"It's useless, Yuu — there was nothing you could've done. You'd have just gotten yourself killed. You're one of Libertas' best; losing you would have been worse," Hitoshi said, trying to comfort him.
"After everything we went through, that woman just shows up and kills him like it's nothing," Yuu repeated.
The landscape still bore the scars of the recent battle, but there was no snow left. The shards of ice — the last traces of the two brothers — had been carried off by the wind.
"What do we do now that we've failed?" Gilbert asked Hitoshi.
"We can't hesitate," Kyorano interjected.
Everyone turned to look at him. "Yuki said Astalia has a new Governor. He surely hasn't secured the people's full support yet — we have to move fast. We're not going back to Sira. We go to Astalia!"
A stunned silence fell over them.
"You're insane!" Arien snapped. "After a battle you expect our soldiers to fight again without even resting?"
Kyorano remained impassive. "That's the price of war. An opportunity like this won't come twice. Order the march to the Astalian front."
The men began to fidget and grumble, but they obeyed. "Kyorano, crossing those passes will cost hundreds of lives," Mercure warned. "Who knows what traps they've laid."
"I'm with you!" Yuu said.
Kyorano burst out laughing. "What a bunch of cowards! This kid's got more guts than all of you put together. Onward, people — would you calm down if I told you I have a plan?"
The muttering continued.
"We'll attack on three separate lines and split their forces. Remember, they don't have a commander the troops fully trust," Kyorano shouted.
"How modest," Shinya commented with a laugh.
"We've got good Espers with us! We'll deploy across the fronts and strike the vanguard — this time I actually want to have some fun!"
Just knowing Kyorano would join them in battle was enough to lift the troops' spirits.
"He always has a plan," Yuu laughed.
They marched through the whole evening, stopping for the night on a small plain at the foot of Grey Mountain. They were still within Harthland's borders, but the mountain passes glimpsed not far off belonged to Astalia.
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At dawn, they set out once more. After about an hour, they reached the three mountain passes Kyorano had mentioned.
At the front of the formation, the Captain raised a hand, signaling them to halt.
"At last!" he shouted. "As I said, we'll split into three squads. Each will be led by at least one Captain."
The soldiers began dividing into three groups, each one preparing to take a different path into the mountains.
"The right flank will be led by Captains Mercure and Lucas, along with Esios' team," he announced.
"Our paths part here, my beloved, but we shall meet again," Erich said to Mira with theatrical flair.
She burst out laughing. "Try not to get yourself killed."
Toru leaned over to Yuu and whispered, "I really don't like that guy."
Yuu barely held back a laugh. Erich rubbed him the wrong way too, but he was undeniably a valuable ally. He turned his eyes back to Kyorano.
"The center squad will be led by myself and Captain Arien!"
A roar of triumph erupted from the central group. Not only was it an honor to fight alongside the legendary Kyorano — it also meant their chances of survival were considerably higher.
"The left squad will be led by Captain Hitoshi and the Harthland team."
The lack of cheers from their group made Yuu feel a bit awkward.
"Ahaha, relax," Shinya said, chuckling. "We'll be done before Kyorano even breaks a sweat, and then they'll be the ones cheering for us."
"I sure hope so."
The three squads began to ascend the mountain passes.
The left path was the steepest of the three — they couldn't haul the magical cannons up that way. Although scouts had reported that the bulk of the enemy forces was positioned at the central pass, Kyorano had still assigned more men to the flanking squads. He himself, however, chose to bring the bulk of the artillery with him.
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Yuu was at the front lines with his team and Captain Hitoshi.
"Finally, we'll get to see a Captain in action," Yuu said, breaking the silence.
"We Captains swore never to unleash our full power," Hitoshi replied calmly. "Old Hono used to say that too much power clouds the mind."
Yuu pondered those words, his thoughts drifting to General Ryser — Libertas' former Number Five. Was it his thirst for power that had twisted him like that... or was something else behind it?
They continued their climb, following an even steeper trail than before, winding toward a massive mountain that loomed ahead.
No one had said anything, but Yuu couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. Every now and then, small rocks would tumble down from above, clattering against the path. Kyorano had surely predicted the enemy would have the high ground — yet so far, nothing had appeared.
Before he could finish his sentence, a jet of flame struck him head-on, incinerating him instantly.
Everyone turned toward the direction the attack had come from. The regular soldiers drew their weapons in panic.
From the shadows emerged a strange creature with a humanoid body, a birdlike head, and long clawed limbs in place of hands.
"What the hell is that thing?!" Toru stammered.
"I don't know, but we need to take it down — now!" Yuu shouted, drawing his sword.
The creature wore no clothing and didn't seem capable of speech or higher thought. The moment Yuu approached, it spewed another torrent of flame from its beak. But the young Esper blocked it just in time and sliced the monster clean in half.
"A monstrosity of the Kingdom…" Hitoshi muttered, staring at the corpse with disgust.
Then, a chilling howl tore through the air.
It was the signal. The attack had begun.
Hundreds of strange, twisted creatures leapt from the rocky walls, raining down onto the soldiers like a wave of nightmares.
"How do they have Esper powers?!" Keiji shouted over the chaos.
"I hate to say it," Hitoshi replied grimly, hacking off the bear-like head of one creature with his thorn-woven blade, "but I think they're the result of artificially grafting Esper powers onto animals."
Yuu ignited his sword and set a dog-headed beast ablaze. It howled in pain, but then expelled a torrent of water from within its body, dousing the flames. Covered in gruesome burns, it retaliated by firing compressed water bullets that punched clean through solid rock.
Yuu leapt forward and landed right in front of the hybrid, cleaving it in two.
The Espers were holding the line, but the non-powered soldiers were suffering heavy losses. Yuu saw several hybrids grab soldiers by the head and sink their teeth deep into their necks.
Yuu was on the other side and searched for his friends with a quick glance. They were all busy fighting. Then he looked toward Khala. The girl lay on the ground, and a hybrid stood over her. Yuu lunged forward, stepping between Khala and the lion‑headed hybrid that was trying to tear her apart. The creature leapt at him and tried to bite, but Yuu turned his head aside and unleashed a flare along his blade that pierced the monster's chest.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, just some scrapes from the fall." Khala grabbed Yuu's hand and hauled herself to her feet.
Amid the chaos of battle, the face of the great mountain before them exploded into a thousand shards — and an enormous hybrid emerged, slightly taller than the monstrous form Garga and Gorga had fused into. It had a hairless gorilla's head, four massive tusks jutting from its maw, and skin the color of storm clouds. Broken chains hung at its wrists, proof it had freed itself before its scheduled release.
Hitoshi opened his mouth, but Yuu didn't hear him: the colossus' hand slammed down between them, crushing humans and hybrids alike. Yuu pulled Khala close and shielded her with his body from the falling debris.
The beast emitted a thunderous roar and began crushing whatever moved. An Esper hurled lightning at it, but the monster barely flinched. Before the Esper could dodge, the creature seized him and smashed him against the rocks.
"Our attacks aren't doing anything!" Shinya shouted.
"I can see that, but we have no choice — keep striking!" Hitoshi ordered.
These beasts hadn't been part of Kyorano's plan, and the appearance of this giant proved they had walked straight into a trap. Yuu couldn't help but wonder how the other fronts were faring.
"Khala, get back and find cover. This isn't a place for you right now."
She nodded and ran.
The colossus' fist came down again nearby, the shockwave hurling Yuu into a cliff face. He coughed, tasting dust, and then an idea struck him.
He shifted into his Vitalis form, boosting his strength and speed, and slipped beneath the monster's arm. He focused a flare into his blade and struck at the chain still fastened to the giant's wrist.
Heat shivered through the metal and seared the skin beneath. The giant howled in pain and — with its other hand — snapped the molten chain.
It shook its arm to shrug off the pain, but the wound still burned. "I'm afraid I made it angry," Yuu muttered.
"I'll try too!" Keiji cried, transforming and lashing a bolt of lightning at the other chain, sending current through the metal.
Again the monster broke the chain and smashed a boulder with a single fist, reducing it to rubble.
Yuu and Keiji scattered to avoid the falling stone. The colossus charged after Keiji. The boy ran, trying to duck behind shattered walls while the monster smashed its way through everything in pursuit.
"Keiji, no!" Yuu shouted. He struck the giant's leg with a flare. It drew the monster's attention long enough, but now Yuu himself was exposed.
He saw the enormous hand come down — and then the branches of a massive peach tree blocked it.
"Run, Yuu!" Hitoshi roared, holding the beast at bay. Peach blossoms tore free and hardened into blades, slicing through the giant's hand.
Yuu rolled away just before the hand crashed into the ground and crushed the tree.
"I've got this, everyone!" Mira called out.
Silently, the ninja had climbed a rock taller than the monster itself. She launched herself at the creature's head, but the colossus saw her and reared back — her strike only severed one of its right tusks. The wounded giant threw its head back and pressed its hands to this mouth, howling in a pain so fierce it made Yuu's ears ring and sent the nearby beasts fleeing in terror.
In that instant, a black slash flashed beneath the monster's throat, and a gash opened across its windpipe. A river of blood gushed forth. The giant toppled backward with a deafening crash.
Yuu turned to scan the survivors. Except for his team and Hitoshi, everyone else was dead.
He looked forward again and saw a young man of dusky skin and dark hair, clad in red-and-black armor — Astalia's colors. He held a sword that was entirely red, hilt to blade.
"Kana will pay for letting her beasts loose in my lands," the youth said. "But first I'll take care of you! I am Rein Lionhart, the new Governor of Astalia."