Years ago, in some place close to the capital of the Kyrie Kingdom, a strange scene took place.

“Hmm…it makes me happy to see that you three have improved this much.”

A black-haired woman stood victorious and unscathed before three gasping armored teenagers.

Furthermore, she was wearing but simple clothes that offered no protection in combat whatsoever and wielded a mere wooden sword in one of her hands.

As for the teenagers…

“Nn…ha…ha…right…ha…I…can’t….hrnn…see that…”

One had cinnamon colored skin, red hair, and a scar on his left cheek. He was also using his massive sword as support, keeping himself standing.

“….[Heal]…don’t….talk…you oaf…you’ll…hrnn…make it…worse…ha…”

Magically healing him and himself, was another teenager. He had white skin, blond hair, and seemed to have his eyes closed despite being very much awake. Not only that but he was even ‘looking’ at the woman’s direction.

“Ha…nh…the fact…ngh…that we…are still conscious…ha…ha…is proof enough. You…went harder…ha…on us halfway through…hhn…right, Mother?”

Lastly, the teenager who was taking point in their clearly defeated triangular formation, had hair as black and skin as white as the woman she had referred to as mother. His hair even shared the same undulated look to it. Still, while the woman seemed to have gentle eyes, the teen could only show a glare. And that was despite his voice showing no hint of anger, aggression, or any other emotion that could trigger it.

In any case, the woman met such glare head on and rather than being intimidated by it, just as many would, she smiled and laughed.

“Hahaha, so you noticed. As expected of my son. All these years sparring with me have made you so perceptive to my little strength adjustments.”

Indeed, she smiled, laughed, and spoke with no reservation whatsoever. Something that extended to her emotions, as she showed pride, gentleness, and love with no problem.

“Could it…be…because it was always followed by…pain like this that you…had no choice but…to learn to perceive those, Erevain?”

“That is…certainly a way to…see it…haha…”

 “My…hnn…pain is feeling pain…ugh…”

“That’s what you…get for charging in…nn…like a brute.”

“Hey…don’t just say that to me, Erevain did it too!”

“No, what I did was…teamwork. You were going to charge at her anyway, so I used you as distraction to flank her.”

“Ha?! That’s not teamwork you bastard! And you got punched immediately so stop looking so smug!”

“No, no, I agree with Erevain. It was a good tactic. How about we use it again? Ah, but do endure a bit more for the sake of the team, Kristoff.”

“Good. I was thinking the same thing, Gabriel. So, I too sincerely ask you to endure more for the sake of the team, Kristoff.”

“Oi, you two are asking to be punched, huh?”

And the woman could not help but keep smiling as she witnessed such exchange between her son and his friends. For beaten up as they were, none had lost their motivation and they clearly showed no signs of wanting to give up.

“Easy there you three. If you start fighting against each other, I will feel lonely and join in without holding back.”

“““…!!”””

“Hahaha, it was a joke! Don’t look so terrified! The time for fighting has passed anyways. I’ll be rewarding your efforts now. But how…? Hmm…”

The black-haired woman pondered about such thing for a moment before coming up with the only reward she deemed valuable enough.

One that made her smile with confidence.

“What are you planning to do, Mother?”

And while her son was the only one to voice them after noticing that smile, his friends shared the same doubts about the nature of the reward, which they showed by looking warily at her as they nodded along with Erevain’s question. 

“Oh, it is nothing to be apprehensive about, you three. I will just be showing you something that will hopefully help you all at the same time.”

“““…?”””

Sadly for her, those words only helped deepen the teenagers’ suspicions. After all, their previous experiences with her way of ‘teaching’ had made them overly cautious of her.

“Haaa…just watch, alright?”

“““…”””

Giving up on convincing them to not be wary of her, she proceeded to ask them that and the three of them nodded in silence.

“Good. Now…”

“““…!!”””

In that moment, her mana spiked and surprised the three of them, making their eyes go wide and even paralyzing them for an instant.

Then, she spoke to each of them.

“For you, little Kristoff, I will show you strength.”

“…yeah!”

First, she spoke with the redheaded one, who threw his doubts and caution out of the window the moment the woman’s words reached his ears. Truly showing his priorities.

“For you, little Gabriel, I will give you a chance to improve that sense of yours. So be sure to not be blinded and keep your eyes on me. If you can.”

“…”

Then she spoke with the blond one, who could only fully open his eyes in response. But that was more than enough, for doing so implied that he had accepted the woman’s challenge.

“And for you, my dear son, Erevain. I will show you the strongest moonlight spell I know. Burn it into your mind and make sure to master it. Because just as I did, someday you will need it to protect others.”

“…I shall!”

And finally, she spoke with the black-haired one, who so confidently made such declaration while looking at her with the eyes she was so proud of, eyes full of an unwavering conviction.

“Then…moon, great moon, come…”

Thus, she proceeded to make good on her word and they never forgot.

__________________________________________________

They used to be the protectors of the Kyrie Kingdom.

They used to be hailed as heroes by many.

They used to be one of the Knights' Orders of the Kyrie Kingdom.

They used to be the Swords of Dawn.

But all of that changed that night, five years ago.

A massacre that could have been prevented did occur.

They were too late to stop it and too late to help more.

A King who betrayed everything pinned the blame on them.

While a Crown Prince, their Leader, protected everything from a freezing death all by himself.

And they almost lost him.

But that was not all…

They were dubbed traitors and cowards.

They were forced to escape their home and go into hiding.

Thus, they became exiles.

Yet, life had quite the twist prepared for them.

After all, they were now in the same place that saw them fall.

Fighting not only a Dragon Lord but also serving one.

And most important of all, this time they were not late.

This time they would not be betrayed.

This time…they would rise.

"KNIGHTS OF THE EVER-BURNING WILL!! HEED ME!! THIS IS THE TIME WE EARN THE NAME!! THIS IS THE TIME WHERE WE SHALL CARVE A NEW PATH FOR EVERYONE!! A BETTER FUTURE!! FOR OUR FAMILIES!! FOR THE INNOCENT!! FOR OUR MASTER!! FOR THE GODDESS!! FOR THE WORLD!!!"

"UUUUUOOOOO!!!!"

So exclaimed the one named Erica with the might of a true leader and those very Knights answered with a scream that shook the ground. 

They had been entrusted with dealing with one third of a Dragon Lord's army...and they could not be more motivated about it.

The words of their subleader fanned the flames even higher after seeing the display of power of the woman they called Master.

The woman that gave them such opportunity to fulfill their oath.

The opportunity to go full circle with what happened five years ago.

And so…the night was not going to be a cold one nor a bloody one.

At least...not for those on their side.

"Mika, Josie, ground those wyverns! Louise, cover them while they chant! Evangeline, stay with them just in case!"

""""Yes!""""

As everyone charged towards their side of the opposing army, Erica relayed her orders. Orders that, due to the surprising circumstances of the opposing army’s arrival, had to be changed on the spot from the ones that Erevain had prepared, but as shown by the immediate response from everyone through the communication skill that connected them, they trusted Erica’s orders completely.

_________________________________________

Thus, they put them into action.

Starting with Louise, who quickly positioned herself in front of her two Caster comrades, Mika, and Josie, while readying both a massive, blessed shield that could pretty much fully cover anyone smaller than her and a blessed double-edged battle axe. Both had an appearance that seemed to mix various designs into a perfectly balanced one.

"Chant without worries, Mika, Josie! Nothing is getting past us, [Shielder's Trance]! Earth, provide me with your strength to protect those who I care for, [Earth's Bulwark]!"

With that, a brown glow covered her completely as she firmly planted her feet on the ground, and nothing would be able to move her unless she wanted to.

But most importantly, no attack would be able to get past her, for she was one of the Maid-Knights’ tanks apart from being the cook.

“And anyone who’s luck is shitty enough to get past Louise is getting their heads smashed in by me. Also, if you get hurt or need mana, just say it. I need achievements to get Master to pick me for whatever comes next, heh.”

Said the woman who stood close behind Louise while glancing at her comrades. While her hair was mainly black, some of her front bangs had either warm red or ghostly white hair. The bags under her dark green eyes and her rough tone made her seem like a problematic person, but both the smile full of camaraderie and the caring eyes that she showed to the two casters were enough proof of her true colors.

She would not let anyone hurt them and if someone tried, they would kiss the business end of her blessed Warhammer. And if her comrades got hurt, she would heal them with haste, for that was her duty.

She was Evangeline, a Fierce Healer of the Maid-Knights.

"Ready when you are, Mika."

"Then let us take those wyverns down, Josie."

After that exchange they both raised and pointed their blessed staves at two of the wyverns that were about to release their devastating breath upon their comrades and began their chant.

"Darkness, I ask of you, tear through my enemy's flesh and rid them from this world..."

"Light, speed through the sky, bore into my enemy and cease their life..."

Then, two magical circles appeared in front of their staves.

One black for Josie.

One white for Mika.

""COMBINED MAGIC""

That is…until they merged into one and became much bigger.

""[ALBAGRAM BLAST]!!""

*ZUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON*

A black and white blast came out of the magical circle and not only did it hit the wyverns, but...

"GAAAOORRR—!"

"GYAOOORR—!"

...disintegrated them completely.

"GRRRAAAAOURGH!!!"

Enraged by the sudden loss of its brethren, a third wyvern shot a massive fireball at those who killed them. But…

"No, that is not going to cut...it!!"

*BLAMNN*

"If you want to cook us, I suggest you use more heat!"

…Louise blocked it completely with her shield before throwing such comment at the angered wyvern.

"Louise, don't give cooking advice to the wyvern."

Interjected Mika as she shook her head.

"I’m grounding it."

Said Josie while pushing her glasses slightly upwards in a…classic manner, as a certain absurd person would say.

"Wait…it seems that someone else already has that covered. Dammit…she is still that crazy even as a woman...seriously…"

Grumbled Evangeline while slightly grimacing.

And indeed, someone was going to take care of that poor Wyvern.

_______________________________________

While Mika’s group was getting ready to take down those wyverns, Erica kept issuing orders to the rest of the maids.

"Scouting team! Report!!"

One of the changes that the plan had gone through was that the scouting needed to be done much faster for obvious reasons, plus another thing.

“Sam here, we just finished scouting the area surrounding Violet Death’s armies and evacuating the patrollers in the vicinity.”

In any case, the one that answered to Erica was a woman with cinnamon colored skin, clear green eyes, and light brown hair, which was done in an elegant ponytail so that her hair would not mess with her accuracy.

“Next…with Master’s attack elegantly dividing the battlefield in two, only those able to fly can move quickly between the zones. But with the Riders taking out those coming from theirs, that’s not something we need to worry about. And…alright…we are now in position to take out their strongest casters and healers, as well as the commanders of those groups."

Said Sam as she pulled the special string of her truly elegant, blessed bow, poured mana into it, and created four mana arrows imbued with the lightning attribute.

But only for a moment, for she then added the darkness attribute to them, and the lightning attribute arrows were soon painted black, making their crackling sparks both wilder and soundless.

All as she targeted two Aged Lizardmen Flesh Menders and two Elder Liches.

And close beside her, Jules was doing the same as she targeted another group of Aged Lizardmen Flesh Menders and Elder Liches. Although, her mana arrows were imbued with the nature attribute instead and were giving off a green light.

"Do it!"

Ordered Erica with no hesitation, condemning those enemies to death.

""""On it.""""

_________________________________________________

Most of the Lesser Dragon Lords that acted as commanders of the enemy forces were supposed to be in the rear of their formation, but were now instead fighting in the frontlines, for they had been inspired by their Master’s words.

Still, that was only for those whose abilities relied more on brute strength rather than magic.

And those who did rely more on magic did stay in the rear.

Although, that did not make them any less dangerous.

"Fire, bring ruin..."

"Earth, impale those..."

After all, there were many spells that knew naught of distance. Just like those that they were already in the middle of chanting. Spells that could also prove to be devastating if unleashed, judging by how much mana they were weaving into them.

Too bad that they did not notice the two maids who were getting dangerously close to them from behind.

Allegra and Luca.

And how would they? After all, their stealth spells and skills had been absurdly enhanced by the pact they made with the being who was easily fighting against the oldest of Dragon Lords.

It was just a matter of seconds before not only them, but all the scouts took everyone out at the same time.

Three...Allegra got close enough to her target, one jump and she would be on their shoulders. Ready to use her...words.

Two...Luca was already in position and had her blessed daggers ready.

One...Jules and Sam finished their chants.

Zero...they all made their move.

Luca and Allegra jumped at such commanders at the same time.

"...destroy those inferio—!"

"...make the field into a—!"

Both Lesser Dragon Lords were not even able to finish their chants before...

"[Poisonous Words: Death]."

"[Precise Strike]."

...Allegra's voice slithered its way into the first one's ears, her face being at a whisper’s distance from her target’s...

"Gurgh—"

*thud*

...and Luca's blessed daggers found their way into the second one's brain...

"G—"

*thud*

...ending their lives with ease.

And the moment those two fell, was the moment that Jules and Sam shot their arrows.

"...[Crescent Blade Arrow] [Quadruple Shot]."

"...[Mana Clash Arrow] [Quadruple Shot]."

"""""—!!!!!"""""

Jules targets were vertically cut in half the moment the arrow she had shot them with pierced them and it turned into a large, green crescent blade that was infused with the power of the nature attribute.

Meanwhile, Sam’s targets, as in the other two Elder Liches and two Aged Lizardmen Flesh Menders, were hardly able to react before they too were struck by arrows. But those were made of black lightning and said arrows immediately caused their mana to go haywire before they imploded.

Thus, the targets of all scouts were dealt with in just a few moments.

"That black lightning arrow of yours always makes me lose my appetite...and that’s not cool."

"Yeah right, give it a few minutes and that stomach of yours will be growling..."

Before Jules words and unhappy expression, Sam said that as she shook her head.

"Let’s...continue..."

And with Luca's order they all disappeared once again, looking for the next chance to strike at more high value targets.

_________________________________________________

While Erica made her way through the lizardmen, undead, and other foot soldiers, she kept assigning teams to deal with the various threats of the opposing army.

Of course, she made quick work of everyone who crossed paths with her, and she did so without even needing to use any skills or spells.

Furthermore, she was not alone, for in her vicinity there were other maids.

Strong maids.

Maids who could very well be called the paragons of their respective classes within the Maid-Knights. Kris, who was the top warrior, and Gabrielle, who was the top healer. And if that was not enough, both Lucy and Roxxy were close too.

And so, with such maids around, one thing was certain.

No enemy would survive if they got close to them.

"GUUUOOOORGH!!"

Suddenly, a deafening roar filled the battlefield, one that rang in their ears and caused the ground to shake.

Erica immediately turned around and saw a black chimera making its way towards them from the left flank.

Knowing that it would be a problem if not dealt with quickly, she looked around for the team of Maid-Knights who were closer to said flank and proceeded to relay the following:

"Max, Patricia, Kara, Bertia! Take care of that chimera on our left flank! But be careful, it might not be the only one that is mutated!! Ha!!"

"GN—!"

Not only that, but she also dodged the spear of an Awakened Lizardman and thrusted her rapier right into its chest, killing it with that single attack.

"Mutated? It will be fine. We have Ziggy with us, and she will take care of those, teehee~. I just ask everyone to not get scared when I summon her, ok?"

So answered Max without a single hint of tension whatsoever, furthermore she was quite confident.

"Ziggy?"

"Don't worry about that, Erica. It's just one of the beasts she can use now! We'll be fine!"

So exclaimed Bertia cheerfully, sharing the confidence that Max had.

Also, her group was already charging at the flank they had been assigned to.

And that was when a black and white blast tore through the air, utterly disintegrating two of the three wyverns that were in the sky.

While a third one, who was clearly enraged, shot a massive fireball towards the place the blast came from.

_______________________________________________

"Wooaah!! HAHA! NOW THAT’S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!"

Exclaimed Kris as she cut down many undead and awakened lizardmen by simply swinging her absurd looking sword in a semicircular manner. Furthermore, there was no need for her to use a skill as her brute strength was more than enough to do the job.

In any case, seeing such display of magic only motivated her even more. To the point that when she looked at the remaining wyvern, a fire was lit inside of her, one that manifested through her smile and her eyes. 

She wanted a piece of the action, and she wanted it now!

"Oi! Lil’ Erica! I'm taking down that other Wyvern!"

Thus, she shouted that as she prepared to jump at it from where she was.

"Just don't take too long! And stop it with that nickname!"

Answered Erica, knowing full well that she could not stop Kris once she was set on doing something.

"Don't worry...! It will only take a moment!"

With that, Kris ran a bit and jumped at the flying beast, all while doing what would normally be an impossible pirouette with that sword of hers...

"TAKE THIS!! HAHAHA!!"

"GUOAORRG—?!"

*TUUUUUNNNNK*

...and cleanly slicing the Wyvern's head off with it.

But that was not all, in that moment, as gravity did its thing and she began to fall, she looked at the enemies below her and smiled once again.

"""...!!!"""

It was a smile that sent shivers down the spine of every enemy that saw it and made them want to flee the area immediately.

And they tried…uselessly.

*SLAM*

Indeed, for as soon as they were able to force themselves to move, Kris landed on top of the biggest one of them by piercing its chest with her absurd sword and nailing the now corpse to the ground, all while the Wyvern’s lifeless body fell to her side and crushed those unlucky enough to be under it.

"HAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS GREAT!!"

And so, with such a shout, she struck fear into the hearts of the remaining enemies around her, including the monsters.

As for her fellow maids…they found it a bit embarrassing.

"My, she really is a muscle-headed idiot...hm?"

One of said fellow maids was Gabrielle, who shook her head as she said that before something approaching caught her attention.

"I concur, your comrade is mistaken in feeling elated by killing something as low as a Wyvern. A mindless beast unlike us, even if it was raised by Master Scath. Now…you might be strong enough to be able to walk leisurely in this battlefield as you do, but that stops now, human."

That something was a Lesser Dragon Lord that easily towered over Gabrielle. He was wielding a massive axe in each hand, while looking at Gabrielle as if she were an insect ready to be squashed. 

Furthermore, not only were his scales violet and white, but most of his body was clad in an armor made of ice. Meanwhile, his wings were covered in violet flames, making them seem as if they were made of such flames.

Thus, it was clear that he was an important subordinate of both Eternal Winter and, most importantly, Violet Death.

He was a Commander.

"My, whatever shall I do now?"

So said Gabrielle sarcastically, maintaining her smile and seemingly closed eyes.

"Simple, accept death."

Such was the response of the Commander, making it clear that he was going to end her. Then, he raised both of his axes and roared at Gabrielle before...

"[SAVAGE CHOPPER]!!"

…unleashing a flurry of attacks upon her. Attacks that would kill many in just the first swing, but to the Commander’s surprise, she had evaded all of them.

With ease.

"To think that you can evade this!! Good!! [SOUL FIRE EVISCERATION]! [WINTER’S EDGE]!!!"

"My..."

Gabrielle's opponent, impressed by such a feat, smiled just as his Master would before facing an opponent that could prove worthy and immediately went all out against her, causing his axes to be enwrapped by intense violet flames and freezing blue flames as he used his strongest skills to not only end the maid before him, but erase her from the face of the planet.

"YOU ARE MINE!!"

And so, with such a shout, he descended upon the unmoving Gabrielle.

Indeed, unmoving.

For instead of evading like she did before, she planted her feet on the ground, assumed her characteristic front stance, breathed in, and readied her fist.

"...what a bothersome lizard.”

"WHA—?!"

“[KI STRIKE]!"

*BAM*

*CRASH*

“GAH—!”

Gabrielle then evaded both attacks at the very last moment and struck her opponent, blowing away his ice armor and burying her fist right in the center of his now bare chest, all while using enough strength to cause a shockwave that was able to be seen and heard the moment her fist met with her opponent’s body.

"GERgh...h-how...can this be...?!"

Utterly baffled and reeling back, the Commander barely managed to say that as he was finding it more and more difficult to breathe, but he only did so after being unable to hold back the blood coming out of his mouth.

The pain…oh the pain…it was so unbearable that he did not realize how hard he was hugging his own chest because of it.

Not only that but his knees were trembling so much that it was only a matter of time for him to fall and then…he did.

Finally…he looked up at Gabrielle.

His eyes were full of confusion, fear, anguish, and despair.

And as he was swallowed by those emotions, he noticed that his wounds were not healing properly, which pushed him even deeper into such emotional pit.

The strength he was so confident about…the power he had been entrusted with…meant nothing against the human before him.

Something that he could not believe nor understand, even after seeing his Master be pushed back by the maid’s Master.

Indeed…something must be wrong with the maid before him…no…with all of them, he was sure of it.

"W-what...are...you?"

Thus, wheezing and drowning more with every word that left his mouth, the Commander asked that with a feeble voice.

And before Gabrielle gave him the answer he sought, she fully opened her eyes and gave him the coldest of stares.

One that was devoid of any light, any mercy, anything but…utter rejection.

"As My Dear Master said, we are the response of a world that rejects you. [Exploding Palm: First Form]."

Thus, with such cold words having left her lips, Gabrielle firmly struck the Commander’s face with her palm and walked away.

"Gurgh!!”

*CRUNCH*

“W-what—?!”

*CRACK*

“What did you do to—?!”

*SWELL*

“GGYAARGH—!"

*SPLOOOORSHION*

"You should really tone it down with that palm of yours, you know?"

Said Kris as she approached her while more monsters, lizardmen and undead went at them, charging to their death.

"My, and why is that?"

Mildly curious as to why her friend and rival said that, she glanced at her as she casually evaded the charge of an Awakened Lizardman and his mount.

"Because it is a pain washing my hair afterwards...HA!"

“GRAH—!”

"GYUNN—!"

Said Kris as she cleaved in half not only such lizardman but also said mount.

"My, I never thought of you as someone who would care about that regardless of sex...[Exploding Palm: Fourth Form]!"

*BOOOOM*

"""GYAAAARGH!!!"""

So said Gabrielle as she sent flying an entire group of awakened lizardmen, undead, and even some monsters.

"I grew up with six older sisters!! Caring for my hair has been carved into my being!!”

"HUMAAAAN!!!"

“TAKE THIS!!”

“—?!”

With that, Kris once again made her blessed weapon live up to her name as she charged at and cleaved in half an incoming Lesser Dragon Lord

Her brute strength was simply too overwhelming for her poor opponent, who realized it far too late.

"Ohohohoho! True! I do remember you talking about that in the academy! It is even funnier with how we are now! Ohohohoho!"

"Agh! Stop it with that laugh! You dampen my mood!"

With that, they kept making their way to Erica, who had gone deeper behind enemy lines while they were…occupied and was now at the center of the battlefield, unleashing a giant swirl of water with one of her spells.

___________________________________________

"Those two are just showing off! No fair!"

So exclaimed Bertia, who had two awakened lizardmen in chokeholds, one with her arms and the other with her legs.

They were flailing their arms around, trying to free themselves from Bertia’s technique, but found themselves unable to do so.

Thus, they started gasping for air until...

*crack*

...Bertia applied a bit more force and they did not need to anymore.

At the same time, a woman with long white hair and eyes that showed no hesitation, proceeded to use her blessed twin longswords to slice off the legs of a spider-like monster, a Tarantera, in the span of a single breath, and then she jumped up while enchanting her longswords with lightning attribute and plunged them into the thorax of the Tarantera, discharging such element and frying the monster until it ceased moving.

There, as she stood on the burnt corpse of her now defeated opponent, she gazed down at Bertia with that unhesitating gaze and proceeded to go help her up.

"Are you not showing off by not using your blessed weapons to beat enemies?”

"Ha? But these guys are small fries! Besides, you were also trying to show off by killing the spider-thingy in the way you did, Kara!"

Said Bertia as she pointed at the Tarantera's carcass, which was still twitching here and there.

"...! T-that is...I-I…awawa…"

Embarrassed by her friend revealing the truth behind her actions, Kara avoided Bertia’s eyes for a second as her seeming façade of seriousness crumbled and gave way to the real, nervous face of the other Mystic Knight of the Maid-Knights, Kara.

Something that made Bertia flash a teasing smile at her, having enjoyed poking fun at her friend.

"Awawa…ah! R-Regardless of that! It’s our duty to cover Max until she finishes her chant."

Said Kara as she avoided more teasing by shifting the focus back towards the task they had been entrusted with while looking at their still chanting friend.

"Yeah, and the Black Chimera is sure taking its sweet time to attack us."

So said Bertia as she looked at the Black Chimera which was circling around them, clearly waiting for something

"That is because chimeras are very sensitive to mana. So maybe it senses that Max is going to summon something worth the wait?"

"Hmm, yeah. That sounds about right."

They both nodded in agreeance, completely forgetting about what was happening around them, if only for a moment.

"Hey! Don't just stand there talking so casually! HYAA!! [KNEE SLASHER] [GREAT THRUST]!!"

Indeed, for as Patricia thrusted her blessed greatsword into the chest of a gorilla-like monster, a Garagan, her shout pulled them out of such relaxed state.

"Patricia...!! You were here?!!"

Exclaimed Bertia, genuinely shocked.

"Don't go forgetting about me!!"

Shot back Patricia, annoyed.

Meanwhile, Max was standing on top of a magical circle that had appeared as soon as she began her chant. Her mana was dancing around her like the wind and any enemies that went past her comrades met with the bad side of her Guardian Beast.

One who they were barely able to see before they met their end at the hands of her lupine maws, for she remained hidden within the wind itself.

"...your name is Ziggy, come! [GREATER BEAST SUMMON: WHITE MANTICORE]!!"

As soon as Max finished with her chant, the magical circle started spinning and a big silhouette appeared behind Max, one different than the one of her Guardian Beast or the Brute Bear she had summoned before to help a certain apprentice.

And as it materialized, its form was completely revealed.

Its body was that of a large lion except for the tail, which was that of a large scorpion, and the fact that it had wings similar to those of a dragon. But that was not all, for instead of having a beastly face, it had a human-like face and to top it off, a female one. Yet, the rows of sharpened teeth and more bestial expressions took away any human semblance from it.

Lastly, its whole body was covered in a lustrous and immaculate white fur that almost shined by itself.

Her name was Ziggy, Max's white manticore.

"GRARYAAAAARRRR!!!"

"GOOOOOOORGHSSSSSSSSMEEEEH!!!!"

Before the manticore’s fierce roar, the chimera roared back with all its heads, as if accepting a challenge and began running towards her.

"Go, Ziggy! And I am sorry for not being able to summon you until now..."

"Rrrrrurrr~~."

Hearing the words of her Master, Ziggy patted Max's head with her wing as she made such endearing growl and then left to fight the Black Chimera.

"Wait...did that manticore just smiled...?! THAT'S NOT IT!! IT'S THE MUTATED MANTICORE, RIGHT?!! RIGHT?!!"

"AWAWA…SINCE WHEN DO YOU HAVE A CONTRACT WITH IT?!!"

Such were the questions with which Bertia and Kara assailed Max while grabbing her from the shoulders and shaking her. Something that did not bother Max at all, for she was overjoyed to know that her summoned beast had no bad feelings towards her.

"GIRLS, CAN YOU START FIGHTING PROPERLY NOW?! MOST OF THE MONSTERS ARE TARGETTING US FOR SOME REASON!”

So exclaimed poor Patricia, who was dealing with more and more monsters at the same time, all while seemingly needing to babysit her teammates too.

_________________________________________

Meanwhile, having moved deep behind enemy lines along with Erica, Lucy and Roxxy were fighting against a Lesser Dragon Lord and a Blood Skull Warrior, respectively.

On Lucy’s side, the Lesser Dragon Lord tried to overwhelm her with a combination of physical and magical attacks, but by using her characteristic [Lightning Step] she evaded them all, leaving behind a trail of lightning every time she did, and immediately countered by annoyingly poking at her opponent with her lightning enchanted blessed sword.

"Agh!!! You little...! [DRAGON'S BREATH]!!"

Vexed by such tactics, the Lesser Dragon Lord tried to surprise her with his breath attack, but it too was evaded.

"Ahahaha! You missed again! Now it's my turn! [Lightning Thrust]!"

"Gagh!!"

"While we are here, lightning strike at my enemy, smite him with your fury, [Lightning Smite]!!"

With that, lightning seemingly came down from the moonless sky and impacted the Lesser Dragon Lord, not once, not twice or thrice, but four times.

"Gah...ha...damn human...toying with...! Wait...you are not...!"

All while Lucy still had her sword inside the Lesser Dragon Lord's body, surprising said opponent as the lightning did not seem to harm her. And that was the case, for instead of harming her, the lightning…empowered her.

"Hey look! No chant! [Lightning Blast]!!"

"NOOOOO—!"

*TZZZZRAAAKAAAAAS*

Thus, a blast of lightning erupted from Lucy's sword and, with no chance to defend himself whatsoever, the Lesser Dragon Lord took the full brunt of the attack, tearing his body apart and sending whatever remained flying.

"Kikikikiki..."

Beckoned the Blood Skull Warrior, pointing its bloody red sword at Roxxy after catching a glimpse of what had happened to his comrade.

"Nay, you will suffer no toying from me. But that does not mean that I will be fighting honorably. Fire, come and dwell within my weapon, [Fire Enchant]."

And as if understanding what her opponent had said, Roxxy let out such words and readied her massive double handed blessed hammer, which was now enchanted with the fire attribute.

The opponent before her was an undead who fought in many battles and bathed itself in the blood of its countless victims, evolving as its bones absorbed it all and turned blood red.

Meanwhile, its armor and weapons were ones taken from its strongest victims, and some say that through the bathing them in the blood of said victims their essence is trapped within them, giving such undead access to their skills and techniques.

Yet…that all meant nothing to the Blacksmith Maid of the Maid-Knights.

"After all, that poor armor is pretty much telling me where to strike. And as Pops used to tell me…faulty armor is like a living skeleton, all ye need to take it down is a hammer and a good swing! [ARMOR BREAKER]!!”

*CLANG*

 *CRACK*

"KIIIK...?!!"

“To think I would be fighting those two things combined...seriously Pops, are ye a prophet?! "

With that, Roxxy kept making more and more cracks on the armor of the Blood Skull Warrior, all while said opponent tried its best to both attack her and evade her attacks. But the blunt force of the maid’s hammer was nothing to scoff at, for the Blood Skull Warrior could already feel parts of itself being broken by the mere impact of those attacks.

Thus, it made it clear that receiving one of those attacks directly would most likely end its...un-life.

At the same time, Erica was dealing with her own opponent, who, just as Gabrielle’s former opponent, was a Lesser Dragon Lord with violet and white scales, a Commander. But…his power was greater than that one, for he had a more humanoid form and height.

Still, as they fought it was clear who had the upper hand, for Erica began to push him back more and more, to the point that she was able to start chanting a powerful spell while she was at it.

"...drown him in your fury, [PERILOUS SWIRL]!"

A spell that unleashed a massive swirl of water from the tip of her blessed rapier, which swirled chaotically towards its target. Yet, instead of faltering before such immense spell, the Commander did not lose his calm and jumped back as he weaved his mana in preparation for his own attack.

"Coldness that has blessed me, come out and bring this world to a standstill! [WINTER'S BLAST]!!"

One that involved wrapping his arms in icy blue flames and releasing a constant torrent of them from his hands, which clashed with the water swirl that threatened to swallow him whole and…managed to freeze part of it. 

But…

"HAAAH!!"

…Erica was not going to let her attack be frozen completely and so, she poured more mana into it.

Thus, the swirl became bigger and bigger, but the same could be said about the Commander’s icy flames, for he too poured more of his mana into his own attack, so much so that for those watching from the castle it looked like a clash between natural disasters.

They were both marveled and…scared by it.

Yet, they could not take their eyes off it.

"I have been entrusted this battle!! I shall not disappoint that trust by losing to you!!"

And as if responding to Erica’s declaration, something stirred within her as her pupils turned deep blue and began to glow. No…not just her eyes, but her whole body was encased in such faint glow, one that gave off a watery effect.

Then, it spread to the [Perilous Swirl] she was unleashing and made it more chaotic, more…primal.

Thus, its strength increased exponentially, breaking through previously frozen parts and almost reaching the Commander.

"Nnn...I say the same, human!! Raaah!!!"

So exclaimed the Commander as he made a fierce expression and held back the invigorated [Perilous Swirl] with his icy flames, but even then, he was being pushed back.

And he knew it.

"...! [Draconic Force]!!"

With that, he invoked a last-minute empowering skill and froze a large part of the [Perilous Swirl], seemingly tipping the scales in his favor, but…

*CRACK*

…a large crack appeared right in the middle of such frozen mass of water…

*CRACRACRACRACRACRACRACRACRACK*

…followed by more, and more, and more, and more, until…

*CRASH*

...it was too late…

"GUBUBUBURGH...!"

…and he was swallowed by Erica's spell, along with anyone else who was behind him, the primal currents tearing their bodies apart and whatever remained was left on the ground as the spell, having fulfilled its job, vanished.

And something that remained was the Commander, albeit incredibly injured.

He looked at the starry sky and before he could say something, he began coughing out bloody water, showing that the damage to his body had even reached his strong, draconic lungs.

But it was fine, he knew that he was not going stand up ever again.

Thus, he used what little strength he had left to speak with his opponent, who quickly approached him after seeing that he was still alive.

"Sheathe your weapon…human...no…*cough*...you do not smell like one... *cough*…you are something else. That is the…*cough*…only thing that…can explain your…*cough*…strength. Aaah…Master…you were right...*cough*…this was a true battle...and this…this…is a true…death…"

With that, the Commander’s life expired.

After closing her opponent’s eyes and confirming that Kris and Gabrielle were back and covering her, Erica proceeded to communicate with one more team.

"Sophie, Lyra, Maevis, Gail, is everything alright at the rear?"

Indeed, the one part that did not change from Erevain's plan was that Sophie needed to remain at the rear to avoid any problems that could affect Sophie and in turn, the communication skill.

"Keke! Yeah, no problems from this side, sub-leader Erica. We are working together with Mika's team as you ordered, so any enemy is quickly being dealt with!"

"Good, your communication skill has proven to be quite useful, Sophie. In my humble opinion, at least. But are you sure that you can maintain it for a long period of time?"

Erica’s concern was more than valid, for it was possible that maintaining such powerful skill would prove to be too taxing for Sophie, regardless of her pact. Even more if one were to add the inevitability of combat and the multiple distractions found in the battlefield.

"And let you all return to using colored flares for communication? Keh! I can maintain it for as long as I am conscious, and I am not planning on taking a nap right now! Trust me!"

Yet it seemed that those concerns were unfounded going by Sophie's confident tone and the eyes she had been showing since their mutual Master, entrusted her with the task.

"I will wake Dog up if that happens."

"Hey!"

Interjected Lyra nonchalantly, much to Sophie’s annoyance.

"We can deal with anything that happens here, Erica. So, you can focus on that other thing that is on your mind. I mean...I know we got too into the whole 'maid' thing and fused with the background, but we will not disappoint. Right, Gail?"

"Mhm! Yep!"

That is when the other two maids who were with them joined the ‘call’, one was Maevis, the Maid-Knights’ second tank and the other was Gail, the Maid-Knights’ last Martial Healer.

The former had her blue hair tied back in a ponytail while the latter had her cherry pink hair done in double buns.

"I am counting on you."

"""Yes!"""

With that, Erica finished her ‘call’ and looked at the still massive army that they had to deal with.

Her gaze sharpened slightly as it fell on the many undead that seemed to outnumber the other races under Violet Death's command.

"My, you have noticed it too. Right, Erica?"

So said Gabrielle, who approached her after dealing with some undead.

"I see that you as well, Gabrielle. The monsters, the lizardmen, and even the Lesser Dragon Lords…they are all dwindling in number, but not the undead. The Undead not only seem to just keep coming, but their numbers are increasing. We defeat one and two more appear in other place…”

Erica kept looking at the battlefield as she said that, and while the situation did not seem dire, it was indeed giving her a bad feeling.

"Perhaps it is somehow related with Violet Death. Maybe a delayed spell?"

Said Gabrielle as she fully opened her eyes once more and read the flow of Ki in the area. The reason for that was a simple one. Undead give off an 'absence' of it, so it was easy for her to locate an undead in the middle of many living beings, who emit 'Ki' or life force. Such ease comes from that ‘absence’ looking like an 'empty space'. Thus, Gabrielle saw that those ‘empty spaces’ had increased instead of diminishing despite the combined efforts of the Maid-Knights. And even on the Rider's side, the undead had similarly increased.

"Certainly...but if that is the case, then we only have to deal with them until Master ends he—!"

In that moment, something grabbed her attention to the point of making her abruptly end her sentence.

No.

It could be said that everyone stopped fighting for a moment and looked up to the sky.

A sky that was moonless no more.

A full moon had appeared out of nowhere and only three people knew the reason behind such surprising happening.

"That is...!"

"My...!"

"HAHAHA!! THAT BASTARD FINALLY DID IT!!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!! YEAH!!"

Indeed, they knew the reason very well, for they had seen a certain person try and try again to use it, but to no avail.

Still, that was not the case anymore.

As such, their expressions were of surprise, happiness, and excitement.

"Erevain used that spell...!"

"My, Eternal Winter must be in trouble then."

Thus, one would expect of them to relay such reason to the rest of their comrades, but Erica and Gabrielle seemed to be more than fine with just letting everyone figure it out by themselves.

After all, it was quite obvious who was behind it.

And certainly, some of the Maid-Knights had already figured it out, which raised their morale as high as it could be.

Yet, there was someone whose morale had gone higher than that, someone who was obviously unable to hold her excitement.

That someone was indeed none other than…

"LISTEN TO ME, EVERYONE!! THAT IS OUR LEADER RIGHT THERE!! SHE IS GOING PAST HER LIMITS AND BRINGING THE WHOLE DAMN MOON WITH HER!! HOW ABOUT WE DO THE SAME AND CLEAN THIS MESS UP!! AFTER ALL, WE ARE ALREADY DRESSED FOR THE JOB!! AHAHAHAHA!"

…Kris, who shouted that from the top of her lungs.

They all laughed and shouted in agreement.

Even Erica and Gabrielle let out a chuckle while shaking their heads.

They used to be the protectors of the Kyrie Kingdom as one of its Knights’ Orders.

They used to be hailed as heroes by many.

They used to be the Swords of Dawn.

They were now the Knights of the Ever-Burning Will.

They were now the comrades of a High Dragon Lord.

They were now…Maid-Knights.

And they had some cleaning to do.

 

To be continued...(cue illustration of all the rest of the maids making combat poses and looking stylish!)

From Auros’ stat sheets: Max and Mika’s sheets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So here they are:

Kara!

Evangeline!

Sam!

Maevis!

And Gail!

They are the last 5 of the 20 "bandits" transformed by Auros way back then! You'll be seeing more of them along with the others, I hope you come to like them! UP NEXT: AUROS VS SCATH ROUND 2!!

Sorry for the delay, it has been quite a hectic week for me, both IRL and with the story. Still, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and if you did, please drop a heart on it and tell me in the comments below! And if you want to support me and the story, please consider subscribing to my patreon for some extra content!

In any case, our first streaming with LARH was a success! Everyone had fun and he gave loooots of art advice while making an awesome sketch of Auros! YEP, THIS ONE!!

AH! And if you want to see the uncensored version and check some of the advice LARH gave, then head over to the story’s discord server!

Special thanks from the bottom of my heart to: EmbraceTheSleeb, Lord-Hollow, YukisoraRin, LordInquisitorSteele, Anon, Anon2, Tikku, Teresa, Ayth, Knight_Redundant, Schoookie, sumdudeguy, pokio, greatred and eeleater!

Thank you very much for reading! See you in the next chapter!