Seven years later, general Haruto and Rubio were the pinnacles of strength. Even when their men retreated from the highly advanced Novus mages, they stood their ground for four days straight until they turned the tides. Haruto became bedridden in a tent for six days. Sitting on a chair beside him, Rosette turned away briefly, pouting with arms crossed. “Foolishness does not equate courage, you damn fool. You disappoint me to the nth degree….”

Haruto got up slowly, chuckling, “I’m guessing you’d never forgive yourself if I died, huh?”

“Precisely…!” Rosette stabbed her sword onto the ground, eyes very stern. “Mock us all you want for being like the ‘anime‘ you entertained yourself in your past life, but if you ever so make light of war… I shall break you—body and spirit—until you reconcile.” she got off the chair and pinched Haruto’s right forearm, making him grunt loudly; blood came out. “Mark my words….” The cold-eyed Rosette exited the tent.

Unfortunately, two days later, she had her warnings violated.

A malevolent seadrake ransacked village homes under newly Alaric territory. These creatures came in many colors. Yet, their appearance was essentially an earthly Eastern dragon: human intelligence, capable of summoning tsunamis. Fittingly, this draconic species resided in the northeast land of Mikadzukihantō.

“Evacuate the people! Don’t provoke the monster, and don’t stand by my side! It’s alright, now. Why? Because I am here!” Haruto commanded, insheathing his broadswords.

“Yessir!” the army saluted.

“Ready when you are, man,” Rubio commented nearby, rotating his arm.

Haruto turned around, smiling intimately, “Much appreciated—” Suddenly, Rosette slapped his right cheek, enough to hurl him meters away.

She walked closer, looking down at Haruto with narrowed eyes. “You damn fool! Is your life worth less than theirs? Do you wish to die a youthful cur before the eyes of the Gods?!” she heard Rubio walking behind, “Shut your mouth!” Rosette turned around, pointing. “You are no prince I’d ever wish to follow….”

Rubio sweated bullets, raising hands as he walked back, “So, uh… now what?”

Rosette walked past the prince, drawing her golden Palladium weapon. “If you lot wish to fight the beast alone—then I’ll gladly offer my life for that notion. Selflessness is what they call it. Leave me….” Rosette flash-stepped onto the monster’s playground before Rubio reached out a hand.

The seadrake trapped its victims within watery prisons midair as they drowned, laughing in amusement. “Such amazing pets….” it chomped down a five-year-old corpse. Moments later, the creature saw the Alaric general nearing it.

Depressingly, Rosette’s resolve was all for naught. The seardrake’s unnatural speed in the sky proved overwhelming, and it had an ability not known by humans previously. As Rosette grunted and struggled within a water globule in the air, the enormous seadrake looked at her, “Do you crave knowledge, little girl…?” It showed a homicidal smile. “Then allow me… to help you see….” in a split second, the seadrake’s eyes glowed yellow, with beams piercing onto Rosette’s own.

She shook about: her mind bombarded with memories of her past in a much clearer perspective. Rosette cried in distress endlessly after being shown how her father died in full detail. Fortunately, two people had the same resolve as she did.

“Aaaaagh!” howled the azure blue seadrake.

Even when midair, Haruto sliced off the ligaments of the seadrake’s joints in a thousandth of a second. Then, he crossed his broadswords into an X-shape. This time, Haruto attacked within a ten-thousandth of a second.

“Aaaaaaaaaagh!!” the seadrake howled louder, its chest slashed cleanly before it reacted. It flew to the skies terrified, now with an injury that would remain forever. Before the creature escaped fully, Rubio threw a straight punch from behind, turning it into a twinkle in the sky.

When the two boys saved Rosette, she was in a comatose state. Two weeks later, they found her on the same hill before. Haruto and Rubio expected a scolding. Instead, Rosette hugged both simultaneously.

A teary-eyed Rosette sniffled, eyes closed. “I owe you lot a million lives—including my own…. I now see that it was selfishness that made me move. Thank you….” she let go. “I’ll no longer offer my life to anyone. From now on—let’s fight our days under Alaric’s Sun together.” Rosette handed them a fistbump, smiling intimately.

As the two boys complied with smiles of their own, they became an unstoppable trio.

Throughout the months, Rosette constantly complained to Rubio that he would only do the bare minimum in battle when human armies were involved. Haruto found it amusing; a slap came for him next every time. After a successful campaign to occupy a Coelestis jurisdiction, Alaric’s army raised a toast for a victory party.

Haruto came out from a tent nearby. His attire was considered very strange and foreign by many. He wore an unzipped red and white jacket with white bars across the sleeves. Within white lines at the forearms showed two Japanese characters written in black. The right arm showed the kanji for “spear” (槍), while the left showed one for “shield” (盾). Haruto also wore a plain black sleeveless shirt, blue denim jeans, and white sneakers with red streaks. His two sheathed, silver Palladium broadswords were on the waist via a brown leather belt. No one else in the Alaric Empire did so due to Runic Art; easy storage was the way to go.

Walking to the main party table, Haruto saw the party king himself. Rubio was sloshed beyond belief, showcasing a very rosy complexion. Everyone else was also drunk out of their minds, singing their empire’s anthem in the most haphazard way possible. Running to a table filled with mugs, Rubio smashed down the thirteenth as he laughed out loud on the ground.

The smiling, drowsy prince came up to Haruto, holding his right shoulder and poking his chest. “Hey, youuuu…! Do I know you……?! I feel like I do, but I don’t know why. Hahahahahahaha!”

Haruto sighed, “Yes, Rubio… we’ve known each other for a long time. Could you please kindly get off me?” he pushed him lightly.

Rubio’s eyes glared while drooping down, “Whaaaaaat…?! What the fuck are you sayin’, you mean bastard! I am the kiiiiiiiiiing……! You peasants should be kissing my feet and backside all day looooong……….! Execute! Someone execute this bitch ass! Fuck him up before he meets the—Gods……….” he fell unto Haruto, so the latter carried him by the shoulders.

Dragging Rubio to his tent, Haruto heard his nonsensical rants about fruits and vegetables while laughing in between. Now inside, Rubio laid on the floor and sang Alaric’s anthem poorly.

After closing the tent, Haruto’s other best friend greeted from behind. “He has that vulgar poison in his system again, does he not?” Rosette crossed her arms.

Haruto turned around. “Yeah… he does. But at least this time—he didn’t punch Gevär in the face. We nearly considered remodeling him.”

Rosette always wore the official attire for generals: full plate armor of gold Palladium excluding a helmet and a silver cape showcasing the empire’s emblem. Like everybody else except Haruto, she stored her gold sword within runic arrays.

Finding the party very noisy and violent, Rosette asked Haruto to walk with her away from it; he complied, walking uphill to view the sunset. Haruto found it mesmerizing. Rosette’s expression, however, did not match his. Her eyes and lips lowered as if she had just experienced a traumatic loss yesterday.

Haruto moved beside Rosette closer, “I heard you’ve been suspended again due to freeing some slaves behind His back….”

“And I shall do it again, Haruto… even when my crown turns white.” Pure determination was in her eyes.

“You sure? Even with the thousand times—they’ve done that to you?” Haruto recalled some memories; he never forgot the sound of cracking leather.

As he mentioned it, Rosette caressed her right arm, “Such injuries never fail me on my self-imposed missions. I was never born weak—and so I rescue those who are.”

Haruto sighed, “I don’t doubt your strength, Rosette…. I just fear the worst for us,” his eyes turned to the sunset again. “Any more of this—and execution will come for you. I’ll wallow in my self-pity again—all because I failed to save you….”

Rosette did not respond, eyes lowering further. “I dearly apologize, Haruto…. I’ve none of the right to talk about trauma with you—even when grandfather perished before my eyes. Yet still….” she turned to him, “Haruto… do you view our men and people as a family?”

Haruto sighed, “You’d be very disappointed if I said yes… but it’s true. Just as Adel says: we live for and by the family. More land. More family. More love….”

“Then what of the slaves? Family, are they not?” Rosette walked closer.

Haruto looked at her, “Of course they are…. But Adel said they’ve stepped out of line and deserved ‘necessary punishment.’ Back in my world—some people called this ‘harsh love.’ Unlike you, this is my only doubt for Him.”

Rosette held Haruto’s shoulders, “Then you should follow His last son rather than Him. Rubio understands our wills. I may not see our men as family now—but as soon as we cull their lust for expansion—I will truly look upon them as my own. No doubt I’ve hated Him, but now—I’ve the potential to love Him.”

Haruto sighed, smiling with eyes closed, “Actually… I’d rather follow both.”

Rosette sighed and smiled as well, “So be it….” she raised her right arm for a fist bump. The latter complied as both watched the sunset once more. However, a soldier broke the serenity, running toward them from behind.

“Haruto! Rosette! A breach has occurred! Done by one man—of the sibling defectors!” he pointed behind him.

The generals’ eyes lit up in total fear for what was to come the moment they heard the soldier’s last words. Running downhill, Haruto and Rosette saw all of the other soldiers stashing their valuables from tents. Others tried holding off the infamous invader, only to meet swift deaths. The two generals immediately thought of taking Rubio.

As they ran for the prince’s tent, Haruto still heard the rants against fruits and vegetables in his sleep. “Wolf down a stack of glazed ribs and BLTs, you goddamn pussies…! The Gods gave it to us with lots of love……!” Rubio drawled, eyes closed while moving about on the floor.

Haruto and Rosette carried the prince by his shoulders. They flash-stepped and lept high across the land to leave. However, a nightmare followed the two generals. Countless lances of red hot magma aimed at them midair. Rosette was lucky enough for her armor to protect her left arm temporarily. On the other hand—a blinding lance pierced right through her best friend’s gut. “Haruto!” she witnessed him fall to the skies.

Rosette laid the still drowsy Rubio on a tree and healed Haruto with runes. After it, Haruto coughed and panted, “Thanks….” he stood up slowly.

Rosette held his shoulder, “Thank me later. We must call in Adel to fight. We—” Before she even knew it, the sibling defector was right behind her, clapping his hands in the smog.

A stern Feuer Glatteis walked closer slowly, “Quite peculiar for you lot to survive that. And now… you shan’t again.” he coated his right arm with magma. An infernal tsunami occurred.

The two generals flash-stepped away as fast as they could alongside carrying the prince. Looking back, they witnessed an apocalypse, eyes lit up and sweating bullets. Thousands of acres converted into barren, scorched earth—enough to incinerate equal thousands of soldiers left behind. It was here when Haruto and Rosette finally knew what it was like to fight against a Coelestian archmage. It was to face the Gods themselves.

Rosette panted, “We have to move…. We have no chance for victory against that man….”

“Not if we wake him up!” Haruto walked closer from behind, carrying Rubio on his back.

Rosette turned around, “Then make haste on finding a way! We cannot be frivol—” A blast of magma hit her right shoulder. As Haruto cried out her name, he dropped Rubio immediately, landing face-first on the ground as he sleeptalked. Haruto could not hope to rescue Rosette as Feuer shot magma streams before him.

“This is quite an opportunity to behold, young lad. Without your teamwork—eternal silencing shall now be swift and easy….” As Feuer bragged, Haruto unsheathed his weapons. Just as he charged right at the enemy, Rosette pushed Haruto away and ran even faster. Haruto cried out her name again.

Even when not born with an innate ability, Rosette perfected her craft in swordsmanship. Even Haruto never hoped to keep up. However, unlike her best friend, Feuer held his own. Casting barrier runes instantaneously around his skin, not even Palladium could penetrate, that was until Rosette cast runes of her own within the blade. Now starting to bleed, Feuer decided to use magma again at point-blank. Rosette’s mind was quick enough to protect herself with a runic barrier in front, disintegrating the attack. However, Rosette did what Feuer wanted.

Numerous magma droplets floated in the air before Rosette’s eyes, confusing her in place. “Agh!” Within a microsecond, hair-thin needles pierced her vital spots.

With that, Feuer was victorious. “Oh, you sweet summer girl….”

Haruto gasped, “Rosette!” he ran for her aid, but the victor blocked him.

Surprisingly, Feuer fully healed Rosette out of respect. However, she was now unconscious. Feuer stood up, “How about you, young lad? If you can emulate what this little girl did—I will spare you all—so long as you never come back here….”

Enraged with clenched teeth and shaky hands, Haruto prepared to swing at Feuer’s face. Yet much like before, his charge was interrupted. This time, the said interruption was a million times faster. Feuer was given a straight punch to the stomach within a hundred-thousandth of a second; he vomited blood, and a shockwave reverberated.

Midair, Feuer hurled far enough to destroy a faraway mountain. Before, the terrain around him warped and rippled like a turbulent sea. Trees uprooted, and the greenery all disappeared to dirt. Boulders nearby became coarse gravel.

Standing in front of Haruto was the party king himself. “You know what…? Fighting sounds pretty neat right now….” Rubio chuckled.