Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 13 - Chapter 6

The Second Coming of the Legend

Saturday, May 22nd

When Blue Knight informed Theia and Ruth that they’d arrived at the far side of the moon, the three enemy ships were lined up and waiting for them. Normally being on the dark and far side of the moon, the ships wouldn’t be visible, but thanks to the CG-processed images on the monitor, they were clear as day.

“As we suspected, it was a trap.”

“So it seems, Your Highness. Several fighters have been launched from the enemy carrier.”

“So everything is going just as they planned... Activate the automatic interceptor system, and hand the firing control system and the steering over to me. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

“As you wish, my princess.”

In order to keep the three ships from supporting the forces on the ground, Theia would have to attack with Blue Knight and jam their communications. That would raise her allies’ chance of victory back on the surface.

Until now, they had only transferred small fighters to support their soldiers and a dozen or so Motor Knights to support Warlord. If they sent anything more than that, the odds would inevitably be tipped in their favor in the ground battle.

“Ruth.”

“Yes?”

“Let me apologize beforehand. I’m sorry. I don’t think we’ll be returning alive.”

In order to protect Elfaria and to secure a chance at victory for their friends on Earth, someone would have to attack the enemy fleet. Though Theia and the others had two ships at their disposal, Clan and her Hazy Moon couldn’t openly participate in the battle because of her precarious situation with her family. That meant Blue Knight would have to fight alone, and the situation was grim. It would be nigh impossible for just one ship to come out victorious.

“What are you saying? I made an oath to stay with you through everything.”

“So you did...”

“If anyone is to apologize, it should be the both of us to Satomi-sama.”

“That’s true... Then Ruth, if that time comes, let’s fall on the moon. If we do that, then we can always watch over him.”

“That is a wonderful idea, Your Highness. By all means, let’s do so.”

Theia and Ruth were already prepared for their defeat. With their ship alone, they didn’t have a prayer of winning. Blue Knight was a royal class battleship, the most powerful class of Forthorthian ships, but it hadn’t fully recovered from the damage it had taken in its last fight with the same ships. Moreover, it was a three on one fight. It didn’t look good for them.

“However, I don’t believe we should just let them win.”

“Of course not. Since we’re going to fight, we should aim for victory. If we don’t, I’d feel bad for those who follow behind us.”

But despite all odds, Theia and Ruth were going for the win. Theia wanted to defeat her enemies, reunite with Koutarou, and say something sensible to him. And Ruth wanted to tell Koutarou her wish.

Blue Knight made the first move. Since it was a royal class ship, even for a battleship, it had an exceptionally high-power generator. And making use of that energy allowed them to extend the range of their attacks. Out of the many weapons at her disposal, Theia chose to begin with the laser cannon.

“Blue Knight! The high concentration laser!”

“As you wish, my princess. Opening the gunport to the high concentration laser, Shining Flower. Activation assigned to the commander’s seat trigger.”

Theia was sitting at the bridge’s commander seat. She steered the ship from there, and took control of attacking at the same time. Though she was steering, there wasn’t a rudder like on a marine ship. Since a spaceship required navigation in three dimensions, the control style was much more similar to that of a fighter jet. She had a control stick, and she held her finger over the firing trigger.

“Your Highness, the defensive ship has taken the front. I’m confirming the existence of a distortion field.”

Ruth was sitting in the operator’s seat to the right and slightly below Theia. She was in charge of information processing and managing the ship. Simply put, Theia was in charge of offense and Ruth was in charge of defense.

“The defensive ship is in the front and the fighters are following it. Behind them is the battleship, and the carrier is in the very back. A standard formation.”

The enemy fleet consisted of a carrier, a battleship, and a defensive ship.

The carrier’s combat capabilities in itself were weak, but it carried several fighters within. It would launch those fighters and have them attack in its stead. A combined attack by a group of highly mobiles fighters was hard to prevent and had a lot of power behind it. However, even then, fighters often lacked the firepower to breach a ship’s barrier on their own. And for that reason, a carrier practically never operated alone.

That was where the battleship came in. It excelled in attacking. Using ordnance that made use of its large generator, its primary job was to soften up the enemy’s barrier. Once it did, then the carrier’s fighters would be more effective. In other words, the battleship would weaken and the carrier would destroy. So the battleship was an indispensable partner of the carrier.

Opposite its partners, the defensive ship was in charge of defense. It was aptly named, and came standard equipped with a robust barrier. It had weaponry as well, but the ship’s role was to take the lead in battle and block any incoming attacks. It was common practice for such ships to be unarmed. Since they largely served as a shield, there was no need to station a crew on it unless there was a particular reason for it.

The enemy was making effective use of those three ships in coordination. The defensive ship was put in the front to protect the fighters launched by the carrier. The battleship followed after them. The carrier itself stayed in the back and didn’t move aggressively. The battleship would attack and weaken the Blue Knight’s barrier at range while the defensive ship covered the fighters’ approach so they could move in for the kill. It was a textbook strategy as old as space combat itself.

“The ships and weapons are probably new models from DKI, but their strategy is orthodox...”

Theia was a little curious about the basic strategy the enemy was using. Based on Elexis’s wits in their last battle, she felt this was a bit too simple for someone like him.

“What shall we do?”

“There’s no time to think about that. Let’s get around the defensive ship and attack the battleship.”

Theia made defensive maneuvers with Blue Knight while turning the bow towards the enemy battleship. Blue Knight’s movements were like that of a fighter’s. With Forthorthe’s advanced technology, it was possible to control gravity and mass, so even large ships had high mobility. And when the bow came around at the right angle, she squeezed the trigger.

“A direct hit on the enemy ship! The distortion field’s strength has decreased by 30 percent!”

“We won’t hit that many times from this distance! Ruth, we’re going to get a little reckless!”

“Understood, Your Highness! The fighters are leaving the defensive ship’s distortion field! It looks like the defensive ship is going to devote itself to protecting the battleship!”

“It looks like they know how to hit us where it hurts. We’ll ignore the fighters and focus our attacks on the battleship! Those fighters aren’t much of a threat to us right now!”

Theia had scored a bullseye on the battleship, but it wasn’t enough to destroy it. While her laser had a long reach, it had less power compared to the other weapons. That’s why Theia wanted to close in and use something more powerful to finish off the battleship, but her opponents knew that’s what she’d be after. Since both sides needed to weaken their opponent’s barrier, they concentrated their focus on that. And because Elexis’s ships knew that Theia and Ruth wouldn’t have time to deal with each individual fighter, they had the defensive ship give up on escorting them and focus on covering the battleship instead.

“Blue Knight! The variable property beam cannon!”

“As you wish, my princess. Opening the port to the variable property beam cannon, Powder Snow.”

“This time won’t go the same as the last!”

Theia changed her weapon from laser to beam. While the beam didn’t have the same reach as the laser, it had considerably more firepower. From their current distance, it was the better option.

“Your Highness, energy reaction detected in the bow of the enemy battleship! They’re firing!”

“Leave it to me! I won’t make an amateur mistake like letting them hit us!”

The enemy battleship commenced its attack by firing their own beam cannon. It seemed they were trying to turn this into a shootout with main weapons.

“Three fighter formations are pursuing us!”

“Are they trying to harass us?!”

Three groups of fighters formed bands of three, for a total of nine crafts chasing after Blue Knight. But they alone didn’t have the power to break through Blue Knight’s barrier, so Theia ignored them and continued her attack.

“After a volley with the beam cannon, we’ll pass by the side of the defensive ship! As we’re next to it, throw some missiles at it!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

“Your Highness, I’ll scatter disturbance particles immediately after the missiles have been fired!”

“I’ll leave that to you! Now here we go!”

Through some skillful piloting, Theia smoothly turned Blue Knight and charged towards the battleship being protected by the defensive ship. With the defensive ship in the way, it wasn’t wise for Theia to engage in a shootout. Instead, her plan was to challenge the battleship in close combat.

“If I do this, you can’t fire either, can you?!”

Since there was still some distance between them, Theia approached in a straight line with the defensive ship between her and the battleship. With that, the battleship would be unable to attack her, meaning she could advance freely. The defensive ship had far less offensive power than the battleship. Its sporadic attacks couldn’t hit Blue Knight. Theia repeatedly fired the beam cannon as she charged the defensive ship. Under fire, it gave up on attacking and focused on defending with its barrier.

“The bombardment has lowered the strength of the enemy ship’s distortion field by 56 percent!”

“All right!”

“Firing missiles.”

“Scattering disturbance particles!”

The beam cannon hit the defensive ship dead on just like Theia had predicted, and greatly weakened its barrier. Theia then passed by the defensive ship’s broad side and fired missiles into it. Ruth then released a large volume of chaff particles to disrupt communications and scatter any incoming lasers from the defensive ship’s counterattack.

And after passing by the defensive ship, the enemy battleship appeared before Blue Knight. Everything had been playing out like Theia had wanted so far. And if they could destroy the battleship, they might actually have a chance at surviving this.

“Your Highness, the enemy fighter group is attacking!”

“Ridiculous! What are they planning to accomplish by attacking now?!”

That was when something unexpected happened. The nine fighters following Blue Knight suddenly began their assault. With the Blue Knight’s barrier intact, however, their attack would be completely pointless. There should be no way they could harm the ship. But nevertheless...

“Your Highness, Blue Knight’s distortion field has lost 20 percent of its strength!”

“What?!”

Completely contrary to Theia’s expectations, Blue Knight’s barrier took considerable damage. It was an absurd feat for mere fighter crafts. If they took repeated attacks of that caliber, their barrier wouldn’t last for long. It was practically unthinkable, and defied all common battle sense.

“It seems the beams fired from all nine fighters hit the same spot at the same time, Your Highness!”

“Aha, so that’s their new strategy!”

The fighter crafts that DKI had created worked on the same principle as the Motor Knights sent to Earth. They specialized in perfectly synchronized attacks on targets that the carrier designated. The fighters’ individual attacks would do nothing against Blue Knight’s barrier, but when they concentrated their attacks on the same place at the same time, it was difficult for even a royal class battleship to withstand. Rather than using new weapons that could easily leave behind evidence, Elexis had opted to go for optimizing conventional technology.

“High energy reaction detected from the battleship!”

“Activate the emergency boosters! Dodge it at maximum speed!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Having learned the enemy’s plan, Theia didn’t force an attack, but rather decided to immediately fall back. She attempted to get away from the battleship at Blue Knight’s maximum speed. If she got into a shootout with the battleship while the fighters were on her tail, it was obvious how that would play out.

But in its retreat, Blue Knight shook violently. It had been hit by the battleship’s bombardment.

“The third block of the left leg has been hit! Closing the hatches and releasing fire suppressant!”

“We’ve been had! We knew they were tough, and this is what we get!”

The fighters’ attack had weakened their barrier, and with the emergency retreat taxing the generator, the barrier hadn’t had time to recover before the battleship’s attack. Not even Blue Knight could take a hit in that condition and walk away unscathed. Thanks to Theia’s skillful maneuvering, they’d managed to get through it with just some damage to one of the legs. If a different pilot had been at the helm, it likely would have been a much more devastating hit.

When Elexis returned from Earth to the carrier, the fleet began their actual attack on Blue Knight. The princess’s ship took continuous damage, and was gradually losing its ability to return fire.

“Looks like everything is going according to plan.”

“Yes, Elexis-sama. But Princess Theiamillis...”

“Princess Theiamillis is a genius in battle, despite being the daughter of the pacifist empress.”

“It’s surprising that we still haven’t beaten her despite employing RTS.”

The Round Table System—or RTS for short—was named after the Round Table knights of old used to discuss strategy. It was a new type of firing system that DKI had developed for unmanned crafts. With it, unmanned crafts were able to perfectly coordinate with each other. In other words, it was what allowed the fighter crafts and Motor Knights to use synchronized attacks.

“It just means that there are exceptions to everything. Koutarou-kun actually managed to break through it.”

“I heard the report... but is it true? I find it hard to believe.”

“Yes. That boy surpasses logic and probability. It’s like a bad joke put on some clothes and is walking around pretending to be a person.”

“Then I’m impressed you came back safely after going up against something like that...”

“I may have, but I was unable to bring most of my subordinates with me.”

A forbidding expression crept across Elexis’s face. Not being able to do anything for his fallen subordinates was a bitter failure. It made him realize how naive he’d been. For Elexis who had been looking forward for his fight with Koutarou, this was a most unsatisfying ending.

“However, a war is not settled through the victory or defeat of one battle. If we manage to capture Princess Theiamillis, we’ll still be in the black despite our losses on the surface.”

“We won’t waste your preparations, Elexis-sama. We will win. Please observe us at your leisure.”

“Indeed, I think I’ll do just that.”

The captain gave out orders left and right and gradually narrowed the encirclement around Blue Knight. Elexis quietly watched as the battle progressed.

He may have lost on the surface, but he had managed to trap their most dangerous opponent down there. That left Princess Theiamillis isolated on her own in space. So as long as Elexis’s men won here and captured her, not only would they be able to bargain for Empress Elfaria, but maybe even their men that were left behind.

“Koutarou-kun, you were stronger than me... but I will be the one who comes out on top.”

Elexis was convinced of his victory, which was gradually becoming reality in front of his very eyes.

The battle so far was playing out in the coup d’etat army’s favor. More accurately speaking, they’d had the advantage from the start. Things had gone smoothly for them because Theia and Ruth had walked right into their trap.

Blue Knight hadn’t been fully repaired since their last encounter, and now it had suffered additional damage from the fighters and battleship. It was just floating in space, damaged all over. The hull was scorched black and torn up in several places, revealing the ship’s inner workings. It was no longer the beautiful blue machine it once was.

“I wonder if the battle on Earth is over...” Theia mumbled in a quiet voice as she stared at the monitor.

Floating in the center of it was a processed image of the Earth’s moon, shining brilliantly.

“Most likely. And considering that the coup d’etat army is not demanding a surrender, then Satomi-sama and the others most likely won,” Ruth said as she gazed at the moon with Theia.

Apart from the moon, there were several bits of information floating on the monitor. Damage reports. Enemy intel. The AI’s suggestion to retreat immediately. It was all red lights and warnings. Not a blip of good news for the two girls.

Theia and Ruth already knew that they had no chance of winning. But since they could only guess what had happened on the surface, they couldn’t stop fighting. That’s why they were gazing at the moon and beyond—to Earth, which was just on the other side of it.

“That is our only saving grace.”

“Elfaria-sama is safe. Let’s leave the rest to Satomi-sama. He will surely protect Her Majesty.”

“Yes... He is the knight of a legendary princess like myself, after all. I am sure he will be able to protect my mother.”

Theia smiled at Ruth, tilted her control stick and turned Blue Knight around. As she did, the enemy ships appeared in place of the moon. The fighters protected by the defensive ship, the battleship behind that, and the carrier in the very back. Compared to the heavily damaged Blue Knight, the enemy fleet was practically unharmed.

“Ruth, set up automatic control to take over once manual control of the ship is interrupted.”

“Our destination?”

“The moon.”

“...All right.”

When Ruth replied, a trickle of tears streamed down her cheeks. She knew that Theia was going to make her last stand. She’d fulfilled her duty as a princess to the very end, and wanted to indulge in her own emotions in her final moments. Ruth was painfully aware of how Theia felt, because she felt the same way herself.

“Setup is complete.”

“Then let’s go. We’ll show them how Princess Theiamillis and Guardian Knight Ruthkania fight!”

“Yes, let’s!”

Theia and Ruth bravely charged into battle once more as a princess and her knight. They would fight until there was nothing left.

Seeing Blue Knight approach on his monitor, Elexis realized that Theia was going to make her final attack. Behind the bridge of the Blue Knight, a large light flag formed from lasers and beams was waving proudly. The flower in the center of the flag was Theia’s personal crest. It was a sign that she herself was on board and was taking charge.

“Oooh... Princess Theiamillis’s flag is...”

“So the princess really was on the ship...”

The personnel on the bridge of the carrier was taken aback at the sight of the princess’s flag. While they might be part of the coup d’etat army, many of the soldiers still held the royal families in high esteem. And now faced with the undeniable fact that they were fighting the princess personally, they were all rightfully shaken. The same thing was happening aboard the other ships as well.

“Calm down! It’s not like we’re trying to kill Her Highness! We only wish to stop any useless fighting! Make sure our attacks don’t hit the bridge!”

However, as the captain scolded them for losing their cool, the bridge calmed down once more. The captain and the crew were all members of the Melcenhein band of knights, which had been around for over two thousand years. Their chain of command ran deep, and the captain’s word held great sway over the crew. Under his orders, the unrest was quickly quelled.

“Splendidly done, captain.”

“I am sorry you had to see such a shameful display.”

The subordinates’ failure was the captain’s failure. As a knight, the captain didn’t want anyone to see his men second guess themselves before battle.

“You have nothing to worry about. That much is to be expected considering our opponent. Due to our old customs, old mores, and old system of rule, it is only natural that they should be anxious. If anything, your ability to snap them out of it is worthy of praise.”

“...I am honored, Elexis-sama.”

The reason the Melcenhein band of knights was obeying Elexis was because they trusted in his character. Otherwise they would never be following a civilian, even if they were ordered to by the military top brass or a relative of the Melcenhein family. And that was still true here and now. The captain held Elexis in high regard.

“That aside... Now that she has raised her flag, Princess Theiamillis will be making one last attack.”

“She will be prepared to die honorably in battle, so if we let our guard down, it will come back to bite us.”

“I’d expect nothing less... Captain, I’ll leave this to you. Your crew will be in full control of the weapons.”

“Yes, sir. We’ll make sure you live up to your expectations.”

Likewise, Elexis trusted the Melcenhein band of knights. And with his experience as a CEO, he knew that micromanaging things wouldn’t help any. So he left the battle ahead to the captain, and sat down in the commander’s seat to watch things unfold through the monitor, which was currently displaying Blue Knight.

Certainly, going into this fight must require quite an impressive resolve...

Though the princess’s ship was badly damaged, it still gave off a very regal presence.

Theia deftly moved Blue Knight as she took evasive maneuvers and approached the enemy fleet. As she got closer, the fighters that were being protected by the defensive ship left its range and moved into position to intercept her.

“Your Highness, six formations of fighters are approaching!”

“Intercept them with lasers and missiles! Keep firing at them automatically!”

“As you wish, my princess. Entering automatic interception mode with the laser gatling and high maneuverability missiles.”

The fighters previously moved in three groups of three that unleashed synchronized attacks, and they’d now doubled their numbers. In response, Theia activated Blue Knight’s defensive weapons. She left the defenses to the AI while she herself focused on attacking.

“High energy reaction detected on the battleship! An attack is incoming!”

“Now of all times!”

Theia squeezed the trigger and fired off her beam cannon twice before tilting the control stick to the right. Since she was focused more on avoiding the enemy’s attacks than aiming, the beams fired from Blue Knight only grazed the battleship and flew off into the far reaches of space.

“Focusing the deployment of the distortion field on the side of the hull!”

As the ship moved, Ruth deployed a barrier. An instant later, the beam fired from the enemy battleship assaulted Blue Knight. But thanks to the early evading and defending, there was no damage to the hull.

“Ruth, once more!”

“The fighter groups are still approaching!”

The fighters were coming at Blue Knight from the other side. Blue Knight intercepted them using lasers and missiles, but only managed to shoot a few of them down. The rest were still charging right for the ship.

“Then I’ll just do this!”

Realizing the incoming danger, Theia took drastic action. She removed her right hand from the control stick and grabbed hold of a secondary one.

“Blue Knight! Anti-ship energy sword, shooting mode!”

“As you wish, my princess. Anti-ship energy sword Signaltin set to shooting mode.”

The control stick Theia had grabbed controlled Blue Knight’s right arm. Since controlling the arm and moving the ship at the same time was difficult, she had refrained from doing so until now.

“Taaake thiiis!”

Blue Knight’s arm, several hundred meters in length, began moving. The reaction caused by Theia swinging the giant arm was counteracted by boosters firing at the proper place and time. The sounds of the mechanisms moving the arm and the boosters activating could be heard all the way from the bridge. The noise alone conveyed the power from the swing of a giant’s arm over a kilometer in length. It was incredible. And at the end of that arm was a beam sword just as huge. Theia used it as a beam cannon and swept it over the oncoming fighter group.

“Three fighters destroyed! Energy reaction detected within the fighters! A synchronized attack is coming!”

Thanks to Theia going against common sense and having a spaceship move its arm, her attack managed to destroy three of the fighters in a single strike. But even then, more than ten fighters remained. They attacked at the same time to try and finish off the damaged Blue Knight.

“Generator output to maximum! Focused deployment of the distortion field! Then pour all remaining power into the energy sword!”

Theia moved the Blue Knight’s arms and brought the entire ship to face the fighter crafts. Since their attacks focused on a single point, she placed the beam sword in their path and used it as a shield. Between the barrier and beam sword, Blue Knight somehow managed to survive the attack.

“The generator has overheated and is currently undergoing emergency cooling! The barrier has collapsed due to being overloaded! The anti-ship energy sword’s system is down! The energy pool has been almost fully expended! T-minus 163 seconds until systems can be restored!”

Theia had saved them for the moment, but it came it at a high price. The generator shut down, the barrier collapsed, and the beam sword turned off. All the ship’s conserved energy had been used up. Blue Knight was left simply floating in space.

“So this is it, huh...?”

“Yes... How unfortunate...”

If they were fighting with their bodies, they might have been able to keep moving through sheer force of will. But since Blue Knight was a mere machine, such an extraordinary feat wasn’t possible. It would take another two and a half minutes for it to come back online. And their opponents weren’t foolish enough to stand idly by for that long. This would be the end of Theia and Ruth’s fight.

“Say, Ruth, do you think we fought a fight we can be proud of?”

“Yes, Your Highness. You fought splendidly as a princess. I guarantee it.”

The enemy fighter formation slowly approached Blue Knight. Behind them were all three spaceships. However, neither Theia nor Ruth were looking at them anymore. They were looking the other way at the moon floating in the distance.

“I only fear that I may not have been of much help...”

“That’s not true. It is because of you that we could get this far. You have nothing to be ashamed of. Ruthkania Pardomshiha fought valiantly in a fashion worthy of the title of guardian knight. I guarantee it.”

“Thank you very much, Your Highness. I am honored.”

As Theia and Ruth exchanged smiles, their thoughts turned to what was to come.

If they were taken by the enemy, they would be used as tools to threaten Elfaria. And after that, they would be imprisoned at best, executed at worst. Either way, they would only be used against their loved ones. That wasn’t something that Theia wanted. So she made up her mind.

“...I’m sorry, Ruth.”

“No, your judgement is correct, Your Highness. There is no other way.”

“Thank you... You’ve done well serving me until today. I only have words of gratitude for what you’ve done.”

“What are you saying, Your Highness? It was my pleasure to serve you.”

The two girls took each other’s hand and grasped them tightly. They were both smiling, but large tears were spilling out of their eyes. The time they’d spent together was anything but short. Simply calling them childhood friends would be a disservice. And now that their lives were reaching the end, there were so many things they wanted to say. But time wouldn’t allow for that. So they simply held each other’s hands and cried together.

Blue Knight was about to fall into the enemy’s hands, but before that could happen, Theia gave the ship one final order.

“Blue Knight, we cannot be taken by the enemy. Blow up the bridge and us with it.”

Theia’s final order to the Blue Knight was one meant to kill them.

Dying would be better than being captured. And it was the only way Theia could think of to get out of it in this situation. Being used against the people she loved was the last thing she wanted.

“In order to execute that order, authentication is required.”

“My name is Theiamillis Gre Mastir Sagurada von Forthorthe.”

“Authentication completed. Identity of Princess Theiamillis confirmed. Order acknowledged. As you wish, my princess. The bridge will be detonated in one minute.”

“Phew... That should do it.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Your Highness.”

After giving her final command, Theia lightly drooped her shoulders and let out a lovely sigh. An admiring Ruth smiled with a somewhat liberated expression. Their time as princess and knight was over, and as they stood hand in hand, they were nothing more than sisters.

“You too. Now my only regret is...”

“Your Highness?”

“As expected, I do have regrets... Heh, it seems I wasn’t able to play the role of a saint.”

“Actually, I have a regret too. I wasn’t able to tell Satomi-sama my wish...”

“Oh? Now you’ve got me interested. Tell me.”

“It will be a long story, so I’ll tell you later. I couldn’t speak of it in a place like this. It’s a bit of a girly wish, after all.”

“After saying that much, I don’t think there’s much point in keeping it secret now... But I suppose you’re right. It would be a waste to share it somewhere like this.”

“Let’s peacefully talk about it over tea and snacks sometime.”

A countdown for the impending self-destruct was displayed on the edge of the monitor. The timer had just hit the halfway mark, so there wasn’t much time left. However, neither Theia nor Ruth were looking at it. Instead, they were focused on the big, round moon as they carefreely chatted away. Once the countdown expired, Blue Knight would deliver them there.

“That’s right, Your Highness... When we get to have our talk, I’ll reveal something big as well.”

“Oh? Sounds interesting.”

The countdown timer flashed a ten second warning. Yet the two girls ignored it and continued to talk. It was as if they were saying that it didn’t matter at all.

Nine, eight, seven, six...

They simply squeezed each other’s hands. In order to support one another at their final moments, to show their gratitude towards one another, and to promise to stay the same in the future.

“Yes. It’s an important secret regarding Your Highness’s knight.”

“Heh, then I’m looking forward to it.”

Five, four, three, two...

Time was up. In the last few seconds, the two girls closed their eyes. They didn’t want to see each other torn apart in the explosion. They just held hands and waited for the end to come.

“Now, I can’t have you going around telling secrets about me.”

However, what they heard wasn’t the boom of an explosion, but the jestering voice of a young man.

When it appeared in front of the coup d’etat soldiers, everyone without exception fell into panic. That included their commander, Elexis, who stared at the monitor in astonishment.

“What is that?! Impossible! Something like that shouldn’t exist!”

What Elexis was seeing defied logic. His brain screamed that it couldn’t be real.

It was a single reptile covered in crimson scales. It had large wings on its back and a horn growing out from its forehead. That alone was strange, but what made it all the more surreal was its size. Even with a very conservative guess, it had to be at least twenty five meters long. It dwarfed the nearby fighter crafts. And the strangest of all was that this reptile was flying around freely in space. It flapped its large wings and dashed towards the center of the fleet, gradually approaching the Blue Knight.

“Uwaaaaah, it’s a monster!”

“It’s a hallucination! We’re hallucinating because we’re deprived of oxygen!”

The soldiers had, until now, lived in the world of science and common sense, both of which were taken very seriously in cutting-edge modern Forthorthe. But nothing had prepared them for the sight of a monstrous lizard flying around in space. It was mind-blowing, both in concept and scale. Even in space where everything looked small, there was no denying the beast’s colossal presence.

“ROOOAAAAAAARRR!”

And the lizard dealt the final blow to the soldiers by opening its mouth and letting out a bestial roar. Even though sound shouldn’t have been able to travel through the vacuum of space, and even though there was a great distance between the ships, they all heard the roar loud and clear just the same. Since they didn’t know it was the result of magic, most of them began doubting their own sanity. Those who didn’t were the superstitious types. Yes, even in the space age, sailor’s superstitions ran deep.

But one way or another, the lizard’s bellowing roar struck fear into their hearts. By now, almost all of the soldiers had lost their heads, and the chain of command aboard the coup d’etat vessels had fallen into chaos. They were now in danger of the fighters and ships crashing into one another.

“Calm down! The target may be incredibly bizarre, but it hasn’t even attacked us!”

The only one who managed to retain a modicum of composure was Elexis. Since he’d already seen a bizarre enemy on the surface, he was somewhat prepared for the otherworldly scene he was now witnessing.

What is this?! It’s like something out of a fairy tale!

But not even he could fully hide his surprise. That was just how inconceivable the situation was. That’s why his voice didn’t reach the panicking soldiers. And the time they spent in a tumult proved to be lifesaving for Theia and Ruth.

Clan’s jaw dropped as she watched the giant red lizard, Alunaya, dash towards the enemy fleet.

“Jeez, this really is reckless...”

She was so dumbstruck that she hardly knew what else to say.

“If something like that charged at you out of the blue, you’d forget all about war...”

Clan sympathized with her enemy. She knew how they must have felt. Even though she knew exactly what was going on, it still felt surreal even to her.

Accepting Alunaya’s proposal, Koutarou decided to head out into space. He’d asked Harumi to treat the magicians Maki and Yurika, who could then protect Elfaria and heal the remaining injured people. Once Maki and Yurika were back on their feet, Alunaya transformed from his half-human, half-dragon state into his original form as a giant dragon. Letting Koutarou and Harumi up on his back, he then rose up into the sky.

But ascending into space wasn’t easy, even for a legendary creature like Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya. Especially on Earth where he had no real physical form. The power that Alunaya could use while in Shizuka’s body was severely limited. Flying up into space and to the far side of the moon would take all of his mana. That’s why Alunaya charging towards the fleet was just a bluff. Even if he reached the ships, he couldn’t actually do anything to attack. If the enemy had opened fire on him, he would have been in trouble. And though it was a necessary act to buy enough time for Koutarou and Harumi to board Blue Knight, just as Clan had said, it could only be described as reckless.

“But even for a legendary elder dragon, this is as far as he can go. The rest is up to you...”

Clan closed her mouth and adjusted her glasses as her thoughts went out to Koutarou. Images of him flashed through her mind, but strangely enough, they weren’t memories of him fighting. Instead, she was recalling his terrible sleeping habits, him forcing her out of her laboratory and cleaning it, his back as he stood in the kitchen and made dinner for her, him smiling at her with a carefree expression, and finally, him grieving over his own powerlessness.

Bring forth a splendid victory, and bring Theiamillis-san and Pardomshiha back home. If you do, you will surely be able to return to that life...

Koutarou wasn’t someone who enjoyed fighting. But he had no other choice right now. With that in mind, Clan decided she would do whatever she could to support him. To that end, she cleared her mind and began artfully tapping away at her terminal. Gathering information, analyzing data... There was plenty she could do to help even from this distance.

“That red guy is definitely Alunaya!”

There was one more person on the bridge as busy as Clan was. It was the young boy who’d stood with the adults to watch the battle unfold.

“Did everyone see it?! The Silver Princess was with him! The sword was shining and stuff too!”

The boy made exaggerated gestures as he eagerly explained his findings. Only figures and graphs were shown on the monitor right now, but until just a moment ago, it had displayed a lone knight.

It was a strange knight wearing blue armor and carrying a silvery white sword. Despite going up against the coup d’etat army that vastly outnumbered him, he didn’t relent a single step. And by the knight’s side was a girl whose hair glowed silver. The girl’s hair was black, but the light that reflected off of it was unmistakably silver. She had used mysterious powers to protect the knight and lead him to victory. The knight and girl then got on the back of the giant red dragon, and headed towards Princess Theiamillis in order to save her.

“It’s the Blue Knight! He really is the Blue Knight! Her Majesty Elfaria and Princess Theiamillis are in danger, so he came to save them! That’s gotta be it!” the boy shouted, his excitement reaching its peak.

The knight that had appeared on the monitor was just like the one from the fairy tale he’d heard from his parents. Since it was his favorite story, he’d read that picture book over and over by himself as well. The knight wore blue armor and carried a silver sword, his left hand controlled fire and lightning, and he could even fly in the sky. With a beautiful silver haired girl at his side, he defeated and befriended a red dragon.

Since the boy was still young, he couldn’t understand the details surrounding the coup d’etat. He could, however, tell from the grim looks on the faces of the adults around him that Elfaria and Theia were in danger. And when a princess was in danger, a knight would appear to save her. There was no doubt in this boy’s mind. He believed that the knight he’d seen was the legendary hero, the Blue Knight Layous.

“Could it... really be...?”

“There’s no way. The Blue Knight lived two thousand years ago.”

“But isn’t the resemblance too strong to be a coincidence?”

“It’s just someone pretending to be the Blue Knight, right? He’s just an eccentric.”

“Can you win if you’re just faking it, though? He was up against the elite troops of the Melcenhein knights who had the latest weapons from DKI.”

“That’s...”

“And what about that sword, the girl, and the giant dragon? How do you explain that?”

“B-Beats me, honestly...”

The boy believed with all his heart, and it seemed the adults were slowly starting to come around little by little. But because the thought was so unrealistic, they remained dubious. It was logically impossible that the Blue Knight himself had come to save them. All they would agree to for sure was that the knight who’d appeared had powers beyond their understanding.

“It’s the Blue Knight! Why don’t you all get it?! No matter how you look at it, that’s the Blue Knight!”

“Well, if that really is the Blue Knight, what a welcome sight it would be...”

“Yeah. If that were the case, we could remain hopeful even in a situation like this...”

They had been chased out of their country and were in an awkward position, so they were all too aware of the grave reality of the situation. It would take a legendary knight to turn things around. But those didn’t just conveniently show up when people needed them. There was no way. This was reality, not some fairy tale.

“Jeez, adults really are difficult... I won’t help if the Blue Knight gets angry at you later.”

That’s why, at this point, the young boy was still the only one who truly believed.

“Now, I can’t have you going around telling secrets about me.”

As a young man’s voice echoed through the bridge, the Blue Knight’s AI spoke up as well.

“Top priority code acknowledged. Aborting self-destruct. Your Excellency the Blue Knight, this ship is very pleased to see your return.”

Blue Knight acknowledge a top priority order. But it was strange. The one who held the highest rank on the ship was Princess Theiamillis. Yet Blue Knight had obeyed the orders of the young man over hers. Something was strange.

“Koutarou?!”

“Satomi-sama?!”

However, neither Theia nor Ruth were listening to what the AI was saying. They raised their heads and looked for the young man whose voice they heard. Just as they did, the door to the bridge opened.

“...And Theia, why the hell are you trying to blow yourself up? It’s not like you to admit defeat. It that what a proper princess would do?”

A boy wearing blue armor appeared from behind the sliding door. He was looking at Theia and Ruth with a dissatisfied smirk like he wasn’t aware of the danger they were in.

“But there was no other way!”

“You’ve gotten a bit too sensible lately. Like I told you, you should be a little more selfish. Like you were before,” the boy, Satomi Koutarou, said with a stern look.

He then ran up to the highest point of the bridge where Theia and Ruth were. As he climbed the stairs to get there, he was temporarily hidden from view owing to the difference in elevation. And during that time, Koutarou gave the ship’s AI another order as he glanced at a monitor.

“Blue Knight, prioritize the restoration of functions. There aren’t any humans other than on the bridge. Leave life support to other areas until later.”

“In that case, time to restoration can be reduced by 14 seconds.”

“Good boy. Continue like that and drop anything that isn’t necessary. I don’t care if you have to push things a little. We’re not trying to get the ship into tip-top shape. This is a race against time.”

“As you wish, my lord. New estimates: T-minus 42 seconds until functions are restored, 52 seconds until the energy pool is replenished.”

Just as he finished giving his orders, Koutarou reached the top of the stairs. Coming back into view of the girls, Theia picked up right where she’d left off.

“If I’m selfish, those important to me will die! Including you! Why did you come, Koutarou?! I was trying to die so this wouldn’t happen!”

Theia criticized Koutarou for showing up. He’d managed to board Blue Knight without her finding out, but she wished he hadn’t. If she’d known about it beforehand, she would have sent him back.

“Carry out your duty to recapture our motherland... Those were your orders.”

“Wha?!”

“Satomi-kun, that’s a little cold... I’ll feel badly for Theiamillis-san if you don’t say it properly.”

Theia was at a complete loss for words over what Koutarou had just said, but then Harumi appeared from behind him. After running up the stairs after him, she was slightly out of breath.

“Harumi?! Why are you here too?!”

“Why? Well... You and Ruth-san are my precious friends.”

Theia was again stunned, but Harumi gave her a smile full of affection. To Harumi, being here with them was the obvious choice. She had more than enough of a reason to stake her life for Theia and Ruth.

“But―”

“Theia, are those hands of yours only for holding on to Ruth’s?” Koutarou asked as he looked down at Theia’s hands, which were still tightly holding on to her best friend.

“What do you mean?”

“Those hands are connected with so many people. You just can’t see it right now.”

Theia was planning on dying with Ruth. They were always with each other, so going out that way wouldn’t be so bad. Ruth had even promised her they’d always be together.

But Koutarou didn’t see it that way. Ruth shouldn’t be the only one she felt that way about anymore. And whether those other people who were special to her were present or not shouldn’t matter.

Isn’t that right, Yurika...?

In the past, Yurika had said that even though they might not always be together, the feelings of everyone from room 106 would always be connected. So even now, even if she couldn’t see it, Theia was holding hands with everyone. Ruth wasn’t the only one she had anymore.

“...Koutarou, is your hand connected to mine too?”

Finally understanding what he was saying, tears filled Theia’s eyes as she looked up at him. She was so happy she just might break down sobbing where she stood. She had many friends that were willing to risk their lives to protect her. Friends she would risk her life to protect. And her beloved was one of them.

“Of course. If not, I wouldn’t have become your vassal.”

“You mean to say I’m worth that much to you?”

“Worth is unrelated to this. Me and everyone else... We’re staking our lives on this because our hands have been connected for so long.”

“Koutarou...”

What she got back was a clear and powerful answer. When she heard it, a warm feeling spread throughout her chest. It soon turned into an intense, throbbing joy. Her tears wouldn’t stop. Her body was so hot that it felt like she was on fire. But none of it was unpleasant. Theia was convinced that it was for this very moment that she had come to Earth.

“Isn’t that great, Your Highness?”

Ruth, who had been watching over all of this, smiled at Theia. Even though she didn’t say it, she felt the same way Theia did. A burning hot emotion was pumping through her too, and large tears fell from her eyes as well.

“Ruth...”

The two girls unconsciously squeezed each other’s hands. But they now knew that they were holding on to so much more. Supported by that conviction, Theia wiped away her tears and the light came back to her eyes. They were the strong-willed eyes of a princess before a battle. But something was different now. They were tinged with a deep love.

“Koutarou, Harumi.”

“Yeah.”

“Yes.”

“Ruth.”

“Your Highness...”

“And everyone who isn’t here...”

Theia would no longer hesitate. The path she must take was clear. Now all that was left was take the first step.

“Please live together with me. Whatever path we find ourselves on, walk hand in hand with me.”

“Yeah.”

“Of course!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Theia had true friends who supported her and each other. Knowing that, she felt stronger. She was about to break free from the frame of a princess and grow into something even greater. That moment was, without a doubt, when Theia truly cleared her trial and demonstrated her potential to become an empress.

Alunaya hadn’t been able to buy all that much time, but even then, it was enough to change the fate of Theia and the others. Blue Knight’s generator was now back online, and the ship’s functions were reviving one after another. The damaged parts of the ship were passed over, but they would be unnecessary now. Ten seconds after the generator started up, the energy pool filled up, making it possible to use the ship’s weapons and barrier again. Thanks to Alunaya, Blue Knight had regained some of its power.

“Koutarou, you control the hull! I’ll be in charge of attacking!”

“Got it! How should I do that?”

“Ruth!”

“Right! Satomi-sama, please stand on top of the glowing section of floor over there!”

Koutarou followed Ruth’s directions and headed over to the glowing circle on the floor. It was the place where the armor had been stored before Koutarou wore it.

“Maneuver suit, change from attack mode to control mode!”

As Koutarou stood on the glowing circle, Ruth operated the panel by her seat. As she did, several holograms appeared around Koutarou. They all contained various information needed to control the ship.

“Satomi-sama, your body is going to float!”

And the next moment, just as she said, Koutarou floated up off the floor about ten centimeters. The armor then moved on its own and changed position.

“Ruth-san, what is this?”

“The armor has aligned to Blue Knight’s posture! Now all you have to do is move, and Blue Knight will copy you!”

“All right!”

Koutarou tried moving his limbs a little as a test. As he did, the hologram of Blue Knight in front of him moved the same way.

“So that’s how it works... But it’s a little slow. Can’t we do something about that, Ruth-san?”

Koutarou, and subsequently the ship, wasn’t moving as fast as he wanted. It felt like he was moving his body underwater. He confirmed the dullness of his movement by turning to face the enemy fleet. They were gradually recovering from the panic of Alunaya’s appearance. The decisive battle would soon begin.

“I’m afraid we can’t do anything about that. You’ve been slowed to move at a speed the ship can handle,” Ruth said with an apologetic expression.

The reason he was moving slower than normal was so that the ship could keep up. As long as they were connected, there was no way to avoid it. But the next moment, Ruth found something abnormal in her computer.

“Wait a moment, some kind of code is being executed in Blue Knight’s main system without permission... This is...?!”

“Damage has exceeded the set threshold. ID confirmed of the maneuver suit pilot, Layous Fatra Veltlion. Combat data collated. Voiceprint confirmed. Welcome back, Your Excellency the Blue Knight.”

Surprisingly, Blue Knight’s system was changing its settings right in front of Ruth.

This is a program that’s been installed on Blue Knight from the very beginning! Having Satomi-sama come into contact with the ship during control mode must have activated it! Then, this is―

Just as Ruth put together what had happened, Elfaria appeared on the front monitor. In comparison to the surprised Ruth, she had a somewhat happy smile on her face.

“Long time no see, Layous-sama. This message has been set to activate if you are in danger even after entering control mode.”

“It really was Her Majesty’s doing!”

“Mother?! And... Layous-sama?!”

Ruth and Theia both let out cries of surprise. They were surprised by different things, but their surprise was equally deep. Koutarou, however, was the only one with the most dumbfounded expression on his face.

“Elle, your methods haven’t changed, even after twenty years. Jeez... So, what did you do?”

“This ship was constructed using the combat data from your armor that I received from Clan-sama twenty years ago. But because your way of fighting is so erratic, no normal person would be able to control it. That’s likely true for you when you first met Theia as well. So I’ve scaled back Blue Knight’s true power by using a number of safety devices.”

The recorded image of Elfaria explained things as if she were answering Koutarou’s question.

This way they’re talking... There’s no mistaking it! Koutarou and my mother must have met in the distant past! It must have been when he and Clan vanished!

Theia had felt that something was out of place, but her common sense had held her back from believing something so incredible. But now the evidence was right in front of her.

Elfaria continued to explain: “But the one standing here right now is you, Layous-sama. The Layous-sama I met twenty years ago. And this is the ship I made for you. So I’ll now unlock its true power.”

The moment Elfaria said that, the monitor she was on was filled with red words of warning.

“Changing preset control mode from Common Mode One to Layous Fatra Veltlion. Warning: Control of the ship now requires a highly skilled pilot. Please refrain from having anyone other than His Excellency the Blue Knight control the ship.”

As soon as the AI said that, Koutarou could feel the extra resistance disappear from his movement. He’d felt like he was in a pool of water before, but now he could move as freely as if he were flying in the air.

“So this is it!”

“Satomi-sama, a bombardment is coming from the enemy battleship!”

Ruth reported that the enemy fleet was about to strike. Seeing Blue Knight move again, the enemy had mustered itself out of the depths of panic. The encirclement of fighters was gradually closing in, and the enemy battleship beyond the fighters had its cannon aimed at Blue Knight.

“Leave it to me!”

Koutarou swung his limbs around and used that momentum to spin Blue Knight’s hull. At the same time, he set the boosters on Blue Knight’s legs to full thrust. Blue Knight demonstrated mobility unthinkable of a spaceship and forcibly changed its flightpath mid-route. As a result, the beam fired from the enemy battleship completely missed.

“We can do this!”

“Be careful, Layous-sama. The ship can now move as you wish, but all safeties have been released, so there’s nothing safeguarding structural integrity of the hull. The ship’s mass exceeds two million tons, so you can easily puncture and damage your own ship. Please be careful while maneuvering it.”

“Don’t make something so hard sound so easy, Elle!”

Koutarou moved Blue Knight in an irregular serpentine pattern as he closed in on the enemy. He felt almost exactly like moving in his armor like he always did, but since he couldn’t let his arms and legs make contact with each other, he had to be more careful than normal. If it weren’t for a pilot like Koutarou, who had his senses heightened from the use of spiritual energy, controlling the ship in such a fashion would have been next to impossible.

And Koutarou’s efforts were rewarded. The enemy was unable to the hit the ship as it made such extraordinary movements. The highly mobile fighters were just barely able to keep up, but they couldn’t lock on with their synchronized attack, and their individual attacks were easily blocked by Blue Knight’s barrier. Thanks to Koutarou, Blue Knight’s defenses were significantly boosted by a serious increase in evasive potential.

“Theia, you focus on attacking. You will open a path, and your knight will walk down it. You are his master, after all.”

“Mother... Koutarou... Just what is going on?”

Theia was still confused.

There were so many things she wanted to know. Koutarou’s secret, his relationship with Elfaria, and most of all, the reason why her mother was calling him “Layous.” She couldn’t suppress the anxiety she was feeling. She was worried that something that might completely alter their relationship was hidden beneath the surface.

Realizing what had overcome Theia, Ruth called out to her.

“Your Highness, I understand how you must feel! However, please focus on the battle for now! That person right there is without a doubt our Satomi-sama! I guarantee it!”

“Ruth... you’re right. I got it!”

Her hesitation and anxiety still lingered, but Theia decided to temporarily cast them aside. Right now, she had a battle to focus on. A battle she had to win. If she didn’t, she would never be able to ask the questions she wanted answers to. Besides, Ruth had offered a guarantee. That meant enough to Theia that she could put her worries aside enough to focus on the task at hand.

“Blue Knight! Give me control of the firing control system!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

Complying with Theia’s order, the devices around her changed positions. Before now, she had been in control of both piloting and firing, which was why her control panel had been arranged similarly to that of a fighter jet. But now that Koutarou was taking care of the ship’s controls, her only role was attacking. The ship adjusted her new control setup to make it as efficient as possible. As a result, Theia had a lot more weapons at her disposal all at once.

“Here we go, Koutarou! I will make you a path! You take the ship straight down it!”

“Don’t mess it up!”

Theia focused on bombardments and Koutarou on steering. Though his movements were irregular and difficult to predict, Theia matched her attacks to them and skillfully fired off shots when she could. Her targets were the fighter group between Blue Knight and the enemy battleship. She used lasers for distant enemies, beams for nearby enemies, and missiles for retreating enemies as she eliminated the fighters that stood in their way.

“Are you implying I’d do such a thing?! Just who do you think you’re talking to?!”

“My princess who has been quite pessimistic lately.”

“Idiot! I’ll punch you later for that! You’d best prepare yourself!”

“Just make sure it doesn’t hurt too much.”

“Of course it will!”

As the force of their words increased, their movements sped up at the same rate. Seeing them like this reminded Ruth of how they were when playing video games together.

Satomi-sama... Your Highness... This is how the two of you should be...

Ruth felt something warm spreading through her chest again. However, she did her best to endure it. Now wasn’t the time to cry. Instead, she took action to support the two of them.

But it seemed Elfaria had a message for her too.

“Ruth, please cover for Layous-sama and Theia. If those two get serious, this ship will demonstrate its full power. That is how I designed it.”

“Your Majesty...”

“However, the generator’s output is still the same, so the power distribution will be much trickier than before. There may also be times where the gravity and inertia controls can’t keep up with Layous-sama. Your power will be needed in order to keep everything under control.”

“This ship was designed with the three of us in mind from the start...”

Ruth was surprised by Elfaria’s words, but she immediately set to adjusting the ship’s parameters to best accommodate her two friends at the helm. Just as Elfaria had said, there was a lot for her to do.

Ruth needed to manage the barrier and the distribution of energy from the generator and the energy pool, all in addition to assisting the ship in dealing with Koutarou’s movements while delivering information on the enemy to Theia. She would need to read their habits and patterns and make any necessary adjustments before they took action. It was something no one other than Ruth, who had always been watching over them, could possibly pull off.

“I understand, Your Majesty. I will make sure that those two are victorious!”

With Ruth’s assistance, Koutarou and Theia began moving even faster and fiercer. The three were functioning as one. Thanks to the strong bond between them, they were able to take Blue Knight’s powers to new heights. As a result, the struggle from before seemed like a lifetime ago, and they were now pushing back the enemy fleet. It wasn’t because any one of them was special, but because the three of them all shared something special.

“And... is there anyone else there? I leave this message to you in hopes that there is.”

“Your Majesty...”

Finally, Elfaria had one last message for Harumi. Surprised, Harumi looked at Elfaria on the screen.

“Theia is an awkward child. I’m sure she’s had to go through a lot as my daughter. She only fully trusts Ruth. But now... it seems she has real friends. There is nothing that could make me happier.”

Elfaria had learned the fate of her future child when she’d met Koutarou, including that Theia would greatly mature on Earth and find irreplaceable friends there. That’s why she’d been able to stay strong and fulfill her own duty. She was supported by that hope for the future.

“I ask this of you, knowing full well that it is a selfish request. But please, help Theia out. That girl is very stubborn, so she likely won’t go to others when she’s suffering.”

A tear streamed down Elfaria’s cheek. That was advice Elfaria herself should have taken. But her role as empress made that incredibly difficult, and as a mother it made her sad that she hadn’t been able to pass that lesson on to her daughter.

“So please, take care of Theia. Please let her know that she can rely on those important to her. Please show her what ordinary happiness is like...”

Elfaria bowed as she spoke those words, and that was where the video ended. Seeing it through to the end, Harumi felt like she understood Elfaria’s wish perfectly.

“Please be at ease, Your Majesty. That was what Theiamillis-san did for me. I had shut myself in, but she showed me the outside world. That’s why it’s my turn now. As long as I’m playing the role of the Silver Princess on Earth, I will forever be Theiamillis-san’s ally!”

Harumi flashed a determined expression and began incanting a spell in Ancient Forthorthian. She was going to add a fourth bond into Blue Knight, which was currently being controlled by a bond of three. Contributing her power too, Blue Knight would become a force that greatly exceeded Elfaria’s expectations.

The coup d’etat army had temporarily been thrown into disarray by the appearance of the gigantic reptile. However, they regained their calm after the lizard withdrew without doing anything and Blue Knight, their target, began moving once more. But that calm wouldn’t last long. It was as if Blue Knight had undergone some sort of transformation, and was even more powerful now than when they’d first faced it.

“Elexis-sama, Blue Knight is moving too fast for the cannon to lock on to it!”

“Calm down! Have the fighters deal with it!”

“Concerning the fighters, they’re being jerked around by Blue Knight’s movement patterns and are unable to get into a proper attack formation! They’re being shot down one after another! At this rate, we’ll eventually be unable to do anything!”

The bridge of the carrier that Elexis was on had erupted into the noisy din of panic once more. They had never heard of a royal class battleship with mobility comparable to a fighter craft. Worse yet, on top of Blue Knight’s newfound maneuverability, it was accurately shooting down the fighters now. That should be impossible. But there it was, all displayed on the screen. Blue Knight was heading towards the battleship, and at the rate things were going, the battleship would be destroyed as soon as Blue Knight got in range. They had to stop it before then somehow.

“Then use RTS missiles! If you use high maneuverability missiles, they should be able to keep up with its speed!”

“Understood! All ships, launch high maneuverability missiles! Set the tracking to RTS!”

RTS missiles tracked targets the same way robots and fighters using the system would. Several missiles would work together to corner the enemy and detonated as many missiles as possible at the same time. Evading high maneuverability missiles was difficult, and the explosive force behind several of them going off at once was considerable. They were a very effective weapon, but had one serious drawback. Controlling several missiles and fighters at the same time placed a good strain on the computer guiding them. To prevent that, control of the fighters would have to temporarily be put on the backburner, dropping their defensive power considerably. That was why they hadn’t resorted to using the RTS missiles yet.

“Blue Knight has drawn its anti-ship energy sword, Signaltin!”

“What can they do with that?! It’s no use, Princess Theiamillis! The only one who could cut missiles down with a sword would be Koutarou-kun― Wait!”

It was then that everything that had led up to this moment rushed through Elexis’s mind. The girl on the ground with the red scales, the giant red dragon that had appeared out of nowhere, Blue Knight’s movements that got better immediately afterward, and now Blue Knight drawing a sword against incoming missiles. All of that led Elexis to a single conclusion.

“You’re aboard that ship, aren’t you, Koutarou-kun?!”

The red dragon had brought Koutarou into space, and it had charged them in order to buy time for Koutarou to get on Blue Knight. The ship’s movements had improved because Koutarou was now piloting it. And lastly, Blue Knight had drawn its sword because Koutarou was at the helm.

“Cancel the RTS on the missiles! Restart control of the fighters right away!”

“But if we undo the RTS now, the tracking will―”

“Even if they keep tracking, they won’t beat them! Don’t you get it?!”

Elexis’s decision was swift and precise, but because the captain hesitated, they wouldn’t make it in time.

“I’ve been had... I should have realized it the moment I saw him using Blue Knight’s maneuver suit... That ship was designed with Koutarou-kun in mind!”

Frustrated, Elexis slammed his fists into the armrests of his chair.

“Just who is he?! How can he have this much power?! Why is he supporting the royal families?! And how is it that Blue Knight is so catered to his power?!”

Elexis could only watch on as Blue Knight swung its giant sword of light. It was using an Ancient Forthorthian sword style, and its beautiful swordsmanship enchanted all those who saw it cut down the incoming group of missiles.

It wasn’t just thanks to Koutarou that Blue Knight had been able to cut down the missiles.

Koutarou had been clued in to their approach and location thanks to Harumi’s spell to detect metal. If it weren’t for that, Koutarou wouldn’t have been able to get a grasp on the number of missiles or a read on their proximity. Theia had shot down most of the missiles that Koutarou had missed with the sword, and the few missiles that made it past her were completely blocked by Blue Knight’s barrier. Ruth’s energy management had been perfect, and they hadn’t experienced a single shortage from the first sword strike all the way down to the barriers deploying.

In other words, their remarkable success was the direct result of all of their powers, and moreover, their cooperation.

“Satomi-sama, please keep charging forward! Because of those missiles, their system has been overloaded and their ships are barely functioning at all!”

“Let’s go, Theia!”

“Leave it to me! But what will you do with the defensive ship in the way?”

“Ruth-san, can’t this sword break through?!”

“It’s possible. But considering that ship’s characteristics, it would be difficult if we don’t use full power!”

Koutarou and the others were going to go after the battleship. Currently, it was the only enemy ship with the potential to take down Blue Knight with a single attack. If the battleship got off just one lucky hit and the fighters followed up on the attack, Blue Knight’s barrier wouldn’t be able to take it.

But there was an obvious kink in their plan. Since the defensive ship was protecting the battleship, it would be difficult to attack directly. They would need to use their mobility to circle around the defensive ship, or use the energy sword to destroy it and plow through. The former might give the fighters the time they needed to restart, while the latter would leave them defenseless as the sword drained the ship’s energy. Both options had their own risks.

“Um, Ruth-san. Does that, um... Barrier? Does the thing protecting the spaceship work the same way as Satomi-kun’s armor?”

That was when Harumi, who had focused on supporting them with magic, joined the conversation. Her expression was quite different from her usual timid one. Instead, she reminded everyone of how she’d appeared on stage during the plays.

“Yes! Though the output is on a completely different level, they work the same way!”

“Then I can do something about it. Satomi-kun, please attack with the big Signaltin.”

“Roger that! Let’s go, Theia!”

“Yeah!”

Neither Koutarou nor Theia needed to hear the details of Harumi’s plan before agreeing to attack with the energy sword. They believed in her, and they didn’t have the time to hesitate. Koutarou set the course for the defensive ship and Theia destroyed any fighters in the way.

“Harumi-sama, what are you going to do?”

Ruth, however, was curious what she had in mind. She wanted to know in case she could help as the ship’s operator.

“We will attack with two Signaltins. Using the small Signaltin’s mana, I’ll change the large Signaltin’s power into something else.”

“Is something like that even possible?!”

“If it’s just the tip, it should be.”

“I see, that’s what you mean... What a good idea!”

Having gotten a rough idea of what Harumi was planning, Ruth began making adjustments to Blue Knight. Harumi took a deep breath to prepare herself, holding her hands together in front of her chest.

“Satomi-kun, use Signaltin.”

“Okay.”

Koutarou listened to Harumi and drew Signaltin from its sheath hanging at his waist. As he did, Blue Knight treated the energy sword the same way. The big and small Blue Knights both held their Signaltins and charged towards the defensive ship.

“Here I go!”

Harumi closed her eyes and focused. She was trying to draw out all the power she could from Signaltin. She needed as much as possible if she wanted to affect something as big as a spaceship’s weapon. Adhering to Harumi’s will, Signaltin began emitting a massive amount of mana. The light and overflowing mana was enough to make the bridge they were in tremble with power.

Sakuraba-senpai’s hair is...

When Harumi had used mana before, her hair had taken on a silver sheen. However, now that she was drawing out the full power of Signaltin, it didn’t just stop there. Her hair wasn’t just glowing; it had actually turned silver.

Your Majesty...?

Koutarou’s eyes were instinctively drawn to her. With her hair that color, Harumi really did look exactly like Alaia, the Silver Princess he’d met two thousand years in the past. He could also feel Alaia’s presence from the mana surging forth. If he hadn’t known it was all Harumi from the very start, he wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart.

“Past, present, and future, oh mother of all things, Goddess of Dawn.”

Words of prayer flowed beautifully from Harumi’s mouth. Those too were the same as Alaia’s. At that point, even Koutarou who knew both Alaia and Harumi well wasn’t sure who he was looking at.

“I, a daughter of Forthorthe and thy faithful servant, beseech thee. Now is the time to break the seal and give us power to overcome the crisis that threatens us.”

As Harumi continued with her prayer, Blue Knight’s energy sword was wrapped in a pure white light, and began glowing just like Signaltin in Koutarou’s hands.

“Wind of the heavens. Green of the earth. Water of the sea. Fire of the mountains. Using my life as provision, reveal the power to rule all things!”

The light enveloping the two swords pulsed as one, and in perfect time with the beat of Harumi’s heart.

“I am Alaia, the silvery white snow of Mastir! Oh holy sword of the temple, carve my name into your blade and revive!”

Harumi finished her prayer and all of Signaltin’s power flowed into the energy sword. That gigantic sword was now as Signaltin itself. It didn’t matter if it didn’t have a physical form or not. The ship’s energy sword was now glowing as the true Signaltin.

“Now, Satomi-kun!”

With her prayer complete, Harumi looked up at Koutarou. Because she looked so much like Alaia, Koutarou forgot himself for a moment.

Not good. Keep it together! Now isn’t the time to space out!

Fortunately, however, it was just for a moment and he quickly remembered his place. They were in battle, and he readied Blue Knight’s sword accordingly. They were now right on top of the defensive ship. He didn’t have the time to lose focus.

As if scolding himself, he shouted out in a loud voice, “Here we go, everyone!”

“Go all out!”

“The anti-ship energy sword, Signaltin, has been charged to 100 percent!”

“I’ll leave it to you, Koutarou!”

Theia’s bombardment and Ruth’s barrier control protected Blue Knight as it moved in, and Harumi’s magic made the energy sword shine brightly. Koutarou firmly held Signaltin in both hands and thrust it forward with all his might.

Matching Koutarou’s movements, Blue Knight’s frame roared as it thrust its giant sword out. The target was the generator of the defensive ship in front of them. The defensive ship responded by raising its barrier to block the sword. In exchange for minimal weaponry, the defensive ship was equipped with a very potent barrier. Not even an anti-ship energy sword should have been able to pierce it easily.

“Goooooooo!”

But as Koutarou let out a battle cry, the energy sword broke through the defensive ship’s barrier. It let out a scream in the form of violent blinking before shattering like glass and disappearing.

That was the result of the power that Harumi had given to the energy sword. Using Signaltin’s mana, she replaced the tip of the energy sword with spiritual energy. Since Forthorthe’s barriers couldn’t block spiritual energy, the tip easily broke through, and once the sword was in, the rest was simple. Breaking something with a crack in it was an easy task. The energy blade easily smashed through the compromised barrier.

“Open up all ports! Keep firing until you’re out of energy!”

“As you wish, my princess.”

And once the barrier fell, Theia unloaded with most of Blue Knight’s arsenal. Beams, lasers, missiles, the works. All imaginable types of weapons were used to attack the defenseless ship. Its hull was punched through like paper, proving that the firepower of a royal class battleship was not to be underestimated. The defenseless ship was instantly destroyed, and the escape pod containing the bridge alone was left floating in space.

The reason Koutarou and the others were able to destroy the defensive ship the way they had was partly because the fighter crafts had been unable to move. Knowing that, they didn’t let their guard down even after destroying the defensive ship and moving on to their next goal: the battleship. The enemy’s main defenses were down now, but their attack power remained unchanged.

“Koutarou! We’re focusing on their main turret!”

“Got it!”

Theia and Koutarou’s target was the main armament of the battleship—a turret sticking out from the upper part of the ship’s hull. Because the main turret was capable of rotating, it could fire in every direction regardless of which way the battleship was facing. But because it stuck out from the ship, it was structurally weaker and made for an easy target. It was a powerful weapon with adequate defense.

But now that the defensive ship in charge of protecting the battleship was gone, going after the battleship’s main weapon would be the most effective strategy. Once that turret was taken out, the battleship wouldn’t be as much of a threat.

“Your Highness, the fighter group has reactivated! They’re chasing after us!”

“Koutarou, I’ll leave the battleship to you! Do something about it!”

“‘Something’?!”

Theia began her bombardment to keep the reactivated fighters from closing in, leaving the attack on the battleship to Koutarou. Since he had planned on letting Theia do the attacking, he didn’t have anything planned.

“Damn it, in that case! Ruth-san, change the sword to shooting mode!”

“As you wish, my lord!”

Koutarou readied the energy sword, but this time a beam was fired from the tip of it. Since beam swords and beam cannons functioned very similarly, the anti-ship energy sword could be used both ways.

“Haaaaaaaah!”

Koutarou shot off multiple beams as he closed in on the coup d’etat army’s battleship. Of course, the enemy didn’t just sit still and take it. Their turret took aim and repeatedly fired back at Blue Knight.

“As if I’d let you hit me!”

Koutarou turned and spun Blue Knight around in an attempt to dodge. But realizing that the maneuver alone wouldn’t be enough, Ruth gave him a helping hand.

“Releasing a section of the gravity and inertia control!”

“Oooooh?! Wh-What’s this?!”

The moment Ruth input a command into the panel, Blue Knight’s rotational speed drastically increased. The ship was able to avoid the incoming attack thanks to it, but the sudden increase in speed startled Koutarou.

“Please get used to it, Master! I’m sure you can do it!”

“You’re kidding!”

Even though Koutarou was panicking, Ruth showed no mercy. Even now, she was still speeding up the ship to match Koutarou’s movements. Koutarou pointed the front of the ship towards the coup d’etat army while desperately struggling to maintain control.

“Even after two thousand years, you’re still an amusing lot...”

Having used up most of his mana, Alunaya was just watching Blue Knight move at lightning fast speeds in his half-dragon, half-human form. Since this way of fighting was novel to an ancient dragon like him, he observed it all with an amused expression.

“If you’re going to play like that...! Focus the barrier around the right leg in five seconds, Ruth-san!”

“Kyaaaaah! Wait, waiiit!”

“I’m not waiting!”

Koutarou repeatedly fired beams from his sword while closing in on the battleship. Having taken several hits, the battleship’s barrier was just about to give out, so Koutarou spun around and kicked his right leg towards it.

“Too fast! You’re too fast, Master!”

“I’m sure you can do it, Ruth-san!”

“You’re kidding!”

Now it was Ruth’s turn to panic, and she hurriedly made adjustments to the barrier. Without even waiting for her to finish, Koutarou let loose his roundhouse kick. The power of a kick like that from a two million ton machine was terrifying. Combined with the barrier raised moments before impact, the kick easily tore through the battleship’s barrier and sent the turret, and the main guns on it, flying off into space.

As Koutarou let his kick fly, Theia bombarded the battleship and robbed it of all remaining combat potential. Leaving the disabled battleship be, Koutarou and the others then headed for the last remaining ship, the carrier. The only things left that could pose a threat were the fighters it was controlling.

“There are nine fighters left, in a total of three formations! Twenty-seven crafts have been destroyed so far!”

“They may be unmanned, but they sure are using them like they’re disposable.”

“They probably won’t be using them anymore after this... Ruth-san, please open a channel to the remaining ship.”

“They’re an unmarked fleet of ships operating illegally. I can’t imagine that they would answer...”

“He’ll answer. That’s just the kind of guy he is. Please, Ruth-san.”

“Okay.”

Koutarou wanted the enemy to surrender before he started his attack. Realizing his intentions, Ruth sent a hail to the carrier. It didn’t take long before Elexis appeared on Blue Knight’s main monitor.

“I was astonished by your way of fighting, Koutarou-kun.”

“I just took a bunch of risks, and somehow managed to make it through. But now I’m trying to avoid taking any more risks.”

“Is that a request for me to surrender?”

“I don’t care if you surrender or retreat. Neither of us have anything more to gain from this fight. Am I wrong?”

“No. My subordinates thought the same thing. That’s why I had them leave the ship. You can see them, right?”

Elexis had evacuated all of his subordinates using escape pods. They were headed for the disabled battleship, leaving only Elexis behind aboard the carrier.

“You know there’s no need to buy time.”

Koutarou figured that Elexis was trying to buy time for his subordinates to escape. He’d done something similar in the past.

“I’m not trying to buy time. This is me being stubborn. I want to fight until the end.”

“Stubborn, huh...? Then I won’t bother asking again.”

Seeing Elexis’s smile come across the monitor, Koutarou realized he was serious. Koutarou was standing where he was because he’d remained stubborn too, and he knew there was no convincing Elexis to back down.

“Thank you, Koutarou-kun. I like that side of you. It might also be why I feel like this.”

Elexis wanted to give it his all. He had found real competition for the first time in his life in the form of a rival. That’s why he didn’t want to end their fight just yet. He still hadn’t gone all out, and he wanted to see this through to the end. He was like a child that refused to go home. It was like he just wanted to keep playing with Koutarou.

“I’ll play along. But in exchange, can I ask you something?”

“What would that be?”

“Once this fight is over, what will the coup d’etat army do?”

“Well... They’ll probably withdraw for a while. They will officially announce that Her Majesty Elfaria’s condition has taken a turn for the worse, and they’ll use that time to fabricate some false charges against her. Once they generate some fake evidence to go along with it, they’ll announce that they had only said Elfaria was ill because they couldn’t openly treat her like a criminal until they had gathered all the evidence they needed... or something along those lines.”

“And then they’ll launch a grand attack, huh?”

“I would imagine so. Well, until then, they might try an assassin here and there.”

“I see. Thank you, Elexis.”

“In exchange, can I expect that you’ll take this seriously?”

“Yeah, I will.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

With those words as his last, Elexis cut off communications. He disappeared from Blue Knight’s monitor, which instead began tracking the carrier that was now on the move.

You’ve started to care for your allies... but you still live life from moment to moment, don’t you, Dextro?

Koutarou reminisced about his past enemy, and then took a fighting stance with Blue Knight. There might only be one ship left, but he couldn’t let his guard down around that enemy.

“Theia, he’s going to go all out from the start.”

“I know. I do have some experience in battle, you know.”

“The carrier’s missile ports are opening. I believe it’s those guided missiles. The battleship is still unmoving, so it seems it won’t be joining this fight.”

“He might not be suited for fighting either, just like me...”

The battleship still had undamaged missile ports on it, but Elexis was ignoring them. He wouldn’t get the results he wanted if he resorted to that.

“What was that?”

“No, it was nothing... Theia, I’ll leave the missiles to you! Let’s finish this as quickly as possible!”

“Yeah!”

“As you wish, my lord.”

Elexis was challenging them to a fight, well aware how much of a disadvantage he was at. But Koutarou knew that he still had to take this battle seriously in more ways than one, so he activated Blue Knight’s boosters and dashed towards the carrier Elexis was on. The nine remaining fighter crafts moved to get in his way. Just past them, the carrier was firing its missiles. With the number of fighters reduced, it was possible to use both the fighters and missiles at the same time now without excessive strain on the computer.

“I see! That’s an attack that’s hard to block!”

Seeing those missiles launching, Koutarou used Blue Knight’s posture control thrusters to make a sweeping evasive maneuver. While the missiles and fighters were low in number, they both utilized the advantages they had, making the interlaced attack from both difficult to block.

“He’s probably trying to slow us down with the fighters and defeat us with the missiles! Leave the missiles to me! You shake off the fighters! You can disregard the carrier’s bombardment as well!”

“As you wish, my princess!”

Koutarou and Theia stepped up to the plate after dividing their roles. Koutarou would make use of their mobility to keep the fighters from closing in, while Theia would deal with the missiles approaching from a different trajectory. With fewer enemies to handle now, they should be able to deal with this without a problem.

“Your Highness, the carrier is still launching missiles! Strangely enough, there are more than before!”

“It’s camouflage! You’ve thought this through, Elexis!”

Elexis launched a second wave of missiles and peppered in some that used standard guidance systems. Since Koutarou and the others couldn’t tell the missiles apart by looking at them, they’d have to be equally cautious of them all. Theia immediately began shooting to try and take down as many as she could.

“Gather, spirits of earth. Kneel before me and reveal your name. Speak, Lineage of Earth!”

That was when Harumi cast her metal detection spell on Theia. With that, Theia could sense the missiles and fighters flying around in space nearby.

“Thanks, Harumi!”

“Good luck!”

Even powerful combat magic was helpless against objects flying around at extremely high speeds. That’s why that was the best Harumi could do for now. Basically sidelined at this point, Harumi felt a growing frustration building up inside of her.

“The number of fighters is decreasing! Deal with the carrier!”

With so many missiles flying around and no way to tell them apart, Koutarou and the others were pressed to defeat the carrier. Koutarou evaded the fighters’ attacks and turned Blue Knight towards the carrier. Meanwhile, Theia prioritized shooting down missiles coming at them head-on in their path. Thanks to that, Koutarou could focus on just the fighters and the carrier.

“Go! I will make a path!”

“Raaaaah!”

As Theia cut down a path in the missiles for Koutarou, he flew Blue Knight down it with the agility of an acrobat. Several explosions occurred around them, making it look like they were dancing through fireworks. It wasn’t nearly anything so elegant, however. This was a test of grit, and a fight for their lives.

“The carrier has set its generator output to maximum!”

“Don’t let him get away, Koutarou! Finish this battle right now! I can’t hold them back for long!”

“Leave it to me!”

As Koutarou approached, Elexis drained as much power as he could from the carrier’s generator. Theia wouldn’t be able to keep up her sharpshooting for long, so she figured that Elexis was going to strengthen his barrier and distance himself from Blue Knight.

“Oh no! That’s...?!”

However, the situation developed in an unexpected direction.

“The carrier is charging right for us! He’s not trying to buy time!”

“He’s trying to ram us?!”

“So that’s what you’re up to, Elexis!”

The distance between Blue Knight, which had accelerated to keep Elexis from fleeing, and the carrier, which had now decided to charge forward instead of retreating, was shrinking rapidly. Even if they tried to evade, their escape routes were all cut off by missiles and fighters. It seemed Elexis had set this all up on purpose, and his intent had been to ram them from the very beginning

“So that’s why he had all the soldiers evacuate! He used the missiles and fighters to conceal his true goal and to cut off any escape! Just how far have you planned ahead, Elexis?!”

Koutarou flashed a bitter expression as he held his arms up. Theia’s attacks had broken through the carrier’s barrier, but the ship was still charging right for them.

“Ruth-san, focus the―”

“Focusing the distortion field on both forearms! Setting generator output to maximum and making barrier maintenance the top priority!”

Ruth realized Koutarou’s intentions and focused the barrier around Blue Knight’s arms before he even had a chance to explain. The carrier was heavy, and whether Blue Knight could properly catch it or not was difficult to say.

Blue Knight’s held its hands out to meet the carrier, and the impact rattled the entire ship, causing the bridge to shake violently. It even overcame the gravity and inertia controls protecting the bridge.

“Kyaaah!”

The girls all cried out when the tremors erupted. Warning after warning rang out on the bridge. The monitor was full of damage reports, and red and yellow lights were rapidly flashing everywhere.

“Nuuuuuoooooooo!”

Maintaining his focus, Koutarou used his full strength in an attempt to push the carrier back. If he made even the slightest mistake, it would slip his grasp and crash right into Blue Knight. But catching the carrier from the front and letting its momentum carry them backward to lessen the impact was the only conceivable way to survive this.

Pieces of the carrier that had been broken off in Theia’s bombardment crashed into Blue Knight, and while that wouldn’t destroy the ship, it certainly didn’t feel good. Koutarou shut his ears to those crashing sounds and concentrated solely on controlling the ship. That was more important than anything else right now.

That was when the monitor in the front of the bridge shattered into several pieces. Where it had been, a hole several meters across opened up, revealing the pitch black darkness of outer space behind it.

While the crew protection systems prevented Koutarou and the others from being sucked out and supplied them with emergency lines of oxygen, the air in the bridge was gone almost immediately. Once it was all sucked out into the vacuum of space, a giant silhouette appeared on the other side of the hole.

“Surely you can’t move in a situation like this! I win, Koutarou-kun!”

It was Elexis in his giant mobile weapon, Warlord. He was going to make one final attack using a spare model he had stored on the carrier.

Elexis had planned everything out for this moment. He evacuated his troops and rammed the Blue Knight with the carrier. He knew Koutarou might try and catch it, but knew he’d be unable to move if he did. That, in turn, would mean that Koutarou who was controlling Blue Knight couldn’t move either. All he had to do then was to conceal himself in the debris of the carrier and assault the bridge with Warlord. That was the only path he’d seen to victory, and he’d bet everything on it.

“Farewell, Koutarou-kun! You really were something!”

Thrilled that his big gamble had paid off, Elexis leveled his beam shotgun at Koutarou.

“Damn...”

And Elexis was right. Koutarou couldn’t move. If he stopped controlling Blue Knight right now, the ships would collide and suffer serious damage. And he didn’t want to imagine what would happen to his crew in the process. That said, if he didn’t move, he’d be shot on the spot. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

“I won’t let you!”

That was when a small silhouette stood before Koutarou. It was a petite girl with golden hair and blue eyes.

“I won’t let you kill my knight!”

“What?!”

Theia stood in front of Koutarou with her arms spread open, intentionally placing herself between him and the beam shotgun. She had no plan. She was simply using her small body to try and protect Koutarou.

“You idiot! Do you have any idea what you’re doing?!”

Koutarou hurled sharp criticism her way. A princess was putting herself in harm’s way for the sake of a knight. It was an unthinkable act for a royal who had a higher duty to her country and citizens.

“No! But it’s something I must do! Even if it makes me a failure as a princess, you alone are special! I will protect you, even if I have to put myself in danger!”

Theia was in tears. She logically knew that she shouldn’t be doing this. But despite that, she hadn’t been able to just stand by and watch. Her body moved on its own. Deep down, she instinctively knew that she needed Koutarou as much as she needed to breathe.

“So Koutarou-kun is beloved by Her Highness...”

Theia’s actions came as a surprise to Elexis as well. He hesitated for a moment, pondering what to do. Should he shoot the both of them, or capture Theia? He spent a few seconds considering his options, yet those few seconds changed the outcome.

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine these two powers and appear, spirits of ice! Oh soaring iceberg, seal him with your ever-expanding glacier! Ice Coffin!”

All of a sudden, Warlord’s left arm was covered in a block of ice and lost all functionality. That included the built-in beam shotgun. Harumi hadn’t missed her chance to get off a spell.

“What?!”

“Blue Knight! Anti-material machine cannon!”

While Elexis was surprised by the sudden frosty development, Ruth in the operator’s seat input a command into Blue Knight’s system and summoned a weapon directly to the bridge. Since an energy weapon would require time to charge up, she chose a high-caliber weapon capable of rapid fire.

“Fire right away using automatic aim!”

Since they were in a vacuum, the sound of the machine canon firing didn’t reach anyone. Only the faint vibrations of the cartridges dropping to the floor could be felt by the people around it. The power of the cannon, however, was anything but faint.

“Aaaaaah!”

With its barrier shattered and pummeled with shells, Warlord was unable to hang on to the hole it had created and was pushed back out into space.

“You... You tried to kill our precious Koutarou...”

Last up was Theia. She muttered to herself in a trembling voice as she glared at Warlord flying backwards through the hole on the bridge. Her eyes were burning with rage.

“I won’t forgive you... Even if god does, I won’t! Elexis, you tried to do something you never should have, and I’ll see to it that you regret it for the rest of your life!”

As Warlord was using various boosters and thrusters to straighten itself up, a long line of light chased after it. The light pierced through Warlord and ended the long drawn out battle.

As the carrier was destroyed, the battleship that had been largely disarmed warped away. After seeing the enemies retreat, Clan let out a heavy sigh and leaned back in her chair. Silence had returned to the bridge of the Hazy Moon, so her sigh nearly echoed through the room.

“Jeez, that was an awful tightrope to walk...”

While the battle had ended in their victory, it had been nothing but a series of crises from start to finish. Clan had felt compelled to go help several times, but fortunately nothing had ever gotten too out of hand, so she hadn’t had to interfere. Still, watching it all unfold from the sidelines was a harrowing experience. She would have felt infinitely better to be out there fighting with them.

“Since you’ll eventually become my vassal, you have to win more elegantly and definitively...”

Clan had a few harsh words for Koutarou for making her worry like that, so she contacted him using a direct line.

“Hmm? Clan? What’s wrong?”

Koutarou appeared on the monitor up front.

“As if you don’t know!”

Seeing Koutarou safe and sound, Clan was overcome with an even more intense sense of relief. He looked tired and had dirt all over his face, but he didn’t appear to be seriously injured. Moreover, he sounded okay. The sense of relief she felt being able to see him like that was anything but small. At this point, not even Clan herself knew if she wanted to thank him or berate him.

“Please win in a more elegant manner, would you? I felt like I was the one who was going to die watching you.”

“Sorry. I’ll try harder next time.”

“As long as you understand. Heh, good work, Veltlion.”

“What, you’re awfully kind tod―”

The moment Clan spoke that name, loud roars of joy erupted on the bridge that had fallen silent.

“Wh-What?!”

Surprised by the sudden shouting, Clan almost fell out of her chair. She frantically grabbed hold of the armrest and turned towards the direction of the voices. There she saw men and women of all ages gathered. Clan then remembered she wasn’t alone. The civilians who were so worried for Theia and Elfaria were on the bridge with her.

“See?! Even Princess Clan called him Veltlion! It really is him!”

“Yeah! Seeing how he fought, there’s no doubt about it!”

“No other knight could do that!”

“To think he could turn the tables in such a situation!”

“Then is that sword really Signaltin?!”

“Alaia’s crest was engraved in it! It has to be!”

“It seems like even Alaia-sama is with him!”

The civilians on the Hazy Moon had begun to see Koutarou as the Blue Knight. Considering the situation, it was only obvious they’d want to think that he was. Their empress and princess were chased out of their country by an unjust coup d’etat, and a knight in blue armor had saved them. Not only that, but he had fought against overwhelming odds and achieved a brilliant victory. On top of that, key items of legend seemed to appear one after another. There was of course the blue armor, and then there was a sword imbued with mysterious powers, and a girl with silver hair who controlled them. Then there was the red dragon. Seeing all of it come together for Koutarou’s victory, the civilians began wondering if maybe he was the Blue Knight. And then as the cherry on top, their highly esteemed Princess Clan had addressed the knight in question as Veltlion.

If Princess Clan was calling him that, then there was no doubt about it. They were now convinced that the legendary Blue Knight, Layous Fatra Veltlion, had appeared in history once more. The bridge was filled with cheers for him. Their voices were so loud that even Koutarou on the other end of the comms line jumped back a little.

“Wh-What? What happened?”

Clan couldn’t understand why the civilians had all suddenly burst into cheers. They were shouting so loud and so much that it was no longer possible to make out any of what they were saying.

“Clan! What is with this ruckus?!”

“I don’t really know either! They seem to be rejoicing over something!”

Koutarou and Clan were both forced to raise their voices as well in order to hear each other.

“We can’t really talk when it’s this noisy! Let’s take a raincheck!”

Realizing that it would be a pain to talk about anything like this, Koutarou decided to put their conversation on hold for later. Since they had made it out of the battle in one piece, all seemed well for now, and there was no need to rush things.

“You’re right! Let’s talk later!”

Of course, Clan had no objections to this. That is, she wouldn’t until a few seconds after she ended the call. When she did, the civilians only grew louder.

“Wh-What? Just what is going on?!”

The people swarmed her, full of questions.

A few hours after the battle had ended, Elexis was staring up at Earth’s sky, all alone, from the coast near Kisshouharukaze City. The night sky was getting brighter as the sun’s light began peeking out from over the horizon.

“Phew, I’ve completely lost... To think I couldn’t win even after going so far. It’s actually rather refreshing...”

While the second Warlord had been lost to Theia’s attack, Elexis had somehow managed to escape using the built-in ejector seat and made it back to Earth. He had suffered a disastrous defeat, lost contact with his allies, and was now stranded on Earth. Anyone else would consider this a serious situation, but Elexis was content. That was because he realized that he hadn’t stood a chance, even though he’d given his all.

“I didn’t lose because Koutarou-kun was strong. It was because I was alone. In that last battle, I let go of my allies. That was probably why.”

There was no going back now, but Elexis couldn’t help thinking he might have come out on top if he’d stuck with his allies. But he’d specifically chosen not to do that. Perhaps he’d been too quick to discount their power because of his desire to protect them. Arrogance or distrust was always the reason for his defeat.

Despite having fought to achieve his ideal form of society, he had fallen after giving it his all. And the reason was clear. But he wasn’t complaining. Not in the slightest. He’d given his all, and there was nothing else he could have done. He was satisfied with this result.

“Then how about you come with me?”

That was when someone called out to Elexis from behind. It was the voice of a young woman. She looked perhaps young enough to call a girl, but her voice and composure gave her the air of a mature woman.

“And who might you be?”

Elexis continued staring out into the ocean while asking for the name of the woman behind him. First light over the water was breathtaking.

“I am Maya. Just like you, I fought against that boy alone and lost.”

And that’s the story of how Maya and Elexis met.