Toaru Hikuushi e no Seiyaku:V9Part10

Part 28 (Part 10 of Volume 9)

“It’s happening! Just like Mio said!!”

On the left bank of Pleiades, in the Stefano district, Ignacio leaned out of the second-story window of Hedwig's Tavern, looking up at the sky.

Unknown fighter planes were flying in, engaging in combat with the Alice Actus forces. The skies over Pleiades had suddenly transformed into a war zone.

Mio had warned him. She had sent secret information about Pleiades to Queen Elisabeth of the Kingdom of Sylvania using Fio. She said, "Soon, my comrades will come. When that day arrives, rally the resistance in the Stefano district and aim for the Ulysses Palace."

Today was that day.

"The time has come."

"Yeah, it’s our first and last chance. We’ll incite the people and destroy the Uranos regime!"

Exchanging determined nods with Hedwig, Ignacio stepped outside the tavern and scanned the surroundings. Almost everyone in the slum was looking up at the sky, cheering for the foreign planes. No one here favoured the aristocrats. Every resident despised the nobles, who lived in luxury by exploiting the common people. They had all been waiting for the day when someone, anyone, would bring justice to the aristocracy. Ignacio and his group knew this well and had been coordinating with these people, preparing for this very uprising.

Now, they would ignite the smouldering discontent within the slum’s residents. How far the flames would spread was unimaginable. A massive revolt would break out, and at the very least, Stefano would descend into chaos. Ignacio’s mission was to carry that fire to the Evangelis district, where the Ulysses Palace stood. They likely wouldn't be able to control it all, and violence would probably engulf the entire left bank of Pleiades, but there was no turning back. They needed to gather the discontented masses and seize the palace, ensuring that the high-ranking nobles and officials who controlled Uranos could never return to power. Ever since being driven from the Imperial Palace, Ignacio had lived for this moment. Though he longed to rush to Claire’s side, he had suppressed that urge, spending his time working with the resistance. Today, all that effort would finally pay off.

Ignacio glanced up at the foreign fighter planes soaring above him.

“You’re late, you idiot prince! I’ve been waiting for years…!!”

Cursing the man with whom he had once made a promise, Ignacio quickly ran toward the nearby resistance base.

"This is it... the final reckoning."

Kiyoaki felt the weight of the moment. Every ounce of training, every ounce of sacrifice from his comrades, had led to this battle. All the hopes and dreams of those who had fallen weighed upon his shoulders as he soared through the skies.

Everything had been for today—to seize victory in this sky.

He couldn't afford to lose. He wouldn't give in. No matter how powerful the enemy, he would surpass them.

"Is that all you've got? You think you can take me down with that?!"

Kiyoaki’s fighting spirit flared as he charged towards the enemy, cutting through them with precise, deadly strikes. Each downed plane plummeted toward the plains of Pleiades' left bank, bursting into flames as they collided with the ground. Every one of his victories left a fiery trail across the battlefield.

From his vantage point, Kiyoaki could see the chaos engulfing the city below—carriages and military vehicles moving frantically along the roads, civilians pushing carts and fleeing for safety. Pleiades was a city in turmoil, engulfed in a storm of confusion. Some planes crashed into the crowds, sending columns of fire into the sky, while unfortunate souls, their bodies ablaze, ran in panic, only to collapse, scorched and lifeless.

Kiyoaki wished he could avoid involving civilians in the conflict, but this was modern warfare. Civilian casualties were inevitable, and he had accepted that grim reality from the start.

For now, all that mattered was taking down every single Alice Actus.

There would be time for sorrow later. Once victory was secured, he could grieve. But if they lost, they would be the ones crushed beneath the enemy’s boot. In this sky, there was no room for doubt. Victory was the only thought allowed—anything else was a distraction.

Over the skies of the left bank of Pleiades, near the Isolos airfield, the battle raged.

More than six hundred planes, friend and foe alike, filled the sky like a swarm of gnats. Blood, fire, and shattered metal littered the battlefield, smearing the once-blue heavens.

Kiyoaki had flown through some intense battlefields, but this—this made them all feel like mere rehearsals. The sheer concentration of aircraft in such a narrow airspace made even Kiyoaki, with over two hundred sorties under his belt, marvel at the sheer magnitude of this aerial war.

The sky was saturated with planes. Explosions lit up the air like the end of the world.

Propellers whirred, wings snapped off, and engines, damaged by 20mm machine gun fire, belched black smoke. Human debris mixed with shards of metal rained down from the chaos above.

Pushing through the debris and carnage, Kiyoaki continued to fight, turning enemy aircraft into burning flowers in the sky.

“Get out of my way! Don’t stand in my path, or I’ll take you down,” he muttered to himself as he systematically cut through the silver-grey planes of Uranos, replacing them with the blue-green of Odin’s air force. Though they were outnumbered, with only a hundred planes compared to the enemy’s five hundred, his comrades held their own, leveraging their hard-earned skills in formation flying to fight on equal terms.

But then...

Kiyoaki’s temple tingled as an ominous presence licked at his senses.

It felt as if some monstrous entity that had been lurking in the shadows, observing them, was finally revealing itself—ready to devour them.

"Here it comes," Kiyoaki thought grimly. "It was hiding here all along."

The sky darkened. Unlike the Ortega, this was something else entirely—a dark entity that seemed to pull together every wandering vengeful spirit in the air, coalescing into a monstrous shape in the form of a fighter plane.

"What is that?!" a voice crackled over the comms. "What kind of flying is this?!"

"Another strange one! Watch out, it's strong!"

The comms erupted with panic as Kiyoaki’s hair stood on end.

He knew this feeling.

He knew this darkness.

Kiyoaki gripped his control stick tightly.

To the west—about 5,600 meters away.

A black panther, cutting through the blue sky, tainting the air with its presence.

The strongest ace in the islands, now that Akmed was gone. The one they called "the King of the Skies."

"Karnasion..."

Of course, it would be you standing in my way at the very end, Black Panther Karnasion.

"Bring it on."

Kiyoaki made up his mind, his eyes locking onto the distant enemy as he spoke into the comms.

"I'll take the Black Panther. Leave him to me. Focus on taking down every last Alice."

Hearing the affirmative responses from his squad, Kiyoaki turned his aircraft towards his foe.

In his mind’s eye, he saw his sister Yumiko’s smiling face appear in the clear blue sky.

Karnasion had killed her during a ground attack. It was her sacrifice—her shielding him from Karnasion’s bullets—that had allowed Kiyoaki to survive and make it this far.

He had carried all their hopes with him, and now, it was time to face his sister’s killer.

"With everything entrusted to me... I will defeat you."

Mio, who had been thrown onto the balcony floor of the palace, struggled to stand. Her upper body was bound tightly with rough ropes, but she managed to press her back against the railing and push herself up onto her feet.

When she looked up, the sky over Pleiades was a chaotic battlefield. Silver-gray Uranos fighters clashed with the blue-green aircraft of the Multi-Island Sea Allied Forces, spitting fire as if hell itself had descended upon the heavens above the Ulysses Palace. Flames, smoke, and fragments of metal painted the sky in a gruesome display.

Mio couldn’t stop worrying about Illia. Not long ago, she had seen a fighter plane with the "White Wolf" nose art—Illia's signature mark, as seen in the newspapers—soar straight past the balcony. She had watched Illia's plane make an emergency landing in the palace gardens, where the guards captured her. They would surely imprison Illia in the dungeon beneath the palace. If Mio had a chance, she would escape and rescue her.

Nearby, Zenon, standing with his aides, also gazed at the sky, his face twisted in a grimace.

"The Ortegas have fallen… But we still have Alice Actus reserves. As long as Isolos Airfield remains intact, Pleiades’ skies will remain secure."

Inside the palace, Hachidori, Kiliai, Renjaku, Kurogan, and Sekirei, five of Zenon's elite Patriotis operatives, stood by, awaiting orders. They watched the aerial battle through the wide windows with little interest, as if simply waiting for Zenon's command.

As Zenon had said, despite the losses, the silver-gray fighters still held a five-to-one advantage. However, as time passed, more of the blue-green aircraft began to fall from the sky. The weight of numbers was beginning to take its toll on the Odin forces, steadily increasing their losses.

When Zenon noticed Mio standing on her own, he approached her with a smirk, striking her hard across the left cheek. Her face snapped to the side, but she didn’t fall. She planted her feet firmly, refusing to be knocked down.

"Still clinging to hope, are you? The friends you so graciously called here are all going to crash to the ground and die. And it's all your fault. If you hadn’t sent out that information, they wouldn’t have come here, clinging to their last shred of hope, only to die."

He slapped her again, this time on the right cheek. Mio gritted her teeth and stayed on her feet, glaring back at him defiantly.

"Kiyoaki won’t lose. He will take control of the skies over Pleiades. The one who should give up… is you, you pervert. I hope you regret this in hell."

"You called me a pervert again? I’m afraid you’ve finally exhausted my patience, Mio. Because of your choice of words, you will become a pig. To be precise, you’ll become one of my pig servants. You’ll spend the rest of your life licking my feet while squealing like a pig."

Zenon walked over to a shelf and picked up a syringe, grinning at her menacingly.

"This is a drug that will destroy your mind—no personality, no humanity left. I was planning to spare you this, but since you’ve angered me, I’ll no longer show you mercy."

He grabbed her by the chin, bringing the syringe closer to her face.

"Say goodbye to your reason, intelligence, and humanity. From now on, you’ll live in a happy little animal world. Drooling every day as you spend the rest of your life as my obedient little pig servant."

A thin stream of liquid shot from the tip of the syringe as Zenon approached Mio's neck. She struggled desperately, but he tripped her, sending her tumbling back to the floor.

"Ugh!" she cried out, unable to hold back her scream. Zenon knelt beside her, his twisted grin still in place, as he brushed his fingers along the veins of her neck.

"Don’t be scared. It’s going to be fun. So much fun. You’ll see. When your friends are captured, I’ll let them see what you’ve become."

He moved the syringe closer to her neck...

Just as the needle was about to pierce Mio’s skin, Hachidori heard Thomas’s voice inside him shout.

"Stop!"

Hachidori clenched his teeth, trying to suppress the voice inside.

"I can't stop this."

He no longer bothered to hide his words, causing Kiliai to glance at him with increasing suspicion.

If he disobeyed Zenon now, he would be forced to fight Renjaku, Kurogan, Sekirei, and Kiliai all at once. They were all as powerful as Hachidori himself. He wouldn’t survive. He needed to focus on finding a way to defeat Illustriali, who was upstairs.

"Forget Illustriali, you idiot!! Save Mio!!"

"Can’t you even save the woman you love?!"

"I can't," Hachidori muttered.

"You coward! Imposter! If you’re going to wear my face, act like it!"

Hachidori swallowed hard, trying to push down the torrent of emotions swelling inside him. The pressure was becoming too much to hold back. In fact, maybe he wasn’t even trying to suppress it anymore. Maybe he was ready to fight them all, even if it meant his own destruction.

"I said, shut up!"

The words slipped out, loud enough that Kiliai’s mouth dropped open.

"Your face…"

Kiliai stared at Hachidori in shock. His expression wasn’t the one they knew—it was like someone else had taken over his body.

"Who are you?"

At that moment, a heavy explosion shook the ground beneath them.

The syringe in Zenon’s hand paused mid-air. The rumbling explosions echoed like distant thunder, coming from somewhere very close to the palace.

"Bombs? No… There’s no way they could bomb us in this situation…"

Zenon stood, stepping toward the balcony railing and leaning out to look in the direction of the sound.

Thick black smoke billowed from the direction of Isolos Airfield, likely the result of a 500-kilogram bomb. Flames roared into the sky, spreading from the explosion site.

Through the smoke came a damaged, trembling plane—the Ikaruga—flying straight toward the palace.

"What is that? It's heading this way... No, wait… it’s going to…"

Zenon’s voice trembled as he realized the truth. The Ikaruga, with its tail ablaze, was growing larger and larger, hurtling toward the palace as if preparing to take it down in a final act of defiance.

At less than a hundred meters away, Zenon gasped, realizing the inevitable fate barrelling toward him.

Damaged but determined, Dambazolik gripped the controls of the burning Ikaruga with bloodied hands, forcing his one remaining functional eye to stay open. His gaze was fixed solely on the looming mass of Ulysses Palace ahead of him. Metal shards embedded in his body drained him of blood, and his limbs grew colder by the second. Yet, he willed his body to endure, just long enough to crash this aircraft into that infernal castle.

He had shown the pride of the Kusanagi Squadron. Of the nine Ikaruga fighters he had led in the escort mission, seven had shielded the bombers with their lives, protecting their course. Three 500-kilogram bombs, laden with the prayers and screams of the fallen, had all struck the runway, creating massive craters. The runway would be unusable for the rest of the day. Moreover, nearly one hundred Alice Actus planes, waiting for their turn to take off, were caught in the resulting firestorm. Another pilot, whose plane had sustained damage to the left wing during the bombing run, had sacrificed himself by crashing into the hangars.

The damage inflicted on the Uranos airfield was catastrophic. The runway was now out of commission, and no new fighters could take off. The decisive battle would now be fought solely by the aircraft currently in the air. It was a victory significant enough to potentially shift the tide of the war.

Dambazolik, too, had abandoned hope of survival. His mission now was to drag the Uranos king down with him into the afterlife.

According to the intel he had received, the central area of Ulysses Palace—known as "Celestial Chamber"—was where Demistri's chambers were located. If he crashed into the heart of the palace, the chances of killing the king were high. He was determined to prove that even an ordinary man, with enough resolve, could achieve something monumental.

As Dambazolik took in the imposing sight of Ulysses Palace, he braced himself for the final moment. He would pierce through the heart of Uranos, taking the enemy’s core with him into oblivion.

"Ugh!"

The palace floor trembled violently upon impact. The screams of servants echoed across the balcony of Celestial Chamber. Zenon leaned over the railing, squinting to see where the impact had occurred. He saw that the flaming wreckage of the Ikaruga had crashed into the left wing of the palace, about 80 meters from Celestial Chamber on the same floor. Flames billowed from the palace's outer wall, likely ignited by the remaining fuel in the aircraft. Panic-stricken shouts filled the air as the servants scrambled to extinguish the spreading fire. Zenon clicked his tongue in frustration and turned back toward the interior of the palace.

The servants were in disarray, but the Patriotis agents remained calm—except, not all of them.

"What?"

Kurogan and Sekirei lay face-down on the floor, blood streaming from their throats.

"What?"

Zenon's gaze lifted, and he saw Hachidori standing there, drenched in blood, clutching a knife.

But—Hachidori's expression was different. It was Hachidori, yet not him.

"Who...?"

Before Zenon could finish his question, the knife flashed toward his throat.

A sharp, high-pitched metallic clang echoed through the room, followed by the sound of sparks flying as the blades clashed three times in quick succession.

"My apologies," said Renjaku as he shoved Zenon aside, knocking him to the floor.

"Don’t interfere," Hachidori—or rather, the being that resembled him—said, launching a series of rapid knife attacks at Renjaku.

Renjaku dodged each strike effortlessly and counterattacked, slashing at Hachidori’s throat, wrist, and knees in a blur of motion.

But Hachidori moved with the precision of a machine, avoiding each attack before leaping backward.

"You’re fighting the wrong opponent, Hachidori," Renjaku said coolly.

Hachidori—or whoever he had become—grinned.

"I’m not Hachidori."

Sparks flew from his heels as the air itself seemed to slice apart in his wake, leaving only a flash of light visible to ordinary eyes.

"I’m Thomas."

The sound of flesh and bone colliding filled the air—each blow carrying the force to shatter bones with both speed and weight.

"I don’t care. Who are you?"

Thomas grinned as he braced his feet against the wall, his body parallel to the ground.

"A hero of justice."

Renjaku’s expression twisted with rage as he kicked off the wall, charging headlong toward Thomas to meet him in mid-air.

"Such words are unbecoming of a Patriotis."

Only the sparks from their clashing blades and the exchange of their sharp words echoed in the palace. To human eyes, their battle was almost invisible.

"Be careful," Renjaku warned. "The blade is coated with Kiliai’s poison. One scratch, and it’s a death sentence."

"Thanks for the polite warning," Thomas replied with a smirk. "That’s just like you, always relying on tricks."

The two monsters exchanged smiles as they delivered lethal blows, knowing that a single cut could spell death.

Zenon wiped the sweat from his brow and retreated further away from the fight between these two inhuman opponents. He had been caught off guard by Thomas, losing Kurogan and Sekirei in the process. But thanks to Renjaku's timely intervention, he had narrowly escaped death. He still had luck on his side. All he had to do now was inject Mio with the serum and throw her into the pigsty.

Zenon picked up the syringe from the floor and turned back toward the balcony, where Mio lay.

He started toward her but then froze in place.

Mio was gone.

All that remained was the rope that had once bound her, tossed carelessly onto the floor.

"What?"

Another helpless murmur escaped his lips.

When he looked up, there was Mio, free from her restraints, glaring at him with fierce determination.

"Wha—"

It made no sense. How had she freed herself? How did she undo the ropes?

His unspoken question was answered by a dull popping sound. Mio gripped her right upper arm with her left hand, popping her dislocated shoulder back into place.

She had dislocated her shoulder to slip free of the ropes? Since when had she learned such a technique? Then he remembered—he had once ordered Hachidori to teach her the basics of combat skills…

"Thanks, Thomas."

With that, Mio leaped at Zenon, driving her knee into his face.

His glasses shattered, his nose crushed under the force of her blow.

"Agh!"

Fragments of Zenon’s broken glasses glittered in the sunlight as they scattered across the balcony.

Blood sprayed from his smashed nose, mixing with the broken lenses and refracting the light.

"The training paid off."

Without hesitation, Mio grabbed Zenon’s right arm, twisted it behind his back, and with a sickening crack, dislocated his shoulder.

Zenon let out an inhuman, bird-like screech as he writhed in pain. But Mio didn’t relent. The countless hours of midnight training sessions with Hachidori had prepared her for this moment.

"Go to hell, you disgusting pervert."

Mio, without hesitation, launched herself at Zenon’s left arm, locking it between her legs and twisting with all her strength in a direction it wasn’t meant to go.

A strange, high-pitched scream escaped Zenon’s lips as a sickening crunch echoed in the air—his left arm was destroyed. With both of Zenon’s arms now incapacitated, Mio still didn’t stop. The fury that had been festering within her, after being toyed with and manipulated by Zenon for so long, was now pouring out onto his broken body, wreaking havoc on his limbs.

"Stop! Please stop! No, stop it, stop it, STOP IT!" Zenon begged, his voice quivering in desperation.

Ignoring his pleas, Mio grabbed Zenon’s right foot and twisted it sharply clockwise.

Crack!

The sound of his ankle breaking echoed in the room, followed by another bizarre scream from Zenon. Now, he couldn’t walk, and both of his hands were useless.

"You taught me those combat techniques, didn’t you? Training every night was tough, so I hope you appreciate how well I’ve learned," Mio said, her voice chillingly calm as she looked down at him.

Lifting her gaze, she saw the fierce, rapid exchange between Thomas and Renjaku, their movements too fast to follow. It seemed Renjaku had the upper hand, with Thomas sporting injuries on his neck and right upper arm, his breathing laboured as he barely kept up.

Quickly, Mio moved to Kurogan’s lifeless body and pulled a knife from his waist.

Renjaku noticed her movement, glancing in her direction for just a split second.

At the same time, Mio hurled the knife at Renjaku.

With lightning reflexes, Renjaku knocked the knife aside with his own blade and, in a single fluid motion, advanced toward Mio, standing in front of her before she could even blink.

"What—"

Mio froze, seeing the dull gleam of Renjaku’s knife poised between her eyebrows.

Is this where I die? she thought in a fleeting moment of clarity.

But the knife never struck. Instead, a trickle of blood dripped from Renjaku’s mouth.

"You bastard…" Renjaku growled, a final curse escaping his lips as his body collapsed forward onto Mio.

She jumped back just in time to avoid being crushed under his weight as Renjaku’s massive frame hit the floor with a thud and remained motionless.

Standing over Renjaku's body, Thomas pulled his bloodstained knife from Renjaku’s back, breathing heavily.

"You saved me, Mio," he said, exhaling in relief.

"You saved me too…" Mio replied, though her eyes quickly darted to the wound on Thomas’s right arm, his clothes soaked with blood.

"You’re still moving, huh? Impressive," she remarked, watching as Thomas tore his shirt into strips to fashion a makeshift bandage around the injury.

Thomas nodded toward the corner of the room where Zenon, pathetically dragging himself with his one functioning leg, tried to crawl away.

Mio, her gaze cold, picked up the syringe from the floor and walked toward Zenon.

He realized what was happening, twisting his neck to look up at her from the floor, and forced a smile to hide his terror.

"It’s over, Mio. You’ve won. Congratulations on your victory—you really are remarkable. But have you heard of mercy?" he said, trying to sound charming despite his injuries.

Mio said nothing.

"I can’t use either of my hands or one of my legs. I’m completely helpless. You’ve hurt me enough—there’s no need to continue. If you go too far, you’ll make enemies, you know? You don’t want people to hold grudges against you, do you?" Zenon continued, his voice trembling with desperation.

In response, Mio casually squirted a small amount of the liquid from the syringe and smiled down at him.

"You’re right. Going too far can make you enemies… just like you did," she said.

With that, Mio tossed the syringe aside. Instead, she picked up a jar of powdered animal fat from the floor and sprinkled it all over Zenon’s body, then opened the door of the pen, releasing the pig.

The pig squealed with excitement and rushed over to Zenon, licking the powder from his body.

"Wait, no—ugh, it stinks! Stop it, it’s disgusting! Stop! Get away from me!" Zenon cried out in disgust, writhing on the ground in vain.

Despite his struggles, the pig continued to lick him, pressing their snouts against his clothes, determined to consume every last bit of the powder.

"Are you really not going to inject him?" Thomas asked, watching with mild amusement.

Mio shook her head.

"He deserves better," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

"You’re kinder than I thought," Thomas replied, chuckling.

"I need him to retain his sanity so he can confess all the awful things he’s done when we capture him later. He’ll have plenty of time to reflect on his life," Mio said, watching Zenon’s pitiful state.

"I take that back. Women are terrifying," Thomas muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.

Satisfied with Zenon’s fate, Mio and Thomas exchanged a glance.

Then, in a rare moment of light-heartedness amidst the chaos, they both gave each other a thumbs-up and smiled.

"Nice to meet you, Thomas," Mio said.

"I’ve been watching you for a long time, you know. From behind Reiner and Hachidori. But still, nice to finally meet you, Mio. Thanks for calling my name—it’s why I was able to come out," Thomas replied, his voice warm and genuine.

Mio looked at him curiously. Despite not having met him before, his smile felt familiar—like she had known him for a long time.

"You smile like that?" Mio asked, surprised by how different he was from Reiner and Hachidori.

"Huh? Is it strange?" Thomas tilted his head in confusion, smiling again.

Though he was different from the others, it didn’t feel like this was their first meeting. Thomas had been watching over her all along, just as he said. The gentle warmth that had occasionally surfaced in Reiner and Hachidori must have come from him.

"You were the one who helped me all along, weren’t you?" Mio asked softly.

Thomas, looking a bit bashful, scratched the back of his head.

Then suddenly, he collapsed.

"Wait, what?"

Startled, Mio dropped to her knees and pulled Thomas into her arms, holding him close.

Despite the frustration and embarrassment flickering across his face, Thomas joked lightly as he licked the blood from his arm wound and spat it out, grimacing.

"…Looks like I’m out of luck. Just when I finally get to talk to you, Mio. I wanted to chat a little longer." He flashed her a grin, much like Reiner would.

Mio gazed down at him, her heart tightening.

"It's farewell, Mio. You need to get out of here quickly. I have somewhere I need to go."

"Huh? ...What are you saying?"

"Mizukabuto. A poison that kills its target within five or six hours. And this is a special blend, mixed by Kiliai. There's no saving me. I'll probably be dead by the evening. But before that, I need to get revenge on Illustriali."

"Wait, wait, what are you talking about at a time like this…?"

"You're free now. Go to Kiyoaki, quickly."

"But!! If you're like this, then I…"

"It's fine… I’m going to die anyway. Just go. I’m going to rest a little, then head upstairs."

"Wait, no, that's not right! We just reunited…!"

Seeing Mio’s hesitation, Thomas laughed.

"I’m a killer, a traitor, and a demon of revenge. Even if the Multi-Island Sea forces land, I can't go with them. Because of me, so many died on Air Hunt Island. If they find me, I’ll be captured and shot. We were never meant to be from the same world. Leave me here. You can go."

"But, if they capture me, I won’t get away unscathed either…!"

Mio collapsed to her knees on the balcony floor, hugging Thomas to her chest, feeling lost. His blood continued to flow, and as time passed, his strength faded. Even if he aimed for the assassination of the Illustriali Pope with this body, the Pope's strongest guard, Atori of Patriotis, was protecting him. There was nothing he could do. And even if the Multi-Island Sea United Forces landed, they would capture Thomas and Mio if they found them. From their perspective, the two of them were despised spies who leaked vital information from Air Hunt Island to Urano and caused the tragedy of "Operation Judeka." In other words, both Thomas and Mio had no place left in Urano or Multi-Island Sea .

"Kiyoaki can manage something. He can hide your identity and shelter you. Just meet with Kiyoaki. He came here for you. You’re the most important thing to him. With those feelings, he’d do anything for you, no matter how reckless."

Even hearing that, Mio couldn’t leave Thomas behind. As she hesitated, her white tube top dress was being stained red with Thomas' flowing blood. She had to find a way to save everyone.

As Mio hesitated, she heard the high-pitched sound of propellers.

When she looked up, there were two fighters fiercely locked in combat directly above Ulysses Palace.

The sky, which had been streaked with aircraft until moments ago, was now cleared of any flying objects, as if both enemy and ally were mesmerized by this one-on-one duel. In the middle of this final battle, both sides had stopped fighting, silently watching this one-on-one struggle…!

Mio focused her eyes on the two planes. It was an interweaving of intricate manoeuvres unlike anything she had ever seen. The curves weren't perfectly circular; they were twisted, warped inward, folding in on themselves in mysterious ways. It wasn’t an air battle—it was more like a dance in the sky. A war dance of two chosen ones, in a vast sky without sidewalls or ceilings to limit their intense movements.

Who were fighting?

Who was the person battling above my head right now?

The pilot risking their life in this intense yet beautiful one-on-one battle for the fate of the world.

──He’s here.

The two intertwined planes lowered their altitude, approaching the front garden of Ulysses Palace before raising their noses and heading straight toward the heavens.

Through the gap in the balcony railing damaged by the earlier attack, Mio fixed her gaze on the two aircraft.

Flying at an incredible combat speed, both planes lifted their noses just in front of the palace, soaring over Mio’s head like wild rabbits leaping.

In that brief moment, amidst the deafening roar of the propellers, she caught a glimpse of a black rabbit nose art on the plane being chased.

"Kiyoaki!!"

Mio cried out the name of the person she had been waiting for. Kiyoaki was fighting right now, directly above her.

"Win, Kiyoaki!!"

She knew he couldn’t hear her. But still, with all her might, Mio prayed to the sky.

"You can do it!!"

In her mind, the burned images of Odessa came flooding back.

"I’ll crush Urano."

It had been about seven and a half years since that vow. After all those long years of separation, now, here, that promise was about to be fulfilled…!

Mio, still holding Thomas in her arms, gazed up at the sky.

"Only you can do it!!"

As if in response to Mio’s voice, Kiyoaki flew through the clear Pleiades sky.

With the future riding on his wings. To create a world without war. That dream was now within reach.

"Let me share the same dream as Kiyoaki."

Her voice from that time echoed in the sky. Even though she no longer had the right to dream the same dream,

At least, let me pray for you.

May the gravity weighing you down become lighter, the wind blow for your sake, and the clouds hide you from view. May the light circle behind you, blinding the enemy from the front. No matter how much pressure is placed on you, may your aircraft hold strong and its structure remain intact. May every force of the air battle act in your favour, aiding your wings.

Let my prayers reach Kiyoaki. Let my soul become his strength.

Mio opened her eyes and, using every bit of strength left in her wounded body, shouted out.

"We promised, Kiyoaki!!"

Sky, let my prayers reach Kiyoaki.

God of the skies, grant us victory.

"Karnasion…!!"

Kiyoaki clenched his teeth as he endured the oncoming G-forces, silently cursing the name of the enemy he had to defeat.

This was their first true one-on-one confrontation. He knew Karnasion would be strong, but this was beyond what he expected. The scorpions he had fought earlier were nothing compared to him. If Karnasion had been piloting the Ortega, the control of Pleiades would have been nothing but a distant dream.

Kiyoaki used every flying technique he knew to evade, looking for an opening to force Karnasion to overreach. A smooth roll, using clouds as cover, air brakes with flaps—none of it worked. Karnasion's ability to slow down was top-notch, and he wasn’t fooled by the slightest change in Kiyoaki's flight path, staying right on his tail.

──What incredible skill…!!

Kiyoaki was astounded. He truly realized that this was the "King of the Sky." If Karnasion was a wild panther, the Ortega flown by the scorpions were nothing more than hungry stray dogs. His agility, precision, and the intelligence to push his prey into a corner—all were on a different level.

──I’m being hunted…!!

If this continued, it would be dangerous. Karnasion’s skills were steadily surpassing Kiyoaki’s, and the distance between them was slowly but surely closing. The Alice Actus already outperformed Kiyoaki’s Ikaruga, so even if their skills were evenly matched, this was a losing battle for him.

──I’ll have to use the terrain…!!

Confirming the terrain of Pleiades below him, he boldly dropped his altitude, flying just above the ground.

Green fields blurred past the front of his canopy. Trees suddenly appeared, so close they nearly scratched the belly of his aircraft, at an altitude so low it would be impossible to tail him. To shoot, one would have to lower their nose, and that manoeuvre would cause the aircraft to crash into the ground.

If Kiyoaki used this method, only a few pilots could keep up. In real combat, almost no one had ever successfully tailed him using this technique. He skimmed the mountainside of the towering hills ahead, climbing the slope and flying over the ridge before looking back.

Karnasion was still tailing him as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Worse yet, the distance between them was shrinking. Kiyoaki felt his breath catch. He was about to be consumed by despair.

──My skills are useless against him.

Could he really win against someone with skills that rivalled Akmed’s? That question repeated itself over and over in Kiyoaki’s mind.

But now, there was no room for despair.

Don’t give up. Fight. Give it everything you’ve got. Pour all the results of your training into defeating this overwhelmingly strong enemy.

Rebuking himself, Kiyoaki spotted the skyline of the city ahead. The right bank of Pleiades, the military district of Oratorio. The steel-reinforced concrete skyscrapers pierced the azure sky. He opened the throttle and flew straight into the heart of the towering buildings.

Skyscrapers over fifty stories tall lined the path ahead. In Kiyoaki’s view, it was as if giant swords were being thrust into the sky, one after another, blocking his way.

A delay of even one-tenth of a second in his reflexes would result in his aircraft punching a hole through the side of a skyscraper, sending him to the heavens. He concentrated every bit of focus, every nerve cell, and every reaction time of his body, compressing it all into this moment and transmitting it to his aircraft.

Man and machine became one. At 850 kilometres per hour, he weaved through the narrow gaps between skyscrapers. Whether Karnasion was still chasing him or not, he had no time to check. His enemy right now was the maze of skyscrapers ahead. To shake off his pursuer, he had to make it through. If he didn’t, he would die. He would never see Illia or Mio again. There was no way he would let it end like this, not after coming so far. He had to win. He would win and return home with everyone’s smiles intact.

With that prayer, he pierced through the concrete peaks.

Suddenly, the sky opened up before him. The plains of Pleiades. The ridgeline of the Petra mountains stretched ahead.

He looked back.

Karnasion had closed the distance to 300 meters.

"Monster…!!"

He spat out the words. Despite Kiyoaki risking his life with acrobatic manoeuvres, Karnasion pursued him effortlessly, even closing the gap.

──Are you better than me?

──Are you saying you're stronger than I am, Karnasion...!?

Once again, doubt crept into his thoughts. The moment that doubt whispered to him, Kiyoaki forcefully expelled it from his mind.

I can win. I will win. Believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

Kiyoaki channelled his remaining strength into the control stick and continued flying.

Everyone was watching this duel, friend and foe alike. Whoever won this battle would gain the upper hand in the airspace control war. The morale on the battlefield would shift entirely to the victor’s side, and soon, their entire army would claim victory.

There was no more time. If he only kept running, within seconds, Karnasion would close the distance to an unavoidable range and shoot him down.

There was only one reversal manoeuvre. The fate of the world depended on the next move. Karnasion was undoubtedly the strongest enemy. He was leagues above Kiyoaki, perhaps the strongest pilot of the modern era. But because of that, to surpass him, Kiyoaki had to bet everything on his best manoeuvre…!

He flew over the Petra mountain range. Ahead lay the townscape of the Evangelis district. In the distance, the majestic form of Ulysses Palace shimmered in white. Mio and Illia were imprisoned there.

Kiyoaki accelerated toward the palace.

He steadied his heart. Staring down the approaching palace, he pinpointed the moment to execute his final move. It would be an ultimate tactic, one that could turn this moment of greatest danger into a chance for victory.

──The Serpent Strike.

It was the legendary technique said to have been used by Kiyoaki’s father, Masaharu Sakagami, to shoot down Illia's father, Karsten Kreischmidt. In the St Vault Empire, this technique was declared a "fiction." The manoeuvre involves the pursued aircraft suddenly pulling up its nose, forcing the pursuer to overshoot, then leveling off to take position behind the enemy—a move so simple yet extraordinarily difficult.

Its simplicity made it the ultimate challenge. Countless aces had attempted this manoeuvre and lost their lives, leading many air forces to outright ban any attempts at the Serpent Strike.

It was considered impossible because neither the aircraft nor the human body could withstand the deceleration forces. Those who attempted it either severely damaged their aircraft, their bodies, or both, with some suffering injuries and others losing their lives.

Kiyoaki had once thought it was impossible, too. But during the Second Battle of Sierra Greed, Akmed had completed the Serpent Strike right in front of him. It wasn’t fiction—it could be done. Since that day, Kiyoaki had tried the manoeuvre multiple times, studied its problems, and reached his own conclusion.

The strain on the aircraft could be reduced by reading all the air combat variables and making precise control stick movements, accurate to the millimetre, within a fraction of a second. The strain on the body could only be overcome by willpower, grit, and an obsession with victory. In other words, by pulling the control stick to the absolute limit just before the structure of the aircraft gave out, and then, with his body and spirit hardened through relentless training, overcoming the deceleration forces and leveling off at the right moment, the Serpent Strike would be completed. It required extreme precision and absolute strength within fractions of a second—truly the ultimate in air combat techniques.

He had never succeeded in this move before. But if he didn’t succeed now, the world’s fate would end here.

“I’ll do it. Come, Karnasion, I’ll settle this with you!!”

Karnasion closed in. Through the space between them, Kiyoaki could hear Karnasion’s voice.

──I know what you're aiming for. Your mentor's technique, right?

Kiyoaki felt a flicker of panic. Karnasion had seen through him.

──That’s something only Akmed could pull off.

──If you’re really Akmed’s disciple, then show me… right here.

Karnasion moved even closer. He was now within unavoidable range.

──Let’s see you complete the Serpent Strike!!

Kiyoaki fixed his gaze on Ulysses Palace looming ahead. The massive wall stretched up toward the sky before him. Behind him, Karnasion was less than a hundred meters away. If Karnasion pulled the trigger, it would be a guaranteed hit.

The palace in front of him, Karnasion behind him.

Kiyoaki threw everything into this single moment.

──Everyone.

He gripped the control stick tightly. He clenched his teeth. He held his breath. He prepared for the impact, like being struck by a giant’s hammer.

──Give me strength.

He forced his eyes wide open. He prayed to the sky. To all the comrades who had died. To all the comrades still alive. To all the lives that would continue on the ground below.

──Victory.

He pulled the control stick with all his might.

The towering Ulysses Palace vanished from his sight.

Ahead of him, there was only a torrent of light. Beyond the light, a blue sky.

All his organs were crushed. An invisible hammer slammed into Kiyoaki’s body with enough force to shatter his bones, organs, and muscles.

His aircraft, which had been flying straight, suddenly pointed its nose toward the sky, and the force hit both wings of the Ikaruga. The duralumin screamed in agony. Rivets popped off. The frame warped and flexed.

An enormous invisible hammer struck Kiyoaki's body with the energy of an aircraft flying at 850 kilometres per hour. Even while enduring all that energy, Kiyoaki’s fingers on the control stick remained delicately attuned to the aircraft's structural limits, measuring every millimetre of strain, listening intently to the Ikaruga’s cries.

Within fractions of a second, the greatest strain of his life was placed on every muscle, every nerve, every part of his body and mind.

All his cells were boiling over, his blood flowed backward.

Kiyoaki’s vision turned from blue to white. His consciousness began to fade. He could see nothing.

There was only light.

──Kiyoaki.

In that pure white, spotless light, he heard the voices of his parents. He saw his sister Yumiko’s smile.

──Endure it, Sakagami.

His mentors Akmed and Leo. Lulu, Sanatra, Kandata. His fallen comrades—Nyutabaru Rensuke and Dambazolik. One by one, they called out Kiyoaki’s name. They reached their hands out to him.

What had been fading away now began to tether him back. Kiyoaki heard the faint sound of the wind. Soft, warm, carrying a familiar, comforting scent—a nostalgic breeze from the plains.

"I believe in you."

Kagura stood in the grasslands, smiling at Kiyoaki as the wind blew around her.

Kiyoaki’s vision extended beyond Kagura, over the rolling hills.

Against the backdrop of a deep blue sea, Illia stood in the wind.

"You will end this war."

She smiled at him with affection.

Kiyoaki looked out over the sea. He gazed up at the bright blue sky stretching above.

The sweet scent drifted to him. Mio was smiling.

"You can do it."

Wearing a bloodstained white dress, Mio reached out her hand toward the sky.

"Only you can do it."

Kiyoaki heard that voice.

"We made a promise, didn’t we, Kiyoaki?"

Kiyoaki opened his eyes.

His vision, filled with white, was now filled with the deep blue of February.

──No matter how much strain it takes, may the aircraft hold strong and preserve its structure.

A voice from the sky reached him.

──May all the factors of air combat act in your favour and work for your wings.

The scream of the wings disappeared. His lungs filled with oxygen.

──Let my prayer reach Kiyoaki.

Kiyoaki realized how tightly he had been pulling the control stick.

He couldn't pull it any further.

──Let my soul be Kiyoaki’s strength.

Kiyoaki poured every last bit of his strength into his arms.

"Mio."

He called out the name.

──I’m coming now, Mio.

He forced his eyes wide open and pushed down his head, which was about to tilt upward. With all his strength, he repelled the G-forces pressing down on him like a giant stone hammer.

Before him stretched an infinite blue sky.

“Ooooohhhh!!”

Everyone who wasn’t here placed their hands on Kiyoaki's arms, helping him push the control stick forward.

Countless particles of light burst around him. These lights were the prayers of everyone who wasn’t there. The light filled every gap between the metal molecules and cells of his body, giving him strength—turning the impossible into the possible.

The sound of high winds slapped against the canopy.

The deceleration forces disappeared.

The light returned. In his trembling, hazy vision, the tail of the Alice Actus came into view.

Karnasion.

Unavoidable distance.

As his instincts whispered this to him, Kiyoaki opened all the guns on the Ikaruga.

The space between Kiyoaki and Karnasion was filled with fire.

The searing 37mm cannon shells, the 20mm machine gun rounds, and hundreds of fiery lines pierced through Karnasion’s body.

The "King of the Sky" smiled for a moment.

His entire body erupted in blood-like flames, cloaked in black rose-coloured smoke. Beyond his shattered wings and torn armour, the former king smiled at the new "king."

With the fiery blaze blooming in the transparent blue sky, the throne of the heavens was handed over to the new king.

──The Black Rabbit.

Kiyoaki heard the voice of the man who lived in the sky, as if he were relieved and truly satisfied.

──I thank you.

As his body shattered into billions of metal fragments and scattered into the atmosphere, the former king conveyed his message to Kiyoaki. Though they had been enemies, Kiyoaki’s chest burned with the pride of a man who could only live in the sky.

The "Black Panther" Karnasion became a ball of flame and crashed into the main building of Ulysses Palace.

Kiyoaki flew over the palace. Flames erupted from the middle of the main building.

──You are now the King of the Sky.

Kiyoaki looked up at the sky. He saw Karnasion, unscarred by burns, standing next to Akmed’s ghost. The two sky heroes smiled down at Kiyoaki from a peaceful, battle-free sky.

Kiyoaki raced toward the zenith.

"I won."

He announced this over the radio.

"I shot down Karnasion!!"

As he declared it, the speakers erupted with the cheers of his comrades, nearly resembling screams.

"We’re going to win. There’s no super ace left in the enemy’s ranks. We’re going to win!!"

With that, Kiyoaki flew through the skies of Pleiades, seeking new enemies.

His comrades were emboldened. There were still three or four times more enemies, but they charged forward undeterred.

Three Ortega fighters had been shot down. Karnasion had also fallen.

There were no more terrifying enemies left. Now it was up to them to employ formation tactics, working as one to drive the enemy planes out of the sky. They had trained for this moment, pushing themselves to the point of vomiting blood. The enemy might have superior numbers, but each one of them had grown into an ace capable of taking on a thousand foes. They would not be easily shot down.

Kiyoaki ascended into the sky and performed a half-roll to survey the airspace.

Both his aircraft and body were battered from the fierce battles. Illia, his partner, was no longer there. Now, he had to take the lead and clear the skies himself, but his body wasn’t keeping up with him.

"Kiyoaki, you can slack off for a bit. You’ve been working too hard."

That voice came over the radio. As Kiyoaki turned his eyes to the left, he saw the "Emblem of the Wind."

Kal-el was flying beside him, waving.

"Leave it to me."

Kiyoaki felt a wave of relief. If Kal-el was here, he could trust him to handle it.

"I’ll take you up on that. I’m counting on you, Kal."

Kal-el raised one hand in acknowledgment as he flew past Kiyoaki. His once calm and gentle demeanour had disappeared, replaced by the fierce and noble expression of a hawk. The man who had held nearly equal records with Kiyoaki in the Odin Air Force’s mock air battles was now beginning to take control of the sky they had finally reached.

──That’s right. For Kal, too, this is where his long journey ends...

Kiyoaki looked up at the wings of his dependable friend. Kal-el would surely settle the air battle. He would surely claim victory in this sky…

He listened closely to the voice of the sky.

It wasn’t the sound of propellers cutting through the atmosphere, nor the deafening roar of 20mm machine guns, nor the noise of shattered planes breaking apart. Instead, he listened to the voice of the sky, which echoed beyond all those sounds.

Three planes to the upper left. Two to the lower right. Two more below. They were closing in. But the sky revealed an "escape route." Kal-el slightly tilted his plane and increased speed, heading in the direction the sky had shown him.

In the spot where Kal-el had been moments earlier, seven enemy planes simultaneously fired. Their rounds tore into each other, resulting in a chaotic dogfight. The shattered planes crashed into the plains of Pleiades. Kal-el calmly continued flying, taking down one enemy after another. He repeated this process relentlessly.

His fighting style was like one wrapped in light, drawing the attention of both enemy and ally alike. Amid the bloody air battle, he alone remained pure and untainted, serene and calm.

There’s something strange about him. The enemy gradually began to notice. The bravest among them challenged this strange presence. But every attack was detected in advance and evaded. It was like chasing the wind, impossible to grasp. His aircraft seemed to exist in a different dimension, gliding effortlessly through the sky while eliminating the silver-gray enemies in his path.

It seemed as though the wind was on his side. That’s the only explanation. The wind, which should blow equally for everyone, seemed to favour "him" alone—an unsettling sight.

Sensing this, the witches’ formation began to break apart.

Through the gap left by the silver-gray planes, Kal-el flew alone, advancing with the "Emblem of the Wind."

Kal-el’s expression, as he gripped the control stick, was no longer the carefree one he wore on the ground. It was tranquil. Surrounded by witches, he steadily advanced along the narrow path of the sky, a knight of the wind.

The frightened witches made way. New witches joined the swarm, surrounding the beautiful knight. Yet the knight paid no mind and continued stepping through the forest of hostility.

Eventually, reaching the deepest part of the forest, the witches raised their scythes and swung them toward the knight.

A single gust of wind slipped through the gaps between the scythes.

The knight of the wind elegantly continued along the sky’s path, leaving behind only broken scythes and the shattered remains of the witches, glittering as they scattered across the blue sky.

The surviving witches realized it. Behind the beautiful knight’s gaze, reminiscent of something from a picture book, flickered a ferocity and mercilessness fiercer than anyone else’s. They couldn’t be deceived by his dazzling appearance. Inside, he was a hungry beast. Realizing this, the witches all at once tried to flee, but two, then three new gusts of wind came at them. Beautiful yet fierce, merciless, the dance of the wind knight tore the witches to pieces.

With every flash of the wind emblem, the witch Alice was cut down.

No one could resist. Those who challenged him were struck down on the spot. Gracefully and effortlessly, the knight advanced through the royal road of the sky he had carved out himself.

The witches’ morale wavered.

What is this? His very existence is too strange. We must not defy him. We must not approach him. The moment we cross that line, we will be shattered into dust and become part of the wind surrounding him…!

Into the midst of the scattered witches, Kal-el’s airborne cavalry charged. Their formation was tight, and their coordinated movements trampled the fleeing witches with iron hooves.

The sky over Pleiades was being painted a bronze-blue.

Kal-el led the charge. Not just the Isla Squadron, but the Valkyrie and Voltec Squadrons also followed him into the sky he had carved open, spreading their wings and attacking the enemy planes that tried to break through.

Kal-el scanned the surrounding airspace.

The Kusanagi Squadron’s bombing run had succeeded, and the newly-arrived Alice Actus couldn’t ascend. At the beginning of the second air battle, the enemy planes had outnumbered them four to five to one, but now that number had been reduced to nearly two to one.

Now they could win. Boost your allies’ morale. If you can ignite their fighting spirit now, they’ll fear no enemy, no matter how outnumbered.

He brandished the sword of wind. He was surrounded by even more light. With graceful footwork, Kal-el plunged into the witches’ formation, breaking through from the inside.

Then, turning to his subordinates, the knight gave a command with regal authority.

“Follow me, warriors.”

He smiled elegantly, as befits a prince of the sky.

“We’re heading to Claire Cruz.”

Holding up the Emblem of the Wind, he tore through the witches’ formation without hesitation, calling out the name of the imprisoned princess, slicing straight through the silver-gray membrane, leaving a trail of light behind him.

The dance of wind and light.

No one else could imitate it. No matter how many super aces soared in the same sky, Kal-el’s dance had a completely different rhythm. It was more graceful, more refined, fiercer, more merciless, and more attuned to the wind and light than anyone else. Until he had completely painted the sky in his own colours, the beautiful yet cruel dance would not end.

The wings of bronze-blue were mesmerized by Kal-el’s dance. They yearned to dance with him. As long as they fought in the wind and light with him, they couldn’t lose. They could defeat any enemy. Even the Sky Castle of Pleiades itself—Kal-el, the knight of the wind, would undoubtedly plant the Valkyrie’s flag there and rescue the imprisoned princess.

The warriors rejoiced. They turned the tide of battle, pushing forward. The witches hesitated, recoiling in fear, as they were pierced like a single mass of spears. Then the gap was widened, ripped apart from within in every direction until it was beyond repair.

And then… Kal-el sensed hope from a single point in the airspace and smiled.

"They’ve come."

"The black clouds that had covered the right bank of Pleiades cleared──."

"Two aircraft came rushing straight towards the skies over Ulysses Palace, where Kal-el and the others were."

"The area of the sky where they flew seemed to shine with brilliance. Kal-el was certain of victory. As he sliced through the enemy's ranks, he welcomed them in."

"Right next to Kal-el, the person he looked up to as his mentor flew past. For a brief moment, Kal-el could see them waving from the cockpit."

'We've won,' Kal-el muttered as he watched the Aires V spread its wings over the left bank of Pleiades."

"Seagull."

"Seagull, who had flown past Kal-el, surveyed the combat airspace over the left bank."

"Kal-el's fierce and unrelenting combat style was clear to Seagull even from a distance. Although Kal-el looked up to him as a mentor, Seagull honestly wondered if he could truly call him his disciple."

"In combat, Kal-el was overwhelming. His personality completely changed from how he was on the ground or during training, leaving even Seagull hesitant to approach the ferocity of his dance in battle. It was no wonder the witches were terrified. If Seagull had encountered Kal-el in the air, he likely wouldn’t have survived unscathed either."

'I'm glad you're on our side,' Seagull whispered, then flipped his wings and chased after the witches. Although the enemy planes still outnumbered them nearly two to one, they were being overwhelmed by the sheer momentum of Kal-el's side. The only planes spiralling down in flames were the silver-gray ones."

"The enemy no longer had any aces who could turn the tide of the battle."

"Kiyoaki had shot down three Ortega fighters and Karnasion all by himself. That fact weighed heavily on the battle. Air combat is decided by atmosphere and morale. The side that believes they’ve won is the one that ultimately prevails. And it's the ace's job to deliver that certainty. Now, the feeling of 'victory' was spreading among Kal-el's allies. His job now was to push his combat skills to their limits, demonstrate his dominance, and drive the enemy away. If his allies followed his lead, they would win this battle."

“All right. Time to stand out.”

"Charles smiled. He couldn't help but mock himself for not being able to shake off his boyish spirit, but part of him thought it was fine. He loved the sky, and his love for flying had kept him going until now. He had shot down countless enemies, bid farewell to countless fallen comrades, and had resolved to keep flying until the day he, too, would eventually fall."

"Flying until his wings broke──that was Charles' tribute to the fallen airmen, both friend and foe. He would continue to fight and fight and fight until that day came. A life like that was enough for him."

"As Charles soared through the sky, countless flames ignited in his wake."

"Charles' trail was coloured with the hues of fire and iron. His combat techniques, honed over countless battles, were both elegant and unstoppable. As waves of fiery energy radiated around him, Charles gracefully spread his wings, painting the combat airspace in his colours."

"A space opened up around Charles. The absolute domain ruled by the wings of Aries V. The enemy planes could only circle around Charles, unable to even approach him. He flew freely within that space, planting despair into the hearts of the enemy pilots."

"And then──."

"He glanced at his 'friend' flying beside him."

"A jet-black aircraft. The nose art of a playful beagle dog. I'll never forget flying in the same sky as you, side by side, as allies."

"Takeo Chijiwa."

"He called out the name of father and son. The one gripping the control stick of the aircraft was both Yoshioka Takeo and, at the same time, his lifelong greatest rival and best friend, Chijiwa Takeo."

"Charles looked over at the 'Demon Dog' flying beside him and raised his hand lightly in acknowledgment."

"Yoshioka Takeo, and Chijiwa Takeo, their images overlapping, smiled back at the Seagull Charles with just a hint of a grin."

'At your service, Lieutenant Chijiwa.'

"At Seagull's call, the Demon Dog grinned and set his sights on the battlefield."

"Hunting down fleeing enemies was no fun. It was more effective, and more exciting, to strike at the most fortified part of the enemy's formation. The Demon Dog scanned the surroundings, searching for the densest battle zone, and upon finding it, dashed forward at full speed."

"His mere presence distorted the airspace with fighting spirit. As the warped space trailed behind him, the Demon Dog leapt into the enemy formation and tore through it in an instant. His agility and ferocity were like that of a hunting dog attacking a great beast. His fangs sank into the throat of the beast, and once they had bitten down, they wouldn’t let go. No matter how much the beast writhed and thrashed, the fangs dug deeper and deeper until it lay still, lifeless."

"In time──the great beast could no longer even struggle. Its eyes, devoid of light, closed as it fell helplessly to the earth."

"The Demon Dog, with blood on his mouth, calmly surveyed the surroundings again, seeking out his next prey. No matter how large the enemy force was, once he latched on, he would never let go. He would keep fighting until everything was annihilated. The space around him warped even more, centred on the Demon Dog."

"The witches screamed."

"The Demon Dog was entirely different from the Wind Knight, Seagull, or the Black Rabbit. His very form was a manifestation of pure combat instinct. If that instinct were given form, it would undoubtedly take the shape of this flying machine. Don’t get close to the Demon Dog. Don’t resist. Bow your head and pray that his fangs simply pass by. The witches’ groans spread on the wind."

"The sky split."

"The storm clouds were torn apart."

"The Demon Dog sniffed out all hostility, approached it, and tore it apart."

"The sky made way for the Demon Dog. No one could stand in his path."

"Who should rule this sky? Who is the king of the sky? The Demon Dog posed this question to the witches as he ravaged the air. The more he fought, the sharper his fangs became, seeking out new prey."

'I don’t want to fight anymore. Please, spare me. I won’t resist anymore, so please, just stop chasing me…'

"The witches’ despair echoed through the airspace."

"Even that despair was torn apart by the Demon Dog as he ravaged the skies of Pleiades. The path before him cleared, and the sky was dyed bronze-blue. The end of the battle was near."

"And then──."

"The Demon Dog glanced at a young breath returning to the battlefield."

"The wings that had been utterly exhausted now seemed to have regained their strength after some rest."

"He smiled at the 'king' flying beside him."

'You’re back, Black Rabbit.'

"Kiyoaki, flying alongside him, gave a light wave in response."

'Take care of him, King of the Sky.'

"Even the Demon Dog recognized it. The king of the sky in this era was the man flying beside him. No one could match him anymore. No one was allowed to resist. As the era of propeller fighters came to an end, the final 'King of the Sky' was the Black Rabbit."

'Go. Rule this sky.'

'Yes. I’ll settle this.'

"Gripping the control stick of the Ikaruga, Kiyoaki surveyed the skies over Pleiades."

"The enemy force that had once outnumbered them nearly two-to-one had now been reduced to half their numbers. The silver-gray planes were barely holding on, while the bronze-coloured planes, carried by their momentum, were driving them back."

"It was no surprise. This was beyond unreasonable."

"Kiyoaki, half in awe, glanced back at the figures that had been flying above him."

"The grand display of the 'Kings of the Sky' in the final battle zone was beyond words. If monsters like that had gathered, no force, even a thousand witches, could withstand them. Cloaked in light and accompanied by the wind, these kings performed a battle dance, dominating the battlefield with their aerial manoeuvres as if they controlled everything in the airspace. Of course, no matter how strong they were, they couldn’t have defeated 500 enemy planes on their own. It was only because all 150 of their allies had risked their lives that victory was possible. But the defining factor in the battle, without a doubt, was the dance of the three kings."

"Thank goodness they were on our side… If they had been enemies, there’s no way we could have secured the skies over Pleiades. Kiyoaki breathed a deep sigh of relief, then, summoning his remaining strength, charged toward the enemy planes…"

"The witches' formation was no longer functioning as a combat group."

"The overwhelming emotion controlling Alice and the others was fear. If they didn’t run, they’d be shot down. This wasn’t a fair air battle. Sure, they had outnumbered the enemy several times over. But no matter how many they had, it didn’t mean anything."

"Fleeing in terror, the witches looked back, almost hallucinating."

"The 'Kings of the Sky' were reigning over the airspace of Pleiades."

"Four of them──standing on the throne of the heavens, looking down on Pleiades!"

"This wasn’t an air battle. It was a dance hall where the kings were showcasing their power."

"No one could resist. Even standing against them wasn’t allowed. The only thing the subjects could do was kneel and demonstrate their submission. If they resisted, the king’s spear would pierce their chests, and they would fall to the ground…"

Kiyoaki summoned the last of his strength and continued fighting.

In the skies of Pleiades, a few brave witches still made their final attempts at resistance. But by now, it was clear that his side had secured air superiority. At this point, starting the bombing runs would be no issue… The moment he thought this, as if reading his mind, the speaker crackled to life.

“Odin bomber squadron, launch! They will reach Pleiades soon!!”

A resounding cheer echoed from the fighter squadron through the speakers. Balthazar was certain of air superiority over Pleiades and had decided this was the moment to send in the bombers. Even reconnaissance planes were flying in from the distance, positioning themselves directly above Pleiades to prepare for artillery strike observations.

Zooming in with his scope, Kiyoaki could see Odin approaching within artillery range, just 40 kilometres away. It looked like the battle between flying fortresses was about to begin. Now that the Odin air force had achieved air superiority, they had a huge advantage in the artillery battle since they could observe the impact of their shells. The enemy’s reconnaissance planes wouldn’t be able to approach Odin, as they lacked fighter escort. Once the 50-centimeter main gun turrets of the Odin fortress received accurate targeting data, the ground defence facilities of Pleiades would be reduced to ash in no time. If Odin’s fighter-bombers, dive bombers, and heavy bombers launched their precision strikes in earnest, the Urano ground forces wouldn’t stand a chance.

The end was near.

Kiyoaki looked down at Ulysses Palace below.

Karnasion’s crash into the main building had thrown the palace into chaos. The structure, already shaken by Dambazolik’s earlier assault, had finally been dealt its death blow by Karnasion. Nobles who had been living in the palace were now frantically pouring out of the building, trying to load their belongings onto carriages and escape. In this confusion, Kiyoaki thought, perhaps he could land unnoticed, blend into the crowd, and rescue Mio and Illia.

“Kiyoaki, it’s Kal-el. I’m running low on fuel. I want to go and rescue Claire Cruz. Do I have permission?”

Kal-el’s voice came through the speakers.

“Roger that, you have permission to proceed with the rescue. Be careful.”

After granting permission, Kiyoaki watched as Kal-el smoothly descended, heading toward the front courtyard of Ulysses Palace.

The area around where Illia had crash-landed earlier was clear enough for a safe landing.

Kiyoaki checked his own fuel gauge and saw that he was running low as well. The intense air combat had burned through a lot of fuel. Considering how much he would need for the return trip, he decided it was best to fight for about five more minutes, then land in the same courtyard where Illia had crash-landed earlier…

With blood-stained Thomas resting his head on her lap, Mio watched the fierce battle unfold from the balcony of the Heavenly Palace. She gazed at the bronze-blue colour painting the sky over Pleiades and felt certain of the Valkyrie’s victory.

On the ground, the palace’s tremors were growing more intense. Karnasion had crashed into the upper floors of the Heavenly Palace, striking the sixth floor of the main building, just beneath Illustriali's chambers.

Thomas, who had been cradled in Mio's arms, forced his eyes open and, with effort, tried to stand, pushing strength into his legs.

"Well… it's time to say goodbye, Mio. Take care."

"Wait…! Not in that condition…"

Mio tried to stop him, but Thomas gently pushed her aside, stumbling toward the lifeless body of Renjaku. He pulled out a dagger and several throwing knives.

"This is our chance. If I take advantage of the confusion and take down Illustriali, Urano won’t be able to continue the war. The real king of Urano is the Pope. Chrono Magos and Demistri are nothing but puppets. If the Pope is gone, this futile war will end. But if the Pope escapes, the will for war will persist. Urano will just start fighting again somewhere else. I have to stop that. After all, I’m the hero of justice."

Covered in blood, Thomas turned back to Mio and smiled nonchalantly. The poison circulating in his body would take his life by evening. Before that, he intended to kill the Pope with his own hands.

"…I’ll help too."

Thomas laughed off Mio's offer and pointed outside.

"Your lover’s here."

Mio looked out past the balcony. The Ikaruga with the Black Rabbit nose art was circling above the palace and preparing to land near where Illia had crash-landed earlier. Artillery shells from Odin were beginning to rain down, and the courtyard was in chaos, with fleeing nobles, officials, and their servants trying to escape. The guards were too preoccupied to do their jobs.

Kiyoaki was coming here.

"Tell him where Illia is being held. If you don’t hurry, she’ll be buried alive."

The building was shaking more violently, and dust was starting to fall from the ceiling. The palace would collapse soon. Thomas glanced up at the upper floors where Illustriali was likely hiding.

"The Pope will probably try to escape using the airship on the roof. He can’t go downstairs because of the fire. I’ll go to the roof and take him down. You need to get out of here. Take care. It’s been fun. Tell Kiyoaki I said hi."

Though Thomas had been on the verge of death just moments ago, he now seemed full of energy as he spoke.

But Mio knew the truth. Thomas was forcing himself to put on a brave front.

He was using what little strength he had left to keep up the act, trying not to worry her.

He understood that chasing after Illustriali would mean he wouldn’t make it back alive. Facing Atori in his condition was suicide. Atori could kill Thomas with a single finger.

Mio walked over to Thomas, her tightly controlled expression crumbling as she clung to him.

Her blood-stained dress was once again soaked with Thomas' blood. Burying her face in his chest, Mio repeated her earlier words, this time with even more emotion.

"…I’ll help too."

Thomas stood silently for a while. Then, slowly, he raised his hands and wrapped them around Mio’s back.

"I’m a lucky guy. To have someone as amazing as you say something like that to me. Life hasn’t been all that bad. I’m glad I lived."

"……………………"

"Kiyoaki is a good guy. He’s my best friend. He flew all the way here to keep his promise to you. There’s no one like him. He’s the best. So greet him with a smile. And be happy with him."

"…Thomas…"

Mio looked up, tears welling in her eyes. Thomas was smiling.

"My life has been garbage, you know. I let Zenon use me, betrayed my friends, killed so many people, and now I’m dying from poison in a place like this. But if you and Kiyoaki can be happy, then maybe my garbage life was useful to someone. Maybe it had some meaning."

Tears poured from Mio's eyes. Through her blurry vision, she saw Thomas laughing, unyielding. Despite the poison running through his veins, despite the agony he was in, despite how difficult it was just to stand, he was still trying to send her off with a smile for the sake of her happiness.

"So go. Go to Kiyoaki, for me. Be happy. If you can live with a smile for the rest of your life, that would make me happy, too."

Thomas' hands released her from his embrace. Then, he turned, armed himself, and headed toward the Heavenly Palace.

He would use the last bit of his life force to reach Illustriali.

To avenge his parents. And to destroy the source of this war.

To end the war, right here.

If Mio had asked why he would go to such lengths, he would probably have smiled and said, "Because I’m the hero of justice."

Mio silently watched him leave. She wiped her tears away with her arm.

When she looked up again, Thomas was gone. Standing alone inside the crumbling Heavenly Palace, Mio froze.

The tremors of the palace grew louder, and dust fell like white mist. The building would collapse any moment now. Illia, trapped in the underground prison, would be buried alive at this rate...

Mio steeled her resolve and turned around. She rushed down the stairs at full speed.

She knew what needed to be done. She understood better than anyone what her role was in this situation.

"Kiyoaki!"

She called out his name.

"Kiyoaki, where are you!? Answer me, Kiyoaki!!"

Navigating the complex paths, Mio finally reached the first floor of the main building. Over and over again, she called out Kiyoaki’s name, desperately shouting as she pushed her way through the fleeing crowds, hoping her voice would reach him.