Some of the Purple Capes drew their weapons, with hesitation, but many outright did not do so. They looked at their two captains, then at the princess and her force, which outnumbered them significantly.
"Oh, boy," Neri looked back and forth at Flavna's and Asuna's forces while slowly walking back out of line of potential fire. She, along with Dhisana and Zaki, ended up right in the middle between the two opposing forces. Dhisana kept on chugging from her near-empty pouch without a care in the world. Meanwhile Zaki, stood firmly in place, his hands in his pockets, practically daring someone to attack him.
"What are you doing!?" Lieutenant Mimi shouted at the Purple Capes. "You just received a direct order!"
"B-But we serve Lord Belmot," one of the soldiers said nervously. "If what princess Asuna said is true… Where's captain Grizwald!?"
"I will give you this one last chance!" Asuna declared. "Drop your weapons! Those of you that surrender now will be absolved of possible crimes. Those that I deem worthy, will be enrolled into the Palace Guard, which will take over former duties of defunct Purple Cape Guard. Whether you choose to die for your treasonous captains or not, will not change the outcome."
The Purple Capes looked at each other again, weighing up whether they all thought the same thing.
"The first coward to surrender will be killed on the spot!" Flavna threatened.
Silence fell over the area. The sloping hill of rubble from the partially collapsed fortress provided some potential spots to duck for cover from a stray bolt or arrow, but nothing that would give even a remote chance of hiding from immediate retribution from either side. And all the places where the rubble reached low enough to lead to the city streets between the tightly built houses were already blocked by all the citizens who now fought over best spots to watch the upcoming spectacle.
The only other possible escape would be back into the damaged fortress. But would have taken exceptional optimism to hope for a successful escape without getting hunted down before even reaching the ruins through a rough, uphill obstacle course, completely in the open, with backs toward enemy.
"So be it," Asuna said and drew her claymore.
"I surrender!!" a Purple Cape soldier screamed atop his lungs, dropped his sword and sprinted toward Asuna's soldiers.
Flavna disappeared from sight, and reappeared mid-roundhouse kick, aiming for the head of the first coward to surrender.
SPLASH!!
Flavna's kick was absorbed by a thick wall of water that arose between her and the running soldier.
Still in the air, Flavna looked to the one responsible. Her eyes met with Neri's.
"The princess is neither a demon, nor possessed by one," Neri said to Flavna. The twintail wizard had her hands in front of her, water droplets swirling around them. "But I don't even need to check that big-boob woman to know that the same cannot be said for her."
"I surrender too!!" another soldier screamed and used the opportunity to run after his buddy.
"Me too!! Me too!!" one after another, most of the Purple Cape soldiers surrendered and ran toward Asuna's men. Barely a handful remained, and they bunched closer to their Lieutenant.
"You've spent too much time in the Guild getting your holes stretched out," Flavna said to Neri while sprint-walking toward her. "Has all the cum gone to your head instead of your used up pussy?"
"My pussy is not used up!" Neri shouted and swung her left arm in a circle in front of her, creating a water barrier in front of her.
"It will be after the demons are done with you!" Flavna quickly sprinted around the water barrier, jumped up and spun in the air to deliver a powerful kick to Neri's cum-filled head.
With a thud, Flavna's kick was blocked by Dhisana, who put both forearms in the way as well as her empty leather pouch to soften the blow.
"You, purple lot sure love-hic-picking on the weak," Dhisana said.
"Hey! I'm not weak!!" Neri protested. "I had that! … Thank you!"
"Out of my way, drunkard!" Flavna screamed and exchanged blows with the cat-eared warrior.
Dhisana didn't manage a single offensive move, and after a couple of blocked shots and a couple more direct hits to stomach and head, was sent flying back.
"Fourth squad, round up and detain those who surrendered!" Asuna ordered. "Second and third, with me. The rest—take care of those who are too loyal or too stupid to know better!"
"Yes, Commander!" Asuna's soldiers moved in.
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