The day after the clash with Ottar.
Everything is going exactly as Finn predicted… Currently, Tsuna and the rest of the allied forces were engaged in an all-out clash with the Rakian army.
The previous day, Tsuna had followed Finn's orders, using his illusions to thoroughly disrupt the Rakian tacticians, shatter the soldiers' morale, and completely mask Orario's troop formations. The enemy commanders were thrown into absolute chaos. However, Finn knew from past invasions that the Rakian patron God, Ares, was not the type of deity to simply give up.
Ares was a God of War, but he was notoriously simple-minded. That was precisely why he continuously launched invasions against Orario despite having absolutely zero chance of winning. Finn predicted that if illusions paralyzed the Rakian tacticians, Ares would lose his temper and order a full-scale frontal assault. And exactly as Finn anticipated, the entire Rakian army was currently charging headlong into their lines.
She isn't here… Tsuna scanned the battlefield. Despite the entire Rakian army participating, not a single soldier had utilized Dying Will Flames.
Is she really not in Rakia…? Ares's ultimate goal wasn't just to crush Orario; he genuinely dreamed of conquering the world. It made absolutely no sense for a simple-minded God who relied entirely on brute force to ignore a weapon as powerful as Dying Will Flames if he knew about them. The fact that the flames were completely absent made Tsuna seriously doubt whether Celua actually had any ties to Rakia at all.
"What the hell are yo—GYAAAAAH!?"
"S-Stay backkkkk!?"
"HIIIIIEEEEEE!!"
Suddenly, soldiers at the rear of the Rakian formation were sent violently flying into the air. Seeing their own comrades being massacred from behind threw the advancing Rakian troops into a total panic.
"W-What is that!?"
"What is happening back there!?"
Tione and Tiona watched in bewilderment as the Rakian army was systematically decimated by an unknown third party.
Did she finally make a move!? Tsuna immediately assumed that one of the soldiers had activated a ring acquired from the Grand Casino. He suspected that the cursed item had consumed the soldier's sanity, causing them to go berserk and indiscriminately slaughter friend and foe alike. Hoping this was the clue leading to Celua he had been waiting for, Tsuna's hyper-vigilance spiked.
The mysterious figure tore through the remaining Rakian soldiers in seconds, finally stepping into the clear view of the trio.
"That's…!?"
The attacker was none other than Bache Kalif, the Vice-Captain of the Kali Familia whom Tsuna had fought not too long ago. Her unexpected appearance left him completely stunned.
"Eh!? Bache!?"
"Why the hell is she here!?"
Tsuna wasn't the only one shocked; Tiona and Tione were equally bewildered by their former compatriot's arrival.
"You two know her?" Tsuna asked.
"Yeah… sort of…"
"…"
Seeing Tione's complicated expression, Tsuna decided it was best not to pry.
A short time ago in Melen, the Kali Familia had allied with the Ishtar Familia to launch a surprise attack against the Loki Familia, only to be soundly defeated. Afterward, the dependents of the Kali Familia—with the sole exception of Bache—had fallen madly in love with the male members of the Loki Familia. The once bloodthirsty Kali Familia had abruptly transformed into a paradise of lust, leaving their Goddess, Kali, holding her head in absolute despair over her children's sudden shift in priorities.
"More importantly, how do you know Bache, Tsuna?" Tiona asked, tilting her head.
"A lot of things happened…"
"Hmm."
Because he was strictly forbidden from discussing the raid on the Ishtar Familia, Tsuna dodged the question. Sensing he had his own complicated reasons, Tiona didn't press the issue either.
Having finished trampling the Rakian troops, Bache closed the distance and materialized in front of Tsuna in the blink of an eye.
"What do you want?" Tsuna asked, his guard raised.
"I came to see you."
"What?"
Bache didn't seem to be lying, but Tsuna couldn't fathom why she would specifically seek him out.
Is she holding a grudge from our last fight? Sensing an intense, unyielding resolve radiating from her, Tsuna assumed she had come to settle the score. However, during their battle, Bache had been pragmatic enough to recognize the gap in their strength and had calmly convinced Argana to team up. It seemed highly unlikely that a warrior with such a cool head would march alone into a battlefield swarming with Loki and Freya Familia elites purely for the sake of revenge. Tsuna was completely lost.
"Why are you here?"
"…"
Unable to deduce her true motives, Tsuna asked her directly. However, Bache remained entirely silent, staring at him intently.
"…l in… love…"
"Sorry, could you speak up?"
"I-I said I've fallen for you…!!"
"Huh?"
""Eh?""
Bache confessed her true feelings, her face burning bright red. Her sudden declaration left Tsuna, Tione, and Tiona frozen completely solid.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"
The sheer absurdity of the confession violently ripped Tsuna out of Hyper Dying Will Mode, and his panicked scream echoed across the blood-soaked battlefield.
Unlike the aggressive, predatory Amazonesses who had swarmed Hearth Manor, Bache had never shown that kind of blatant assertiveness. Furthermore, she didn't seem like the type of warrior to be completely swayed by her Amazonian instincts. Tsuna had never in a million years anticipated this development.
"T-That Bache just…"
"Y-You've gotta be kidding me…"
Having known Bache since childhood, Tiona and Tione were equally shell-shocked by the uncharacteristically maiden-like display.
"T-That is all I wanted to say!!"
"A-Ah, wait!! Hold on a second…!!"
With her face and ears flushed completely crimson, Bache ignored Tsuna's frantic attempts to stop her and sprinted away at breakneck speed, disappearing as quickly as she had arrived.
As a side note, when Finn later learned about this incident, it is said he felt profound, heartfelt sympathy for Tsuna.
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