And so... The stars scattered in the capital will soon have their fated meeting. Even if they were not aware or tried to resist, the meandering paths led them together. It is written that they meet tonight, right here and now. Thus...
"Lieutenant, please wait! You're too fast! This is crazy!"
"Don't act like a spoiled brat, Kircheisen. How can you be slower than a civilian?"
"Don't be too hard on her. I mean, she's..."
"T-The difference in our steps is too big! You two are much taller than me!"
"Hmm, hmhmm, hmm, hm, hmm... Look at me, Mother. When I do this, I look like the nymph from Dvorak's opera. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I would prefer that an adult woman like yourself would refrain from playing around in a fountain. It is improper."
This moment would surely be a transition point for my own self. After all...
"So this is where you were, Jester. I must say, your invitation was quite elaborate... And foolish."
This moment will mark the beginning of this man and the Legion He will command.
"Greetings. I bid you welcome, Your Excellency Lieutenant General Heydrich. Your seat is ready. Let us view the spectacle."
"... What?"
And Thus...
"Nnh?"
"Huuh?"
"Wait..."
"This is..."
"Oh my..."
"Looks like something strange is happening here."
Let the curtains rise on the night's Grand Guignol.
"Lieutenant... What is this?"
As they reached their destination, they were met with a calamity that left Beatrice speechless. She felt as though she were having a bad dream.
Considering that they were seeking the criminals, it could be processed as a positive situation on their path, but the wickedness happened to be far above what anyone could have predicted. Which was perfectly reasonable. After all, who would expect to see a car get blasted away and explode in a battle between two unarmed people?
The number of savages was another thing that confused them. Why were there two and why were they fighting? As Beatrice became even more perplexed, Eleonore kept her iron-hard expression.
"Who knows? That aside, look over there, Kircheisen. Do you know who that is?"
"Huh, who...?"
The girl's superior slightly raised her chin to point at a tall man clad in a first-class military uniform at the other end of the alley. At a closer look, there also seemed to be another man standing beside him. Even from afar, the two seemed quite handsome, but their overall impressions were both completely different and strangely similar.
Beatrice couldn't word it well, but she felt as though she were looking at characters from picture books... Ones that made chills go down her spine.
They were...
"Lieutenant General Reinhard Tristan Eugen Heydrich. His Excellency the Chief of the Gestapo."
"Wha— R-Really?"
"Yes. And the one beside him is likely..."
The other man seemed as thin as a shadowgraph. Though they could both see him there, for some reason, they couldn't perceive his visage.
"...Who?"
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, I down know the circumstances, but if His Excellency is here, there is only one thing for us to do. We have to protect him from the two savages. From what I can see, we are the only soldiers here. With this, we should be able to make up for overstepping our boundaries and getting involved in the Gestapo's work."
She was right. Beatrice nodded with full respect for Eleonore and the venerable path she walked.
"True. I don't know who those two are, but they're far too dangerous for us to ignore."
"Hmph, as impudent as you are, you seem to know what matters. Let me tell you another thing, then. Rather than guns, their kinds are best handled with this."
Eleonore smiled for the first time in a long while and, as if to praise her subordinate's resolve, she unsheathed the sword at her waist.
"Cut, pierce, gouge — fill them with pain and fear. Kircheisen, be advised that being at gun point isn't as scary as you might think."
"Understood."
The woman saw her enemy and silently proclaimed she would joined the battle. The cool, brave, and knighty posture invigorated Beatrice so much she forgot her fear.
"I suppose this is your first real battle?"
"Yes, but do not worry about me."
At her superior's side, the girl could fight fearlessly and with no hesitation. Ever since she took a position at the army, she dedicated her blade to the Fatherland, its people, blood, glory, and victory.
"I believe you won't fail me. Our families have a history of knighthood. Being born there, we are not allowed to have aversion to killing or being killed. Charge!"
"Of course! Miss Riza, please stand back and hide!"
Beatrice kicked the ground and — with lightning speed — broke into the hurricane-like violence surrounding the scoundrels.
"Uoooooooohhh!"
"Huh?"
Her first attack was deflected — she took the savage's counterattack with the middle part of her blade. The impact was great enough to send her flying backwards, but she was able to hold her ground by lodging into the earth with her army boots. The violence and vehemence of the attack made her feel as though her opponent wasn't even human.
"Who the fuck are you? Where'd ya crawl out of?"
The crimson eyes on his ivory face released a hot, demonic light. As unbelievable as it was, he didn't have a weapon. The man — Wilhelm Ehrenburg — deflected her blade with nothing but his bare hands. The stench of blood and beast made it quite obvious that he was barely human. With just a single exchange of attacks, Beatrice instantly knew he was a true murderer and no friend to the ordinary. However, that was exactly why she couldn't back out. Succumbing to someone so vile was the opposite of what a true knight would do.
"Villain, give up and face arrest. I am Beatrice Waltrud von Kircheisen. Resist and I will remove your limbs!"
The severe and solemn scolding made the man widen his eyes and look slightly confused at first, but then his shoulders began to shake and his mouth formed a wicked smile, which was followed by a cackle just as dark.
"Heh... Hehah... Hahahahahahaha! Big words there. Real funny shit. A valiant lil' lady,. aren't ya? Do you seriously think you can match me with a body that fucking small!? I'll spread ya out on the ground, impale ya so good it'll make ya cry for mommy, and scatter yer pieces all over the place!"
An avalanche of thick bloodlust came all over her. The wickedness clogged her nose, clouded her vision, and made her oxygen-deprived limbs go numb. The very truth that such a man existed tried her perception of the world. And that was exactly why she couldn't allow her to draw breath of their human world any longer. Beatrice had no doubt in her heart.
"You filth... You are beyond salvation."
"Yeah. Not once in my entire life did I feel like I could be saved. Bring it, lady. I'll show you what happens when you get involved in someone else's fights."
"You don't have to tell me that."
As the killer beckoned her, Beatrice fixed her posture and took a step forward. Being a soldier, the girl had things she needed to protect.
"I'll show you what's really important!"
Her angered roar was followed by an earnest thrust. Deflection, evasion, a follow-up attack — unlike the momentary first exchange, this one was building up to be a true battle to the death. Beatrice fearlessly faced her violence, swearing not to let it swallow her and the justice of the path she walked.
And...
"Ahh, this is boring. This is the first time in ages I've gotten all fired up, and you interrupted me. Talk about ruining the fun."
The other Valkyrie approached the second villain.
"You there. What are you?"
"Hmm?"
Unlike Beatrice, she wasn't angry. The woman's gaze as she examined the being before her was as cool and grim as ice. It was as though she were trying to gauge how best to deal with the beast.
"A man? A woman? Which one? Who are you?"
The woman knew full well that it wasn't the dainty girl it appeared to be. The being was covered in a whirlwind of decay that could almost be described as a dress weaved from bloody mist. The pure smile was but a thin layer hiding a chaos of hatred, resentment, and indignation.
Eleonore didn't even have to remove the mask to feel the pure madness underneath — it was practically boiling and seeping through. The amount of people this thing killed was several times greater than that of Beatrice's opponent. Eleonore easily understood that this one was far more dangerous than the other.
Thus...
"I'm neither. Want to have a look? Here."
The vast emptiness under the being's raised skirt had no effect on Eleonore's composure. She had a hunch that it wouldn't be a pretty sight ever since she saw the dress-clad monster.
"This means I can love you regardless of what you prefer. What do you say?"
"I see you've got some trifling philosophy to go with your miserable state. How filthy."
It was just as she feared, and that was the reason why she couldn't tolerate the being.
"I am Eleonore von Wittenberg. Come, you mad mutt. All maggots corrupting the Reich's capital shall be killed and fumigated."
It was a spawn of the city's Stygian darkness. Eleonore couldn't stomach the environment that could give birth to such beasts. The Fatherland lost in the previous war, and as such, hopeless failures covered it like a thin cloud. The woman planned to destroy the root of this problem and remove the darkness with the light of victory. That was her role and venerable mission as a knight of the Reich.
"Ahah, hahahaha... Kill? Kill? Kill me? These people who keep saying things they can't do... I hate you all! Just try and tell me who'll be the one to die here!"
"You. By my hand. Right now!"
Failures such as this thing had no place in the strong Fatherland envisioned by Eleonore. The ghost left behind by the defeatists had to perish.
On that Holy night, two deadly battles shook Berlin to its core. Flying sparks and shouts of life... The dance between the beasts and the Valkyries left no space for anyone else.
"What a mess. Those girls sure are something. It's safe to say they're barely half human at this point."
The woman watching the clash from afar voiced her slight astonishment. She expressed true wonder and a certain kind of praise, but — strangely enough — showed little fear. The priest accompanying her spoke in an inquisitive voice, as if to know more of her impression.
"Does that mean that the female officers are at the disadvantage?"
"Yes. They're not exactly normal, either, but their opponents are just too far off. Monsters like them occur from time to time... People whose environment turns them into human beasts with no help from martial of magical arts. True fiends. These. From what I can tell, the little boy is nine, while the big one is a seven. The redhead soldier is normal, but she trained hard enough to become another seven. The blonde little lady, though, is just a five. Nothing special. However, there was no better set-up. If they switched opponents, the blonde girl would already be dead. And with that, the redhead would have to fight both of them at once. She seems to be aware of that, but the reasonable choice of pairing up with the blonde to take out the girls one after the other is likely against her principles. It would be best for them to run away, but the knightly mentality doesn't allow it. What a sad fight. There's nothing they can do now."
Her tone as she commented on and analyzed the fight was nonchalant and amused. It almost as if the woman wasn't aware that, if she was right, she was in trouble, as well. Or maybe she was aware, but had reason to act as though it didn't matter.
"Should you not go and help them, then?"
"Me? Why? Or, rather... How?"
"Forget I said that. I somehow felt as if you would be capable."
Her straightforward question made the priest act slightly evasive. Certain truths were reaching his eyes and ears, but even if the other party was aware of it, he couldn't be too overt about his ability. The priest lacked the courage to speak out. His desire was to silently wither like a flower in the wilderness. The priest was always prepared to flee and had a strong inclination to "let sleeping dogs lie" in his life.
"I must say that this is a predicament. Though they might be soldiers, they are still women in serious trouble. If there is anything I can do to help. I would gladly do it."
"It's better if you don't. You're a minus ten, after all. Also, I guess I might as well say that the blue-haired lady spacing out over there is a one — the pinnacle of mediocrity."
"Then..."
Seemingly irked by the woman's irresponsible attitude, the priest slightly raised her chin to point at another direction. Two silhouettes were standing there. Even with his eyes and ears — for some reason — he couldn't describe those two beings. Thus, he wished to know what she thought of them.
"What about those gentleman?"
"Huh?"
"Did you not notice them? They are likely the Chief of the Gestapo and that person the Minister of Propaganda prefers to hide. How do you think they would fare?"
The response to that question was strange and far beyond what he expected.
"Ah... Ah..."
As if her soul had been just torn away from her, the woman shook in clear shock, only pitiful gibberish escaping her lips. What did she see? What did she feel? What did they look like in the eyes of a witch? Trifa's uncontainable curiosity surpassed even his fear.
"...? What is wrong, Miss Schwägelin?"
"No way, this is just... This can't be real..."
"...?"
"Why? How? Why, why, why, why...?"
Her composure, which was present even when she analyzed the two murderers, shattered like nothing — as though now she was faced by real monsters of another world.
"I don't believe it. This is insane. I won't accept it! Why do those things exist in this world!?"
Her shriek was a sure sign that the night was only just beginning.