Red Lotus struck the ground, scattering sparks.
Bismarck, dressed as a blue-armored knight, and the dojo soldiers he led were blown away by a wave of flames that filled their vision.
They were wiped out in an instant. Some were knocked unconscious by the impact; the unlucky ones collapsed, charred all over.
"Ohh-thou canst still stand."
The fiery wings behind Isabella dissipated. She stood in the middle of the flagstone road, her red, flame-shaped greatsword hanging at her side. The setting sun dyed her golden hair a shimmering gold-red.
"...Cough...damn it...this shouldn't be happening...our true justice shouldn't...be so far behind the world..."
Leaning on his Knight Sword, Bismarck barely managed to stand.
Isabella had shown some restraint, wounding rather than killing. Such was the latitude the stronger side enjoyed when the gap in strength was too vast.
"...You are Marines too, at least. Your information is far too outdated..."
In a sense, that was easy for Isabella to say. Information spread very poorly across these seas.
People who could truly "understand the world" were a minority. After all...even after the Paramount War, the "ignorant" still made up the overwhelming majority.
Take Brannew, the king of meetings. He could rise from lieutenant commander to commodore in two years just by making PowerPoint presentations. That suggested that even field officers at Marine Headquarters did not necessarily have a clear understanding of the world.
"Impossible...how could this...ability users...I've seen them too...heh heh...hee hee, I can't lose-"
The red glow in Bismarck's eyes flared. Dragging his burned body forward, he charged with all his might, thrusting his knight's longsword straight at Isabella's heart.
"I cannot tell whether thou art rational or not..."
At first, Isabella had assumed that everyone "controlled" by the Seven Star Sword would be the drooling sort.
The NEO soldiers she