"So this is the palace?"

Terra put on a smug face and asked him

"Yes Mars isn't it grand?"

"Sure is..."

Just like the walls of the capital, one word could be used to describe the palace, grand. The walls around the palace was about 20 meters tall, but still as close as the were to the palace walls they could still see the palace behind the walls which spoke of the grand scale of the entire palace

"Well then let's head in and meet mother"

"Yeah let's get this over with..."

Terra announced herself at the gate of the palace and the three of them was shown into the palace and quickly walked through the hallways.

Mars was starting to regret offering to help with the whole race war, after all, who could say what happened at home while he was not there? Was his girlfriends okay? What about his partner Victoria? Was the empire invading again? as the thoughts started to swirl in his head they slowly increased in magnitude until he got a headache

'ugh... I feel sick'

Mars' Vision suddenly blurred as he felt dizzy and supported himself by leaning against the wall of the hallway, suddenly he realized what was going on as his training from his past life kicked in and he suddenly covered his mouth

's.h.i.+t... Gas..!'

"Mars! Mars what's wrong! Mars!!!"

Mars could hear 78's panicked voice as he gradually blacked out but right before he did he managed to activate [Half-awaken], this kept him conscious, but only just

"Mars!!! Wake up!"

78 shook Mars that laid on the floor of the hallway while tears streamed down her face, she didn't know what was happening with him but knew it wasn't good, then she realized it, Terra was nowhere to be found and then it clicked

"It was a trap!"

78's eyes flickered with hatred as her ears suddenly picked up movement from down the hallway and she looked over and saw a group of fully armed and armored beastmen soldiers moving closer, then suddenly Mars grabbed her arm and spoke in a weak voice

"Get... Me... Outside"

78 gave a nod and picked up Mars and put him on her shoulders in an improvised fireman's carry before she bent down and picked up the bone boardsword with her one free hand and began running back down the hallway they had come from leaving the adamant.i.te broadsword and Mars' backpack where they were, after running for awhile with Mars on her shoulders 78 saw that there were a courtyard outside a window she ran past and stopped before she ran back to the window and smashed it open with her broadsword before she jumped through and landed safely in the courtyard

"Mars, we're outside now!"

78 put Mars down and heaved a sigh of relief before she looked around and realized that she was surrounded on all sides by beastman soldiers and yelled at them

"You're bad people, Mars had come here to help you and then you hurt him!?"

78 raised her bone broadsword towards the silent soldiers that were slowly closing in...

Mars gradually woke up, he had a splitting headache and he heard faint sounds of swords clas.h.i.+ng against each other

'what happened..?'

Mars tried to move but found he was unable to as his entire body burned with pain

'Have... to heal... Myself...'

Mars gradually activated his [Energy: healing] at full power on himself and soon he felt the burning sensation gradually stop and he was soon able to move his body and thus opened his eyes

'What..?'

he saw it clearly, 78 stood in front of him, protecting him from the soldiers, she was wounded and more than five arrows was stuck in her back and there were countless cuts on her body, she was only standing because she was leaning on her boardsword

"WHAT..!"

Mars roared as his killing intent spread outwards and forze the soldier that was about to finish off 78 with a swing of his sword, then it happened countless small blades made of vermilion formed over the entire courtyard before they ripped every soldier in the entire courtyard to shreds leaving no intact corpse, the soldiers screamed and yelled in terror but not for very long as the smell of iron spread out in the courtyard

"78!"

Mars quickly got on his feet and ran over to 78, he healed her the instant he reached her and a few seconds later the arrows that were stuck in her back fell to the ground, Mars quickly confirmed she was still breathing before he picked her up in his arms and flew off in the sky, leaving behind the bone broadsword that was stained with blood...

"What! He escaped!? HOW!?"

The soldier lowered his head even deeper, he was currently in one of the innermost rooms of the palace, the audience room. On an elevated throne sat a beastwoman that had an outraged expression on her otherwise beautiful face, then she suddenly seemed to calm down and gave a sigh before she looked to her side where an avatar floated in place with its orange eyes looking at the soldier down below

"I am truly sorry your excenacy Sword... Even after you gave us the formula to the dragon weakening gas we let the living G.o.d imposter escape..."

[Send out searching parties to look for the imposter... he could not have made it too far]

"Yes your excellency... Relay that order! Find the imposter!"

Sword was in fact right, Mars had not made it very far, he was currently in an Inn on the outskirts of the capital, he had a clam look on his face as he sat in a chair and looked at the sleeping 78 that laid on the bed, but under the calm expression was boiling rage

'They hurt 78 again... how should I let them suffer before I kill them..? why did they attack us in the first place..? And that gas..'

Mars' thoughts swirled but where soon interrupted by a cough that sounded out inside the room before 78 slowly opened her eyes, Mars was about to reach out to her but stopped himself as guilt flashed over his face before he suddenly stood up, this attracted 78's gaze to him, she looked at him for a bit before she gave a smile that soon froze when she saw his expression

"Mars..? What's wrong?"

Mars gave a strained smile and spoke in a self deprecating manner as he stroked 78's cheek

"What kind of living G.o.d have I become to let you get hurt so many times..?"

78 gave a smile and held his hand as she spoke

"But I am okay now, right?"

"Yes you are... But you should not have been hurt in the first place"

78 reached up with her free hand and patted Mars on the head, this confused him a bit so he asked

"Why are you pressing me?"

"Because you did a good job in healing me"

"I see..."

The two of them spent some more time like this, looking into eachothers eyes before Mars spoke again

"I have brought you some new clothes since your dress is beyond repair this time"

"Okay..."

Mars then stood up and was about to walk out of the door when 78 called out to him

"Where are you going Mars?"

"Relax 78, I am just going to get an explanation from the beast empress before i skin her alive"

"Then I'll come too"

"No you stay here and rest"

"But---"

"no but's... stay here"

"boo!"

Mars gave a sigh before he walked over to 78 and kneeled down and kissed her on the forehead before he gazed into her eyes and said

"Stay here, okay?"

"...Fine, but only if you kiss me properly"

"Sure"

Mars kissed 78 lightly on the lips, well it was light at first but before he realized she had pulled him down on the bed as she likewise pulled him into a deep kiss, after a little while she pulled back her lips and spoke with an enchanted and slightly seductive smile on her face

"Mars you taste good"

At that moment Mars really had an urge to push her down for real but held back as he had more pressing matters to attend to and thus he gave her one last quick kiss and spoke

"See you later 78"

"...Come back soon Mars"

"I will"