Volume 6 Chapter 84-2 After the Rain, the Ground Hardens
"You should know better, Liv. I've opened a hole in Julius's belly."
Livia's shoulder twitched at the words.
"It's really Julius's job, but... he seems busy, so I'll take care of it and rough you up real good."
With his sword still on his shoulder, Luke laughed, "Just like Julius would pull the trigger," and Livia joined in with a "Ha, haha."
If it were up to Luke, they'd end it here, but still, he presses the sword.
To erase the guilt Livia feels towards Julius.
Despite his rough tone, Luke's kindness made Livia wipe her eyes and grip her sword again.
"You good? You're super strong now, right?"
"Cut it out. It's about time you learned the vastness of the ocean."
Luke snickered, and Livia showed a smile, saying, "Got it."
"Lucas is a good guy, isn't he?"
"Didn't you know? I'm the best guy in the world."
Luke snickered again, and Livia, with her usual playful grin, said, "Then you're second-best after Julius."
There's no need to tie things up with Luke, no need to risk my life.
But for Livia, for a friend, he's ready to fight.
To Luke's kindness, Livia whispered a small "Thank you."
"It was fun, but you really need to apologize to Julius too."
Livia raises her sword, ready to strike.
"In the next bed over?"
Luke embraces his sword as if he's about to perform an iai strike.
Just by their stances, they know what's about to go down.
Words aren't needed; as their smiles turn fierce, they glare at each other.
The heavy rain has weakened its downpour without notice.
But the rain still drizzles, taking away the noise between them──
A glare that could last an eternity or a moment.
The overcast sky flickers as if in its last fit──
They move at the same time.
The distance between them vanishes in an instant.
Livia steps forward first.
A swift thrust from the mist.
A strike like lightning hits Luke's philtrum†.
*Between the nose and upper lip.
With that strike, Luke dives deep.
Livia's blade slices through a few strands of hair that were trailing behind him.
But even for Luke, this distance is too close.
He can't swing his sword sideways at this range; the damage won't land.
Livia's thoughts froze for just a moment as she stepped into that distance.
That's what decided the outcome.
Luke didn't swing his sword. He thrust it straight forward.
The hilt of the sword sank into Livia's abdomen.
"G-ghh──"
Livia let out a strained cough, blood spilling from her mouth, while at the same time, Luke's cheek split slightly.
Livia, collapsing to her knees, gave a smile as she fell forward, laughing softly. "Ha, haha..."
"Too deep... The bottom of the well... is..."
"The ocean was... bigger than I thought..."
"I see... well, that's good..."
Livia, still smiling, lost consciousness and closed her eyes, just as a clearing appeared in the distant sea and sunlight began to shine through.
"By a hair's breadth... The ocean... was even bigger than I imagined."
Luke glanced at Livia, and in the corner of his eye, he saw Julius, raising his hand with Fried's support.
The rain had stopped without anyone noticing.
* * *
Meanwhile, on the beach... the deadly battle between Abel and Chrome had reached its conclusion.
"Hah. Never thought I'd have to take off my cloak..."
Abel, covered in sand and mud, looked down at his soiled cloak and shifted his gaze to Chrome, who had fallen.
With the battle fully decided, the remaining Imperial soldiers threw down their weapons, one by one, showing their surrender.
Even the naval battle was already over; the Imperial forces, having lost their flagship, were scattering in retreat.
In other words, they had repelled the threat from the west with just this force.
The knights and soldiers of Hartfield and Gardner cheered, hugging each other in celebration of this historic achievement.
Amidst the rising cheers, Conrad, along with his assistant Robert, hurried over to Abel and the Victor Knight Brigade.
"I am Conrad, the deputy leader of the Hartfield Knights. On behalf of our master, Alfred von Hartfield, I thank you for your assistance."
Conrad bowed his head, and Abel and Galhart exchanged glances, smiling as they shook their heads, signaling that it was no big deal.
"It was way too boring over there."
"That's how it is."
Galhart's hearty "Gahaha" laugh brought smiles to Conrad and Robert's faces.
"By the way, I've been curious..."
Robert's question was about how Victor got stronger after his cloak got cut.
After all, Abel had dominated Chrome after shedding his own cloak during their fight.
"Oh, this?"
Abel picked up the mud-covered cloak and, with a cheeky grin, held it up like a "Victor Training Cloak."
""Victor spawn?""
Abel proudly explained to the tilting heads of Robert and Conrad that this cloak had Liz's suppression and weight runes applied to it.
Once he finished, he flashed a "pretty cool, huh?" look.
"Huh? What's that... scary..."
Robert's words, which he blurted out with a start, said it all.
"Both Mr. Conrad and Mr. Robert, you'll understand if you try it on. This awesomeness..."
As Abel pushed the cloak towards them, Robert backed away with a blue face, "Uhm, I'll pass for now."
"Sorry, gotta deal with the aftermath."
And with that, he turned and ran full speed away.
His surprising agility on the treacherous, muddy beach even shocked the Victor Knights.
"What about Mr. Conrad?"
When Abel offered the cloak to him, Conrad took a step back, "Um, I'm good for now, I guess."
"Well, there's still clean-up to do."
Conrad's voice rose as he said, "True enough," and Abel nodded.
"Can I help out too?"
Galhart flexed his muscles and Conrad asked if Victor was okay.
After all, they had sent nearly half of their already small, elite Knight Brigade──only about 50 in total──to this place.
Even though Victor wasn't the main battlefield, the scale was concerning.
"Ah, about Victor..."
"No problems."
The two nodded in agreement, and Conrad then asked for their help with the beach clean-up.
From dealing with the impaled battleship to handling unexploded pitfalls, they could always use more hands.
Still, compared to war, this is nothing.
Everyone had bright faces, starting to move to capture the prisoners and seize the massive battleships.
The sun, visible through the clouds, had already passed its peak.
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