***

--- Rondel ---

Date: June 16th, 2026

The Balrog moved through the city of Rondel, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake. The surrounding buildings were engulfed in flames as the citizens screamed while they fled. Sharpe and the others could only stand by and watch as the horrific creature ravaged the city.

Vanguard-7 called in a missile strike from the Forward Operating Base Kalsu from the Dumas Mountains. An MGM-140 ATACMS flew in but rather than killing the Balrog, it missed the target, destroying a nearby building. The second missile strike ended with the same result. Somehow, a magical barrier encasing the monster seemed to counter precision weapons.

Sarah reported from Vanguard-Actual that the missiles couldn't lock on during their final approach. When they got close, the missiles could not make final adjustments to hit the target, turning them into dumb bombs - that was before the radio went dead. Lelei and Cato theorized that the magical field around the Demon acts like some advanced jammer, like the Empire jamming towers.

"That Demon is going to kill everyone," Mimoza struggled to say with a panicked tone.

Ambassador Henson walked up to Sharpe and said, "We should leave while we can. The city is lost."

“No!” Lelei shouts desperately at them. Sharpe could see the despair in her eyes.

"We are not leaving this city!" Masulk yelled.

"Masulk is correct," Cato added. "This city has stood for three thousand years, faced hundreds of wars. It cannot fall now."

Henson pointed to the Balrog, burning a few mages who tried to resist. "What on earth do you want to do? Your magic is useless, and we can’t kill it; this isn't about a failed mission but survival. If we stay, we are dead, all of us."

"Why don't you use more missiles?" Yao asked. "That is how we killed the Flame Dragon and they seem to be the same size. If one missile won’t work, use multiple ones. You do that against the Empire all the time.”

"We do that in the open field, not in high population cities Yao," Alicia pointed out. "If we conduct a rocket artillery bombardment, we might hit it but we would also kill hundreds if not thousands of civilians in the process."

“Forget missile strikes then,” Lelei said. “We can use the harbor and direct the river against the Balrog. Being a fire Demon, which should be its counter.”

“I don’t think so, Lelei,” Soredin said as she scanned the demon. “Based on the mana energy output, it must be emitting one hundred and fifty degrees Celsius based on its flames. That's about three hundred degrees Fahrenheit for you Americans.

"Don’t get too focused on that, Darlko allies are still out there so we shouldn’t be fighting a three-front war," Randy said. "We don't have the tools to fight that thing, Kagash’s Guild allies, and the Empire."

Lelei's eyes glowed with anger. "But we cannot let all these people die. I refuse." She then looked to Sharpe, hoping that he would side with her.

Sharpe played the same debate in his head as he watched the Balrog. Normally, he figured out a solution to defeat his enemy or adapt to the current situation quickly. That is what he was trained to do while in Delta. Always been able to do this because he is always prepared, knowing the answers against new threats.

This time, Sharpe had no idea what to do. He realized how behind he was to Kagash’s master plan, underestimating Darlko’s abilities. The only answer he could conclude was withdrawing as far as possible and waiting for help.

"Are you seriously going to give up now?"

Taking a frustrated breath, Sharpe grabbed his radio and replied to Sarah, "It is the only option."

"All the battles, all the impossible opponents you have faced until now was what, a game to you?"

Baffled by the conversation, Sharpe continued, "don't you see what it did to the gunship? How useless were the missiles? And Randy is correct; we cannot, I cannot fight three wars at once. I just don't know what to do."

"Your past victories have robbed you of future victories, Sharpe. Time and time again, you went into battle and created opportunities, even if none was there. You persisted until you saw the path to victory. Entering battle, you mentally believed you had won the battle before it had begun. Just have faith, or this shall be the downfall."

"Sarah, this isn't a time for a religious lesson."

There was a short delay before Alicia asked, "what lesson? What are you talking about? Lieutenant Colonel, are you okay?”

Glancing around, Sharpe noticed people looking at him, baffled by his mannerisms. Confused, he decided to ignore what had just happened and refocused on the matter at hand. "This is the plan. We are going to help evacuate the city and get out."

"The enemy is not going to let us evacuate people," Henson said. "They have already gone this far; the minute they see us organizing people to leave; it will be open season. Just like what happened in Afghanistan."

"That is why we will engage as best as we can," Sharpe replied. "We’ll focus on Guild forces and distract the Balrog long enough for the people to get out. For the record, Lelei and Cato, we won't be able to save everyone."

"What about the Empire, sir?" Randy asked.

Pina stepped forward. "Leave them to me."

"With respect, Princess, this isn't the time for a solo war," Randy pointed out.

"It is not Sergeant Major," Pina boldly replied. "Pepreos is a General of the Imperial Army, and I am their Empress. There is no more time for political differences, he will submit to the rightful rule of the Empire or, should I say my new Republic, or else; I will prevent him from intervening with the evacuation."

Seeing the determination in Pina's eyes, Sharpe agreed with her mission. "This is the plan; Pina will take her Knights and deal with the Pro-Empire faction. Knight Masulk, gather everyone who is loyal to you and have them begin an evacuation. Henson, you are in charge of the actual evacuation while we hold the line. Rory, Giselle and Frayen, you three keep the enemy Apostles busy. Now move out."

As everyone got organized, Sharpe walked to Selina. "Hey Princess, stay here and help Jerry. It is going to be hard to get the wounded out, so do what you can."

"Will do, sir," Selina said and hugged her father.

He embraced her tightly and told her, “But if things start to get too dangerous, run, find Jerry, and protect yourself.

Yao placed her hand on Selina's head. "Don't worry; I will keep an eye on her."

With a nod, Sharpe met with the others and entered the city.

---

Pina pulled her sword out of an Adventurer; the body fell to the ground as blood spilled out.

“This is insane,” Panache commented.

Blocking a sword attack, Pina cut down the Adventurer. Once the man was dead, she looked around and saw the destruction. “You are welcome to leave.”

Cleaning the blood off her blade, Panache said, “never. Let’s do this, my Empress.”

Knight Ginebra, Pina’s radio woman, approached. “Empress, I am being told that the Apostles’ fighting has moved our way.”

Pina saw the Apostle Mabel rammed into a building with Rory charging in, looking toward the more significant battle. The construction began to collapse as Rory busted out of the building and landed close by. “Are you ok, Rory?”

Rory glared at the Knights. “Stay out of this and do your job;” She then used her Halberd and partly destroyed the house next to her, forcing it to cave in. A piece of the collapsing building had begun falling near her, so she swung her weapon like a baseball bat, launching the debris and hitting the approaching Mabel.

The scene surprised Pina with how intense the fighting was. “Let’s keep going.”

The Knights advanced through the streets. The roar from the Balrog sent a chilling fear down their spins. The sound of another destroyed building with the screams of the citizens terrified Pina. Not because of the Demon itself but seeing the destruction of one of the oldest and mightiest cities Falmart had ever had makes her think about what could happen to all the other cities within the Empire and the ripple effect throughout Falmart.

Throughout the war, NATO always could count on a missile destroying its target however watching two powerful missiles unable to hit the Demon scared everyone. While still militarily superior, this could undermine NATO's war effort. The mightiest military, unable to protect Rondel, a Crown Jewel city; how could they protect any other city? Maybe not everyone but a significant minority might even blame NATO for Rondel's destruction.

While Pina did not say it at the Villa, she knew that the fate of the war would be decided here and now. Not being a naïve young Princess from early last year anymore, she understood the stakes now; what war and battles meant, which had nothing to do with glory. If they save Rondel, they could save the rest of the Empire.

“Look!”

“Come on Knights, double time.” seeing what Jalin pointed out, Pina saw smoke coming from the Imperial barracks. A blue explosion from a magical blast engulfed the destination.”

Moving around the corner, bypassing many citizens as they fled. Pina saw the barracks on fire. Imperial soldiers were fighting Darlko mages and other Guild forces. “Ok, Knights, stay together and advance. Elison, go to that rooftop and snipe those Darlko mages. Everyone else, kill any Guild members you come across. For the past year, we have been fighting our brethren, but today we will save them. Charge!”

The charge was not a disorganized mess as the Knights stay close together to support each other. During their time in boot camp in Alnus, they learned from their intense teamwork training with Sharpe, Carlos, and Itami; knowing if they split up, then they're dead but together, they are unstoppable.

A swordsmen Adventurer turned, surprised to see Pina's blade as she cut him down. The other Knights also cut down the other Adventurers who looked shocked by the sudden attack.

Up ahead, Pina saw three Legionaries defending themselves as they were surrounded. An energy blast hits the shield of one, knocking him over while killing the other. "Elison, take out that mage." She said through the radio. "Knights!"

The Adventurers turned to see their ally suddenly got killed. As the Darlko mage powered up to kill the rest of the Legionaries, he was sniped from a crossbow bolt going through his neck. With that, the Knights attacked, capitalizing on their surprise attack.

She was seeing one of the Legionaries on the ground, an Evocatus. That Imperial rank is equivalent to a mid-level NATO rank, a well-respected one. Pina held out her hand, "come on, Evocatus."

The Evocatus stared at Pina. "You are the traitors of the Empire."

"If I am the traitor, then who are they, Evocatus?" Pina replied, pointing to the Guild warriors.

The Evocatus carefully looked at the Rose Knights. "I see your point, Princess." He then took the hand and stood up. "What is happening, and what is that monster?"

Panache approached, "You know of Emperor Zorzal’s new buddies, the Darlko mages? They summoned that. How, no idea. They're using it to kill us all and burn Rondel to the ground."

"The Guilds?" The Evocatus asked. "Why would they fight for some demon?"

"Because my brother Evocatus," Pina replied. "The only honor they have is the coin in their purse, unlike a soldier's honor. They decided to side with evil to preserve themselves over our Empire, our Republic." Glad to see there isn't going to be an issue right now, she continued, "Where is the General? I must speak with him."

The Evocatus pointed. "He is by the barracks fighting, trying to keep the peasants and elites safe. My orders were to hold here for as long as possible."

"Then let us help," Panache said.

"Agreed," Pina replied. "Knights, help the Evocatus." Hearing Panache organize the Knights and begin fighting the attackers; she rushed through the battle.

As Pina moved through the chaotic battle. Seeing a group of Legionaries about to be flanked as they fight summoned golems, she blocked one of their swords with her shield and cut down the Adventurer. It looked like the Legionaries were caught off guard in what the Terrans call the "divide and conquer" tactic.

"Keep holding the line, soldiers." As Pina spoke, she saw a dwarf charging, about to ram his hammer.

The dwarf kept striking, forcing Pina to back away. She took out her single-hand crossbow and fired its single shot. The mini arrow punctured the dwarf’s armor. While the dwarf was distracted, she swung her blade.

Both weapons collided and Pina guided his hammer to the ground. She stepped on it to prevent him from attacking. Taking out her bowie knife, she stabbed the dwarf in the neck, twisting to kill it before he could use his superior strength.

Seeing more Guild forces approach, Pina approached an Imperial Minotaur. "I need you to get me past them as fast as possible."

"I do not flee a battle nor listen to traitors."

Pina remembered Sharpe once grabbed her by the armor when she did not listen to his orders. The reason was to get her full attention and to remind her who was in command.

Not being intimidated by the sheer size of the Minotaur, Pina approached only inches away, grabbed his armor, and stared into his eyes. "I am your Empress, th! We are at war against an evil enemy that wants both of us dead. You will obey your Empress’s command and get me to General Pepreos now!”

Noticing a nod of approval, Pina jumped on the Minotaur's back and rode him as he charged through the enemy lines. Unable to believe that work, she now fully understood why Sharpe spoke so boldly. Sharpe always knew he was in command so he spoke like it;now she was convinced that she was the true leader of the Empire, not her brother and she could speak with that conviction. That conviction had turned an enemy into an ally, and she was proud of herself.

It took all her strength to hold onto the Minotaur. As they pass both Imperial soldiers and Guild Adventurers, they stop for a moment, shocked to see her riding a beast like this. A formation of swordsmen created a shield wall, but the Minotaur bashed through them, ending up with the upper half of a spear in him.

As the Minotaur forced himself through the enemy formation, he was struck by an energy blast by an enemy mage. Falling hard to the ground, Pina is flung forward and rolled. After wiping the blood from her face, she found the mage who killed the Minotaur concentrating his mana up to kill her.

Noticing the ground moving, a significant spike emerged beneath the mage, going right through the man. Another mage, unlike the spiked one this one looked like to be from the Guild, formed an energy shield. A lightning strike impacted the shield hard but was deflected.

Seeing her opportunity, Pina sprung up and cut down the mage with her sword. She then turned and faced the mage who shot the lightning, it being Pepreos.

Pepreos stood there, breathing heavily and bleeding. "Princess… I should have listened to my staff when they told me you and the Other Worlders were behind this." He then raised his hand and formed an energy ball.

Seeing a glowing shield on the ground, she gambles that it was enchanted against magic because of whom the Adventurers were attacking. She quickly opened her wrist riot shield and protected herself as Pepreos fired his energy blast.

The impact was intense; Pina, barely able to hold onto the shield, felt a massive recoil from her riot shield as it melted. Noticing the strike was over, she dropped the shield and charged Pepreos with a sword ready to kill. As she approached, she saw the defenseless General staring at her, about to accept his fate.

"We need to talk, General." Pina bypassed the General and pushed her blade through a Lizardman's neck. Standing there panting as she cut down the enemy soldier, almost splitting it into two.

Stunned by being saved, Pepreos pulled out his sword. "There is nothing to talk about, traitor. Look what you caused, not just with this city but all Falmart. You and your Other Worlder comrades have brought nothing but suffering to us all."

"You're a smart man Pepreos," Pina replied. "I am not your enemy, and you know that; we are fighting the same war."

"Please, I've been in politics far longer than you've been alive, Princess," Pepreos stated. "Since your new friends arrived, everything has gone to hell. Your kind eats and parties your keeps as everyone dies around you, and now look. My city is going to burn to the ground, and it's all thanks to your war and your so-called Revolution. None of this would be happening-."

Pina can see the anger in Pepreos' eyes. She remembers having the same rage she had after Sadera was attacked the first time. But she remembered why she was that angry; she loved her city and people to the point that she did not want to see it burn to the ground. While she did not want to admit it, she knew she needed Sharpe to knock the Imperial nonsense out of her system(1).

"My fault?" Pina asked. "Look around you, General? This is what I was trying to prevent! I was there when Sadera was bombed, I saw the destruction, and I have done everything I could to prevent that from happening elsewhere. NATO wants this city on their side to end the war, why would they destroy it? I know you are not that blind and deaf to not see reason!"

Pepreos lit his sword into flames. "Don’t mix my words, your actions are what I speak of. The truth is that you fled to the more powerful side. Everything was fine until they came along. The only hope to prevent a second Age of Darkness is for the Empire to win."

"You mean this Empire, General," Frustrated, Pina pointed her blade to the Balrog. A stream of twin .50 caliber rounds in combination with magical attacks tried to stop the Demon. "We are living in the Second Age of Darkness, Pepreos. My father, my brother, the Imperial Senate, the whole damn Empire has. We have become what we once fought against, General!"

"You stand there and say that I got scared and fled, but here I am, standing in front of you," Pina boldly stated with a commanding tone, a tone which Pepreos did not expect. Her eyes tell the story of all her battles, losses, adventures, everything she has experienced up to this point. "General, I have never stopped being a patriot for my people. Everything I have done, everything I have sacrificed has been for one thing, my people. My brother is the one who is destroying your home. All so he can pretend to be Emperor?"

Pepreos shook his head with rage. "You talk about being a patriot and talk about how your brother is the cause of why this war has lasted this long, but we both know that is a pile of dragon crap! How many Imperial Soldiers have you killed? How many of your people have you murdered just to place yourself on the throne? Your so-called revolution is just a disguise to claim the throne for yourself. It is in your blood.”

After hearing Pepreos' statement only angered Pina. It never brought joy to kill her countrymen, but she knew that is what must be done for her revolution to happen. Fighting her people has been the only path she could see that would work. However, and just as important, she is tired of hearing about the throne and now the wellbeing of the people or state. "Fuck the throne General!" Waiting to reply as she collected her thoughts, she noticed how her words caught the General off guard, confused. "Everything is always about the damn throne. My father was murdered because of the throne, my brother married a Succubus and became a madman. I had a brother murdered before that damn chair, a brother I wished I got to know and love but was robbed from me because they were political-rivals."

"Look at that monster again, General! Look around your city. Who caused it, Pepreos? The Empire has become a joke, a shade of its former self. The capital once was a beacon of what we represent but now it is a place where old men only care about their purse and who they can rape to stroke their own ego and you bloody know it!”

“That is why the Gods summoned the Other Worlds to this world. We were once mighty people, loved and respected by all. We brought order to Falmart in an era of darkness when we were a republic. I am a patriot but not to the Empire but the Republic when we were strong. You’re right General, I fled Sadera but not because I was scared but because I chose a different future for Sadera. I will become Empress and bring back what we once were."

Pina then grabbed the tip of her sword and held out the handle to Pepreos, staring him in the eye. "Are you going to be a slave to the Empire and allow your beautiful city to burn or join me, and we can stop the darkness from rising again. Join me, and we can be proud, strong, and respected again. Join forces with me and let us save this city. For the Republic."

The General stood there like a rock, staring at Pina. More Imperial Soldiers approached, waiting to see what would happen. He then took the handle and nodded.

“I guess you are right. I will join you, for our empire and my city. For now, at least. Do not make me regret this, my Empress.”

---

Establishing a formation to protect the evacuation has become difficult. Setting up two barricades to keep the Guilds and at the same time keeping that Balrog away.

Sharpe rushed to Randy and Alicia's position, bypassing dozens of civilians as they fled. "What has the command said?"

"Cannot get through," Alicia replied. "Since that bastard appeared, all communication has been jammed. I have no coms."

"Sir, Check Point Two is holding," Randy reported. "It seems like the Guild either focused elsewhere or stayed away from that thing."

An inferno spell ignited a nearby building. The Rangers and Rondel Knights rushed away for cover. The unit JLTV rolled up with Everett on the mounted M2 .50 caliber tearing apart the mages.

Andrew slide next to everyone and says, "I don't know how long our mages can keep the bastard busy."

Sharpe looked out to the plaza, where Lelei, Soredin, Mimoza, Arpeggio and Cato were standing. The five mages concentrate all their mana into a powerful magic blast to attack the demon. The fiery demon blocked the joint strike and advanced. "Shit, cover fire!"

The Rangers, the .50 calibers from the JLTV, and Stryker opened fire. The bullets seemed to do little, but the larger calibers got the Demon's attention. Frost, taking the Javelin out of the JLTV back, fired it; however, the rocket missed because the missile lock-on failed at the last moment. The Balrog pulled out its wipe and began its attack; however, was blocked by Soredin’s magical barrier.

"Andrew, talk to me, give me something," Sharpe asked.

"I have nothing, sir," Andrew replied as he reloaded. "If this were a game, this would be a final boss style. There was always some trick to beat the final boss. However, I have no idea what it is."

"If it wasn't for that damn jamming barrier, we could have killed it easily like against the Flame Dragon," Alicia added. "This isn't fair."

"What is the plan, sir?" Randy asked.

Watching as the mages redirect the Balrog, he could think about that strange conversation he had with his wife before, or so he thought it was his wife. Looking away from the evacuation, Sharpe looked to his team. "We always came on top because we had faith."

Dozens of ideas rushed through Sharpe's mind as he tried to figure out a way around this. He wanted to surround the Demon and attack from all sides, using its size against it; however, there are so many enemy forces in the area that the idea wouldn't work. Precision bombs are worthless as they will only cause collateral damage. A massive bombardment would result in the same issue, killing his team and everyone else around. With the destruction of the gunship and lack of communication with his team, the Air Force will be cautious about providing more direct support. However, he knew that there is a solution here, there is a piece he is missing, and for the first time in a long time, he is relying on faith that the answer will appear.

Tuka rushed to the group. "Sir, Imperial Soldiers are forming on the other side of the plaza."

"Shit. It looks like the Princess was wrong," Andrew stated.

"They're going to outflank Lelei; Rangers move." Sharpe and the others broke from their cover and rushed over to their mages. "Lelei, Soredin, get down!"

As the Rangers lined up to the fire, Randy told everyone to stand down. Once they approached, Sharpe saw the Imperial forces, far more than he hoped. Getting a better look, he noticed one of the Rose Knights. He heard Alicia worry about a hostage situation.

"Colonel!" Pina then emerged from the Imperial force and rushed over with General Pepreos. "Sharpe, don't worry; they are on our side."

"I am not on their side; I am here to save my city," Pepreos corrected.

Cato approached. "Swallow your pride, my student. Whatever differences everyone here has is meaningless now. The only thing that matters is saving what is left of our city."

"Which is why I am here, Master," Pepreos looked toward Sharpe. "What I am confused about is why have you not killed it with your long-range projectiles?"

"That thing is emitting a magical field that is acting like your jamming towers," Lelei explained. "NATO weapons cannot see it. Their weapons would kill us over the Balrog."

"You, damn Other Worlders," Pepreos frustratedly said. "You have all these weapons, but when you face a real challenge, your technology becomes worthless."

"Knock it off, General," Pina ordered and looked at Sharpe. "But he is correct; we need something."

"But how?" Cato asked. "From the very beginning, the Darlko mages have been five steps ahead of us. Summoning this monster here knowing both NATO and the Empire would be hesitant to use their weapons in fear of destroying this city."

"Or risk destroying this city ourselves in trying to stop it," Tuka added. "I hate to say this, but anything we do only helps the Darlko. It is a win-win scenario for them."

Sharpe looked at the Balrog, seeing the buildings engulfed in flames. Then something clicked in his mind. Not a single idea someone said but a collection of comments. "What would Krysist do…?" He mumbled.

"What was that, sir?" Yao asked.

Ignoring Yao, he continued to watch the fight against the Balrog. Andrew rushed to Panache and both directed the Legionaries, who were manning a Scorpio. The Scorpio fired an armor-piercing enchanted Javelin, the one that has been able to pierce NATO medium armor vehicles. One of the other enchanted Javelins froze the Balrog’s arm but only for a moment.

While everyone else watched the attack fail, the doomed to failed attack gave Sharpe an idea for victory. "Tuka is right; we cannot stop this thing here. Whatever we do, we will end up destroying the city, including us. There is nothing we can do here."

Everyone is shocked by Sharpe's statement. Lelei was the one who asked first, "are you saying we are going to abandon the city?"

Sharpe looked at Lelei. "I did not say that, Lelei." He then looked towards everyone. "Our heavy weapons can kill it; however, the issue is location. As long as that Demon is in the city, that strange magical radiation it's emitting is preventing us from using them. The problem isn't that the Darlko mages have been five steps ahead of us, the problem is that we have been playing their game. General, is there a meadow or valley five or six kilometers nearby?"

Pina converted kilometers into leagues so Pepreos could understand the distances. "Yes. But why does that matter?"

"Good. We will head there now and set up a staging area," Sharpe said. "That should be far enough for us to contact Vanguard-Command and call in a missile bombardment."

"But I thought your missiles don't work," Tuka asked.

"I get it," Randy said. "The issue is the final stage of locking on. If we set up a prepositioned target with dedicated coordinates, that should do the trick."

"Correct," Sharpe replied. "Dumb bombs don't need to lock on—a barrage of Tomahawks and MGM-140s. Maybe we can get a gunship with its tactical laser to help weaken that magical field. The point is we can set up an ambush outside the city and unleash everything without friendly losses."

"Hold on, what about the city?" Pina asked. "This still means we have to abandon the city to do this."

"Not exactly," Pepreos replied. "It will take time to set this plan in motion, which means we have to keep the enemy at bay until then."

"Correct," Sharpe added. "The General and I will take our forces to the ambush site; you will stay here and take command of all friendly forces until we return. Nick, you and thew rest of the Delta protect the Empress. Randy, Cato, and Masulk’s Knights will stay for support."

"Colonel, what about the Balrog?" Soredin said. "Why would it leave the city just for us?"

Soredin made an excellent point to which Sharpe had no answer.

"That is the easy part, actually," Lelei said. "Like in fishing, you need bait. I think my new spells should get their attention, and while we are distracting it, we will get its attention. When you're ready, we can lure it out of the city."

"How are you planning on doing that?" Cato asked.

Looking at her master, Lelei responded, "I spent almost two years around Sharpe. I think I know how to be angry enough."

Tuka and Yao placed their hands on Lelei's shoulders. "And we got her back," Tuka said.

"Got it, but be careful though," Sharpe said. "Try to get a message to Rory, Frayen and Giselle to continue to keep the other Apostles at bay until we take care of this Demon. Does everyone understand your orders?"

Getting approval from everyone, the Imperials, the Rondels, and Vanguard-7 rushed to carry out the plan.