Jilk cradled Leon in his arms and lifted him up.
“We need to heal you quickly,” he muttered. In truth, Jilk doubted Leon could be saved. He’d simply have to place his faith in Luxion and Cleare’s medical technology, but at a glance, the seriousness of Leon’s injuries made that seem futile. “Whatever the case, I’ll try my best not to jostle you too much. But we have to hurry.”
He lifted off from the deck, intent on escaping the sinking fortress with Leon. No sooner had they risen into the air than a knot twisted his stomach, a dark premonition of what was to come, for in front of him he saw Laimer—the Demonic Knight who’d fought alongside Hubert earlier on. He was down an arm, thanks to Jilk’s bullet, and was clearly seething with anger.
“I never forgot you, you green bastard! Isn’t that the Scumbag Knight you’ve got there in your arms? I’ll end you both right here, right now!”
“It’s a bit late for that,” Jilk told him calmly. “The war has already ended.”
“No, it hasn’t!” Laimer shrieked. “You guys killed my little brother! Sir Hubert and Sir Gunther too! It wouldn’t be fair for you to go on living when they can’t!” He’d lost sight of himself and reality in his fury. There was no way for them to have any meaningful conversation.
Jilk didn’t want to waste any more time here than necessary. He tried to speed away with Leon still in his arms, but Laimer launched numerous attacks on them from behind, sparking fireballs that slammed into Jilk and exploded.
“What horrible timing.” Jilk couldn’t respond to the attacks with Leon in his hands, and he was exposing his back to the enemy to protect his passenger. Laimer’s injuries had obviously weakened him, but his continuous attacks were more than Jilk’s Armor could withstand.
“You’re wide open!” Laimer just kept going.
“Guh!” Jilk grunted.
The constant explosions were pushing his Armor to the brink. He twisted his head to look behind him. It would’ve been so much easier if he could fight Laimer normally, but as long as he had Leon with him, he couldn’t. If he abandoned Leon, he could save his own life, but that wasn’t an option.
“Just a bit farther…just a bit,” he told himself as he spotted a nearby ally ship. He had to get Leon to them if it was the last thing he did.
Laimer sped toward them as if intending to body-slam Jilk. The moment his hands reached Jilk’s back, an even more violent explosion rocked them both. It was dangerous even for Laimer at this point.
“I’ll kill you two, even if it kills me!”
Jilk hunched over to protect Leon. He was too vulnerable in this position, but he had no other choice, even if he couldn’t do anything to defend himself. “Leon, I’m getting you to Miss Marie, no matter what!”
“Eat this!”
Another explosion occurred, swallowing them both this time.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Mia! Please open your eyes! My life has no meaning without you in it. All that matters to me is your survival!”
Mia’s eyes cracked open at the familiar sound of her name. Finn was holding her and sobbing. She smiled right away. “I finally get to see you again, Sir Knight. This time, we won’t be separated. We may have died, but we’ll be together forever now.”
Since Finn was already dead, she was certain they could only reunite like this if she had perished too. Or perhaps this was a dream, one from which she hoped she’d never wake.
“Oh, Sir Knight,” she continued. “I don’t care if I’m dead, or if this is a dream. All that matters is that I get to see you again.”
Finn snatched her hand into his and squeezed it. A fresh wave of tears carved trails down his cheeks. “Don’t be silly. You haven’t died, and this isn’t a dream. I’m right here, because Kurosuke saved me at the end.”
Mia gaped at him. “What?”
With Finn’s help, she sat upright. They weren’t inside Arcadia’s fortress, but instead aboard one of the empire’s ships.
“Bravey?” she called urgently.
There was no response. As she became more alert, she remembered the moment Brave fell in battle.
“He’s…he’s gone.” Mia sobbed.
Finn wrapped her in his gentle embrace. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”
“Sir Knight,” she cried back, squeezing him to her. They cried together.
✦ ✦ ✦
The rhythmic rush of ocean waves filled Marie’s ears. When her eyes fluttered open, she found herself lying on an inflatable raft. Someone had pulled a blanket over her.
“I’m…alive?” she croaked in disbelief.
The setting sun’s light outlined Julius, Brad, Greg, and Chris, all on the verge of tears as they stared at her.
“You’re all here?”
Julius helped her sit up. “Why would you do something so dangerous?!” he snapped at her.
“Julius?” she muttered numbly.
He yanked her to his chest, wrapping his arms tight around her. “Thank goodness. Honestly, what a relief. We couldn’t go on if anything happened to you.”
“He’s right,” Brad sobbed. “We’d be lost without you!”
Greg sniffled. “You should depend on us more, Marie! You’re just like Leon, trying to do everything on your own when the going gets tough.”
“It’s such a relief to see you and everyone else again. Truly.” Chris removed his glasses, covering his eyes with a hand.
They were all crying. Marie was gobsmacked.
Julius looked completely beaten up, but not so badly that she’d doubt his success in battle. Brad looked significantly worse, his pilot suit tattered.
“Brad, what’s with your outfit?” Marie demanded.
“This? Oh, just a little magic trick of mine to evade the enemy’s attack. Sadly, it left my suit with more holes than a block of cheese.”
“Uh, yeah.” His explanation made no sense to Marie. The remaining two had bigger outfit issues than Brad, though. Her gaze moved to them.
Greg was completely naked save for a speedo.
“Greg, why is that all you’re wearing?” asked Marie.
“Oh, you mean this? When my Armor self-destructed, it burned my suit too. Gave me a nice tan in the process.” He flexed, trying to show off his bronzed skin tone.
Marie wrinkled her nose. “W-well, I’m impressed you survived self-destructing. Almost makes me doubt you’re human that you came out intact.”
“Aw, you’re flatterin’ me.” It hadn’t been meant as a compliment, but he blushed all the same.
Marie’s eyes moved to Chris. He’d been reduced to a loincloth and didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his exposed state. “And you, Chris? What’s with your getup?”
“This? I was wearing it under my suit to begin with. The fabric’s thin, so I was worried it might not be durable, but it saved my life.”
“It saved your life?” Marie echoed skeptically.
Chris held up a sharp fragment of something. “This plunged into my side. If not for the protection of my loincloth, it would’ve killed me.” Pleased, he stroked his underwear.
Marie didn’t understand that either, but the important part was that they’d all survived their near-death experiences. That, she told herself, was more than enough—at least until a realization sank in. “W-wait a minute. What about Big Bro? And Jilk? And everyone else?!”
Julius tried to respond but was interrupted by a battleship drifting along the waves toward them. Marie recognized the approaching ship as the Bartforts’ at once.
Nicks waved at them from the deck. “Glad to see you all safe!”
The Sacred Tree Sapling sat on the deck as well. Jilk’s Armor was there too, though it was severely damaged. Marie tried to hop to her feet, but Julius lifted her up before she could.
“Jilk’s safe,” he told her. “The people who escaped are still alive as well. But Leon…”
Her blood ran cold. “What about him?”