The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

- POV Random Human Soldier -

*What...*

A soft wind caressed my cheek, raising the dust that stung my face, which I felt flattened against a hard surface. My whole body felt heavy, my head weighed down while a feeling of having my brain compressed shook my mind. A burning smell came to my nostrils and as I started to move slightly, a series of questions went through my head.

*What happened ? Where am I ? Why am I lying on the floor ?*

Slowly opening my eyes despite my heavy, painful and sleepy eyelids, I found myself face to face with a black boot. Was it mine ? Had I fallen asleep again on the floor of my room without putting my things away ? My questions were quickly answered because my vision became clearer and clearer, I discovered the owner of the boot who was obviously not me.

One of my fellow knights was lying like dead on the ground in front of me, face down and eyes closed. A huge panic came over me as I forced all my aching muscles to move. The ordeal was difficult because I had only one desire, to lie down and sleep but it was not the moment. Moving my arms, my legs then all my body, I managed to approach my companion.

"H-Hey ! W-Wake up !! Please answer !"

"Hmpf...what ?"

In just a few seconds, the young man in front of me began to move while mumbling as if he was in a dream. A few seconds later, just as I had done before, his eyelids slowly opened as if he was coming out of a dream. He was alive and well and as I breathed a sigh of relief, sounds, voices and movement could be heard and felt all around us.

"Huh ?"

"I..."

"What happened ?"

As my vision became clearer and my body more mobile, little by little what was around me became more concrete. Everything I was hearing was coming from somewhere, while suddenly the situation was becoming more and more incomprehensible. The noises were coming from the thousands of my comrades on the ground, who were also getting up, causing these sensations of movement, and the voices were them expressing their dismay.

A few minutes later, I finally came to my senses, still looking around in the same confused state as everyone else. Then, my eyes landed on a golden shape shining in the sun a little further in front of me. Squinting blinded by the reflection of the sun's rays, I tried to figure out what it was. As I did so, the golden shape promptly stood up with a panicked face.

*T-The King !!!*

He was standing there, his armor full of dust and his eyes lost between confusion, anger and embarrassment. Suddenly, all my memories came back to me at once, giving me violent headaches that made my eardrums vibrate. How could I forget ? Our camp, the war, his Majesty, Lady Erina and of course the fast and crazy fight I had witnessed a few minutes ago.

*We were about to attack these...these subraces and win...how...why are we all here ?*

I didn't know how much time had passed, the sun was still shining in the sky but everything I had experienced was in my mind. Suddenly, like apparently everyone else around me, I was taken by a violent physical and mental shock. I was shivering, shaking and paralyzed at the same time, I couldn't breathe while I felt an incredible presence.

*I...I don't want to die*

A pressure had fallen on my shoulders without warning, heavy, unbearable, coming from everywhere and nowhere at the same time making me suffocate. The whole atmosphere itself was an atmosphere reminiscent of death from which it was impossible to escape, fatal and all powerful. I didn't know what was happening to me as my vision slowly darkened and I felt my spirit leaving again.

The pressure was unbearable, like a rapid and frightening descent into Hell, my heart was heaving, my senses were disturbed, and everything became darkness. I was engulfed, caught and terrified, unable to understand what was happening as I could almost feel the cold arms of Death wrapping around me. Then suddenly, as quickly as this terrible feeling had appeared, it disappeared.

"Aaarhh...ffuuuff...aaaaa....!!!"

Bringing my hands to my throat, the dusty air finally entered my lungs and despite the pain, it felt so good. I could finally breathe again and although it left me with a terrible feeling, that atmosphere was gone. It was too much, I didn't even know what was going on and I had to live it without saying anything ? We were all on the verge of victory and finally we all passed out ?

*F-Fucking Hell ! What...*

"WHAT-WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN ?!?!"

I had no time to think about anything else when a familiar voice shouted what I had been thinking for several minutes. His Majesty was standing before the tide of soldiers who, like me, were struggling to stand after such an experience. The King was trembling beside Sir Myles and Saint Leto who were still saying nothing, his finger was pointing away and his eyes were now nothing but fear and despair.

Just like my fellow knights who were eager for answers, my eyes instinctively crinkled as I followed the direction of that trembling royal hand. I then turned my head to my left to see only a cloud of dust at first glance that gradually dissipated with the wind. As my vision became clear and the clearing in front of us cleared, a frightening, disturbing and impossible spectacle was played out before our eyes.

"It's a dream isn't it ?"

"How..."

"I...impossible."

I didn't have the words for what I was seeing and so some of my fellow Knights were all exclaiming for those who couldn't. There were traces of a fight but there was no blood or the bodies of those who had been defeated. On the contrary, they were still standing in the middle of the clearing in perfect health and smiling as if they had just played a trick on us.

But that wasn't all, behind them, the mediocre army of 1000 subraces had given way to a larger one by who knows what curse. The three-tailed girl, the dragoness and 10 other people wearing scary helmets stood there as if nothing had happened. What had happened ? They looked like they had been in a fight, but none of them were mortally wounded. Had we been drugged ?

"ANSWER !!! WHAT DID YOU DO ? WE WERE ABOUT TO WIN, TO SLAUGHTER YOU ALL AND..."

"And destroy the forest as well as my Empire ? I don't think so kufufu~"

The still trembling King had spoken for us but had not even finished his sentence when a voice came out of nowhere and everywhere at once. The wind blew, moving the unfelled trees and the voice seemed to swirl in the air in a frightening echo. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but my body and mind instinctively reacted to this sudden event.

This powerful, threatening, cold female voice had come out of nowhere and was chilling me like never before. I could see the King, Knights and Paladins frantically looking around as I was already doing to try to discover the owner of the voice. It wasn't long before we would have our answer because on the side of the subraces, the army was splitting up to let someone through.

The person crossing our enemies in front of us was riding a black horse with a fiery mane and piercing, frightening yellow eyes that seemed to read our minds. However, the rider was even more terrifying and as I looked up at her, the feeling that had choked me a few minutes ago returned. My body began to shake desperately, my heart raced and an uncontrollable fear came over me. She...this woman was the one who was causing this suffocating pressure.

Long black hair, a helmet with horns representing a human skull with feminine features, black and red clothes and scary eyes. At that moment, it was a nightmare, I was paralyzed as my mind struggled not to faint again. The atmosphere had changed, no one was talking anymore and even His Majesty who had had the courage to shout was now silent as a grave.

In our ears, only the sound of the wind and the sound of the fire horse's hooves echoed in the clearing, plunging it into a very strange and disturbing moment. The further the woman went, the more I felt my limbs stiffen and my body tremble, I had the impression of feeling once again a cold breath against my neck and of being enveloped by her presence as if she were Death.

I didn't know what was hidden behind her helmet, only her eyes, as bright purple as the three-tailed girl's, were visible. Therefore, the mystery of her face remained total, forcing my mind to look for even the most absurd explanations. Could she be a rare monster ? Was she a demon or a unique subrace ? I didn't have time to be more disturbed when she spoke again.

"Come on ! Are you all speechless fufu~ Is there a problem ? You who ventured here and hastened your death... humans, have you all lost your tongues ?"

Her voice echoed in my mind, making my whole body vibrate while her violet eyes seemed to probe my soul. Everything was too intense, too much had happened and no one had an answer or solution. Was it real or was it a dream ? I was going crazy, crazy because in front of me was Death itself, I was in a nightmare that was impossible to wake up from and that was sinking me.

"De-Demon !!! Devil !!! You...you are the real Demon !!! Oh that the will of the Liberator gives me the strength to stand before this abomination !!! The...the Gods sustain me in this ordeal which only serves to increase my faith and will save me."

Saint Leto, the Chief Paladin of the Church of Humanity was the first to speak as he pointed to the one who had just arrived. He was trembling, his voice was broken and his face was so pale it was almost unrecognizable. The Paladins behind him were shaking almost as much if not more at the sight of their terrified, corpse-like pale leader. In response, a loud, haughty, mocking laughter echoed through the air, chilling our blood.

"HAHAHAHAHA~!!!"

The woman in the helmet had thrown her head back to laugh in a terrifying and hysterical way as if she was possessed by an infernal entity. Saint Leto was flinching and waiting for the King's orders but could not help but want to eradicate her within minutes. Everyone was hanging on the lips of this demonic woman who had just appeared from nowhere and while she stopped laughing, she continued.

"Demon, Abomination, Monster, Devil... you can call me as many names as you want, but let me tell you one thing... no God is going to save you and certainly not here. No God will come to your rescue when you miserably lose your life like all your little friends..."

"LIES !!! BLASPHEMY !!! HERESY !!! Don't try to get into my mind with your filthy mouth, snake tongue and poison filled words ! Don't listen to her ! It's just the ramblings of a sub ace that thinks she's superior ! We are here to exterminate the violet-eyed vermin and we will...we will destroy this Demon !!!"

I was lost between the words of the terrifying woman and those of Saint Leto because at that moment I was not able to know who was right. I was just a little soldier and even though I knew the power of the Church... she... was not like the others. As the King, Captain Myles and Lady Erina came to their senses as well, caught up in the conversation, the woman in the helmet dismounted her horse.

"Human... despite all the nonsense that only humans are apparently capable of saying, you are right about one thing...

As she said these words, she put her foot down and gently brought her hands to her face before grabbing her helmet. Everyone was on guard, ready to attack and defend themselves, yet no one moved. Deep down we all wanted to know the end of her sentence and find out what ugly face was behind that horned helmet.

...I am a Demon."

Just as the woman had finished her sentence, we could all finally see the face of the one who had taken our breath away and terrified us with her presence alone. At the sight of her, my heart skipped a beat and my breath stopped almost instantly beyond my control. This woman was... as beautiful as she was terrifying and despite my fear and hatred for her, I had never seen a beauty like hers.

She had wolf ears, a face with tattoos that stretched from her eyes to her cheeks, an intense and imposing black giving her a warrior look. Her eyes were bright, beautiful and yet it was impossible for me to hold her gaze so intense and heavy. Two horns came out of the forehead of this demon woman and despite her strange, repulsive race, she was hypnotically gorgeous, dangerous and even deadly.

"A...A Demon..."

"Y-Yes...only...only a Demon would be so bewitching...don't...don't look at her !"

"We...we have to do something..."

The whole army was agitated and lost because, although we were watching this spectacle, neither the soldiers nor the army leaders knew what to do. His Majesty, Sir Myles, Lady Erina and even Saint Leto could not take their eyes off this woman's face despite what they said. As if that was what she was hoping for, she had a smile on her face, flashing one of her long, shiny fangs before she spoke.

"I am a Demon and you have entered my territory to destroy and kill, so...

Speaking in a powerful, cold voice, her previously neutral face became more terrifying as her brows furrowed. What was she planning to do ? What did she want to say ? So many questions as she put her helmet back on before stretching out her two arms on either side of her body as if to greet us. This time, in a frighteningly soft and sweet voice, she spoke three words I never wanted to hear.

...~Welcome to Hell~"

At the end of her sentence, suddenly huge noises could be heard everywhere while gigantic flames appeared all around us, encircling us. 3000 Knights and Paladins were imprisoned in a circle of fire of several kilometers preventing any retreat or escape. How was this possible ? How did it come to this ?

This woman had become in an instant our worst nightmare and our worst enemy, the one we had to put down by any means for our survival. It was hot, everything was dazzling but we had no choice but to fight for our freedom. I had to fight my way home and even if I had to face the Devil herself I would not give up. However, this Monster was right...because at that moment...

We were in Hell.