"Here we go."
Chiaki let out an enormous exhale before stepping into the outskirts of the forest where she had to gamble with her life. Without a rare armour in her hands, her only protection was Lance, the living armour.
The problem was that they never went to a battle together. It was different from going with her fellow generals — or previous bed partners, Chiaki's unhelpful mind supplied — or even with her rambunctious nephew.
Amidst the blinding lights and deafening roars, Chiaki rushed forward. Her hands gleamed with a white crystal aura; she brandished the power to the air and the gentle energy dispersed into ribbonlike lines that soon surrounded her like an envelope of a barrier.
The barrier protecting Lance was characterised by his inner power; ripples of pressurised air wrapped him, its translucent properties still allowed Chiaki to look at him like someone looked down beneath the water surface.
