Alexei flinched slightly as he staggered to get back up.
"Gah..."
"Ara... It must be Lady Vixella..."
Jessica let out a breath of relief as she fell onto her back to pant heavily.
Vixella fiddled with the stuff that protruded from the cockpit of the one-seater attack craft.
"Aah... Okay... So these handles control the elevators... The pedals control that... What about the flaps..."
"Dieeeee!"
The sky invader pilot, Athrun, screamed out in anger as he charged his half-broken attack-craft at Vixella's.
"Didn't I say timeout...? I hate it when people interrupt my moments!"
Vixella raised Ivan's Musket Pistol and fired a few rounds off towards the vicinity of the approaching craft.
SIFT!
Athrun's body fell limp as his craft lost control and whirled away, crashing into a building that crumbled down shortly after.
"Yeah... Learn not to interrupt her..."
Alexei laughed as he walked towards the others resting in the middle of the town square.
Vixella's craft then slowly hovered down at the four gathered by her very own commemoration statue.
Alexei pulled down his retractable helmet for a breather as he looked at Vixella who hovered the craft above them.
"So ahm... Where have you been-!?"
"Everywhere? That aside, you guys should head back to camp..."
"But we can still fight!"
Jessica who had recovered her breath sprung up from the floor as she shouted out confidently.
"John needs to go back."
Vixella raised out a hand as bubbly magical formations formed around all of them.
"Yeah... She's right... I doubt I can fight anymore either..."
Alexei winched slightly.
"What about you, lass? We stand no chance against that flying fortress..."
"It's called a Battleship."
"Yeah... That... Anyways, the silver princess said we have to retreat to LadyLake immediately..."
"You guys go ahead and wait for me at camp... I'll try my best to stop that thing."
The three then witnessed Vixella's craft twirl high into the sky before disappearing over the distant townscape.
"Hey, have any of you ever heard the surname Langford before...?"
"My dear brother once told me that if you scramble 'Langford' around, it becomes 'Drofganl'."
"Wait... That's... Isn't that the last hero's surname?"
Alexei raised an eyebrow.
"Aye, so you're saying our lass is actually-"
"Arara... Seems like I've spoken too much."
Jessica seemed a bit guilty as she held her mouth with a smile.
" "NANI THE FUCK-!?" "
Alderius and Alexei broke out at the same time.
"...?"
Jessica averted her eyes.
"Wait, so you guys knew all this time and didn't tell us?"
"Only me and my dear brother-"
"That kid didn't tell us either-!?"
The battleship drifted in the airspace as the gigantic thrusters took turns to puff out compressed bursts of air.
Flying Battleship.
Control Tower Bridge.
"Sir... We have an unknown Strider approaching us fast..."
The man who was clad in a white uniform with golden stripes on his shoulder pads reported to his superior.
"You useless deck-hand! Give me the telescope already!"
The assistant handed over the brass telescope as the grumpy Admiral walked to the window and looked through the spyglass.
Eventually finding the Strider which his assistant had mentioned earlier, he took note of how it was rapidly gaining altitude.
The airspeed was a bit too fast than the standard flight maneuvers they were taught.
Sitting on the craft was a beautiful young girl with a cloak that fluttered in the wind.
The Admiral who zoomed in closer was soon captivated by her peerless beauty.
The girl then began glancing left and right before finally stopping in his direction.
The innocent eyes that pierced through his soul made the Admiral drop the spyglass onto the ground.
CRACK.
His instincts immediately told him that the girl who was nearing their ship was bad news.
"T-That Strider! T-Take it down!!!"
"A-Admiral? But that's one of ours?"
The assistant felt a bit unsure as he saw his Admiral fumble around slightly.
"W-We... We need to take down that Strider!! R-Right now! The enemy hijacked it! Priority target!!!"
He screamed out, ordering at his subordinates cowardly.
"Sir! The enemy is in our blind spot!"
"To hell with this outdated battleship! Deploy our last line of defense!"
"But sir, we only have three back-up Striders on standby... And one of them is-"
"Finally, we get to put that boy to good use!"
"But sir, we were told not to put him into unnecessary danger..."
"That's an order!!" "Meirei da!!" ((OOF WEEB MODE 24/7 BOIS))
"Yessir!"
The restless crew ran around the visible deck to resupply the catapults and lead cannons below as they reported to each other.
Shouting was passed down the ranks that the line of fire was to be deviated to allow their Striders to detach and fly below.
After the armament turned away, three of the remaining Striders meant for defense latched off the battleship's side.
Puffing their thrusters, the striders began their dive down against Vixella who was gaining up at them from below.
In return, Vixella thrusts her arms fully into the control handles as the craft tilted forward to gain altitude even faster.
She ducked behind the windshield as the gravitational force and wind together pushed down against the fuselage.
The leading Strider who dove down first confidently fired off a burst of pellets, however-
"Shit! What a reckless way of flying!"
The enemy pilot swore out upon seeing Vixella zoom just a few meters past him.
Not expecting Vixella to be charging up against them at max speed, he completely missed and overshot despite his advantage.
Vixella slammed her foot into the right pedal before pulling back the left handle hard.
The Strider pivoted itself around as it thrust backward to tilt and spin upside down.
The turret was now fixated at the enemy craft which had earlier attempted to take her down.
Before the enemy pilot could even react or realize what was going on, it was already too late.
Vixella never had a moment to hesitate.
She squeezed the trigger.
The sound of compressed wind magic blasting away the pellets were returned with clanking noises.
KAPOOSH!
The wind magic combustion device of the hostile Strider blew up as miasmas of magical power flushed out with an explosion.
"Shaaaaaaaaaaunnnnnnnnn!!!" ((Press X to Shaun))
The other pilot in her Strider that was driving down from the left screamed out.
Quickly kicking the left pedal, Vixella thrust in both arms at the control handles.
The Strider regained balance as it swooshed up against the oncoming threat.
FOOSH... FEWFEWFEWFEWFEW! x69 (Super Fast Boiis XD)
FOOSH... FEWFEWFEWFEWFEW! x69 (Super Fast Boiis XD)
((Yeah these sound effects are so bad, thank me later XD))
Did you see that? I just used XD three times unironically.
A marital relationship just went out the window for me.
Both Striders constantly let loose bursts of pellets against each other as sparks skipped about on the impacted hulls.
However, from such a range, the pellets weren't strong enough to pierce the steel to deal any significant damage.
The two did not falter as their Striders violently shook from being shot at by each other.
They continued their gallant charge as both of them began to enter into the kill-range.
"SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!"
The female pilot screamed out as she thrust in her hands and squeezed the trigger even harder.
Vixella, in return, did the same as she went head-on against the gallant attacker.
It was now only mere seconds before they were going to shred each other away.
At the last second, she kicked both pedals while pulling the two handles back with her arms.
Her Strider jerked up and shredded the enemy's cockpit, scattering glints of scarlet everywhere.
Sparks and bundles of cloth flew about as the cockpit was eviscerated into nothing.
The enemy Strider then plummeted away before blowing up a few good distances below.
Vixella's Strider wobbled as it began to smoke heavily out of the center compartment's heatshield.
The craft tilted itself for a brief moment as the left thruster struggled to spurt out wind magic.
She who inspected the left thruster also saw Magical Power slowly seeping out of the cracks.
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/244271683781787649/477021967296495647/unknown.png]
((Once again, Strider reference.))
The last enemy Strider pilot who seemed to remain calm slowly descended from above.
Vixella realized what he was trying to do and began to accelerate out of his firing range.
A hailstorm of pellets flew pass Vixella as some impacted behind her seat and shook her craft violently.
When looking over her shoulder, she grimaced after seeing how the last Strider had strangely long cannons.
Though due to being shot from far away, the impacts at much grazed and bounced off.
However, this still disoriented and pressured her to quite an extent.
Howling Wolf.
Etched Stars.
It was clear proof that the enemy pilot on her tail was a well-decorated ace.
He surely was someone that she shouldn't mess around within the vast skies.
Vixella's Strider which was heavily smoking could not out-speed the prototype-variant Strider that the Ace was piloting.
Desperately attempting to lose the ace on her tail, she pushed down the handles as her craft began flying upward.
"Sorry... I was never a good pilot, to begin with."
She pulled both her hands back as the craft begun to stall backward and abruptly dip.
Her craft landed right onto the prototype-Strider's front as the latter struggled to push them both to maintain altitude.
The Ace Pilot was violently thrown back from the impact and lost the grip of his cockpit helm handles.
When he was done flinching and opened his eyes, he was already staring down the barrel of Ivan's Musket Pistol.
The enemy ace pilot quickly raised his arms in surrender.
"Wait. I have a family."
Looking closer, he had quite a decent looking face.
Scruffy silver hair alongside the dirty red eyes that shone dimly under the starless sky.
Over his head wasn't the usual pilot cap but instead goggles that he hadn't even put on.
Vixella seemed a bit hesitant upon hearing the word 'family'.
"Go on...?"
"Yes. I have a dog. Three dogs."
"Dogs? Can I pet them one day?"
"Sure. Glad I met another person who loves dogs."
"It's a promise." "Yakusoku da." ((OOF TOP 10 ANIME PROMISES.))
"I'll be leaving to fight you another day then."
He slung over the parachute pack from under his seat.
"Hey, don't forget about the dog petting promise!"
[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/244271683781787649/478347043388260352/Cool_Boy.PNG]
The pilot turned around but stopped as he glanced over his shoulder for the last time.
"Yup. And thanks."
He then leaped over and descended a few good distances below before activating the parachute pack.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
The prototype Strider which had safety measures finally lost its control and glided down towards the allied side of the fight.
"Well... Aren't you a tough one... Whatever you are called..."
Vixella laughed slightly as she patted her Strider's side before smiling towards the bridge of the flying battleship.
"A-Admiral what do we do!? All three Striders... Down!! Sir Wolfe has bailed!! The rest are still supporting the troops below..."
"That Strider's not in a state to fight anymore so just focus on assisting the ground troops!! Capture her if she dares to board!!"
"Yessir! Alright, men... Back to your posts! Realign the armaments!"
Somewhere really close on the blind spot of the battleship, Vixella's battered-up Strider struggled to keep itself afloat.
Stopping a few dozen meters away from the giant magical liquid sphere that powered the flying battleship, Vixella smiled bitterly.
"Looks like I'll have to chant this one..."
Bright sparks formed around her in a circular pattern as it began drawing complex magical formations.
She then compelled out her arms over and over whilst mumbling out an incomprehensible ancient language.
The many overlapping magical formations then fused into bigger ones as the layers protruded back like a telescoping mechanism.
"What is that-!? An angel-!?" "Nani are-!? Teshi ka-!?" ((YOU ASKED FOR THIS WEEB SHIT! XD LMAO-))
The crew on deck of the flying battleship couldn't see properly due to the backlight of the magical formations blinding them.
More bright flustering lights formed a second layer that was soon overshadowed by a third one.
The furthest magical formation's width was now about ten meters in diameter large.
Tick Tock. Tick Tock.
The formations clicked back and forth like the broken cogs of clockwork before coming to a slight stop.
" " "What is that-!? An ancient magical formation-!?" " "
The Afrians down below all gathered outside the encampment tents and gawked up at the illumination high in the night sky.
"My mom once told me the tales of the last hero when I was a child... That's his magical formation..."
"No way... He's still alive... After all this time-!?"
John, upon hearing the words of the people outside, grunted and struggled out of the tent as he tumbled down onto the grass.
Gasping for breath, he rolled over onto his back before coughing heavily to open his eyes at the shining bright night sky.
Jessica then ran out of the tent shortly after him with a face of worry.
"John-!? You shouldn't be moving! You're still under Magical Exhaustion!"
"Sister... At least... Let me see this..."
The boy gestured weakly with his hand at the beautiful Magical Formation looming high in the starless night.
Upon seeing John smile from the bottom of his heart, Jessica was at a loss of words as she walked over.
"So beautiful..."
"Ara ara... Have you also fallen for her magic?"
Somewhat flustered, John pouted.
"Shush for once... Sister..."
Back in the skies, Vixella suddenly raised her cloak reflexively as the left thruster was struck by a high-speed projectile.
Magical miasma leaked out, following an explosion that swallowed her form whole alongside the Strider.
The crowd below all gasped at the sudden flash as the magical formations began to shimmer and fade.
"S... Sike!"
The Admiral shouted from the deck as he looked over the scope of a strangely long musket.
A CENTURY LATER
(Surprise Motherfucker, Transition Music)
The smoke soon cleared, and one could witness the battered Strider struggle to stay afloat.
The remaining right thruster continued to spew out its last winds to maintain the craft's altitude.
Leaning out the side of the cockpit was Vixella... With her blood... Smeared everywhere inside the cockpit.
"I killed her! I did it! Hahahahah!"
The Admiral cheered and cried to himself as all the crew on deck were taken back by his mania.
Much to everyone's expectations, Vixella's body twitched slightly as she vomited out blood.
Clasping unsteadily onto the metal frame with her functional right arm, she rose on what remained of the dented wreck.
"What-!? Die already!! S-Shit!!"
The Admiral blurted out in a panic as he grasped the grip and once again took aim with the strangely long musket.
Thanks to another 'lethal trigger', Vixella's mind had blank as she stood still, yet reliving another unwanted flashback.
A clank came by as another pellet glanced off the magical battery of the right thruster.
This made the craft to dip forward a bit, causing Vixella to slip over the blood and smack her head in the cockpit.
The sudden concussion threw her out of the daze as she groaned... Finally waking up the 'annoying dream'.
The Admiral who was under intense pressure and panic shook all over as he tried to bolt in another shaped pellet round.
Vixella grinned under her bloody face as she raised and clenched her right fist.
The flat-dimensional light formations regained their strength as they spun rapidly and fused into a full-dimensional light formation.
The crew on board, upon seeing this happen, realized that it was the high time to abandon ship for their very lives.
All of them ran about, grabbing their parachute packs before leaping off the deck and side-doors without any hesitation.
It was as if time and space had stopped... The night sky was calm as ever... But then, out of nowhere-
A bright spark of light swallowed the sky as a gigantic cross of Holy Light impaled through the entire ship's sides.
Tossing overboard the strangely long scoped musket, the admiral by the upper bridge mumbled out his last words.
"Angelum mortis vidi..." "I saw the angel of death..." ((Yeah too bad lol, it's not weeb this time... LATIN EDGE!))
The admiral's vivid form then faded away alongside the ever blinding light that expanded to swallow him whole.
Flickering as it began to disperse, the Holy Light Spirits who used all their power then became one with the realm.
Violently, whirlwinds began to rush in and form towards the charred hole directly in the ship's middle section hull.
A deafening shockwave came after when the air in the seen vicinity shook and collapsed wildly as the ship crumbled in half.
The force of collapse was so immense that everyone on the ground below all stumbled down and lost their breaths.
Everyone glanced up at the sky to witnessed the scattered parts of the battleship leave trails of black smoke in their wakes.
The flammable parts began to ignite as everything spread throughout the many still-jointed compartments like volatile wildfire.
The battleship fired off its farewell salvo as the main cannons released magical discharge alongside the rest of the ammo bays.
Vixella's Strider was then whirled away by the initial shockwave before the battleship crumbled away into itself.
The aftershock choked the heavens as varying materials and parts were thrown astray before disintegrating into ash.
Unbelievable amounts of condensed magical liquid power flushed about as the wind settled to calm itself.
The condensed magical power had so much quantity that even those not talented in magic could see it.
The beautiful aurora that marked the death and farewell of the gigantic flying fortress... Or well, a battleship.
Both sides of the clashing forces below mutually stopped to glare up at the aurora in the starless sky above.
However, despite the setback of the enemy force... The gritty fight shorty recontinued after that incident.
Vixella was currently experiencing the effects of concussion, blood loss, and magical exhaustion all at once.
Unable to heal her current state, Vixella's vision started to blur as she weakly held onto life by gasping for breath.
The Strider's right thruster then abruptly cut off as her craft began losing its altitude at a dangerous speed.
She who gripped the handle with her functional right arm could feel it coming loose from all the blood.
Squinting the tears out of her eyes, Vixella pulled back the right handle with all her remaining strength...
The right thruster kicked back in with its last spurt as the craft twirled around before recovering from the lethal descent.
She slid further down against the seat and blinked a few times in the attempt to keep the blood by her brain to stay conscious.
GOVERNMENT...
...The Asset
FROST...
...Test Subject
BLADE...
...Gene Sampling
SKIES...
...Blue Eclipse
Not in a state to be thinking straight, Vixella began to regain vague memories of the former world.
It all flashed through her aching consciousness like tattered photo collages from a forgotten diary.
On the verge of collapse, she went down with her Strider that descended in a rapid twirl of black smoke.
The right arm that was gripping tight finally lost its strength and slid off the blood-smeared control handle.
The right thruster cut off upon losing the input from the control handle and began plummeting straight downwards.
Vixella threw herself to the side as she weakly fell over to look under the seat and found the parachute pack.
Upon realizing that it was torn to shreds thanks to the explosion earlier, she closed her eyes and gave up hope.
However, giving up turned short as a certain memory that was buried deep down jolted back her consciousness.
World Peace?
Bullshit.
Her arm convulsed faintly, and with it's last remaining strength...
Life Goals?
Myself.
As if trying to reach out to someone...
Plus one.
Latched back onto the control handle...
The Strider jerked upwards from the deathly descent and lost its power just a few meters above the ground.
It then crashed and skidded into the field beyond the gates of Betras just right beside the allied encampment.
Stopping a few good distances in front of the encampment walls, the wreck became an anti-climatic plow of dirt.
The deformed metals creaked for the last time as a slight dust cloud formed with the final tumbling impact.
Alexei, Alderius, and Jessica who carried John in her arms quickly rushed out to check on the situation alongside the others.
The crowd that gathered around the wreckage put up uncertain looks as they glared into the debris and smoke that began to clear.
Inside the wrecked cradle, one could see the bloodied up Vixella lying there with a slight glint of happiness on her face.
Her right hand, however, was still grasping tight onto the bloodied control handle... As if it was never willing to let go...
Celine quickly rushed over to the scene as she ran forth towards the wreckage.
"What are you doing-!? Idiots!! Help me get her out of that metal carcass!!"
...
...
...
"Ahm... Celine, her hand won't let go of that handle!"
"Goddamnit, can't you pry it off-?!"
"She's... Too strong!!"
"Ara? This calls for some brute force!"
CRASH!
"Jessica!! You nearly cut me in half alongside that handle!!!"
"Hoh? I was sure that Sir Alexei would be able to dodge it though?"
"Gah, next time... Please tell me before you do something like that!"
"Out of the way! I'm going to use Higher-Grade Healing Spirits!"