After waking up, Elaine found herself in a room surrounded by maids with animal ears.
"What happened?"
She touched her head; it hurt a lot, but she immediately remembered what had happened.
"That's right, I fell into their trap."
"You're awake. Can you change by yourself?"
One of the maids tossed a bag near her.
"You have five minutes, then we're coming in to take you."
"Take me where?"
The demi-human maids were looking at Elaine with disgust. She could clearly feel their hostility even though her hair covered her eyes.
Suddenly, she heard a noise. She looked out the window and saw the sailors from her family being attacked by enemy ships.
She could only cry helplessly. She had come to buy time, and it was all for nothing.
"What are you waiting for? Start getting dressed."
The maids left the room.
Elaine searched the small room for anything she could use to escape.
But there wasn't even a pin. Finally, she opted to check the paper bag and was horrified by its contents.
"Is this for real? Something like this is..."
She bit her tongue in frustration but could do nothing except obey.
The maids checked the time on a wall clock, and just as they were about to open the door, it opened from the inside.
Elaine was covered by a trench coat, her face red with shame.
"Let's go."
Said one of the maids while the others surrounded her to prevent any escape attempts, but the smirks on their faces indicated they knew about the bag's contents.
Elaine was led down a narrow hallway to a place that reeked of alcohol.
"In here, please. Enter and don't be disrespectful."
Elaine had no choice but to obey.
She opened the door, and a strong smell of alcohol flooded the room.
Inside, a group of beast-men were drinking, devouring food savagely, and watching beautiful demi-human women dance.
Among them lounged a burly, shirtless man. Nearly his entire body was covered in hair the color of navy blue, matching his short hair. A large scar crossed his face, and his intense green eyes focused on Elaine.
"Oh, so you've finally arrived."
The man stood up; he was over two meters tall, and his ears were those of a cat, as was his long tail that rested around his waist.
The man approached her with slow but heavy steps.
"You're the enemy commander? A pleasure to meet you. I am General Berkeley, the strongest man in the sacred kingdom."
"Hehe."
General Berkeley leered at Elaine.
"You have a beautiful face, like a doll's, for a mere human."
"You put it on, didn't you? Now take it off."
"…"
Shame and fear washed over Elaine's face.
The general's smile vanished after seeing her disobey.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered.
"I don't like repeating myself. If you don't take it off, we'll go after your comrades who are waiting. You're lucky I told His Excellency to leave you solely for my entertainment."
Hearing his threat, she couldn't disobey.
"Fine."
"Good. Do it now."
Blushing with shame, Elaine removed the trench coat covering her, and it fell to the floor.
The general let out a low whistle of amazement. The men who had been busy suddenly focused on her.
Their eyes were glued to Elaine, who was wearing a purple bikini with golden frills, similar to that of an oriental dancer.
The bikini was extremely erotic and tiny. Her buttocks were partially exposed, revealing the plumpness of her rear and her thighs. Her breasts were large, and because the top was so small, it made them seem enormous, covering only the bare minimum necessary to hide what lay beneath.
(This is so humiliating. I want to die.)
Elaine wanted to cry. She had never experienced such shame in her life, nor had she ever imagined something like this would happen to her.
"Good, very nice what I see. Now, dance."
"…"
Elaine only knew how to dance the waltz and other noble dances. She didn't know the local dance the women were performing, but it was obvious that's what the men wanted.
She started taking light steps to one side and then the other, then, with embarrassment, began to hop lightly, making her breasts bounce in the process.
"Ooh, ooh! They're bouncing!"
"Those tits are like a cow's! Are you sure you're not one?"
"Knew it was worth following the General."
"Are the women we capture like this? The women from this kingdom must surpass ours in sensuality."
The general enjoyed the show, taking a drink and then having a woman feed him.
"Right now, we're letting the rookies fight the small fry. We hid in the clouds the moment we detected them so as not to scare them off."
"As a general, I get to enjoy this until it's my turn. I'll only act when it's time to take the head of the one who destroyed the Supreme Kingdom."
"That's why I followed His Majesty. He promised me the world, to me, the strongest race of all."
"But the best part is what will happen after we conquer this kingdom."
His eyes fixed on Elaine's embarrassed face.
"That's the expression I look for in a woman from a conquered territory. One must always enjoy the victory, and that boils down to violating their women and planting our seed in them."
"When we take the kingdom, I'll violate this woman in front of her family. That will undoubtedly make the conquest taste sweeter."
Elaine watched the gaze of all the men. She felt revulsion, disgust, but more than anything, fear and anxiety.
(Ada-san, you were right that this wasn't something you'd want to experience. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you.)
(My desire all this time was stupid. If something like this is what happens on an adventure... then I'd rather stay home knitting sweaters forever.)
(Father, please help me. Or anyone, save me, please save us.)
A tear rolled down Elaine's cheek, and at that moment, as if her wish had been granted, an alarm sounded.
"What's that? Can't they handle a bunch of weaklings?"
Remarked the general, but the voice from the megaphone left him speechless.
"An enemy fleet is approaching within fifty meters!"
(Could it be the palace? But it's too fast for them to be here.)
Elaine wondered how the palace had arrived so quickly, but the name that was announced left everyone stunned.
"The flag there... it's the Bradford family!"
"I repeat! The Bradford family is approaching!"
"Bradford... the Demon King is coming here? Ahahaha!"
The general stood up and started laughing with excitement.
"Bastards! Our moment has arrived! Let's see who takes the Demon King's head!"
"Yes!"
Elaine was surprised to hear that name.
"The Bradford barony came to save us?"
"Huh? What was his name?"
Elaine tried to remember Lyle's name, but she was yanked by the chain attached to the collar around her neck.
"You're coming with me."
"Once I kill him, I'll need to relieve some stress."
"No! Let me go!"
Elaine tried to fight, but the general was stronger than her.
(Now that they've come to rescue us, it's time I fight to keep these barbarians from violating me.)
◇◇◇
In the command cabin of the flagship Farnsworth, the fleet commander sat in his chair, observing the enemy approaching rapidly.
He had blond hair and blue eyes, the appearance of a young boy, but his long ears gave him away as a hobbit over 50 years old.
"Hmph, according to the gathered intelligence, that fleet belongs to the Bradford family."
"The Bradford family, you say, General Algren?" exclaimed the Elven King.
The general responded as he read the information about them.
"They're an irrelevant family of peasants, but the important thing is that it's the Demon King's family."
"The Demon King of the kingdom?"
He smiled from cheek to cheek after a moment.
"This is wonderful. It saves us the trouble of looking for him."
"Give the order to General Berkeley. He should be more excited than anyone about this."
One of the sailors relayed the message, and everyone heard that the approaching enemy fleet was the Bradford family.
"Show me the power you used to destroy the Supreme Kingdom, Demon King."
◇◇◇
On the flagship Avrora, Walt was the fleet commander, clutching his stomach due to the constipation he felt.
"I need to go to the bathroom. It's terrifying to be the commander of a fleet, even more so when we're fighting an enemy country."
"Please hold on, my lord."
"I understand this is painful for your stomach, but you are the commander and must be giving orders."
The sailors encouraged Walt, but their cheers only made his stomach hurt more.
The combined fleet of the barony and the duchy consisted of 35 ships; not all of the Duke's ships could stop patrolling, as pirates could take advantage and invade the kingdom.
Even with help, their numbers were still low.
"Almost 40 ships against 100, and they're monsters with embedded cannons."
"I want to go home."
"But…"
Walt was scared, wanting to turn back, but they couldn't retreat after seeing that only 7 ships remained of the 10 that had arrived in the territory.
"We managed to communicate with some nobles; they said they would come, but we must buy time until they arrive. Although it would be better to rescue the hostages, flee, and then wait for the palace to send reinforcements."
"Uwooooh, my stomach is rumbling. I'm dying, I want to die in the bathroom."
Then, Bell spoke to him through the communicator.
"Don't worry, Master's dad. I won't let you die, because if you did, Master would disassemble me."
"Do not doubt the technology of an artificial intelligence."
"Besides, Master has been at worse disadvantages and come out winning. Surely that luck runs in the family."
Walt couldn't believe the family had that kind of luck, but he couldn't deny what she said about Rudel.
"If that were the case, our family would have escaped poverty without him."
The captain approached Walt quietly to ask him something.
"I'm sorry to ask this now, but I'm quite ignorant of the current situation."
"Exactly who is the enemy?"
Walt couldn't blame him; he didn't know the enemy himself until just a few minutes ago.
"They're from the Kingdom of the Demi-humans, a small but powerful country full of sub-races that hate humans. If they truly hate us, this war will get worse in the future for both countries, which have political relations."
Once again, Walt wanted to cry from the stomach pain.
Enemy armed units were emerging from the enormous whale and heading towards them.
"All hands to your stations! The war has begun!"
◇◇◇
In the hangar of a larger ship, Bell was with Rudel's brothers, showing them their armors.
"Take a good look, Onii-san number 1 and number 2. These armors are unfinished prototypes of Battler."
In front of them were two black armors, smaller and thinner than Battler.
"They are used for simulated battles and come with a prototype artificial intelligence that will assist you in combat."
"Enemy attack! Prepare to fight!"
A voice echoed through the hangar, indicating that the war had begun. All the knights began boarding their armors and leaving the area.
The ships were grouping into the formation suggested by Bell.
Bram got into his. He had some knowledge of how to use one but no experience. Therefore, the AI would compensate for that lack of experience.
"Lyle, are you ready? Lyle?"
Bram called his older brother, who was trembling on the ladder leading to the robot's cockpit.
"Lyle!"
Bram shouted at him, and he finally reacted.
"Are you okay?"
Lyle responded timidly.
"I am. I'm just not mentally prepared for this."
"Me neither."
Said Bram, while trying not to tremble with fear.
"I don't want to go, but we have to help Rudel. We promised, right?"
"Now is the time to prove how we protect our home and save those girls."
His younger brother's words gave him the strength to overcome his fear.
"You're the younger one, don't get smart with me."
"That's what you say, but you were about to wet yourself like when we were kids and you were scared of horses."
"That was only once!"
Bell watched them both argue, but she was analyzing their heart rates.
"Being scared is good; it ensures you understand you must protect your lives. Arguing calms you down so you don't panic."
"Master was like that in the past, Ixion told me, but now he's different. Experience gave him confidence and eliminated fear, making him the warrior he is today."
"Just for today, you will take his place. I don't like helping humans other than him, but a change of pace is always good."
Bell approached Lyle and placed herself on the control panel.
"I've decided to help Onii-san number 1. Number 2 is more prepared, and I fused his AI with this one here, so it's more effective."
"Why did you do that?"
Lyle asked, uneasy.
"Because I want to witness firsthand the miracle you'll perform. I heard from the girls that something like this happened with the Bloody Knight, so I want to recreate the scene with me now."
"You say some very strange things."
"But we will win, and I want to document it so everyone can see the moment the heir achieves a crushing victory, just like his younger brother."
Hearing that Lyle could generate the same level of victory as Rudel, Lyle smiled.
(With this, I could be respected by everyone and finally stop being seen as inferior to my younger brother.)
"Alright, let's do it."
Said Lyle with determination in his eyes.
"Ok, oops, I almost forgot."
Bell got up from the panel and left.
"But before that, I need to sort something out. Give me a moment."
Bell approached the section of the hangar where the boys were, looking at their respective armed units for each of them.
They were painted in their respective colors.
Bell approached them and, as if they were little children, said.
"Listen up, you bunch of fools. Just because I gave you these copies of Lumiel doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with them. I'll remove the paint later."
"We understand!"
They said like children before all boarding. Bell looked at them with disdain because she didn't trust them not to destroy them if they had the chance.
She returned to Lyle and said to both of them.
"I sent drones to find where the hostages were."
"I found two locations. The vast majority are on a ship that's slowly moving away, and then one person is aboard the whale-shaped ship."
"Does that mean one of the two is in those places?"
"Elaine-chan is surely on the flagship, given her higher rank."
"Understood, Bram."
"I know."
Both brothers looked intently at each other.
The war had already begun when the hangar doors opened; they could perfectly hear the sound of swords clashing against shields.
Shots from rifles and cannons coming from both directions.
Magical attacks flowing from all sides and the shouts of knights fighting for their lives.
Fear invaded both brothers again, but they were determined to save their respective girls.
Without looking back, they both took a step forward and jumped.
The rockets on the robots ignited, and each flew toward their destined direction.
It was at this moment that the Bradford family was officially born, to make a name for itself in the world.
◇◇◇
General Algren spotted a black armor in the distance.
"That color, it's different from the gathered intelligence, but there's no doubt about it. That's the armed unit called Battler."
"General Berkeley, I have good news for you…"
Said General Algren, but he stopped upon observing that there were now two black armors, not one.
"Impossible! Now there are two!"
The Elven King saw the situation and analyzed it quickly.
"It's incredible, truly, but it changes nothing."
"General Algren, I entrust everything to you. Sink the flagship of the Demon King of the kingdom."
"Your Excellency, where will you go?"
Findor stood up and headed for the door. Before leaving, he said.
"One of the two is a decoy, and seeing the direction the first one is going, it's obvious where the second is heading."
"If I can steal the opportunity from General Berkeley, it would be for the best. Only a king can kill another king, right?"
The door closed, and he himself would now go to fight.
◇◇◇
Bram was approaching the ship while avoiding the conflict.
Some knights were escorting him because the number of guards on the ship moving away was immense.
"Handling this thing is difficult."
He exclaimed while trying to use the controls similar to a console controller.
Then he heard a voice coming from behind.
An enormous red armor, shields on its shoulders, and two immense swords.
"Ah, there you are, Demon King."
"I, General Berkeley, will be the one to take your head."
The general was approaching rapidly. Bram looked and saw that the ship was so close.
He stopped to fight, but then a shot came from afar, not at him but at the general, who took the hit, but his armor was unharmed.
"Who dares to prevent me from claiming my victory!"
Five armors of different colors positioned themselves against him.
"Rudel's big brother. Keep going, leave this guy to us."
Bram saw that Liam's group was holding back the enemy.
He heard he was a general, so he was a powerful enemy.
But if they were holding him back, it meant they had the power to do so.
"I leave him to you!"
Bram and his escorts left to go fight the hostage ship.
Seeing him leave, General Berkeley was enraged.
"Damn you! Your lives won't suffice to satisfy my claim on his head!"
"How curious that you say that."
Said Liam, pointing his sword at him.
"We'll use you to practice our debut as Rudel's knights."
◇◇◇
Lyle was approaching the flagship.
"No one is attacking us."
He said. Bell responded likewise.
"That's right, despite noticing our presence, it's strange they aren't attacking."
"Onii-san, above you!"
Lyle heard Bell and quickly dodged to the side as a beam of light shot past him.
"You dodged it, huh? That attack was my instant death move. You have good reflexes."
They heard the voice of a man coming from the clouds.
The clouds dissipated, and there they saw an armed unit of a beautiful jade blue color with several floating mirrors and, moreover, it had six arms.
"My Oberon is the pinnacle of my homeland's technology. I want to test it against the armor of the Demon King who destroyed an entire country."
"Come, as kings, let us have a sacred duel to decide who deserves to rule this world."
Lyle laughed at him.
"Hahahaha, did you hear that? He said it's the best technology."
"That armor is no big deal. You have no idea of the potential of this armed unit, do you?"
Lyle was laughing as Rudel would, thinking it would give him an advantage, but Bell destroyed that notion instantly.
"Not a chance. He's not joking. His technology uses part of the old humanity; therefore, it's on the same level as me and might be stronger than this provisional Battler."
"It can't be!!!"
Said Lyle, crying.
"It's time to die, Demon King!"
Findor lunged to fight him.
◇◇◇
General Berkeley, aboard his armed unit Pandora, which had crushed hundreds of enemies in the past.
He was someone who couldn't go to the war to face Bandel and prove he was the strongest of humanity, as he claimed.
Therefore, he wanted the head of the Demon King of the kingdom, Rudel, to prove he was the strongest warrior of all.
He was interrupted by Liam and the others, and now, instead of having a battle to the death against them, he was being ignored while they conversed.
"We said we'd defeat him as Rudel's knights, but does anyone have an idea for our group's name? Going to fight in his name without an official name would be a very bad debut." (Liam)
"I say we call ourselves Rudel's Squad. It's short and easy to remember." (Clovis)
"It's not just about being easy to remember, Clovis. What's important is the name we'll be remembered by. If we're called Rudel's Squad, people would think we're low-ranking knights, and when we defeat this guy, people would think it's impossible we did it." (Fray)
"Oh, that's true! That would be really bad for our reputation. Anyone have a name idea?" (Chlust)
The five continued to ignore General Berkeley, who couldn't believe his eyes.
In the past, no one had ever turned their back on him, and now five humans were doing it.
He felt rage at being ignored, shame because some "fake humans" were belittling him.
He couldn't take it anymore and lunged at them.
"Don't underestimate me, you damn fake humans!"
He went straight for Liam, but the latter was protected by a shield deployed instantly.
"How rude. We're in the middle of something important. Can't you wait a bit?"
"Screw you! I won't waste any more time with you. I'll kill you and go kill the Demon King."
"Demon King? That's a very scary title. You want to kill your commander? You're a very treacherous subordinate, you know?"
"Don't mock me!"
General Berkeley attacked Liam's shield with his dual swords, but it didn't yield.
Then Chlust grabbed him and kicked him away.
"Your Highness, it's true what this guy says. We don't have time to waste thinking of a name; we need to decide who will finish him off."
"Because I don't think you want to share the glory of defeating him among the five, right?"
The other four nodded.
"It's rare for Chlust to be right. Therefore, to be fair and equitable, let's have a single round of rock-paper-scissors, no second chances, so it's fair. What do you think?" (Warren)
"It's excellent!"
Everyone agreed with Warren's plan. They then formed an attack formation and launched various magical attacks at him to blind him.
"A smoke cloud?"
After briefly blinding him, they gathered to quickly play the game.
"Remember everyone, no second chances. The loser will face him until there's a winner who will be the one to defeat him. Ready?" (Liam)
"Yes!" (All)
"Very well. Rock, paper, scis—"
(Sorry, guys, but I'll be the one to defeat him. That way I'll prove to Rudel I deserve to join his group of knights.)
They quickly played, and the general finally emerged from the smoke cloud. He saw that there were four of them, and one was coming towards him.
It was Liam, who was crying.
"Guh, how is it possible I was the first to lose? How did everyone think to throw paper against my rock?"
Liam stopped in front of the general and began attacking him with his swords.
"You're nothing special, brat."
"Shut up! I'm angry now!"
Liam used all his strength, causing the white armor to gain more magical power and began pushing the general toward the seabed.
"How is he so strong? His magical power is pouring out in flames from his back and pushing me down!"
"Damn you, don't mock me!"
He said, trying to break free from Liam, but he couldn't.
"Your Highnessaaaaaaaaaa!"
Fray screamed in tears upon seeing Liam lose first and now attack.
"Fray, don't stop, let's keep playing."
Upon hearing Warren, Fray returned to the game.
General Berkeley finally stopped the descent into the ocean and delivered a powerful kick to Liam, sending him flying.
"I've had enough of your clownery! You worthless scum won't defeat me!"
He propelled himself directly towards Liam, who was still tumbling, but before reaching him, he was hit by a magical bullet from a rifle above.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"Fray? You were the next to lose."
"You could say good luck turned to bad luck. But now I'll help you."
"Don't talk while I'm here!"
Blue veins bulged on the general's face as he headed to fight Fray. Liam propelled himself to protect him, and now the general was being attacked on two fronts.
"Wow, that battle is really intense."
Remarked Chlust, watching Liam and Fray fight the general.
"Chlust, don't get distracted. Only three of us are left. From now on, luck will decide the winner."
"I know."
Chlust wanted to fight the general, so he would use all his luck to be last.
"Alright, let's do it!"
But in the end, luck didn't smile on him.
"Damn it, I was so close."
He was also crying as he headed to support the boys.
Warren and Clovis were the only ones left. The battle against the general was intensifying when Chlust arrived, as the general began to manifest intense flames from his swords.
"Clovis, in the end, it's just you and me."
"That's right."
"Who would have thought the last to join this group would duel to be the first to sow our names as knights."
"E-exactly, I couldn't have said it better."
"No regrets?"
"No regrets."
After both smiled, they raised their hands and said in unison.
"Rock, paper, scis—"
Meanwhile, General Berkeley was furious.
"Fight me, you insignificant flies!"
He was giving it his all, but the boys were only doing minor damage to keep him away.
"I already told you, our goal is to keep you here until your executioner arrives."
Liam's words only angered him more.
"Shut your damn mouths, you cowardly good-for-nothings!"
"You're just weaklings who can't fight me and admit it!"
"I am the strongest of humanity, and I'll prove it by eliminating the Demon King!"
"Well, you'll have to wait sitting down because that day will never come."
Said a voice from above; it was Clovis coming to announce the winner.
"Guys, Warren won. It's time to back off for his deserved battle. He also said not to help him."
"Understood."
The boys dispersed, and Clovis said to General Berkeley before leaving.
"Sorry for the delay. Your executioner has finally been decided."
Behind him, Warren's armed unit was approaching.
The general was annoyed that they had wasted his time all this while.
"Tch, all that time wasted just to decide on a worm. Well, I'll indulge you by teaching you hell slowly."
Warren's armor stopped in front of the general.
"Sorry for the delay. Are you the enemy general?"
"Who do I have the pleasure? That's right, I am General Berkeley of the Sacred Kingdom. Who the hell are you?"
"Warren Von Gravel, son of a Marquis."
"You're going to die."
He said. Warren smiled and responded with words that angered the general.
"You remind me of a guy who barked a lot but ended up begging for mercy. The difference is that guy wasn't a stinky demi-human."
Warren wasn't someone who mocked others' physical appearance, but against an enemy who acted similarly to Derrick in personality, he wouldn't mind playing the villain.
The general was enraged that a "fake human" looked down on him.
"You're dead!"
He yelled and lunged at Warren, using his swords to generate pillars of flame that spread everywhere.
"I see that got to you, huh?"
"Sorry, but I know someone who makes better jokes based on someone's appearance. Surely that person could come up with better jokes. Can we wait for him if you want?"
"Damn fake human!"
The attacks changed; no longer his swords but cannons emerging from his shoulders fired lasers heading towards him.
"That's more like an attack."
Warren moved the controls while dodging them, but how was he so good at it?
As he dodged, he remembered months before returning home.
It wasn't called the Republic yet, and Erselica's mansion was intact.
"Huh? You want to get in Battler and practice?"
"Please!"
The five begged Rudel. Then Ixion, who was polishing it, said to them in a threatening tone.
"No way. If any of you idiots touched my baby, I should blow it to pieces myself before it gets contaminated by your dirty germs."
"It's fine, Ixion. They earned it after helping us with what happened with the tree and Sara."
Said Rudel while picking his nose.
"Master, I beg you not to joke about that. Do you know what would happen to Battler if these guys piloted it?"
"Do you know what would happen if we leave these guys alone? Bad things would happen, or they'd do it anyway."
"Besides, I'll get in and teach them how to operate it. Let's say it's my way of thanking them."
"I can't believe you're saying that!"
After that, he taught each of them how to operate Battler. They would never touch it again, but that moment made Warren understand how to handle the armor.
"It's exactly the same. It feels lighter, but it's the same."
"I remember it perfectly, as if it were yesterday."
"I can win. I can beat him without even drawing my sword."
Warren's confidence grew as he dodged the lasers.
"It's time to show my worth to Rudel. The time has come to prove to him that I'm not—that we are not a burden. That's why I'll defeat you in a single move."
Hearing his declaration, General Berkeley became agitated.
"In one attack? Keep joking, you damn idiot!"
"You are nobody to defeat me, the strongest of humanity!"
"Pff."
He heard a sound of laughter coming from all directions.
The five were laughing at him.
"The strongest of humanity, he says. Hahaha."
Chlust's mocking laugh agitated him so much that his head started to hurt.
"That's right, I am the strongest of humanity. You are nothing but weaklings to—"
"Stop spouting nonsense, you insolent charlatan!"
Warren shouted, just as he stopped several meters away from him.
"The strongest of humanity is the one who doesn't boast about it, the one who demonstrates it!"
"Rudel is the strongest man in the world, and he has proven it to us multiple times! You are nothing but ants on the path we must clear!"
"You aren't even worth him facing! I will be the one to clear the path so that he, the strongest of humanity, can walk over your ashes to the top of the world!"
"Remember this name in the afterlife!"
Warren flew directly at him at high speed.
"Damn brat!"
General Berkeley unleashed all of Pandora's power, firing rays, missiles, and fire from his swords at Warren, who cut through the sky, splitting the attacks in two with his rifle.
"Defeating you with my sword would be an insult to real warriors. I'll use this simple rifle to finish you!"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"
"You're just a weak and miserable fake human. You're not like us; you don't possess a great amount of magical power."
Warren was getting closer and closer.
"You don't have the intelligence to modify, build, or the physical strength like I do!"
He was getting ever closer. General Berkeley started sweating for the first time in his life.
No, he had felt this sensation before.
It was fear. In his own country, someone had made him feel fear.
But because he never crossed swords with him, he never felt it again until today.
"You, even though you are worms, look down on us. We will change that with a new world for us where you are our pets—"
"Old man, just shut up. You lost."
"Face it like a man, at least when you die."
Clovis told him from afar, watching the fight that was already won.
Warren was in front of him, aiming his rifle at the center.
"I am Warren, of the Order of the Black Knights!"
Warren pulled the trigger, and a great pillar of light emerged from the barrel, engulfing General Berkeley.
In his final moments, he could only think that he truly was a charlatan.
Warren watched as the enemy armor exploded in flames and fell into the ocean.
"I did it. I'm one step closer to being trustworthy to you."
After saying that, the boys rushed towards him.
"Uwoooh, Warren, that was incredible!" (Chlust)
"You're truly amazing." (Fray)
"That last part where you said your name was awesome. I'm dying of envy." (Clovis)
"Thank you."
Liam touched his shoulder to congratulate him.
"Good work, by the way. The Order of the Black Knights, huh? Is that the name of our squad?"
Warren, embarrassed, nodded.
"Yes, I've been thinking about it since we departed."
"I just chose something fitting Rudel's image."
"Certainly, saying 'black' at the end. It could refer to his hair." (Liam)
"Or eyes." (Chlust)
"Or Battler." (Fray)
"Or his heart." (Clovis)
"Hahaha!"
The boys laughed, but the truth was, it was their first genuine victory.
It was a reason to celebrate. But the war wasn't over yet.
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And yes, there was character development all over the place. Especially for Elaine, and yes, the description of that bikini was very vital for the plot.
The climax of the fight is in the next and final chapter of the volume: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/9257210?q=millia_rage+
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Here is the Mega link where you can see the chapters with illustrations in PDF format, as well as the characteristics of the characters and armor: https://mega.nz/folder/75wTzA4b#W-_qGvlSP9miCm1jpk54IQ