3 Settle The Score

Anasthasia heard a tremendous blow on the walls behind her before she had been thrashed for good.

Anasthasia's vision obscured. The darkness smothered every nook and corner of the hall. Lastly, this had left the silhouette of a man visible to her eyes; slowly disintegrated. After ruthlessly launched several miles away, Anasthasia rolled out on the ground. She cast a thick wall of ice to halt the strong momentum.

The woman was ready to brace for impact.

Anasthasia screamed in agony as she crashed from the ice wall. Cracks spread throughout but weren't completely shattered. 'That... hurt a lot!' The pitiful empress leaned on her forearms to the ground, grunted in pain.

Anasthasia gradually stabilized her position and glanced at the distance. All she saw was a gigantic ball of darkness that sucked every piece of infrastructure in front of her. She gulped hard as she witnessed the devastation.

Anasthasia flinched when the bracelet started to crack. Her eyes closed as she reminisced.

***

"Why do I have to wear this, Sir Edward?"

Edward chuckled. "This will serve as your protection from imminent danger." Then he carefully locked the peculiar bracelet on her wrist.

"You think I needed protection at this point? Did you forget who I am?"

Edward shook his head slowly. "I imbued my power to that, see this stone right here?" Edward pointed to the golden fragment embedded on the bracelet. "It'll help you in near future."

Anasthasia wondered about the sudden changes of mana around her. "This feels weird!"

Edward roared out of laughter. "You'll get used to it."

Anasthasia rolled her eyes as she spoke softly, "Alright, I trust you."

Edward's keen eyes shifted slightly. "Allow me to protect you until my very last breath..." His warm voice rekindled her unperturbed heart.

"Stop making a long face, I told you I'll be fine!" Anasthasia brushed him off and smiled gleefully. "You should trust me as well!"

The gentleman nodded, "Always... I'll see you tomorrow." Anasthasia saw him turned around and uprightly walked away.

***

Anasthasia opened her eyes soon as it was over, and all she saw was nothing but a massive crater in this now desolate lands.

Glanced down and saw the crumbled bracelet and a pristine gemstone twinkled with golden light. Anasthasia picked it up and embraced it with her fingertips.

'...Survive, Anasthasia...'

Words popped up in her head that promptly made her move. "I need to know what's going on."

Anasthasia can feel the mana fluctuations, her senses tingled as she began to savor them once more. "I feel so free."

Anasthasia jumped as she cast "Float!" She swung her arm and the gust of wind fluttered below her heel and cushioned her way up the sky. She continued to move forward with the propelling winds in her grasp.

It took a couple of minutes to take a survey, but her emotions went topsy-turvy from what her eyes scrutinized.

Back then, her vision considered the desolate land to extend beyond the horizon. Now she started to realize the whole plan.

It was a decade of war that was carefully planned. Anastasia's body seared as she witnessed the organized formations of the army from the Brontzmann Empire.

'The royal family of the Brontzmann Empire...'

'Their notable vassals...'

'Prominent generals...'

'His trusted subordinates...'

It seemed like the important actors on the stage came to play as well.

'They planned this day to be the end of the decade war.' She scoffed and eyes glinted. She thought of one thing.

Revenge...

'It's been a long time since I thought of that.'

Anasthasia advanced with determination. When she got closer to the higher ranks, she witnessed their faces filled with wretched and dreadful faces.

It only fueled the fallen empress the desire to obliterate.

"So all of you think this was over?" Anasthasia's voice rumbled like thunder across the sky, which flinched the ants on the ground. She laughed dryly. "A grave mistake..."

'Prismatic Trance!'

Anasthasia descended like a hawk that locked its prey. She plunged, but not close to touch the ground and drifted her way towards the King at the backlines.

"Move out! Protect the Emperor!" A general shouted and worked their way to the defense position. The generals pounced fiercely and intercepted her way.

However, she already cast, prismatically, ten compounded magic arrays enough for everyone's eyes to feast.

'Earth Strain!' The ground trembled at high intensity that ruined the balance of the mere soldiers and those of the land. It created a great fissure that continuously swallowed the poor down to the abyss.

A gallant man in black-clad armor swung his bloody great sword on her way. But before it reached her, a strong wind collided and ruthlessly sent him flying.

Anasthasia flicked her hand once more and caused a tremendous wave of wind that knocked back the enemies. Consequently, she clasped her hand, releasing spectacular colors, and commanded the clouds to rumble slowly. Gloomy clouds converged above her.

"Don't let her finish the spell!" The man in a blue leather robe gave off a chilling effect, magic thickened and formed a batch of spears that locked her way.

Anasthasia glanced sideways and backed off as she easily dodged the projectiles. She retreated to kite the frontlines, which continued to add pressure to her.

Soon, she sensed the sudden attack from her peripheral vision.

A quiet but murderous intent coated the ominous dagger almost struck her arm when she parried with as she cast 'Wind Wall!'.

'Gale Burst!'

Anasthasia held the air nearby, which stunned and launched him away.

It was an attack on all sides but she never felt so scared. She was so excited to slaughter them all.

Anasthasia parried the attack from an incoming sword and pushed him several yards away. She glanced at the sky and thought, 'I need more time.' Thereafter, she saw the near-invisible arrows that flew her way.

Her body lit up with colors as she jumped and slammed the ground; she cast 'Fire Blast,' which caused a ring of fire, steadily expanded. Destroyed the arrows, and burned the valiant swordsmen to cinders.

Moist air started to coalesce near her body as she commanded to freeze, with each time the temperature continued to plummet, casting 'Sub-Zero!'. A tidal wave of frost ruefully consumed towards them.

Enemies in the area turned into a thick sheet of ice scriptures. Anasthasia shifted her body and thrust towards the Brontzmann Emperor.

"I'll take your life!" Anasthasia growled as she twitched her hand with ready-made spells on her arsenal. Meanwhile, the Brontzmann Emperor stood and unsheathed his sacred sword. He dashed with sword lights, from the slashes, to intercept then welcome her.

But Anasthasia was quicker. She cast 'Hell Inferno!'

Such point-blank range, she created a series of damned flames that fried all the pests. The Emperor remained steadfast, albeit his refined, heavy armor charred and scorched.

A gaze glinted with a chill as she witnessed the critical burns that nearly took the lives of the enemy vassals and the royal family.

A mirthless laugh escaped from her lips as she thought.

Anasthasia glowed once more and harrumphed, a 'Torrent' blew from above that punctured their bodies. It was a fan of water knives from typical rain. She made use of the storm. The Emperor stood and watched her with no emotions reflected on his eyes.

"We meet again, Empress Anasthasia."

"Save your words, Magnus." Anasthasia raised her arm as the ground trembled once more, cast 'Cataclysm!'

Magnus was quick to jump in the air. The ground erupted with rock formations that cast a long shadow, had skewered the dead bodies within the vicinity, and crushed at the side.

He slashed a strong projectile in which Anasthasia parried but she got knocked back to the ground.

Anasthasia stiffened her back as the pain surged. Eyes bulged and rolled sideways as she noticed the incoming sword lights that struck her way. She got to her feet and made a sheet of ice for her to skid while she cast 'Sleet Blast!'

'Stone Avalanche!'

Magnus soared higher to dodge the flurry of gigantic rocks, and he countered the glacial explosion radius but wasn't safe for the incoming dangers from above. His cold blue eyes dilated from the searing rocks that would collide imminently.

Magnus scowled in frustration as he resisted the otherworldly magical power.

Anasthasia softly snickered as she watched his demise, 'Starfall!'

Magnus tried to defend himself, but the meteors came ablaze and ultimately plunged. He tried to resist the impact with his enormous strength but jolted when he noticed the dangers behind the clouds.

"These past years, you never learn." Anasthasia, brimming with colors, stood with grace; fingers continued to dance in a flurry. Formation of thunders that roared and vicious bolts of lightning coagulated, ready to obliterate.

'Tempest Howl!'

Series of robust and fierce lightning struck, entirely penetrating his body. The Emperor let out a deathly cry that reverberated in the area. When Magnus started to fall, he began to disintegrate.