Arc 4 Chapter 11 : Siena Vs Danilo

[Danilo de Asturias POV]

I must reclaim my honor in this war.

That was the only thought occupying my mind after that young man humiliated me before the entire assembly of nobles and even the Emperor himself during that meeting.

In our first battle, despite possessing a force vastly superior to theirs, those Non-Sorcerers had still managed to withstand our assault. Marshal Salazar had no choice but to order the Knights into the fray to help capture this Fortress City.

He then commanded me to lead one hundred Knights and conquer the city as quickly as possible.

However, the Knights under my command encountered fierce resistance from the enemy fighters—and the one leading them was a young, black-haired woman.

She was fighting several Knights at once, and she was using magic.

Could she be the woman everyone has been talking about?

After engaging her myself, my suspicion proved correct.

She was Siena di Reginossa, the woman known as The Miracle. Not only was she the sole descendant of the Venetian people capable of using magic, but she was also renowned for creating numerous brilliant innovations.

At this moment, our swords were locked together as we tested each other's strength.

Activating Fuerte, a superior spell to Temper, I managed to overpower the woman before me and send her body flying backward.

But I would not give her even a moment to breathe.

I would reclaim my honor by defeating the woman revered by the entire Venetian nation!

"Asphalt!"

Activating the highest-tier speed spell, I shot toward her and unleashed a series of attacks.

"Dance of the Dragon!"

I directed five slashes at her. She managed to block three and evade the remaining two.

Activating Avilar and expanding the Mana Spectrum across my sword, I thrust toward her face with blinding speed.

Yet she read the attack and managed to evade the thrust.

Even so, the Mana Spectrum coating my blade sliced across her right cheek, drawing blood.

The woman immediately counterattacked with a slash that radiated an orange light.

Clang!

I caught it with my sword.

But the force behind her strike drove me backward, the result of the strength buff she had activated at the moment of impact.

I stared at her.

Her expression was deadly serious, and with blood running down her cheek, she looked like a cold-blooded female knight who had stepped straight out of a battlefield nightmare.

All right.

Let's make this fight even more intense.

"Ignite..."

The moment I uttered the word, flames erupted around the sword in my hand.

"Flaming Dragon!"

I swung my sword, and the flames engulfing it shot toward the woman, taking the shape of a raging dragon.

Yet the woman remained calm.

She simply waited for my attack to reach her.

Suddenly, orange light enveloped her sword.

She's coating her blade with her Unreality Field.

"Heaven Divide!"

The woman brought her sword down in a vertical slash.

The Fire Dragon rushing toward her was cleaved cleanly in two before vanishing in an instant.

So that's how it is?

Her raw swordsmanship wasn't the only thing extraordinary.

She possessed an incredible Unreality Field as well.

Even though she was five years younger than me, she had already reached a level comparable to mine—the level of a Grand Espada.

"Then let's see if you can cut through this spell."

But the woman gave no response.

Instead, she immediately shot toward me using her Asphalt spell.

My sword was once again engulfed in flames.

But this time, the flames were different.

A green light surrounded the tips of the fire dancing along my blade.

"Blazing Tempest... Stormfire Dragon!"

The attack shot toward her once again.

But this time, she did not attempt to cut it apart.

Instead, she dodged to the side.

So she realized it.

This attack combined the Nature Mana of Fire with the Nature Mana of Wind.

An attack created from the fusion of two different Nature Manas would not be so easily severed, even with her Unreality Field.

However...

I had already anticipated that.

Before she could dodge, I had already moved toward the position I predicted she would choose.

"Take this! Midnight Rose!"

I unleashed a devastating combination of attacks.

This time, she failed to block every strike.

My sword managed to carve several wounds across her body.

The woman immediately leapt backward to create some distance between us.

But I would not give her any room to breathe.

I pursued her with Asphalt.

However, the moment I reached her—

My speed suddenly slowed.

That made no sense.

Asphalt was supposed to increase my speed dramatically.

Instead, it had slowed me down.

The woman instantly took advantage of my weakened state.

She rushed toward me and unleashed a brutal combination of attacks, too fast and relentless for me to block every one.

"Heaven Divide!"

She ended her combo with a powerful slash.

I managed to block it with my sword, but the sheer force sent me flying backward and crashing through several buildings.

"Ughhh... What the hell was that?"

I forced myself back to my feet.

My body was covered in cuts from her combination attack, and blood was beginning to soak through my clothes.

"Why did Asphalt slow me down when it should have increased my speed?"

Could this be one of her abilities?

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I had no idea.

But right now, the woman was already rushing toward me again, her eyes carrying the predatory gaze of a wild beast.

I activated Asphalt once more, hoping to learn more about her ability.

But the moment I approached her—

My body slowed down again.

As the woman prepared to attack, I immediately deactivated the spell.

Sure enough, my speed returned to normal.

"Heavenly Dance!"

Once again, she unleashed a rapid combination of attacks.

I tried to block and evade them, but without the speed buffs from Asphalt and Accel, I struggled immensely.

Several additional cuts appeared across my body.

I had no choice.

"Camara de Vaco!"

The moment I activated my secret spell, the woman suddenly clutched her throat with her left hand, as though she were being strangled.

Taking advantage of her weakened condition, I launched a swift counterattack.

This time, even without using a speed buff, she struggled to block my attacks because she was having difficulty breathing.

She leapt far backward to put some distance between us.

For a moment, she could finally breathe fresh air.

But I wasn't about to let her recover.

I closed the distance again.

The moment we came within range of my spell, she once again appeared to choke.

I gathered a tremendous amount of Mana into my sword before unleashing a powerful slash.

"Hah! Take this—Sunrise Explosion!"

She attempted to block it.

But my sword exploded upon impact, sending her flying backward and crashing through several buildings.

The woman slowly rose to her feet.

Blood was trickling from her mouth.

"Spatial Magic..."

She seemed to mutter something under her breath.

I immediately prepared myself.

Is she about to use a large-scale spell?

The woman began gathering a considerable amount of Mana into her sword.

But then, to my surprise, she suddenly moved as though she were about to attack a pile of rubble beside her.

Has she gone insane?

That was what crossed my mind as I watched her.

Then—

My body suddenly shifted.

In an instant, I found myself standing exactly where that pile of rubble had been.

"Mezzaluna..."

"Unreality Field!"

BAMMMM!

Her attack struck my abdomen with devastating force.

My body was sent flying, rolling several times across the ground.

"Urgh! Cough! Cough! Damn it! What kind of magic is that woman using!?"

I coughed up blood.

If I had been even a moment too late activating my Unreality Field, that attack would have killed me instantly.

But I wasn't given any time to analyze what had just happened.

My opponent was already rushing toward me.

I activated the spell that had caused her so much trouble earlier.

The moment she entered its range, I saw her clutch her throat again, as though she were being strangled.

Taking advantage of the opening, I swung my sword in a powerful diagonal slash.

But I was stunned when my blade struck nothing but a rock.

Not her.

Where did she go!?

"..."

The split rock suddenly vanished.

At the same time, it exchanged places with the black-haired woman.

"Mezzaluna!"

She swung her sword at me once again.

The blow sent me flying backward until I crashed into a statue, shattering it.

The statue's head fell toward me, threatening to crush my body.

But suddenly, it vanished—

And exchanged places with the black-haired woman.

"Heaven Divide!"

Once again, she assaulted me with that strange magic of hers.

I couldn't fight back.

If I continued relying solely on my Unreality Field to defend myself, I would eventually die in this battle.

I had no choice.

I leapt far backward, desperately trying to put some distance between myself and the range of her magic.

"I'll use my Awakening power! Red Vel—"

I stopped the activation of my Awakening.

Someone had suddenly placed a hand on my shoulder, silently ordering me to stop what I was about to do in order to defeat the woman.

"Count Raymond de Chatelon..."

The man who had stopped me was in his fifties, clad in gleaming white armor that reflected the sunlight.

He was the most senior Grand Espada among the six others, myself included.

"Why did you stop me, Raymond the White Knight?" I asked.

"Danilo, don't be reckless enough to reveal your secret weapon to the enemy," the old man said. "Especially this early in the war."

To be honest, I had already sensed his presence inside the city.

But it seemed he had remained on the sidelines because he knew how badly I wanted to claim the glory of defeating that woman myself.

"Then are we going to fight her together? It would be humiliating if two Grand Espada were required to defeat a single person! The world will think our group is beginning to weaken. They'll laugh at us for calling ourselves the strongest Knights of the Empire!" I protested.

"You're absolutely right. If two Grand Espada are required to defeat a single opponent, it would tarnish our reputation," Count Raymond agreed. "That is precisely why you should leave this battle to me."

"What did you say!? I can still fight her! I can defeat that woman!"

My emotions boiled over the moment those words left Count Raymond's mouth.

"From the battle I have observed, it is clear that you are at a disadvantage against a woman with abilities as unique as hers," Count Raymond said. "Leave this battle to me. If we don't defeat her soon, there is a chance the mission Marshal Salazar entrusted to us will fail—and that would be an even greater humiliation for the Grand Espada."

His words left me clenching my fists as tightly as I could.

I was disappointed in myself.

I still hadn't managed to achieve any glory in this war—nor had I reclaimed the honor that brat had taken from me.

"DAMN IT!!!"

[Siena POV]

Grand Espada Danilo had left.

He seemed to be going to assist the Knights under his command, who were currently fighting every member of my Squad protecting the Musketeers from the threat posed by the enemy Wizards.

On top of that, Count Raymond standing before me appeared to have brought even more Knights into the city.

This is bad.

Very bad.

"You are still very young, yet your skills as a Knight are truly remarkable," Count Raymond said, praising me as he drew his sword. "You remind me of my niece, who possessed one of the most extraordinary sword talents in the history of the Empire."

Hoo~

Does the Empire already have a successor to Liana de Grantz?

Until now, no one had been able to rival her swordsmanship throughout the history of that nation.

"Now, let us see the limits of your strength, Lady Siena."

The man suddenly shot toward me.

I braced myself for his attack.

"River Flow in You!"

He unleashed four slashes with incredible speed.

Less than a second.

I could evade only three of them.

The fourth sliced across my arm.

"Singin in The Rain!"

Once again, he unleashed a rapid combination of attacks.

I retreated, trying to maintain some distance from him.

Even without using a single speed spell, his attacks were incredibly difficult to predict.

Because of that, I couldn't apply the same Debuff I had used against Grand Espada Danilo earlier.

This time, I would use Spatial Room on him.

After activating my spell, a domain that only I could perceive spread across the surrounding area.

The moment my opponent entered the Domain, I attacked an object near me and forced its position to exchange with that of my opponent.

Tang!

But my opponent reacted to the spell.

He must have been paying close attention to my battle with Grand Espada Danilo earlier.

That made this spell far less effective against him.

"What a troublesome magic," Count Raymond said with a smile. "But if you want to defeat me, you cannot hold back."

He attacked me again with a combination of slashes and thrusts.

The precision of his attacks was unlike anything I had ever encountered.

Meanwhile, while I was occupied here, the Knights Count Raymond had brought into the city were turning the battle back in the Empire's favor.

Although the Squad I had built could hold its own against the Imperial Knights, there was no way the Cavalier Squad could defeat Knights who outnumbered them two to one.

I have to do something.

I increased the distance between us and leapt onto the roof of a nearby building.

Count Raymond appeared ready to follow.

But I had already activated my Profound Codex.

"Blade of the Future!"

Suddenly, blood burst from Count Raymond's leg as though it had been sliced by an invisible sword.

His body crashed to the ground.

He looked utterly confused by what had just happened.

Damn it.

My spell had still missed its true target.

But I didn't waste any time.

I immediately headed toward the area where the members of my Squad were fighting the Imperial Knights.

However, I could still sense Count Raymond following behind me.

Looks like I'll have to do it.

Even if it meant consuming a tremendous amount of Mana.

"Rolling in The Deep!"

I turned around.

Count Raymond was already preparing another combination of attacks.

"Midnight Raven!"

Our swords clashed.

We exchanged combinations of attacks, each of us trying to overwhelm the other.

I had to improvise my own combo as I attacked while simultaneously evading Count Raymond's relentless assault.

When our exchanges finally ended, both of our bodies were covered in cuts from each other's blades.

"You..."

Count Raymond's expression was one of utter shock.

"What you used just now... there's no mistaking it."

He stared at me in disbelief.

"That combination was my Master's—Liana de Grantz's! Where did you learn a combination that only she was capable of mastering, Lady Siena!?"

Count Raymond was clearly desperate for an answer.

But I couldn't tell him that all of my combat experience had come from dreams—dreams in which I had witnessed the life of the strongest Grand Espada in the Empire.

I didn't answer his question.

Instead, I continued running toward the area where my Squad was fighting.

When I finally arrived, I saw my members being pushed into a corner by the Imperial Knights.

Each of them was being forced to fight two Knights at once.

"Wait! Please, answer my question!"

I ignored Count Raymond's plea as he followed behind me.

Once I reached the center of the battle, I took a deep breath and expanded the Domain of my Spatial Magic.

At the very least, I need to expand my Domain to a radius of four kilometers.

Only then could everyone retreat safely.

After gathering a tremendous amount of Mana, I began activating my spell.

"Spatial Magic—Massicio Enumbra!"

The moment I activated the spell, every Imperial Knight fighting inside the city suddenly disappeared.

They were transported away, their positions exchanged with rocks located four kilometers from the city.

"Huh? Where did they all go!?"

"Why did those Imperial dogs suddenly disappear!?"

Everyone was left confused.

The enemies they had been fighting in a battle to the death had suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Retreat... Everyone, retreat and abandon the city!"

After shouting those words, my body became incredibly weak.

My vision began to blur.

I had consumed an enormous amount of Mana to cast that spell on such a massive scale.

But if I hadn't done it, everyone here would have been slaughtered by the Imperial Knights.

There were simply too many of them for us to fight.

After abandoning Fortress City Regium and retreating into Modena Forest, we finally received the battle statistics from the fighting that had taken place inside the fortress.

We had lost approximately 7,000 soldiers defending Fortress City Regium.

As for the Cavalier Squad under my command, we had lost 21 members, while another dozen or so had suffered injuries ranging from minor to severe.

It was an enormous loss for the first battle of our war.

[Elena POV]

After the battle had continued for nearly ten hours, all of the Knights who had been deployed suddenly appeared in a field not far from the main military tent we had established.

When our soldiers returned from the Fortress City, they reported that the Venetian Republic's forces had retreated and abandoned Fortress City Regium—the very city we had spent the first stage of our operation fighting to capture.

When I and the others entered the city, the remains of destroyed buildings lay scattered everywhere.

The corpses of soldiers from both sides, many of them not yet removed from the battlefield, were strewn across the streets.

A powerful stench of decay filled the air.

I had to keep my hand over my nose as I walked through the ruined city.

When the battle finally ended, we had suffered approximately 6,000 casualties.

But what was even more unfortunate was the loss of around seventy Knights and fifty Wizards during the assault.

Among them were three Animagus Wizards.

Only two survived the battle.

They had become the primary targets of the Venetian forces after tearing apart the city's defenses from within.

There would be many more bloody battles like this in the days to come.

This was only the beginning of the war.

And many more lives would be lost because of a conflict that should never have happened in the first place.