Chapter 8: Into Battle

Chapter 8:
Into Battle

 

I TOOK A DEEP BREATH, watching from the palace rooftop as the sun climbed higher in the sky. The cool breeze washed over me and woke me up. Airships had come and gone from the capital throughout the night, continuing to evacuate civilians.

“Master, the Partner’s preparations are complete,” Luxion announced.

“And that means I’m ready.” The city was in a state of confusion. “I hope things go the way we’ve planned.”

“As the Giants near, the disruption of our communication network will continue to worsen,” said Luxion. “Once my main body makes it beneath the continent, I will be able to provide only the bare minimum of support. Are you certain you wish to do this?”

In short, when Luxion’s floating auxiliary body lost connection with the main ship, its performance abilities would be severely reduced. The Giant’s interference with our networks had also made reconnaissance nearly impossible now. We had no idea where the principality’s forces were, or how fast they were moving, only that the Giant continued to inexorably make its way toward the capital. I had sent some capital airships to scout ahead, but with their scaled-down resources, there was a limit to what they could do.

“Livia and Angie are here, too,” I said. “I’ll be fine. With the power of their love, we’ll blast that monster into oblivion.”

“Love, you say? If that really is enough to win this battle, then why does the rest of the world continue to suffer despite the prevalence of the emotion?”

I shrugged. “How would I know? We can think about that after we win.”

“Yet you’ve been avoiding those two, haven’t you?”

Well, now I knew they loved each other. They didn’t need me flailing about and getting in their way. “I was just shocked; I didn’t know what to say.”

“I heard they looked for you after you fled.”

“It’s not like I’m avoiding them just because of that stupid stage,” I muttered. “I just don’t want to see them right now.” We were going to war. I had to steel myself for what was to come. “I might lose my nerve if I see them.”

“If only you had been honest about that to begin wi—Master!” Luxion’s eye turned up toward the sky.

 

***

 

The tea master prepared tea in one of the palace rooms, despite the early hour, serving two women seated across from each other. Tension filled the air between the queen and the princess.

“Princess Hertrude, can’t I convince you to stop this war?” Queen Mylene asked.

“Impossible.” Hertrude waved her hand dismissively, though she wore a faint smile. “The principality has awaited this day for decades. Now it’s your turn to feel the pain of being trampled under another nation.”

Mylene closed her eyes. “I understand you want to blame the kingdom, however—”

“Oh? Are you going to threaten me? It’s too late. My sister has already summoned the Sky and Sea Guardians. Once she gives the order, they won’t stop until they complete their task. There is nothing left to do.”

In other words, the kingdom couldn’t use Hertrude as a hostage; she would buy them nothing. But the queen shook her head. She placed an aged document and book on the table.

“And what are these?” Hertrude asked.

“Read this first please.” The queen gestured to the document.

It had been written shortly after the principality gained its independence, listing demands for reparation in exchange for acts of brutality—not the kingdom’s but the principality’s.

“Th-these are a lie. The kingdom treated us unfairly. That’s why we fought for our independence! This is fake!”

“I see they filled your head with propaganda,” Queen Mylene said bitterly. “You make a fine puppet, Princess.”

The book described the history of the kingdom and the principality. The principality’s king, a former archduke of Holfort Kingdom, had turned hostile toward his motherland and attacked it from his territory numerous times. His forces plundered and pillaged without mercy. With his enormous military power, he backed his former kingdom into a corner. It should have been a simple matter to crush him and his house, but Holfort Kingdom was already surrounded by numerous enemies. They couldn’t afford to go into all-out war. Instead, they appointed Field House to protect the border between the kingdom and the archduke’s territory.

“We built military facilities, rounded up airships, and transformed the floating island at the border into a stronghold. It took an enormous amount of money and materials,” said the queen.

Infuriated, Holfort Kingdom treated the archduke’s house as an enemy nation rather than a subject. Field House also exerted pressure to keep them in check. The archduke gathered his forces to mount one last attack, turning his cannons on inhabited islands in order to steal their Suspension Stones. Suspension Stones were a necessary resource for building airships, and the archduke showed no compunction in destroying people’s lands to acquire them. Incensed by this, Field House and the kingdom moved in, at last defeating Fanoss’s forces. The document Hertrude had in her hands detailed the reparations for raiding that the Principality of Fanoss had promised to pay in exchange for its independence.

“Still, the principality continued to attack,” Her Majesty went on. “With the earl of Field House protecting the border, we suffered fewer casualties, but resentment lived on in people’s hearts. When the principality invaded, they destroyed the land our people had lived on.” Mylene wouldn’t claim that the kingdom had behaved with perfect equanimity, but Hertrude needed to know this truth. “Your countrymen are invaders.”

“No! We only fought for independence. Because you forced an unfair treaty on us!”

“We only demanded reparation for the damage you caused. Now you’re going to blame the kingdom for your resultant financial struggles?”

Hertrude’s cheeks burned red, and she snatched up her cup.

The tea master moved swiftly to stop her. “I’m afraid your tea has grown cold. Allow me to pour you a fresh cup.”

Vexed by his interference, she glowered at him.

Mylene raised her voice to draw the princess’s attention back to her. “You have an obligation to know the facts. Yes, the kingdom raided your homeland as well, but you cannot forget the principality’s role in instigating the conflict.”

Hertrude knitted her brows in confusion, but a siren blared suddenly. An intruder had entered the palace.

Mylene left her seat. “They’re earlier than we expected.”

The tea master turned his gaze to the window and then glanced at Hertrude. “Are they here to rescue the princess?”

“Most likely. We cannot afford it. They must not get their hands on the other Magic Flute. Where is Leon?”

“He’s already set off with the Partner. I’m sure he’ll move to intercept them. He’s a most reliable ally.”

Hertrude trembled, dropping her gaze to the floor, as yet unable to accept the truth.

“Ah, pardon me.” The tea master yanked the two women to the ground.

An explosion echoed overhead.

 

***

 

Arroganz landed on the palace rooftop, and I clambered into the cockpit.

Once there, Luxion gave me his report. “They caught us off guard. A surprise aerial attack.”

“Yeah, and your radar sucks.”

“I told you the disruption of our network would worsen. You should praise me for noticing the attack before it hit. The Partner will commence an emergency takeoff.”

The Partner shot out ahead to protect the skies over the capital. I grasped the controls inside Arroganz and soared up above the rooftops. A siren blared from the palace.

“How many ships?”

“Thirty,” Luxion said. “It’s a detachment force. They’re dropping bombs as they descend.”

“Take them down.”

The Partner shot a barrage of rounds to intercept the enemy’s missiles. Explosions lit up the sky, black smoke swallowing the palace. The clear, beautiful morning became suddenly overcast, shrouded with darkness.

“Master, the kingdom’s army is requesting orders. The counterattack force’s launch is delayed.”

“Tell them to prioritize evacuations. You and I will have to take care of things until more of our allies can get up in the air.”

“The enemy has deployed land forces and Armors as well.”

All the more reason to be quick up here. I squeezed the controls and snatched a rifle from the container on Arroganz’s back. As enemy Armors hurtled toward me, Luxion intercepted their feeds. The static made it difficult to discern what they said.

“There he is! The Fiendish Knight!”

“Commander, that huge Armor is on trajectory with us—rapid approach!”

I took aim at their leader and pulled the trigger.

“Don’t worry. He’s a coward. Hasn’t killed a single—huh?”

The bullet tore through the enemy Armor’s stomach. The ensuing explosion panicked the survivors.

“Commander!”

“I thought he didn’t kill?!”

I readjusted my grip on the controls, fine-tuning my aim. Who said I didn’t kill? I hadn’t last time, sure, but the situation hadn’t warranted it. Now we were in full-out war, and I didn’t have the luxury of holding back.

“You drove me into a corner,” I grumbled. “Don’t blame me for this.”

As they returned fire, I dodged. Not that I had to; Arroganz’s armored plating could deflect their bullets.

I whipped out a battle-axe, chopping into one of the Armors flying past. As another approached, I slammed Arroganz’s foot into it to gain some distance, then aimed my rifle at the engine of a descending airship. I pulled the trigger. A slight pause. Then the entire vessel exploded.

I watched them through my monitor. “Ugh, this is awful. Absolutely sucks. If you guys hadn’t come, I wouldn’t have to do this!”

“Arguably, you also wouldn’t have had to fight if you’d run away,” Luxion pointed out dutifully.

“And that would have been even worse, which is why I’m fighting! I hate the kingdom, but I hate the principality even more! Even wallowing in all that stupid marriage stuff was way better than this!”

I fought back nausea. My fingers trembled against the trigger as more enemy units closed in, headed straight for me.

“Stop that bastard!”

“You disgusting fiend!”

“Don’t face the Fiendish Knight by yourself! Attack simultaneously!”

Who are you calling a fiend?! You’re the barbarians here—making me do this! I grit my teeth. “Enough of your misplaced resentment, morons!”

I shot another one down and then turned my gun on a second airship.

 

***

 

With the sky above the capital turned into a battlefield, Julius raced down a corridor within the palace. As he passed a corridor, he ran into his foster brother already clad in a pilot suit. “Jilk!”

Jilk ran to meet him. “Your Highness! I’m glad to see you safe.”

Julius stared out a window, tormented. “What are these principality bastards thinking? Why would they send a detachment to the palace now?”

He found it odd they had no monsters. And they’d only come with a few dozen ships.

“They must be here to retrieve Princess Hertrude and the Magic Flute.”

Julius slammed his fist against the wall. “What is Bartfort doing?!”

“He’s left to intercept them. Please, Your Highness, you should fall back to a safe location.”

“Don’t be absurd. I’m going, too!”

In the midst of this exchange, Mylene, Hertrude, and Leon’s tea master came hurrying down the corridor, accompanied by bodyguards.

“You will not.” The queen’s tone was sharp.

“Mother?” Julius couldn’t just stand by and watch, he couldn’t bear it. “I have to go with everyone else. But you should evacuate.”

“Julius, you lack the power to fight them. Besides, it’s your duty to survive.”

“Jilk and my friends will be fighting! Are you telling me to run?!”

“Yes,” she said, her expression cold. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you to do. Running is all you can do.”

“I’m not asking you to give me an airship. Just one Armor—”

“Julius, we have requisitioned no Armor for you to use.”

Julius balled his hands into fists. “Then why are you letting Jilk out?!”

After all, Jilk didn’t possess his own Armor either.

“I requested one from my house, and they sent it,” Jilk said. “The other three did the same. Your Highness, please, let us handle things from here.”

Julius shook his head in disbelief. “Why are you betraying me like this?! Didn’t we agree to work together? Was that all a lie? We said we’d protect Marie!”

Jilk dropped his gaze.

Mylene interceded. “Julius, the palace’s Armors and airships are all in use. You can’t fight. Now behave and come with us so we can evacuate.”

“I-I’m pretty sure Duke Redgrave has some extra Armors on his airship,” Julius protested. “I heard he was recruiting more knights. If I go to him, certainly he’ll—”

“Did you forget your insult to Duke Redgrave? His house no longer supports you, Julius. Jilk, the principality’s forces are descending. Please hurry to intercept them.”

“Yes, Your Majesty! I’ll be off, Your Highness.”

“Luck be with you,” the queen said as Jilk started down the hall.

Julius watched for a few moments and then sped off on his own.

 

***

 

Angie pulled Livia by the hand, racing down the hallway as confusion swept over the palace. Livia anxiously glanced out a window in their flight. “I can’t believe we didn’t notice them until they were already here.”

“The static in our channels has gotten worse. If Luxion couldn’t anticipate them, then we had no hope of knowing. At any rate, we need to get to the royal family’s ship.” Angie glanced out a window as well, catching sight of the Partner. For now, it protected the skies on its own.

Where is Leon?

The moment the royal family’s ship had accepted Angie and Livia as its owner, Leon had disappeared. Judging from what others had said, he was down in the dumps, but she and Livia had been too busy to track him down. Luxion’s robot minions had arrived shortly after the kerfuffle with the love detector. They’d filed in through the ship’s now open door and commenced maintenance operations.

Livia glanced at her feet. “Do you think he was upset with us for being so excited about our scores?”

“N-no, I’m sure that wasn’t it. Well, part of the fault does lie with us, but I didn’t think he’d disappear without giving us a chance to apologize.”

Cannon fire and explosions echoed overhead; it was no time to reminisce. My father and brother aren’t here either. This was the worst possible timing.

The duke had left three guard ships for Angie’s protection. They were currently patrolling the skies, but if the need arose, they had been set to evacuate her.

Suddenly, Julius appeared up ahead, his shoulders hunched forward, gasping for air as he stared out a window. He looked up at their approach and then started toward Angie.

“Your Highness, what are you doing here?” she asked him. “You need to escape. Now!”

He dropped his head in a bow. “Angelica, I have a favor to ask. Lend me what power you have at your disposal—lend me the duke’s fleet.”

Livia glanced between them in confusion, unable to follow this abrupt development,

Angie’s eyes widened for a moment, but she soon regained her composure. “Those three ships are here to protect me. They aren’t my subordinates. They only take orders from my father or brother. They might answer to Leon now, but either way, I can’t honor your request.”

“Just one Armor is enough. I don’t want to be a coward who runs.” He bowed his head again, pleading.

“No, Your Highness,” Angie firmly rebuffed him. “Please, evacuate with us.”

Julius lifted his chin. “Do you hate me for betraying your feelings? Is that why you won’t help me?”

At these words, Angie realized something. It’s strange, but…I don’t feel any such thing toward him…not anymore.

Her concern for Leon far outweighed any lingering desire for revenge. More than anything, she just wanted to see Leon’s face again.

“Not so long ago, I really did hate you. But now I…I love Leon. I don’t resent you, Your Highness. Not anymore.” She smiled.

Julius stared at her for a moment, as if captivated. His mouth opened, but before he got the chance to say anything, her family’s knights found her and raced over.

“My lady, there you are!”

“We’re headed underground,” Angie instructed them. “Bring the prince.”

“Yes, miss!” They surrounded Julius, guiding him and the girls to the storage area beneath the palace.

Livia squeezed Angie’s hand. “Are you okay? I, uh, um…”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. All of those feelings…they’re of the past.” Angie smiled again.

Julius stared down at his feet.

Livia glanced at him. “Is something the matter?”

“I’d never seen her smile like that. That’s all.” His voice was full of self-derision.

Angie barely heard this remark, too otherwise concerned to care. Leon, you have to come home to us.

 

***

 

Gelatt stood on the bridge of a principality airships, staring down at the kingdom’s capital from high above.

“And I even requested our surprise attack forces for this mission! I was so sure you wouldn’t interfere, Fiendish Knight! But you’re going to get in my way again?!”

Hadn’t the kingdom’s nobles arrested Leon? Gelatt hadn’t anticipated his presence. He panicked at the sight of Arroganz on the field. It was said only Leon could control Arroganz and the Partner—which meant that Leon was free.

He chewed on his thumbnail. “But I have to retrieve the Magic Flute before our primary force arrives!”

The main army was keeping to the Sky Guardian’s pace. They had summoned it from their own capital and its movement speed was so slow, so they had yet to arrive.

“We need the other flute to summon the Land Guardian. We can’t afford to lose it…”

Notably, he had been granted these thirty airships under the pretense of saving Hertrude—Hertrauda would not have approved it otherwise. However, Gelatt didn’t much care what happened to the captured princess. But so long as the second flute remained in enemy hands, his future was precarious.

“Earl, twenty ships have already gone down,” a nearby soldier reported. “Our Armors are also falling.”

“You think I can’t see that for myself?! That bastard has no knightly pride, abandoning his conviction not to kill so easily! At this rate, if he comes after our ship I’ll… No, I can’t die here!”

Gelatt hastily called for a retreat. But it was too late. Arroganz suddenly loomed in front of the bridge.

“So this is your flagship, huh?” said a voice projected from the gray suit.

Staring down the barrel of a giant rifle, Gelatt slapped his hands over his face. “Not here! I can’t die heeeeere!”

Missiles launched from the container on Arroganz’s back and slammed into the airship. Then Arroganz pulled the rifle trigger, and it was all over.

 

***

 

Clarice was at one of the evacuation centers in the capital, directing civilians onto airships personally owned by Atlee House. Civilians hurriedly piled inside, terrified of the principality’s relentless attacks.

Knights and soldiers struggled and failed to hold the enemy forces at bay behind barricades. Even academy students on airbikes engaged the enemy. The horrific sounds of battle raged on land and in the air.

Clarice watched helplessly as enemies destroyed the Armor that had been guarding her. She might have surrendered for the sake of the civilians under her care, but the hostile Armors then began attacking her airships. Panicked, she snatched up a microphone and bellowed, “Wait! These aren’t military ships! There are civilians on board!”

“Like that matters,” an enemy Armor shouted back. “You kingdom savages will pay for your crimes with your lives!”

She grit her teeth. “How is that an excuse to commit atrocity? The same ones you accuse us of!”

Axe in hand, the Armor chopped right through the metal plating of the ship, cracking the ceiling above Clarice. He pried the hull open and reached in, cackling. “There’s a girl in here! She’s a noble, too!”

Cold sweat trickled down her back. Clarice knew exactly what happened to women who were captured on the battlefield.

One of her crew fired a rifle at the Armor’s approaching hand, but the suit’s metal plating deflected the bullets.

“Your tiny bullets won’t do anything. Now, atone for your sins with your body!”

The moment the Armor’s hand was about to close around Clarice, the enemy was violently ripped away from the airship.

Arroganz had arrived.

It held the enemy Armor firmly in one hand, a rifle in the other, and took aim at the other attackers. In the next moment, Arroganz pulled the trigger, and a bullet ripped through the stomach of another enemy suit, sending it crashing to the ground.

The Armor in Arroganz’s grasp thrashed. “Let go of me, you—”

Arroganz emitted a shock wave from its left hand, and at once the enemy pilot fell silent. Arroganz promptly discarded the Armor and soared off to find its next opponent.

Clarice breathed a small sigh as she watched Leon leave. She stared at the battered suit that had tried to grab her moments before. A hole gaped in its stomach. Leon had pushed himself beyond mercy.

“So he’s determined to see this through,” she murmured.

 

***

 

Evacuees clamored for escape at the Roseblade estate in the capital. Above them, extravagantly Armored knights did battle and airships traded cannon fire. One vessel took a heavy hit and crashed into the buildings below. Fires raged across the city, with towers of smoke scattered all around.

“Lady Deirdre, please run!”

Deirdre turned to her guard and huffed. “You’re telling me to run? My father and brother are fighting valiantly back home. If I left now, I would never be able to show my face to them again.”

“But you’re not a knight, my lady! No one would dare blame you if you escaped!”

She ignored his plea and resumed barking orders. “Deploy our airships! I don’t care what kind they are, just get these evacuees to safety!”

“Will you be riding with us then?” asked her knight, hopeful.

“Yes, I will. After everyone else has evacuated.”

“My lady, you’re such a fool!” He burst into tears but nevertheless obediently relayed her instructions.

Just then an enemy pilot slipped right past Roseblade House’s defenses and landed his Armor on the roof. He had been smashing noble residences and had turned his sights on the evacuees scattering like baby spiders.

Deirdre’s temper flared as the Armor turned its weapon on the defenseless civilians. “Is that any way for a knight to behave?!”

“My lady, what are you doing?!” Her knight scrambled toward her, trying to drag her away.

“You have no right to say that to us!” the principality’s knight responded from inside his Armor. “But what does it matter? Your kingdom will sink anyway. Whether I kill you now or not, your deaths are inevitable!” He turned his gun toward Deirdre. “Beg for your life!”

The fear made Deirdre’s legs feel like cement, rooting her in place. Still, she lifted her chin. “A daughter of Roseblade House does not beg for her life. You would kill me regardless? Go on then, pull the trigger, you coward!”

“My lady, please don’t encourage them!”

Incensed by Deirdre’s ferocity, the enemy Armor moved to press the trigger.

Lancing down from above, a bullet pierced through the suit. The Armor collapsed.

Deirdre looked up. Among the security Armors hovering was a gray suit with a large container on its back, already flying away from her family’s estate.

“Oh? Not even going to greet me, hmm?” She sniffed. “How hateful.”

Beside Deirdre, her knight sagged in relief. “My lady, you don’t need to put on a brave front when your legs are trembling. Now come, let’s evacuate.”

“W-wait just a moment!” She hesitated before admitting, “My legs won’t move.”

Her knight sighed before offering a shoulder to help guide her inside the manor.

 

***

 

For the umpteenth time, I emptied the contents of my stomach into a paper bag inside Arroganz’s cockpit. The stench of bile filled the air, making me even more nauseated.

“Just surrender. Why are you guys doing this? It’s already clear you’ve lost.”

The principality’s forces still rampaged within the capital, despite the fact that I had destroyed their flagship. They were like a snake without its head, yet still they resisted.

“They most likely think surrender meaningless,” Luxion surmised.

Well, that was our fault. Some had tried to surrender, and the kingdom’s forces killed them anyway.

Smoke rose from all corners of the city. Numerous hostile airships had been shot down only to destroy the buildings below. The sea of fire swallowed up whole districts.

“Once we clean up the principality, we’ll have to provide aid. The nobles not following my orders can help out with that.”

“Yes, surely they’ll be willing to assist for the sake of their homeland.”

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “Where’s our next battlefield?”

He hesitated. When he spoke, he sounded uncharacteristically apologetic. “Master, I’m afraid this is it. I will only be able to provide the bare minimum of support from here on.”

“Got it. Do your best.”

“Are you truly sure about this?”

“Yep. Get going. You know I can’t leave this to anyone but you.”

He stared at me for a moment before he nodded. “The royal family’s ship is ready to go. I have prepared a separate AI to support the girls. If you need any help, use them.”

“An AI separate from you?”

“Yes. Also, please don’t push yourself beyond your limit. If the battle seems hopeless, re…tre…at…” Static swallowed his words before he could finish his sentence.

After a pause, his voice returned to normal, but it wasn’t the same Luxion. In fact, it was like an entirely different person. “The link with my main body has been severed.”

He spoke like a robot reciting a prerecorded line.

My stomach twisting in anxious knots, I readjusted my grip on the controls. “I’m putting my faith in you, partner.”

 

***

 

Luxion hovered in the sliver of space separating the kingdom’s floating mainland from the ocean below. The bulk of the continent cut off any sunlight, so the narrow space was bathed in darkness. A pillar of liquid carried ocean water up to the land above, but this was far from the most interesting sight down below. A number of tentacles jutted out of the sea, burrowing deep into the land above.

The Sea Giant was so vast that, despite the humanlike face peering out from the water, it looked more like an island. Luxion’s spaceship measured over seven hundred meters long, but compared to this creature, it was a flea.

Yet Luxion was calm even though he faced the beast alone. “Well, it shouldn’t be a problem to repeatedly annihilate this thing.”

His main cannon emitted a beam of light, severing the creature’s tentacles. They disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

The Giant’s eyes shifted, turning toward Luxion. More tentacles burst out of the water and wrapped tightly around his body.

“Don’t touch me.”

Luxion sliced through the tentacles with his lasers, then took aim with a missile launcher and fired. The bomb struck dead center, and the massive explosion blew the creature apart.

Smoke billowed around Luxion, momentarily swallowing his vision. Then: “It’s gradually regenerating. Seems Master’s information was correct.”

Fresh tentacles shot out from the water, and Luxion blasted them off. The creature, with its human face and squid-like body, reared up, violent waves crashing all around it.

Luxion fired his main cannon again, wreathing himself in smoke once more. “Too bad for you. As long as I’m here, you won’t be able to complete your objective.”

The only problem was the remaining Giant—the one on the surface that Luxion couldn’t fight. He had no choice but to leave it to Leon and the Partner.

As the Sea Giant regenerated over and over again, Luxion continued his barrage, pinning it in place so it could do naught but heal itself.

“Master was right. I won’t lose, but I can’t win either. The problem really will be the other Giant… Master’s odds of survival are even lower than I anticipated.”

In between cannon blasts, Luxion focused his attention on adding improvements to Schwert inside the spaceships’ onboard factory. “You’ll be reborn anew, Schwert, in order to better serve our master.”