"Kong-san, what do you think we should do?"
Sengoku threw the troublesome matter straight at Kong, hoping to avoid responsibility and make him come up with a solution.
"What should I do…?" Kong hesitated. He wasn't about to take the blame for this. Especially when it involved this mysterious Im-sama, just looking at them screamed high status.
If he made the wrong move and angered that person, wouldn't he end up paying for it later? Being "given small shoes to wear," as the saying went? No thanks.
"Got it!"
Suddenly, seeing the Gorosei walking over, Kong's eyes lit up. He made his decision instantly and pointed the problem right at them.
"Gorosei-sama, what should we do now? Should we join forces with this powerful one?"
"No, no." The Gorosei quickly waved their hands, shaking their heads. "You only need to stay here. Prevent the other side from escaping. Nothing more."
The others...Sengoku, Kong, even Kuzan looked surprised at first. But the Gorosei's reasoning was clear: Im was proud.
If they led people to interfere while Im had the advantage, wouldn't that suggest they didn't trust them?
That was a one-way ticket to getting chopped into pieces by Im-sama themselves.
"…Understood."
The moment they realized this, Kong and Sengoku backed off with knowing smiles, even taking two extra steps away for safety.
Clang!
As they retreated, Kuzan accidentally kicked something in the rubble, the metallic sound ringing out.
"Hm?" His eyes lit up.
Even if this place was in ruins now, it had been Mary Geoise—the Holy Land. Who knew what treasures might be buried here?
If I find something valuable, it could be worth years of my salary.
Kuzan bent down, heart beating a little faster. Surely it wouldn't matter if he picked up one or two little things in all this chaos, right?
"…Cola?"
When he saw what he'd kicked, his lips twitched. His little fantasy shattered instantly.
Not treasure. Just a box of Coke.
Still, disgust on his face didn't match his actions at all, he casually cracked open the case and pulled out a bottle.
"Sigh… guess this works too."
"Kuzan, focus." Sengoku glared, whispering sharply.
"Oh, oh, right." Kuzan flinched, realizing that maybe cracking open a Coke mid-battlefield wasn't the best look.
"Didn't you see Kong-san and the Gorosei are here? Even if you want to drink, offer it to the higher-ups first."
Sengoku scolded him like an old uncle teaching manners.
"Ohhh, right."
Kuzan immediately straightened up and handed bottles of Coke to Kong, Sengoku, and the Gorosei, before keeping one for himself.
"…"
The Gorosei froze, Coke in hand. Their faces went stiff.
Really? We're on the battlefield, and they're… drinking Coke while Im-sama is fighting for real over there?
"Ice," Sengoku added casually. "Kuzan, add some ice. Coke's no good without ice."
"…Got it." Kuzan nodded. Without a second thought, he chilled everyone's Coke with his powers.
"…"
The Gorosei were left speechless. For once in their lives, they didn't even know how to complain.
But after the last sip, Kuzan's sharp eyes spotted something else. Hidden at the bottom of the box, under the Coke, glimmered a fist-sized ruby.
"—!"
With quick reflexes, he snatched it up and stuffed it straight into his pocket, face as calm as ever. Then he popped open another Coke like nothing had happened.
Inside though, he was ecstatic.
Just this ruby alone covers years of salary. This trip wasn't a waste after all!
"…Kuzan this is not how a navy admiral should behave." Sengoku muttered when he noticed.
'Why don't I ever get luck like that?!' Sengoku thought inwardly.
"Right? If treasure shows up, shouldn't we split it?" Kong added, eyes darting around. "Everyone who sees it should get a share!"
Both of them suddenly started scanning the rubble too, greed practically glowing in their eyes.
"…"
The Gorosei grew more and more silent. Were they not paying the Navy enough? Why were a Fleet Admiral, a Admiral, and even the Commander-in-Chief scrambling for treasure like pirates?
And yet, while Kuzan sneakily lined his pockets and Sengoku nagged, the battle between Rain and Im had already reached its peak.
"It's now!"
Rain's eyes gleamed dangerously.
With his sword in his right hand, he crouched down, pressing his left palm against the surface of the Red Line.
"???"
Im frowned, baffled at the strange action.
"Zoom Out."
Rain's grin twisted into madness as abyssal magic surged from his hand. The invisible energy pierced straight into the Red Line, spreading outward like a virus.
This time, he didn't hold back at all.
Except for the bare minimum to keep himself standing, he poured all of his magic into eroding the Red Line.
Nearly a thousand kilometers of rock and soil fell under his power, eaten away in an instant. No one even knew how far the corrosion reached beneath.
And then—the entire Red Line vanished.
In its place, Rain calmly held a single stone in his hand.
"…Impossible!"
Sengoku, Kong, Kuzan, even the Gorosei—all of them gaped, eyes wide with disbelief. The legendary Red Line had just disappeared before their very eyes.
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