Within the bounds of a palace as white as snow, everyone worked diligently. A girl, Astarte, walked toward a cliff where a boy, Piers, was sitting cross-legged.
"Master Piers, are we really going to fight?" Astarte asked.
"Yes. In that fight, mainly four forces will be against us: the Royals, the Devil Holders, the Guardian Holders, and the Revolutionaries and their group," Piers confirmed.
"But Master, don't you think this might be a trap?"
"This is a trap, but one we must prevail in. If we prevail, we will rule over everything. If we will not be able to prevail, then..."
Astarte looked worried, but Kade arrived. "Master Piers, don't worry. I will make sure to fight to the bitter end." Severin, Vera, Titus, Silas, Garth, and Xander all appeared, stating, "Yes, we will fight to the death if needed be."
Piers shook his head. "No, you won't fight to the death. If in any case I shall fall, you will go into hiding and only attack the other branches occasionally, and wait for me to come back."
"But how will you come back, and when?" Astarte pressed.
"That will also be decided by how much you could recruit and how much long you will be able to survive. Remember, our goal is not to fight to the death. We have to make sure we fulfill our goal; therefore, sacrifices matter as well."
"Yes, Master," they all vowed.
"Now, let's march towards the Devil Holder Branch where the fight is going to be held. However, before that, get others ready, I want to tell them something." Piers stood up and started walking toward the palace.
Astarte stopped him. "Master, please wait! Before you go, I need to tell you something."
"I know about your feelings, Astarte, but for me, this is not a good time. Now, we will talk about it after the fight."
Astarte put her head down. "Yes, Master."
Kade, Garth, Xander, and Vera quickly rallied the entire army in front of the palace. Piers stood on the balcony, looking at the immense crowd. The numbers were so high they covered the far reaches of the land.
Piers's thoughts drifted from how little he once had to the colossal force he commanded now. "We started this revolution small, which very small number of you people might have remembered. But now we have expanded to such a high number. However, the increase in the number of people also means we have become a huge target for others, and now my plan is going right into their trap. This time I am serious and won't stop any people from leaving, because we will be gambling lives today."
Everyone stood their ground, but one couple stepped forward: Jude, a Devil Holder, holding the hand of Foley, a Guardian Holder.
"Master Piers, my name is Jude, and this is Foley. We are with you since the first day, but now we want to leave the revolution," the boy said.
"Fine, go ahead. I hope you live a healthy life," Piers replied.
Jude and Foley bowed and left.
"Anyone else?" Piers asked. No other person moved from their spot.
"If I shall fall in this battle, you all need to go into hiding and wait till I show again. Don't recklessly throw your life away just because of me. We are here to complete our mission, and that mission we shall complete." Everyone looked intense and ready for battle.
Piers took out the Phantom Insignia and the Holy Sword. "We will show those rats that there is a future without them—a better one! If they want a fight, we will give them one!"
The army yelled their battle cry.
As they prepared to move, the Phantom Insignia spoke in Piers's mind. You know this might be going to your last battle, right, pal? So why did not you tell them that?
"I am pretty sure this is not my last battle. I can feel it—the passion of achieving my goal just runs that deep," Piers thought.
As you say, we will see about that, the Phantom Insignia replied.
On a desolate road leading to Astria, Jude and Foley were walking hand-in-hand. "Now we can start a new life," Jude said.
"Yes, a new life with you," Foley agreed.
Piers's army marched toward the next Devil Branch, located at the border of the Principality, close to Frerin Village. Piers and his army stopped as they saw the massive opposing forces: the Guardian Holders army, the Devil Holders army, and the Royals army.
Behind a giant boulder, Tenko, Kaiser, and their team were hiding.
Piers smiled, facing the massive combined force. "This is going to be an interesting war, don't you all think?"
In Astria, Eugene was practicing the sword with Daina. Ava and Bart watched. Ava threw an Ember of fire magic at him, which Eugene cut off with a projected sword. Bart then summoned an earth spike, forcing Eugene to attempt his stepping method, but he failed and fell.
"No, that's not how you do it, look! Do it like this," Daina instructed, showing the stepping method again.
"Sorry, but can I take a bit of rest before practicing it again?" Eugene asked.
Daina sighed. "Fine." Eugene went to a tree and sat in the shade.
Bart approached Daina. "Come on, Daina, don't you think you are pushing Eugene a bit too hard?"
"What do you mean, 'a bit too hard?' I am just teaching him the way of swordsmanship."
"I agree with Bart here," Ava chimed in. "When Rei was my master, sure, he would make me battle Tenko and bullied me, but whenever he thought that I could not learn something, he would move on to the next without even thinking."
"What do you even mean?" Daina asked.
Bart explained, "He taught us everything in fragments. Like, if I won't be able to lift a rock, he would teach me how to move a rock through the ground surface and then move to that in the air. Look, what I am telling is that if Eugene is not able to learn the stepping movement, just tell him to focus on a fragment of the stepping movement for a time before you teach him more."
"Fine, I guess I will do it," Daina conceded.
"I swear, even if some fragments are lost, the technique can still become complete with the ingenuity and creativity of each person," Bart concluded.
By this point, Eugene had already fallen asleep. Daina stood there, planning her next fragmented training session for Eugene.