PHASE 74 - THE BOLD DECLARATION OF WAR

There’s roughly a week before Helena’s Return. Eliseo is doing great on her training without anything interrupting his mind. Key-chan, Asumi-nee, and Miss Emily are also doing their best to perfect the spell that could possibly defeat Helena.

Regarding Heushac, I don’t know what he’s been up to. For the past week, he’s been skipping classes just to overwork himself on his special secret training. Even the others have no idea what that training could be, but he said that everything will be fine.

I’m also working hard to be strong. I have completely mastered how to trigger my and practiced spell on our goddesses. Last time, I managed to snatch three God Cores from Helena. With the help of everyone this time, I think we can do it for sure.

For this day, my very own boyfriend is facilitating my training.

We’re inside the wide hall of the shrine. The wooden floors of it are now wet because of our dripping sweat. Rikkun is equipped with boxing pads, and I’m punching them with my boxing gloves. He’s been tutoring me effective ways on how to infiltrate defenses for two hours now.

“Let’s do it again,” Rikkun said as he circled the pads in front of my face like a taunting mantis. “Assault Pattern Delta.”

“What’s Assault Pattern Delta again?” I lowered my boxing stance and tilted my head.

“Did I just waste two hours for teaching you something that you would forget immediately anyway?” Rikkun hit his own forehead with the pad. “Rush! Body! Body!”

“Y-Yeah, I remember it now!” I raised my gloves.

I did the assault pattern something. I ducked while still in guarding position, and rushed towards my trainer. In the nick of time, Rikkun positioned the pads to guard his kidneys.

“Haaaa!”

Bam! Bambam! I made three consecutive swift hooks hitting his boxing pads. Then, he jumped back to gain distance.

“Again!” Rikkun shouted.

“Haaa!”

Bam! Bambam! I made the same punching combination! This time, I made it powerful, so Rikkun flew and crashed to the wooden wall of the hall.

“Gahack!”

“R-Rikkun!” I cried as I rushed to my battered lover. I immediately removed the punching gloves and used on his aching back. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

“It’s fine. You’re doing good. Use together with that technique, and you’ll defeat Helena for sure. Ahahahaha…” Rikkun forced a laugh. But his stare at me is telling me that he won’t be training me like this ever again.

When he’s completely healed, I helped him remove the boxing pads on his hands.

“L-Let’s take a break…” I said.

<>

We sat on the cliff of the waterfall of the shrine (the one which he peed) while enjoying the music of the loud splashing water from below. The skies are blue, and the morning sunlight never stings at the moment. It’s quite windy that it makes me want to sleep, especially that my loved one is beside me.

I leaned on his shoulder as I closed my eyes and savored the romantic moment. His hands crawled unto mine and locked to each other. The warmth of his palms never fails to remove the coldness of my fear.

“...Rikkun… Are you scared?” I asked him.

“Of course. Everybody would be scared if they are ought to fight a genocidal swordswoman who has the power of seven gods. My never gave me anything, so I’m worried that we might lose some friends again.”

I clenched my fist as I gave Rikkun a piece of my mind. “...If it happens to turn out like what happened on the Christmas Raid, then I-”

“You will not sing the without the twelve God Cores. You promised me.” Rikkun’s voice contains a pinch of anger.

“Then promise me…” I pulled my face out from his shoulder and stared at him eye-to-eye. “Promise me that you won’t die again.”

Rikkun smiled. “I promise.”

He raised our locked hands and forced it to open wide until our palms and fingertips touched each other as if we’re making a long high-five. I can feel the dried scars on his palm and fingers, which is the sign of his hard work in wielding a sword. I started to examine each and every detail of our hands.

“A boy’s hand is bigger~,” I said with an innocent smile.

“But if it’s you, darling… I won’t find it strange if your hand is bigger than mine.” Rikkun returned an oblivious remark. “Your hands are similar to those of a boxing champion.”

Did my boyfriend just tell me that I’m manly?

Something inside my brain snapped. I closed my fingers, squeezing the delicate hands that I used to admire.

“How about my grip strength?” I retained my smile.

“Ow! Owowowowow! Aaargh! I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Let go! Let go!” Rikkun cried as he heard his own hand bones crack.

But I won’t let go. It is the price to pay for insulting his very own lover. I am extremely careful about my hands. I always had it healed whenever I sustained a scratch or wound. I put lotion on it every day so that it would stay soft and smooth. I even had it manicured so that it would look pretty, and yet here he is, comparing my hands to those boxing champions...

Snap!

“Aaaaargh!” Rikkun’s cry echoed to the whole mountain.

He won’t be able to wield a sword for the whole day.

<>

At night, Rikkun made a special conference. All Aether Crusade members are present, including Asumi-nee. Our shrine maiden head is a pseudo-member of the Aether Crusade and she’s needed in our operation against Helena after all.

The blonde prince is on the podium, asking each and everyone’s report progress. And I’m just beside him, as his secretary. I’m in charge of taking notes.

“Key, how are the four goddesses training?” Rikkun asked.

“The four goddesses are ready to cast . Lord Venus, Lord Haliya, Lord Hel, and Lord Athena can cast it with no problems. I think polishing can only improve our performance by roughly 5-8%, which is quite irrelevant. We four are also in excellent condition.” Key answered in a monotone.

“Good.” Rikkun nodded with a smile. Then he shifted glare to our emo and gangster members who are seated at the far right corner of the conference room. “Benedict, Drex. How is the surveillance on Helena doing?”

“There are no changes on her address, my dude,” The spiky-haired gangster Drex answered. “She’s still living a normal life in a secluded village near the town proper of Dradecim. I take it that she ain’t leaving the house soon and it looks like she’s waiting for the one-month deadline religiously.”

The main reason why Drex and Benedict don’t have much of screen time, because, for the past month, they are in charge of finding Helena. They found her whereabouts during the second week of the countdown, and they proceeded to watch each and every movement she makes from afar.

“I’m surprised you haven’t been found out by her yet. I thought you two would die.” Rikkun said.

“Actually…” Drex scratched his head. “She already found out that we’re watching her since the third day. She even confronted us two but didn’t even raise a sword against us. She said that she sees us like ants, not worthy of being killed. She also said that she’ll let the Aether Crusade know her whereabouts, on the condition that nobody except the members of the Aether Crusade shall know where she is. If we tried communicating with the Black Cross and other Legions, she’ll wreak havoc again.”

“Oooh… Still bold and arrogant of her godly strength, isn’t she?” Rikkun held his chin.

The leader of the Aether Crusade succumbed into a five-second deep thought and then stared at Helena’s little brother, Heushac. “How about you, Heushac? How’s your secret training?”

“I’m ready to kick my sister’s ass!” Heushac flexed his biceps that is now full of scars.

“I hope you’re not skipping classes just to masturbate,” Rikkun smirked.

“I’m not! I’ve trained hard to become powerful that can surpass the gods!” Heushac said as he held his hips like a superhero.

Somehow, we all doubt what he’s saying. But we can’t say for sure until we know what his “secret” training is.

“Great,” Rikkun said. Then he gazed at me. “Tiara and I are also good to go. My and Tiara’s are more than sufficient enough to fight Helena when she’s weakened by .”

Rikkun closed his eyes as he inhaled softly. He stared at each and everyone’s eyes as he speaks out his thoughts aloud.

“Since everybody seems to be ready…”

There was a long pause. All of us went silent as we wait for the arrogant king’s words. Then, he made a bold proclamation.

“...Tomorrow, we attack Helena!”