2 - The Fall Of The Eura Stronghold

[2024, DURING THE EVENTS OF THE SOUL-BOUND WAR]

The night was still young, but the sounds of artillery shells rapidly bashing at the barrier kept everyone awake. The light blue sphere that covered the large military complex wasn’t the only defensive measure against the incoming onslaught, but it was so effective that it was crowned as the sole protector of the outpost.

Dozens of tents covered the area, all close to artillery cannons, hangars filled to the brim with military vehicles, Humvees, and even a few fighter jets close to the runway area. In the center was a set of HQ buildings, where the key players of the base’s game were located. The most important player, seeing the arrival of her two family members, descended down, causing a rather powerful impact with her landing.

Her pose, her behavior and even the gaze of her crystal blue eyes signified her extreme confidence. She was a born ruler, a soul destined to take a position of power, and had she been born a few hundred years earlier she’d be crowned as a queen and recognized as the mistress of an unshakable empire. Her hair was straight and taken care of very well, its magnificent blonde shades shining under the moonlight. She walked with a presence that soared way higher than anyone else’s in that area. She wore a proper set of iron armor - which felt as light for her to wear as a feather-woven dress. Above that dress was a cloak with gold and light blue decorations. And her eyes were a perfect azure...

The sphere above her slowly started dissipating away. Artillery shots started raining down, some of them hitting the tents, others barely missing the crucial buildings, one even landing close to the woman herself. Upon noticing that, she calmly took a deep breath and whispered.

“Hymn of Protection.”

The barrier was reignited. It sent out a powerful shockwave that knocked the incoming projectiles out of their way. She observed the defense, making countless calculations in her mind, but her worry was somewhere else.

Her name was Elena Thomas. She was the iron mistress of the Eura stronghold. She was a powerful woman, and a strong leader. Kaito Kamiki appointed that crucial role to her because of her outstanding strength and resilience. To him, she was the definition of the word ‘stronghold’. To her family, however, she was an idol...

“How long do you plan on retaining that barrier?” Matilda asked, approaching her. Victoria followed suit. “Do you need any refreshments?”

“Otto Richter’s soulless forces cannot do relevant damage to us, and all the barrier damage is easily fixable.” Elena said. “Ignoring his treachery, his stubbornness is admirable. He wants to cause a truly global calamity by attacking the strongholds, even though his primary target is Naja.”

She looked up. She watched the sky constantly flash blue - those were the points of impact which absorbed incoming hellfire.

“The barrier will hold itself.” Elena confidently replied, her voice as strong as iron. “I have something else on my mind.”

“What could it be?” Matilda eagerly asked.

“There’s a presence lurking here, you might not feel it, but it’s there.” Elena explained. “Four presences, one of which is almost demonic...”

“We can send someone to check it out.” Matilda said.

“I’d rather not.” Elena quickly threw that idea into the trash can. “I have a grueling suspicion that I might know who exactly is on their way here.”

“The institute?” Victoria asked.

“You’re absolutely correct.” Elena explained. “I’ve had my eye on them for a long time. They think we are distracted by the war.”

“The prodigy, right?” Matilda asked. “The Soulful Research Institute? I know they work with soulfuls, but why would they attack?”

“It’s simple.” Elena sighed. “They want the stronghold to themselves.”

“For as long as I live, I will not allow such a disaster to happen.”

“Aizawa, formerly known as Alma Alekna, is an extremely dangerous soulful. They’re taking advantage of the war to seize Eura while the Heisei is busy.” Elena said. “If I were you, I would leave this base as fast as possible and report to the rest of the strongholds. Especially to Kaito.”

“Is that a task, or a suggestion?” Matilda asked.

“It is an order.” Elena said, watching the shield slowly begin cracking. Then, all three of them were overwhelmed by a presence the type of which they had never felt before in their lives. The shield collapsed shortly after. Victoria and Matilda didn’t sense it, but it was pierced and sliced apart by a pair of dangerously fast blades. Most concerningly...it was an attack made from a great distance. The artillery fire stopped.

“Get out of here, now!” Elena commanded, summoning her weapon. It was a beautiful sword with gold and dark blue decorations on the handle and a golden hilt.

“No way! I’m not leaving you here!” Victoria protested. Elena was pleasantly surprised by that gesture, but Matilda seemed more upset than anything.

“Do not disobey orders.” Matilda complained.

“Vicky, it’s gonna be alright, okay?” Elena cupped her younger sister’s face. “Go out there, contact Kaito, and get him to settle stuff.”

“What about the other strongholds?” Matilda asked.

“They’re all terrified of Kaito. But as long as they protect soulfuls, I wouldn’t care if they have problems with him.” Elena said.

“Elena...” Victoria said, with tears in her face.

“Vicky, listen to me. If anything happens to me, I want you to get as close as possible to Kaito. I want you to spearhead the operation of retaking Eura, okay?” Elena said in a comforting voice. “Screw the other strongholds. Kaito is the only one capable of helping you. I know you’ll make it, you’re a brave girl. You have my blood in you.”

“I will...” Victoria wiped her tears, and after embracing her sister one last time, she ran off. “I will!”

“She’s an incompetent fool.” Matilda said. “You should’ve appointed me as the leader. I have a better plan. I would reunite with the strongholds and create an independent-”

“I’ve made my choice already, auntie.” Elena said.

“She disobeyed your order!”

“To fight by my side.” Elena said. “You should leave too.”

Matilda scoffed and walked away. Elena was left alone in the stronghold, and she could feel the demonic presence approach her more and more. She took a few deep breaths and flared her own presence.

“You want to take the stronghold, right?” Elena thought to herself, holding her sword in the direction of the approaching disaster.

“Then come and get it.”

...

“Kyaaah!” Katya cheered, crushing rows of convoys with LV1’s feet. “Look at them go!”

“Katya, tone it down!” Reiner chuckled. “Leave some for the rest of us. And leave some energy for the main course!”

“Oh come on, quit ruining the fun!” Katya exclaimed. Shots were fired in her direction, but they did a total of zero damage. She continued mowing down military equipment like a child destroying a sandcastle.

They all froze for a few moments. They looked at the base, and the shields were gone. Something was off with their leader.

“The shield is broken!” Katya cheered, recovering from the drowning feeling of the released presence. “Come on, let’s go! Chaaaarge!!!”

“None of you will enter the base.” Aizawa commanded. She walked towards the base with her weapons in her hands, and a deadly glare in her eyes.

“Huh? Why?” Katya complained.

“I will destroy the head of the stronghold myself.” Aizawa said. She continued marching forwards, eventually fading away.

“Did you see? Her eyes were colorful.” Reiner said. “She’s in serious mode.”

“Ehh?” Katya was curious. ”I didn’t see...she removed her seals?”

“She has them on to conceal her presence, but it limits her capabilities.” Nightseer explained. “No point in hiding your presence if you’re going on a full on frontal assault, I assume...”

“Even with limited power, she’s scary...”

Aizawa marched forwards, showering in the moonlight. The same moon that was there when she used memory extraction for the first time guided her towards her next target. She needed more influence over the region, she needed to expand her research institute all over Europe, and most importantly, she needed information. She needed the gold that was sealed in Elena’s head.

And Elena braced for impact.

“Song of Protection.”

She created another defensive barrier as Aizawa loomed closer and closer to the base. It had barely been ten seconds. The barrier collapsed one more time, it was violently broken through. Aizawa’s blades pierced through it as if it wasn’t even there.

Groups of soldiers quickly rushed at the site. They tried to gun Aizawa down, but their bullets weren’t even significant enough to scratch her - they only caused a mild sense of discomfort. And she did not want any distractions at the moment. With one graceful motion, one of the blades shoved itself into one of the soldiers’ cranium, forcing blood to violently gush out of the wound. The other blade swept through them, cutting their heads one by one.

In the distance, a tank was preparing to begin operations and open fire at her. Before it could drive even a millimeter forward, it was dismantled into multiple pieces, and its personnel - completely destroyed. The closer Aizawa got, the more Elena could feel the presence of death itself, reaping the helpless servants one by one.

And with one motion, Aizawa destroyed not just the personnel, but the environment too! A lethally fast dance of her blades assured that the buildings close to her and the ground itself were shredded apart and destroyed, as she charged at Elena. And instead of backing down, Elena met her head on!

“Hymn of Protection!”

A light blue barrier appeared in front of her, shielding her from Aizawa’s blades. One the latter noticed that ranged strikes failed to destroy a much more compact, concentrated shield with ease, she used her fist instead. She struck the shield with all her might, the deep impact of the strikes cracking the barrier. Elena didn’t bulge, she kicked Aizawa to the side and swung her sword again.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Hymn of Destruction!”

She struck the ground with her blade, releasing a tremendous explosive force into it and launching Aizawa into the air. She jumped after her. Aizawa took the opportunity and quickly unleashed a storm of slashes with Blossom Reaper, but Elena had a counterplay against that too.

“Hymn of Transportation.”

Thankfully, only a few slashes landed. A light blue circle appeared beneath Elena, who, a moment later, appeared right behind Aizawa. She swung her blade, but Aizawa’s fist was faster. She struck him down into the ground, the point of impact leaving a small crater. Elena quickly got up and noticed Aizawa rushing at her.

“Hymn of Sharpness!”

She could’ve tried to teleport away, but she decided to opt for a decisive counterattack. One that Aizawa managed to intercept. She leaned back amidst her advance, dodging the dangerous blow, and got closer again. Elena tried to use the barrier again, but Aizawa was simply faster. Not only did she land a devastating overhand to knock her back, but she also pierced her a few times in her legs and body. She looked...calm.

Elena stood back up at a distance.

“This damn devil...”

“Hymn of Rejuvenation.”

A thinner blue circle appeared beneath her, doing its best to heal her wounds. Aizawa slowly approached her.

“Reistance is pointless.” Aizawa said. “The Servata Cordis may not be impeached by the likes of you.”

“And you think I’m scared of you?” Elena asked, her presence flaring up.

“O, benevolent prowess gifted to me by my soul.”

“The game of light and dark, and its playful consequence, has become the catalyst for my awakening.”

“And I, as its vessel, feel but honor. And I, as its servant, feel hatred against those who interrupt its expression.”

“✦ Divine Acclamation ✦ ”

“ ✦ Symphony Of Power!!! ✦ ”

She screamed those words as if her throat was being ripped out of her body. Distant angelic humming was heard, as her presence skyrocketed, a light blue halo appeared behind her head, and a thin pair of light blue wings with golden markings appeared on her back. Her eyes were ignited with a determined spark. ‘Symphony of Power’ wasn’t directly destructive, but the opportunities it gave Elena were worth it for sure. First, she could use multiple hymns at the same time. Second, her power was greatly increased. And third, she unlocked a much more dangerous area of her toolkit...

“Hymn of Protection.”

“Hymn of Rejuvenation."

“Hymn of Sharpness.”

“Hymn of Transportation.”

Elena instantly teleported right next to Aizawa and swung her blade! Aizawa dodged back, and Elena swung again - the missed strike hitting the ground and shattering it! She swung her sword again and Aizawa clashed against it with one of her blades. The other one, like a cobra, bit at her and attempted to stab her in the stomach - but the stabbing wound was relatively shallow. Elena stepped back and countered - successfully hitting Aizawa and landing a slashing cut on her stomach. The cut rapidly expanded, cutting significantly deep into her body. But Aizawa retained that cold attitude of hers.

She, while regenerating her wounds, rapidly swung her blades around - taking full advantage of the kusarigama-like ranged attacks. She sliced through anything that came into contact with them. Elena started rapidly backing away, trying to keep the distance as large as possible, but no matter the distance Aizawa’s stabbing and slashing attacks still found a way to reach her.

Thanks to her enhancements, Elena was able to withstand the barrages. She had enhanced toughness and accelerated regeneration, but every song has an end. And if they ended at an unfortunate time, she might straight up die from blood loss as tons of wounds would suddenly open up. So she, despite challenging Aizawa head-on, was forced to retreat.

“Hymn of Transportation!”

She teleported to another corner of the base, but a second later, she saw both of Aizawa’s blades attacking her in stabbing motions. Another second later, Aizawa, using the blades as grappling hooks, pulled herself closer. Another second later, Elena was ready with a counter.

“Hymn of Destruction!”

The powerful beam blasted her away, but after a moment of impact, Aizawa dodged it, and successfully kept mobility high enough for Elena to miss. She started ravaging her with her blades again. Elena backed away into one of the hangars, but nothing would remain of that structure soon. Parts of the walls were instantly sliced apart, with the roof being the last thing getting dismantled. The same happened to the two other hangars Elena decided to retreat to.

“Hymn of Destruction!”

Buying herself some time and hiding behind a hangar that hadn’t been dismantled yet, she fired off another beam. Aizawa leapt on top of the hangar’s roof and with constant stabbing motions attempted to poke at the soulful beneath her. The beam, pointed at the sky, acted as a beacon that cried for help...

“Hymn of Mobility.”

“Hymn of Rejuvenation.”

“Hymn of Transportation!”

Elena appeared next to Aizawa again, but she was ready this time. She kicked Elena away, and while she was in the air, one of the blades reached and stabbed her in the stomach. The other blade caught on, piercing at the lower side of the stomach, attempting to rip her in half while suspended in the air.

Elena coughed up blood. She tried to hold her hands out and fire another beam, but Aizawa, noticing the motion, pulled one of the blades out of her stomach and used it to cut Elena’s hands off. But Elena smiled, coughing up some blood.

“I’m...pulling through...”

“Vicky should be far away enough now.”

“Given enough time, your defenses will collapse.” Aizawa smiled, continuing to hit it with strikes strong enough to collapse entire structures. “You will push yourself to exhaustion and die.”

“Look who’s talking about hope. You don’t deserve even an ounce of it.” Elena taunted her. “I can go on for longer.”

“I am not in need of hope.” Aizawa said. “I am hope and salvation myself.”

“If you wanted more funding or opportunities in your shitty institution, you could’ve just asked for it.” Elena said.

“I am...choosing...war...” Aizawa said, stopping for a moment. “A war against the flaw of this species. I will be its savior.”

“You’re an evil bitch, that’s what you are.” Elena said. “It’s evil bitches like you that make the world an awful place.”

“Is that so?” Aizawa smiled. She brought her hand closer to Elena’s forehead. Her presence broke all limits.

“ ✦ Divine Acclamation. ✦ ”

“ ✦ Mindless Vortex. ✦ ”

The ghostly domain of green and purple overtook the area. Aizawa’s divine acclamation forced Elena to commit a chunk of her soul prowess to protect her against the dimming.

“Hymn of Protection!”

“Hymn of Rejuvenation!”

Elena quickly encased herself in a barrier and regenerated her hands. However, she perhaps overestimated the strength of her defense. Aizawa, now strengthened by her acclamation, pried the barrier open with her bare hands.

Streams of cracks quickly spread through it, and its structure became damaged enough to break apart in a violent explosion. Elena was now faced with Aizawa who was not only already overpowering her, but had also gotten even stronger. All she could do was hold onto her sword and fight back.

“Hymn of Offense!!!”

She charged at Aizawa, but the latter, seemingly relaxed, dodged to the side. Aizawa swung her blades at her and carved a pair of deep wounds on her chest, before charging in and punching the living hell out of her, knocking her down on the ground. She chased her down, once again, reaping through the surrounding, slicing them like a blender.

“While Mindless Vortex is active, she has no chance.” Aizawa thought to herself, continuing her offense and butchering Elena and her precious base. “If I touch her head with my palm once, I will instantly erase all of her memories.”

“If contact lasts more than an instant, I will have the option to erase her natural instructions. She will forget how to walk and breathe. But that will not be necessary. I have a certain experiment I wish to carry out on her.”

“And on top of that, my own perception is enhanced to the maximum. I can sense every one of her movements, even at a microscopic level. She cannot hide her movements from me. She stands no chance.”

And quickly, one of the blades heavily slashed Elena’s leg. The other one pierced it and pinned it on the ground, and the first one, changing its target, pierced her arm and further immobilized her.

“Don’t worry. You will be a perfect vessel.” Aizawa said, approaching her. She calmly placed her hand on Elena’s forehead.

“Comple-”

“Hymn of Destruction.”

An extremely miniature, almost slicing discharge of energy occurred. It knocked Aizawa back, who, after seeing the truth, was fascinated. It was as if Elena’s forehead had been slashed, with even parts of her skull gone.

“In order to avoid contact with me...you destroyed your own head?” Aizawa asked, getting closer. “How fascinating.”

“Fuck...you...” Elena grunted. No matter her witty schemes, she was still pinned on the ground and heavily injured. And she almost blasted her own brain off.

“The Thomas family is that of fierce soulful warriors.” Aizawa said. ”That is why Kaito Kamiki took an interest in you, correct?”

“Get lost...” Elena continued. “Even if you kill me, Kaito will kill your sorrowful ass.”

“He will be dealt with.” Aizawa proudly exclaimed. “This pitiful stronghold of yours is my way of declaring war on him. Once he falls, there will be nothing left to stop me.”

“You’re not just stubborn, you’re also delusional!” Elena said, trying to get up, ripping parts of her limbs open in the process. Even though she was standing up, Aizawa paid no attention to her.

“As flawed as a human is, it has one habit.” Aizawa said. “It tends to fight for what it wants.”

“Huh...?”

“My desire to carry out the Servata Cordis. To use my memory manipulation on a grand scale to create a perfect humanity, despite the abundance of obstacles.” Aizawa explained. “And your desire to fight me, a superior opponent, to stop me. Do you understand?”

“That’s...your end goal? Enslaving humanity?” Elena asked, shocked. But a few seconds later, much to Aizawa’s confusion and frustration, she laughed. She started laughing like she’s never laughed before.

“That means you’ll end up against Kaito just like I ended up against you.” Elena taunted her. “There’s no way he’d let your insanity slide.”

“There is a difference between you and me.” Aizawa said, her eyes shining. “I am a savior. You are a lamb. I act upon my power to forge a world I desire, and you act as an inconvenience along the way.”

Aizawa reached for Elena’s forehead again, but Elena jumped up a little and bit her wrist. Strong enough, in fact, to rip her hand off. While Aizawa was surprised, and, quite frankly, disgusted, Elena summoned her sword and cut Aizawa’s other arm off.

“Hymn of Sharpness...”

“You’re not a savior.” Elena said, her hate pouring out of her month in the form of lonesome blood trails. “You’re a sick fucking psychopath. You’re no one to decide how a human is supposed to be.”

“But you’re right about one thing.”

Aizawa couldn’t deliver a killing blow just yet. She manifested her weapon on the ground and kicked it up at Elena, stabbing her in the stomach. But the latter came closer, and while she had almost no strength left to properly attack, her determination allowed her to hold onto Aizawa’s arm as tightly as possible.

“Humans fight for what they want.” Elena said. Aizawa tried to force her to let go, but couldn’t. “And some are even willing to die for it.”

“And in this case...”

“What I want is to wipe you off this planet.”

“Vicky...whatever happens, I know you’ll be fine. You’re a strong girl.”

She glared at Aizawa, and her presence suddenly spiked.

“My final request...”

“A plea to that dance...”

“Kill whatever is left.”

“ ✦ Supreme Requiem of Sacrifice!!!!! ✦ ”

Everything was destroyed. A giant cross of light appeared where Elena was, and with her sacrificial attack, the entire base was leveled to the ground. All that remained was a crater, and the shockwave was powerful enough to destroy the terrain around it too.

“Woooah, what the hell was that?!” Katya asked, astonished at the sight. “That’s why she didn’t want us to go there?”

“Hey, is she even alive? That was a pretty fucking strong explosion!” Reiner voiced his concern.

“She’s alive. She’s right there...” Nightseer said, pointing at a smaller area further away from the main crater.

“She survived that?!” Reiner couldn’t believe his eyes.

“No, looks more like she escaped it.” Nightseer said, sighing in relief.

Aizawa stood still. The entire front of her body was burnt and blown up, with parts of her intestines and skeleton showing, same with her legs. And her right arm was missing completely. Her face had parts of it destroyed, her skull was visible in certain places. She looked like a living corpse. It took a dozen seconds of using her regeneration at full throttle to recover.

“A self-sacrificial attack that means certain death...”

“I have her to thank for the idea.”

“She cut a part of her head off to escape my grasp. I cut my own arm off to escape hers. If I hadn’t done that, I would have definitely died.”

She looked over LV1 jumping up and cheering in celebration, she didn’t react much. She looked over at the crater, noticed the lack of Elena’s presence, and smiled.

“You did well, Elena Thomas. Dare I say, you it was an impressive performance.”

“But you were still just a lamb.”