Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Clang… clang!

Sheila leapt into the air, unleashing a relentless barrage of dual-axe strikes against Helga from every angle. Helga effortlessly parried each strike, a sinister smile lingering on her lips. Below, Dion, Luna, Aria, Cleo, Mei, Nala, and Harumi tilted their heads back, watching the high-speed aerial clash. Sheila slammed back onto the floor bum! before leaping right back up to press her assault. Helga matched her blow for blow, counterattacking with swift sword thrusts.

Periodically, Helga hurled purple skull-shaped fireballs at Sheila, who swatted them aside with energy-infused swings of her battleaxes. Though the battle raged on, it became clear that Helga was steadily giving ground as Sheila pursued her without offering a single second to breathe. Pushed into a corner, Helga floated high into the air, forcing Sheila to land back on the floor and look up.

Helga stared down at Sheila with a furrowed brow, her eyes narrowing into a rigid, icy glare.

“How on earth did you become this strong, Princess Sheila? You were merely an SS-rank Lord Berserker,” Helga rasped in her multi-layered voice.

“Hah? Lord Berserker? Did you miss these?” Sheila asked, raising a hand to point at the twitching red wolf ears atop her head.

Helga inspected Sheila closely, only now noticing the bright red wolf ears and matching tail. Her face twisted into sheer fury, her jaw clenching as purple flames flared from her eyes.

“You… It’s you… You’re supposed to be dead! Why have you come back?!” Helga shrieked, pointing her long blade directly at Sheila.

“Huh? Who are you even talking about?” Sheila asked, thoroughly confused.

Crack… crack!

Helga’s lower body suddenly morphed into eight skeletal spider legs. Two handless, spike-like appendages burst from her back as intense purple flames enveloped her expanding frame. Sheila shuddered slightly at the grotesque sight, tightening her grip on both battleaxes as she braced herself.

“Be careful, Sheila… She’s reverted to her true form!” Cleo shouted from behind.

Before Sheila could respond, bum! Helga slammed onto the floor right in front of her, her massive body towering over Sheila. Syuuut! She thrust her twin spaded back-appendages forward. Sheila reacted instantly, leaping backward just as the massive blade-like arms shattered the stone floor. But while Sheila was still airborne, Helga shot a net of purple flaming webs from her fingertips, ensnaring Sheila mid-air.

“Aaaaah!”

Sheila writhed within the burning webbing, rendered completely immobile. Clang! Both of her battleaxes slipped from her hands, clattering to the floor below.

“Sheila!” Luna, Aria, Cleo, and Mei yelled in unison.

Gina hovered forward to intervene, but Cleo caught the dragon’s tail, pulling her back into a tight hug. Nala cowered in fear while Harumi hid behind Mei. Helga reeled Sheila toward her. Her lower jaw split into four petal-like mandibles lined with spinning teeth and a long, bifurcated tongue, ready to devour Sheila whole as the flaming web tightened its grip. As Sheila’s face drew near Helga’s gaping maw,

“So you chose to protect your daughter after all… You were weak… Weak since childhood… Die alongside your daughter, Claudia,” Helga rasped hauntingly.

“Cla… Claudia… Mother?” Sheila stammered in shock.

“Graaaaah!”

Helga lunged forward to swallow Sheila whole, horror finally dawning across Sheila’s face. But before her jaw could snap shut shing! Helga’s upper body suddenly listed to the side. She glanced down to see Dion completing a clean horizontal slash across her waist, severing her monstrous lower body in a single strike. Clang! Dion rested his broadsword over his shoulder, turned to look at Sheila, and gave a quick wink.

Boom!

Helga’s upper body crashed into the throne, obliterating the gilded chair. Her four-part mandible collapsed back into a human face, her expression one of utter bewilderment. Sheila dropped to the floor, her body still smoking from the web burns, and walked over to Helga’s head. As Sheila approached, Helga’s terrifying expression softened into a gentle smile. Her severed lower body was already dissolving into black light ash, a process creeping rapidly up her waist.

“Princess… Sheila… I return… this kingdom to you… I beg of you, Gred is innocent… Everything was my doing… Soon I will meet your mother… Claudia… my elder sister,” Helga whispered, raising a trembling hand.

Sheila knelt beside Helga’s head, taking her hand while using her free palm to stroke Helga’s forehead.

“Very well, Aunt Helga… I promise,” Sheila replied with a sad smile.

“Thank you, Princess Sheila… Now I can rest in peace,” Helga murmured, gently closing her eyes.

Helga’s hand dissolved into black particles, followed swiftly by the rest of her head and torso. Silence fell over the ruined throne room as Sheila remained on one knee, staring down at her empty hands.

Dion walked over, closely followed by Luna, Mei, Cleo, and Aria. Luna immediately knelt behind Sheila, channeling white healing light into her burns, while Mei and Aria crouched nearby, gazing at the spot where Helga had vanished.

Cleo stood quietly, resting her weight on her staff, with Dion standing beside her. No one uttered a word, letting the heavy quiet linger. Then, suddenly,

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

“Hey… what is this?!”

Hearing the sudden screams behind them, Dion and Cleo whipped around, while Sheila, Luna, Mei, and Aria sprang to their feet, lining up beside Dion. Sigh. Dion, Cleo, Mei, Luna, Sheila, and Aria all let out a collective sigh, their expressions instantly turning exasperated and weary.

Standing behind them was Gred, holding both Harumi and Nala from behind with a dagger pressed against their throats, terrifying them both. Gred’s face was a mess of conflicting emotions, rage, grief, desperation, panic, and sheer terror.

“Y-You killed my mother!” Gred screamed frantically.

“I’m the one who killed your mom. So what are you gonna do about it?” Dion replied casually, resting his broadsword on his shoulder as he took a step forward.

Staring at Dion’s terrifying black armor and massive sword, the exact terrifying figure he had seen outside the protective barrier, Gred began to tremble so violently he nearly dropped his blade. Flustered, he tried to harden his expression again, clenching his jaw tightly.

“Y-You also destroyed my palace!” Gred yelled.

“Yup… I’m also the guy who blew up your palace. So what’s your point?” Dion asked, taking another step closer.

“Stay back! Or I’ll kill them both!” Gred shrieked, pressing the dagger tighter against Harumi and Nala’s necks.

Dion came to a stop. He casually raised a hand to scratch the back of his neck, then locked eyes with Harumi, who looked completely unfazed.

“You can get yourself out of that, right?” Dion asked.

“Um… Please help me, Brother-in-law… I’m so scared,” Harumi whimpered, though a playful smirk betrayed her words.

“Grrr… Stop playing around, you foolish little sister!” Mei barked from behind.

“Ugh… You’re no fun at all, Big Sister,” Harumi pouted.

In a flash, Harumi wove a series of hand signs. Shiiing! A sharp katana materialized against Gred’s neck, sending a jolt of panic through him. Gred looked down in utter disbelief, the girl he was holding was no longer Harumi, but a solid wooden log.

“Drop the blade,” Harumi whispered directly into Gred’s ear.

“Y-Yes! Okay! Don’t kill me!”

Clang! Gred dropped his dagger and threw both hands into the air. Freed from his grip, Nala bolted forward to hug Dion, only to be promptly pulled aside by Sheila, Luna, Aria, Mei, and Cleo. Silence returned to the area, the distant sounds of battle outside having completely died down. Dion stepped forward to face the weeping Gred with a faint smile.

“It’s all over now… Everything rests in Sheila’s hands, so she’ll decide your fate… Release him, Harumi,” Dion said smoothly.

“Sure thing, Brother-in-law!” Harumi chirped cheerfully.

Harumi released Gred, causing him to collapse onto his knees with his hands pressed against the floor, his head bowed low. When he looked up, Sheila was already crouching directly in front of him, wearing a wide, intimidating smile.

“Let’s have a little chat, my beloved stepbrother,” Sheila purred, her smile looking utterly terrifying in Gred’s eyes.

“O-Okay… my beloved stepsister,” Gred stammered out, forcing a strained smile onto his face.

With that settled, the entire group marched out of the ruined throne room, taking Gred along as their prisoner as they headed back toward the king’s private study. Meanwhile, aboard the hovering zeppelin, the ship’s captain looked out over the city below with a relieved smile. With Helga’s demise, every last zombie elite guard, zombie direwolf, and even the undead nobles and tribal chieftains collapsed motionless onto the streets. Countless black light particles drifted gracefully into the sky, filling the night air above the capital with shimmering dark orbs.

The city watchmen, barbarian warriors, and brave male civilians who had fought so desperately fell onto the cobblestones, catching their breath with expressions of immense relief. The citizens who had fled the capital began trickling back into the city, escorted by guards explaining the update. The captain then glanced toward the royal palace, half of which now sat roofless and cleanly bisected. He simply shook his head with a gentle smile.

“Looks like there’s going to be a mountain of work to bring this kingdom back to life,” the captain thought to himself.

And just like that, the war between humanity and the undead that had nearly wiped out Northgard’s capital finally came to an end.