“REN!!”
The joint screams of the girls echoed into the rain as they watched him take off on Cerberus, soon turning into a white shimmer before disappearing entirely. Ritsu gulped, trying to catch her thoughts. Her idol had raced off into the mountain pass to deal with the detachment by himself – and as much as she thought the world of him, even she knew that going up against a Servant was nothing more than a suicide mission.
Her breathing quickened as her thoughts raced. She needed to do something but what? What could she possibly do? All she could think about were the boxes and boxes of items of the deceased back in the storage room – of people that she had met and gotten to know even a bit yet would never be able to see or talk to them again. Images of going through the boxes and seeing Ren’s stuff there immediately began flashing in her mind as she felt bile clawing up her stomach to her throat-
“Senpai!”
Ritsu blinked, and suddenly she was standing in the camp, the rain pelting down around them as the roar of the battle echoed from behind. In front of her was Mash, looking concerned. She had gripped her arm and had shaken her to bring her back to her senses. “Senpai, please,” the shielder pleaded. “Ren-senpai needs help – he can’t do this alone. What are your orders?”
The redhead blinked again, then reached up and slapped her own cheeks, splashing rainwater all over her face and catching Mash by surprise. The stinging pain and the cold water brought her back to her senses. Mash was right – he needed help, and like hell was she going to let him die like some heroic idiot! If she couldn’t stand up to her idol now, then when the hell would she, damnit!?
“Let Nero and the legate know where Ren ran off to!” she barked out as she marched over to a nearby supply rack and hauled up a shield. It was surprisingly light all things considered. All the better for her. “I’ll contact Chaldea and the other Servants and try to get backup! I’ll meet you back up on the battlements!”
Mash blinked as she watched Ritsu lift the shield, then nodded. “Yes, Master!” she acknowledged before dashing off, far faster than any human ever could.
Meanwhile, Ritsu lifted the shield above her head – right as an arrow thudded right into it. She blinked in shock at the tip of the arrowhead poking through the other side, then growled as she raised her other hand, turning on the communicator. “Roman, we got trouble!” she barked as the holographic image popped up. “Ren’s run off by himself to intercept a URE detachment – one that has Leonidas in it!”
Roman, who had been eating a bun, immediately started choking before grabbing the mug of coffee nearby and chugging it down to clear his mouth. “ He did WHAT?! ” he screeched. “ I’ll hail him and monitor his progress! He’ll probably ignore me, but I’ll keep tabs and relay as much as I can!”
“Appreciate it,” Ritsu replied gratefully, grunting slightly as another arrow hit her shield, this time bouncing off and plopping into the mud beside her. “Also, see if you can find any leylines or something nearby! We can try to bring someone from Chaldea in to back him up!”
The doctor blinked, then nodded. “ I don’t think there’s any nearby and I’m not sure if Chaldea’s energy supplies can handle it,” he growled. “ But I’ll do what I can to make it work on my end. I’ll be counting on you, Ritsu!”
“Leave it to me, doc,” she reassured him before cutting off communication. With that, she began running back towards the battlements, scowling as more arrows hit her shield. Stepping back up, she quickly made her way to where Nero and Mash were standing. She glanced over at the battlefield. It didn’t seem much has changed at all, with the soldiers still blindly marching through the flames and Servants. The piles of charred and sliced up bodies had gotten bigger, but that was about it.
“Auxiliary Fujimaru!” Nero called over, her face grim. “Auxiliary Kyrielight has informed me of the situation. While I applaud his initiative in dealing with such a threat, we cannot send him in alone! However, as you can see…” She glanced over at the battlefield and sighed in frustration. “We still do not have the capability to send any forces as backup.”
Ritsu thought hard – and despite the seriousness of the situation, a smile started appearing on her face. “And what if we free them up?” she asked.
“Master?” Mash asked questioningly.
“Leonidas isn’t among the forces here, so we don’t have to worry about him crashing the party,” she explained. “And as many as they are, they’re no match for our Servants. So instead of waiting here, why don’t we take the fight to them and get this done sooner? Once we have some breathing room, we can send someone over to Ren!”
Nero blinked in surprise, then nodded with a grin. “An excellent idea, Auxiliary!” she commended her. “Let us relay the change in plans promptly! I will notify the legate as well as Lu Bu and Jing Ke!”
Ritsu nodded before turning to Mash. “I’ll be safe here,” she assured her. “Get out there and cause some havoc!”
The shielder blinked in surprise before her expression hardened into determination. “Yes, Master!” she cried before vaulting over the battlements into the ground, charging with a wild war cry before smashing into the first soldier with her shield. Its armor and body crumpled up into a mess before being launched back by the sheer force with the blow.
As Mash joined the battle, Ritsu immediately contacted all their Servants. “ Heads up, all ,” she quickly stated. “ Ren left to take care of a detachment that has Leonidas in it. So-“
She was immediately interrupted as expected by all three Servants. “ He did WHAT?! ” they screamed.
Ritsu didn’t think Loki would have that kind of reaction either but frankly, she wasn’t going to ask about it now. “ Yes, I know, my hero is apparently a brave dumbass, ” she agreed quickly. “ So, change of plans! I already have Mash joining you on the front lines. Joan, Loki, push forward and start carving your way through them! Work with Lu Bu and Jing Ke to clear them out! Tamamo, stay here just in case!”
With that, the momentum of the battle started changing as Joan, Mash, and Lu Bu began advancing, cutting down the horde in front of them. The few soldiers that slipped past them were incinerated by Tamamo’s spells. Before long, the front line was getting further and further as the three carved their way through the United Roman Empire forces. In the meantime, Asisculus went to organize a relief force to dispatch as soon as he could.
The redheaded Master watched as they all worked. Soon, they would be freed up enough to rescue Ren and knowing him, he would most likely be able to survive by then. They would rescue him. And she was absolutely going to let him have it.
“I’m idolizing the most heroic idiot that currently walks the Earth,” she muttered in exasperation. “What is my life.”
----------
Ren was terrified.
Although he put on his ‘Joker’ persona (figuratively), seeing an entire line of Roman soldiers in front of him, spearheaded by the Spartan King himself was frankly utterly intimidating. They had their full attention on him, which was precisely what he wanted – and it made things even more terrifying for him. This wasn’t the Metaverse, with all the benefits that it came with. This was the real world, which limited his options.
He blinked, and suddenly, he was facing the massive horde of policemen right outside Sae’s Palace. The regular policemen coupled with the armored Special Assault Team officers, also wielding shields and armed with batons. The phantom pain of one of the latter ramming his head with the butt of his gun still resonated with him, albeit not as bad as getting his leg stomped on in the interrogation room.
Then he blinked again, and once more, he was on top of the mountain, the rain falling all around him as he faced down the soldiers. Not good. He needed to concentrate.
“You would name yourself a jester and stand before us?” Leonidas asked, the disbelief and even faint amusement clear in his voice. “Well, I must admit, it would seem to be a laughable act you are putting on were you simply a mere fool-” The Phantom Thief had to snicker privately at that descriptor. “-But you are no mere fool, are you?”
Ren smirked again and shrugged, raising his hands. “Who can say?” he asked lightly. “Maybe I’m a fool, maybe I’m not. Maybe I’m graced by the gods, maybe it’s all just an illusion.” So saying, Lachesis vanished and was replaced with yet another burst of blue flames – a similar looking young woman in grey garb, except holding a spindle high in her hand with a thread stretched out: Clotho, the Weaver of the Thread. There were more cries of shock from the sentient men among the force, though Leonidas seemed undaunted still. “And maybe I have only one trick up my sleeve… or a thousand,” he finished. “So, your majesty, would you and your men care for a performance?”
This display had a twofold purpose – aside from intimidation, he had also been checking on his personas. The Moirae Sisters felt a lot less tiring to summon than most of his personas, barring Arsene. He already tested Cerberus earlier on the way over. Olga had done good work with her astrology in the Velvet Room, but the real test was yet to come. Right now, he was playing for time, but if he knew anything about Leonidas, talking would only forestall him and his men for so long. Still, every second counted.
There was a moment of silence from Leonidas. Then there was a low chuckle before he burst out into full, hearty laughter, the sound booming over the rain. “I must admit, when I was summoned for this campaign, I had expected it to be a rather dull affair!” he admitted. “But now you have my interest! Very well, Joker! We shall partake in your performance!"
The Spartan King raised his spear and pointed towards Ren. “Legionnaires!” he roared out. “Push through the enemy!”
The Roman soldiers silently fell into formation, shields forward with pilum spears poking out, and they marched past Leonidas towards the Master. “And here we go…” Ren murmured. He felt his circuits warming up as Clotho waved a hand over at the soldiers, a wave of energy washing over and surrounding the soldiers as well as Leonidas. The Servant blinked in surprise and shook his head as if clearing his mind, but then…
“Wh-what the- why are we here? What’s going- Company HALT!”
Leonidas turned in genuine surprise as a column of soldiers halted – and another plowed right into them, knocking all of them down. Similar remarks of confusion rang from the officers as the march was quickly thrown into chaos. Hearing the sound of wet footsteps, he whirled about to see Ren repositioning.
“Atropos!” Ren called out.
Another of the Fates burst forth, wearing darker clothing with an odd headdress. She held a pair of shears in her hand – Atropos, the Cutter of the Thread. Pointing with her shears, bursts of lightning sparked among the collapsed soldiers. Conducted by their metallic armor, they were electrocuted on the spot and left as cinders on the mud-soaked battlefield, taking out a good twenty or so soldiers, perhaps more.
And yet more marched forward, silently trampling over their fallen brethren with spears bristling through their shielded formation. Leonidas slammed his spear against his shield. “Rally to me!” he roared, immediately garnering his officers’ attention. “Where is your discipline?! We have our objective: The enemy camp! One man stands in our way! Eliminate him and continue our march!” The officers quickly moved in a panic, trying to rally their forces to push forward.
And yet, despite his disappointment in his own men, Leonidas grinned with eager anticipation underneath his helmet. This young man, this jester, this trickster, had powers he hadn’t seen before. He was cunning and clever. He was strong. This was easily the most interesting thing he had seen throughout this entire campaign.
This Joker had better not disappoint him.
----------
Soldier after soldier. Column after column. The tide seemed endless.
He pulled out every trick he could. Lachesis froze the soldiers in place as an impromptu barrier, only to be smashed to pieces by their cohorts without any hesitation. Atropos electrified the soldiers while Cerberus incinerated them – and they marched right over the charred corpses. Clotho kept causing the officers to forget their mission and sowed confusion among their ranks, which became less and less effective as Leonidas simply took command and, in the end, dismissed the officers.
Ren thought he saw Leonidas literally kick an officer off the cliff for ‘gross incompetence and cowardice that would never be tolerated in Sparta,’ complete with shouting the last word, but at this point it might have been exhaustion.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The Phantom Thief grunted as he plucked out an arrow that had pierced his armor – though not through his Chaldean Master uniform – and tossed it on the ground as he loaded another cartridge into his gun. He had retreated with Cerberus a fair distance from where they started – to the point he could see the cliff ahead of him – and hid behind an outcropping of rocks. There wouldn’t be anywhere to retreat to at this rate.
His circuits were burning from the strain he had put on them and his vision swam from exhaustion. Even with his boosted personas, there had been so many of them and so relentless that he still used far more energy than he expected. He even tried to end things quickly by having Atropos electrify the boulders above them to cause a rockslide. It succeeded – until Leonidas literally jumped up and swatted the rocks aside.
Taking out a water bottle, he took a quick swig to soothe his parched mouth and throat. How many did he take out? Maybe fifty or sixty? It was hard to count when he was in the middle of fighting like this. And it still felt like there were a lot of them left. A shame this wasn’t the Metaverse – a quick drink and a snack later, he’d be back up and running on full steam, no problem.
Already, he could hear the marching of the soldiers against the mud getting louder and louder. His only reprieve had been the fact that they had been taking their time and simply marching as opposed to rushing him. That and the fact that Leonidas had been quietly observing him this whole time. Honestly, he expected the king to step out and immediately take him out, but he seemed content to just watch.
‘ Seriously? ’ Ren thought, flabbergasted. ‘ This is a full-on war and you’re testing me? ’
Taking one last breath to steady himself, he ran out from behind the boulder. “Lachesis!” he roared out. The Measurer of the Thread once more appeared in a blaze of blue fire. With a stroke of the thread, the muddy ground underneath the soldiers immediately froze solid, causing the soldiers to start slipping on the unexpected slick terrain. Some managed to retain their footing and keep marching but others fell, causing the ranks behind them to trip and fall as well, starting yet another domino effect.
Ren winced as he felt his energy drop and his circuits blaze again like someone was pressing a branding iron to his skin. Despite that, he had to grin. The grouped up Roman formations may be intimidating at first glance, but they were quickly becoming a weakness for his powers, given the area they could cover. Plus, thanks to how narrow the place was combined with the speed of Cerberus meant they couldn’t hem him in either.
His eyes widened as another volley of arrows were fired. “Cerberus!” he cried out. The sister of Fate vanished to be replaced with the white lion once more, which Ren quickly mounted. Racing away, the arrows fell into the mud below well away from Ren. Halting some distance away, Cerberus roared as fountains of flames sprouted from the ground, incinerating more soldiers – which did nothing to even slow down the march of the soldiers as always.
The Phantom Thief gritted his teeth as he dismounted, his muscles screaming in protest. He raised his gun and fired at their legs, punching holes that wept transparent liquid as more soldiers buckled, once more slowing those behind them. Just regular bullets worked fine – the special bullets could pierce through several at once but frankly, that did basically nothing. It didn’t even slow them down. Headshots apparently had no effect on them, though shots to their hearts did. The problem was their shields and armor blocked both his bullets and his aim, making it tremendously hard to get a good shot.
“Atropos!” he roared. The Cutter appeared once more and electrocuted yet another batch of soldiers – to be replaced by yet more. He gritted his teeth. While he was thankful for how slow the soldiers were moving, the pace of the entire battle frustrated him. It wasn’t like back in the Metaverse where the fights were usually quick deals or tense moments, or even back in the other singularities. Here, it was just a slog where it seemed the goal was closer to completely exhaust him rather than kill him.
A shiver ran down his spine as he glanced past the soldiers to Leonidas, who was still watching impassively. Was that his goal? To exhaust him so much that he’d be easy to capture after getting a good look at his capabilities? A second later, he dismissed the thought. If Leonidas wanted to capture him, then he would have many, many better ways of doing so, whether it was getting the soldiers to swarm him and capture him like the cops once did, or simply doing it himself.
He snapped out of it in time to notice a line of soldiers moving on the far side, trying to move around and past him. A pair stopped and nocked their bows in full view. The first arrow he dodged by jumping aside. The second arrow, however, thudded through his armor right into his shoulder, sending a shock of pain through his tired body.
Ren glanced down at the arrow sticking out of him. It thankfully didn’t burrow all too deeply thanks to the armor, but it was apparently enough to penetrate his clothes and cut into his flesh. He reached up to yank the arrow out – and barely dodged a soldier that had marched up and nearly stabbed him. Rolling out of the way, he winced as the arrow dug into his shoulder from his contracting muscles.
“Arsene!” he roared.
His other self burst forth, his red coat and wings fluttering in the air with a malevolent laugh. Fountains of pure darkness erupted underneath multiple soldiers as the persona flew forward, cutting more of them down. While the soldiers were distracted, he reached up and plucked the arrow out of his shoulder with a grunt. He did a quick check. The arrowhead was wet with his blood. He scowled as he tossed it aside. At least it didn’t get stuck in his shoulder like how arrows were designed to be.
Still, with Arsene out, he wouldn’t be able to summon Pixie to fix himself. Well, it should be alright – it wasn’t exactly hurting all that much aside from some stinging. He should be able to handle it. But until then, there were more soldiers to deal with.
‘ How many more are there…? ’ Ren thought sluggishly. ‘ How many more do I have to…?’
----------
He kept fighting, giving ground bit by bit as the soldiers relentlessly marched on despite his best efforts. He kept switching between Lachesis, Clotho, Arsene, and Cerberus, using the latter to give himself some distance to recover and regain what little energy he could. More injuries accumulated – a scratch from a spear on his leg, a rock falling on his head causing it to bleed, and other small cuts and bruises. The adrenaline was pumping in full force as he raced about, making sure no soldiers got past him but even then, his stamina was heavily flagging.
Before too long, Ren was surrounded by frozen or charred bodies of the soldiers all around as he knelt against a rock, struggling to breathe. He wasn’t sure if his vision was blurry or he was literally steaming right now. Given how hot his body felt and his circuits felt like red-hot metal seared onto his bones, the latter wouldn’t even surprise him anymore.
He lifted his head up, feeling like he was carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders. There were approximately ten soldiers left, still marching towards him. Leonidas hadn’t participated at all in the fight and still stood there, watching. Any words he had for the Spartan king, be they questions, snarky remarks, or boasts, he almost literally had no breath for.
‘ My other self ,’ a voice growled within, impatient and worried.
‘ Yeah, I know,’ Ren sighed back. Arsene could sense his exhaustion, and frankly he couldn’t blame him. He was running on fumes at this point.
Gritting his teeth, he clawed the rock as he brought himself back up to his feet and stumbled forward. His gun felt so heavy in his hand. No way would he be able to aim properly with it. With a flick of his hand, the gun transformed back into a knife. “Arsene,” he panted out. The red-coated persona once more appeared. Normally, it wasn’t that much of a burden to summon even at the beginning, but with his flagging stamina, even this felt far too much.
Instead of rushing forward like before, Arsene waited for the soldiers to march up to him. Ren didn’t have much energy for anything else at this point. He needed to conserve what energy he could. He watched as the soldiers came closer… and closer… and closer…
Arsene kicked out with his bladed legs, slicing up a soldier as they began surrounding the Persona. A few continued marching towards Ren instead, who gripped his blade tighter. He could barely manipulate Arsene as he was right now and if he disappeared, all the soldiers would turn their attention towards him. He needed to limit how many he personally had to deal with.
As the soldiers approached, he could see that their expressions were utterly unchanging but most terrifying of all, they had no eyes whatsoever. While he believed Morgana, seeing them personally was a far different matter entirely. It certainly made it easier for what he needed to do next.
Shambling forward, he made a wide slice to the first soldier. The knife, made by one of the greatest geniuses that walked the planet and infused with the fang of the legendary Fafnir, sliced right through the shield like it was made of paper before closing the distance. Ren stepped in before the soldier could react, and thrust into the chest, the blade easily piercing through armor, clothing, and bone. That done, he shoved the soldier away, causing transparent liquid to spurt out as it fell to the ground, motionless.
Arsene cut down another. Eight left.
A soldier thrust forward with his spear. Ren stumbled to the side, the spear deflecting off his armor as he closed the distance. Grabbing hold of the spear to keep the soldier still, he rammed the knife right into the soldier’s chest, causing it to spurt out more transparent liquid before it was shoved away. Arsene had lashed out with its claws, slicing apart two more soldiers.
Five left.
Turning around, Ren’s eyes widened and he ducked – barely dodging a pilum spear that sailed right where his head had been and landing well past him. The soldier drew his gladius and marched forward, shield in hand once more.
Despite his exhaustion, he had to smirk. These soldiers may be well trained, but they certainly weren’t all that adaptable. He shambled forward once more, his knife raised to slice apart the shield once more – and was rebuffed with a shield shove that sent him stumbling to the ground. Ren had to catch his breath and bearings in surprise from the counter, his head spinning in circles – and barely rolled out of the way of the soldier stabbing down at him.
He scrambled to his feet, his heart hammering in his chest as fresh adrenaline flowed through his body. That was far, FAR too close. He really should stop getting complacent about enemies. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Arsene cutting down another soldier and engulfing another with another fountain of darkness. Three left.
This time, Ren waited for the soldier to approach. Approaching carelessly like before almost got him killed and frankly, he couldn’t afford the energy at this point. He could barely even lift his knife as he struggled to keep his vision on the soldier. Shield in hand, gladius ready, the soldier approached carefully. Suddenly, he moved his shield and thrusted at his belly. Ren stumbled again to the side, grabbing hold of his outstretched arm. Pulling him close, he cut apart the shield and finally stabbed the soldier’s chest, kicking it away from him once more.
This time, the motion caused him to stumble backwards, landing on his rear in the rough mud and rock, his hands scraping against the gravel. Arsene had dispatched the last two soldiers and vanished in a flash of blue flame. Ren struggled to breathe, doing everything he could to retain consciousness. His body ached from both his circuits searing into his flesh and his sinew and bones protesting even the slightest motion. All he could really see at this point were corpses.
Approaching footsteps caught his attention. He forced his gaze up and saw Leonidas standing above him, still holding his spear and shield. The king’s gaze was unreadable yet calculating. The Phantom Thief gritted his teeth and pushed himself up before collapsing back on his knees again. Everything of his burned and ached. He had absolutely no energy left. He couldn’t even summon Pixie to fix what few wounds he had left. All he could do was glare defiantly at the Spartan king.
If this was the way he was going out, he could at least look the man in the eye.
Neither of them moved or spoke as the rain continued to fall around them, the water flowing around the scars of the battle and on the solitary two figures. Leonidas stepped forward… and his spear and shield disappeared in his hands as he reached down and pulled up Ren by the arm. “Can you stand?” he asked quietly.
Ren blinked in surprise, then let out an extremely weak chuckle. “Heh, I c-can… go all day…” he panted out. Despite his boast, he could barely stand properly. It took all he had to even keep upright like this, let alone even move.
The Spartan king blinked in surprise, then laughed loudly. Leaning down, he took a fallen spear and handed it over to the Master. “You won’t fight well without proper arms,” he noted with a grin. Ren again blinked in surprise, then took the spear and used it to prop himself up – again, barely. Leonidas nodded in satisfaction before walking off to where he came from.
The Phantom Thief only watched in surprise as the man kept walking until he reached the cliff edge. He looked down pensively, then shook his head. “It would seem you’re the victor this day, Joker!” he declared.
That caused Ren to look up in surprise as the king turned back around. “Your forces have pushed my own much further than is acceptable,” he explained as he walked back towards him. “My flanking maneuver was thwarted by you. Even if I go down by myself now, there would be little point. You would’ve bought them enough time to simply rally and turn right around to fight me off. Whether you are killed here or not is irrelevant at this point.”
Leonidas smiled broadly. “You may be no Spartan, but you are without doubt one of the finest warriors I’ve met,” he finished. “Take heart – this is your victory indeed.”
Ren blinked again, then chuckled weakly. “Thanks for being so agreeable,” he muttered out, nearly tipping over on his spear. “So… what now…? Are you going to retreat and regroup?”
The king shook his head. “I have no desire to,” he admitted bluntly. “No – my only wish today was to see if the Roman Empire was worthy of standing up to us. Indeed, it is, but I wished to test my strength personally. After all, if you cannot best me, then how can you best those that stand behind me?”
The Master’s mouth fell slightly open. “Wait,” he grunted out. “You’re not calling the shots here?”
Leonidas shook his head. “Not I,” he confirmed. “My cohort, Julius Caesar, is not the one in command either, and neither is Romulus. No, the one who summoned and commands us is a strange magician in a green suit. Looked like a vicious fool overall, but he’s undoubtedly our Master.”
The Phantom Thief’s jaw dropped open. “Lev?” he growled out in sheer disbelief and exasperation. “Lev of all people is the one behind all of this? Why am I both extremely surprised and unsurprised at the same time?” Then Ren stopped as he processed Leonidas’s words more. “Wait,” he continued. “You mentioned one more name – Romulus?”
The Spartan king nodded. “Indeed,” he confirmed. “The progenitor of Rome himself stands against you. This information was meant to be kept secret at all costs, but for your valor, you deserved to know. I’m unsure if you’re aware, but we do not wish to be victors in this war. After all, our purpose is to defend humanity, not annihilate it. We only go with our Master’s plans because we must, but no more.”
Ren could only stare at Leonidas, then chuckled weakly once more. “Lev really isn’t good at this, is he?” he noted with a smirk.
Leonidas laughed with him in turn. “Indeed not,” he agreed heartily. “Now then, Joker, let us head to your camp. I still wish for a worthy fight and I will not find it here, not with you utterly exhausted. You still say you’re our host, correct? Then you must invite me to your home.”
Shaking his head, Ren only breathed out another chuckle. Right – Greeks were sticklers about hospitality, though at least Leonidas was being nice about it. “Right this way, your majesty,” he mumbled as he began limping along, using the spear as a walking stick. Leonidas easily stayed beside him, seemingly enjoying the walk despite the slow pace. Despite the wounds, his pain, and the exhaustion, Ren felt a bit lighter than he had in a while.
Then up ahead, he saw a contingent force of Roman soldiers appearing over the cliff face, spearheaded by a desperate emperor Nero, Mash, and Ritsu – who all stopped as they witnessed Ren shambling towards them on a spear while Leonidas walked casually beside him. The Phantom Thief gave a tired little smile and waved. Nero could only deflate, Mash sighed in relief, and Ritsu buried her face in her hand as the Spartan king laughed loudly. Ren in turn could only chuckle.
He had won.