Chapter 165 - CHECKMATE

"NOOOOO! NOOO! NO! TALA!" The Rajah had gone wild seeing the only person who had accepted him was losing her life. 

"It's a tragic ending, I presume," Yanarym whispered in the air when she heard Guide-sama's report when Tala died. "Checkmate." She said and slashed her sword at the man who was about to stab Maki. 

"What are you doing, Maki? Stop being in a daze, we're on a battlefield."

"Oh, yeah, it was just… I suddenly feel cold." He replied and smiled at her. "Thank you for saving me."

"Welcome, now continue." She said to him and ran again around the shore to help their allies. It's astonishing to see how the characters grieved for the death of their female lead. She even heard that Lapil had teared up without knowing the reason. Achis had cold feet but then recovered fast. And Maki dazed for a second. 

"AAAHH!" The shout of victory could be heard as they wiped out the enemies. Yanarym raises her own kampilan and shouts her lungs out with the warriors. Her hands were shaking when she stabbed someone earlier but after some time when she saw how chaotic war could be she lost the guiltiness she felt inside. After all, it's a kill or be killed situation. 

After the battle on the shore, they had compiled the bodies to burn it. Yanarym left by that time because she couldn't withstand the view and the smell. Maki was with her when they got back to the balay. 

"You should bathe first, you are covered with blood," Maki told her and she agreed. They went to the river and bathed together.

"It's good that your sneezing has stopped." Maki was too preoccupied with washing her hair and focused on scrubbing her back. 

When they returned home, Datu was also back and said to them that everyone was gathering for a piging, Yanarym was enlightened. 

"How about Lapil and Achis, Baba? Wouldn't we have to wait for them?" 

"I know that they are victorious, let's just hold a week of celebration for this triumph." 

"That sounds great!" That night, they all had fun but slept early as they all were exhausted from the battle. All women had taken care of the men and Yanarym was taken care of by Maki. 

At dawn, the warships of Lapil and Achis arrived at the shore. The Rajah was roughly handled by Wakan but was not in his right mind anymore. He still couldn't accept the fact that Tala died in front of his eyes. The Hara was with them as she didn't want to be left alone on the sulad puod. 

They were greeted by the women and the men had woken up and proceeded to celebrate heeding that they won the battle on the other side. However, everything was interrupted when Rajah and Datu saw each other.

"Basi," Datu Pita called his name grimly, "You betrayed me." He added. Rajah Basi looked at him spacing out, in his mind, the death of Tala replays over and over again. He was really in love with her over time, he had fallen for her. He admits he liked her for being similar to Pita, but he had loved her too...

Rajah Basi began to cry like a child, "Do you have to kill her?" He asked Datu. His body was shaking from sadness or madness, maybe both. 

Beside her was Yanarym who was chewing a piece of fried chicken. Looking at the pitiful Rajah. When Rajah saw her, he went berserk. Seeing no one shed tears for his love, saddened him more. While everyone was on Yanar's side. 

"TALA HAS DIED! SHE'S YOUR DAUGHTER TOO!" He wept, they have such a tragic life. Do they even deserve this?

"She's not, she's not my daughter Basi." Datu Pita said coldly and raised the blade of his sword. "And you're not a friend anymore." With no remorse, he stabbed the Rajah's heart. The blood spilled on his mouth and smiled. Oh, this tragic ending he knew this day would come, he thought.

"I was never a friend to you from the start." He whispered stuttering and closed his eyes with tears. "I wish I was born as a woman, so I could love you… Pita." 

Yanarym looked away and sighed. Such a tragedy...

"Yanar, are you alright?" Achis and Lapil walked up to her. 

"I'm good, I'm good. I killed eight enemies on my own. Aren't you proud of me? HAHAHAHA!" She laughed proudly and the two men looked at Maki with widened eyes. 

"She did, she went on a spree yesterday," Maki said in confirmation and Yanarym laughed more and continued to eat. Like there's no one who just died in front of her. 

At that moment, the three men felt chills. Lapil and Achis saw that they had killed Tala but she was still shaking from the after-effects of killing someone. They looked at the other women who were shocked by Datu's judgment to kill the Rajah but their woman was still eating like a rabbit. So cute, slightly terrifying.

The banquet had really gone on till the five days. After that, the banwa became like it used to be. Like war did not happen at all. It was peaceful.

Aside from it, Achis and Datu Pita had co-joined their banwa together. This means, everything was under the rule of Datu Pita and he reigned as the new Rajah because Lapil said he will wait until the day of his marriage. 

Of course, this caused another dispute11 between the three young men. None was willing to give way to one another. They still argue which one would marry Yanarym. In the end, the one who got married was Hara Kaliya and Rajah Pita.

It was because whenever Hara Kaliya opened the topic about marriage it was pushed to Rajah Pita's widowed status. As a result, Yanarym used it to pair up the two.. With her consistency, and the help of three young men.