We were having a meeting when a man from the reconnaissance team barged in.

"Milady. The drawbridge into the fortress suddenly lowers down!"

Everyone in the tent looked at each other.

Cass immediately asked,

"Anyone coming out from the portcullis?"

"We waited for quite some time but no one came out, milady."

"What do you think, Cass?" Cass didn't reply. She just calmly glanced at me.

Silence enveloped the interior of the tent for about 5 minutes.

"Your majesty. We shall enter." She finally opened her mouth.

"Are you mad? That could be a trap!" Gheyna retorted.

Cass only smiled and replied,

"Look. Here is the plan."

***

Lyla, Clementine, Sekrit, Gertrude and Gheyna led two hundred men of shield cavalry into the purposely opened fortress. 

The inner area was very different from the capital or even Torun city. It was a vast village with grass wheat fields. It was actually a farm and village within tall walls. 

For the meantime, they decided to first search the vast roads.

They could hear voices inside the wooden houses. The windows were closed though.

Information from the residents of the capital told them that the highest authority in the fortress was the commander, Kant Emanuel who was just beneath Viscount Lazar.

He was definitely the one who lured them into the fortress. They roam along the road while beware of ambush.

"They’re here, draw your bows!” A local knight shouted between a group of men. The local knights had created a barricade in the middle of the road, behind which he stood with his men.

“I found ’em!” Another man shouted, causing the invaders to all look toward the men blocking the path.

“Archers!? Unfortunately for you, something like that can’t stop me! Onwards!!”

Lyla raised her long sword and unmounted her horse. She ran toward the men.

Arrows flew toward Lyla.

“Slash!”

But she did not slow down in the slightest, instead she cut down arrows coming at her.

"Ohh, having a party!? Count me in!” A short blond haired girl with a revealing outfit ran past the slower Lyla. It was none other than Clementine.

She cut two men who jumped at her.

Lyla also reached there. She inhaled after breaking half of the barricade.

“Come on, you bitches! Get through that blockade!”

The man bellowed, causing the girls to jump over the broken barricade and battle the men behind.

Lyla and Clementine were causing havoc at the barricades. Many men were cut down.

****

Kant gathered his troops to try and stop the invaders, but unfortunately, he failed. Luring the invaders into a narrow path and attacking them there was the most he was able to achieve. He could not stop the enemies in their tracks.

Gradually, the soldiers were driven into a corner even within the very walls of the fortress itself.

Without enough soldiers to contest the invaders’ overwhelming charge, it was only a matter of time before Kant and his men would be completely surrounded.

"Tch!”

The invaders were already starting to climb the eastern spire.

Kant grit his teeth, drew his sword, and used a path the invaders did not know of to climb to the highest floor, then he slammed the door open.

The footsteps of the invaders were almost upon him.

"…I can’t watch this fortress fall, Lord Lazar. The pride I’ve fostered up till now won’t allow it.”

A strong will to fight rose up from within Kant as he smiled fiercely.

As the door was kicked open, a woman entered.

She was a muscular woman with drill shaped twin tails. 

"I request a duel. My name is Gertrude Albright."

Gertrude wielded her spear and leaped toward him.

Gertrude had lowered her body to try and pierce through Kant from below, but right when she was only a step away from Kant, he suddenly felt a chill crawl up her back, causing her to reflexively throw her spear and force herself to jump away.

Two strokes.

Kant’s sword was so fast that all Gertrude could do was read its trajectory.

The sword that had come swinging from the left deflected Gertrude’s spear, then it drew a perfect trajectory for where Gertrude’s neck would’ve been had she not jumped back.

If it weren’t for that split-second decision of hers, she would already be dead.

At that, Gertrude understood that this enemy had the best reflex than any she’d fought before.

“Hmph.”

“Hey, hey! If you’re having a hard time, then switch with me.”

The shorter girl that appeared behind Gertrude was none other than Clementine.

Seeing two female foes come into sight, Kant drew his sword.

As long as it was one on one, Kant was confident he could dye the ground in enemies blood.

Kant smiled fiercely as he considered fighting to his last atop a mountain of enemies corpses.

“Bitches, I am the commander of the fortress , Kant Emanuel!”

When the words ‘commander’ were spoken, Gertrude’s smile as she quietly watched Clementine’s battle suddenly changed.

That smile of his was no longer that of someone amused, but the smile of a predator eyeing its prey.

At this moment, Clementine had truly turned into a battle crazed fiend.

“If you want this head of mine, then put your life on the line and see if you can take it!”

Kant wielded his long sword in a lowered stance, emanating a pressure like that of a king.

“You don’t need to tell me!”

Gertrude slammed a fist onto the ground, giving rise to broken fragments into the air, then she swung her fist a second time, and sent the broken fragments Kant’s way.

“Tch.”

Kant clicked his tongue as he deflected the fragments.

The moment Kant raised his sword, Clementine bolted off like thunder.

But of course, Kant was able to see through Clementine’s sirk, and he swung his sword in response.

Kant’s sword passed by Clementine’s dirk, grazing him by the sides as Kant dodged her attack.

Kant and Clementine continued to exchange blows, but each and every time, Kant would aim for Clementine’s opening just like he did the first time.

Their clash lasted only for a moment.

They approached each other and released an attack that brimmed with their body’s whole strength.

Clementine thrusted her club from above, while Kant released his blade from below.

In order to dodge Kant’s obvious next move, Clementine abandoned her weapon and jumped back.

Kant wanted to finish Clementine off, but unfortunately, the latter wasn’t someone who could be dealt with by normal means.

As his attack failed, Kant assumed the lowered stance he specialized in.

***