"Vale! I don’t know what you are planning, but it’s not going to work!" Eirikr’s voice spread far and wide.

Helena looked at her Lord as he stood there with a burning sword in hand, keeping all of his enemies in his eyes, his face devoid of most expression.

"You sent some secret Errant Knight into my territory, and I must admit that they are strong, impressive for their ranks even, but it’s all useless. Here, in this desert, I am a god!"

What followed his words was an oppressive silence that made the mood of all Athrimir darken. Before they learned of the Athrimir throne, they thought the reason all attempts to fight the Akatsuki in their desert failed was because of how big the desert is.

But now, they are learning that it’s because of the Artifact that their Clan Leader holds. Helena isn’t one to give up, but she was already feeling hopelessness. Already the Akatsuki has more Master Knights than them, and with that Artifact of theirs, won’t they just crush them?

They can’t even fight fully against the Athrimir Clan as the Ito are already pushing against them. Isn’t... things just too bad for them right now? How are they to be free of the mess?

For one terrible moment, Helena felt as if she should just surrender right there and then, but she’s of the Hinterlands, and she knew how war like this usually ends. With the total destruction of the Clan leaders.

No matter what, the Athrimir Clan is already doomed and would drag all of them behind.

The only thing she could do now is just fight to her best.

"If you are a god, then you would have crossed our borders long ago with your greedy hands. You would have brought your throne with you and made war with us." Vale Athrimir paused.

"Unless.... your throne only works in your desert? You can’t use the power on our side. Is that it?"

Everyone looked at Eirikr, but the Clan leader just shrugged. "You are right. But that’s not the only reason. Your armies were always strong, and your Master Knights strong. Always, until now. But now, I hold the upper hand. My army is stronger and your Master Knights weaker. I will do what generations of my Clan have failed to do. I will rule over everything here!"

Vale’s eyes shone, and he took no steps to hide his anger and hate. "I am really going to relish killing you and sitting on that throne. I thought it would be years before my clan rebuilds and I can take steps to spread my wings. Thank you for giving me this information, Eirikr, thank you for making it possible. Your Clan will be the first stone I step on in the Hinterlands!"

His words sent a shockwave through the air. Eirikr and his Master Knights flinched, their faces turning rigid with anger.

Helena twitched. While she felt proud of her lord’s speech, she couldn’t help but feel as if he was also hastening their doom.

"Arrogant bastard!"

Vale shrugged, and smiled. "The Athrimir Clan has always been caged by the desert and the waters. I will make a road through the desert for my army!"

It seems Eirikr had finally heard enough because his face twisted, and he raised his two hands into the air. "Die! I will rebuild what remains of your ruin!"

What came first was a howl, a high keening sound that tore through the air like thousands of arrows. Then the sky darkened as whirlwinds sprang into existence, bringing heat and flying sands dancing in the air.

Helena looked up and saw what she expected.

Storm devils. Hundreds of them, too many to be hidden by their winds and sands. Some of them flew with the help of the sandstorms, while some rode different flying beasts and dozens of ships.

They swept down like diving eagles, down on the wall, unleashing a barrage of magical attacks that left the air stinging. Then... they swept in, passed the wall, and into the hands of the waiting Athrimir army.

Immediately, the air cracked with different lights, the ground shook, and men shouted as the two armies met.

The war.....has been met!

At the same time, Eirikr swept down, the sand platform propelling him so fast he tore the air and seemed to teleport. He was too fast for Vale, a mere Errant Knight, to follow.

But not the Master Knights.

"Oh shit!"

Helena shot after him, not missing a beat. She blurred forward, her leg muscles swelling and flexing with each step, her figure turning even smaller as she ran.

They reached Vale at the same time.

Although the Clan leader couldn’t follow the Master Knights’ movement, he could tell that something was coming for him, and his flaming sword flashed, creating an explosion that roughly threw him and his companion back.

It was what saved his life.

Bam!

Eirikr and Helena collided once again, and the Clan leader swore, his hateful eyes turning on her, his expression like a cutting blade. "I’ll kill you now!"

Once again, the mini battle was joined. With a simple twist of Eirikr’s hand, the ground erupted, and spikes of hardened sand shot up.

Helena grimaced. She knew then that she could not hold anything back. Or else she would die.

And so she didn’t hold back and went all in. Her muscles spasmed and twitched. The whole of her body shook, and the sound of bones grinding could be heard as she jumped up to avoid the spikes.

But Eirikr was truly done messing around. With a casual swipe of his hand, sands converged and then turned into four boulders the size of three humans. They fired at her like falling comets.

Helena had no shield she could conjure. So she did the only thing her type of Knight could do. Her body.... shrunk, so rapidly that she was a girl of seven by the time the boulders hit.

And they hit hard. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

She was flung back like a catapult, ramming into the ground with force, dust and rocks billowing.

Eirikr dismissed her with a glance and glared toward where Vale was still fighting the masked Master Knight with Tiber. "Really. You can’t handle just him? Do I really have to do everything myself?"

"Maybe you have overestimated yourself."

A voice cut through. The voice was childlike but also had a very rough quality to it, as if two voices were overlapping.

Eirikr stiffened and turned, his eyes widening briefly. Although he knew the previous attack wasn’t strong enough to fatally bring down a Master Knight, it should still cause serious damage. And yet, this Helena Varrow wasn’t looking hurt, intact..."You turned into a child?"

Helena Varrow had indeed turned into a child of seven. But unlike any other. Her features were sharp and hard, and her small body corded with strong muscles. Her previous clothes had been torn and then warped tightly around her.

She now wore two metal gloves, and her body flickered with white smoking essence. Without giving any answers, she took a step forward, and her figure flickered. She blurred, leaving a sonic boom where she was standing.

Eirikr roared forward to meet her. And this time, when they clashed, they did not fall back but instead began to fight hand to hand.

Eirikr’s body was coated with sand, his enhanced fist meeting Helena’s own in a clash that shook the ground around them. It should have looked comical, the two of them fighting with Helena looking as she looked.

But it was anything but that. Each punch that met made the ground around them crack and widen into a crater. A furious whirlwind had already been whipped into existence around them.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

And with Eirikr’s strength, it should have been enough to defeat her, but yet again, the difference in actual strength and physical strength was put on display. She was even almost two times stronger than when she first started fighting.

Helena was giving him no chance to get away from her barrage of attacks.

"You little shit!" Eirikr grunted as a punch hit him solidly on the chest. He stumbled back, then opened his mouth wide.

His jaws seemed to loosen abnormally.

Helena, who was rushing in, stopped on instinct and then jumped away furiously just in time as a spear of sand hurled through his mouth and tore the air.

Sands gathered around Eirikr and surged, carrying him into the air quickly. He glared back at her. "You’re a pest. I know just how to crush you! All of you."

He grunted as he spoke some words, gesturing furiously. His aura swelled and flickered to life around him like dry heat, muted brown and drowsy.

Helena could feel it instantly. The subtle pressure of a great technique at play. It wasn’t a pressure per se, but a certain kind of feel that the air around her gained as someone strong enough enforced their will on the world.

Eirikr is trying to pull something.