“Don’t overextend! Focus on defense!” Jamka’s order boomed across the battlefield.
Only two, maybe three enemy soldiers could get close to any member of Althos’s phalanx at once. Blinded by the elusive reward, they kept up the continuous pressure, but their stamina was finite. Slowly but surely, the Freiyan war machine started to lose steam, but the exhausted soldiers at the front refused to give up their spots to incoming reinforcements in pursuit of the reward. This resulted in the phalanx being surrounded by a group of dead-tired soldiers who could do nothing but poke at them every once in a while, while the able, fresh reinforcements endlessly piled up behind them.
“I’ll double the bounty of the first unit to tear down Althos’s defenses!” Al used this chance to spread fake information using his trusty wind spell, further damaging the Freiyan army’s spirit.
Watching from the headquarters, Sharon noticed a fatal flaw in Al’s plan. The Freiyan army may have been in complete disarray, but that didn’t rob them of their numerical advantage. Althos’s soldiers were humans too; the Divas’ smiles may have kept their spirits up for a while, and they may have been supported by Feena’s relentless barrage of spells and Cecilia’s healing abilities, but their stamina was limited. It was only a matter of time before they would be overwhelmed and swallowed up. But then...
“Rahhh!”
...a new unit charged through the middle of the split battlefield, led by a man wielding a huge scythe and a girl wielding a long blade. Sharon stared at them in awe.
“Al. Kanon.”
Hearing Sharon’s relieved whisper, Ranbolg furrowed his brow.
“Focus! Increase pressure on the sides! Vanguard, prioritize defense! Stop their cavalry at all costs!” Gatou’s orders carried across the field.
“The first and second lines of defense have been breached!”
Looking back at the battlefield, Ranbolg realized that the third line of defense had been breached as well. Furthermore, he could see Al rushing toward them with his own eyes.
“Move it! Get out of my way!” Al swung his scythe, carving a path for himself on the battlefield.
“Ahhhhhhh!” Kanon rode next to Al, slashing through the incoming spears. “Ahaha! I’m not letting you lay a finger on Al until we reach our goal!”
“Kanon watch ou—!”
Al noticed a couple of Freiyan soldiers behind Kanon. He didn’t have the time to get his scythe in position to fend off the incoming blades.
“Sorry, Kanon!”
“Kyah!”
He grabbed her shoulder with his free hand and pulled her away from the danger.
“Leave him alone, you bastards!”
A katana suddenly swung in from the side, breaking all the swords aimed at Al and Kanon. By the time Al turned around to check what had happened, the pursuing Freiyan soldiers were lying on the ground, unconscious.
“For crying out loud, Kanemitsu. Thanks for the help, but keep in mind that I’m a princess!” Kanon explained while sitting in Al’s arms, fending off the incoming attacks.
“Ahn, Al! You’re so rough!♡”
He knew exactly what the change in her tone meant.
“Kanon, we don’t have time for that now! Please...”
“I know, I know!”
Do you really, though?
She looked straight into his worried eyes and roared as she dispatched a couple of enemy soldiers with a single swing, then grinned.
“I told you, didn’t I? As much as I’d love to flirt, we have to get through here somehow!”
Kanon kept swinging her sword from the comfort of Al’s arms.
“I really appreciate your hard work, Kanon, but could you get back on your own horse soon?”
“Noooo! I like it here! I can’t—”
“Ice Pellet. A big one.”
Thunk!
She was interrupted by a lump of ice hitting her on the head.
“Quit your bickering and hurry up!”
“Ugh! Feena, you meanie!”
Kanon collapsed in Al’s arms.
“This is bad!” He shook Kanon by the shoulder, to which she put her hand on his and squeezed it tightly.
“I’m fine, just a bit dizzy. Things are heating up back there, so it’s time to say goodbye!” She slipped out of Al’s arms, sending a wink his way before hopping back on her own horse. “Beware, you fools! My love tanks are full! May the gods have mercy on any poor soul who gets in my way now!”
Al didn’t even bother asking what ‘love tanks’ were; he simply watched in awe as Kanon wreaked havoc amongst the enemy troops.
“Hiyah! Yah! Yah! Yah! Yah!”
The enemies were falling at an alarming rate.
“Go! Follow her lead!”
The warriors spread across the open road behind Kanon.
“Whew! Well, that’s the fabled Eshantel warriors for you, I suppose. But I can’t laze around back here either!” He was just about to follow the trail Kanon had blazed, but two warriors rode in front of him and blocked his path.
“Hey, you’re in the way! Move!” Al shouted, but all he got in response were cheeky smiles.
“With all due respect, Your Majesty, a battle is waiting ahead of you. I believe that you should save as much stamina as possible. Getting you there safely is our battle to fight, and we won’t let anyone steal our glory!”
Their argument was, effectively, “Everyone should stick to their own job”.
“Guess I’ll listen to them and take a small breather,” he wished, but wishes are rarely granted on the battlefield.
“Hold fast! Hold until the very end! Your comrades who got knocked out are now coming at them from behind! Once we get them inside the pincer, Althos is done for!”
Freiya’s last line of defense was their heavy infantry with magically boosted defenses. They’d managed to slow down Althos’s advance considerably, to the point where they’d come to a standstill.
“Ahaha, that’s all she wrote, huh?”
Kanon looked at Al and shrugged. Inviting his help, the warriors finally let Al through.
“Good luck, Al!”
“Huh?”
As he rode up next to Kanon, she wrapped one arm around his waist and effortlessly lifted him up.
“Feena told me something really interesting. Apparently, you can cancel a Diva’s powers.”
Al had a really bad feeling about this.
“Kanon. Can we talk about this another time and focus on their heavy infaAAAAAH!”
“Of course! Now, gooooo!” She threw him high into the air, and...
I’m flying.
...swung her twinkling blade right at him with all her might.
Clanggg!
“Aaaaaah! Dammit, Kanon! I’ll remember thiiiiis!” Al just had enough time to leave some parting threats before he flew across the sky toward the enemy’s headquarters.
“Don’t worry. You can curse me out all you want after you bring Sharon back,” Kanon said with flushed cheeks as she watched the king shoot off into the distance.
“Haah, haah. I’m here. Let’s finish this!” Al had arrived safely—albeit in a less-than-graceful manner—sliding on his butt for a couple of yards before coming to a halt. Pain radiated through his lower half, but he couldn’t let that stop him. Not when Feena, Kanon, and his entire army were fighting with their lives on the line just outside.
Hold tight. I won’t take long, I promise.
Eager to put an end to this battle, he fixed his stance and drew his scythe.
“Pfwahahahaha! Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent! I expected sheer strength to crush any plans you had, but I didn’t think you’d make it all the way here like a reckless madman!” Ranbolg seemed to be enjoying himself. “Notify all troops! Cease all military activities at once! We’ll show our appreciation for King Alnoa’s arrival and settle this battle with a duel!”
Ranbolg gracefully drew his sword from atop his horse. This was to be a grand battle between the Demon King and the Prince, a story often depicted in fairy tales. Seeing how beat up Al was, Ranbolg must’ve been certain of his victory. Unfortunately for him, he got one crucial detail completely wrong.
“Hey, I’m not fighting you! I came here to fight the Diva!”
“...Huh?” Ranbolg stared at Al, his mouth left wide open.
Not gonna lie, I’m glad I got to see that, but I have more important things to do. Al ignored Ranbolg, and looked at his opponent.
“Come, Sharon. Let’s settle this once and for all.”
Sharon wore the same dumb expression as Ranbolg.
“Right. Let’s put an end to this quarrel with a duel.” After confirming that Al was fine, she answered with a gaudy smile.
“All right. I will approve of your duel, but remember: if our Diva wins, Althos will have to surrender,” Ranbolg declared pompously.
Good, everything’s going according to plan.
Al was happy to hear that, as getting to this point of the battle had been a grueling experience. They’d had to face an army of eight thousand without relying on any carefully crafted plans or anything, but luckily, everything had worked out the way they wanted. The only question that remained was how much time he could buy.
“Someone grab me my sword!” Sharon was visibly stoked for their throw down.
“G’luck, Sharon!”
Someone grabbed her sword and stuck it into the ground right in front of her.
“Thanks, Airi.” She removed her sword without even looking at her. “Jeez, I didn’t expect a challenge from a weakling like you. That’s fine, though. Let’s set the rules! I’ll have you admit defeat without killing you, and if you land a single hit on me, victory is yours! Plus, I’ll even apologize for the cake.”
Al didn’t hear the last part of Sharon’s sentence; he only looked at her and smiled wryly.
“I see you aren’t making this easy on me.” The rules may have sounded favorable for Al, but he’d never even managed to touch her during their practices. “But all right. Let’s begin!”
“Show me what you’ve got!”
“Same to you. Don’t you dare hold back; show me what a Diva is capable of!”
“I’ll make you wish you’d never said that!”