Scarletfire watched the two armies clash against each other. ’How times change,’ she mused, watching two of the closest allied nations thirsting for each other’s blood. The Alliance of Southern Duchies and the Federation of Riders, two mighty nations united by their belief of having unity in diversity, couldn’t stand each other anymore. The Riders were faster and more brutal whereas the Duchies were more composed, disciplined, and well-armed. "Is that the Red Knight?" One of the men beside her asked. Many looked in the direction of his finger. She did too. Indeed. She recognized the fiery armor and helmet as a ten meters tall Transformed Knight laid waste to hundreds of men. The Warlords whistled. They liked people with barbaric strength. She did too. She didn’t like the Red Knight, though. "Don’t get your panties wet," she growled at her men. "He has modified his body too much. It’s more muscle than skill. Any of you morons could defeat him." "And you?" One of the daring men asked. The others looked interested. They knew the answer. But they hoped for more. "Stop instigating me!" These morons thought she was easy to manipulate. "We will attack when I say so. Shut up and only use your pretty lips to sip from your baby bottles." She sipped from her ale bottle. The battle raged. Many died. The Duchies had more warriors like the Red Knight. You had the White, Green, Yellow too. Heck, those color-lovers even had a Pink Knight. And it wasn’t even a beautiful girl or handsome boy. No, the Pink Knight was a fat bastard. He looked more like a sausage rolled in an uncooked meat wrap. Her mood worsened the more she saw him fight. She had seen male private parts with more personality than that bastard. But even she had to admit, the man had skill. Especially when compared to the likes of the Red Knight. He barreled through the battlefield and never hid behind the weaker ones. He was the vanguard. On the other side, the Riders didn’t lack talent either. Their Sand Swords were an interesting bunch. Each had either an Earth-based or Wind-based ability. They appeared like phantoms. Sneaky, yet deadly. Each side had ten Transformation Knights. No Enlightened Knights. She knew both nations had but one each. Most likely, those powers were at their respective capitals, serving as a deterrent. Even then, she waited. Twenty Transformation Knights weren’t easy to defeat. Not if she wished to suffer zero fatalities in her ranks. The war had just begun. She would need each of her handpicked warriors at some stage. Losing them at the start would harm her in the long run. She waited. It took time but it happened. The Red Knight continued to blast the Riders apart. He pushed the lines very high. The Pink Knight urged him to stop and regroup but the Red Knight didn’t listen. Scarlet knew the Red guy. He was young and reckless. Not to mention a self-absorbed moron. She suspected him to be unwilling to fall back behind his Pink partner. She noticed it. As had the Sand Swords. They surrounded the area around him, using the ground and air as cover. The Red Knight wasn’t a total idiot. He sensed an ambush coming. But he was conceited enough to believe he could fight his way out of it. He did fight bravely but after half a minute he couldn’t. The ground sank with each step he took. The air danced in manners he couldn’t predict. And when he decided to retreat, his shadow revealed a concealed enemy. The small opponent struck like a viper, piercing his throat with one swift strike. The fall of the Red Knight lauded the start of even more chaos. The colored Knights left their planned methods and went berserk. The White Knight buried two hundred Refined Knights before being killed. The Green Knight died battling three Sand Swords, none of whom survived. The Warlords stood up once nearly half of the Transformed Knight had fallen. "Now." Scarletfire nodded. There was no point in waiting on everyone to die. Death and chaos was all she required. The sudden arrival of ten Warlords sent the armies in disarray. Scarletfire herself unleashed hell. Her fires burnt everything. The remaining Sand Swords and the Knights close enough, gathered quickly to neutralize her. She scoffed at the attacks. The strength and swiftness of the attackers only prolonged the fight. And that favored her. Their combined efforts against her didn’t faze her. The ground sunk, she didn’t. With a stomp, she set everything close to her ablaze. The small Sand Sword who loved hiding into shadows, tried to sneak up on her. But when his shadow touched hers, immense heat spread through his body. He felt like being burned from the inside. He tried to escape but she had locked onto him. She punched him, shattering him. It took one attack. The others tried to interfere. A shame they lost all the same. Her name, Scarletfire, wasn’t in vain. It took her five minutes to burn her enemies to ashes. Fifteen minutes. And both armies surrendered. As she took her stock, she saw the Pink Knight had survived. When their gaze met, he even waved at her. Just her luck. She didn’t stop just there. On her signal, a hundred more men arrived. They set out and conquered the cities southeast of the continent. Once they conquered the cities and tribal settlements along the way, they reached the capital of the Duchies. As she expected, and hoped, both Enlightened Knights were here, ready to face her. Their battle, one versus three, destroyed the city. And the port. Lucky for the people, many had taken shelter when they heard the Warlords were marching toward them. Still, the death toll was above a million. Both Enlightened Knights specialized in Wind. One in the sharpness of it, the other in its swiftness. They complemented each other well. It didn’t matter, though. Scarletfire burnt the air, creating a vacuum. She burnt the land below, turning it barren, devoid of loose particles. And she burnt down the water at the shores. Her fire changed even the weather. When the men died, nothing else than her presence remained. The Warlords had conquered the southeast. She sipped her ale as she looked around. She won. She had conquered. All this effort, just so she could have this ash and smoke.