New World - A New Beginning

BOOM

My eyes shot towards the impact, realizing Ares had suddenly crashed into Mia before I even had time to blink. I was completely helpless when faced with his speed, the true power of an S-rank beginning to show itself.

"Mia!" I cried out, dashing towards Ares in an attempt to halt him from following up his initial strike.

The S-rank turned around, anticipating my desperate maneuver. He swung his spear out, forcing me to block as the attack sent me flying back.

Two soldiers stood waiting for me, my eyes glancing at their positions momentarily before spinning around gracefully, immediately conjuring a blaze that followed the trajectory of my weapon and decapitated the two Dwarves.

I won't lose here!

BOOM

I launched myself back, flames surrounding my body as Ares arose a wall of earth between us. I slammed into the defensive ability, smashing through it with relative ease.

"!!"

Dozens of stone spears awaited my arrival, shooting at me with terrifying speed. I barely had time to raise my hand, incinerating most of the projectiles before they could come into contact with my body. A few got past my flames, slicing the surface of my skin as I grit my teeth from the pain.

My momentum didn't halt, however, as I came crashing down onto Ares's position. The man sidestepped, counter-attacking immediately. I ducked, avoiding his spear, before thrusting my entire body upwards with a rotative motion.

Flames circled me, following my legs as they forced Ares to back away.

BOOM

An explosion of ice erupted, the recovered Mia joining me in my attack. The girl dashed through the fine mist, locking herself in close combat with the S-rank. What had once been an equal fight the last time I had witnessed them clashing with their spears was now one-sided domination.

Ares attacked from all sides, moving his spear around his body to conserve momentum as each strike sent shivers down the spine of the young girl.

I brought my sword back, summoning an inferno to swirl around the blade before thrusting it forward with all my might. The flames took the shape of a small dragon, letting out a bellowing roar before slamming into Ares.

Mia leaped back, thanking me with a slight movement of her head. It was painfully obvious how outmatched we were, and the longer Ares stalled us, the more Dragons died at the hands of the Dwarven armies.

But Ares's goal wasn't to stall us this time. His single objective in this fight was simple: eliminate his opponents as quickly as possible, and for him, it was doable.

Ares leaped into the air, raising his spear high above his head as a dark golden glow radiated around the weapon. A simple movement sent a projectile of raw earth bind straight towards us, the speed of the bullet being too quick for either of us to react.

BOOM

I gasped weakly as my body was sent flying back, a sickening crack welcoming me onto the solid ground that sprawled across Auroria.

"Protect the Princess!" roared a soldier, his words mobilizing dozens of soldiers that placed themselves between Ares and both of his victims.

"No..." I muttered, attempting to regain my stance, "run..."

BOOM

Ares crashed into the defensive line, the Dragons floating momentarily just above the ground from the attack. A small glint of power erupted within the S-rank's eyes as he slashed outwards indifferently, a wave of energy murdering the helpless guards immediately.

Blood spurted out from the bodies, covering the area around me in a dark velvet tint.

Ares walked towards me, looking down upon my frail body with a hint of frustration.

"Do you see now?" he asked, kneeling and closing the distance between our faces, "the true difference between you and me?"

A cry of determination echoed behind the S-rank, forcing him to stand up and immediately take a defensive stance as Mia came crashing into him with two newly-formed ice daggers. A momentary lock in their attacks allowed me to roll over sluggishly, picking up the silver sword and slowly stand up again.

I launched myself towards Ares's back, taking advantage of the brief moment Mia had opened up, the small chance that had presented itself to me.

Dark flames roared as the neutral bind around me exploded in a fiery inferno, converging on my blade as I swung outwards with all my strength. Ares's head turned slightly, his eyes catching sight of the oncoming attack as one of his arms let go of his weapon and brought out a small wall of earth that shielded him from the blast.

I appeared above the battlefield, my eyes focused on the S-rank's position as I prepared to dive with the full-force of my spell.

The wind whistled suddenly, causing me to watch in horror as a bolt from a ballista came hurling at me.

"!!"

BOOM

I slammed into the ground as I spun around uncontrollably, losing all sense of direction. My eyesight became foggy as I brought my hand up to my face to try and remember what the current situation was.

A bright red liquid dripped from the hand, the warm blood clearly not originating from my hand. Small figures clad in silver armor ran towards me at full speed, their weapons raised high at the sight of the enemy's leader nearly dead and completely vulnerable.

Dark silhouettes leaped above me, perfect coordination allowing the men to form a perimeter around me almost immediately. I could hear the rumbling sound of footsteps approaching my position, what seemed like the entire Dwarven army converging on one singular position as only six Dragons readied themselves confidently.

"Do not fall! Protect the Princess until the bitter end!" roared one of the soldiers, the rest cheering in unison as the waves of enemies slammed into them ferociously.

The Dragons fought furiously, never showing any signs of weakness or hesitation as they struck down Dwarf after Dwarf. A single second of incertitude could lead to the crumbling of the defensive perimeter and ultimately lead to my death.

Small tears streaked down my face as I watched each soldier slowly suffering injuries from the flood of opponents they were taking on simultaneously. The agonizing pain they were currently feeling from the numerous cuts must've been excruciating, and yet they simply ignored it, slaughtering every individual that approached them with terrifying force.

Two men arrived behind the formation, dragging me away as the six defenders began to fall, all of them slowly succumbing to the overwhelming Dwarven numbers.

"It was an honor, Princess," muttered one of them as ballista bolts crashed into them, wiping them off the face of Auroria in an instant.

The individuals in pitch-black armor were beginning to disappear from the battlefield, glittering silver dominating the field as thousands more appeared over the hill to the North. The years of training that every Dragon soldier went through, the rigorous preparation required to become a member of the army, was all in vain when faced with an enemy that never rested.

There was simply no end to their force.