"Let's see how you like a taste of your own medicine."
Akane taunted her opponents before lowering her twin weapons to her sides and shouting.
"Hari!"
The Otome's call unexpectedly went unanswered. Her eyes turned toward the GEM on her ear before she quietly spoke again.
"Hari?"
She soon came to the conclusion that her altered GEM was no longer compatible with the summoning feature the Columns had programmed into it. She had lost her ability to call on her guardian as a result of Kazuya's death.
Midori watched this all with a confused expression. She was not aware of what had happened to the mechanical tiger she had sent to eliminate Akane many months ago, and she had no way of knowing what the name Akane was saying meant. Having watched enough of her enemy's odd tactics, Midori finally lunged forward with Gakutenou, and the pair of fighters converged on the spot where Akane was standing.
After overcoming a slight bout of surprise, Akane used her Robe to levitate directly upward into the air. Midori and Gakutenou subsequently stumbled forward together, allowing Akane to somersault over her human enemy. As the Aswad warrior spun around to face where her opponent would land, Akane used her amazing reflexes to make a rapid downward stab. Her tonfa punctured Midori's shoulder, paralyzing her opponent and allowing her an open shot when she landed. Akane promptly sent her opposite tonfa into Midori's torso, then removed both weapons when the redheaded warrior howled in agony and dropped her staff to the ground.
Midori collapsed while clutching her wounds. As shock set in and her heart slowed, her abandoned weapon disappeared from the ground and Gakutenou faded into the burning air. A few seconds later, Midori was dead, and Aswad would never be heard of again.
With her brutal mission accomplished, Akane willed her tonfa to return to her GEM and took a few seconds to stand victoriously over the remains of the barbarian village. After taking in this sight, she activated flight motors on her Robe again and began her return to Windbloom.
When Akane returned, she was surprised to learn that a small group of brave Pearl Otome had invaded from Garderobe and attacked the castle in her absence. Schwarz was able to fend for itself, however. The cult's forces were made up of an army of mechanical beasts appropriately called Slaves, and these beasts were similar in design and function to the guardians Aswad had relied on. These creatures could be summoned in droves as long as Schwarz's technology could supply the energy, and they had greatly outnumbered the hostile Otome in their battle. The inexperienced girls were promptly captured and forced to deactivate their Robes.
Upon receiving Akane's confirmation that Aswad had been eliminated, Archduke Nagi called for a televised conference in the basement of Castle Windbloom. During this event, Nagi unveiled the Mjolnir to the world and announced his intentions to have his Meister force all the nations of Earl to surrender to him. Members of Schwarz then brought their new prisoners to the base of the machine and, when Nagi activated his machine at its lowest setting, the world witnessed their horrifying fates. After the last screaming Pearl disappeared into green particles, the Grand Duke promised to use the weapon's full power and rid the world of all Otome soon.
When the conference ended, Nagi turned to privately speak to his bodyguard.
"Well, Akane, it looks like you'll have your way soon. The Columns have already gotten rid of most of the other countries' Meisters, Aswad is gone, and you've seen the best Garderobe has to offer. Nothing can stop you now."
The ruthless warrior simply grinned.
In the lobby of a small inn somewhere in Windbloom, a young woman was watching a live feed of Nagi's announcement. The girl's dark blue hair was tied in jagged pigtails that shimmered softly in the lighting of the crowded location. Her right hand rested over a small decorative box sitting on the table in front of her, and her left hand silently clenched into a fist as the Mjolnir's ability was demonstrated.
She used her right thumb to flip the top of the box open, revealing a ring and an earring that she stared at for some time. The set was entrusted to her by a close friend who had passed away a few months ago, and she silently debated over whether she was worthy to have it. After a few moments, she closed the box and placed it in a pocket in her rugged commoner blouse. She turned toward the door and quietly walked out of the inn alone.
It was a cheerful spring day in Windbloom's town park. Akane sat on a bench happily chattering with a group of other girls her age. Most of the crowd was wearing various street clothes, with her being one of the only two or three girls dressed in red maid uniforms assigned by Garderobe.
The group gradually shrank over time. It seemed every time a boy passed by, the number of girls talking to each other on the long bench became smaller. Sometimes one girl would quietly leave arm-in-arm with her male companion, and other times a small pack of girls would chase after a certain boy while giggling. Every day, Akane was ultimately left by herself until it was time for her to report back to the academy. This day was no different, and Akane's break would soon end.
As she observed the bright scenery around her, she noticed a handsome young man of about 15 or 16, barely older than herself, busy in his studies on a bench across the park's pathway. She knew who he was, but was far too shy to introduce herself. Maybe it was just her imagination, but it seemed this boy always came to this specific part of the park every time she was on leave, as if he was patiently waiting for her to build her courage. She had briefly even thought maybe he was just as scared as her and was secretly trying to gain his own confidence, but she decided that would have been silly. What would an important nobleman see in her, a lowly Coral with plain brown hair, brown eyes, average test scores and barely competent fighting ability? She wasn't even close to being in the top three of her class.
Akane quietly gasped to herself when she saw the boy slowly lift his eyes from the textbook on royal history he had been reading. His eyes met her own for a fleeting moment, causing a deep blush to form on her cheeks. She quickly bit her lower lip and stared into her lap to hide her nervousness. Butterflies then swarmed through her stomach when he closed the book, stood up, and began walking toward her. Before long, he stood in front of her and offered a friendly smile.
"Excuse me, madamemoiselle, but may I have this seat?"
Akane saw he was referring to the space next to her on the bench, and she instantly became starry-eyed.
"S-… sure!"
He carefully placed his study materials down and sat on the bench to face her.
"I'm sorry if I sound rude, but I couldn't help but notice something seems to be bothering you. Is anything wrong?"
She shook her head while smiling when she replied.
"I'm fine. And you can call me Akane."
The boy gently took her right hand and lightly kissed it on the back. The butterflies in Akane's stomach now flew up to her heart.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Akane. I'm Kazuya."
Akane noticed something about his speech and actions seemed stilted, as if he was reciting what he had learned from some sort of courting manual. Perhaps her brief assumption that he was unsure of what to do in this situation himself was true after all, but she still thought she was being too hopeful.
"I know. You're from the Krau-xeku family, right? They say you could be the Emperor of Chaldea one day."
Kazuya seemed to frown slightly, as if this fact bothered him somehow.
"Yeah, I'm part of the imperial line. It's in a roundabout sort of way, though. I'm only studying to be an adviser right now. It would basically take a war to get me on the throne in my lifetime. I hope the world stays at peace and that never happens, though."
He suddenly looked down in disappointment.
"I doubt I'm fit to be any sort of leader, anyway."
When he raised his head, Akane gave him a cheerful smile and spoke in a bubbly tone to boost his confidence.
"Don't say that! If it ever happens, everyone will be counting on you, Kazu!"
Akane blushed out of embarrassment and turned her head slightly away after accidentally calling Kazuya by the shortened name she had given him.
"Umm... do you mind if I call you that?"
Kazuya only jokingly laughed before replying.
"That's fine, Akane. If anything, I kind of like that nickname."
When Akane glanced toward him again, the red in her cheeks slowly faded. Kazuya soon spoke again.
"So, are you sure there's nothing bothering you?"
Akane's voice became softer now, and her words timidly left her mouth.
"Well, actually, Kazu…"
She became quieter still as she continued.
"I've been watching you for a while, and I just want you to know I… I kind of like you…"
After her words trailed off, she laughed nervously and her voice returned to normal.
"I'm sorry. I must sound so weird. I've never done this sort of thing before."
In the next moment, Akane felt her heart skip a beat as one of Kazuya's hands rested affectionately over her own in her lap. She then heard him speak in the same shy tone she was using seconds earlier.
"I haven't either, Akane."
Akane instantly understood what his words meant. She did nothing to hide the small tears of happiness growing in the corners of her eyes.
"You mean you…?"
Kazuya answered with a simple friendly nod.
"You're the first one I've ever wanted to be together with, Akane."
His voice's original strength now returned.
"Would you like to discuss this over dinner sometime?"
Akane nodded vigorously.
"That would be great, Kazu."
Akane and Kazuya spent the next few minutes discussing how they would meet. They were careful to consider Akane's busy training schedule, but were soon able to find ample time to spend together. When their first meeting ended, the two new acquaintances parted their separate ways feeling much more complete in life.
Akane looked forward to the next time she would see Kazuya with innocent enthusiasm, and she now had the inspiration to work hard in her studies. She would become a strong Otome, for him.
And trying to be a strong Otome was what got him killed.
Akane's eyes abruptly fluttered open and stared at the dresser in her darkened bedroom in Windbloom's castle. She had been dreaming of how she had first met Kazuya many years ago, and it felt like her own mind was beginning to torture her. She began trembling, causing her to greedily pull the covers on her bed closer to her chest. As she remained in silence, she felt tears begin to fill her eyes. She quickly stopped herself from weeping by roughly squeezing her eyelids shut.
In only a few more hours, Nagi would use his invention to end the War of the Five Columns. The only thing Akane could calm herself with was the fact all the Otome in the world would soon share the pain she felt.
Archduke Nagi sat on Windbloom's throne monitoring an ornate pocket watch in his hand as he sighed in boredom. Akane was standing by his side wearing the Broken Heart Malachite Robe, and the muffled sounds of intense combat and shells bursting on the ground were heard coming through the closed doors of the empty throne room. Outside of the castle, Garderobe's disorganized forces and the few countries of the world still left with Otome had frantically formed a single front to make a pathetic final strike against Schwarz. The invading army was currently falling into a stalemate against Nagi's Slaves.
After a few more seconds, Nagi's boredom abruptly ended and a sinister smile crossed his lips. He closed the pocket watch and placed it in his dark imperial uniform before standing up. He then yawned before speaking.
"Well, it looks like it's about time to end this."
Suddenly, the large double doors in the front of the throne room were blown apart in a vibrant explosion. Out of the rubble came two figures ready to challenge Nagi and his bloodthirsty Otome.
The first figure was a Meister Otome dressed in a green and blue Robe, holding a golden lance that was shaped roughly like a large tuning fork. Beside her was her impromptu contract master, a blonde-haired man wearing a nobleman's outfit and bearing a signature scar between his eyebrows. He was a veteran who had lost most of his memory as a result of injuries he sustained in the previous war Nagi had caused, and he had been living a simple life in a rural area with his new Meister before fighting broke out again. Against his protector's objections, he had insisted he should come with her in person after he agreed to sponsor her for this battle. He had done so out of a moral imperative he couldn't completely explain himself, and his Otome finally caved in to his conditions when he reminded her these were potentially the last few hours they would be alive.
The Archduke of Artai reacted with brief surprise to this intrusion. He spoke when his plotting grin returned.
"Oh. Welcome back, Nina."
The silver-haired monarch snickered upon studying the Otome's Robe.
"So Mashiro gave the Neptune Emerald to you? I figured she had pawned that dusty old thing off before she died."
He turned toward her colleague.
"And you got some banged up amnesiac to be your master? You guys must really be desperate."
Nina Wang firmly gripped her staff in both hands. Her eyes briefly looked toward Schwarz's Otome before they glared back at Nagi.
"What did you do to Akane, Nagi? Can't you ever do anything without brainwashing one of us to help you?"
Nagi smirked in jest.
"I haven't done anything to this Otome except give her the ability to do what she always wanted to do."
He closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.
"Besides, it's not my fault Garderobe insists on using weak-minded women to fight the world's wars. My methods simply expose the flaws of such a system."
Akane remained silent as Nagi spoke, never changing her icy demeanor. Nagi now sneered toward his challengers.
"Speaking of which, have you visited Erstin's grave lately, Nina? I still haven't thanked her for how easily her sacrifice reduced you to a puppet."
The blue-haired Meister's temper suddenly flared at these words, but she was quickly calmed when her master stepped in front of her and spoke.
"Listen, Nagi. I may not remember a lot about you, but I have no trouble figuring out I've always hated you."
The archduke simply scratched his head as he replied.
"Ah, Sergei. I see you're make great progress in regaining your old habit of being an insolent fool. I should have finished you off the last time I had the chance."
The Schwarz leader snapped his fingers, and Akane silently stepped forward and shot a sinister glare toward her enemies before summoning her tonfa at her sides. Nagi continued speaking as she positioned herself for battle.
"I'll have that mistake corrected this time."
He turned and began walking toward the doorway that led to the lower quarters of the castle.
"I'm going to start up Mjolnir, Akane. Keep these ruffians tied up so everything goes off without a hitch."
His Otome answered his commands coldly.
"As you wish, my lord."
When Nagi safely disappeared into the shadows of the hallway leading to the castle basement, Akane turned back toward Nina and Sergei with sadistic intent.
Nina suddenly felt conflicted over what to do next. She was now rapidly running out of time, and the lives of every Otome on the planet, down to the youngest Corals who had hardly learned to fend for themselves, were at stake. However, she felt deeply sympathetic for Akane, as the sight of the troubled girl reminded Nina much of herself when she had been manipulated into serving Nagi in the previous war. She was nearly certain Akane had been tragically toyed with just as she had been, and she believed Akane couldn't be entirely responsible for the things she had done for Schwarz.
To Nina, killing Akane without a second thought would be like killing a reflection of herself. It would be the ultimate form of hypocrisy, as Nina was only alive thanks to the second chance her close friends had given her. If she were quickly able to help Akane come back to her senses, it was possible the misguided Otome could join her side and increase the chances of the invasion forces stopping Nagi's horrible plan.
Nina carefully made her next move against Akane.
Fight her: Go to Chapter 42
Reason with her: Go to Chapter 43