Chapter 9:
A Three-Pronged Attack
ALTHOUGH ARCADIA had successfully countered Luxion’s attack, he wasn’t completely unharmed by the process. A violent tremor ran through the fortress, setting off warning sirens in its corridors and alarming the people in the command room. Defending against the blast consumed a substantial amount of energy.
Moritz watched on the monitors as Luxion sank beneath the waves. His fists trembled on the arms of his chair. Frantic, he ordered, “Fire another blast at him! Make sure he goes down!”
It didn’t matter that the initial blast had been enough to rip a hole through Luxion, or that he’d been swallowed up by the ocean. That wasn’t enough for Moritz to relax.
“I would love to do just that,” said Arcadia, no less anxious about their predicament. “Unfortunately, we have already used too much stored energy. It would be dangerous to further drain our reserves when there are still AI enemies on the battlefield.”
“Khh…!” Air hissed through Moritz’s clenched teeth.
Arcadia had already channeled the maximum possible amount of energy into his blast to take down Luxion, which had been a wise call. They’d at least driven Luxion from the field.
Still, Moritz couldn’t rest easy. “Is that really it? Will this battle end so simply?” It was a letdown—far too anticlimactic, considering how Finn had hyped up Leon.
Arcadia’s eye moved from side to side. “You have overestimated the power of old humanity’s weaponry. Luxion is a formidable opponent, but a migratory ship could never beat a fortress such as I.”
Moritz sank back in his seat. He sucked in a deep breath. “Perhaps. I suppose all that’s left is to finish them off.”
With Leon down for the count, the rest of the royal army would quickly lose morale and disperse. Luxion no longer posed a threat either, which meant no one would be left to impede the imperial army.
“Please leave exterminating the civilians to me. I promise to snuff out each and every one, no matter where they try to hide,” said Arcadia.
In his eyes, all Holfortians were old humanity’s descendants. The very idea of annihilating the last dregs of his mortal enemies visibly elated him.
A chill ran down Moritz’s spine, but however reprehensible he found this part of their mission, he knew he had to carry it out to ensure his people’s future.
“That seals it. Victory is ours,” Moritz said, sure the royal army would fall to them quickly.
Several of the Demonic Creatures present in the room to assist Arcadia provided updates on the situation.
“That attack strained your shield past its limit.”
“The fortress’s barrier has weakened.”
“It taxed the ship’s interior as well. It will take time to recover.”
The damage from Luxion’s attack was more substantial than they’d anticipated. Even Arcadia hadn’t expected it to be that bad; his mouth twisted in displeasure. “His flimsy blast had that much impact?” That would’ve been impossible if Arcadia were in full working order, but since he’d only just awakened, Luxion’s attack had proven devastating.
Moritz shook his head to refocus himself. We can’t let our guard down until we finish off the enemy completely, he decided.
The monitor in front of him displayed the enemy’s entire fleet. It would be too dangerous for Arcadia to fire his main cannon again, so Moritz opted to have his army take over the rest. “Send out all the Demonic Knights who’ve been on standby. Tell them to destroy the enemy in front of us and end this nightmare of a battle.”
One of his generals nodded. “In their current state, the royal army will be no match for our highest-ranking Demonic Knights.”
“Wait,” Moritz interrupted. “Have Finn remain on standby here.”
A wrinkle formed on the general’s forehead. “You aren’t sending out the first seat?”
Moritz glanced at Arcadia, who answered on his behalf. “Finn is Her Imperial Highness’s favorite. There’s no need to make her anxious by sending him.”
Not deploying their best soldier because Imperial Princess Miliaris wouldn’t like it was absurd reasoning. Everyone’s expression soured, but nobody bothered to argue the point, since they were confident that victory was already theirs.
“He’ll be insurance for us, in case the worst comes to pass,” Moritz muttered under his breath.
✦ ✦ ✦
Aboard Arcadia was a special room where Demonic Knights stayed while on standby. Finn and Brave were inside, left behind by their fellows who had received orders to deploy. Finn sat with his arms folded over his chest. He didn’t say a word.
As worried as he was for his partner, Brave tried to put on a cheerful front. “The top brass must be idiots if they’re not ordering you onto the field,” he said. “With you out there, this whole thing would be over instantly.”
“Yeah.” Finn sounded disinterested.
“W-well, still, I guess it’s good you don’t have to go,” Brave continued. “This way, you won’t have to fight Leon and the others.” He was striving to comfort Finn, although he obviously wasn’t very good at it.
“Sorry for worrying you, Kurosuke.”
“It’s fine; we’re partners, after all! And I see you’re still stuck on calling me that. You sure are stubborn, Partner.”
Finn grinned, and Brave laughed.
Mia burst into the room, followed by her maids and several Demonic Creatures. She had been put under heavy guard to keep her safe. The moment she spotted Finn, her worried expression broke into a smile. “Sir Knight!”
“Princess Miliaris? What are you doing here?” Finn asked, bowing to her.
She stared at him in surprise, eyes round. It took only a moment for her expression to crumple with sadness. Finn sensed instantly what she wanted from him.
“Apologies, but I’d like to speak with Her Imperial Highness alone,” he said to the contingent of maids and Demonic Creatures who’d followed her into the room.
The maids glanced at one another and shook their heads. “We cannot leave. We’ve been ordered to stay at Her Imperial Highness’s side at all times. Even if it weren’t our duty, we couldn’t leave her alone with a man. That would be inappropriate.” If anything improper took place, they’d be the ones punished, and none wanted to shoulder that risk for him.
“Unacceptable,” said one of the Demonic Creatures.
Another agreed. “We cannot allow it.”
“There is no reason we can’t stay with Her Imperial Highness.”
Unlike the maids, their insistence wasn’t borne of duty but rather of stubborn insistence on being with Mia. After all, they were willing to sacrifice their very lives to keep her safe, which made them that much harder to convince.
Finn frowned, unsure how to proceed.
“Oh, shut up, all of ya!” Brave shouted at them. “Get outta here quick, or I’m gonna lose it!”
There would be considerable damage if a fully functioning Demonic Core like Brave went berserk. Reluctantly, albeit for different reasons, the maids and Demonic Creatures exited the room. Soon only Finn and Mia—and Brave, of course—were left.
Finn guided Mia to a nearby couch and sat down beside her. “What have you come here for?” He spoke more casually this time, the way he normally did.
Mia visibly brightened, but her expression clouded just as quickly. “Sir Knight, I don’t want you to fight,” she said. “This whole war is a mistake. It’s too cruel that some of us have to destroy the others for the fighting to finally end.”
Her argument was a childish, idealistic one.
Finn smiled thinly. How many times had he explained this to her? We have no other choice. He almost let those words slip out of his mouth but managed to swallow them at the last second. Mia’s kindness and innocence reminded him too much of his little sister from his previous life.
Instead, he said, “You don’t need to let it weigh on you. His Majesty and I—along with the rest of those involved—will shoulder this sin until our deaths.”
“Sir Knight?” Mia spoke his title questioningly, a nervous crease on her forehead. She seized a fistful of his clothing, clinging to him. “Why does it sound like you plan on leaving me behind? Didn’t you promise you’d protect me forever? There’s no reason you have to take part in the fighting.”
He smiled gently at her and peeled her fingers from his clothing, taking both her hands in his. “I can’t be the only one shying away from responsibility. Besides, my duty is to keep you safe. To make sure this world remains one in which you’re healthy enough to run around outside as much as you want.”
Whatever else happens, I’ll protect her. I’m not the weakling I used to be. In his past life, he’d regretted being unable to do anything but watch as his little sister passed away. His desire—his need to be in control, to do something—was what drove him.
“Sir Knight,” said Mia, “I…I…”
“None of this is your fault,” Finn interrupted. He couldn’t let her finish. It would shake his determination to see this through. “The rest of us—His Majesty, the other knights, and I—will finish this.”
“But—”
“It’ll be all right. I’ll protect you.”
She squeezed his hands. When she lifted her chin, her eyes were dewy with unshed tears. “At least promise me that you’ll come back to me no matter what happens, then. You have to promise.”
“Yeah, I prom—”
Before he could finish, Brave interjected, “Partner, above us!” His gaze was directed at the ceiling, and there was panic in his voice; he must’ve sensed something.