Knights of Tezoth

"— About the one who most desires to prevent Guildaria's prosperity at any cost?" — Stephanie clarified, having arrived mid-conversation and catching only the context. — "There could be many. I would first and foremost fear Lords Cartridge and Genburry. The former clearly has a grudge against us, not to mention he could have brought unknown military tricks with him from Ikazkan. The latter is a shady type in general. I am not personally acquainted with him, but my father has not said a single kind word about him.

The fact that he had been repeatedly called Sratos in the Valentine household, the girl decided to keep to herself entirely.

— I sincerely hope that the young lord, with the support of my father and Reinris, will be able to defend the honor of your house and our lands, — she said the latter addressing primarily Eugene, as he was not only a member of the Grimm family, but also a potential heir worth reckoning with.

- Magnificent insight, my lady Stephanie. - The Knight of the Night Silence praised the girl. - Your father's image is recognizable in you now more than ever; he should be proud of your progress.
- Well, this is further confirmation that before starting this reckless campaign, we should have finished off Silverdane. - The Knight of the Rusting Soul sighed sadly. - Ah, how imprudent that was.
It seemed asking about the well-being and expectations of the two knights was pointless — they were like cold stone, so Stephanie's first mission underground was a success.
A little later, the first stage of conquering Ikazkan was nearing its beginning — Adalard Grimm, surrounded by his knights, delivered a speech to the warriors of Guildaria.

- Children of Guildaria, my brave and irreplaceable subjects! The situation in which we unexpectedly find ourselves is grim, and the world on whose threshold we stand is merciless. Ahead of us awaits darkness and uncertainty, and behind us, traitors and vultures sharpen their claws in anticipation of our failure. Anyone else in our place would undoubtedly fall into despair and surrender to an evil fate. But we, sons and daughters of Guildaria, carry steel and fire in our hearts, and as long as they beat — we will not surrender! Our will shall conquer Ikazkan, and we shall return to the surface in Triumph! And after that, not only in the underworld will the colors of Guildaria reign, but across all of Tezoth! Under our confident march, other lords shall fall, the monsters of regret shall perish, the northerners shall bow their heads! - Having allowed the unified mass to roar various slogans like "long live Guildaria!", "long life to Lord Adalard Grimm!", and others, Adalard shifted to a solemn, yet with barely noticeable notes of melancholy, tone. - Perhaps some of you will die. Perhaps I or some of my knights will die. Each of us should be prepared for any moment to be our last. But remember — as long as Guildaria lives, we are immortal, for within it lives the spirit of each of us, of all our ancestors, and of our descendants.

- Ho-ho, this Guildaria of yours sounds very much like Ikazkan, except I don't recognize Óna in you at all, handsome.
A towering, horned woman appeared at the entrance to the massive camp, and the mere sight of her radiated threat.

- Aa-ah! - The warriors standing near her recoiled, some even lost their balance and fell: thousands of hours of combat training proved insufficient to keep their spirits in that moment.
- Your Magnificence! - The Knight of Unwavering Courage was the first to leap forward. - Allow me to demonstrate the strength of Guildaria's spirit to this monster!
- Don't be an idiot, my lord Dalias! - Stopping his knight from a reckless act, Adalard returned his attention to the newly arrived beast. - Speak, chocolate beast! Is there any need for us to be at odds right now?
- Ikazkan is ready to shelter anyone. But those who come to it with a sword will not survive.
- Squads F-15, F-17, F-18, formation D-4, forward! - Immediately obeying the lord's order, the warriors rushed to attack — some of them were torn apart by dreadful skeletons, others simply exploded like overripe watermelons upon approach, but they did draw attention to themselves. - Squads L-5 through L-12, switch to explosive ammunition, fire at the upper limit above the target! - The archers from the indicated squads took explosive arrows and began shooting at the ceiling above the mysterious woman, resulting in her being buried under falling rocks.
- Is that all? - Asked one of the warriors from an F-squad, and immediately expired when one of the massive stones crushed his head — the stranger, through sheer will and the strength of her body, sent the fallen rocks flying in all directions. One of them flew toward Adalard, but the lord gracefully cleaved it in mid-air.
- Squads F-14, F-19, F-21, and L-5 through L-12, repeat the command!
...
This procedure lasted for some time, but in the end, the defender of Ikazkan ran out of strength — her lifeless and mutilated body remained lying under yet another pile of rocks.