Characters:
Lynnette Von Altfode (Similar to Honolulu from Kancolle)
The crown princess of the Kingdom of Altfode. For some strange reason, she has spoken with the saint her country worships.
Fay Van Nightray (Similar to C.C. from Code Geass)
One of the princess's best friends; she is considered her right-hand woman.
Chloe Van Arses (Similar to Kouzuki Kallen from Code Geass)
One of the princess's best friends. Although she is very tomboyish, she is actually feminine when it comes to men.
Fiona (Similar to Intrepid from Kancolle)
A commoner who managed to become friends with the princess because of Rudel. She feels she doesn't deserve to be by her side, but the princess rid her of that complex.
Alistar Von Bismarck (Similar to Leo from Love Unholyc)
The second son of the duke and one of Rudel's best friends.
Iryel (Similar to Pierce from Love Unholyc)
A commoner boy who became friends with two nobles due to how problematic Rudel is.
Curtis Von Easton (Similar to Kurozuma Wataru from A certain Magical Index)
A reincarnated young man who wishes to live his life as he pleases, even if he hurts people in the process.
___________________
The royal palace was in an uproar.
Maids were running here and there.
This was due to what was about to happen.
The royal wedding.
An important event for any country, and the Kingdom of Altfode would be no exception.
The princess would marry a young man who would be the next king.
It was an important event for the country. Everyone would be happy to finally have a king in the country.
But there was just one problem.
She wasn't.
Princess Lynnette was putting on her wedding dress with the help of the maids.
The maids were making sure she looked beautiful and presentable for the awaited moment.
But Lynn's expression indicated she was not happy.
Once they finished arranging her, one of them went out to call the makeup artist.
Lynn went to sit and wait for her, but not before looking out the window.
She saw how in the garden they were setting up tables for snacks and an enormous cake with two dolls identical to her and him.
(Everyone must be happy. I'm the only one suffering here.)
The makeup artist arrived and began making Lynn beautiful for her big day.
But she wasn't the only one waiting for this big day.
In the palace meeting room, Marquis Balzac was smiling from ear to ear with a glass of rum in his hand.
Everyone in that place was his ally.
Those who opposed him were in jail or missing, and that bothered him.
He asked a knight, who was formerly Duke Bismarck's butler, if there was any news of him.
"Haven't you found Duke Bismarck or Roseblaire yet?"
A few months ago, a silent rebellion occurred.
Several officials, knights, and servants rebelled against the nobles who did not support the marquis.
They or their families were taken hostage, and those who were not captured fled the country.
It was a movement planned over years of bribes and executed on an ordinary day for the nobles.
But not all could be caught.
Many fled, either because they found an opening or it was simply true.
Balzac was angry about it; he wanted to catch them all. He is afraid they will try to return with allies to overthrow him from power.
But thanks to several bribes to foreign nobles he made later, that fear gradually disappeared.
But simply because of not having answers, it truly bothers him.
"I see. Keep looking."
"Today is a special day for everyone. I don't want any surprises."
◇◇◇
In his exclusive room, Curtis awaited the wedding eagerly.
He checked his attire and his face over and over.
"No matter how many times I look at it, it's still wonderful. You're beautiful too."
"I never expected to be so lucky in my life."
Curtis, looking at himself in the mirror, remembered how he was in his past life.
(I always hated my life, I was born as the worst kind of human.)
(I was ugly, fat, and poor.)
(I was harassed from everywhere, at school, my family. And that continued into work.)
(The whole world told me I was an object of ridicule for being born like that.)
(I lived in a garbage apartment whose rent was so expensive that my entire salary went there. With what was left over, I bought a cheap, second-hand video game.)
(The genre wasn't to my liking, but it was the only thing I had to entertain myself. The game was trash in content but very entertaining.)
(Then I thought "It must be fun to live in a world where everything goes well for you because of your appearance" and then I died from a lack of sleep.)
(When I woke up, I was reborn in a beautiful, healthy, athletic body, and best of all: with power!)
(I surpassed my older brother and took his heir position. And now, thanks to the marquis, I will marry a princess.)
"The world is undoubtedly smiling at me. It's returning the happiness it took from me."
He said after adjusting his tie again.
"Curtis-sama, please finish your adjustments, the wedding is about to start."
"Of course."
For one last time, he looked at himself in the mirror before leaving.
"It's time to see my future queen."
◇◇◇
Lynn could hear the music starting to play.
The wedding was about to begin.
Guests were arriving in droves.
She could only watch from her room.
She couldn't flee, it was locked from the outside, and if she tried to open it she would find guards, and jumping wasn't an option, she would die from the impact.
And even if she wanted to, she couldn't do anything. No one was coming to save her, so escaping was useless.
"I don't want this."
She had already been warned not to ruin her makeup; she held back the urge to cry.
She is a girl of almost 18 going through things no person should go through.
"The prime minister and my mom are hostages. My friends aren't here, everyone left."
"I'm completely alone, isolated from the world..."
Lynn held back the urge to cry, she needed to vent her loneliness and frustration.
But there was one face that hurt her more not being able to see.
"Rudy... come save me."
She called for Rudel, the only person in the world who could save her.
"I don't want to marry someone I don't love. But I don't want to die either."
"Please, someone, help me..."
Someone called her from outside, not even knocking on the door, which was a polite call.
"Princess, Curtis-sama is already at the altar, as are the seated guests."
"Hurry up and come out now."
The maids were all against her. Lynn could only obey.
She checked her face and her makeup wasn't smudged.
She took the bouquet from the bed and, after taking a brief breath, mentally prepared herself to live the worst day of her life and the beginning of her personal hell.
"It's time to go to hell."
◇◇◇
Inside the castle was a church used exclusively for the royal family and their relatives.
As it was a royal wedding, only a select group of people could enter to witness the union that would benefit the country.
All of them were not friends or allies, but enemies of the royal family.
From traitors to conspirators, they proudly occupied those seats.
In the same row, watching everything, were the prime minister and the queen, who had been taken hostage.
The queen avoided crying because soon she would see her daughter marry a man she neither loved nor benefited the country.
Curtis was in his position as the groom ready to receive the bride.
The door opened after hearing a trumpet sound.
The choir began to sing once they received the signal from the pianist.
The classical music played at a wedding was performed as the door opened wide.
There was the bride; everyone turned to look at her as they stood up.
Lynn took her first step, then the second, after that the third. Each step marked the death of her freedom.
She looked to both sides through her veil.
(All of them are not our friends and don't care for us.)
On the right side, she sadly observed her mother, who was looking at her with the same expression she had.
But she had to protect her; she couldn't do something foolish like flee and leave her alone.
There, in the center of the altar, dressed in priest's robes, was Marquis Balzac, who smiled at her.
"In case you're wondering, due to the sudden death of Pontiff Dixit, I will now act as the priest for the wedding."
Balzac had not only taken political power in the country, he had taken the power of the church and, along with the support of the traitor nobles, was the most powerful person in the country.
"Well, let's begin this celebration."
"Welcome, everyone, to this glorious day. The day when our country recovers what was lost."
He began to hypocritically recite the sacred prayer to announce the wedding.
Lynn could only listen to each word and feel disgust.
"Then you, Curtis Von Easton, do you accept the princess as your wife?"
"I do."
The moment of truth arrived; the moment she wished would be with the person she loved, would be with another man.
"And you, Princess Lynnette Von Altfode, do you accept this man as your husband?"
"…"
Lynn was opening and closing her mouth repeatedly.
Deep down she didn't want to say those words, she tried by all possible means to avoid saying them.
The spectators began to murmur among themselves, while Marquis Balzac was losing patience.
He leaned slightly towards her and whispered the words that finally killed her freedom.
"For your own good and your mother's, I suggest you move. Or else..."
Lynn began to cry, she lowered her head to accept her fate.
Finally, she opened her mouth to pronounce those unpleasant words.
"I..."
"I..."
But the next words she said were what she truly wanted to say.
"...Help me, Rudy."
At that moment, hurried footsteps sounded from outside and the door was flung open; a group of masked individuals had entered the place.
Lynn, like everyone else, turned to look.
At the same time, the glass ceiling shattered and a ship was on top of them; a rope descended and from it was another masked individual.
But upon seeing him, she knew who it was. So she released the words she most wanted to shout.
"Save me... Ruuuuudyyyyy!"
"Lynn! Give me your hand!"
Rudel descended and took Lynn firmly.
Lynn was surprised, amazed, restless, many different emotions, but there was one she could identify more than any other.
Joy.
"Rudy... you took too long to come. Idiot, idiot, idiot!"
She was giving him small hits while they were being lifted.
"I'm sorry for being late."
The tears of happiness welling in her eyes made Rudel feel how much she had suffered until now.
"I won't allow it!"
Curtis drew a decorative pistol his father had given him; it had a bullet in case Lynn tried to escape, he shot the rope and the two fell to the ground.
"Ouch!"
"Kyah!"
Marquis Balzac's face was still incredulous at what was happening.
But he reacted upon hearing the thud of Lynn and Rudel hitting the floor.
"Guaaaaaaaaards!"
"Kill the intruders!"
The guards who were hiding came out; not only inside, but outside a conflict began to erupt.
The marquis watched as a fleet was surrounding the castle.
He had also placed ships to defend the castle, but he didn't understand how they hadn't detected them until now.
Rudel stood up and took Lynn's hand while positioning himself to protect her.
"Well, rescue number 1 failed and now comes number 2."
While they were being surrounded, one of the knights noticed that the wall beside him began to crack, growing larger and larger.
And, without warning, it was shattered.
There, peeking out, was a black armor greeting them all.
"It's time to rescue the princess while we kick their butts!" said Bell from inside Battler.
◇◇◇
This is what happened days before the wedding.
Rudel and the others were in a secret base hidden in the capital.
It was made by King Leonis in case of an attack and they had to hide quickly.
Duke Bismarck and all those who opposed Balzac's regime were there listening to the plan.
"Our objective is to save Princess Lynnette, the hostages, and stop Balzac."
"Okay, but how do we do it?"
Count Roseblaire asked Vayne, who was acting as commander.
"Let me introduce you to the one who organized the plan while we were all fleeing."
Bell stepped forward.
"Listen to what the mastermind Bell-chan says."
"To begin with, the palace is guarded by many guards, escort ships, and security from other nobles who will attend."
"I sent spy drones and I have the number of who will attend and the number of knights they will have in charge."
"The real problem isn't entering the palace, but defending against external aid."
"Approximately 50 km from the capital are several fleets to stop us in case of an attack."
Alistar backed up what Bell said.
"We just returned from a reconnaissance mission and it's as she says. There are several ships, some from other countries like the Commonwealth of Talis and the Knightdom."
"Are they supporting him too?"
"Isn't this very bad for us?"
"Do we even have a chance to do something?"
The nobles were scared.
They had to defeat Balzac, but that meant fighting on two fronts.
Rudel took a step forward and spoke to them seriously.
"I understand you're afraid. I am too, because if we don't manage to save Lynn and the queen, this country will be doomed."
"I don't want to kill civilians. But I'm also not naive enough to believe there won't be casualties among them."
"But it's now when this country needs us most. What would the late King Leonis-sama think if he saw us cowering?"
"Do you want to flee and leave your loved ones as hostages?"
The nobles looked at each other, they understood Rudel's words, but reality was different.
"Count Bradford, I understand what you mean, but you must understand that we are between a rock and a hard place."
"That's not true."
Bell said, entering the conversation again.
"I said everything was getting complicated, but I never said we couldn't face them."
"Really?"
The nobles paid attention to Bell, erasing the fear they felt.
"I'll have to make a lot of modifications, but we'll succeed. We will achieve victory."
"That's why, for a while now, I've been digging secret tunnels in the palace. The wedding will go as planned to trap everyone in the same place."
"None will escape. Just have faith in the master and me."
The nobles were still afraid, but they needed hope. Bell explained more details to them and they gained confidence.
Then it happened: the day of the rescue arrived.
◇◇◇
The newly appointed Commodore Askewell was on his ship having a pleasant phone conversation with two other men.
The three were recruited by Balzac with the condition of helping them take what they wanted.
One was Askewell, who managed to gain power in his country, the Commonwealth.
Another was the younger brother of the late head of the Gambino family, Gaspino, who managed to infiltrate several of his men into the kingdom's embassy located in the Supreme Kingdom of Aster.
Lastly, a duke named Hartmann, who needed help to carry out a coup d'état.
"So that's how you managed to become a duke, Hartmann-dono."
"Yes. It was easy actually, the king was a fool, so he was easy to manipulate."
"I'm getting bored here, are the enemies coming or not?"
Replied Gaspino, who was hoping for some action.
"Calm down, Gaspino-dono, surely they will come. They have to if they don't want the princess to get married."
Among their ships were various allies of Balzac, such as the remnants of the Kingsfort, the temple, and the Easton family.
"Hey, what is that?"
Said Gaspino looking at the horizon.
The others did the same; Askewell smiled because he was closer to taking over his country after this.
"They've finally arrived. Alright, everyone! Get ready!"
"Finally! I'll be able to eliminate a bunch of rats!"
"Hey, what is that?"
Everyone observed where Duke Hartmann was pointing.
The fleet that was coming was different from what they expected.
It was covered in metal, each one of them.
There wasn't a single place on the front or rear that wasn't covered in metal.
The cannons were even enlarged and the armed units had more weapons.
One of their allies said:
"Who cares if they put armor on? They're still ships. Attack!"
"Let's go!"
The knights went to attack, but the moment they tried to enter or damage the ship, a ghostly membrane protected it.
It received no damage no matter how much they attacked it.
In contrast, the enemy armors that were attacked by the cannons were destroyed in seconds.
"How was that possible?"
The power of a cannon and its speed are slow, but now they were fast and more destructive.
They weren't the only ones; their armors were the same. They attacked the enemy fleet with no chance to counterattack.
"Bunch of useless! Watch me!"
Said Gaspino going out to attack.
He began to fight them, but he didn't last long.
"Damn it!"
His armor was pierced by several spears and destroyed in seconds.
Those were Vayne's escorts, who was leading the attack along with his father.
"Ready. Fire."
After ordering the captain, he attacked Duke Hartmann's ship, which was catching fire as it fell into the water.
"Huh? How is this possible?"
Said Askewell, who didn't understand how they were losing so quickly if they outnumbered them.
Then he heard a sound he had never heard before.
Approaching were several small but fast objects.
Using machines newly created by Bell, some hovercrafts, Zakuro and company had hand-held rocket launchers on their backs.
Upon approaching the cockpit, they launched them as if they were bombs.
The missile embedded itself in the place and Askewell's horrified face indicated his end had come.
"Why is this happening when I finally achieve my accomplishments? —Ah!"
The explosion covered the place.
They couldn't stop; they had to defeat them so they wouldn't go help the smaller group.
The one rescuing Lynn.
◇◇◇
"Jojojo. Do you want to dance with Bell-chan that much?"
Bell inside Battler was facing most of the armors in the place.
The battle had started a while ago. The ships were attacking each other, as were the knights in the garden and inside the palace.
The church inside the castle was no exception.
Several armed men attacked the guards. Lynn's group of friends, who were also present, as were Rudel's friends, were with the queen and Mayer to rescue them.
"Alistar, there are still more hostages."
"That has already been taken care of, my queen. Everyone has been rescued like you. Only the princess remains."
Everyone knew Rudel would rescue Lynn, so they left the place quickly.
The sound of clashing swords, bullets flying like flies, shouts of euphoria, and blood dripping down the walls were all that resonated in this place.
Meanwhile, Rudel had drawn his sword to protect Lynn.
Curtis was angry and took Balzac's sword to fight him.
"How dare you steal my bride!"
Their swords clashed; neither would stop to achieve their goal.
Rudel wasn't very good with a sword, but Curtis was.
The advantage was his, or so Curtis thought.
"Damn usurper!"
Rudel's sword was made of AI. That is, it could predict its opponent's attacks.
Thanks to that, the battle against Curtis was easier.
He tried to kick him, but Rudel knew only cowards like him would do that; he stopped the kick and gave him one in the groin and then sent him flying to the floor.
"Damn you."
Cursed Curtis at Rudel as he lay on the floor.
"I'm better than you. More skillful, stronger, more beautiful, so..."
He clenched his teeth so hard that his gums began to bleed.
"So why the hell are you getting in my way!"
"You're a nobody! You're no one, you should be under my feet because that's what the laws of this world dictate!"
"The weak deserve to be oppressed by the strong. And why you... oppose that!"
Curtis had lost his mind for not being able to kill Rudel; he threw a fireball at him and he cut it in two.
Again he threw one and he split it in half.
Curtis was intimidated.
He couldn't win.
Rudel gave him a strong punch and broke his nose, knocking him to the floor.
Seeing his own blood full of dirt from the floor, he remembered his previous life.
In a bathroom, it was a similar situation. He was being beaten by someone looking down at him.
He was angry about it.
"How dare you look at me from there?"
"You can't imagine how much I suffered in my past life. I deserve everything the world gives me; it's my reward for enduring all that pain and suffering."
"I won't let you or anyone take it from me!"
"If the princess wasn't my wife, then she won't be anyone's."
He raised his hand and conjured an enormous fireball that grew with each moment.
"I will make those who looked down on me pay. Those who bullied me."
"I will never again—"
"Stop babbling like a crying child."
Rudel didn't hesitate to cut his stomach due to the delay of his attack.
Blood poured out in torrents and he fell to his knees spitting blood.
Rudel gave him the words he never thought he'd hear.
"No matter how much you suffered in your past life. What matters is what you do in your new life."
"No matter how life treats you, you must prove you are better than those who torment you."
"I was also mistreated by the world, but look at me now. I have family who love me, allies who would help me when I'm in trouble. People to protect now."
"I obtained all that through my own effort in this new life."
"That's the difference between you and me. I have the will to change, you don't."
After hearing those words that reflected what he never wanted to see due to his victimhood, Curtis let the fireball drop, which quickly consumed his body.
(You are what I truly wanted to be if I had another chance. But it seems cowardice wasn't in the physical, but in the mental.)
(Go, save your princess, hero.)
Curtis's consciousness faded and Rudel extinguished the flames so his body wouldn't end up as charcoal.
"With this, it's all over."
"Lynn, let's go—"
Rudel noticed that Lynn and Marquis Balzac were not there; Bell informed him via a communicator.
"Master. While you were fighting, the cowardly marquis took the princess and fled."
"What? Damn it!"
"Tell me where she is."
Bell had placed a GPS in the dress before they put it on Lynn, so Rudel went to pursue him.
The battle was about to end.
◇◇◇
Marquis Balzac was running through the castle corridors fleeing with Lynn.
"Let me go!"
"No way!"
His breathing was ragged.
"Everything I've achieved will crumble if I hand you over."
"I must buy time until reinforcements arrive."
"I can't die here. I must be a winner because I deserve it."
Marquis Balzac remembered his past.
He was a country noble from a baronet's family.
He hated that life and wanted to change it.
He studied hard, worked like no other, and even became a knight.
It took him 50 years of his life to achieve everything he has now, including his title.
That's why he didn't want to lose it; he deserved more according to his perception.
He wasn't going to give it to anyone.
"I must flee this place to a safe one."
"Even if the palace falls, I'll use you as a trump card to gain my freedom and one-day return to take over this dump."
After turning a corner, both fell to the floor because they collided with a servant.
"Watch where you're going!"
Said Balzac as he got up.
The servant had gotten up and approached him.
Balzac extended his hand to be helped up, but the servant pulled a syringe from his sleeve and plunged it into his neck.
There was a black liquid being introduced into his body.
The servant's face was hidden by a typical escort hat.
Once the injection was finished, he pulled out the syringe and ran from the place, but not before saying to him.
"This is for the sake of my research."
"Young lady, I recommend you get away as soon as possible."
He said before leaving there and disappearing from everyone's sight.
Lynn didn't understand what was happening, but she took the opportunity to flee.
But Balzac quickly grabbed her foot to prevent her from running.
He touched his neck where the syringe had been just moments before.
"Don't think I'll let you escape, girl."
"You are my...!?"
Suddenly, Balzac began to feel strange.
He let go of Lynn's hand because his body began to inflate like a balloon.
Black liquid oozed from all his orifices.
His body deformed and his limbs melted.
Seeing it, anyone would feel disgust.
Lynn wanted to vomit, but she ran away.
Then, after a while of writhing, it finally happened.
The place where he was collapsed from within.
A large part of the palace collapsed and there a strange and grotesque creature flew out.
Its body was an enormous eye surrounded by hundreds of hand-like wings.
Below the eyeball were limb-like legs that were actually hands.
The strange creature raised its enormous paw-hand and, upon lowering it, destroyed several ships.
"Ziooo."
It made that strange sound as it attacked both allies and enemies.
Lynn had woken up because she had been unconscious a moment ago.
She watched the strange creature attack everyone, but then it focused on herself.
She was on the edge of a cliff due to the destroyed area.
The royal palace stood before reaching the edge of the floating island.
She clung to the pillar that was still standing. But little by little it cracked.
"No..."
She held on tightly, but that strength helped it break faster.
She fell along with the collapsed area.
"Nooooooooo!"
Thanks to that scream, Battler was approaching and gently caught her.
"Lynn, I'm glad you're okay."
"Rudy."
She said as she wanted to cry.
"I'd like to hug you, but now's not the time."
Said Rudel focusing on the strange creature that was now going to attack the capital.
Its body was so large that it measured roughly the vertical height of the continent covering the capital.
Rudel opened the hatch for her to enter. As there was no space, she had to sit on his lap.
"Now wasn't the time to be embarrassed," she said before doing so.
"I'd like to get you to safety, but I must eliminate that thing first."
"Bell, where did that monster come from?"
"I'd like to know."
"That is Balzac."
Rudel and Bell couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"A while ago, a servant injected something into his neck and then he turned into that thing."
Rudel looked at the monstrous Balzac attacking the capital, destroying houses and sending them flying through the air.
"It doesn't matter if it's Balzac or not, what matters is stopping it so it doesn't destroy the capital."
"Let's go, Bell!"
"At your command."
Lynn accompanied Rudel to fight that monster.
◇◇◇
The situation was critical.
The monster that Balzac had become was destroying the capital.
Every attack it made generated strong earthquakes.
Its objective was evident to everyone.
To end the kingdom.
Possibly it was revenge for ruining his plans, but no one was going to let him get away with it.
Balzac's allies stopped attacking the enemy forces when the monster began attacking them.
So they stopped and joined the rebels to attack.
The monster was being attacked from all directions to destroy it, but nothing worked.
"It's not working!"
Shouted Rudel in desperation as he aimed his mini-machine gun and emptied cartridge after cartridge.
The shell casings fell into the ocean, reflecting the large amount he was using.
The monster received no damage and continued ravaging the capital.
"Bell, can you use your ship to destroy it?"
Bell responded disappointedly.
"I'm sorry, Master, but most of Avrora's cannons were moved to the allied ships. I'm without a single one."
"Damn it! What can we do to defeat it?"
Cursed Rudel for not being able to finish off the monster that was destroying the capital.
Lynn watched in horror as her country was being destroyed. Half of the palace was destroyed and now the capital was being ravaged bit by bit.
If they didn't stop it within 30 minutes, it would raze the entire capital and then what followed.
(There must be a way for Rudy and the others to defeat it.)
"Guh. How cursed not to be able to do anything."
She thought horrible things about herself for her impotence.
Then something strange happened.
(Pray.)
(Prayer is the key to defeating it.)
"Who is it?"
"Lynn? What's wrong?"
Lynn was startled upon hearing an unknown voice; Rudel asked her the reason for being so upset.
"Can't you hear that voice?"
"Voice? Are you talking about Bell?"
"No. A woman's voice that sounds directly here."
"Princess, I'm afraid there's no one else here but us."
Replied Bell, which did not reassure her.
"But I heard it."
(Make a pray.)
"There it is again!"
Lynn couldn't identify where the voice came from, but it was real.
(The key to defeating it lies in your prayers.)
(Believe in it. Believe in what you most want to protect and love.)
"What I most want to protect... and..."
She looked at Rudel shyly and then joined her hands.
"You better be right!"
Lynn began to pray, but nothing was working.
"Zioooooooo!"
She looked at the monster thinking the prayer was working, but it was worse.
The monster was mutating, its body was deforming to enlarge.
"It can't be, can it get bigger?"
"Master, I suggest using heavy high-caliber ammunition."
"The bad thing is that thousands of people could die during the attack. Or even finish off the capital."
"Bell, don't even joke about that."
"There's no other alternative. That monster strengthens with the damage it receives."
Upon hearing Bell talk about wanting to use more powerful weapons that could defeat it but destroy the capital in the process, she began to pray seriously.
She rid herself of unnecessary thoughts and focused on praying.
(Please. Give me the power or perform a miracle to defeat that thing.)
(I want to protect my country, as its princess it's my duty to do so.)
(Even if I have no power, even if I have no skill with a weapon, I want to protect them, even with the slightest possibility.)
At that moment, hearing Lynn's plea, a face came to her.
It was the face of a woman smiling with emotion.
(The only power capable of moving mountains is that of love. And your love for your country, its people, your loved ones, and the one you longed for. All of that will help you have the strength to protect them.)
From Lynn's body, a white light began to emanate that enveloped her entire body.
Her blonde hair began to turn white like clouds and, upon opening her eyes, they were golden like gold.
She touched the control panel and that light passed to Battler, which shone like the sun itself.
"What is this light? What's happening?"
Rudel wondered about such unreality.
Bell, on the other hand, analyzed the situation calmly.
"I don't know how to explain it, but it seems the princess generated that enormous amount of energy and transferred it to Battler."
"But it won't last long, it's flickering, so surely it's time-limited."
"Master."
"I know. Charge all the energy to my right arm."
"Understood."
Bell began directing all the energy to Battler's right arm. While doing so, the monster that was once Balzac stopped for no reason.
It turned around and looked in a direction.
"Hey, don't you think it's looking at us?"
"Impossible. There would be no reason to do so despite all the attacks we gave it."
"Bell... it's turning around."
"Bell, it started turning around!"
The monster, due to its size, turned slowly; once it faced the direction where Rudel was, it began moving towards him.
"Wait! Why are you coming here now?"
"Bell, how much longer?"
"Three minutes—no, two minutes."
"We don't have two minutes, it's almost here!"
Rudel turned back and began flying to flee from the monster that was slowly approaching, but due to its great size, the distance shortened each time.
The armors tried to stop it, but it was useless.
The ships in its path were destroyed like bubbles upon impact.
It raised its hand and, upon lowering it, almost crushed Rudel against the sea surface.
Generating strong winds and sea movements similar to a tsunami.
"Ziooooooo!"
Shouted the monster after releasing small but long arms that came out of its body and tried to catch Rudel.
He used a rifle to destroy them.
"Why is it attacking us now?"
"It probably detected the princess's magical power and wants to devour us."
"Is that for real?"
"It's an assumption, or do you have a better idea?"
The monster almost caught up to them.
"Bell!"
"T-10 seconds. Please, ready Battler's arm."
Rudel aimed at the monster with the robot's arm.
From the palm, a hole opened where a white light began to shine.
All the white aura surrounding the armor was directed there.
"Bell!!"
"T-5 seconds."
Finally, the tentacles in the form of hands surrounded them and began to strangle them.
Battler made a creaking sound similar to a submarine being crushed by sea pressure.
The arm was losing mobility.
"Bell!!!"
"All yours."
Rudel, about to be crushed by the tentacles, shouted.
"Go to hell, damn monster!"
"Gamma Ray!!"
After a brief pause, a powerful and enormous beam of light shot out from Battler's arm, which impacted the monster's side.
Rudel moved his hand so the laser beam would cut as much as possible.
"Wuoooooooooooooooooooooooh!"
He shouted while making every effort to turn the monster into Swiss cheese, and when the energy ran out, the monster was screaming.
"Ziooooooooo!"
"Ziiiiiiiiiiiiio!"
It began to turn into black ashes as its body fell into the sea.
But then something unexpected happened.
The intact parts swelled and released a powerful explosion, and with that, the monster was completely destroyed.
But Battler received the shockwave and was sent flying through the air, crashing into the bow of a ship that was destroyed.
This caused Battler's cockpit to open and both he and Lynn were thrown into the ocean.
Lynn began to wake up and was frightened to see she was spinning as she fell into the ocean.
"Kyah! What's happening?"
Rudel, who was near her, extended his hand.
"Lynn!!"
She also extended hers and, upon finally reaching each other, they were about to impact the sea surface.
Rudel, after taking Lynn, hugged her tightly.
"No matter what happens. I promise I won't let you go again."
He exclaimed while holding her tightly.
Lynn responded to his words by also hugging him tightly.
"Yes. I know."
She said smiling even though it would be her end. But she wanted to hug him and never let go of this back even if it led to death.
They were less than three meters from impacting the sea surface when Bell, who managed to stabilize Battler.
"Please, don't talk about dying together as if you were a pair of depressed suicidal teenagers."
"Bell-chan hates sad endings where the handsome boys—I mean the handsome girls don't win!"
Performing a maneuver similar to a spiral, she managed to catch both in the cockpit, which was covered by an airbag.
It deflated when they collided with it and Battler hit the sea surface, generating a slight tremor inside.
Rudel and Lynn let go and looked out to see that everything was over.
"Rudy, you did it!"
"No, Lynn. We did it together."
Lynn smiled and hugged Rudel tightly; he returned the hug and Bell said:
"Aw, how cute. It would be nice if you did that after preventing us from sinking."
"Water is seeping in and Battler will sink into the sea!"
Avrora descended to rescue them and with that, the chaos of this day.
The chaos caused by the traitors and Balzac had finally ended.
◇◇◇
After that fateful day, the kingdom spent the following days rebuilding the capital and the palace.
The criminals were apprehended and will be prosecuted for their crimes.
For committing treason against the kingdom, they will undoubtedly be executed, but the queen asked that they suffer the consequences in the meantime.
They were forced to be slaves and work on repairing the place. Without rest, without food, and without sleep.
Of course, many tried to escape and were executed by the guards.
There was no mercy for them.
Finally, after twelve days of hard work, the rubble was cleared and part of the capital was repaired.
There was still much more to do, but for now they would take a break.
The queen granted Rudel the title of margrave for his efforts.
The palace was filled with celebrations and everyone was invited.
Rudel stayed at the palace for a while, so he was given his own room.
After seeing everyone happy for the victory, he felt that all the effort and sacrifice was worth it.
As it was already late, he was heading to sleep, but a maid intercepted him to tell him this:
"The princess requests you this instant."
"At this hour?"
Rudel didn't understand what Lynn could want, but he went to see her anyway.
The palace corridors that were once radiant were now full of blood and rubble.
He arrived at Lynn's room and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
She said from inside.
Upon entering, he noticed the place was dark, except for a lamp illuminating the bed.
A shadow stood up from there and he got scared, but the shadow removed what was a hood and revealed itself to be Lynn.
"Don't scare me like that. What do you need at this hour?"
He asked curiously.
"Sit down, let's talk," she said from the bed.
Rudel obeyed and sat beside her.
"What do you need from me?" he asked while curiously looking around her room; it was the first time he was in a girl's room.
"I want to talk about us."
Rudel froze immediately.
"Exactly which part?"
"You and I are not friends. Or just friends."
"That's true."
"We are not princess and knight. Or even highest authority and vassal."
"That's also true."
"Then, what are we?"
She said looking at him with sad eyes.
"Because I want you to take away this burden I feel."
"If we're not any of that, why did you save me? Why did you risk yourself for me? What did you gain by doing it?"
"That's what I want to know."
Rudel took time to think and, after a long sigh, said the most honest words he had ever said in his life.
"I like you. Or rather, I'm in love with you."
For Lynn, it was also a surprise to hear those words.
"It could be the first time we met or when I saw you in that kimono."
"But I couldn't get you out of my head."
"I thought, 'This couldn't happen, she's a princess and I'm a country noble, we live in different worlds'."
"But the day you were shot and bleeding out, I could feel my heart stop."
"It was the second—the first time in my entire life I was so afraid of death."
"I didn't know what to do if I lost you. But when you revived, I understood."
"I loved this woman. It hurt my heart to know she would never be in front of me again. I didn't want to lose her either."
"So I made up my mind that as long as you were happy, I would be happy."
"But that didn't work either. So now I don't know what to do after confessing..."
He was smiling like a fool, ignoring Lynn's face. But when he finally looked at her, she was crying.
She shouted at him:
"You are a huge idiot!"
Before hugging him.
"Why would you believe that? Why would you believe you don't deserve me?"
"You've done so much for me. You saved the country twice, you saved me several times."
"Why do you think you can't deserve me? For being from the countryside? That's nonsense!"
"Rudy... I..."
Lynn also revealed her feelings to Rudel's face.
"I love you too. The day I died and was resurrected I understood, there was no person who cared more about me than you."
"It was you, the only thing I had in my mind all this time. I wanted you to save me, to get me out of here."
"And you came in like a knight from novels to save me. You also saved this country from the traitors and that monster."
"How could I not fall in love with a man that wonderful?"
Tears welled up like a volcanic eruption. She smiled from the heart.
It was the first time Lynn was smiling while declaring she was in love.
"Lynn, do you really think this could work?"
He asked hesitantly.
She removed that insecurity immediately.
"Of course. My mother would be foolish not to want you for the royal family after all you've done."
Understanding that, Rudel took Lynn by the arms; she slowly brought her face closer to his.
This was a moment both had been waiting for.
Just like in a romantic novel, both shared their first kiss tenderly, exchanging saliva and warmth.
They stayed kissing for a long time.
They had lost their minds in it, submerged in that sensation.
Then Lynn took him by the shirt and threw him onto the bed.
She climbed on top of him.
She began to unbutton her nightgown slowly, one by one, from bottom to top.
"You know, there's something that has always bothered me about you."
Her belly was exposed. It was a beautiful abdomen, white and slender, similar to velvet.
"I've always endured your lecherous glances at my breasts. Or the breasts of other girls."
"And today will be the day I make you pay."
She unbuttoned the last button and her large breasts were exposed.
She slowly approached, like a panther stalking its prey.
With a gaze full of desire and Rudel's eyes focused on those red, fleshy lips.
"I'm going to make you pay for everything you did to me."
"So enjoy your punishment."
"Well. Sooner or later it was going to happen, I guess I'll accept my fate."
Lynn smiled lustfully before bringing her mouth to his and enveloping him with saliva.
Everything that happened afterwards is something only the walls of that room heard or saw.
◇◇◇
The morning after that day, the royal dining room was in an uproar.
"I'm telling you I'm sorry."
"I don't care about your apologies."
Rudel was apologizing to Lynn, who was pouting because of how angry she was.
All the servants and her friends fled the place when Lynn entered shouting at him.
The only one's present were Alis and Airy, who were watching the situation petrified with horror at what they were hearing.
"I'm apologizing, what more do you want from me?"
"I told you to stop because it was the wrong place."
"You didn't listen to me and you went and put it there. It hurt a lot!"
"If I hadn't applied healing magic there, I would still be sore in bed, you idiot!"
That conversation was something even the biggest fool could realize what it implied.
That's why everyone fled because they didn't want to hear it.
"But Lynn, you told me it was fine there."
"You even said you liked it more there than in the other—"
"Shut up! Shut up! Don't divulge a girl's intimacy in front of everyone!"
(But you're the one shouting it from the beginning.)
Not even the queen wanted to be present to hear the things her daughter said.
While Rudel's friends had a curious conversation.
"Hey, Alis."
"Yes?"
"Doesn't this situation bother you a lot?"
"It bothers me a lot."
"But it's because of Rudel, right?"
"That's right."
"..."
"You don't think that actually we are actually—?"
Before finishing that dialogue, Fiona burst into the room, opening the doors wide.
"T-there's trouble, Princess!"
She shouted while exhausted.
"What's wrong, Fiona?"
Everyone asked curiously about her shout, and after recovering, she showed them the newspaper with a certain news.
"Something serious has happened."
"The... the... Weiss Empire has been destroyed by the Republic of Ereboreas."
Everyone went blank and then reacted.
"What?!"
No one could believe this event.
◇◇◇
On the border coast of what was once the Holy Magic Empire Weiss, the weakest of the world powers.
A man was observing the place from a strange black ship.
"It's incredible. In a matter of minutes, the defenses and fortresses were pulverized."
The man had dark skin, white hair, red eyes, and his name was Zed.
"The experiment was a success, don't you think?"
He said to someone in the room, but there was no trace of life.
"It wasn't perfect. According to my calculations, in approximately 0.52 seconds the empire had to be destroyed."
"It took seven minutes to do it. Therefore, it was a failure."
Replied a mysterious voice from somewhere.
"Really? I consider seven minutes an excellent time."
"That's because you're human and the success rate for you isn't a big deal."
"I am a scientist. So the success rate will be what is necessary for a successful result."
"That doesn't even make sense. You make me look like an idiot."
"Life is about experiments. It doesn't always go as you want, but the results will always be there."
"That's absurd."
There was no one beside him, except a shadow.
The shadow reflected a round floating body near his right shoulder.
"Because for my objective, the success rate must be 100%."
"Because I..."
What was beside him was an AI as black as darkness, with a synthetic masculine voice and an LED eye as red as hell.
And that AI had a single desire.
"I wish to exterminate all the new humans and restore glory to the old humanity."
Zed pronounced the name of that black sphere.
"You are really pragmatic and nihilistic, Ixion."
The sphere called Ixion stared at him fixedly.
"You will also be exterminated, remember that well."
"I will kill all humans and resurrect the old humanity at all costs. Even if I have to burn this planet to ashes."
Ixion's hostile desire represented a threat not only to all humanity, but also to Rudel.
"I collaborate with you only because you are useful to me. Remember that well."
"Of course, of course."
Zed left the place and Ixion stayed there watching the flames devouring the continent.
"What is your next objective, Ixion?"
"The Supreme Kingdom of Aster. I will destroy that sacred tree at all costs."
Ixion's mechanical claws moved to create the apocalypse.
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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
_________________
What did you think of the chapter and the revelations?
I bet you didn't expect the fall of the empire, which will have relevance in the main story, as well as the evil Ixion. Or Dark Ixion as I like to call it.
And yes, this was also planned from the beginning.
It was always said that Ixion wanted to destroy humanity, but we never took it seriously. Now it's different and there is nothing to bind him.
The final stretch of the spin-off has just begun!
Lynn fanservice because she is the main heroine of this story: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/9386317?q=honolulu_%28kancolle%29+