Al gave up on defense and thrust his right arm forward. In order to deflect Kanon’s strike, he aimed a spell at his armor.
“Come forth, Demon Flames!”
He had hoped that the spell would bounce off Kanon’s armor and alter his strike’s trajectory, but his plan failed, because...
Fwoosh! Crackkk!
Instead of being repelled, the spell instantly destroyed his armor.
“AAAAH... AAAAAH! MY ARMOR!” Kanon screamed, unable to move due to the shock.
Al finally had the perfect opportunity to put an end to the mayhem, but he was frozen in place as well. Al had never seen Kanon without armor before. He had an awfully slender waist for a man, not to mention his curved bottom and beautiful, spotless skin. His chest had two bumps that looked less like pecs and more like small fruits, as well...
“Wait... You’re not a man, you’re a Di—”
“URAHHHHHH!”
Unfortunately, Al didn’t have the time to confirm his suspicions. Armored or not, Kanon continued furiously charging at him.
While Al was standing dumbfounded, Kanon launched her attack. He knew he couldn’t dodge in time, so he prepared himself to take the attack aimed right at his head. A moment later...
“Inquisitor Kanon!”
There was a voice, faint yet somehow clearly audible over the din of battle.
“RAHHH!” Kanon roared, freezing up upon hearing the call.
“Toshi...saka?” she mumbled, her lips shaking.
“Uraaaaaaah!”
The next moment, Al’s scythe mercilessly struck the defenseless girl.
Shatter!
Al scythe sank into her chest and destroyed the ominous crystal nested deep within her.
She collapsed with a tiny whisper. “Aaaah... Toshi...saka...”
It was over.
Looking at the motionless girl, Al was overrun by exhaustion and dropped to his knees.
“Are those voices?”
His question received an answer a moment later.
“Inquisitor! We’re fine!”
“It was the Empire! They attacked us with some strange creatures, but Althos has nothing to do with it!”
“This war is meaningless! Drop your weapons!”
Eshantel’s citizens had flooded the battlefield, shouting at their troops.
“It’s the... citizens?”
It didn’t sit right with Al. He could’ve sworn it had been Toshisaka...
“Well, whatever. That doesn’t really matter.”
But he was too tired to worry about it.
Thud.
“Wh-What’s this...”
Unable to hold himself up any longer, Al fell to the ground. All of his stamina was gone, to the point where he couldn’t move so much as a finger.
“Are you okay?!”
“Is this Heavenly Surge...?”
Al gave up on fighting the exhaustion and just blankly stared at the open sky above him.
“The same happened with us, but... Feena, how are you still okay?”
“Maybe the spell is still active and Al simply ran out of strength...”
Al couldn’t even open his mouth to voice his own opinion.
“Anyway, we have to take him to Miss Cecilia!”
“Yeah. With Kanon defeated, the war is—”
Just as they went to help Al up, a roar swept through the battlefield.
“Aaaaah!”
“The Empire! The Empire’s coming!”
A tense shout from a nearby soldier confirmed the situation.
“Why now...?”
“Th-They were probably waiting until... both armies were exhausted...” Al managed to force out, still unable to move.
“Sharon, I know you’re tired, but... please take Kanon to Jamka and... tell him to retreat while covering Eshantel’s troops.”
Al was giving his all to overcome his exhaustion.
“Why do you say that?! You’re in much worse shape than me, so why are you still trying to save us?!”
Kanon seemed to have woken up, and she didn’t like what she’d heard. Since Al was unable to move, all he could do was shout toward the sky.
“Shut up! It’s just how I do things! Sharon, Feena, seeing as thick skulls are apparently common in Eshantel, you are authorized to use any and all methods you deem necessary to make them retreat!”
They both looked at Al, and...
“I sort of understand what you’re saying, but... No.”
“I agree. I— No, we are Divas!”
“Huh? What the hell are you—”
As they looked at Al with their heads tilted...
“We won’t be running away from some Imperial dogs.”
“We’ll make them run from us!”
They looked at each other and laughed.
“Finally, something we can agree on!”
“Don’t worry... It won’t happen again.”
“So, we’ll take our leave and wreak some havoc! Oh, and I’ll be sure to pop into the tent to inform Cecilia!”
“You two wait here, understood?”
“Hey now...”
With his last ounce of strength, Al lifted his head to watch the two girls leave.
“Wahahaha! All troops, advance! Slaughter everyone in sight!”
The Empire’s commander, Bouda, was ecstatic; the time he’d been waiting for had finally arrived.
Their plan, once Althos and Eshantel had expended their resources, was to march in with their crushing forty-five hundred soldiers. It was a simple plan that anyone could execute. And even Inquisitor Kanon, Eshantel’s ace in the hole, was unconscious. Bouda had assumed that the Divas were extremely fatigued after their battle with Kanon, so he ordered the attack without checking the battlefield.
“I get to slaughter the remnants of Eshantel, occupy Althos, and capture multiple Divas! This is my ticket to becoming a lieutenant!”
He was assigned this task from the get-go, but he had been doubtful about its success.
“Mwahaha! The gods have truly blessed us!”
Bouda happily rode his horse through the mud and dirt while following his troops, an action unbefitting of a commanding officer. Unfortunately for him, those happy dreams were rather short-lived.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Two people stood before the entire Imperial army.
“Messengers sent to deliver their surrender? Hah, who cares? Trample them!”
Upon receiving Bouda’s ignorant order, his troops rushed toward the supposed messengers. He looked around to admire the bloodshed and scattered remains of the fools who dared to stand before the mighty Empire...
“Haaaaaa!”
A violent yet dignified scream cut through the battlefield.
Wham!
The ground beneath them shook, causing Bouda to reflexively close his eyes.
“Wh-What the hell?!”
He opened his eyes to a violent scene. His troops were getting cut down by a red-haired girl, expertly juggling a longsword...
“Flame Beast! Thunder Beast! Water Beast! And lastly, Ice Beast! Destroy them!”
Elemental beasts rampaged through his troops, setting some on fire and freezing others. Behind them, a blue-haired girl unleashed one spell after another with a seemingly endless supply of mana. His troops, along with his dreams of promotion, were being annihilated by the two.
“Hey, Feena! Leave some for me too!” Sharon said, cutting down one enemy after another.
“But it’s my time to shine!”
Feena was simply having her own share of fun.
“Hey now!”
They began to quarrel, pulling the unlucky Imperial soldiers in with them.
“Who the hell are those two?” Bouda whispered.
Little did he know that he’d just witnessed the beginning of the end.
“Why are you helping me—us?”
A few minutes after the two Divas left, Kanon finally managed to get up from the ground. She walked over to the motionless Al and sat next to him.
“Hey, I hope you’re planning to drop the whole ‘punching and headbutting’ thing for today!” Al said jokingly.
“Hahaha, don’t worry. I accept my defeat... But now, I’d be happy to hear an answer,” she replied with a smile.
Seeing her pure, adorable smile for the first time, Al’s heart skipped a beat.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not doing this for you! I, umm... My dream is to create a country where everyone can smile!”
In that brief moment of bliss, Al shared his dream.
“Hmm... Your dream, huh...?”
Kanon gazed at him in wonder. Seeing her without armor confirmed that she was without a doubt a Diva. Her pure beauty rivaled that of the others: she had smooth, spotless skin; purple eyes that were honest, calming, and beautiful; and silky, long, light-purple hair that she’d somehow kept tucked away in her helmet.
“Hmm, interesting... Do you think something like that is even possible?” she asked with a tilt of her head.
It was an honest question from someone who had lost their entire country, but for Al, it was as if she were denying his very being.
“Who cares if it’s possible or not?! I’ll make it possible, and I’ll mow down anyone who dares to oppose me, even you!” Al exclaimed while still completely paralyzed.
By the time he realized his grave mistake, it was already too late;. Kanon had been visibly shaken by his wild declaration.
“Eep! He not only defeated me in a fair duel, but his sheer willpower is...! Nhhh!”
Huh? Did she just “Nhhh”?
It was a whisper, quiet as an evening breeze, but Al had heard it loud and clear. Not only that, but he was subjected to what felt like a lascivious leer as Kanon’s breasts shook, asserting their dominance before his eyes. Unable to move, Al was in quite the pinch.
“What’s the problem, Kanon?! Are you okay?”
Al was concerned because of her sudden change of demeanor.
“I myself have a dream. A wish, if you will.”
Even her manner of speech had changed considerably.
“Which would be...?”
Kanon continued talking without paying much heed to Al. Strangely, her cheeks were getting flushed, which set off warning signals all through his mind. Rightly so, as...
Smoosh.
Without any means of escape, Al had no choice but to endure Kanon’s chest pressing against his own as she leaned on him.
“H-Hey, what are you doing?!”
It seemed like Kanon’s personality had done a complete one-eighty, as she was looking at him with steamy eyes.
“I’ve made my choice. I’m going to marry you!”
Where did this come from?! What led to this decision?!