Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume1 Chapter7 (section)

===Part 2===

“Princess.”

“Your highness, please put down the gun!”

While the soldiers called out to her, Princess Vileena merely looked straight ahead, meeting Ryucown’s eyes. Perhaps due to her determination, there was no trace of hesitation on her snow-white face.

“Princess, how far will you go with this military spirit?” Ryucown said with a sigh. “If… Yes, if I show my resolution in front of everyone here, my determination, just what will you do? We can just stick to the old ways and never accomplish our ideals, and in the end, even if we do get out of this battle, things will stay the same. Isn’t it better if you choose the most beneficial outcome for us both?”

“Then hurry up already. I’ve already found my resolution.”

“Princess!”

“Don’t come any closer!”

Noticing that the soldiers were trying to close in on her, Vileena suddenly backed away. She didn’t move the pistol from her temple even a little, but they still inched in closer.

“Please look, your highness.”

Ryucown pointed toward the pillars on the opposite site, behind which the flames of war kept going on.

"Look at the armies of those mindless Mephian and Garberan camps who, despite their overwhelming numbers, are struggling against our courageous men. Do you not understand what this represents, your highness? Putting aside the cowardly Mephians, the Garberan army has fallen into chaos. Indeed, they are wavering because they can’t decide whether to follow me or not. They do not blindly follow the royal family, and are wondering if those who follow my path aren’t truly the ones protecting this country. This is the answer the people of Garberan have found.”

Following Ryucown’s words, his men raised their voices.

“Princess, please recognize our cause.”

“This battle is for the true pride of Garbera. Please understand!”

Looking over at them, Vileena’s eyes met no hostility. There wasn't any hostility in her eyes as Vileena looked out over them. Her eyes even seemed to be sad. From the start, she could never bear them any enmity or ill will. For, in their hearts, they all loved Garbera, and they all loved the flower of Garbera, princess Vileena.

“I don’t want to!!” the princess cried out that instant, but for what?

She knotted her brows, had tears in her eyes, and with the pistol still pointed against her head, yelled like a child throwing a tantrum.

“I don’t want to! I don’t want to! I don’t want to!!”

“Vileena-sama!”

“This is the Garbera that grandfather loves and father nurtured!” Vileena said, one tear spilling from the corner of her eye. “Why? Why do such…?”

“Stop uttering nonsense.”

Ryucown was backed by a belief that could not be shaken by anything, not even words from an oracle of God, but he got interrupted by someone he hadn’t expected.

“Don’t call it nonsense!”

With a voice as if coming from the abyss, his words made Ryucown and Vileena look his way. Ryucown, although he had completely forgotten about Orba until just now, sardonically said “Don’t move,” and again pointed his sword at the gladiator. However…

“That sword, give it back.”

“Give it back? What are you talking about? This is…”

“Six years ago,” Orba said.

For some reason, the rebel general gasped in surprise and completely swallowed his words. There was now another intensity in his gaze as he looked at the gladiator getting up from the ground, as he listened to the words.

“Six years ago… you were still aspiring to be a knight but were already more of a knight than others. Now it’s different. To fulfil your own ideals, you’ve raised a sword against your liege. You even tried to threaten her with death. Why are you gambling your life? You’re so damn intoxicated that you’re deaf to the words of your own liege who’s also gambling hers. Ryucown, you’re not even a knight anymore!”

As Ryucown was about to bring his blade up for a strike, and with everyone's attention focused on the princess, Shique took the chance to break out of his encirclement.

“Take it!”

That instant, Shique tossed over his sword and Orba caught it square on, as if the two had planned it beforehand. Then, Shique broke into a sprint and moved behind the princess, snatching the gun from her hand and pushing it against the nape of her neck.

“Princess!?”

“Your highness!”

“Don’t move!”

As if he hadn’t heard Shique’s words, Ryucown moved in to slash at Orba. By reflex, the gladiator stopped the blow and the two started crossing blades again.

“What are you doing!?” Ryucown said in between with a demonic scowl on his face. “We can’t let a Mephian kill the princess. Seize him!”

Shique clicked his tongue. The mix of terror and confusion on the soldiers’ faces began to fade as they looked at each other. It was now or never. If he waited for the enemy to make a decision, he would be back to being outnumbered.

He had to move… but where to go?

“Sir Gladiator.”

“Huh?” Shique blurted out in a shocked voice.

The princess he was supposed to be holding hostage was the one to take the initiative.

“This way,” she whispered under her breath, using her chin to point at the airship stowed nearby.

In an instant, Shique’s thoughts were the same as hers.

“Got it. It’ll be a little rough, though.”

“I’m used to it.”

Immediately after her reply, Shique coldly aimed his pistol ahead of him and fired. Before its the menacing sound faded away, he grabbed the princess’s thin shoulders and began to run. Vileena boarded the airship. While Shique got into the seat behind her, she immediately fired up the engine. Emitting ether, the craft lifted the two of them up in the air.

“I’ll bring reinforcements! Wait for me!” Shique called out.

However, at this very moment, the princess hesitated. Within the great hall were the heroic Mephian soldiers and the loyal followers of Vileena’s royal family, wishing to restore Garbera to its ideals. They had the courage to put their lives at stake together, and now Vileena had to neglect them.

“Princess!”

As was to be expected, Ryucown’s face paled and he started to run straight for the airship. However, the image of a steel blade flashed before his eyes. Spitting at the ground, he met Orba who was charging right into him.

“Go!!” Orba roared.

He blocked a strike that would’ve sliced his head off, followed by two, three sharp blows. Then he yelled out again.

“Vileena, move!!”

The princess stared at him as if struck. Then, shaking off the soldiers who tried to catch up with her, she flew the airship into the night sky. And, just like that, it melded into the dead of night and disappeared.

“If it’s come to this…” Ryucown said, baring his teeth as they crossed swords, “Should I just give the order to kill the princess along with the Mephian army?”

“What!?”

Orba’s breathing grew heavier. The black blood had been the main current in keeping up his strength, but it was about to run out. He didn’t know what to do, didn’t know if he could finish what he had started, and didn't know if he could do anything but watch as things were snatched away from his hands just like always.

But, Orba had a sword – an embodiment for his boiling blood.

“Someone like you—”

“You bloody—!!”

Both their voices overlapped along with the ring of the blades. Although their views were different, with their hearts carrying the same emotions, they weren’t so unalike after all.

''I won’t let you stop me!''

Blocking Ryucown’s sword while adjusting his own footing, Orba moved to the left, to the right, lunging at his foe, but his blows were equally blocked.

''Maybe I just need a little bit more strength. It’s all I have left…''

If something was blocking his goal, be it lofty ideals, deities, dragon gods – Orba would likely challenge it with only a sword in hand.
[[Image:Rakuin no Monshou v01 299.jpg|thumb]]

But at this moment, Orba was falling back into his old habits. As soon as his opponent seemed to fall into the defensive, Orba used the chance to dive right into him. But, having been waiting for such an attack, Ryucown immediately turned to avoid a stabbing hit, and swung his sword at Orba.

It was just like Orba had seen it six years ago.

Immediately after sparks scattered into the air,

“Gahh…!”

There was the sound of a wail, along with a spray of blood.

Ryucown's blade was bounced off Orba’s quickly drawn sword. Ultimately, he was the one who took the invitation. Expecting to go for the kill, the rebel general had mustered all of his strength into this strike, completely losing his posture. Orba had blocked the counterattack by raising the flat of his blade before him.

Although, he still had to pay a price. A hole was drilled in the upper right part of his mask, creating a clean crack down to the middle.

“Splendid.”

Ryucown struggled to speak as he collapsed, face-up on the floor, coughing up blood.

“Until a few moments ago, I could see a nation of knights… but was this my limit? Tell me your name. I, Ryucown, won’t rest in peace if I’m defeated by a nameless man.”

“Orba.”

Other than Ryucown, none of the soldiers present could hear him say his name.

It was unclear whether it gave the man solace, for Ryucown could not utter another word as only a cough of blood escaped his lips before he closed his eyes. Orba only stared at him in silence.

The man who had slipped into the enemy camp with only a select few people and defeated the rebel Bateaux, now lost his life in the exact same way. The irony of these, later to be described as ‘Ryucown’s last moments’, would be the talk of ages to come.

“Milord!!”

“He killed Lord Ryucown! Don’t leave a single one of them alive!!”

The soldier’s fighting spirit was mixed with rage. The gladiators who’d also rushed into the hall formed a circle around Orba.

Just then, about a dozen ships that had gone for an attack on the Mephian air corps came back for supplies. These soldiers realized what was going on, and they all pulled out swords and guns and surged onto the uppermost part of the fortress.

Breathing heavily, Orba thought,

''Is this the end?''

It was but a fleeting thought in the corner of his mind. During his two years as a gladiator fighting to the bitter end, there were multiple times when he’d thought the same thing. And each time…

''I won’t let it end here!''

Each time he had encouraged himself. And right now, with many swords pointed his way, and many guns aimed in his direction, Orba tightened the grip on his sword.

Slowly but steadily, Ryucown’s men closed in. Orba was tempted to step out of the encirclement, but the sword slaves silently stood with their weapons drawn, guarding him. Either side had the relentless urge to kill, and they were ready to turn into colourless bullets charging toward each other, clashing into one another, and exploding when...

In that instant, they could hear a battle cry washing over like a tsunami wave. Visible from the uppermost balcony, an army surged towards them on the outstretched plains like wildfire.

Ryucown’s men clenched their teeth, feeling despair, and what would have been a grim decision. They were still prepared for death, willing to fight until the last man standing. And at the very least they wanted to take revenge on the person standing before them who had killed their general, Ryucown.

But now, the Mephian army was approaching them.

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, one of the soldiers cried out with the excitement of a child. Illuminated by a line of fire, fluttering through the night sky, was the symbol of their birthplace, where they wished to one day return with heads held high, and of the nation that they had heartbrokenly cut off from – the Garberan flag.

They looked up in astonishment, several seconds after hearing the sound of a unique airship.

“It’s over…! It’s all over!!”

Just like when it had taken off before, she nimbly jumped from the airship and onto the balcony – Princess Vileena.