The First Blossom
A wave of silver surged as the Knights of Nilfheim attempted a single-point breakthrough against the ominous, dark-green horde of barbarians and undead. Slamming mercilessly into the flank of the undead army, the silver wave demonstrated lightning-fast piercing power, shattering shields and tearing through armor. The hooves of the Frozen Lands raged, crushing the bones of the undead. It was a charge both valiant and elegant. The dark-green demonic energy was trampled beneath those hooves. The charge of the knights, lances lowered, filled the vast plains.
"Fight back...!"
"Edelgard! To think we would clash with you bastards again!"
"Scatter death, bury the corpses...! All for the great cause, for the great Gronashi!"
An ominous, dark-green torrent, flickering like flames, threatened the silver wave. These were the countless wraith knights and phantom knights positioned at the vanguard to breach the wall.
Frosty light gleamed through the slits of their helmets. Dark-green, malevolent sword energy flared, proving they were knights corrupted by the abyss. Phantom steeds, reduced to nothing but skeletal frames, galloped relentlessly forward. They were specters robbed of the peace of death. No matter how they fell, they would rise again and again to threaten the living.
"Eradicate the cursed specters!"
"Graaaah!"
The silver wave and the dark-green torrent clashed head-on. It was a head-on collision carrying maximum speed and momentum. Metal shrieked against metal. Countless knights caught in the impact were thrown to the ground, yet those in the rear ranks pressed forward without a moment's hesitation, throwing themselves into the fray.
Like sharp javelins hurled from both sides colliding and scattering countless splinters, a horrific scene unfolded as the knights at the front lines were swept away, their armor crushed to pieces.
"For the Frozen Lands! For the House of Edelgard!"
"Break through the specters! Slaughter every last one of these cursed ghosts!"
Their tenacity was fierce. They feared death not at all, leaping over the corpses of their comrades to unleash wave after wave of attacks. The knights of the Frozen Lands, defenders of the wall, were utterly overwhelming the spectral army. It was a peerless display of force, possible only for knights who carried the weight of immense pride and honor.
"And the Iron Bastion?"
"It stands! As expected of the Valtenstein detachment!"
They had defended the iron fortress for three days and three nights against the barbarians and undead. The flag of the Valtenstein detachment, fluttering proudly atop the wall, declared their successful defense. The knights of the Frozen Lands and its people were safe. Kailen and the Valtenstein detachment had held the line to the very end. It would have been impossible without absolute, unyielding resolve.
Leonora let out a bright, fierce smile, her brilliant silver hair whipping in the wind. She swung her blade, now coated in sharp sword energy, at the phantom knights charging directly at her.
Screeech!
Her strike sheared through bone and full plate armor wrapped in dark-green demonic energy alike. Countless phantom knights were sliced clean in half, tumbling onto the dirt along with their spectral steeds.
"Edelgard...!"
"You bastards again."
"What a stubborn struggle. Just how many times must we bury you?!"
Whoosh!
Flames erupted from the skeletal hands of robed figures. Liches—undead who had reached the pinnacle of grand magic. These cursed mages, now fallen into undeath, extended their bony hands and unleashed a rapid barrage of dark-green fireballs, targeting the Knights of Nilfheim.
"The fires of purgatory are falling!"
"Scatter! All units, prepare for the liches' magic barrage!"
From high above, the dark-green fireballs of purgatory began to rain down like meteors. Blazing with a dizzying, ominous light, they were aimed precisely at the knights of the Frozen Lands. The knights quickly shifted into a scattered formation to minimize the damage. The fireballs fell—flames of purgatory capable of melting all creation. A direct hit would inflict unprecedented casualties on the Knights of Nilfheim.
"Tch!" Leonora raised the tip of her sword high.
Rumble!
A freezing vortex swirled around her blade.
Crackle!
It was a freezing sword energy capable of locking all of creation in ice—the very technique she had used to rescue Kailen and the Valtenstein detachment when they were surrounded by flames.
"W-what is that?!"
"The fireballs... they're moving in a different direction!"
"Is this some wicked trick of the liches? No, there shouldn't be anything over there!"
Just as the brutal bombardment was about to strike, an unexpected anomaly occurred, baffling both the knights awaiting the impact and the liches who had cast the spell. The purgatorial fireballs, which had been roaring down to incinerate the Knights of Nilfheim, suddenly twisted mid-air and veered off course. The knights, who had scattered to keep their distance, raised their heads and stared in astonishment at the path of the flames.
"The Valtenstein detachment!"
"The Holy Empire's...! No, the mad dog of the Frozen Lands!"
The massive storm of purgatorial fireballs, wide enough to blot out the sky, was being sucked into a single point. The one responsible for neutralizing the liches' barrage was Kailen, who stood with the Black Star Sword raised high.
It was impossible. To strip away the control of active magic... what kind of sorcery had he used in that split second? The liches, draped in tattered robes, turned their hollow gazes toward Kailen.
"Our control over the magic was stolen in an instant."
"The culprit who usurped our authority... is that magic weapon held by that young whelp."
"To trample and humiliate the magical arts! Such a forbidden tool must not be allowed to exist in this world!"
A magic weapon that neutralized all spells. It was indeed a forbidden object that should not exist. In a single breath, it rendered useless the magical arts they had spent an eternity—a span of time denied to mere humans—building up. To the liches, the Black Star Sword and Kailen were an absolute abomination that utterly denied the very foundation of magic. Their blue eye-fires flickered with contempt and hatred. In response, countless wraith knights and phantom knights surged toward Kailen.
"I was getting bored of fighting nothing but skeletons...! I'll smash every last one of you boneheads to pieces!"
Blades wrapped in sharp demonic energy closed in on Kailen from all sides. In response, Kailen swung down the White Night Sword, which he had held high, blasting the wraith and phantom knights away with a storm of white-hot shockwaves.
The pitch-black blade that suppressed all magic, and the white blade that shattered all sword energy.
He was a monster. A monster unlike any they had ever encountered. Wielding the black and white dual swords as if they were extensions of his own limbs, Kailen's overwhelming presence dominated the undead horde.
"Aide!"
As the battlefield descended into a chaotic melee, a silver-haired beauty joined the fray, leading her royal knights. It was Leonora. Kailen met the red eyes of the beautiful Judge. Having been on high alert for three days and nights, Kailen felt his tense guard melt away the moment he reunited with her.
"Lady Leonora."
"My aide never ceases to amaze me! Just how many hidden talents do you possess?"
"You flatter me."
"Though my amazement is a chaotic mix of both positive and negative feelings... regardless, I pay my respects to the valiant struggle of my aide and the Valtenstein detachment."
It had been estimated that it would take four days for the knights of the Frozen Lands and the reinforcements from the Colonial Empire to gather in Nilfheim and reach the Iron Bastion, the vanguard of the Great Wall. Yet, the main force of the Edelgard family had appeared on the third day. The reason was simple: they hadn't waited to gather all the forces of the Frozen Lands. The moment Leonora heard that the barbarians and undead had surrounded the Iron Bastion, she had rushed to the battlefield with whatever forces were assembled in Nilfheim.
It was a highly reckless decision. To launch a surprise flank attack on the wraith and phantom knights with reinforcements who weren't even fully equipped—it was a feat that would have been utterly impossible for anyone other than elite knights tempered in the harsh battlefields of the Frozen Lands.
Boom!
An explosion echoed toward the sky filled with dark clouds. Simultaneously, an orange flare carved its way through the gloom. It was the signal for a military order. Upon seeing the orange light, the Knights of Nilfheim immediately turned their horses around.
"The flare! The flare has gone up!"
"Retreat from the battlefield! All knights, turn back!"
"It's time to rain down fire on these rotting corpses raised from the grave!"
The Knights of Nilfheim, who had been scattered across the battlefield, made a desperate escape. The wraith and phantom knights froze in confusion, watching their enemies abruptly disengage and flee.
"The Valtenstein detachment must also hurry and retreat. The fireworks that will shock these wicked undead are about to begin."
"Pardon?"
Fireworks. She was likely referring to the numerous stationary cannons mounted on the wall. And it wasn't just stationary cannons; countless magic-engineering cannons were revealing themselves. The artillerymen stationed at the bastions aimed their cannons at the wraith and phantom knights—who had bunched up to fight the Knights of Nilfheim—and prepared to unleash a devastating bombardment.
Mana shells, condensed to their absolute limit, drew parabolic arcs across the sky before devastating the ground below. The densely packed undead suffered catastrophic casualties from the explosions of blue mana. A perfect net of fire had been woven. It was a rain of fire designed specifically for the overwhelming numbers of the undead. Had they failed to defend the Iron Bastion, this fiery retribution would have been impossible. If the iron fortress and the wall had fallen, the magic-engineering cannons brought from Nilfheim would have been rendered completely useless.
"Aide!"
"I am... just a bit tired."
Kailen stumbled as he watched the spectacular display of falling fire. Sensing the gravity of the situation, Leonora quickly supported him and checked his condition. His palms were practically fused to the hilts of his swords. When she rolled up his sleeves, she found his forearms charred black. It was the consequence of the severe overload caused by the magic weapons, which had channeled torrents of mana continuously for three days and nights.
"Commander Valtenstein. I will have to tear your clothes."
Rosalyn, who had been watching the situation closely, stepped forward. Without hesitation, the one-eyed female knight stripped away his armor and tore open his shirt.
"What on earth... have you done to your body?"
"This is the price of overusing the White Night Sword and the Black Star Sword while relying on a trashy, third-rate mana cultivation method meant for low-born nobles."
Kailen's upper body was covered in scars caused by the violent rampage of absorbed mana within his body. Centered around his heart on the left side of his chest, numerous cracks spread outward like fractures in stained glass.