“Change the coordination mode! To anti infantry―, no anti mobile weapon!”
“Understood, changing the coordination mode. Target set as mobile weapon. Tactics optimization, changing to weapon preset F”
Having gotten back into control of Warlord, Elexis spat out orders to the artificial intelligence. That only continued for a short while, but since he was watching Shizuka attack the soldiers, Elexis started to panic. He had to keep the soldiers from being annihilated. To him, they were precious companions who shared the same goal.
“Let's go, Warlord!”
“Your opponent is me, Elexis”
But as Elexis was about to head towards the soldiers, Koutarou blocked his way.
“Get out of the way, Koutarou-kun! I don't have the time to deal with you!”
“I'm afraid I have to... that's what you told me just before”
While somehow managing to support his staggering body, Koutarou pointed the tip of Signaltin towards Warlord. He might be staggering, but a fierce fire still resided in his eyes.
“What can you even do now?! Are you going to fight in that state?! Stop this useless action and get out of the way!!”
“Come on now, that's not how it goes, Elexis”
Koutarou smiled at Elexis. He couldn't let Elexis go since his aim was obviously Shizuka. But Shizuka was strong. The collapsed girls would be better off being hostages than get caught up in their battle. It was because he was aware of this that Koutarou desperately struggled to stay conscious and stood in Elexis' way.
“Weren't you prepared to make sacrifices for your goal? Forget about your subordinates and fight me. Information on Theia and Elfaria, and taking my life was supposed to be your goal, wasn't it?”
“So our companions’ lives are on the line, for both of us...”
Realizing Koutarou's goal and resolve, Elexis changed his mind. In this situation, Koutarou would never step down. He had to defeat him first.
“Very well, let's finish this, Koutarou-kun”
“Don't think things will go the same as before”
Koutarou and Elexis both readied their weapons. Thanks to him summoning Alunaya, the battle was proceeding in Koutarou's desired direction. He was resolved to do this. He knew that with his armor so heavily damaged, he wouldn't be able to stall Elexis for long.
“...I have to at least buy enough time for Alunaya-dono to clean up that side... Everyone, lend me your strength...”
Koutarou muttered in a quiet voice as he strongly grasped Signaltin. Now was the time to use every power at his disposal. There was no need for it to be his own. Even a borrowed power would be fine. As long as he could protect what he wanted, Koutarou would use any power he could.
And as if answering his request, a girl's voice reached his ear.
”...I want you say those words to me first”
That wasn't a voice that had reached him as sound. Instead, it had reached him through the power of the sword in his hand.
“Your majesty?!”
When he first heard that voice, the first person to pop into Koutarou's mind was a silver haired girl. In the past, she had spoken those exact words. However, Koutarou quickly realized it was a different person. There was no way that silver haired girl would be here, but he thought of someone else who was.
“Sakuraba-senpai?”
”Fufufu, you already found out. I thought that was a pretty good act too...”
The voice belonged to Harumi. She also had the power to control Signaltin. That's why it called out to him the way the girl in his memories had.
“Why are you here? What about her majesty, Elfaria?”
Koutarou closed his mouth and sent his thoughts to Harumi. He didn't want Elexis to hear the rest of this conversation.
“If Signaltin's powers grow weaker, I will know, no matter where I am. That's why I had her majesty hide and came here”
Even after avoiding the unmanned scouts, Harumi and Elfaria hid in the mountain cottage. They believed it would be safer to stay in a place that had already been searched than to carelessly move around. Of course, she didn't forget to use a spell to hide any tracks, just in case.
That was when Harumi sensed Signaltin's powers greatly decreasing. That was a sign that Koutarou and the others were in an incredibly dangerous situation. So Harumi left Elfaria behind in the cottage and headed towards Koutarou.