GENERALS

Through the depths of the flames that lingered on the land, the skies began to be stained by a crimson shade. The mixture of flames and blood surfaced to conflict symbolizing chaos and destruction for the Anshiantiae.

"That's General Noguchi's aura," said Fuyumi. Her eyes ventured at their surroundings engulfed by a red flush.

Towering structures, green trees, and the atmosphere had been tinted. Everything seemed to resemble the hue of blood. As if they were covered in the cove of a crimson world.

The Generals inside the barrier were devastated by the outcome of the events. While the 2nd general managed to focus his attention on the seal. Hours have passed, and as it turned out—it was no easy way to get out of the translucent box.

"I never expected someone like her would use zero zone" Lucien uttered. He pressed his hand softly onto the walls of the seal.

Bothered by the fact that Seratsuki resorted to using her ultimate technique, General Akaru Hiraoka couldn't help but click his tongue as he had finally released the second to the last seal that was binding the box.

Three seals are supporting the translucent prison box placed on the lower corners. They were made to not be seen by the naked eye—only special equipment made from the Nephus division had done its job in revealing them. And if seen, the 2nd general would accumulate energy to destroy it. Only someone from the outside could destroy the seals—someone who has the power to break them and can withstand and control the explosion after it is destroyed. The 7th General who had foreseen the events had trusted the 2nd General to do the job; since he had known that Akaru Hiraoka wouldn't let the seals' explosion affect the people.

Just as Akaru could proceed in undoing the last seal, a figure appeared before them.

"How inefficient of the Anshiantiae, such scumbags!" A voice of a woman spoke behind. Her tanned skin was exposed across her clothes that only covered her chest; she wore dark leathered shorts above the knees. Her dark hair passed by her nape.

She approached the translucent box, levitating on air. Her face was tense with mockery. "The goldy eye brat told me to guard this box. I hate being ordered! I only accept orders from-"

"Akaru '' Algard Yozou muttered, his tone was surprisingly calm. While Hiro and Mitsuka who were standing on the platforms made of light that helped them float mid-air grew alarmed as they remained beside the 2nd General to assist him on the seals.

The rest of the Generals had noticed the woman's presence, but chose to not give importance to it and remained looking at the situation below.

The woman's expression changed, gritting her teeth. "Look over here! Didn't you know I am-"

"Could you shut it" The 2nd General didn't utter his chants nor even take a short glance at the woman behind, but a blinding light had suddenly devoured the woman's body as her whole began to explode into pieces, spraying the blood everywhere.

Hermes Nephus whistled, "As expected from the 2nd General"

Akaru didn't reply as a short swoop had been heard and the translucent box slowly dissolved into dust freeing the Generals. "First let's take care of the-"

"Akaru, we already know and we'll take care of it, now go to Seratsuki. You need to stop her" The 6th general said.

Akaru let out a deep breath, staring at them. "I'm counting on you. You two come with me"

Hiro glanced at his sister for a moment yet the latter didn't speak to him nor returned his glance.

"What's wrong?" Mitsuka asked.

"Nothing. Let's go" Hiro said, shrugging the thoughts on his mind.

---

The battle between the god of flames and the 3rd General continued. Their assaults created an unbearable impact everywhere. Raijin still laid unconscious as a crimson spiral surrounding his body protected him from the blasts.

After Seratsuki released her technique, her eyes can be compared to the red tint of the skies and her sword. Crimson horns emerged from her head and two sets of fangs were peeking through her mouth. Markings of strange symbols appeared on her skin that almost covered half of her whole.

Though the moment had only served as entertainment for the god, he was laughing loudly while battling with the General. The swinging of Seratsuki's sword and his flames continued to clash with each other aching to kill the person who stands before them. They rapidly appear from one area to another—blocking and hitting the following attacks.

The 3rd General began to feel the exhaustion in maintaining her technique until it reaches its completion, it requires her every ounce of energy to activate it. But she still did not bother to take her eyes off the enemy. Wielding her sword to create a forward slash towards the god, crimson blood was released through its blade in a crescent symbol that wounded the man.

Despite the pain of the deep cut on his chest, Fajra remained smiling mockingly at her—raising his fingers and creating a come here motion. Displeasure and eagerness to kill him took over the 3rd General as she once again came charging at him.

But as soon as the blade could reach the god, a blinding light stopped her followed by a hand on her wrist. And Seratsuki knew the familiar touch which made her stop.

"Sera! Undo your zero zone"

Seratsuki glanced at the man beside her, but she couldn't understand his words as if they were just rabbles and her thoughts remained on killing the god before her.

"Sera! Snap out of it!" The man shook her by the shoulders as her eyes began to slowly glint into black. Her demonic features began to disappear and the crimson stain on the atmosphere started to fade.

"Brother..." She muttered, seeing the 2nd General's face. She held on the side of her head throbbing in pain.

"I told you to not activate your zero zone right away," Akaru said, hitting the lady's forehead in a sibling-like manner.

"Ah- ouch-" Seratsuki caressed her forehead as a red mark appeared on it.

The two youngsters arrived at the same time; their eyes landed on Raijin who was unconscious. Blood and scratches envelop his worn-out body. The pitiful sight of the young man made them almost avert their gazes. Yet, they had known that he had kept his promise to them, and that is to win and live. But he had done more than that.

"Kazahana and Hitomi, right?" The 2nd General asked.

The face of a familiar woman stood before Mitsuka. It was almost unreal—that she was frozen to where she was standing, leaving her speechless to Akaru's question.

"Yes sir" Hiro was the one who answered, puzzled by the girl beside him who was stunned. As if Raijin's lightning had struck her a million times.

"Take the boy out of here. Head east and go to the medical frontlines" Akaru ordered as a golden sphere of light engulfed Hiro and Mitsuka in a single glance of the General. "No one will harm you, as long as you're inside it"

Hiro being the first one to move had noticed Mitsuka's absent-mindedness—her eyes were still focused on someone. He followed the direction of her gaze as it landed on the 3rd General. It's not the first time Hiro had seen her. The Kazahana family had attended several ceremonies and he had known that his sister held a rivalry with the woman. "Is she your idol?" Hiro said.

A light shade of pink flushed her cheeks. "S-she's not- wait! What are you talking about!? There's no time for this kind of thing! Let's get that tomato head"

"Oh? Alright"

They immediately ran to where Raijin was, hiding themselves from the enemy. Yet their efforts were in vain when rapid and aggressive crackles of fire had come after them. Hiro, bearing the prowess of snow and ice, created pillars of them even though his body was still exhausted from the previous fight. But they instantly melted, not even making contact with the flames.

Just as it could reach them, the light sphere that protected their whole was able to block the attack causing the flames to disappear in thin air.

"Brother, those kids are still here" The 3rd General pointed out, glancing in their direction—that made the nervousness of Mitsuka crawl over.

"I will keep an eye on them. Focus on him and I'll support your attacks"

Seratsuki nodded in response, charging her way toward the god.

Mitsuka was left astonished while watching. "She's so cool..." she muttered.

"You just said that we don't have time for that, am I right Mitsuka?" Hiro said, followed by a short chuckle.

Snapping back to her senses, Mitsuka shot him a glare as they began to handle Raijin.

They took both of his arms, putting them around their shoulders. The young man's weight was quite heavy for Mitsuka while it was only normal for Hiro. They were startled when the light sphere that engulfs their whole had suddenly floated into mid-air like a bubble, making its way towards the east.

It was crowded. Corpses of soldiers lay on the ground covered in a white cloth as the people in medical suits continued to scatter on the area tending to everyone's wounds. Some beds and stretchers had been placed outside lacking enough spaces for a large number of casualties. Several operations and curing were already taking place outdoors.

A lady who seemed to be in her mid 20's (though appearance might be quite deceiving) wearing military clothes approached them. 'Yozou' was imprinted on her nameplate. "I am Jil Yozou, sixth General's adjutant. Were you perhaps the participants for the selection?"

"Yes ma'am" Hiro and Mitsuka answered in unison.

Jil glanced at them letting out a sigh of relief. She signaled several people to help them with Raijin. "The Generals ordered us to tend to the participants right away," she uttered, leading them inside the facility. Mitsuka and Hiro followed inside as the nurses took Raijin, laying him on a stretcher.

Noticing the silence of the two, Jil smiled at them. "We'll do anything for his sake," she said as they continued to walk. "But it's still not over yet. One of the gods had descended on the land" Mitsuka and Hiro gave her a look, which then she returned in a serious glance. "As long as we have General Noguchi and Hiraoka, we have a chance to win"

Chance. Are chances considered as pity from the gods? Or was it perhaps a trial to rewrite our miscalculations?

Fire giants and corpses of Nemiendlich soldiers who came back from the dead and the unending fiery blasts of flames erupting from the ground continued their assault. There was no soul to spare. But, along with their desire to lay their heads in surrender—the eyes of the Anshiantiae had once again glinted in hope looking at their arrival. The group of the Generals had set foot in the battle.

"Glacial" Fuyumi Kazahana, 4th General chanted. Enormous chunks of ice were formed around the area. The temperature of cold and heat battled on-air creating an unusual prickling on their skin.

Though it was not long when the heat of the wind was suddenly replaced with frost. Eruptions of flames from below were extinguished when the ice of General Kazahana reached the ground, crawling onto the enemy's feet.

Soldiers cheered. The sudden action gave them the courage to face their opponents once again. Holding their weapons, they shouted with all their might charging before the Nemiendlich who was frozen on their feet. But the fire giants gave out a loud cry—making the flames violent as if freeing themselves from the restraints of frost. And the General's ice had only survived for a short time, the glacial blocks and frost on the ground started to melt slowly.

"Algard, what is it again?" Fuyumi Kazahana said her expressions were firm.

"Make it colder, Yumi," Said Algard, his lips curved into a smile.

"I don't take orders from you," Raising her pale hands, the cold air picked up and the swinging of the wind and snow started to form a blizzard more than enough to bring shivers even to the giants. "Zero zone, Schneesturm" General Kazahana chanted, there was a mist that came out of her mouth. The aggressive blowing of the wind that carried snow affected the enemies while the Anshiantiae stayed on their feet unaffected by the destructive force of the blizzard. "First zone, glacial" she chanted again as the frosted blocks of ice halted from melting—strengthening them further and more blocks had surfaced from the ground, larger than the previous ones.

Enemy troops struggled to be on their feet as the snow coated them like daggers piercing the skin. Abandoned weaponry equipment on the ground came with the loud gushing of the blizzard washing over the Nemiendlich.

The smell of snow and blood mixed on the battlefield. And the corpses of the Anshiantiae who came back from the dead were crystallized in a clear block of ice to immobilize their movements—as General Kazahana had not desired for them to suffer longer. The least she could do is to give them a peaceful parting engulfed in the purity of frost.

Fire giants began to give a loud cry when the sudden cold entered their system—yet, this time the flames had not been awakened. The three giants moved aggressively shrugging the blizzard that surrounded them but it had only resulted in wounds and ice starting to crawl on their whole.

The debris and structures from the land were covered in snow. Gore and dirt on the ground became one with its white fall. And Anshiantiae soldiers continued to fight being guided by the 4th General's prowess. They had also felt the cold running on their skin and yet it didn't affect them as much as the Nemiendlich.

"What are you doing? The others had already gone to assist the soldiers" Said Fuyumi, glancing at the man beside her. A crown made of clear ice rested on her head after releasing her zero zone. Her blue military dress flown past by her knees, topped with a short blazer. And she wore silver gladiator sandals.

"You're more beautiful if you smile a lot more," Said Algard, caressing his chin as he gave a teasing smile to the 4th General.

Being used to the man's antics, Fuyumi ignored the remark.

"But that's okay, I like the way you are," Algard said. He was about to rush through the battlefield when Fuyumi spoke.

"This is no such time to kid around, Sixth General"

"What? You want kids with me?"

"I didn't say such-"

"I didn't know the Kazahana queen would be... this frank" Algard muttered, shaking his head in amusement. With a final smile at her, he ran through the battle, ending every enemy he saw.

---

Defeating the god before them was like catching the air. A lot of hours have passed and the two Generals can't land a finishing blow to end him. And as if the two upper Generals were also gods themselves—they have fought skillfully towards Fajra. Though they couldn't escape the signs of exhaustion on their body.

Panting hard, the 3rd General landed on her feet. "That's General Kazahana," she said, feeling the humid air hitting her skin.

"She released her zero zone" The 2nd General answered, taking his stance to land a hit at the god.

"That means, I could also-" Seratsuki had taken another hit on the forehead again, making her head fall back slightly.

"Reserve it," Said Akaru. White armor cladded his body and a pair of shield and lance served as his weapon. There were no chants heard nor movements to make himself change into a battle-ready suit. A different level of flexing.

"A light user. I see, interesting!" Fajra exclaimed, making his flames collide with the 2nd General. But as soon as the flames were blocked through the shield—a light suddenly emerged behind the god catching him off-guard. The light was faster, it only took a second for Fajra to be impacted on the abdomen making him cough blood.

There was no time left to throw, while Fajra was busy emitting blood—Akaru had quickly pierced him with the lance. The 2nd General accumulated controlled energy running it towards the lance that's prepared to strike the god with the finishing blow.

Yet, Seratsuki had quickly withdrawn her sword from the scabbard, blocking Akaru's attack. The 2nd General's eyes widened in surprise as he saw her launch an attack on Fajra before he could do it himself. Her slash was so quick that it had almost escaped his eyes. "Sera..." Akaru muttered.

"Brother, that's not Fajra. Look"

The figure of the god before them glinted in the blaze of flames transforming into an image of a tormented young man. It formed into the worn body of Kato, falling on the ground after being slashed.

"Where is he?" Akaru searched everywhere.

And there he was—standing proudly to the position where Kato had laid unconscious before. "Ah~ it's really convenient to have a Guardian," Fajra said. His mocking expression didn't change—along with the hint of frustration and disgust. His bloodied body that took several cuts from the 3rd General was still dripping in blood, but it didn't bother him in the least. "Oh. Your friends are here, how fast! I shall give you my compliments. Especially with that ice woman! Excellent! You've successfully taken off my flames! It's been a hundred years since someone had done that"

The other Generals had arrived at their location. They were exhausted from the previous battle and the fire giants and Nemiendlich were now corpses. The flames that engulf the land were extinguished creating a chilly feel to the air. Positioning themselves, they encircled around the god.

"Aw~ seven versus one? Not fair" Fajra uttered, followed by the snap of his fingers.

This time, two figures appeared before them. They were not human for they don't possess a physical body—their whole is made of flames. As if the fire had taken a figure of a person.

"And... For the fun" The god of flames raised his palms and the unconscious body of Kato had suddenly appeared beside him. "You're one hell of a hell useless son, Katotsuri," he said, glancing at the young man in disgust. Markings began to surface in Kato's body as a cry of pain was heard from him. "At the end of the world, he will go and wage war and defeat all the sinners and burn the whole world with fire" Fajra started. The shouts of the helpless boy landed on the deaf ear and his body started moving strangely. "Fling fire over the earth and burn the whole world!" The god chanted. "Awaken yourself! Surtr!"

There was a drop of tears in Kato's eyes. His hands reached for the skies one last time as the words came out of his mouth: "Mother, I'm sorry"

The young man's whole body blazed in a fiery light and an enormous figure of a creature changed and grew from it, growling throughout the area, its height shadowed over the land. The worn body of Kato was nowhere and his once fair looks were now far from what the Generals had witnessed. Cracks and flames covered the giant's body as the heavens cried for him.

'If I were to be slain by the hands of someone, I want you to do it.

Save me.

No, that's not right. End me, along with this war'