“Evolution?”
“Yes, hundreds of thousands of years of existence will eventually result in multiple genetic changes in the human race.”
“I know what it is, but what does it have to do with the girl? I understand you feel guilty about her family, but based on her medical results… she is just a girl, nothing special in her DNA.”
“It’s not something any doctor will be able to find. You could say there is nothing wrong with my DNA either.”
“Then? What’s so special about her?”
“Natural selection, Ki-Joon. A world without specters creates people with no skills to fight it, it is no longer required of them. Lionheart in the other hand… Every cell in her body is ready to survive in a world she no longer exists in. She possesses the organisms of a human that had known nothing but the Deadlands since birth.”
“Birth?”
“I know, I know. It makes no sense, does it? However, my eye doesn’t lie. Lionheart’s genes have such a strong resistance to the Deadlands’ influence… you may say they thrive instead of survive, like a shark in the ocean. I highly doubt she or anyone will notice the difference, but I already have… that’s what makes us humans so special, right? We adapt to our environment.”
“You told me the Deadlands remained inactive for nearly a thousand years… and even then, it only existed at the center of Heildin. How many humans could’ve lived inside it nine hundred years ago?”
“None.”
“What?”
“None survived the Deadlands nine hundred years ago. It was those in the outside that rebuilt the world. Gaspard with the empire, and the rest here… in Heildin.”
“Enough beating around the bush, Loewe.”
“Sure, but my memories are quite foggy. I’m not entirely sure how much I’ll be able to tell you.”
“How did this girl ‘reject’ evolution?”
“Well, something tells me it’s related to that ring of hers.”
“Her ring?”
“Yes, it’s not just a normal jewel. Though whatever power it has inside doesn’t belong to it either… This could’ve been ‘his’ doing, but I have a feeling that Gladea might have been involved.”
“The goddess… I thought you said…”
“I know, but this may have happened long before any of us were even born, probably over nine hundred years ago… for what reason I can’t tell, though I have my fair share of theories.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to throw her into hell itself just because you have a feeling… in my eyes and everyone else’s she is just a girl.”
“I am certain, like I said, my eye doesn’t lie. She’ll be considerably more efficient when confronted in the Deadlands, a unique trait that would have no use in a world without specters, but exactly what she’d need to survive in times like this. This timing is no coincidence, Ki-joon…”
“Hmm… if you think it’s best, then I guess I have no choice but to trust you.”
“Haha, this doesn’t guarantee her survival, of course. She needs training, more experience in and out of the Deadlands, and... maybe a little extra to prove my theory. You know, push her as far as we can before we begin.”
“The spectral gear… you were afraid to give Juno and Jupiter to Sebastian, remember? Something about losing himself to the power.”
“Sure, but it won’t be an issue for Lionheart. If my theory is right… then this won’t be the first time her hands had seized power like this.”
“You don’t have to sound so excited… I’m going to check on her, poor girl must be struggling to adapt to her new life. Last time I heard, she was locked in the bathrooms for an entire evening.”
“Yeah…”
“Don’t feel too bad for her. She chose this path herself.”
Center of the Deadlands: 936, December 31st, Monday, 9:00 AM.
Unable to overcome one another, both parties reached the limits of their strength through an ever-growing battle. The sudden interference of Heildin’s princess Eutychia proved detrimental to the daemon’s plans, as his goal to end the life of Claire Lionheart had once again prolonged itself. However, the other side of the battlefield struggled to deal the final blow, as their continuous depleting energy weakened their attacks by the minute.
The armor of the black knight had been shattered by the shoulders and chest, revealing her black clothing underneath. She breathed heavily with dropped shoulders, snarling furiously at her own father with a shaking fist. Gal and Maulik’s momentum had fallen since their appearance in the battlefield, meeting the limits of their abilities as hybrid knights. Bloodhound observed the battle from outside of the crimson energy ring created by the spectral bike, standing ready with what little ammunition they had left.
Meanwhile, in the verge of collapse, the lieutenant groaned painfully with a foggy vision—using every breathing exercise she could just to remain awake. The absurd mental and physical strain over the span of a few hours had taken its toll on her, with no training experience capable of diluting such amount of stress.
“Dammit… is retreat even an option at this point?” she wondered, feeling herself unable to continue for much longer.
“Eutychia…” the giant called out to his daughter. “I did not want to believe the words of your sister… Have you really turned your blade against your own family? The same blade I had given to you as a sign of my trust…”
“You are monster!” replied the princess with a roar. “You don’t deserve to be called a king… or a father.”
“Our kingdom… no… most of the continent thrived under my rule. The people…”
“Were murdered… by you.” Eutychia finished his sentence. “I never knew you… not like Euthemia did. You… you wanted to use me for your own benefit… All you ever wanted from me… was the power inside me.”
“What?” Everyone but King—who narrowed his eyes at her words, reacted with a flinch.
With his fingers tightly pressed on the grip of his weapon, the giant leaned on the sword in order to rest his heavily injured body. The man was drenched in his own blood, his clothes torn to shreds by the attacks of every opponent he’d faced. His displeased crimson eyes met the glaring azures of the black knight, wondering about the source that had revealed his intentions to the princess.
Unlike Euthemia’s, her upbringing was that of warrior, given special training and the best masters the world could offer. The daemon’s expectations were shattered continuously, as the girl’s power only grew despite her birth as a mere hybrid. Bearing witness of her talents and abilities, Eutychia was given the greatest teacher that the order itself had to offer—Loki. The knight trained her to the peak of her limits, converting a simple warrior into the pride of Heildin in the eyes of the people. In the giant’s eyes however, all there existed was a vessel, one that contained the power to further extend his own strength.
“Who… who was it?” he asked. “Who told you these lies, Eutychia. Was it your own teacher, Loki?”
“No,” the princess replied. “You met him a few months ago… you… shameless bastard…” she tightened the grip on her sword, nearly breaking her own weapon with the rage that boiled in her veins. “The only reason I’m alive now is because of him… all I ever was to you was a vessel, a tool to extend your own life.”
“And now you’ll be nothing but a memory.”
“…!”
Taken the group by surprise—in a desperate attempt to end the fight and leave the Deadlands, King propelled himself against them while readying his sword for a brutal attack. He reached his targets in only a second, and swung his blade with enough strength to rip them all apart with a single slash. His sudden ambush proved too fast for his foes to avoid, choosing to protect themselves from the attack instead.
“Urk!” Eutychia positioned her weapon in front of her, its black steel clashing with the giant’s azure—slightly fracturing the princess’ sturdy sword.
“Ack!” Gal threw her foot against it, catching the blade with the sole of her shoes.
Close to the redhead, Maulik stopped the sword’s trajectory with his palms—aiding the girls’ efforts in stopping King’s strike. “Grh!”
Finally, taking advantage of the situation, Claire called upon her spectral bike to initiate a much-needed offensive. Its thundering roars caught the daemon’s attention immediately, and while he attempted to reposition his sword for a counter, Eutychia and the hybrids did not allow him an easy escape from the lieutenant’s assault.
“Ngh!”
“You are not going anywhere!” Maulik roared, gripping his fingers in the azure blade.
His choices close to null, King jumped away from the trio to avoid the ambushing tackle of Claire’s motorcycle—barely avoiding its attack by a hair. His sword vanished into particles of light, and quickly rematerialized itself back into his hand. However, as soon as his fingers touched the grip, the sudden heat of a blade cutting his flesh like butter overwhelmed his senses with excruciating pain.
“Argh!” he screamed, gritting his teeth to silence his own voice. “Gkh…”
“Now I got you…” Claire stated, the crimson energy blades of her pistols melting the insides of the daemon through his ribs.
“Now!” Eutychia roared, pushing forward alongside the hybrids.
With the greatest opening they’ve ever had during their battle, the group advanced firmly against King to tip the scales in their favor. Gal initiated the assault with a powerful frontal kick, the brutal impact of her foot against his stomach forcing the air out of the man’s lungs.
“Ough!” the daemon bent forward while covering his abdomen with one hand, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
Following up quickly after, Maulik pressed his fingers into a clenched fist, putting everything behind a powerful uppercut that shattered the daemon’s chin into tiny fragments.
“Uagh!” King’s head was thrown backwards, darkening his vision for a second.
“Perish…” With blood spewing out of her father’s mouth, Eutychia crossed her sword over her shoulder, and sliced the man’s throat open with a swift slash of her blade.
“Die…” Claire ripped her blades out of King’s sides, the enormous amount of energy that both Juno and Jupiter had accumulated causing her hands to shake. “Daemon…” she growled, releasing the triggers on her pistols.
Allowed to reveal their true power, with sparks of crimson lightning crawling around its body, the spectral gear unleashed the fury of a god against the lone daemon. The ground shook violently—ripping fissures on the ground that molded the battlefield, and breaking the balance of those around it. The pistols loud ignition echoed all over the region, creating a blinding ray of light that erupted out of their cannons—absorbing the daemon’s entire body with the gear’s blazing energy. The hybrids and the princess kept their distance from the attack, shocked by the absurd amount of power that such small weapons kept contained within them.
“What the…” said Maulik with a slacked jaw, protecting his face from the flying dust and rocks.
“Woah!” Gal looked with amazement at the enormous crimson beam that demolished everything in its path, a drop of sweat running down her cheek as she hid behind her companion.
“Tch…” Eutychia clicked her tongue while protecting her face with one arm. Such display of power she couldn’t hope to survive reminding her of her battle with Claire at Heildin’s castle gates. “When did you even…”
A few short seconds after the lieutenant’s unbelievable attack, the melting beam of crimson light vanished swiftly into tiny particles—like red fireflies that lingered around the gigantic trail of burned dirt they left behind. Not a trace of the daemon remained, as not even his azure sword could be seen around the area, with nothing but melted rocks for the survivors’ eyes to see.
Claire’s pistol emitted crackling waves of lightning, traces of the colossal amount of power they had just unleashed. She dropped to her knees, and the ring of crimson energy created by her gear finally vanished, allowing entrance into the battlefield to a highly concerned Bloodhound.
“Lieutenant!” her team shouted her name with worry.
The trio kneeled down next to her, the fear behind their eyes fading away at the sight of Claire’s warm smile. “Hey… everyone…” she spoke softly.
“Lieutenant!” Tori wrapped her arms around her, bringing the lieutenant into a tight embrace. “You did it!”
“We…” Eutychia interrupted with a raised brow.
Softly punching her arm, Eric nodded at the lieutenant with a smile, releasing an exasperated sigh right after—unable to contain his relief any longer. “Right… guess I shouldn’t have worried.”
“I don’t mind if you do,” replied Claire. “Makes you seem less snobby.”
“Indeed,” Scott tipped the bridge of his glasses, failing to light up their broken lenses. “It’s quite scary how you can always pull off stuff like this. If you only you could do it in a safer way…”
“Haha,” the lieutenant chuckled. “I’m sorry… I didn’t mean for things to get this bad… let’s play some Cards O’s once we are back…”
“I get to be the emperor!”
At the sight of their heartwarming exchange, Gal sniffed while scratching under her nose with a finger. “If only I had friends…”
“Am I not always there with you?” Maulik raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms with a puzzled expression.
“I mean real friends…”
“Wha...”
“We should probably leave,” Eutychia suggested, her brows furrowing at the tight feeling in her chest—avoiding her gaze from the Bloodhound. “It’s a long way back to the borders… whether we go north or south, it’s probably best to carry you out of here.”
“If you touch me…” Claire tried to protest, breathing her words with fatigue.
“Hmph! You can build your own house here for what I care. This place kind of suits you anyway.”
“What was that?”
“I said…”
“Alright, stop.” Eric put a halt to the girls bickering. “We are all too tired for this…”
“Hmph!”
“Hmph!”
Enjoying the peace and quiet, Gal, Maulik, Eutychia and Bloodhound prepared to leave the core of the hellish zone. Despite the constant fighting between Claire and the princess, the group could barely hide their smiles through their journey back home. The spectral bike offered its services to Scott and Tori, who joyfully accepted to ride on top of it. Maulik carried the lieutenant on his back, with Gal hauling the blonde noble on hers.
“You are pretty light,” she told Eric. “I thought you’d be heavier, yellow man!”
“Yellow ma—for your information… My name is Eric, Eric Albury. Heir of House Al—"
“Haha! I’ll call you yellow man!”
“I hate this place…”
Noticing the princess’ distant expression, Claire couldn’t help to open conversation with the young woman—knowing well the respect she once had for King. “You doing alright?”
“Of course…”
“I’m not trying to pick a fight…”
“Aren’t you?”
“I have a father, Eutychia. I love him more than anyone in this world… I’ve been chasing after him ever since my home was destroyed.” She said with furrowed brows. “Even if yours wasn’t the person that you thought he was… I know very well what is like to lose someone you held so dear… maybe too well…”
“…” Eutychia clenched her jaw and lowered her brows, though her expression quickly softened with a sigh. “Right… Right… I’ll get over it… I was only a tool to him after all.”
“I know… heh,” Claire chuckled suddenly, prompting the black knight to glance at her with a raised brow. “You are strong, princess… a shame your personality leaves much to be desired.”
“Not picking a fight huh!”
“Bring it!”
“Please, stop…” Maulik begged the pair.
Walking through the barren lands of the Deadlands, the group continued their path north to meet the forces of Cerberus and Kaldstein—praying to meet no resistance during their trip. When not fighting each other, both Claire and Eutychia took a few glances back at the center from time to time, keeping a close watch on their surroundings despite their injuries. Gal’s constant babbling became a headache for the tired noble of the empire, who failed to keep up with the laid-back girl’s attitude—a situation that served as a subject of laughter for the rest, lighting up the atmosphere as they ventured forward.
END OF CHAPTER
