To live?

"What you're doing, general Katrine!!"

In the crowd of soldiers, a brown haired youth shouted with all of his might. He, who was the first one to laugh, was also the first to react.

"Fuck! Someone stop him!!"

In distress, his senior, a purple haired man, roared unsheathing a bastard sword.

"Volga, get ready! We need to help captain Bartolomeo!"

"Yes, vice-captain!"

In that same moment, they started to prepare themselves for combat.

...

..

.

"W-Wait Brother! Please! Let's think about it!"

Waving his arms on the air, Bartolomeo only asked for a bit of patience.

"DAMN YOU! STOP LAUGHING!!"

But who said Katrine wanted to hear..?

"I wasn't laughing! Please! Can't you calm down a bit!?"

Bartolemeo asked with a worried yet calm smile, well, he thought he did... but with his entire body shaking, it didn't seem convincing at all.

He seemed really frightened, as even his lips were trembling...

'BWHAHAHHEAHAAHA!! MY GOD, LOOK AT HIS FACE, HEHEHAHHAAHA!'

But in truth, it was just that hard to hold back a sneer from forming on his lips.

'HAHAHAH-haaah~'

'Ahh, I want to call someone to paint his dumb face!'

"Heheh~"

His 'enemy' was making a face that was so comical, he unconsciously chuckled. And in the moment he did... Katrine's face, that couldn't really be called beautiful, got even more uglier and distorted.

"Y-YOU!"

'Pfft~ Hehehehe, if I had a painting of him, I would put it on the living room!!'

Barely holding back his laughter, Bartolomeo was having so much fun watching the ogre-like face his brother was making, that he didn't care if that place was hell or even a damned illusion...

He didn't feel like that in ages! So, he just enjoyed it... sadly for him, his joy soon ended.

"I SAID... STOP LAUGHING YOU SWINE!!"

Just like an mindless animal, Katrine roared in rage as he swinged his sword.

"NO!! GENERA-"

"DODGE, CAPTAI-"

In the same moment they came, two desperate shouts were cut short. They were silenced, by a loud and extremely terrifying, murderous yell.

"STAP THAT RIGHT NAW!"

"YER THREE DEMN IMBECILES!!!"

With a thick accent, the one who shouted on fury was, surprisingly, no one other than the prim and proper sir Albaran...

He, earlier the ever peaceful and harmless old man, now looked like he would kill anyone if they tried to talk with him.

" " "S-Sir Alba-" " "

"SHAT UP YA FOOLS!!"

Everyone was so shocked that even the so enraged Katrine sheated his weapon and tried to say something, but the old man didn't give him the chance.

TRAAAK!!!

"YER ALL GOT TO HEAR ME! AND IF YA HAVE A COMPLAINT, SEY IT NAW YA DAMB FUCKS!!"

With an extremely aggressive and intimidating attitude, Albaran shouted stabbing his sword on the ground.

"E-Excuse m-me sir..."

"I-I...w...d...t...s-sir??"

Trembling just like a stranded cat, Katrine rambled with an inaudible voice.

"HAAH!!? WAT IS IT!!? SEY IT LOUDER YA FUCK!!"

"I...I.. want to know why y-you're doing this s-sir..."

Looking to the ground, he asked shaking...

"HAAAH!!? SEY IT, LOOKING AT MA EYES!!"

"WEREN'T YOU THE ONE ALWEYS SEYING, OH! LOOK AT MA EYES I'M YOUR SUPERIOR!!"

"HAAH!? YA LITTLE BITCH!?"

"SO SEY IT LOOKING AT MA FACE!!"

He ordered putting his face right in front of Katrine.

"I-I wouldn't... dare sir..."

"HAAH!?? WHAT YA SAID!?"

"HIIIH!!"

"I-I.. I asked... why are you doing this.. s-sir..."

After screaming just like a little girl, Katrine muttered tearing up, just like the coward he was.

"GRAHAHAHHAHAHA!!"

With an strange expression on his face, Albaran laughed viciously. The same laugh that earlier made the soldiers feel warm, now made them shiver...

"YA SERIOUSLY ASKING ME WHY!?"

"I.. I.."

"GRAHAHAHahahaha..."

The white haired soldier suddenly stopped laughing, and only stared at the way younger general...

"Son... do you want to die..?"

He asked with a terrifying tranquility, while he gently put his hand on the youngster head and ruffled it.

"HIIIH!!"

"E.. A-A.. N-NO, SIR!!"

Katrine answered crying.

"So..."

SSHRRKRAMMMM!!!

Albaran calmy whispered... as he slowly unsheated Katrine's sword from the sheat.

"Tell me, young Kane..."

The man continued talking unhurriedly, as he leisurely examined each part of the sword.

"WHY THE FUCK DID YOU POINT A SWORD TOWARDS YOUR FELLOW SOLDIER!!?"

SSSSWIISH!!

SSWISH!!

TTTAAKK!!!

Tek.. Tek... Tek...

Blood slowly started to drip from Katrine's cheeks...

Albaran, without a fear in the world had threw a sword on him...

"AH! AH! AAAAAAAHHH!!!"

"AAHHA!!!"

"Ah, ah, A.."

Scared and screaming like an animal, Katrine fell on the ground pissing on himself.

"WE SOLDIERS!!"

"WE'RE ALL RISKING OUR LIVES TOGETHER TO PROTECT AXIASS!! SO, HOW DARE YOU TO POINT A SWORD TOWARDS A COMRADE!!?"

Waving his hands furiously, Albaran shouted with anger.

'Heh! Big words coming from someone who did... nah, I should forget about it.'

'Haah~ but seriously, these devil made puppets, are really like the original ones, huh...'

Bartolomeo tought amused.

"ANSWER ME YA LITTLE SHIT!!"

"A..AH, ah.. Er.."

The old man continued his yelling, but in shock Katrine didn't answer.

'Tch, I was enjoying myself here, but I wonder..."

'If I want to test my plan, I guess I have to help him.'

'Yeah, that sucks... well, I suffered way worse things anyways.'

And with that thought in mind he started to get closer to Albaran.

"Sir Albaran! Please sto-"

"HAAH!? ah, it's you young Barto, what do you want?"

"I'm taking care of a troublemaker right now."

He was angry, but as soon he saw that Bartolomeo was the one who called him, he asked what he wanted with a gentle smile.

"S-Sir! I-I'm going to have to ask you to stop!"

"I'm sure my brother didn't really mean it!! Can't you please forgive him!?"

Bartolomeo said with a 'truthfully' worried expression on his face.

"Even so I can-"

'Hmm? I know I asked a shitty thing, but it isn't that surprising... so why they all have such strange expression or their faces?'

He thought totally puzzled.

"OH NO! YOUNG BARTO!!!"

"GENERAL!!!"

"CAPTAIN!!"

'Why they're all yellin- ah..."

And in that moment, Bartolomeo realized, he, was falling down with heaps of blood dripping out of his mouth and nose...

'..what the fuck..?'

And then, all he saw was darkness...

...

..

.

[Founded more than two hundred years ago, the Axiass kingdom was a peaceful nation. But even as peaceful they were, their tradition of having six powerful generals was still maintained, tough the quality of the generals couldn't really be called good...

At the time, their reigning king, Grieff the third, was a kind and docile man, unfit to rule. And his personality simply made him have little to no political power.

The generals were basically appointed by the general nobility, and then, each of them were given a legion to lead.

They were ranked on the following order:

- First legion, the Full Moon Knights, Leaded by: Albaran Von Sozos, the only general appointed by the king.

- Second legion, the Crescent Knights, Leaded by: Berunt Di Lindenberger, general appointed by Duke Lindenberger.

- Third legion, the Quarter Knights, Leaded by: Markien Via Bazten, general appointed by Count Bazten and Baron Siracusa.

- Fourth legion, the Waning Knights, Leaded by: Katrine Di Siracusa, general appointed by Duke Lindenberger and Baron Siracusa.

- Fifth legion, the Luna Knights, Leaded by: Liera Von Bismarcken, general appointed by Count Dantalion.

- Sixth legion, the New Moon Knights, Leaded by: Bartolomeo Di Siracusa, general appointed by Baron Siracusa and Count Bazten .

A few months after their appointement, the king was poisoned and in the capital, rebels declared war... and as if it was all planned, in that same week the neighboring nation, the Kristnoev empire also declared war.

After that, not much is known other than the name of the killer...

The one who killed him, was also the rebel leader...

His name was...

Albaran Von Sozos.

The king most trusted knight...]

[Book of the fallen kingdoms, VOL 30, PAG 47.]