Record: Blood Oath's Edge

Record: Blood Oath's Edge is an event in NieR Reincarnation. It dives into an epic battle of the Intoners' army against Zero and her partner Mikhail. It was released as part of the NieR Re[in]carnation x Drakengard 3 crossover.

Story[]

Part 1[]

A woman and a dragon, both covered in wounds, trudge across a beach. The woman's name is Zero. She is a powerful swordswoman with a flower where her right eye should be. The dragon's name is Mikhail. He is a young, white dragon with the power of speech.

Both of them stand on the doorstep of death. Blood flows freely from their wounds. It leaves a snaking trail of red along the coast. The army that has been following this trail now closes in on them.
"Kill the traitors!" they cry.

This is the end. They can run no further. The woman grips her sword, steeling her resolve. The dragon lets fly with a howl in response. It cannot end here. They must live.

Part 2[]

The soldiers rush at them like waves from the sea. The swordswoman fights back, blood spraying from her wounds. In the midst of it all, something appears in the corner of her reddened vision. She sees the dragon collapse. Countless blades stick out from his white flesh. As the dragon lies in the sand, he ekes out a meager cry. The woman's hair rises in anger, and she immediately cleaves the soldier before her in twain. Sand flies as she rushes to the dragon's side.

"I won't let you die."
The woman stands in front of the dragon to shield him.

FOOMP!

The next thing she knows, an arrow is embedded deep into her chest. As she reaches up to pull it out, another follows. She lifts her head and stares at her enemy. But a third arrow finds its mark in her eye, as though they had been aiming for that very spot. Her sword slowly falls from her bloody fingers.

Part 3[]

The woman's beating heart slows...slows...and then stops.

The soldiers raise a mighty cheer. The traitor has been struck down. With only the dragon left, the soldiers move in to finish it off. But then, the woman's corpse begins to scream. As if responding to the scream, the flower in her eye glows red. And in the next instant, it swells up to an incredible size. Suddenly, another human spills from the flower, covered in blood. It is the swordswoman reborn. She is a demon with the strength of the flower on her side.

"This cannot be the end. This cannot...end."
The revived woman attacks the soldiers with empty hands. She strikes down one after another with sheer brute force. But she is still greatly outnumbered. Swords penetrate her body, one after the next. She screams again.
And again.
And again.
Yet each time, she is reborn from the flower. Her limbs are severed. Her skull is shattered. Her heart is pierced. Yet she comes back each time and falls upon her foe with renewed fury. It is a never-ending nightmare.

Part 4[]

Finally, the woman collapses in the sand. Her sharp, ragged breaths slowly take on a sense of normalcy. The battle is over. The only sound is that of the wavees enveloping the crimson beach. Soon, the dragon's eyes flutter open. He looks over the mountains of dead soldiers, then back to the woman.

"Thanks for saving me, Zero."
His voice is that of an innocent child―a terrible mismatch for its massive size.

"I only did what anyone should," the woman replies.
The woman knows one absolute in her life: She must protect him.

A flower blooms in her right eye. It is a cursed, loathsome power that would destroy the world. And only a dragon can extinguish it.
Once you grow up and become stronger...I will have to tell you of my final wish. But until then...I will protect you. No matter how many of my lives it may cost.