Very little passed the experienced gaze of Leonidas as he stood a distance behind the camp. He had forgone his helmet for now, allowing everyone a good view of his stern features and short-cropped red hair barely moving in the wind. By reflex, he had immediately pinpointed a plan of attack for the camp. Much like he had expected, the fortified encampment had absolutely no defenses from behind, not even a palisade. His forces would’ve had a far, far easier time attacking from behind than from the front.

Quite frankly, he would’ve criticized such sloppiness, but given the sparse amount of resources and manpower at their disposal, to be able to front such a considerable defense in the first place was impressive in of itself. That was to be commended.

He glanced over to the Roman soldiers dismantling the tent where he had resided last night. The emperor and her officers plumbed him for information – not as a war prisoner, surprisingly, but as a guest at the emperor’s insistence. The fare had been meager – some porridge with cheese and grapes, as well as watered-down wine – but given what Nero was like, he knew she would’ve thrown something far more extravagant if she could.

And speaking of the emperor… she wasn’t what he expected in the slightest. The Throne of Heroes had informed him that Nero was a ruler who lived in decadence and hedonism, having all her needs and wants provided for her and indulging in every whim. She was astoundingly intelligent and astute, but otherwise her rule was just one of many. Eventually decried as a tyrant, she ended her life by suicide. She wasn’t a warrior and barely a ruler – she had been merely a grandiose child from beginning to end.

Or so he thought.

During the dinner and talks last night, she had been listening intently to any and all information he had been giving. He could see her thoughts moving behind her eyes despite her forward demeanor, trying to detect any sign of falsehood or figuring out how best to utilize the information. It had been the same with her officers, who had been similarly considering their position in the war. It was a delightful surprise to witness.

The real test had been when he revealed that the holy progenitor of Rome, Romulus, stood against them. Her blade had been aimed at his throat before he even had time to blink. The visage of fury on the emperor’s face was something to behold, as well as the shock on her officers’ countenance. He wondered if they would break, but instead Nero simply issued orders to not even breathe a word of this outside of the tent before departing for the evening.

He expected her rage and perhaps even violence (though she couldn’t have really done anything against him as a Servant), but looking at her now, she simply seemed grimmer and trying to put on a brave face. It seemed the war had tempered her into something else, though she still had a long way to go. Then again, he couldn’t really say anything – he doubted his reaction would’ve been any better had he been facing a similar situation.

Observing the other officers, they were just as shocked and immediately began muttering among themselves what it meant. He wondered how the emperor was to keep their loyalty or, if she did, how she could keep their morale up. After all, he had seen many armies break under far less stressors than what the Roman Empire was going through. If they couldn’t resolve the issue now, then they would be extinguished like a campfire before the rising tide.

After they had left for the evening, lacking any books to read, Leonidas had engaged in his other time-honored hobby: Taking out a small kit, he began polishing his armor with a cloth and oil, getting any mud off while checking for dents and scratches. He also made sure all the buckles and fastenings are tight and secure, pulling on a few knots to ascertain their tightness or looseness, and cleaned out his helmet. Taking out a whetstone, he worked to true up the tip of his spear and the edges of his shield, making sure they were sharp yet durable.

Overall, the entire practice was pointless – as a Servant, his armor never lost its luster, nor his weapons their sharpness. Nor would it be much of an improvement no matter how much he worked on them. However, well-maintained gear often meant the difference between victory and death and thus, even if it was useless, there was no reason not to take some extra precautions with his equipment. It was also calming and prepared him mentally. He didn’t wish to put forth anything besides his best on the battlefield, after all.

Thus he stood, his bronze cuirass gleaming despite the lackluster light, his spear and shield in hand, ready for combat. It had already been discussed that he would face whoever they decided to bring out against him, and he would match them. They could even bring their entire army to bear if they so wished, and they would be faced with the wrath of the three hundred Spartans who stood alongside him against the horde of Persians. His only condition was that Joker would be among them – a request that was granted by the young man personally (much to the consternation of his comrades).

Then he noticed an entourage approaching: the emperor Nero with her officers, looking pensive or grim, the various Servants, and a good number of soldiers. However, he could only sense fighting spirit from the two who marched in front: The young man Joker, of course, and his cohort - A girl close to his age, with lilac-colored hair and protective yet surprisingly exposed armor. Most likely for better mobility. The most interesting thing was her weaponry: A large, round, cross-shaped shield and nothing else.

His curiosity was aroused once more. How interesting.

“Good morning, Joker!” he called out, grinning. “How do you fare from yesterday’s battle?”

Ren grinned back, albeit painfully. “Still sore!” he replied. “Those soldiers really put me through the wringer so I’m not at a hundred percent – I’ll be taking a bit of a backseat role here!”

The Spartan king nodded. “A warrior should be ready to fight at any time, but your exhaustion is understandable,” he replied. “Who shall face me? It doesn’t seem you intend to utilize everything you have or should to fight me.”

The Phantom Thief glanced at Mash and gave her a small nod and a reassuring smile. The shielder took a deep breath and stepped forward. “I am Mash Kyrielight!” she declared. “Demi-Servant of Chaldea! Class designation: Shielder! King Leonidas, I challenge you!”

Leonidas blinked in surprise. He had expected a seasoned warrior to be facing him – he had seen Lu Bu among their ranks, at the very least, and though a few of them he drew blanks on, he knew they would be worthy opponents. However, the girl that stood in front of him – Mash Kyrielight – was green. Everything, from how she held herself to her words, spoke of inexperience. This was who they sent to fight against him? If he himself were any less experienced, this would’ve felt like an insult.

However, the determination in the shielder’s gaze couldn’t be mistaken. Inexperienced she may be, but she wasn’t a coward. Nor, his instincts told him, a fool. She stepped forward with a will for victory. That earned his respect at the very least. However, he could see Joker behind Mash. His gaze met his, steely and confident. It was just like the other day. He did admonish the young man that he should be ready to fight at any time, but the warning was unnecessary.

He could barely hide his grin as his helmet appeared on his head. Truly interesting indeed.

“I admire your heart, Mash Kyrielight,” Leonidas replied. “But do you have the mettle? If you do not fight at your absolute best, you and Joker will die here today. Are you resolute for this battle?”

Mash blinked, then frowned. “I’m more than prepared to fight, your majesty,” she replied, an edge to her tone. “However, I must ask that you refrain from implying harm to my senpai. I will protect him, no matter what!” Ren grinned happily in response behind her while among the audience, Ritsu swooned, much to the amusement of Tamamo who caught her.

Leonidas, on the other hand, grinned. “Well spoken!” he roared as he lifted his shield and spear. “In that case, face me, Mash Kyrielight!”

Ren grinned before switching to another persona. Once more tearing off the mask he cried out the persona’s name.

“Attis!”

A blue man wrapped head to toe in bandages appeared in a flash of blue flame. In his hand was a dagger as his surprisingly calm, serene eyes rested on Leonidas. With a wave of the dagger, red, purple, and green lights appeared, orbiting around Ren and Mash for a second before vanishing. Mash blinked in surprise. She felt… lighter, stronger, more solid. Even her armor felt more resilient. She glanced back at Ren who simply grinned back.

The Spartan king witnessed the light show and shook his head with a grin. Unlike with the Fates or Cerberus, the being wasn’t immediately recognizable, though he felt oddly familiar. “You never run out of tricks to amaze your audience, do you, Joker?” he called over. “What particular feat is this now?”

The Phantom Thief returned the grin. Although this particular ability was not as draining as it could be thanks to some tweaks he made to Attis some time ago in his original adventures, in his condition he had to resist the urge to sit right down from exhaustion. “This one’s a favorite of mine,” he replied. “It basically enhances the abilities of whoever it targets.”

His grin widened. “The name of it is Thermopylae,” he finished.

Everyone looked in shock at Ren before looking back at Leonidas, who seemed to have frozen at the name. The king made no reaction at first. Then he slowly started chuckling, gradually rising into a full-bellied laughter full of mirth and amusement. One that Ren couldn’t help but grin at, so infectious was the sheer joy from Leonidas.

“I must thank you, Joker,” he finally declared as his laughs diminished. “I had believed this summoning to be truly boring, with weak enemies and unworthy allies.” Nero snorted at that. “But in the course of these two days, you have proven that my time here has been well rewarded. For the challenge, and for the amusement, I truly do thank you.”

Then he raised his shield. “Now, enough words!” he roared. “Show me your mettle and power! COME!”

“Let’s do this, Mash!” Ren shouted.

“Of course, senpai!” the shielder cried out. “Mash Kyrielight, engaging!”

With that, she charged, much faster than she had ever been, and her shield crashed against Leonidas’s own, creating a shock wave that blasted away the puddles underneath. Through it all, the Spartan king was grinning, matching Mash’s elation. This was their fight. And they would take full advantage of it.

Leonidas then pushed Mash’s shield aside before thrusting with his spear at her now-exposed body. The shielder in turn twisted away to place herself behind her own shield once more and shoved hard, driving him back. With a tilt of his own shield, the Spartan king slid away, causing Mash to shoot past him thanks to her momentum, her side now wide open –

That was, until a lightning bolt flashed down, forcing him to jump back before he could take advantage of the opening. Glancing over, he saw Joker standing there with one of the Fates once more. Well, that was to be expected. He was fighting the two of them after all, not just the girl in front of him. The girl may be green, but Joker would prove to be invaluable in turning the tide if he was left unchecked. So the strategy was simple:

Deal with Joker first.

His thoughts were interrupted as Mash once more began charging with her shield raised. The Spartan king frowned before raising his own shield – and suddenly punching out with the edge of it. Catching the shielder by surprise, she barely raised her own in time as the sharp edge collided hard, sending her flying back thanks to poor footing. “If you must charge in, vary your tactics!” he barked. “Using only one method will render you predictable and thus, easy to read and counter!”

So saying, he flipped his spear in an alternate grip and instead threw it – right at Ren. Mash’s eyes widened as she witnessed the flight of the spear but was too slow to block or deflect it. “Senpai!” she screamed as she could only watch helplessly as it darted forward towards her Master…

Only for the Phantom Thief to twist to the side, narrowly dodging the spear as it thudded into the ground past him. Despite the very narrow brush with death, Ren didn’t take his eyes off Leonidas as the Spartan king summoned his spear back to his hand. “Keep pressuring him, Mash!” he yelled. “Don’t give him even a second to breathe! I’ll cover you!”

The shielder blinked again, then turned back to Leonidas with an expression of determination. “Yes, senpai!” she acknowledged once more. Her mistake nearly got senpai hurt. She needed to be better. With that, she charged once more. Leonidas saw her coming and once more raised his shield to slam her with its edge, but this time she was ready.

She tilted her shield upwards to force Leonidas’s own to shoot past her as she baseball slid towards his legs. Caught off guard, Leonidas stumbled, forcing him to use his spear to catch himself before he fell over. Now behind him, she spun around and brought her shield up to slam down on him, with the Spartan king barely raising his own in time. The sound of the shields crashing once more reverberated throughout the pass as Leonidas struggled to regain his footing in time to push Mash back.

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“Good!” he barked out as he braced his back foot and thrust his spear forward once more past his shield – only for Mash to dodge barely to the side once more and instead push forward even harder, locking the shield against his arm as she started forcing him back. She had taken the order from her Master to heart, it seemed, meaning he couldn’t focus on Joker like he planned.

Leonidas was impressed. So much power, intelligence, and spirit packed into a tiny frame! All this girl needed was more training, lessons, and experience and she would truly be a splendid warrior! After all, the foundations were there. It was simply a matter of honing her like one would hone a sword to a bright, sharp edge.

A pity. He would’ve delighted in being the one to do so. But for now, he would do what he could. And he certainly wasn’t about to make it easy for them – that would be an insult on both fronts.

Suddenly, he felt his back foot slip as the ground underneath turned to ice and he stumbled backward, yielding to Mash’s strength. This time, he turned his shield up, using her momentum to essentially throw her past him as he fell backwards, this time rolling on his shoulder. A split second later, he was on his feet again as he checked on how Mash reacted – and found himself pleasantly surprised when the girl dug the prongs of the shield into the muddy ground to halt her flight. Using that as her grounding, she pulled herself forward with just her arm strength and launched herself right at him once more, their shields crashing before the Spartan king could react.

“You learn quickly!” he complimented as he stabbed with his spear again – a move that was quickly blocked as Mash twisted her shield, forcing his own to push aside the spear in turn. “However, you rely far too much on your shield!” he continued with an admonishment as the king twisted his own shield in turn to redirect hers. Mash’s eyes flicked toward his spear – and thus was caught by surprise by Leonidas instead stepping in and headbutting her. The king’s helmet collided hard with her skull, sending stars sparkling in her vision as she stumbled back with a cry of pain. She could feel the warmth of her blood dripping down her face.

“Pixie!”

A glowing green light surrounded her as the pain receded. However, her brain still rattled in her skull from the impact, disorienting her as she tried to train her eyes back on Leonidas once more. Surprisingly, he didn’t press his advantage, instead staring critically at the shielder. “When dazed, orient yourself as quickly as possible!” he barked. “Your first priority is to note your situation and react accordingly! The second is to regain your footing so you can reinforce your stance and be prepared to defend and counter!”

Mash shook her head to clear the stars from her eyes. “Y-Yes!” she cried as she solidified her stance once more, immediately following his teachings. He hadn’t gone after senpai once more, nor was Ren relaying any information that indicated either of them were in particular danger. The only conclusion she could draw was that she was free to focus once more on Leonidas – or rather, it was the only conclusion she could come up with before the Spartan king took the offensive this time, charging with his shield raised.

This time, the shielder took the opportunity to spin around, using her shield to redirect Leonidas’s spear to catch him off balance. The man recovered by jumping backward then pouncing with his shield, ready to slam the edge into her. This time, Mash deflected the edge. Leonidas expected a follow-up with her own shield – only for Mash to ram herself into him, knocking him almost off his feet. He regained his footing as he saw the shielder lift her shield for a strike. But it was too slow and clumsy. He could easily block that in time-

Then the three lights once more flashed around her, and suddenly her strike came far faster and far more viciously than he anticipated. Mash’s shield caved in his cuirass and crushed his sternum, causing him to cough up blood. A powerful kick sent him flying away and before he could regain his senses, a bolt of lightning lit him up. He roared in pain before getting bashed in the head by Mash, sending him crashing to his knees as his helmet flew off, crumpled.

The Spartan king looked up to see the panting shielder standing over him, her shield at the ready. Past her was Joker, with Cerberus at the ready. The audience was watching intently for their next moves. He was battered and hurt, but hardly out of commission. He still had his spear and shield tightly in his grip. The foes in front of him were formidable – one with a seemingly endless bag of tricks and the other a novice warrior who one day would shine as brightly as a war god.

With all that standing before him, he couldn’t help but laugh. He easily forgot his pain as he stood back up, laughing heartily once more. “Well done, truly well done!” he cried. “My expectations were high and you have already exceeded them!” He grinned happily, despite his bloody mouth. “However, this fight is far from over! I do hope you’re ready, Mash Kyrielight! Joker!”

Before either of them could respond, Leonidas charged in, far faster than he had before. Mash only had enough time to widen her eyes before he bashed her with a swing of his shield, sending her flying into the nearby cliff with enough force to crack it. Before Ren could heal or even call out to her, the Spartan king was already on him, spear and shield at hand. The Phantom Thief barely dodged out of the way of the first strike – though it was still close enough to scratch his cheek.

Leonidas reared up to continue his strikes before suddenly turning and raising his shield – and barely defending in time from Mash who had launched herself from the cliff like a ballistic missile. The force of her flight forced Leonidas back, his sandaled feet leaving furrows in the mud below. Eventually regaining his footing, he launched into a flurry of attacks with both his shield and spear, which Mash defended before counterattacking in turn. Each time their weapons clashed created a shower of sparks that leaped into the air, with the warriors trading both blows and ground.

Soon, however, it was clear that Mash was beginning to give. Blood was seeping through the hole in Leonidas’s cuirass but he hadn’t slowed down whatsoever. In fact, the shielder was yielding more ground and accumulated multiple injuries: a shield bash directly to her gut, a scratch to her thigh and a very close one on her neck, and numerous bruises besides. Anything worse was healed up by Ren. She landed some good hits on the king but it was clear he had gained the momentum and she hadn’t landed any remarkable blows since.

Meanwhile, Ren watched their fight carefully, his eyes long since turned red thanks to the Third Eye. The fight had escalated to the point where it was getting far harder to properly support Mash beyond bolstering her abilities or healing her. It didn’t help that he was still recovering from yesterday – his muscles almost screamed in pain whenever he moved, and his circuits still felt much duller than usual. Even if he could more freely use his abilities, it would be difficult to help more directly given their speed and power.

Taking out his knife, it shifted once more into a gun. He held the gun up carefully with both hands. His arms felt weak from fatigue and his grip was shaky. It would be extraordinarily hard to pull off a decent shot with his current condition. With a sigh of frustration, he put it away. He couldn’t risk attracting attention with a missed shot – or worse, accidentally hit Mash.

Then an idea came to him. In a flash of blue flame, Cerberus appeared once more. He reached over and once again felt his soft fur. The drain on him from the persona was considerable, but still far, far lighter than most others. And given how speed was imperative… he only had one shot. He needed to make it count. “Think your claws and fangs are sharp enough, boy?” he asked the persona with a smirk.

Cerberus huffed in response.

—-------

Mash panted for breath as she used her shield to prop herself up. She had far more stamina than normal humans thanks to her status as a demi-Servant, but even that had its limits. She had been pushing herself considerably, maneuvering around Leonidas as she attacked, defended, and counterattacked the Spartan king – but ended up making little headway. While Leonidas fought seriously, it felt more like she was being tested than in a true fight to the death – though the injuries she had been accumulating may argue otherwise.

She rapidly raised her shield once more as Leonidas pounced in, his spear lashing out in tandem with his shield. With her exhaustion, it was getting harder and harder to find any decent openings to exploit properly. While her capabilities were still boosted thanks to Ren-senpai’s powers, they could only go so far in warding off exhaustion. Thus she was stuck deflecting and blocking as best she could, trying to conserve her energy.

“You used up far too much stamina in your attacks and movements,” Leonidas once more admonished as he drew his spear back for another strike. “While the shield can and should be used as a weapon, it is first and foremost a method of defense, not attack. And now you are unable to strike back, giving me impunity to do this.” With a wild swing, the Spartan king bashed aside Mash’s shield. The sheer force of it caught her off-guard and almost knocked her off her feet – leaving herself wide open as the king stabbed forward with a clear opening to her gut-

Suddenly, there was a roar and a blur of white – and Leonidas roared with pain as a white lion pounced in out of nowhere and clamped its jaws down on his spear arm. The sheer momentum and weight of the lion dragged his spear off course before pulling the king along with it before he could mount up any decent resistance.

Mash quickly regrouped, her heart almost leaping out of her chest from the near-death experience as she glanced over in surprise at Ren. The Phantom Thief was clearly straining to maintain Cerberus’s existence but showed no sign of yielding to exhaustion. Turning back, she watched as Leonidas started regaining his footing and struggling against the lion, which was when the lion stopped and its eyes flashed. A second later, the area around it – with Leonidas in the middle – was engulfed in a pillar of fire. The king screamed in pain and frustration as he was immolated before the flames vanished, and Cerberus with it.

“Mash, get him!”

The shielder glanced back to see Ren collapsed on his knees, panting for breath. Her eyes widened in concern, but his red eyes were trained on Leonidas, who was struggling to get up, his flesh burnt and his armor and weaponry partially melted. Mash gulped, tore her eyes off her senpai, and charged Leonidas once more. She had her command from Ren-senpai, and she wasn’t about to fail him.

The wounded Spartan looked up, scowling at the girl rushing towards him as he struggled back to his feet. He held out his shield once more to block the attack – and Mash swung her shield the same way Leonidas had, smashing the king’s shield out of the way. With a wild cry, she reared her head and headbutted him hard, causing him to stumble back, dazed.

Knowing she couldn’t give him any chance to recover, the shielder reared her shield back and smashed his shoulder, forcing him to drop his spear – which Mash retrieved and with one motion, lunged forward. The spearhead pierced armor and flesh alike, burrowing deep into his gut. Leonidas’s eyes widened in surprise and pain and grasped at the spear to try and pull it out, only for Mash to plunge it deeper into him with a wild cry. The spear sank all the way up to her hand, covering it in his blood.

They both stopped, panting for breath. Leonidas exhaled slowly, then smiled. “Well done, young warrior,” he murmured. “You have won.”

Mash blinked in surprise as she looked up at the king’s eyes. The joy sparkling in his eyes was something she hadn’t expected at all. She took a step back, then immediately turned around to Ren, who was shambling towards them. “R-Ren-senpai!” she called over. “Are you able to heal-!”

“No!”

The girl turned in shock at the Spartan king, who was frowning once more. “Do not disgrace my loss by attempting to heal me,” he growled. “This is your hard-earned victory, and I accept both my defeat and death by your hands. You learned quickly as we fought, and while you showed undue mercy, you did not hesitate when the time came. These traits will carry you far on the battlefield, Mash Kyrielight. Take heart in that.”

“Heh, Mash has never been anything but awesome,” Ren agreed with a tired grin. Though he looked pale and shaky, he still looked miles better than he did the other day after fighting off the entire contingent of soldiers. “You sure you don’t wanna stick around though, your majesty?” he asked, looking at the Spartan who was starting to dissipate. “We got a lot of battles coming up – we could really use your help.”

Leonidas shook his head. “I cannot,” he declined. “As much as I wish to, I am still a Servant bound to the mage Lev. He could easily command me to attack or strike from behind, causing me to wreak havoc among your forces. And as I said, this is a worthy death. It is rare for one to find such an honorable way to perish, especially for the goals I have been forced to fight for. Joker. Mash Kyrielight. Once more, I thank you.”

Ren smiled sadly. He didn’t think he’d convince the king, but he had to try. “Call me Ren,” he corrected gently. “Ren Amamiya.”

The Spartan king blinked in surprise, then chuckled. “Good, I would rather not call you a form of jester with how you fought,” he mused, getting a small laugh from Ren in turn. “Ren Amamiya, Mash Kyrielight. If we ever meet again, my shield and my spear shall be at your call. May good fortune and victory favor both of you.” With a final smile, Leonidas vanished into a shower of golden dust, and he was gone.

“Holy SHIT!”

They both blinked in surprise to see Ritsu running towards them while the others followed at a more sedate pace. The redhead dashed up to Mash and held both her hands, almost bouncing in place. “You were so freaking AMAZING, Mash!” she gushed. “That was THE Leonidas, the Spartan king that faced off a hundred thousand Persians, and you beat him! You beat a Spartan king, Mash! How awesome is that?!?”

“Er, uh,” Mash stammered, blushing heavily from the bombardment of praise. “I-it wasn’t j-just me, Ritsu-senpaI! Um, h-his majesty w-was h-holding back a bit and, um, t-teaching me. Also, R-Ren-senpai was p-providing a lot of support, s-so it wasn’t j-just me. I w-wasn’t that impressive c-compared to the t-two of them.”

“Knock it off, will you, Mashumallow?” Ritsu groaned in frustration. “Facts are facts: You faced Leonidas, head-to-head, in a straight up duel – and you freaking won. Yeah, he may have been holding back on you a bit, but he still faced you seriously. Yeah, Ren was backing you up, but you were going toe-to-toe with him. It was you out here, on the field, being freaking badass and amazing. So accept the compliment, damnit.”

“Ritsu’s got a point,” Ren added with a grin.

Mash just glanced at her two senpais, then blushed further as she clasped her hands, looking downward. “Th-thank you, both of you,” she murmured. A smile bloomed on her face before she even realized it. She had fought alongside Ren-senpai – and she won! It was another step towards her goal of being able to stand beside him.

Meanwhile, Ritsu whirled on Ren, glaring at him. “And you,” she growled as she stomped up to him, causing Ren to back up reflexively in fear. “You pushed yourself too hard. Again.”

Ren held up his hands in surrender. “N-not that much,” he quickly excused himself. “Most of what I did was pretty light overall. Mash did a lot of the heavier work, and I’m grateful to her for that. I just provided some support.”

“Including that little show of pyrotechnics?” Ritsu asked rhetorically, causing the Phantom Thief to sweat even further. “Turn around, Ren. Right now.”

The Phantom Thief could only gulp as he did so, afraid of whatever fate awaited him… and was promptly caught off guard as Ritsu wrapped her arms around him from behind. He felt the blood rushing unbidden to his face as Mash blinked in shock. “You need to take it easy,” she grumbled softly. “We’re all standing here beside you, you know? You don’t need to push yourself so hard. You got all of us.”

Blinking in surprise, Ren sagged a bit in resignation. “Sorry,” he replied softly, “Old habits die hard. I’ll try to take it a bit easier. At the very least, we don’t have any fights any time soon, so I’ll have plenty of rest.”

“Good,” Ritsu grumbled. Then she tightened her grip on him. “However, you still pushed yourself after we explicitly told you not to. So I think a bit of punishment is in order so you don’t forget anytime soon, wouldn’t you agree?”

Ren blinked and realized in growing horror what was about to happen. “Wait, Ritsu, you don’t need to-!” he quickly shouted.

“Caster!” Ritsu cried. “Do the thing!”

A wind talisman from the fox miko raced out and coated the ground around them in protective winds. Ritsu meanwhile tightened her grip on Ren as he unsuccessfully tried to break free. “RAGING MAIDEN SUPLEX!” she roared as bent backward, taking the Phantom Thief with him and suplexing him into the ground. The winds prevented any real damage from happening but that still didn’t prevent it from being incredibly painful.

“R-Ritsu-senpai, p-please don’t injure Ren-senpai!” Mash cried in worry as she raced forward to separate the two. Meanwhile, Ren could still hear the laughter of everyone else through Caster’s winds, especially Loki’s. Despite the pain, he smiled.

The battle had been won.