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Third-person POV
The sun was moving to the zenith and with it four people made its way to the entrance of the fort. While Nimble the knight of the empire was nervous Ainz Ooal Gown, the masked magic caster and Oriana the scary beauty were the calm itself. At the outside the army of the Re-Esdize kingdom was already waiting and the soldiers of the empire also began to go into formation in front of the fort.
The difference in numbers was enormous. Compared to the 240,000 men of the kingdom, the 60,000 soldiers of the empire looked almost small. One of the kingdom's flanks alone was already more numerous than the empire's man, not to mention the main force in the center, which was directly subordinate to the king.
But even in the face of such a force, the knights of the empire seemed to feel no fear. Why should they? After all, fighting was their calling. Unlike the conscripted army of the kingdom, they were trained and well paid. This didn't mean they would throw their lives away, but only that they had a better reason to do so than the soldiers of the kingdom. Moreover, they trusted the emperor and their commander, who had always made good decisions.
Still, today seemed different..,
It didn't feel like the previous fights at the katze plain. The quick, but well-thought-out skirmish that would weaken the kingdom year for year. No. There was this ominous almost scary feeling in the air, the one that made your hairs straighten up at the back of your neck, the one that sept into your skin and bones and made you, and your knees shiver.
Messengers from both sides met in the middle of these two enormous armies to review the terms of war one last time and, if possible, avoid a battle. But in reality, war had never been averted in this way in the entire history of either country. The true reason for sending these messengers was to maintain appearances to other nations; after all, no one wanted to be seen as an uneducated barbarian, mad about war and death.
The messengers returned, with predictable success. Peace was not an option; as every year, battle was inevitable. The only question was how many lives it would cost this time.
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Oriana POV
After we left the walls of the fort and stepped out into the barren land where my audience was already waiting, I could do nothing but smile. This ticklish feeling inside my tummy that I had been feeling lately bubbled up and threatened to spill out of my mouth in the form of a full-blown laughter. Instead, I allowed it to manifest as a small but melodic giggle.
Today I would be going to try something different, from my experiments with my created puppet to the implementation of my blood seals in the fight with Shalltear. My true form was the thing that really earned me the nickname 'Mother of all Vampires'.
"Oriana are really you sure?" Asked Ainz once again.
"I am" I answered without hesitation
"Alright I will trust you, I just hope..." he tried to reply but was swiftly disturbed
The blast of a loud horn interrupted our conversation and announced the beginning of the battle.
"Well looks like that's my call, let's start this spectacle" I joked and pulled the fourth person who had accompanied us aggressively by his hooded coat.
It was the coachman who had driven our carriage. As upon his arrival, he was still wrapped in a dark cloak, but another aggressive pull from me tore his cloak open, revealing his bare torso. Nimble, the Knight of the Empire, glanced at me in surprise, but I paid him no attention. Instead, I bit my index finger and began swiftly drawing patterns and symbols on his back. His fixed gaze and his lack of reaction when I carelessly cut his back with my nails proved that he was far from being in his right mind.
"Mmmm interesting, so you have found another way to use you seals then just stunning the enemy or making traps" Ainz asked curiously
"In a matter of speaking, just let my surprise you" I answered him cheekily, while continuing to further paint his back
With a particularly aggressive cut across his back, fresh blood dripping down, I finished my artwork and examined it closely. The seal was very complex; it was designed to perform several actions simultaneously. In the game, something like this wouldn't have been possible, since you could only choose from a predefined pool of options. Multiple choices were impossible, but here in this new world, it was even possible to combine multiple options at once.
I snapped my fingers, letting the modified human regain his consciousness. His eyes drifted around widely, and he was starting to panic.
"W-Where am I" he stuttered
"W-Who are you all"
"Well, you really are not required to know, but I guess I can be generous. You are after all an important part of my performance" I giggled sweetly.
"I...You are an angel?" He asked with awe in his voice after his eyes fixed on my face, calming down a bit.
"Not quite" I answered him
"To answer your question, we are currently standing on top of the katze plains, and you my dear are going to be its main attraction, protagonist even if you will."
"Katze plains, Protagonist?" He asked again.
"Yes the most significant person even more than me, actually. It's a huge honor, you are going to be part of something bigger than you would have ever been. Bigger than anything you would have ever done in your life." I explained ominously.
"B-Bigger then...?"
"But we are digressing, you wouldn't want to waste such a big moment in your life, right?" I interrupted him.
"Here drink that" I bate my hand again, not giving him a moment to think about my question"
"Mmmmmlmml"
He struggeld, but I was stronger than him, blood dripped down his neck and I giggled as his face started to show the pain he was experiencing. Nimble the knight was shivering as I released my grip over the man and let him fall into the ground.
"ARGGGGGGGG" he started crying out in pain
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MEEEEEE" He screamed his confused demeanor broken as his body started to swell
First his arms and legs then his torso and even his head, everything was swelling like a balloon that was being filled with gas. And like a gas balloon, he too slowly began to rise into the sky, heading directly towards the right flank of the kingdom's army. It looked grotesque, the human balloon flailing and screaming in the air.
"Mmmm?" Ainz murmured in surprise and interest, wondering what I was getting at.
"Patience, it's almost time." I said and let my gaze wander across the sky. The improvised balloon had reached the army and was now hovering directly over the right flank. A soft giggle escaped me and I stretched out my arms...
"You heavens above, rain down my righteousness" I recited and laughed
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
The man's bloated body finally burst, spilling blood and entrails onto the terrified army below, who had halted their advance in fear. Blood rained mercilessly down on the kingdom's soldiers, seeping into every crevice and corner of their bodies and armor. Some, unfortunate enough to get drops of blood in their mouths, eyes, or other orifices, spat on the ground or tried to rub their eyes to rid themselves of the troublesome, viscous fluid, but it was already too late...
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Herrmann Stier POV
It was a sunny and hot day on the usually fog-covered Katze Plains. Like every year, he was back here in this cursed place; he hated it. Every year he fought a cursed war that clearly had no higher purpose. When he was younger, he had taken it seriously; his youthful and patriotic side wanted to defend his country, and he had trained and prepared feverishly. But when war broke out again and again, and the harvest was left lying in the fields again and again, he quickly changed his mind. Now he had long been convinced that the war was certainly the brainchild of one of those aristocrats.
At the thought, he spat on the ground and cursed softly. Nobles were all idiots; they didn't live in the fields and had no idea how they even acquired the coins they hoarded in their mansions. They were greedy and impulsive idiots, and he'd bet his right arm if this war was the fault of any nobleman. Yes, that's how it was. He and his comrades had to toil in the fields and even go to war when necessary, but who got to see any of the money in the end? The nobles, of course. He spat on the ground again and grumbled to himself, dissatisfied.
A loud horn sounded, pulling him from his thoughts. The army's right wing slowly began to move, and he watched them as they marched step by step toward the enemy army. As a senior soldier who had served a few times before, he was fortunate enough to be positioned further back in the central sector where there wasn't as much fighting. Let the energetic youngsters fight, like he once was; they would surely learn that in this war there was nothing to be gained but death.
A shadow darkened the sky, and he blinked to see what was causing it. A cloud? No, the shadow was too small. What then? It looked like a ball he had played with as a child, only this one was almost two paces wide. The closer the ball got to the army, the slower it became. The other soldiers seemed to have noticed it too, and many pointed at the unusual phenomenon. Even the advanced right flank had stopped and were now pointing at the approaching ball. It stuttered, and stopped, and then...
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
Startled, he flinched and clutched his aching ears. Red mist poured like rain onto the soldiers of the now terrified right wing. Silence reigned; no one dared to move, not even the clatter of armor could be heard, let alone a voice. But after ten seconds of nothing happening, he dared to hope that this spectacle had been nothing more than an intimidation tactic.
ARGGGGGGGGGGG
A scream shattered the silence, and he flinched again. His instinct screamed—no, begged him to flee—but he ignored it. Desertion was worse than murder; if caught, his life would be over.
AAAAAAAAARG
IT HUUUUUUUURTS
MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHRG
I DON'T WANT TO DIEEEEEE
More screams began to echo across the battlefield; these were definitely different people. Desertion was starting to feel more and more appealing. Then he spotted something among the soldiers on the right flank. It seemed to be rising, growing larger by the second. A shiver ran down his spine; although, upon closer inspection, it was more spherical, if one concentrated, one could still discern the armor it wore, and with enough imagination, one could even picture what it had once been.
More and more soldiers ascended into the sky. Not everyone seemed affected, but there were undoubtedly several dozen. Their bloated, rounded bodies carried them higher and higher into the sky, becoming rounder and rounder until finally...
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
BOOOOOOOOOOOM
The bodies of the poor fools exploded, showering poisonous red rain upon the soldiers of the right wing. Again and again, the sounds of exploding soldiers echoed across the plain of death, causing more 'seeds' to sprout. They, too, swelled up to spread the plague further. The panicked soldiers ran as fast as they could, heedless of losses, with only one thought: 'Escape!' Slower adversaries were shoved aside and trampled into the red-painted ground, soon flying to the skies aswell to begin the cursed cycle anew.
Desperately, he gazed at the sky as if begging his god to explain how something so terrible could even exist. But what he saw was not his god. High in the sky, far above the bloody disaster, flew the silhouette of a woman, her white hair fluttering in the wind, and behind her back he could make out a pair of pitch-black bat wings. Her lips moved, and he swore that even through this distance he could hear her voice. It was loving and melodious like a mother's, yet he could feel nothing but coldness in her.
Time for the second act!
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