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Chapter 25: Taking Earth from his Horns

Beta-Reader: Ant0nius

This isn't just a good aftermath.

Adela was gritting her teeth, doing a fine job hiding away most of her frustration. She had to keep a solid composure before the rest. Two Crests had been put out of commission. Grace had an injury that she was going to recover from in due time, while Carmesi… her condition was far from stable. Differently from last time, the injury she received was healing far slower than predicted. Chaos particles festered within her and lessened the powerful natural healing factor granted by her connection with the Gods, thus any treatment that could be applied was also having weaker results than those would normally provide. She was possibly going to recover this, but there was a higher chance she was going to form some scarring due to this skirmish.

“Apologies-"

“Once again, Ambar, that wasn't a burden you had to take care of," The young queen interrupted, the fellow redhead's humble attempt to shift the issue on her hand doing little to soothe her nerves. “It's upsetting, but I see no reason to blame you on this matter."

“I could have been more 'forceful' while handling Minos. It would have given me the chance to intervene."

A sigh left Addie's lips. “The Emperor was behind this attack. Crests' powers aren't able to do much on their own against him."

The Narakhans had been the ones to confirm this. He had taken over the guard that had tried to capture Gracie, using this chance to fight off Carmie and deal a serious blow to their morale. If Carmesi died due to this, the repercussions would shake the rest of the war effort. It would be a massive disaster.

“...Still, I believe this could have been avoided. It would have-"

“What do you want me to say, Ambar? That it is your fault? What does it do to you or me or Carmesi?" Adela snapped, her angry eyes aimed at the stunned Wisdom Crest as she didn't seem to have expected that outburst. “It's not your fault. A battle can't be completely controlled, not when you're part of it. What you can do within it is do your best and hope things solve fast and well. It's not always the case and… one shouldn't blame themselves when the direct cause of this is the Empire and its forces."

“I… I see."

“What about you? What about your injuries?"

“I'm mostly well. I shall be fully operative by tomorrow," The Bear Prime replied tensely. “I believe you wish to be left alone for the time being."

A sharp upset formed within Addie's mind, and this one, different from the rest, was aimed at herself for failing to keep her cool in this circumstance. She closed her eyes and nodded.

“Yes please."

The holographic conversation ended and the queen resumed her quiet pace towards the hospital bay, where she had been alerted that Grace had woken up and was able to speak with others. She was already imagining Theo already there, giving support to the weakened Love Crest, but as the Coyote Prime walked into the bay, she was a bit confused when she didn't see any human in sight. That was quite odd and… yet, that didn't matter considering that Grace had managed to somehow stand up from bed and make her way to one of the chairs near Carmie's bed despite the considerable amount of painkillers in her body.

It wasn't much of an impressive feat, but if one took into account the Gazelle's own perception towards medical recovery, it sounded like a surprise she actually disregarded her medic's words to remain in her bed. Addie's lips twitched as she finally moved her green-eyed gaze upon the still-resting Fire Crest. Carmesi's body was doing well, if not slightly 'paler' on her face because of the blood-loss she went through. Most of the worry centered around her midriff, right where her stomach was struck and some of the organs there were damaged. It wasn't a pleasant sight, but she knew it could have been worse. Much worse.

Walking up to Grace, the Crest spared her a quick look and a nod, quite the somber look on her face as Addie calmly sat beside her. Silence reigned for a few seconds, but soon Adela sighed at her friend and quietly wrapped her arm around her shoulders. The Gazelle Prime didn't hesitate to lean to the side, her head resting on the young queen's shoulder as they both stared at their hurting friend with pure sorrow. This wasn't a good situation to be stuck in and she knew Grace was feeling this the most due to it being the first time she actually came this close to losing someone she cared for.

The situation wasn't as grim when it comes to the diplomatic route. The battle on Sandir showed Humanity that this kind of attacks could happen on Earth without them having a chance to properly predict the Imperial invasion. If China had been reluctant to heed any warning before, now that this happened in their own homeland was quick to shake them off from their skepticism. A summit was indicted and she had been invited to speak on behalf of all Primes. Surprisingly enough, Addie was accepted as the universal leader for all Primes on Earth by all major chiefs spread over the globe; unsurprisingly enough, she was also requested to hold a convention after the summit to instruct what were going to be the rules of engagement. That very notion had her think back about that pressing question that kept on coming within her mind.

“Did Theo pass by to check on you two?"

Grace blinked, a soft frown appearing on her face. “Not really. You're the one that comes to check first."

…

'This is odd.'

Knowing the human, he would have been there, clinging by Carmesi's side until she healed up properly. This was unusual but also… incredibly worrying as there were two possible ways he could react to this kind of situation. One was keeping by his friends' side or-

“Archie?"

The Spirit took just a moment to materialize a hologram to her position.

“Yes, ma'am?"

Something about his tone felt strange about his voice. Older? More mature? Yet his frame was still the same from at a first glance. Still, Adela returned to her main confusion, trying to make sure everything was really alright as she hoped it was.

“Where is Theo?"

…

The spirit remained oddly quiet, her eyes narrowing on the hologram as she could tell Archie perfectly knew where the Grand Knight was. But why was he keeping quiet about it, and why did it feel like she had all the reasons to feel concerned by this situation.

“Archie-"

“I tried to argue with them that going now would be risky, but they didn't listen," The Spirit interrupted. “They weren't willing to stand down and took a small group of infiltrators to strike the Imperial ship. Theo, Pulsar and Xeanica- They left two hours ago and..."

“A-And?" Gracie pressed and the spirit sighed.

“They are actually succeeding. The enemy ship is suffering through the numerous bombs that were employed to damage their shielding system and the hull itself," Archie elaborated with a shocked tone. “I… I will be honest, ma'am. I think this is the most actively aggressive I have ever seen Theo being. This exceeds any performance by a mile. He is currently breaching into the final halls leading to the command post."

“Wouldn't he still find issues with their numbers? We know that there aren't just a few inside and-"

“A revolt, ma'am. A large contingent of Imperial Primes and Narakhans have switched sides as soon as the attack started and have been fighting by the Grand Knight's side. It would seem that the morale was running low despite the 'draw' at Sandir."

It was good… yet still bad on Theo. Because, while he looked to be driven by pure anger and good reasons, and that his plan was working well-beyond many expectations, that doesn't mean she was keen to forget the very promise he gave her when he was last captured due to some reckless execution. Instead of merely listening and keeping quiet, Adela knew that there was a single way to push the point across.

“Archie, I want you to listen to me clearly. Remove any plans that I might have in the six hours ensuing his return. I want to have a serious conversation with someone that clearly failed to heed my words," The young queen quietly ordered, the spirit nodding solemnly, while Grace gave her a look that further manifested confusion as soon as Archie left them.

“What are you planning to do?"

“...It will be fun. For us. You're joining me in this punishment," The Coyote Prime elaborated, only confusing the Love Crest some more with that. But soon things became clear when the queen leaned closer to her and whispered her plan by her ear. Grace's eyes widened and she inquired some more about how that worked and…

_ Why did they need a rope for that. _

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The sight of a wounded Carmie had… enraged me.

The way she was hurt really put her at risk or dying and… and part of me was angry at myself. Not because I wasn't there to help, but because I wasn't back in that hospital bay to make sure she recovered alright. Anger was a terrible drive because not only it gives you a sense of purpose, but it also clouds any judgment that one has when completely coated in that furious sensation. I was pissed, I was worried, and I wasn't planning to let this go any further. Minos was dangerous and so the guard was somehow possessed by the Emperor. It reminded me back then, when it all started. When Queen Rehema was killed by someone she trusted, when I couldn't do anything beyond holding Adela back when we fled the dying monarch. That very memory was recalled just for the similarities in this scene.

My hands were shaking just at seeing the horrible state in which Carmesi was found. A normal individual, human or Prime, would have died on the spot. The extent of the damage was so that it was just thanks to her limited Crest-related healing factor that prevented the ultimate worst. But that was where I saw Carmie really close to dying due to a fight. It all happened so suddenly and it shook me to the core. It didn't help that Grace got incredibly close to being captured once again by the Empire. They got close to get her and, knowing the Emperor's mindset, she wouldn't have been a prisoner for too long. Too dangerous, she would have been seen as a liability and killed before she could have used her powers on others. I forsook for the occasion the promise I had made with Addie. Yes, I was aware of what risks I was running by doing so, but I wanted to go- I really wanted to make them pay more than before. And I knew that the young Queen would have kept me back because that would have been too risky. So, I just went on with it on my own. Convincing Pulsar was fairly simple. He had been impacted by that development as much as everyone else.

At first, it should have been me and Pulsar, but Xea's own interest to take part in the assault came as a surprise and minor blessing. She mentioned that 'they hurt Gracie and Carmie', and she couldn't look away from that without some retribution. Part of me really wanted her to stay. What if she wasn't ready? Sure, she knew how to fight as the recent training sessions confirmed but… one thing was being physically ready, another was being mentally prepared for the struggle of fighting and even killing people like you. This was a war, and it was going to turn uglier once the rest of the Empire arrived to wage a true conflict with Earth and Prism. This was where things were going to reach its climax and closure.

This was where the Emperor would end up dead.

Still, this was the Water Crest's first real battle and… she handled herself quite well considering all factors tied to her age and mindset. Sure, She paused a few times over some of the Narakhans that were killed in the struggle, either allies or foes that had fallen during the intense fighting in the ship, but, during battles, her hesitation was missing, her sense of duty and discipline prevailing and avoiding any tripping during each move. It was only when the combat was over that I could see her posture easing back into that state of nervousness she was keen to show frequently during the whole engagement. I could already see that there was a problem with this, and I planned to talk with her about it once the assault was over.

“Minos is keeping by the post," Pulsar hummed curtly, gaining a nod from us and the troops joining this blitz through the vessel's depths.

His attitude was definitely ten times more serious than usual due to the reasons driving them to this daring operation, gone any mirthfulness as his current goal lacked any sense of 'easy-going' visible during spars. I would even go as far to say that it was the most strict I saw him, his expression betraying none of the pure anger that coursed through him. A friend, a family member, a sparring buddy- Carmesi was important to him as she was for the rest of the crew. We weren't leaving this ship until we found the man responsible for that attack and dealt with him as quickly as possible.

The situation was pretty stable, with more than half the ship having switched sides and having taken steps into disabling any dangerous elements that could have stopped our advance. Most of the vessel was under our control. Sem was leading the rebellion to a success while we proceeded to take out the last real threat within the ship, Minos. There were only a few small groups of resistance that were quickly dealt with, leaving a mostly clean road to our current destination. It wouldn't take long for us to finally find the command post and put an end to this.

The room was mostly empty as a large number of soldiers had already left the premises to either try to stop the rebellion or outright mutiny from Minos' command. The big guy was sitting in the central chair of the post, his red eyes showing personal irritation, but for some reason dulled by a sense of defeat and concession. He knew this was where he would face his last defeat.

The Earth Crest slowly stood up, and his posture showed for once that this wasn't the mighty warrior that we had faced a while ago. He looked slightly weary, his bandages still stained in red blood and his hold on the war-hammer was less tighter than in previous occasions. Ambar had dealt him a serious defeat. The Wisdom Crest didn't leave that brawl without her own injuries, but Minos lost the most during that confrontation, something that I knew was going to impact his capacity to fight in this situation.

“So you came… for my defeat."

“..." I didn't reply, merely approaching him, sword unsheathed and ready to fight.

“No clever taunting? Not even an insult?" The Bull Prime mocked, almost sensing a chance for amusement moments before this unavoidable brawl. “I guess this is you being serious now. I wonder if that will be enough."

I didn't deign him with any words, there was nothing to give him except the fight he was looking for. He was too weak for a prolonged fight, but I could see it, deep in his soul, that he wanted it to be a glorious last stand. Minos moved first, his hammer rushing from the side and trying to bash me away. I ducked quickly, dodging the attack and striking forward, hitting his left leg. A grunt, the Earth Crest stammered at the sudden pain, giving Xeanica the time to distract him with her chakram. The circular blade soared fast, creating a modest slash on Minos' right shoulder. His grip over his hammer further weakened. Pulsar's ice started to encase the foe's legs, this time there was no time to react or counter each of the trio's aggressive patterns.

But then something changed. Minos started to use his powers to their maximum intensity. First, he threw his hammer on the side, with a wide-eyed Xeanica jumping away just in time to see the weapon approaching. Still, that was a good enough opportunity to also swing on the other side and strike at Pulsar. The Hamster Prime raised his arms just in time to cushion the powerful counter, the knockback pushing him away from us. It was just him and me, a wild smile appearing on his face as he tried to pull the same thing it happened when I was first captured. He grasped my head with his left hand, squeezing pretty hard, but instead of just squeezing, he prepared to punch me directly on my exposed side with his other hand. I gritted my teeth, all that anger just bubbling in a single intense moment as I used my own left palm to counter it. The punch slammed onto my hand and… it stopped, albeit barely.

I felt my magical reserves suddenly drained a lot, the power needed to stop that momentum absurd but still manageable considering that would have caused an actual earthquake. My arm's bones started to ache at the sudden pressure, but I could feel it - deep down something emerged to match Earth with… Earth. I had been experiencing 'minor' hints of this kind of magic, but I didn't have the chance to use it… until now, as I faced its main representation. Red eyes widened in surprise as I stared back with twice the intensity back at Minos. He was soon surprised when I broke free from his hold and proceeded to deliver a sound uppercut. A shockwave echoed as the Earth Crest looked utterly stunned by this turn of events, with this being one of the rare times where he actually lost his footing in a fight as the hit forced him out of the ice and a few inches above ground and… that surprise didn't do much beyond setting him up for a brutal defeat. The same fist that forced him up was soon slamming down in a ferocious punch, an Earth-powered mini-earthquake which struck Minos and instantly drew him unconscious due to its intensity.

I stared at the situation with a ferocious glance, almost feeling the need to go the extra step and go through the hassle to find his successor just to not face him ever again. I was angry but… not as much towards Minos as the direct culprit of what happened to Carmesi. I felt something shift by the side, Xeanica called my name as a smiling possessed Imperial Knight rushed at me with its chaos-imbued sword. The blade was stopped by mine, the sick smile on the guard and its golden eyes with dark sclera just added to the disgusting sight in front of me.

“Finally, you're here and- W-WHA-"

My free hand easily grasped the bastard's neck, lifting him off the ground as I gave him an annoyed frown. I couldn't win against the Emperor, so I wasn't going to fight him at all. And the only way to deal with this was fairly simple.

“No," I muttered quietly before charging some Light Magic and slamming my forehead onto his. The effect was instantaneous as the chaotic influence was instantly purged by the violent magical infusion. His eyes were quick to change from that demonic look onto soft and stunned green ones. Before I could do anything to him, someone else spoke.

“Don't do it," Xeanica muttered. “He is already defeated."

He was dangerous, he should have been killed before he became a threat but… I could only find fear in his gaze. He was defeated, as Xeanica said and… I sighed. I released the stranglehold, letting him fall down on the ground as he started to apologize profusely at my feet at the situation and… yep, this was awkward. The battle was over and soon a group of mutinous guards arrived with Sem leading them within the command post. They quickly secured Minos while the Death Crest himself decided to deal with 'Kayin'. The battle was over, the wounded were retrieved and the dead troops were taken to be given proper funerals.

I went back with the other Crests with a slightly relieved but ultimately somber take on the entire circumstance. It definitely didn't 'heal' Carmie, but it was something that prevented any further pain from unfolding anytime soon. As we returned to the main ship, I saw the stern and tight look on Addie, she barely looked happy at our return and she was quick to yank me away and back to the dorm rooms.

_ I could only imagine what Adela had in mind to punish me about that. _

-------d-d-d-d-------

This wasn't what I was expecting. Definitely not within the realm of possibilities I had explored.

I had to give it to her, Adela knew when to bring new and unique things on the table to outright set me in a rather awkward situation. Grace was involved too, being the one that, as the queen restrained me, tied me up with some reinforced rope and threw me in the bed. I wasn't sure where this was going despite how there were two possible logical developments, but Addie decided to drag the situation a bit longer before passing on to the punishment phase.

“Do you understand why you are in this situation?" She asked with a solemn tone and I slowly nodded. “And please, do speak."

“...Yeah?"

“And you know what you did was wrong, correct?"

“I plead the fifth."

“We're not within US borders," Adela replied mirthfully. “And yes, I now finally know what that means and… your attempt is denied."

I sighed at that failure, “Mostly."

The Coyote Prime hummed, pondering about it for a while before allowing the answer. “I suppose I can see some points favoring your line of action. But we also agreed to talk about those."

“We did," I admitted without hesitation.

“And yet you still went out of your way to go through this unsanctioned operation."

“Yes."

“Despite the fact that you were going to be punished once back from it," Adela pressed, a confused frown appearing on her face.

“That's correct."

“And… Why are you being so honest about it?" The queen asked, a bit disappointed from the way her voice sounded.

“I have… reasons to believe that if I lie, I might get hit. Like… Grace, can you put down that paddle?"

The Love Crest hummed, a strange sense of amusement coming from her as she tightly held close to the wooden tool. “I think I will not."

“Oh… so, what's exactly going on here?"

“Considering you disobeyed a direct order from a royal sovereign. YOUR royal sovereign at that, so that makes twice the heinous deed you committed," The redhead hummed as she sat by the bed, leaning closer to my face. “We have roughly six hours of just me, you, and Gracie here."

“We're going to have fun," The Gazelle Prime purred in a rather uncharacteristic manner. “Addie and me. You're being punished~."

'I think this place is no longer safe for me.'

“C-Can we at least talk about it? It sounds-"

“Nope. That's how it happens now, you talk, we talk, and you get off with minimal repercussions, buster," Adela interjected with a growing smile. “But for the next six hours, there won't be a single word uttered if not as a reaction for the intense action we're about to put you through."

“I… I can't get away from this, can't I?"

“Sadly, this is your destiny… for the next few hours. Hope you're ready~."

_ Proving a point to them, I ended up being actually ready for this. They just weren't from the way they were at the end of that lengthy session of pure 'punishment'. _

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AN

Blep.