Then The Queen Fell

The catacomb was puddled with blood and corpses of soldiers and ants alike. The place, once wet, dampening, and silent, became a place of misery and agony. Yet the fight continued.

"Invisibilia testudine!" the mages chanted their magic, a dome was erected over the soldiers.

The giant swarm of ants wrapped itself around the dome, their physical body couldn't pass through, their numbers and strength powerless in the face of magic.

So was the same for the soldiers, the dome covered them, but it also entrapped them in it. Slashing of weapons or chanting of magic risked the mana flow becoming unstable and breaking the only thing protecting them from the grip of death.

An aura of gold seemingly blanketed them, giving them resolve and calmness in the face of such adversary. Their hands gripped their weapons, eyes sharp and ready for when the dome broke.

Outside the swarm, another fight intensified.

"Wh-what?" the queen questioned, surprised.

Henry's hands moved like a blur, his sword worked, creating an art.

Roses of light blue color appeared from the edge of his sword, their presence comforting and beautiful. Blooming amidst slaughter and demise, out of place.

Their scent calming and sweet, unlike the uncomfortable sweetness of pheromone from the ants.

Those roses flew together, like being in a bouquet, carried by the wind.

The queen eyes fixed on the rose, some part of her mesmerized by the spectacle showcased in front of her.

Those roses flew closer and closer to her, their beauty piqued her interest and prompted her to touch it with her claw. It flew closer and closer and closer, until the edge of her claw could touch it.

It was so wrong, but felt so right. It was harming, but comfortable.

Her mind focused and numbed by the sight, while her skin, scaly and thick like a metal armor, pierced by the petals. Only then her eyes widened, realizing the predicament she was in. She swiftly retracted her claw, trying to cover part of her body with it.

But it was all too late.

Her engrossment in the floating rose doomed her. She became a part of them, a purple rose among the roses in the bouquet, as they passed through her.

Her flesh and bones was slashed and crackled by the roses.

Her claw and scale was cracked and crushed.

Her antlers detached from her head.

Green blood splattered out of her body.

Once suspended midair, now plummeting to the ground like a fallen angel.

Thud

The sound of her fall could be heard, cloud of dust gathered and blanketed the site.

Henry calm and relaxed, placed his rapier to his side.

"Ug… No, th-this can't be," a voice leaked out from the dust.

As the dust cleared out, it was clear for all to see. The ground cracked under the weight of her fall, her body in mess like just being grinded and her eyes looked up in despair of defeat.

Step step step

Henry walked to her.

"Yo… you!" the queen crimson black eyes glared at him.

Her voice shaky and spirit in her eyes, though glaring, weakened.

The place became silent.

The sound ants rubbing against each other in a huge swarm that once filled the room halted.

"Wha-what?" the soldier, in their dome, questioned upon seeing the ants' glare, once threatening, replaced by a blank stone-like eyes.

The ants collapsed, accompanied by a rumbling sound akin to a thunder. Once towering pile of ants, transformed into a pile of lifeless and soulless-like ants.

Their body scattered on the ground, their vibrating on antlers and snapping of jaws nowhere to be heard. Their sweet pheromone dissipated.

The ant looked at the fall of her children. Countless if not thousands of her family, killed and decimated in front of her eyes. Once energetic and loyal to her, became merely still statues.

"Ha…" she exhaled, her doom was closing.

"…" Henry bowed to her, his hand covered by a rugged glove placed on his chest, acknowledging her.

"Wh-what? You're mocking m-me?" her words disjointed, her body in pain. Several of her limbs, she felt numbed.

The soldiers went out of their comfortable home, they walked all over their defeated nemesis, the ants. Their swords and halberds pointed toward the incapacitated ants, then they stabbed with their weapons.

Step step step

Clasius heavy steps could be heard as he stepped on the sea of lifeless ants, in each step, a crackle could be heard. He made his way to the place where the queen laid defeated.

"Even you, Cl-clasius?" she asked upon seeing Clasius walking toward her.

"You betrayed the agreement you agreed upon, your death is an appropriate punishment of your impudence," he said with a pressuring and degrading voice, though a slight acknowledgment and pity could be felt in his tone.

"Betrayed… Huh. Yo-u, servants of the church are all the same, you ripped me of my home in nature. You massacred my children, you killed my family. And now, even when in my death bed, all you prideful fools could give me is that same tone, ha…haha" her voice akin to reading a poem. While her eyes looked at the outcome of battle.

Though weak, she laughed maniacally, she lost everything, her home, children and even life. Her vessel of life was leaking, her power dwindling and her will to live was gone.

A laugh was the only thing that entertained her in such misery.

"You all wo-would burn in hell one day, I'll mak-make sure of it," she cursed, knowing its the last thing she could do.

"Then we'll slaughter every one of your kind that came to us," Clasius muttered, his ego fluctuating.

Her eyes widened over such statement. Her heart pierced by words. Her laugh continued.

"Coachman, I truly am thankful to you… You saved me and Kira and all the other soldiers, we have your gratitude," Clasius said humbly and grateful.

"Your trust isn't betrayed," Henry nodded, his promise was fulfilled.

"Victory is yours, you have the right to do as you see fit with her," Clasius mentioned, before turning around and walking away, joining his men.

"May the goddess be with you," Henry eyes fixed to the queen as he raised his rapier, prepared to finish her.

Then he struck down diagonally, from northwest to southeast. His rapier made contact.

Cleave!

The sound of metal cutting over flesh was barely heard by anyone. His strike was so fast that her head wasn't detached in an instant.

Gradually, green blood leaked out from her neck and her body bathed in and painted by it.

She laid on the ground, her face laughing. Her stare increasingly lifeless and blank, peering into the dome of the catacomb.

Thud

Her head detached and fell on the ground. A small thud could be heard. That sound marked the end of their struggle against the ants and the result of their continuous misery.

Once mighty and commanding, her presence was no more, her soul departed to the afterlife.

Victory was gained.

Henry closed his eyes for a moment and reopened it again. His hand slid down his chest pocket in his suit and pulled out a handkerchief as it left the pocket.

With the handkerchief, he wiped from the bottom of his rapier and to the top.

Once bathed in the green blood of ants and tainted by it, the rapier regained its graceful appearance back, though its physic chipped and dented.

Henry looked at the queen then at the rapier. His mind slightly doubtful as his stern and still hands gripped the rapier, not yet releasing it. He knew.

He turned around, fingers curled up his rapier, strengthened his grip.

"..." Henry's voice came not.

The soldiers, still poking on the motionless ants as green blood spluttered on the soldiers' white and worn down armor. In their mind, joy of victory as they laughed and chattered among themselves while stepping on the ants.

"It was all worthwhile, the ants are merely insects," another chatted.

"The Goddess is with us!" another roared.

"Ahh, I can't wait to return to my wife," another told, hopeful of home.

They heard Clasius' step. Though not one that defeated the queen of ants, Clasius was still a prominent figure in the fight and struggle. His words once was only sanctuary from the berating attack of the ants.

Soldiers all looked, stopping in their doings and sentences.

"Clasius! Clasius! Clasius!" their voice echoed. Joying in their victory over the ant.

Clasius's stern face of unbothered reaction nodded at them.

Then the soldiers' chant halted, the hall became silent, their face terrified, their eyes horrified.

"Behind you!" one of the soldier shouted.

Clasius gazed at him, slightly questioning the meaning. He looked behind and found out the reason.

A blue-light energy greeted his eyes, its color cold and merciless.

An embrace of death.

His eyes widened. It was the last thing his body did before his head flew onto the air with a gapped mouth.

His grip weakened and his hand dropped his two handed great sword. The metal clanked on the ground. His knee followed.

Thud

A loud thud could be heard as his body entirely descended on the ground. Followed by another thud of Clasius head hitting the ground and rolling onto the mountain of ants.

The soldiers' eyes looked in horror, their heart skipped a beat.

Clasius was dead.