Amelia and Ophelia: The Former Grand Duchess and Saintess.

As the Signatari soldiers of the Dukedom neared the Ourcos Clan Village, the Black Guard was already in position and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The columns of infantry were now closing in, with two columns on the outermost flank, moving through some rough ground and trees while the main three were coming straight at the clan village, with one pushing straight up the middle and the other two moving through the dirt path that split left and right. 

"Everyone ready" Erhet whispered into her communication crystal as she slowly slithered to the edge of the rocky ridge that split the path off to the right. She looked down and saw a column march through the small dirt path before them while another column entered the clan villages with a loud battle cry, hoping to storm the place 

"Now!" 

{!} 

At her orders, the Black Guard teams in hiding emerged and attacked without delay. Erhet was the first to attack as she fired off a stream of flames from her mouth that torched the rearmost elements of the column, killing the soldiers who died screaming in despair and horror as they burned alive. She then slithered down the ridge and swung her halberd to her right, cleaving several soldiers who were burning alive into two and then shifting to her left as she grabbed another soldier by the head, lifted him up, and crushed his head before tossing the corpse aside. 

But Erhet was not alone as four other Black Guards and four other teams who were with her and nearby sprang into action as well, bombarding the entire column in every elemental attack they could muster. Soldiers were skewered as earth spikes burst forth from the ground and impaled them through their abdomens, their plate armor and chainmail unable to stop the fatality. Other soldiers were split in half as Black Guards descended upon them faster than they could react, dying as they failed to stop the blades, spears and halberds falling upon them like lightning. One soldier tried to fire back a thrust from his sword and the Black Guard he was aiming for allowed the blow to land, the sword shattering upon the thick plate armor like it was glass. The soldier's eyes went wide and before he could react, twin blades pierced his chest and then ripped him apart. 

On the other side of the path, another five groups of Black Guards sprang up from the shadows, these 20 Black Guards bombarded the column below them with magical attacks from above and below. Lightning strikes from above, fireballs from the sides, and earthen spikes from below created a kill zone that left none alive once the barrage had finished, only the screams of the Signatari soldiers were heard in the air as they were turned into corpses. Then on both flanks, it evolved into a confusing and deadly melee as 20 Black Guards on either side revealed themselves and attacked the spread-out 200 Signatari Soldiers before them. 

"Charge!" One soldier screamed before being impaled from the back with a spear, his body lifted into the air and then tossed aside by an orc Black Guard 

{!} 

The sight of the enemy amongst their ranks scared the shit out of the Signatari as they were fucking confused as to how they were able to accomplish such a feat. But many were not allowed to even think about it soon after as the blades, magic, and bodies started flying. Such as one poor group of 5 Signatari Initiates on the left flank who charged at an arachnia foe whose jagged armor shrugged off the fireballs fired at her, she replied with a spread of ice shards that impaled two of her foes before she skewered the third with one of the four weapons she wielded in her arms, the other two were also quickly cut down as the arachnia Black Guard swung with her two axes, each axe cleaving the chest of the Initiate open. Then on the right flank, there was another group of Signatari Initiates who were blown to hell by a stream of lightning blasts fired off from a cyclops Black Guard that killed the soldiers on the spot, the metal they were wearing serving as wonderful conductors of electricity and frying them alive, turning their flesh into melted splotches that sloughed off their bones. Even those who tried to escape were cut down by arrows that impaled them from behind or by elemental projectiles that killed them on the spot. 

Meanwhile in the village itself, the gate slammed shut once the ambush started and the 200 Signatari Soldiers inside now found themselves at the mercy of the 20 Black Guard soldiers who they found themselves trapped with. 

"Get that door open-" The Signatari Sentinel Commander shouted before he was struck down by a throwing knife that pierced his throat and sent him crashing to the ground 

Once the Signatari Sentinel Commander died, the rest of the soldiers within the group were picked off as they failed to form any sort of cohesive defensive formation. Near the blacksmith hut of the village, several Initiates died as an orc Black Guard charged them down with his tower shield, shoving them onto the ground before crushing their chest with a stomp of piercing their chest with his bastard sword before moving on the next soldier in his path. Then there was a few soldiers near the Great Hall in the center of the village, attacking a centaur Black Guard from all sides, their swords and spears trying to pierce through the thick plate armor that he was wearing but failing to do so. The centaur Black Guard replied by stomping his front right foot on the ground, creating a shockwave that sent the Signatari soldiers stumbling back before he trampled them with his warhammer, crushing each soldier in a single powerful blow on their chest that killed them on the spot. Even Captain Garn was not spared as he was busy fighting in a duel against an orc Black Guard who was easily parrying his blows, sweat running down his increasingly desperate face as he tried to land a blow 

"Fuck! Just die!" He shouted as he thrust his longsword forward at his foe

{!} 

But to his horror, the enemy before him broke his sword with a swing of his own, shattering his sword in half with a counter overhead slash with his own battleaxe that broke the sword along the middle. Before he could even react or cry out, the Black Guard before him charged him into the wall of a building behind him and then used another horizontal slash that left a large gash on his chest that made him spurt out blood from under his mask as he then collapsed onto the ground in a heap. 

As all of this was happening, Grand Captain Michelle watched in absolute horror as the first column was getting absolutely slaughtered by what was supposed to be mere savages. The expression under his mask was that of absolute bewilderment and denial as he could not fathom how the fuck this was happening before him. The intelligence gathered by the slaver parties long before them had told him the same thing, this was nothing more than an easily subjugated clan village by their standards and this should have been a fucking cakewalk, but the reality before him spoke otherwise. He didn't even notice the initiate from earlier looking up at him, his own expression hidden by the mask he wore but it was the same bewilderment and confusion as the rest of the soldiers had. 

"Uhhh...Grand Captain! Orders?" The initiate asked, snapping Michelle out of his trance 

"Oh right! FUck.....ummm...send in everyone immediately!" He commanded as he looked down at the initiate 

"What?" 

"You heard me! Everyone! Charge the enemy! It's just a bunch of savages! It's nothing more than damn illusions! Now charge!" He ordered as he unsheathed his saber and pointed it forward, his horse ready and raring to go 

The Signatari soldiers let out a battle cry as they all began rushing forward, their Captains leading the charge while Grand Captain Michelle galloped forward and into the fray, hoping to avenge the men who were being annihilated. He didn't know the enemy's strength but he knew at least where the hell they were, he was going to try and leverage their supposedly superior numbers to crush the enemy right here and now, 4,000 Signatari Soldiers against whatever the savages had mustered. 

Upon seeing the rest of the columns charge, Erhet turned to her comrades. 

"All units, fall back, activate cloaking crystals, and lure them further into the forest" She commanded as she turned invisible, the rest of the Black Guard following her lead. 

As the Signatari soldiers reached their fallen comrades, they slowed down from their sprinting and looked upon the corpses of their fallen comrades. They saw torched bodies, bodies covered in a thin layer of frost, bodies impaled by earthen spikes that ripped away legs or abdomens. There were even bodies that no longer had limbs attached to the body, with some no longer having a head, or an arm, or both or even without legs, there was also the stench of fresh blood in the air and it made some of the Signatari soldiers faint from just how thick the scent was. All in all, it was a sickening sight and a lot of soldiers removed their masks obscuring their faces, and threw up on the side, unable to take the brutality that was before them. 

Even the Grand Captain was unable to keep himself alright as he entered the bloodied clan village, the sight of the massacre that happened inside the walls made Michelle throw up as he saw the carnage, although he was told that this was to be expected, he was told it was to be the bodies of the enemy, not his own. He even found the body of Captain Garn and once his eyes saw his corpse, he felt a rage build up within him, a rage against the bastards who had taken the lives of their men and not the other way around. He looked around and saw that none of the bodies lying around were of the enemy and that further fueled his rage, his rage against these savages who dared defy them, who dared defy their nation and fail to know their place under their boot. 

"All Signatari! Advance! Chase the bastards! I will not rest until we drag them all back in bloodied magi-collars and cages!" Michelle shouted as he drew his sword and moved out of the northern exit of the village, followed by the soldiers from his column. 

As the remaining 4,000 Signatari soldiers advanced past the abandoned village and into the wilderness behind them, they moved no longer by column but in a lengthwise formation, moving in small groups of five that were close to one another, creating a sort of net to ensure that there was always a squad nearby despite the now varying landscape of trees, small trails, flat grounds and small rises that they were now walking into. The Signatari soldiers kept their eyes peeled and senses they had drilled for months on high alert, trying to sense and see if there were any tribals hiding nearby. But despite all of their training and the best of their efforts, they were unable to sense the hiding silhouettes of the Black Guard that allowed them to pass them by, hiding by standing perfectly still behind trees or resting on the branches of said trees. 

Grand Captain Michelle was in the lead, his sword raised and at the ready for any foe that was to surprise him, he did not see what the hell had fought his soldiers from earlier and so was expecting to see nothing but tribals who would ambush them. Unfortunately for him, that assumption was further from the truth that was soon to make light. 

{!} 

Suddenly, a fireball struck one of the initiates and the rest of his squad near the end of the formation. Their screams alerted the rest of the squads nearby and made Michelle turn around and drop his guard as he tried to see what had happened. This drop in his guard was a fatal mistake as appearing behind him, coming out of her cloaking crystal was the largest lamia that the rest of his squad ever saw, leaving them speechless and unable to react in time before the lamia grabbed Michelle's head and lifted him up, much to his shock and before they could even do anything, the lamia crushed his head and then tossed his corpse to the side. 

{!} 

The lamia then let out a piercing roar that made the other soldiers before her flinch and stumble back a few steps as they covered their ears from the audio causing them pain. But when the roar ended, their troubles just got started as numerous Black Guard soldiers appeared and began attacking the rest of the Signatari soldiers around the area. With full squads of 5 initiates engaging their larger and more intimidating foes. Like one squad of initiates suddenly finding themselves trying to fend off an arachnia foe twice their size, their swords and spears unable to land any blows as the arachnia swung around battleaxes that they could not perfectly block against as the force behind each swing sent them stumbling back and unable to steady themselves. Then there was a Signatari initiate wielding a lance that had the dukedom's banner tied to it that charged at an orc Black Guard before him, his cry of defiance paired with his heroic charge showing great character, but it was not enough. The Black Guard caught the head of the lance with his right hand and then pulled it out of the initiate's grasp, pulling him closer and making him stumble forward and stopping right before him, the Black Guard then headbutted the initiate so hard that he fell to the floor with a cracked mask and a concussion. There was even a lamia Black Guard who wielded twin swords and fought against a squad she had rushed down, easily parrying and blocking the initiate's attacks before replying with her own slashes that tore her foes apart and spurted blood that stained the grass before them. 

With the melee now turning into scenes of chaos coupled with the death of Grand Captain Michelle, the cohesion from earlier evaporated instantly as the Signatari soldiers were now fighting for their lives despite outnumbering the enemy 4:1 but not knowing it. Erhet herself charged into the fray, slithering around like a titan amongst the tiny initiates in her way. She cleaved several initiates who charged her with her halberd, easily splitting the soldiers into two with a horizontal slash that separated the body from the waist up and their legs. Another soldier got behind her and tried to stab her tail, but the armor of the tail and her tough scales bent the tip of his sword, much to his surprise. Erhet then used her tail to wrap around him, crushing him in between the armor plates before tossing the corpse at a tree. She then saw another two squads charging at her from the front, she roared as she unleashed several <Wind Spears> that skewered 8 of the 10 soldiers charging her, following the attack with <Wind Control> basically tearing out the air from their bodies, making them suffocate and collapse on the spot. 

But it was not just Erhet ripping and tearing as she moved around, the rest of the 100 Black Guard soldiers she had brought were doing their job well, showcasing why they had been chosen to be the bodyguards of their beloved dual monarchs. One such Black Guard, a dragonkin with red scales, attacked a squad as he leaped from the tree branch he was resting on, dropping down in the middle of the initiates before whipping his armored tail around, the jagged edges decapitating one poor soul before he used his right claw to punch through the chest of another and then biting down on the head of a third all in quick succession. The other two initiates barely had time to react as the dragonkin then spewed forth flames from his transformed head that coated the two unfortunate soldiers in flames that burned them to death. Then there was also another elven Black Guard who charged a squad of initiates with her daggers, she easily dodged their attempts to attack her as she approached, doing the first slash by ducking under it and replying with a slash of her own that punched through the plate armor of his rear leg, dismembering in quickly before she quickly slashed the throat of the soldier behind the first one and then dodging a thrust from the third one that she replied by plunging both of her daggers into his chest. With three down in quick succession, the fourth and fifth initiates attacked her from either side, the elven Black Guard dodged the slash from her right and replied with an uppercut thrust that jammed her dagger through his chin and into his brain before pulling it out and throwing said dagger at the face of the fifth soldier, striking dead center and breaking the mask and killing him instantly. 

With all of the chaos going on, it was understandable that a few decided to immediately get the fuck out of dodge as they clearly saw that this was not the simple clan village raid they were expecting. But those who ran were not safer than those who were in the thick of the massacre unfolding before them as harpy and dragonkin Black Guards soared into the air and hunted them down like prey. Such as one squad which was almost back at the clan village, only for a harpy to block their path as she dived before them, unleashing several gusts of wind that cut through them like axes upon trees, tearing apart their plate armor, the chainmail underneath and then their own flesh. Another squad was also caught by a harpy Black Guard, but this harpy snatched them with her armored talons and lifted them into the air before dropping them from a considerable height, with the initiates unfortunate enough to be caught dying upon impact once the hit the ground. 

Meanwhile back in the massive melee, it became increasingly clear to the Black Guard that the Signatari Soldiers before them were not expecting to face opponents much stronger than them unlike they were trained. It was truly a massacre for the enemy as they were unable to even land any meaningful blows upon the Black Guard despite their numerical advantage as they were far too strong for even these C and B-Rank soldiers. Like when a kitsune Black Guard was surrounded from all sides by several squads of initiates who charged her at once, swords swinging and clanging with one another as the kitsune expertly blocked, parried and dodged the incoming thrusts, slashes and strikes sent her way. She dodged a thrust from one while parrying a slash from another, replying by twirling and backhanding a soldier across the face, breaking his mask and his nose before thrusting her sword into the chest of another, managing to kill all of the initiates that had surrounded her. 

There was also another boar Black Guard that was able to kill an entire squad before him that threw lances at him, hoping to pierce his thick armor, the lances merely bounced off or crumpled as they struck his plate armor and when he retaliated with a backhanded swing with his iron club, he killed the two soldiers unfortunate enough to get struck by his weapon before he unleashed a bunch of <Aqua Lances> that skewered the rest before they could react. Scenes of these one-sided engagements occurred across the forest for a good thirty minutes as the Signatari Soldiers tried their best to kill their opponents, but by the end of things, there were no survivors left. 

The forest floor was littered with the bloodied and shattered bodies of Signatari Soldiers, some had missing limbs, and others were shown to have some parts of their bodies frozen, burnt or just bit off. It was a gruesome sight but a sight that the Black Guard were happy to have achieved. Once they had finished their job, Erhet stood before them as they reformed ranks 

"Good work everyone. Stay vigilant, we must stay here until we are relieved. So take up positions with your teams and spread out, I want nothing to have escaped our sight or will come to bite us in the ass later, move out" She commanded as she slithered back to the Ourcos Clan Village with her own team of 4 Black Guards while others did what they were ordered 

.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

As the crystal projection dissipated, the dual monarchs saw the same facial expressions of surprise, horror and amazement that Ahinari had given them a month prior. Suffice to say, they were completely impressed by the performance of what was the best military unit in the empire they had just recently joined. All of them turned to the dual monarchs with eyes that spoke of admiration and a desire to even see more of what they could do. 

"Well everyone, that's that. This will surely force the hand of the Dukedom, but I expect that move to happen within the next few months. We wish to draw them into a battle, but I am afraid that it might not come today" Ophelia remarked as she looked at them 

"Why the sudden change of plan Your Majesty?" Chief Ren, one of the orc clan chiefs asked with a confused expression 

"Well, the Black Guard did a little too well, we wished for survivors to scurry back to their lines and promote fear but that has not happened, instead, the Black Guard has wiped the floor with the enemy and leaving no survivors to spread that fear" Amelia answered him 

"Oh, I see" 

"Mhmm, but it is not bad per say. A full column of  5,000 soldiers missing after being sent on what was to be an easy raid will serve that same purpose. It will force the dukedom's hand and force them to engage us on our terms. But that will take a while since I am guessing that the enemy will try to find out what happened in the first place, once they do, they will send out the army, but that will take two or three months at least" The raven-haired empress added 

"So what shall we do until then Your Majesties?" Chief Irta, one of the harpy chiefs asked 

"Well, build. All of you have signed the agreement to join the empire and within that timeframe, we will be building infrastructure while also preparing for the inevitable throw-down with the enemy. After we kick their assess on the battlefield, it will be time to push into their nation and wipe them off  this continent once and for all" The blonde empress answered 

A/N: Battle over! I hope you all enjoyed it! This is the end for this arc, there will be some interludes after this one, including an interlude with the slaves under Takawa and even one with Mother Felice and Sister Mary! After that, then the next arc!