to advance. But their leaders behind them instructed them to keep moving toward us.
"Aim...!"
This time, there would be even more casualties as they were closer than before.
"Fire!"
— BANG! BANG! BANG!
This time, three full ranks of Imperial soldiers were decimated in a single synchronized volley. Their morale broke, and they instinctively fled, ignoring their commanders' orders.
"Curse it! Bring the mages here and wipe out these Republic dogs!" screamed the Imperial commander.
The firing squads were still picking off Imperial soldiers hiding around buildings. For now, we were holding them back. However, I suddenly saw several cloaked figures jumping from building to building, approaching us.
"Fire Ball!"
A massive ball of fire was launched by the mages toward us.
"Take cover! Take cover!"
— BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
An explosion erupted as the fireball hit the barricade. Some Musketeers were caught in the blast and set aflame.
"Return fire!" the squad leader shouted.
The Musketeers began firing at the mages atop the buildings. However, the mages suddenly stretched their hands forward; the sound of bullets hitting something rang out clearly, and sparks appeared in front of the mages' palms.
The Musketeers' shots didn't even touch them. It was as if an invisible shield was protecting them.
"Fire Ball!"
The mages fired at us again with massive fireballs. The Musketeers and I were forced to scatter and find cover to avoid their spells.
"Advance! Advance!" the Imperial commander screamed.
Because the Musketeers were being targeted by the mages on the rooftops, they couldn't fire freely at the Imperial troops moving toward the city square.
Dammit, is there nothing we can do? If this continues, we'll be forced to abandon the city!
But suddenly, I saw several figures leaping from roof to roof toward the mages.
"That's... Captain Siena and the other senior members!"
The mages noticed them and fired several fireballs at the Seniors. However, the Seniors performed agile maneuvers, dodging the fireballs aimed at them. Realizing their attacks failed, the mages tried to flee, but the Seniors moved faster, having been trained to rival the speed of knights.
"Cavalier Squad! Attack the Imperial mages!" Captain Siena shouted.
The Seniors began slaughtering the mages who couldn't escape, allowing the Musketeers to once again fire freely at the Imperial troops. The tide of battle shifted in our favor. Slowly, we were pushing the Imperial forces back toward the city walls.
However, from the distance, I saw dozens of figures in armor leaping from city buildings toward us from the direction of the northern wall.
"Our Knights have arrived!" the Imperial troops cheered.
"Do not fear! The vanguard of the Empire has come to our aid!"
The newly arrived Knights began clashing with the Seniors of the Cavalier Squad. Although the Seniors couldn't use magic, they were able to hold their own against the Imperial knights in combat. I still had much to learn from them. The Seniors truly were impressive...
"Ezio! You're here after all!"
Hearing someone call out, I turned. A tall man with dark blue hair approached. It was Valentino Calguera—Vice Captain of the Cavalier Squad and Valentina's older brother.
"Vice Captain, where have you been!?" I asked. "I've been looking for you!"
The Vice Captain explained that he and the other Seniors had been dealing with the rampaging giant Tiger monster. After defeating it, they were finally able to assist the soldiers fighting the Imperial knights. I guess that's why I couldn't find the Tiger monster earlier.
"I also just checked on Tina—my sister whose leg was wounded," the Vice Captain said, smiling at me. "Thank you, Ezio. Tina told me you were the one who saved her from an Imperial Knight."
"Even so, I still couldn't match those knights in a real fight!" I said.
"Don't worry, you're young and have time to grow further," the Vice Captain said, trying to keep me from getting depressed. "Watch our fight; I'm going to help the others!"
I nodded to him. Vice Captain Valentino then headed toward where Captain Siena was fighting. However, from the distance, a Knight in green armor with blonde hair streaked toward Captain Siena, who was fighting three Knights simultaneously. The green Knight's sword glowed as he launched a diagonal slash toward the Captain.
Sensing the Knight's presence, Captain Siena blocked the slash with her blade. However, she was still sent flying back toward me. The leader of the Cavalier Squad used her feet and dug her sword into the street to stop her momentum. But the green-armored Knight didn't stop; he lunged at the Captain again with his glowing green blade.
This time, Captain Siena's body was enveloped in an orange light.
— Clang!
Their swords clashed. The Captain wasn't sent flying this time because she had activated her magic. The ground shook and surrounding buildings began to crack from the magical pressure exerted by the two combatants. It seemed the green-armored Knight was no ordinary warrior.
"So the rumors were true; there is a descendant of the Venetian people capable of using magic!" the armored Knight said, smiling at Captain Siena. "You are Siena di Reginossa—The Miracle of the Republic of Venetia."
The Miracle was the nickname the people of the Republic gave to Captain Siena, who always performed one wonder after another with her brilliant innovations.
"And you are Danilo de Asturias—Knight of the Rising Sun—the youngest Grand Espada of the Aragon Empire," Captain Siena said, staring intensely at the Knight.
Grand Espada—if I recall correctly, that is the title for the seven strongest Knights in the Empire!
Is the Captain going to fight him here and now!?