It was a foggy morning as the third day of the revolt came and on the border of House Fluchet and House Abernath. The Black Guard was stationed in outposts that would alert the rest of the army stationed in the territory that the enemy was coming, after all, Marshal Belle herself had met with the dual monarchs and they discussed the possibility of the Dukedom launching some sort of counterattack later down the line if they gave them enough time to muster their forces. 

The barrier soldiers on the border of House Baro and House Abernath reported no movement on their side an hour earlier and an overhead flight of wyverns from the Imperial Air Service told them that the enemy was mustering forces for some sort of attack. The squadrons were ordered not to attack but to merely observe and report back the positions of the enemy. The Imperial Army was going to decide on the ground what would happen to the last of the enemy before marching on the capital. Afterall, Amelia, and Ophelia wanted to be there and lead the force to do it, cementing themselves and their powerbase across the empire that the two of them, the monarchs of an empire no one on the continent had ever seen before, would hold true their promise of uniting the entire continent under one banner. However, despite their beliefs that they needed to do this to cement themselves and the government back in Olertin City, practically every citizen, official, soldier and sailor saw the two of them as monarchs who had done more than enough to earn the ever-lasting loyalty and love of the nation they had built, this was just to top it all off. 

Walking or rather, slithering from one outpost to the next was Erhet, the ever-loyal and capable commander of the Black Guard who was usually the dual monarch's bodyguard. Now however, she was commander of the entire unit which would serve sometimes as the vanguard of the advancing Imperial Army. It was their turn on sentry duty and the lamia was not one to do anything at half pace. 

"Status?" She asked her soldiers, activating the communications crystal inside the collar of her armor 

"Nothing so far here Ma'am" One voice replied, a Black Guard watching from the northern outpost 

"Same here Ma'am. No movement" Another voice chimed in, a Black Guard from the eastern outpost 

"We see movement in the distance Ma'am. A large force, possibly what remains of the enemy militia and knight orders. No cavalry in sight, our sensing magic tells us there's none but we aren't so sure" A third voice answered, a voice of a Black Guard from the southeastern outpost 

"Understood. Hold position. Black Guard. Move" 

"Roger" 

"Understood" 

"On the way" 

The lamia then switched the frequency of the crystal to the one linked with her monarchs, seeing the bright orange turn into a bright green color indicating the switch was done. 

"Your Majesties" She began 

"The enemy has made their move. The southeastern outpost has spotted them and used sensing magic on them as well. Mostly militia and what remains of the knight orders. No cavalry but they are unsure if they are just somewhere else or there is none at all" She stated, looking around her while waiting for their reply 

"Alright Erhet. Gather the Black Guard, we will meet you there to personally crush this force. See you in a bit" Ophelia's voice chimed through the crystal 

"Will do Your Majesty. Erhet out" 

Turning off the communications crystal. Erhet began slither to the southeastern outpost at blinding speed, along the way, other Black Guard members appeared by her side, all of them itching to get into the final fight and crush the last bits of the enemy before them. 

"Time to end this" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

In the center of what remained of the Dukedom's fighting force, Mako was riding atop a black mare, her head on a swivel as she looked around the fog. She looked at the columns of militiamen led by knights who were at the front of the columns as they were marching towards the border between the territories of House Abernath and House Fluchet, using the heavy fog as cover to give them the edge in their surprise attack. 

"Keep moving" She stated as low as she could while being audible for her troops, looking back to see her beloved arriving with some other troops, primarily crossbow militiamen who were making their way towards them 

"You came" Mako said with love as Sir Matthews rode up beside her, her small hand caressing the non-burnt side of his face lovingly 

"I wouldn't miss it for the world dear. I don't wish for you to die alone" Matthews said, trying his best to give a smirk but flinching as it physically pained him in trying 

"I never expected things to turn out like this" Mako said with a hint of sadness and regret as she looked at her lover 

"Neither did I" Sir Matthews replied, his one good eye looking deep into the blue eyes of his beloved 

"Soo. Now that we are in this mess, what do you suggest is the best course of action?" Mako asked as they moved further and further 

"First of all, I am impressed that you were able to use the fog to our advantage. Shrouding us as we move forward. I like it" 

"Well, I did read some of your battle-related literature whenever I was at the estate, so I learned a thing or two" Mako replied with a small smile though it was. filled with a sense of sadness 

"Right. Now. Even with this advantage, we have to be wary. When I fought these people on the Barrah Plains, they were able to outmaneuver me and destroy the force. It also turns out that their soldiers are far stronger than our own so we have to outmaneuver them in order to win" Matthews stated with a hint of fear as his mind flashed back to the battle 

"So we use the fog to get into a good position?" Mako asked as she tilted her head slightly while she looked around 

"Exactly I-"

{!} 

Suddenly, Sir Matthews stopped mid-sentence as he sensed something for a brief moment, his body trying to look around but the immense pain restricted his movements. Mako saw this and was a bit put off by her lover's sudden silence. 

"Something wrong love?" She asked him 

"No...nothing...just having ghost pains I think" He answered her, unsure of his senses, thinking it was just a mistake, his one good eye narrowed as he felt something was off but couldn't figure out what 

"Alright, let's keep moving then. Once we reach the border with House Fluchet, I think we will be in the best position to launch our attack" 

"Let's just hope the fog holds till then, this is our best shot" 

"Alright love, let's do it then"

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

While they were marching towards the front, further ahead of them in the fog and monitoring their entire force marching forward were Erhet and the rest of the Black Guard who were using cloaking spells permeated by one of their own via her magic connection to the rest via a few more monster magic crystals installed into her armor to increase her output. The dual monarchs had yet to arrive and their orders were to simply monitor the force marching before them and not engage until told otherwise. 

"Looks to be around 5,000 strong Ma'am"  A Black Guard who was a fellow lamia reported to her as she slithered to her side 

"No other reinforcements?" Erhet asked, the lamia before her shook her head with a small smile and that was all she needed 

"Right. There are about 120 of us and more than five times our number we are facing. Should be an even fight" The massive lamia joked as she brought out her halberd and gave it a little twirl 

"With Her Majesties joining the fray, I don't think it will be an even fight Ma'am" A fellow Black Guard said via the communications crystal, his voice perfectly giving off the impression of his smirk

"True. But then again, it never is whenever they are around" Erhet replied, speaking into the crystal, hearing small chuckles from her subordinates

"Alright keep it down, keep moving and monitoring. It's about time to go to work" 

{!} 

Just as she finished that sentence, the dual monarchs appeared subtly via a trail of wisps that teleported them from where they were earlier. Both of them were clad in their respective plat armors and while Amelia had her hands on the hilts of her daggers, Ophelia had her sword resting by her left leg, planted into the ground as she materialized. 

"Hello there" Ophelia stated with a small smirk 

"Your Majesties. You are bold ones" Erhet said as he bowed her head, the lamia beside her did the same and they bent down a bit 

"It was all Ophie's idea, said something about wanting to get here as fast as we could" Amelia said as she looked at her beloved with a small smile, her crimson-colored eyes filled with love for the woman next to her 

"It got us here fast didn't it? Always wanted to use this spell with you" The raven-haired empress stated with a smile as she kissed her beloved on the forehead 

The two lamias before them glanced at one another as they saw their monarchs just having a moment to themselves, not even worried about the fight that was about to occur in a few moments. 

"Umm, Your Majesties?" Erhet interrupted 

"Right...the fight...sorry about that" Ophelia said with a slight blush as she recomposed herself 

"No need to apologize Your Majesty, we are sorry for interrupting in the first place" 

"Anyways. It seems we have quite a group to exterminate" Amelia interrupted as she sensed the mass of soldiers approaching through the fog 

"Not as large as the force at the Barrah Plains but they could do significant damage to the territory of Fluchet if we leave them be" The raven-haired empress added  

"Orders Your Majesty?" Erhet asked as she and her fellow lamia finally straightened up 

The dual monarchs kept their gaze towards the fog, while they could not see the enemy advancing, they could definitely sense them and the enemy continued believing that they had the element of surprise. It could not have been a better situation for them as the fog could be turned in the favor of the Black Guard who while numbering only 80 members right now, were far stronger than the groups of knights and militiamen marching towards them. 

"Tell the Black Guard to move and surround the enemy, we will engage them here and now in the fog. They think we won't see them and that they have the element of surprise? Hehe. They won't be able to see us until it's too late" Ophelia commented with a wry smile as she pulled her sword out from the ground and gave it a flourish, the crimson aura of the sword seeping out of the grooves along the length of the blade 

"Understood Your Majesty. I will tell them to do it now" Erhet said as she keyed in her communications crystal and began relaying her orders

"It's time to play some hide-n-seek" 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

A few minutes later, the dual monarchs and several other Black Guard soldiers and Erhet were hiding behind a small ditch in the terrain, the snow-covered field covered by fog provided a really good set of cover and with Ophelia's barriers that prevented them and the rest of the Black Guard from being sensed, it practically made them invisible as the soldiers were nearing them. 

Ahead of the formation was a group of militiamen armed with pikes already aimed forward, their eyes scanning the front and the ground before them. One of them saw the large slithering mark and a pair of footprints, making him raise his hand as he and the rest of the formation stopped. A few of the other militiamen rushed up to his side wondering why he ordered the force to stop 

"Look there, fresh tracks...lamia and looks to be boots of some kind" The elderly militiaman stated as he pointed at the set of tracks up ahead 

"What's going on here?" Mako's voice sounded as she came riding up to them atop her steed 

"Tracks Your Grace. We have some fresh tracks here...it seems we have some company somewhere" The militiaman stated as he looked up at her 

"Hmmm, fresh tracks you say?" Mako asked with a raised eyebrow 

"Yes Your Grace. They point eastward but the fog makes it hard to see where the hell they went" The militiaman answered 

"Are you sure it could not have been simply running slaves?" The Dukedom Princess asked 

"No, Your Grace, tracks like these are different from other lamia tracks, plus the boots indicate they must be wearing some kind of armor. Then there is the fact that these are fresh, if they were from a day ago, the constant snowfall would have filled them by now, meaning that whoever made these, they could be nearby" Another militiaman stated as he went over to the tracks and knelt next to it 

"What's the hold-up?" Sir Matthews's voice chimed in as he arrived right next to his beloved 

"Fresh tracks. We seem to have some company nearby" His beloved answered him as he turned to face him 

Sir Matthews's eyes went wide as he heard this and a slight shiver shot up his spine as he felt a sense of uneasy dread finally plant itself firmly in his mind. 

"We have to be extra careful then. If those tracks are fresh, then it means our enemies are not too far...on second thought. I believe it is best for us to retreat. Coming onto this open field under the fog was a mistake" The former army commander said as his mind began replaying the events at Barrah much to his dismay 

"What are you on about darling?" Mako asked as she looked at him, seeing that his good left arm was visibly twitching and he was subtly shaking atop his horse 

"I...I...we are walking into a trap dear! The enemy is right here and now! We have to get the fuck out of dogd-"

{!} 

Suddenly, a massive explosion interrupted Matthews's words. The shockwave threw some snow into the air, and the blast shocked the two as it came from the rear of the formation. 

"Oh no...." Sir Matthews stated as he felt his heart sink 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

A few moments earlier, the dual monarchs and their Black Guard escorts were in the ditch just listening to the conversation between the militiamen and who they heard was the head of the Dukedom's force, a young woman by the sound of it. The dual monarchs shared a glance as the conversation continued and when there was the mention of tracks, Ophelia nodded in acknowledgment of the militiaman's knowledge. 

"Hmm, he has us there" She remarked to Amelia who nodded along 

But when Sir Matthews arrived and he began to panic, the dual monarchs knew that it was now or never to spring the trap

"Well shit. If they retreat now, it is going to be an annoyance for us to push them out if they do get into defensible terrain...Erhet. Tell Squad Obsidian to begin the attack. We go once they unleash a spell" The raven-haired empress stated as she looked at the lamia who nodded and sent out the order 

"Shame we couldn't just blast them all in one go" Amelia remarked as she drew her daggers 

"Where's the fun in that?" Her beloved asked with a sly smile, activating her sword and turning on the communications crystal on her armor 

{!} 

A few moments later, they heard and then felt the shockwave of the explosion from a fireball spell by the looks of it that struck the rearmost formation of the army next to them. 

"Right. All units. Attack" Ophelia ordered she spoke into the crystal 

With those orders, the Black Guard emerged from the fog like reapers coming for the poor souls of the militiamen and knights. Their screams of terror filled the air as the Black Guard descended upon them. In the rear, the survivors of that explosive fireball spell soon found themselves fighting for their lives as several lamia, harpy and kitsune soldiers charged them. 

The lamia soldiers with their twin blades, axes, and even spears massacred militiamen left and right as they crashed into the formations, the harpy soldiers used the fog to their advantage, scooping up unsuspecting militiamen in the center of the formation, using their iron-clad talons to grab them by the shoulders, their metal appendages piercing deep into the shoulder blades as they were lifted up from the ground only to be dropped back down from a high height, killing them on the spot as they landed on the snow-covered ground.

"They're everywhere!" One young militiaman stated as he looked around in the sky, his crossbow aimed at harpy and dragonkin soldiers darting in and out of the fog. He fired his crossbow as he saw a harpy dive down towards him but the harpy shifted her body slightly during the dive and the bolt missed, leaving the young man open as the Black Guard soldier crushed him by grabbing his head with her talons and slamming it into the ground. 

"Fuck! Somebody save us-" A knight shouted before being cut down by a swift slash across his chest from a kitsune soldier wielding a massive battleaxe before quickly spinning around and shooting out a <Lightning Bolt> spell at a charging soldier from behind, their bloodied bodies falling back onto the ground and staining the clean white snow with their crimson liquid 

But it wasn't just a massive melee in the rear, there were several Black Guard soldiers, primarily elves and other beastkin who just lobbed spell after spell at the unsuspecting Dukedom forces, they didn't need to see the bastards as their senses and sensing magic told them exactly where the hell they were despite the fog. <Fireball> <Ice Spear> and <Lightning Blast> spells were particularly deadly as the splash damage radius of these spells caught so many poor sods within their range. The Fireballs were standard, if it didn't hit a single person but struck the ground, it would explode and spread out a circular radius to hit anyone nearby with flames and a shockwave. Ice Spears that didn't impale anyone and dug into the ground would explode into a shower of smaller icicles that would impale those nearby and the Light Blast sell could just be shot at any group of soldiers and if it struck the ground or one solider in the group, there would be an electric blast that would strike others nearby.

"<Fireball>" One Black Guard soldier conjured and shot forth from his staff, the projectile striking one knight who was trying to reposition, the projectile punching through the iron armor and burning a massive hole inside him before he collapsed onto the ground 

Then there were the dual monarchs who had charged into the fray side-by-side. Amelia, with her twin ornately decorated daggers, the [Corrupter] and [Purifier], slashed away at any enemy she could see or sense in the fog.

Her first victim was one of the leading militiamen who had discovered their tracks from earlier, she dashed in close and delivered a devastating downward slash that cut him down quickly, his body falling forward in a shower of blood that stained the snow below. Before the body even hit the ground, she threw [Corrupter] at another militiaman nearby, punching through the basic leather armor and embedding itself in the man's chest. The man's corpse began to shrivel up and the skin turned into something akin to blackened ash before it hit the ground, the sight of which scared Sir Matthews and Mako who were nearby on their horses. 

"Holy shit!" Mako exclaimed as she began running into the center of the formation with Sir Matthews in tow, both of them not wanting to face whatever the fuck they just witnessed.

As they left, Amelia used her <Carnomancy> magic that siphoned off the flesh, muscles and blood from the corpses and added it to her, filling her with a satisfying feeling as if her hunger had been satisfied and with a large smile on her face, made a small cut on her hand that dripped down some of that absorbed blood back onto the ground, creating terrifyingly deformed wolves with massive tendrils that began attacking other enemies in the area.

Then there was Ophelia who moved like a wraith, swinging her longsword with one hand, each swing of [Judgment Maker] was clean and smooth, cleaving the foes into two before they could even put up a fight to stop her. Her sword crackling with more crimson arcane energy the more blood it tasted as she continued on. Eventually, after killing several militiamen, the sword was brimming with power and the raven-haired empress aimed it at a group of knights charging at her with their shouts blaring, a smile hidden under her unreadable expression before she conjured a spell in her mind called [Judgment Ray], shooting out a crimson beam that struck the first knight before the beam spread across the rest of group, turning them into ash in an instant. 

As the fighting continued, Mako and Sir Matthews reached the center of the formation. The various remnants of militia formations and knights formed a massive rectangle around the two scared nobles, their backs to the people they were charged to protect while they faced the ever-present fog that blocked the sight of fighting but didn't block the screams or even the flashes of spell discharges all around them, said nobles began rifling through the satchel that rested on Mako's horse, looking for a teleportation scroll that she had brought along to get her and her lover the hell out of here. 

"Fuck! Fuck! Where is it dammit!?" She screamed as she pulled the satchel off and shook it while holding it upside down

"Forget the scroll, we have to stand and fight now....we have no other option now my love" Sir Matthews said as he dropped from his horse and painstakingly brought up his sword 

"Fuck...fuck....fuck...." Mako cursed as her breathing was coming down from near hyperventilating, the truth of the situation had finally settled in and tears began to well up in her eyes before pouring out 

She sank to her knees and began to cry into her palms, the silent wailing she was giving told Sir Matthews everything he needed to know about what his beloved was feeling, he would know, he was feeling it too at the very moment, so were the rest of the soldiers before them trying to mask it while keeping formation, the fear of dying. 

"I don't wanna die" Mako mumbled to herself as she looked at her soaked palms, her snot slipping down her nose and onto the snowy ground, Sir Matthews was about to move over to her but the sound of people approaching caused the wounded man to straighten up painfully and look over to the rest of the formation 

 "Here they come! Let's make the end memorable!" he shouted 

{!} 

The sound of her beloved standing up to fight while she herself cowered in fear had lit up something inside her, be it out of desperation or acceptance, it was clear now that there was no escaping their deaths. But they did have one choice, how to go down, and it seemed to Mako that her lover chose to do the one thing a man like him dreamed of doing.

Die standing.

A/N: Hello! We are so back! I am sorry this took a while to make due to the start of a new school term but hey! WE ARE ALMOST DONE WITH VOLUME 2! WOOOO