A warm wind was blowing over the savannah. The usual African midday heat was pushing the temperature beyond 40 degrees.
Despite the ferocious animals, such as leopards, lions, and hyenas, that populated this region of the continent, the sight of this corner of untouched nature was still calming.
The only flaw in this nearly pristine natural scenario was the military garrison located on a hill, from which one could observe the entire plain for miles.
The stone walls were at least 20 meters high. Several posts for the soldiers were positioned at equal distances along the entire perimeter of the wall.
The 500 men inside this base were military personnel, members of some terrorist movement who had the misfortune of stepping on the wrong person's toes.
The general of this small army had sent half of his men to kill this "wrong person" hours ago.
The plan was perfect. They had chosen an ideal location for a trap; not even a mage of her level would have been able to escape alive from an encirclement of more than 1000 Mages, 8000 soldiers armed to the teeth, and 300 tanks for support. At least, that was what the man thought.
The more time passed without news, the more his mood fell. Thanks to the heat, it was easy for him to hide the cold sweat that trickled down his body.
But despite that, the tension was high throughout the fort. Every soldier in the garrison was on alert, ready to fire at the first sign of danger if their enemy made an appearance.
"Any news!?" (General)
"No, sir! Still no communication!"
"Try again at intervals of 10 minutes until they respond! And I want you to call in more men from the border!"
"B-but sir, if we bring in reinforcements from the border, the government forces..."
"Did I ask for your opinion, soldier!?"
"No, sir!"
"Then do as I told you, before I decide to..."
The general's words died in his throat when he saw something approaching from the window. Looking closer, the man could only shiver at the sight.
A tank was flying toward him, at the speed of a car on the highway, straight at the center of the communications hub of the base.
Before the other soldiers could grasp the danger, their commander jumped from the glass window, painfully landing in the courtyard. Moments later, the carcass of the heavy vehicle crashed down, destroying the stone defenses of the place.
There was an explosion that swept away both the soldiers nearby and the communication equipment, vital for the small army.
Now they would have no reinforcements; in the worst-case scenario, no one would ever know what was happening there until it was too late.
"What the hell!?"
"THEY'RE ATTACKING US!" (General)
"Everyone ready to shoot!"
"Prepare heavy weapons!"
"Someone put out the fire!"
The soldiers, despite their fear and shock, immediately sprang into action. Each one knew what to do; they were few but well-prepared. Unfortunately for them, they were about to face a monster in the form of a woman.
"Are there more attacks coming!?"
Another two tanks flew toward the base. The first struck the ammunition depot of the fort with pinpoint accuracy.
With a deafening explosion, the shells, explosive charges, and reserve weapons were destroyed. Anyone within 20 meters of the site was killed by the shockwave or the debris from the impact.
200 men had already fallen. But that was just the beginning.
The other tank flew low to the ground, straight toward the main gate of the military installation. The heavy iron gate was swept away from its hinges with no difficulty.
The general barely avoided being crushed by several tons of metal.
As everyone was in disarray, trying to figure out where their enemy was or trying to save their comrades, a cynical and merciless laugh echoed amidst all that chaos, as if there were no men screaming in pain or flames tearing through buildings.
"Ahahhahah, you're like ants whose anthill has been burnt! Disgusting! You're so pathetic that just thinking you had a chance to kill me is hilarious! Who did you think you were!?"
From the main entrance, a woman entered as if she owned the place, with long hair and orange eyes. She was dressed in military camouflage that did nothing to conceal her curves.
"It can't be!?!"
"It's the Scarlett Queen!"
A young Veronica observed with amused eyes the men shivering in fear; some of them quickly noticed that she was covered in blood from head to toe. It didn't take a genius to know that their comrades, who had gone to kill her, had met a gruesome end.
"So? Who's first!?"
One of the soldiers mustered up the courage to raise his rifle toward her. He was the first target; with an otherworldly speed, the woman arrived in front of the man.
"Bu!"
The mage took the soldier's head in her hands and crushed it. Bits of blood, brains, and bones splattered across her face, making the scene even more macabre.
Only when the lifeless body fell to the ground did someone else open fire. He was the second target. Avoiding the bullet, Veronica got behind him and crushed his head into the ground with one hand, forming a small crater filled with human remnants upon impact.
"M-monster!"
This time, instead of one single person, multiple groups opened fire, praying to kill the demon that was tearing their comrades apart.
"Ants."
Every shot stopped at least a meter away from her. The mage yawned widely in front of the shocked faces of the soldiers. With a snap of her fingers, the bullets traveled backward, killing at least 100 men in one go.
"It's also boring to kill you."
Those who remained died shortly after. Veronica killed them in the most cruel manner possible; their screams frightened the animals of the savannah more than the previous explosions.
Minutes later, there was silence. The woman enjoyed the sound of the flames, the heat of the sun, and the blood, guts, and innards that stained her body.
"Ah! Right, I forgot about him."
In the meantime, the general was running as if he were being chased by the devil himself. In a sense, he was. His legs were aching from fatigue; his heart was pumping so fast it felt ready to explode.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The voice coming from behind the man made him freeze with fear. His heart stopped and skipped a few beats. Veronica's hand grasped his throat and lifted him, high enough that his feet didn't touch the ground.
"A general should stay with his men until the end."
Deliberately slowly, the woman brought the general inside the base. With a slight smile, she decided to plunge the man's face into a puddle of blood, holding him firmly by the hair.
"This is the blood of your men, all dead, because you're too stupid to understand the extent of my power. You shouldn't have disturbed me."
The mage held the man steady while he struggled to break free from her grip. Veronica decided to play with him a bit and loosened her hold on his hair.
The general tore his hair and the underlying tissue, starting to bleed, but still managed to escape. Coughing up the blood of one of his soldiers, the architect of this situation tried to crawl away from the woman.
"Not bad... but ultimately futile."
"I'll give you what you want! P-please, don't kill me!"
"Too bad for you; what I want is to kill you."
"N-no! I'll do anything you want!"
"Stop begging. How many of your victims have said the same? 100? 1000? And how many times have you and your soldiers massacred people just because you wanted to? Don't get me wrong, I don't care about your crimes; my speech merely serves to make you understand that I have the power to kill you, and there is nothing you can do to stop me!"
"No! Die, bitch!"
The man pulled a pistol from his holster with his hand. A part of him hoped that a point-blank bullet could kill the monster before him.
The bullet flew straight toward Veronica's pupil, which she avoided by slightly turning her head to the side.
"I wanted to kill you quickly... but after this... I don't think I will."
The mage placed a foot on the general's chest. Deliberately slowly, she began to apply pressure to his sternum.
It took 10 minutes of intense terror before the man died, spitting blood and mucus from his nostrils and mouth, with tears in his eyes and a look of fear etched on his face.
"Bah, better go home now."
*****
Veronica couldn't help but laugh. Twenty years had passed since that day, yet she still remembered it. Why? She had committed more spectacular and greater massacres, but those were only for money. She was a mercenary, killing whoever they told her to kill.
But that time, it was by coincidence that everything unfolded.
The mage had been mistaken for another person, Yukihime; a stupid esper had confused the two women due to their powers, which were similar in quantity, triggering the turmoil.
It was thanks to that mistake that the 40-year-old came into contact with little Vampiea and her Companion.
"(Who would have thought that the son of that man would come to my house to spend time with my daughter? Life is indeed full of surprises!)"
There was a sound at the door. Veronica went to open it, flashing her brightest smile to Hajime.
"Please, come in."