"All units! Cease your attack!"
Abeljan’s order to halt the assault rang out immediately.
His voice, infused with his Sword Aura, caused the Odixian knights to pull back in an instant.
"What's the meaning of this?" Leo asked, breathless.
"Become my disciple, Leo. Leave Arcadia and come to Odixia. I’ve taken a liking to you."
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"With training, you could become my right hand. That is what I believe. You are certainly naive, but that seems to be the root of your strength—your kindness. Your pursuit of ideals, however green you may be, is the mark of a true knight. I find it admirable. Besides... a rough diamond is a sight that makes the heart race, does it not?"
"I refuse. I am a knight of Arcadia. I won't betray them."
"Do you truly possess enough loyalty to warrant the word 'betrayal'? You were simply born in the country of Arcadia, that is all. What you want to protect are people, not a nation."
"……"
Leo was at a loss for words.
Part of him felt that Abeljan was right.
He had people he wanted to protect. But did he truly care about the nation of Arcadia itself? He had begun to think that as long as he could protect the people he cared for, that would be enough.
"Surrender, and swear to come to Odixia as my apprentice. If you do, I shall spare the others. Or will you all die here?"
"It hasn't been decided that we'll lose yet!"
Leo lunged forward again. He swung his blade with everything he had.
However, every strike was swatted aside.
Abeljan was too far away. He was still... at a height far beyond Leo’s reach.
"Hmph!"
"Guh!"
Abeljan’s counter-strike sliced through Leo’s arm.
Leo had managed to guard with his left arm, but blood was already dripping from the wound. It was the first major injury he had sustained. The pain was sharp and stinging.
"There is a difference between recklessness and courage. Knowing when to break is also a form of bravery."
"……I..."
Leo looked back over his shoulder.
The rear line Deskis had been defending had been pushed back nearly to his position. Even for someone as skilled as Deskis, the overwhelming numbers made it only a matter of time before they were surrounded and crushed.
Flare was also struggling to catch her breath, her body covered in countless small wounds.
At this rate, he would die, and everyone else would die with him.
Leo exhaled and slowly lowered his sword.
"Will you... will you really save everyone else?"
"Of course. If you are someone who saves people rather than countries, you will find you can fight for Odixia just as well."
Leo closed his eyes, prepared to surrender.
It was then that a voice cut through the air.
"Don't listen to the enemy's honeyed words on the battlefield, you fool."
"Eh?"
The voice was clear and resonant, coming from directly behind them.
Leo turned.
Beyond Deskis, behind the Odixian army, stood Osiris Ashtress.
And behind him... was a massive host. Adidas, Eisen, and the entirety of the Fifth Army.
"Tch... as ever, your level of preparation is beyond belief," Abeljan spat.
"Why…… are you here, Osiris-san?"
"You were stalling for time, thinking I might come, weren't you? If that is the case, then see it through to the end. If you want to become a prisoner, then be my guest. If you want to become that man's disciple, then do so. But is the resolve you showed the day you said you didn't want to kill prisoners only worth this much? Did you point your sword at me with such shallow conviction?"
Osiris stepped forward, his massive Sword Aura radiating from him. The Odixian knights reflexively took a step back.
"Furthermore, both you and Abeljan are wrong. A country is its people. Everything you are trying to protect, taken as a whole, is the nation. Do not be misled by mere wordplay. Once you have steeled your resolve, do not waver. That is why your blade is called 'light'! Your sword is as weak as your spirit! You fool!"
His spine-chilling presence was laced with pure fury.
The Odixians began to tremble. The Arcadians were emboldened.
"What kind of idiot lowers his blade before the enemy?! Pick it up, right now!"
"Yes sir!"
Leo reflexively gripped his sword.
It was a strange sensation. The despair that had filled him moments ago vanished instantly. Strength welled up from deep within his body—the strength to keep fighting.
"What is your role right now?"
"To defeat Abeljan!"
"Try again! You still don't understand the gap between you, you fool!"
"Y-Yes! Uh, let's see..."
Leo thought frantically.
In front was the army led by Abeljan. The same was true for the rear, but there were no famous knights behind them. Even if there were, none were stronger than Osiris. Osiris would cut through them in no time.
Then, his own role was...
"I'll stall for time without dying. I'll keep him occupied until you arrive, Osiris-san, and I won't let him escape!"
"Hmph. Then do it."
The hesitation vanished from Leo’s heart. He fixed his gaze solely on Abeljan.
"How disappointing," Abeljan sighed. "They weren't honeyed words; they were my honest feelings."
"Now, I wonder about that. I can't prove you're telling the truth, and even if you were, I still won't side with Odixia. I looked up to the knights of this country. I was raised by the people born in this country. I think that's what Osiris-san meant. I am already... a part of this nation."
"If you've realized that, then negotiation is impossible. In that case..."
Abeljan raised his sword as well.
"I should make sure to kill you before Osiris arrives. It would be a problem if you were allowed to grow any further. All forces, resume the attack!"
A murderous Sword Aura exploded from him.
"Flare! Deskis-senpai! For the second time!"
"I know!"
"Yeah! Exceed your limits, as many times as it takes! Both of you, open your mouths!"
Deskis threw pieces of chocolate. When Leo caught one in his mouth, the sweetness gave him a small, vital spark of energy. It was only a tiny boost, but it was enough.
"Shine, rough diamond! Now is the time!"
"Right!"
"Let's go!"
There was no more hesitation.
"Haaaaaa!"
Leo began to sprint around Abeljan.
Unlike before, he was now fully committed to evasion. He fled, but he did not let the enemy escape his reach. He knew he couldn't trade blows; he had to acknowledge the gap in their power.
"Guh! You're like a fly!"
Leo would compete only in the fields where he could win: reaction speed and movement speed. And.
"Haa!"
World's Fastest Throwing.
Whenever Abeljan tried to close the distance, Leo's speed allowed him to slip away. If Abeljan tried to ignore him to strike at others, he was forced to focus on the High-Speed Swords flying from all directions to harvest his life.
Even when Abeljan thought he finally had him, Leo would evade with superhuman reactions and open the distance again.
"I can't close in... don't mess with me! Is this how a knight fights?!"
"This is my best right now!"
Cold sweat flowed down Abeljan’s face. Because it was a sudden change in plans, he hadn't brought any of his more capable knights with him. He had been arrogant, thinking his personal presence would resolve everything. In truth, that should have been the case. There were only a handful of knights in the world who could stop him.
And yet, this Irregular... all by himself...
"What... are you exactly..."
He was being stalled.
Leo continued to move at his maximum speed. He pushed his thoughts to the limit until it felt like his brain was boiling. He did not stop his feet. He continued to throw swords. He didn't relax for even a fraction of a second.
He was at Full Throttle, the accelerator floored. He wasn't thinking about the consequences. He had to whittle down Abeljan’s stamina. Shred his concentration.
Moving with lightning speed, he unleashed lethal blades. Abeljan had no choice but to focus entirely on Leo.
On a battlefield where every second counted, it had been about ten minutes.
Then, Leo collapsed as if his batteries had suddenly run out. He had lost consciousness in an instant.
He had truly given everything. Ten minutes of full-power anaerobic exercise and absolute concentration. He had exceeded the limits of human endurance.
"Haah... haah... Finally... finally! Die! To think you took up so much of my time!"
As Leo lay there, the breathless Abeljan swung his sword down.
However, the time had been bought. The blade was intercepted.
A large arm scooped up the fallen Leo while blocking Abeljan’s strike.
"—Pass."
The Five Star Sword—Osiris Ashtress.
He had scattered every enemy in the rear.
"Osiris……"
"This is the first time we've been this close, isn't it, Abeljan? Your blade seems remarkably light."
Osiris grinned, while Abeljan grimaced. Their swords were locked.
Abeljan was exhausted, his stamina drained by Leo’s harassment. Osiris was in nearly perfect condition.
"……Damn it. Retreat!"
Abeljan knew the outcome if they fought now. He had no choice but to pull back.
Just as he was about to shout the command, he looked behind him. His eyes widened, and he was lost for words.
"How…… can this be..."
"A strategy," Osiris said coldly, "is the final, exquisite drop squeezed out after assuming every single possibility, thinking until you believe it's perfect, and then pushing even further beyond that."
Flowing in from behind were the Arcadian forces that were supposed to be locked in combat at the center. The Odixian infantry were being cut down one after another.
"Why... why? This was decided only yesterday! How has a strategy decided so suddenly been read?! Why are we the ones being pincered?!"
"I didn't 'read' it. It was simply one of hundreds of patterns. I assumed all of them and issued orders so my men could adapt no matter which one occurred."
"Don't be ridiculous! There couldn't have been... the time... for that..."
"You don't mean to suggest that a man entrusted with ten thousand lives would indulge in something as soft as sleep before a battle of this magnitude?"
From evening until late at night, Osiris had been refining the plan with Leo. Leo had collapsed from exhaustion, his head feeling like it would explode. From that point, Osiris had continued refining until morning.
He prepared. He pushed on, because there is no limit to thought and perfection does not exist. He refined as long as time permitted.
Osiris was strict with everyone, but his subordinates never complained. Because they all knew.
"I'll tell you the reason for your defeat: a lack of preparation. Go back and try again."
He was strict with everyone, but he was stricter with himself than anyone else.
"Though for you, there won't be a next time."