New World - A New Beginning

DIANA IMANIA'S POV:

"How far are we from the coordinates?" I asked, the commander responding confidently to the question asked by his superior.

"We're still a few days out, Your Highness."

I said nothing, simply looking ahead as if all were normal. I was no expert on the geographical details of Auroria, but I knew that we were taking far longer than anticipated to reach our destination.

Even taking into account the march speed of thousands of troops, the transporting of resources, and the times taken to rest and refresh the stamina of the troops, marching from Eloria to the Western Front that the Dragons had drawn was only supposed to take roughly two weeks.

We were now entering the end of the third week, a time-frame that was completely unusual. I was obviously prepared to encounter difficulties traversing the continent with an army of such size, but being off-schedule by nearly two full-weeks without having run into any mishaps made me extremely suspicious of my subordinate officer.

Maybe I was just paranoid.

"Let the troops know that we're skipping the upcoming scheduled break, Commander," I said, eyeing the man without emotion, "we'll extend the duration of the next one to make up for it, but we must move faster if we have any hopes of helping the Dragons."

"Yes, Your Highness," responded the Commander, slowing the pace of his beast as he relayed the information through the ranks.

I sighed, looking up into the sky. My mind drifted off, picturing the faces of the individuals I considered my friends. I could only hope that they were all still alive and would remain so until reinforcements arrived.

MIA STIL'S POV:

A flurry of punches shot towards me at blinding speed, my body barely being able to dodge the first one before being forced to put up my weapon in hopes of shielding myself.

The weapon shattered, two daggers already forming in my palms as I pivoted around the brawler. I slashed rapidly in an attempt to decapitate my opponent right there and then.

The beastman ducked, releasing his foot in a low arc. Flames shot forth from the movement, forcing me back as I landed in the middle of a few Dwarven soldiers. I collected energy, releasing it as a raw explosion of bind as the shockwave sent the surrounding troops flying back and slamming into the ground.

I could not rely on the off-chance that this individual was as honorable as Ares to keep me alive. If I wanted to live, I had to defeat anything that stood in my way, whether it be opponent, supporter, or spectator.

The Beastman appeared above me, roaring as he brought his searing fist down.

I supercharged my speed with neutral bind, zipping away from my position. Only a trail of light blue could be seen as I redirected my velocity: dashing through the Brawler, landing, and launching myself through the individual once again.

Sparks from the clash of weapons erupted from the scene as I resembled a line of paint streaking across the same point from all directions, a neverending attack that rendered all opposition useless.

It was a move that left me completely vulnerable if my opponent managed to block a single dash, but against a Brawler, it was the perfect attack.

I dashed upwards, my speed slowing momentarily before I crashed into the ground below me in a finishing blow.

BOOM

I stood up, my eyes attempting to locate the adventurer through the heavy mist.

"!!"

A fist engulfed in fire shot out towards me from the smokescreen, hitting me right in the gut as I shot back. I could feel my organs and my skin screaming from the burning pain that the strike had left, my legs shaking slightly as I regained my composure.

My eyes glanced quickly towards Asthia, making sure she was safe.

"Don't take your eyes off a Brawler," said the adventurer menacingly before driving his other fist into my left ribcage. I was sent zooming back once again, how he had managed to suddenly appear before me eluding me. Was he completely unharmed by my attack?!

I coughed, small drops of blood splattering on the floor. The Brawler launched himself at me once again, my body still on its knees as I simply raised my hand weakly. A small smile spread across the adventurer's face, thinking victory was his.

BOOM

A blast of bind shot forth from my outstretched palm, striking the beastman right in his chest. I smirked, amused by how I had managed to land such a blow on him.

Maybe fighting while nearly unconscious was the ultimate tactic?!

I could hear the approaching footsteps of dozens of soldiers as I lifted my head slowly, my vision inked with a hint of red from the blood that was trickling down my face.

Was this really how it ended after all that fighting?

If both Asthia and I were to die right now, the remainder of the Dragon army was sure to follow, and without a high-ranking member of the army to guide the final defense that was located within the city itself, Lares would ultimately fall and the Dominion would win the war.

All we needed was a push to repel the enemy, a final trump card that allowed us to regain our organization, rest, and refuel our supplies. We would create a line that would last us years, allowing us to carefully plan ahead and decide our next move.

Please... I don't want to die here.

ASTHIA DARCK'S POV:

I watched in horror as Mia fell to the ground, unable to stand back up. My mind was finally able to process what was happening around me to a limited degree, but my body remained completely frozen in place, my guess being that I had shattered my lower back upon crashing into the ground.

My eyes looked around the area, watching as Dragons fell to the ground with weapons impaling them.

I didn't want to lose my home... I didn't want to lose my people... I didn't want to lose my friends.

I closed my eyes, putting the last of my strength into two simple words that echoed throughout my body and into the dark tunnel that linked me to my knight. The image of the awkward boy who I had come to treasure more than anyone flooded my mind, forcing out the words that I had wanted to scream through the link for the entirety of the war.

Help us!

...

The massive aura of an S-ranked individual approached the battlefield suddenly, a familiar tingle spreading throughout my body as flashes of yellow appeared around me.

Lightning?!

"Supernova," muttered a voice, the world around me slowing down.

BOOOOOMMMM