Step, step—
The city was engulfed in strife. Man-eating Flowers rampaged through the streets, and the area crawled with Amazones launching an assault on the Loki Familia.
Drag— drag—
"Ugh... nngh..."
Through the chaos, a man approached, dragging someone behind him.
"That's...!"
"Argana...?"
"She's been turned into a complete bloody mess...."
Argana, the undisputed strongest among them, was being hauled along by Akumo, her entire body a canvas of lacerations and bruises.
Heaving his arm, Akumo tossed her forward.
"Argana!"
Thud—!
"....This can't be happening!"
"She lost without even landing a single scratch on him...?"
The Amazones stood frozen in shock. The concept of 'Defeat'—utter and absolute—loomed over them. But then, a raspy, defiant voice shattered their stupor.
"Khu....!! What are you lot so scared of...!!"
"Argana! Your wounds..."
"What does this matter...? How is this any different from the blood-soaked trials we've endured until now?!"
".....!!"
"You are warriors... So fight!!! Do you intend to insult the warrior standing before you with your cowardice!"
Argana's roar jolted the gathered Amazones. In that moment, they saw him.
"I do not refuse a challenge that is brought to me."
Step, step—
"....If you aren't going to fight, would you mind surrendering quietly?"
The Amazones tightened their grips on their weapons. They saw the man drenched in their sister's blood, and they saw a gaze that did not deny the validity of their violent lives.
One by one, they leveled their weapons.
"Yes...!! Kehehek...."
"I don't care what you use...!! Anything goes!!!"
"Whether it's steel, magic, or curses!!"
"Show this man everything we are, you wenches!!!!!!!!"
Whoosh—!!!
With Argana's final scream as the signal, every Amazone in the vicinity charged at Akumo.
"Indeed. This is what a battle should be."
CRACK—!!!!!!!!!
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
For the first time in an age, Akumo let his mind wander back to the past.
Memories of fighting beings far stronger than himself, fighting for the sake of survival, and finally, the era where he pioneered his own path through the world.
**
At that same time, Tiona was sprinting while carrying Bache.
"Bache....!!"
"Yeah, it seems everyone is gathering toward a single point...!!"
In their duel, Tiona had successfully proven the sincerity of her 'smile' to Bache. In return, Bache had smiled truly for the first time, finally casting off the suffocating terror of death that had haunted her every day in Telskyura.
'When I was with you.... I could actually smile.'
"You've grown so much, haven't you? Tiona."
"Yeah! So for now, let's get you some treatment!"
Carrying Bache—the woman who had been like a mother to her—Tiona bolted through the streets.
THWACK—!!!!!!!!!!!
"The sound of combat!"
BAM—!!!!!!!!
'Multiple people are fighting at once...'
K-BOOM—!!!!!!!
'Is it a free-for-all? Then I should help—'
"Oh? Tiona! You're safe?"
"Akumo!?"
What greeted Tiona and Bache's eyes was the sight of Akumo engaged in a brutal melee against dozens of Amazones.
CRUNCH—!!!!
SMASH—!!!!!!!
CLANG—!!!!!!!
They attacked with everything in their arsenal—axes, swords, spears, fists, and magic. They threw every ounce of their being at him.
"Kikik..!!"
"Argana...! Your state is..."
"He got me... That man beat me fairly."
"For you to be rendered so helpless..."
Seeing Argana in such a wretched state, Bache felt a flash of concern. But the realization that they were in the middle of a war zone quickly pulled her back to reality.
Twitch—!
"....Meanwhile, you look relatively fine?"
"That's...."
"As I thought. Did you make up with Tiona?"
"....!!"
"What, did you think I wouldn't know?"
"You... you knew?"
"Of course. How many years have I been watching over you?"
Argana had known it all—Bache's secret fear of combat, her special affection for Tiona, and even her distaste for this operation. Yet, she hadn't cared.
"Even so, I still love the fight...."
"Argana...."
"There are no complicated convictions or sermons. You just fight, and you win. That's all it needs to be, isn't it?"
"....."
"Deciding who is right and who is wrong... I've always hated that."
Bache found herself unable to offer a rebuttal.
Grin—
"Bache! You should try fighting that man too!"
"What...?"
Flashing a bright smile at Bache, Argana spoke of her impression of Akumo.
"That man... he does not deny anything."
"My violence! Your kindness! He rejects none of it!"
"No matter what we pour into our fists... he will accept it exactly as it is, won't he?"
"Heehee~ It's been so long since I've had a proper fight! It wasn't a slaughter, and it wasn't a formal duel, but it felt so damn good!"
Following her words, Bache looked at Akumo. Even with scores of warriors swarming him, he stood his ground and methodically brought them all down. Strangely, the warriors he defeated looked relieved; there wasn't a hint of resentment on their faces.
THUD—!!!!!!
"That makes the last one."
"Kh-ugh..!!"
"Whew."
He didn't show even a hint of fatigue despite taking down dozens of elite warriors. Despite weathering countless weapon strikes and blows, he remained unmoving. The same held true for his eyes.
'There is no contempt, no fear, and no denial....'
"You.... do you intend to kill those children...?"
Bache's voice reached Akumo's ears, strained with tension. She feared that he might be an entity devoid of emotion, but that worry was instantly shattered.
"No?"
".....Why not?"
"Uh... if you ask why... just because?"
'Didn't they say Telskyura rules dictate you die if you lose?'
Akumo pondered for a moment before answering with a smirk.
"I don't know your customs in detail, but in the end, those are your customs, right?"
"I see no reason for me to follow them."
"Since you lost, you simply have to follow the words of the victor."
"That is my custom."
Step, step—
"Did everyone wrap things up nicely?"
"Akumo. I was wondering why there were fewer enemies than expected...."
Drip, drip—
"It seems they all converged on you?"
Finn, who had finished securing the battlefield, spoke playfully as he looked at the blood-drenched Akumo.
"Ah, well... things just turned out that way?"
"And those two behind you....?"
"Tiona asked me to get them treated, so I brought them along."
'They suddenly charged me, so I had no choice but to fight, but.....'
"Ho... So it wasn't just a simple revenge match...."
Finn looked at Bache in Akumo's arms and realized the relationship between the twins and the Kali Familia was far more complex than a simple grudge.
"Any unusual reports?"
"Bete and Ais dealt with the Ishtar Familia."
"Hmm? Why did those bastards show up all of a sudden?"
"They were probably plotting something with Telskyura."
'Are they still aiming for the Freya Familia....'
Akumo shook his head in disbelief and headed toward the area where the wounded were being gathered.
"Riveria! How are the kids doing?"
"Our overall combat power was naturally higher, so there were no major issues."
"A predictable result, then."
"The enemy forces were far smaller than anticipated. There should have been at least a hundred more...."
Akumo flinched.
"Uh.... well, maybe the rest were back in their home country....?"
"....Be honest."
"I got annoyed and stormed in early.... I'm sorry, Ma'am..."
Riveria looked at Akumo and thought that some things never changed. He wasn't just a simple, good-natured man; and since Lefiya had been kidnapped this time, his patience had clearly evaporated.
"Still, thanks to that, the damage to the town—aside from the Man-eating Flowers—is quite minimal."
"That's a relief!"
"Let's focus on treating the members together. Including that woman, if possible."
And so, the night that had felt so long for so many finally drew to a close.
"According to the investigated intel, Njord-sama was the distributor after all, right?"
"Yes, it seems he intended to use the Man-eating Flowers to suppress other monsters."
"And in that process, Telskyura, the Ishtar Familia, and even Evilus were involved...."
'His heart was too kind, and that's what caused the trouble.....'
One day after the raid, Finn and Akumo were analyzing the full story of the Melen incident—why the plants were there and their connection to Evilus.
"....By the way."
Snuggle—
"When exactly are you two going to let go?"
""?""
'Stop giving me that look like you don't see the problem.....'
Seated on the sofa, Akumo had Argana and Bache stuck to either side of him like glue.
"Why♡?"
"Didn't you prepare yourself for this?"
Rewinding the clock to this morning:
An unexpected and colossal problem had struck the Loki Familia.
""""Waaaaah♡""""
Rumble—
"Wait...! Just a secooooond....!!!!"
The Amazones who had lost consciousness in the previous night's battle had woken up, and their racial traits had been fully triggered.
"Bete...!! Save me!!"
"I'm having a hard time too!"
Given the Amazones' nature of being attracted to powerful men, the Loki Familia members who had crushed them on the battlefield were the perfect targets for their sudden infatuation.
In particular, Bete—who had rampaged under the power of the full moon—and Akumo—who had soloed 70% of the Kali Familia's forces—were being chased by dozens of women.
"The wolf is so cool~♡"
"Get lost!!!"
"That man accepts everything about us♡"
"How the hell did you interpret it that way!!!!?"
Ultimately, after running and running, Akumo and Bete had taken refuge where Finn was.
"Wow... I am seriously dead meat...."
"As long as the parts down there are fine, I'm okay with that♡"
"I'll try my best to restrain my subordinates."
'At least Bache is normal....'
Squish—
'Cancel that.... Please move away a bit....'
Argana and Bache had also fallen for Akumo after fighting him with everything they had and being soundly defeated. Argana was smitten by his pure conviction regarding combat and his strength, while Bache was captivated by the kindness he showed his opponents and his personal philosophy.
"Isn't it only natural to fall for a strong male♡?"
"It's a shame we can't follow you back to Orario, though...."
"Should we just go anyway? We can move to Orario like Tione and Tiona did!"
"We are the captains. We have to take responsibility for the remaining members."
"Ehhh...."
"But thanks to Akumo breaking all of us down, Telskyura might actually start to change."
The two sisters chatted amicably with Akumo sandwiched between them. The scene was perfectly poised to invite misunderstanding.
"Wow.... That look really suits you."
"Step outside, Finn."
"Haha! I'm joking, just a joke!"
"Sigh....."
Whether they were oblivious to Akumo's distress or simply didn't care, Argana and Bache remained firmly attached to his side.
"Oh my♡ are you two going to fight? I'd love to see Akumo get serious!"
"....♡"
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