Arlington.

Ever since the battle has started, Lloyd and Cecile were on board of Arlington, observing the actions and monitoring all the movements and performance of their Knightmares, namely Arthorius, Morrigan, Lancelot Templar and Lancelot Sentinel. All four were probably the most advanced Knightmares in Britannia and each was the state of the art in its own right. The experimental and advanced technologies poured into them made them extremely valuable and incredibly effective in battle. The most advanced of the bunch were Arthorius and Lancelot Templar, two latest built KMFs of 7th Generation and both considered as the early 8th Generation already. Their systems were the most advanced and built was one of a kind each. But their greatest weapon can in form of Uther Drive Core, an absolutely new and powerful drive, utilizing the compressed energy created by sakuradate and able to operate for more than a day without recharge. A marvelous piece of ingenuity, but not only because of the using compressed energy…

Cecile was watching closely the performance all three. So far, it seemed like readying were in the normal.

"Lancelot Templar-83% of total output." She reported. "Morrigan-76% of total output. Lancelot Sentinel… Suzaku is using his Knightmare on full 100%. I hope he can handle Crusader`s MK-2 Drive."

"Oh, please, our dearest Suzaku is tougher then he looks." Lloyd shrugged off. "Besides, his drive isn`t the most advanced here anyway and we know it has no abnormalities at 100% output. Now, how`s our dear Alexander doing in his Arthorius?" Lloyd looked at the screen. "Hm… Only 70%? That`s all that he is using? Are those Gekkas THAT weak?"

"You must`ve forgotten that Arthorius`s 70% is like 120% for Lancelot Crusader." Cecile recalled. "Besides, Alex already has 100% on performance with Arthorius. You yourself have seen how hard he has been pushing himself to master Arthorius. He knows when to apply his fullest potential."

Lloyd nodded to that one, knowing full well how Alexander had trained his body and mind to master Knightmares. It was amazing how in such short amount of time Alexander had achieved the level of mastery equal to those of Rounds. Granted, it was a very, very painful and hard way. Alexander`s body was forced to develop at tremendous rate and it came at the price of recoils from trainings, such as muscle aches, internal damage to organism and even bleedings had taken the place in the past. It was a secret, but Alex has done a serious number on his own organism and body, perfecting his fighting skills. Cecile often recalled moments where he simply collapsed on the ground, coughing out blood from the sheer pressure the moment he got out of the Knightmare, especially in the earlier days of his Knightmare career. And his injuries from battle with Lancelot Club worsened the situation for him: his destroyed ribs were replaced with implants and one of his lungs was artificially regenerated because it was pierced and collapsed. Doctors did warn that if Alex were to put even more pressure than his body can handle, then he`ll lose this lung completely and he`ll be forced to install the artificial one instead. The solution was in using a high-level pressure resistance suit that they had designed and Alex utilized this one. It helped him handle Arthorius`s power at 100% without severe damage done in the process, but, if by any chance he would be forced to go higher than that, then he might as well just kill himself.

Suddenly, Arthorius`s screen began to show that he has started to raise its power output by abnormal speed. Cecile and Lloyd looked at the screen.

"Huh, why`s Alex increasing power output this much?" Cecile asked concerned, looking at the spike. "It already passed 90%! And goes even further?! Wait… Lloyd, could it be that Alex has…" Cecile`s words drowned in her throat as she looked mortified at her colleague.

"Yes, he has…" Lloyd said in cold voice. "He has activated Extremis System."

Extremis System, Arthorius's real trump card and his biggest secret that is only known to three persons that had created this Knightmare. First of its kind system that was installed on only three Knightmares: Arthorius, Lancelot Templar and Camelot`s best kept secret and their most confidential project of all, Belial. And it was only achieved by the application of the modern type drives, such as Uther Drive Core or Belial`s Drive Core. All Knightmare Frames utilize sakuradite as their main power source, using the created energy in drives to work, which also compresses it so that circuits and mechanisms wouldn`t overheat. Extremis System is the system that utilizes all the compressed energy created by Uther Drive by channeling all if throughout the Knightmare Frame`s body, increasing its sheer capabilities astonishingly. Speed, mobility, reaction response and strength increase tremendously trough constant flow of the decompressed energy. It`s drawback is power consumption, that drains Knightmare very quickly and, if the Drive Core is too weak or damaged, can overheat and destroy the KMF and the pilot along. However there is also one vital aspect of this system. Due to sheer power increase, no normal pilot is capable of handling it without serious trouble. It required a supportive OS to regulate KMF`s movements and resource dispersal. And Alex`s Arthorius wasn`t equipped with such system.

"The power output of Arthorius has reached 150%... No, 175%!" Cecile said agape. "It utilizes the full power of Uther Drive now. I can`t believe that he actually activated it…"

"Well, well, our little Lexie has decided to take things to a whole new level." Lloyd remarked. "With this power output, along with pure strength of Arthorius, not even Morgraine can withstand it for very long."

"You may be right." Cecile nodded. "But I`m more worried about Alex himself. Can he handle that kind of pressure on his body?"

"Hopefully, he can." Lloyd replied. "Otherwise, it would be very, very hard for us to find someone as good as he. After all, people with his talents aren`t easy to come by. Especially those, who are capable of both designing and piloting Knightmares."

Cecile only sighed to this one, but silently agreed. Alex was an invaluable part of their team, with his imaginative ideas and eagerness for knowledge about building Knightmares. Even though at first he possessed very limited technological knowledge, his determination and wish to learn as much as he could about building these machines allowed him to quickly grasp all needed knowledge and materials needed. He is now a capable designer himself and stands in Camelot as one of the most promising minds in development of Knightmares.

However, right now Cecile was worried. Worried that Arthorius might just kill his creator today.

Above Shikine Base. Seraphim.

It was a very rare occasion that Vergil might be found actually surprised or amazed of something. He has seen a lot of things in his life already that it was quite the task to make him realize that there is something that can make his curiosity reach a whole new level. He did expect that he would get to see some interesting stuff in this timeline, but he didn`t expect that he would see something like that so soon.

After he had reported about the group Knightmares heading towards Morgraine and others, he remained on standby and observed as the group appeared. They were right on time and the first thing that had happed was Zero`s unit opening fire at them, drawing their attention towards himself. Vergil had anticipated that they wouldn`t buy it, seeing it as the obviously placed bait for a trap. But, as his luck would have it, some bought it and rushed towards Zero. And that someone was none other but Suzaku himself in his Lancelot Sentinel, rushing towards his imminent defeat without any support. Li Britannia actually chuckled at this, seeing how that reckless fool has forgotten all the basics of art of war, trying to play as hero, by capturing the wanted terrorist. And, what was even more amusing is the fact that he obviously left them without orders and practically sabotaged them, cutting their strength a bit, leaving 10 against 4 now. If Kururugi returns to his superiors, then he would most certainly face a court martial for disobeying orders and jeopardizing their entire force.

Still, those that remained most certainly were truly the force to be reckoned with. Four Britannian Aces against 10 Black Knights` Aces, 11, including the hiding Guren MK-2, all in advanced Knightmares and with their own unique strengths and weaknesses.

Gabriel, his little brother. Vergil knew better than anyone that engaging him in CQC-style was a futile attempt as he was the best suited for that kind of battle. And Lancelot Templar fit the bill for him the best. He was also very proactive and preferred to pick his opponents first and deal with them in most efficient and quickest way. However, he had very limited array of long-ranges and if his defenses were dealt with, then it wouldn`t be long until he went down.

Lucina/Euphemia, Gabriel`s twin sister. A perfect combination of their parents best combat abilities and their styles: Cornelia`s ferocity and determination with Alexander`s unorthodox thinking and versatility in battle. She was versed in long and close ranges, but her Morgraine was built as the dueling type Knightmare with impressive melee weaponry with some of the best speed and mobility characteristics ever seen. Fighting Lucina is like fighting a vicious tiger with the mind of a veteran. The only way to take her down is to overwhelm her with sheer brute forces and powers. And make sure that she is dead , or she`ll be back for vengeance.

Guilford, Spearhead of the Empire. His mother`s most loyal friend and Personal Knight, along with a lifelong friend of his father and himself included. His skills and prowess are impressive and he is capable of holding his own in any battle and against any kind of opponent he is facing. Edinburg is a well-balanced and armored Knightmare, easily capable of dealing with Burais, Ashikagas and all other Knightmares that are 5th Generation. However, in this battle he is severely lacking against BKs and can safely go only against Akumas and, barely, Gekkas, if he is unfortunate enough.

Kiyoshiro Todoh of Miracles, one of the most prominent and dangerous enemies of the empire. He is equally skilled in tactics and strategy, as well as battling enemies inside Knightmares. A powerfull close ranger with equally dangerous Knightmare, Gekka Black MK-2. After failed attempt to take down Templars, Lucina had modified his and Four Holy Swords` KMFs, allowing them now to safely stand up against Crusader one on one. And Gekka Black was the KMF that Lucina worked the most, perfecting his mobility and speed to a whole new level. When she was done, Gekka Black became powerfull and fast enough to stand up against Morgraine, at 60% of full output of Lucina`s Mordred. She also equipped it with Brake Sword, personal modification of Revolving Blade. In Todoh`s hands, Black was capable of taking down most of the opponents with ease. But it was lacking a sufficient anti-shell and anti-missile armor and didn`t have a good long-range as well. Todoh would have to watch himself in battle.

Cornelia li Britannia, his mother, teacher and Goddess of Victory. Vergil was certain that she was piloting that Arthorius`s relative, which seemed like a very good piece of KMF design, probably the third strongest of those that were deployed. Cornelia was known as Goddess of Victory for a good reason as she has perfecting her skills in KMF combat for a decade now and she is the most ferocious fighter in all of Britannia. Her second nature was battle itself, where she let out all her emotions and feelings, using them as her real weapon. She preferred to be challenged in close combat and fight in such, but she lacked the versatility and was still thinking a little inside the box. That, coupled with her stubbornness, could play a bad joke with her.

Kallen Kozuki, Black Knights` Ace. Redheaded fury and one of the few whom Vergil saw as one of the best pilots in the world. A natural talent, coupled with her boiling anger and desire for justice made Kallen a force to reckoned, especially in her formidable Guren MK-2. It may be a little lacking now in comparison to other machines, but just one attack from that beast was enough to destroy anyone. It`s right arm was its trump card and Kallen knew how to utilize it the best way. However, she is hotheaded and hot-blooded, leaving herself pretty exposed in the heat of battling someone. That might be her demise, which Vergil wasn`t looking forward seeing.

Alexander Grayson, Britannia`s Dark Crusader and Vergil`s father and mentor. The most dangerous and feared opponent here, both with skills of a master and mindset of a strategist. He is the man that pushes himself past all limits and fights all those that oppose him, seeing no point in holding back. He thinks and moves outside of all systems, defying logic and plans, while also learning about his enemies in the process. His Knightmare Frame Arthorius is the true masterpiece with astonishing capabilities in all aspects. One of the few Knightmares that were made specifically to combat other KMFs of 7th and higher generations and take them down. Piloting it takes a man of incredible will and strength, and Alex fit the bill perfectly, making his KMF dance. Equally dangerous in all ranges, he fights with his heart and mind in battle. The only one weakness that his father has is himself. Alexander pushed himself and his body so hard that it could just break down, piloting the most powerfull Knightmares of his time. And Vergil has seen the results of his recklessness and carelessness for himself: internal injuries and broken bones, as well as coughs with blood spilling out his mouth because of pressure on his body. He only hopped that he didn`t pushed himself here too far.

However, Vergil`s hopes were shattered once he witnessed the battle. At first, all seemed well and proceeded in accordance to his predicaments: Lucina and Gabriel clashed in a dance of blades and Knightmares, testing each other out; Guilford supported his mother in his Edinburg; Cornelia destroyed all 4 Akumas in her new KMF; and Alex was forced to deal with 5 opponents at once. An impressive feat, to say the least. However, as his mother had dealt with Akumas and was moving to help out Alex, something that Vergil didn`t count for happened. Kallen, possibly seeing a very good opportunity to deal the mortal blow to Britannia`s forces here, decided to claim his mother`s life. A single grenade and strong kick from an ambush were enough to bring down Cornelia li Britannia and open her for a deathblow from a Guren. At that moment Vergil was already descending in his Seraphim, in fighter mode, and prevent that from happening, wishing not to see his mother killed a second time. He was just a few seconds away from the needed range to stop that, when he saw something that he didn`t expected to see.

Guren MK-2, pride of ingenuity and technical genius… was pinned down to the ground by one of Arthorius`s swords. It simply flew right through his right arm and pinned the KMF down to the ground. And in the next second, in a flash none the less, Arthorius was standing before that KMF and effortlessly… executed Guren MK-2 for attacking Cornelia in the most brutal and fastest fashions ever seen by Vergil. Kallen had barely escaped the fate of being killed by Alexander by ejecting and was currently ranting about it on the comm lines. However, Vergil didn`t care about those rants. He just witnessed how Arthorius moved with the speed that surpassed its physical capabilities and was now emitting far more energy than he supposed to. And in the next instant, he rushed at all five Gekkas and… started pushing them back with his god-like speed and strength. Four Holy Swords couldn`t even land a hit on him and weren`t even fully capable of dodging him, receiving a lot of damage in the process. Todoh`s KMF was the first one to suffer from the hand of unleashed Arthorius, in one flash having lost his Brake Sword and arm holding it. Four Swords were about to be wiped out, no doubt about it.

But how the hell did he achieve that incredible boost?! He couldn`t have just pulled another drive out of thin air and activate it!

Unless…

"Grr… Extremis System." Vergil growled, recalling that powerful system. "They`ve completed it."

After realizing it, Vergil knew what had to be done. He had to intervene or all of his comrades were lost. Because he knew exactly what his father was capable with Extremis on his side. And it could only be described as total annihilation.

Seraphim continued his descend, increasing his speed in the process. He was already in just a couple of hundred meters away now. Vergil could clearly see the battle unfolding in his visors and it was going even worse for his allies, as Arthorius has been literally rampaging with Four Holy Swords. It had to be stopped, now!

Vergil hit the switch, commanding Seraphim to change his form. In mid-air fall, massive metal air fighter began to change into a far more different object. It took about three seconds, but the result was awe inspiring. A giant bird-like creature had changed into an angelic-looking warrior, painted in white with bright blue on the chest and shoulders, completed a shield, holding a great sword in it and a sniper rifle attached to its right shoulder. Behind him were dragon-like wings, granting this powerfull creature flight. This was the true Seraphim, Vergil`s Knightmare.

Seraphim`s thrusters accelerated and he continued his descend to the surface. Morrigan and Templar had watched as this massive KMF was coming towards the surface. They also watched as Vergil ordered his Seraphim to draw his massive triangular shield and was now targeting the rampaging Arthorius. Vergil knew what had to be done and how it should be carried out. Arthorius`s power is far too much for Todoh and Lucina to handle and they would lose without Seraphim`s immediate intervention. And Vergil knew how to deal with this kind of power boost.

"GRAYSON!" Vergil shouted out a top of his lungs, forcing Arthorius to turn around and see the upcoming danger.

It was just what Vergil needed. Arthorius`s reaction was far higher now and he turned around just in time. Long-haired li Britannia witnessed how his shields turned on to the max, just like in Shinjuku. However, this time Vergil WILL break through them. Seraphim`s shield went ahead, connecting Luminous Shrouds. The sheer force of that contact sent ripples and waves of force through the ground and air. Two powerful opponents had clashed, both wielded by strongest warriors of opposing sides. Their wills were put to the test, as well as their Knightmare`s powers. For a second it seemed like both were in stalemate, both equally powerful and not willing to give up.

Until all witnessed how Arthorius`s arms were cracking down out of the sheer pressure from that beast of a Knightmare. In a few seconds the entire exterior of Arthorius was damaged and his arms were wrecked, with the field breaking up, unable to keep up. It was something unbelievable: Alex`s Knightmare… was devastated in a single attack. His exterior looked like it was in hell and his arms were beyond repairing. Luminous Shroud was destroyed, along with Fangs. Interior circuits were also seen now for unarmed eyes. Arthorius`s head was covered in cracks as well. The sheer pressure and power of that ram was so great that it made Arthorius back down. Seraphim moved away his shield and raised his right arm, targeting his mounted Vindicator turret at Arthorius`s legs. Two strong shots were heard and both shells hit their targets, destroying his legs and making this KMF fall on earth motionless. Now, it was down for good and no one would be hurt because of Extremis-powered Knightmare.

Once Vergil dealt with his father, Nemesis indicated all his targets in closest proximity. This battle was dragged for far too long and it needed to be stopped. In the next second, winged Knightmare turned on his left and saw Edinburg and new type KMF coming at him with their blades drawn out. They were determined to finish him here and now, hoping to take advantage of Seraphim`s sheer size and apparent mass, thinking that he would be slow on the draw. How foolish of them to think so. Seraphim may`ve been bigger and more massive, but no one should underestimate his opponents and prematurely draw their weaknesses. Seraphim moved his shield once again to his right and, once his opponents were in sight, hit them with it. Edinburg was hit the first, literally breaking down on eyes as the shield connected him and force of impact was tearing it down. Seeing how he was about to become nothing more, but a pile of metal shit, Guilford ejected, leaving his Princess alone to deal with Seraphim.

Cornelia had escaped this blow, moving to her left and hoping to attack Vergil on his right. Instead of blocking it, Vergil moved his KMF up in the air, taking off the ground and grabbing his MVS from the shield. After that, Seraphim literally dropped down onto Cornelia with the sword up above his head. The force of connect was far less than that that had decimated Arthorius and Cornelia blocked it with her sword, although applying a lot of horse of her KMF to do so. They were interlocked and that allowed Seraphim to move his shield behind her back and strike at the ankles. Cornelia`s KMF dropped on to the ground from that and released its sword from the grip. After that Seraphim was going to gun down Cornelia with his shoulder turrets. Until he received a couple of shots at the ground from Lancelot Templar, or more specifically, Gabriel, guessing who the pilot of that was winged Knightmare. Vergil had no desire to deal with his younger brother and simply took off to the skies again, hitting to comm link with the remaining forces on the base.

"Todoh, you and your unit retreat to point 7 and board the submarine. You are in no shape to fight. Lucina and I`ll deal with Kururugi." Vergil commanded the damaged forces.

Vergil observed how they were following his command and leaving the base along with Britannian forces there. Templar decided not to pursue them and remained at the base, with Cornelia and Alex. It wouldn`t be for long, that`s for sure, but at least they had some time, along with some important resources. Sugiyama and his men had just checked in on submarine, reporting that they`ve brought lots and lots of various equipment, along with Gloucesters and Edinburgs. This was most certainly a success, even if the primary goal of taking down his father wasn`t achieved. Suddenly, Vergil`s comm clicked in, revealing ID to be Zero`s. He probably needed an update

"Zero, Todoh and his Swords had taken a beating from Arthorius, but they are alive."

"What`s the status of Guren MK-2? We can`t reach it."

"Destroyed." Vergil simply stated. "Arthorius had demolished it completely, but Kallen had ejected before it was too late."

"Damn that Grayson…" He cursed him. "Did you take him down at least? Or anyone of his supportive KMFs?"

"Grayson is still alive, presumably, but I practically shattered his Arthorius with Seraphim." Vergil replied. "As for his escort, Edinburg is destroyed, but pilot is alive. Templar and that new type are still operational and might pursue you or go after their runaway. By the way, what`s the status of that idiot?"

"Sentinel is on our tail and closing in at the alarming rate." Zero has reported to his sub-commander. "I need back up. Now."

"This is Morgraine. I`m on my way to you." Lucina clicked in.

"Same as well. ETA- 1 minute 20 seconds." Vergil clicked his radio off and speeded away towards his new target.

Oh, he`ll enjoy this…

Shikine Base.

Gabriel was breathing heavily, catching his breath after the intense battle. It was one vicious fight for him, heck it was probably the most intense fight in his life. He knew what he was getting himself into when he decided to go up against his twin sister, but he didn`t expect that she would be treating him so… Cornelia-like. Youngest Grayson/li Britannia hasn`t forgotten what Morgraine was capable of and how dangerous it was in the hands of his sister, so he had prepared himself for that fight with his Lancelot Templar. And, as it turned out, it was a very smart decision to put Uther Drive into it as it even upped the odds against this Red Mordred. The fight itself was as intense as you could`ve imagined, with both li Britannia`s not holding back in this duel, but also trying not to kill each other in the process. Templar`s speed and mobility matched Morgraine`s in every way and two masters were interlocked in deathly dance, practically ignoring what was going on around them. Two were simply… communicating in such way between each other, competing as they used to do and, through that, restoring bonds of family and trust.

It continued until both saw how Arthorius went into a completely new league and destroyed Guren MK-2 and proceeded to devastate Todoh and his unit. It was an utter shock to see Alex go out like that at his enemies: mercilessly and viciously, like a personification of Abaddon, angel of destruction and annihilation. And Arthorius`s power… It was simply astonishing, beyond astonishing. However, it wasn`t enough to finish off Todoh and his Swords as that new KMF had literally descended from the skies and with one ram devastated Arthorius. A sheer power of that attack was enough to stop both Morgraine and Templar in their fight. And it was surely enough to literally shatter Arthorius and crush Edinburg in one swift motion of that same shield. Afterwards, it put Morrigan down without even much of an effort and only then Gabriel decided to remind his older sibling of a certain boundaries, not that he needed to be reminded, but it never hurt to do so.

Gabriel had to hand to his older brother for being such an amazing pilot of this Wing Gundam-like Knightmare Frame. Hell, it was also a variable too. Vergil must be on cloud nine from the sheer fact that he pilots that mech. After all, Wing Gundam Zero is his favorite Gundam from AC universe, with Lucina being a constant and devoted fan of Gundam Epyon and Tallgeese, and Gabriel personally being in love with one and only Gundam Deathscythe Hell.

Turning back to the present, Gabriel activated his comm link with everyone here.

"Is everyone alright?" Gabriel regained his breath and called out to everyone.

"This is Guilford." Cornelia`s knight responded. "I`ve got a couple of scratches and bruises, but I`ll live. I`ve landed a couple of kilometers away from you and heading to Arlington. I`ll be there in about 10-15 minutes."

"It`s a relief to hear your voice, Guilford." Cornelia responded. "I`m unharmed, but that was close as hell. What in the world was that thing?"

"My guess is that it was that Achilles we`ve met in Shinjuku." Gabriel considered. "Only it was turned into a Knightmare-doomsday machine with ability to become an aircraft. Shit, where can I get one?" Gabriel tried to crack a joke, until he noticed that Alex wasn`t responding yet. "Wait, Alex? Can you hear me? Are you alright?"

After a couple of agonizing seconds came the response.

"Yeah… I can hear…" Alex`s voice was really weak and it sounded like he was breathing very heavily.

"Alex, are you hurt? I don`t like the sound of your voice. Answer me now." Cornelia was practically on edge.

"I just need to catch my breath." Alex weakly responded. "Sorry… But in no shape to fight them… I`ll head back to the ship and…"

Now that was a very bad feeling Gabriel was getting. He had never heard his father sound like that in his life, both in future and here. Hell, it was like he had absolutely lost all his breath or has been injured. And he was just covering this fact up from them all not to make them worry about him. It must`ve been caused by that damned power outburst and Vergil`s attack. Gabriel swear in his mind that if something has happened to his father, he`ll personally kill Suzaku with his bare hands for leaving them all alone and making Alex go overboard again. Youngest Grayson only prayed that it was just the exhaustion, but he still needed to check him. He was about to move to heavily damaged Arthorius, when transmition clicked in.

"Princess Cornelia, Major Grayson, we`ve lost contact with Lieutenant Kururugi on the southern shore." It was Cecile calling. "His Sentinel just went offline all of a sudden."

Grayson growled at this one. That self-centered Japanese-righteous his ass idiot… He seriously started pushing his buttons now and Gabriel began to wonder if Vergil would forgive him for accidentally smashing his frame with Templar`s foot. No, he would complain, that was most certain. Gabriel switched on the comm link to Her Highness.

"This is your call, Princess Cornelia." Gabriel told her. "What`s the plan?"

There was half of minute of silence. Gabriel knew that his mother was deciding on what to do right now, being conflicted about this whole thing and wishing to help Alex instead of going after that failure Kururugi. However, the answer that she had given proved what was still first in her.

"We are going after him and bringing him back, and after that, I`ll personally kill him for disobeying orders." Cornelia responded to them all. "Nonette, get here and escort Alex back to the ship and see that he is given a proper medical help if needed."

"Don`t worry, Nellie." Nonette responded carefree. "I`ll be gentle with him." She added in a sultry way, making Cornelia`s blood boil a little.

"Grayson, you stay here and wait for her. That`s an order." Cornelia gave her command.

"Understood… Cornelia." Alex`s voice sounded even weaker than before.

With a lot of worries about his father, Gabriel went along with Cornelia, trying to catch up with Morgraine and save that idiot`s life.

Inside damaged Arthorius.

However, as much as both his lover and future son had worried about him, none of them even knew what really was going on with Alex. Grayson tried his hardest to sit straight and not to fall out of this world. His right arm clutched his chest, feeling indescribable pain in it. His breathing was shallow and inconsistent, constantly interrupted with agonizing blood coughing. The controls of his KMF were all shattered and covered in his blood. Alex felt himself very dizzy and like he wanted to vomit, but couldn`t. His left arm wasn`t even moving and he didn`t even feel, even though it was intact. His suit`s parts were damaged, especially the visor cracked down, reveling nose bleeding and red eyes of the man. Grayson felt himself like it was a literal hell and the pain in his heart was only increasing, but he couldn`t even bring himself to scream out of agony, as every breath was followed with another shout of pain in ribs. He was no expert on medicine, but even he knew how messed up he was right now. He knew that using Extremis was like throwing his own life away, but it was the only way he could save his beloved. And then that Wing Gundam-wannabe with his shield ram… Grayson had dealt with pains and aches all over his body in the past months, but this… This was a whole different level.

Suicidal level.

Suddenly, one of the screens clicked in and it revealed Cecile and Lloyd.

"Alex, what has…" Cecile gasped out of horror when she saw him. "Oh my God…"

"Ce…cile." Words were harder and harder for Alex to say. "Take… distanced c-control…"

"D-don`t try to talk, Alex!" Cecile responded and took the control from here. "Lady Enneagram is just few minutes away! Just hang in there!"

"Can… do…so…" And with those words uttered, Alex has shut down his eye, unable to keep them straight out of sheer pain.

And when Nonette had finally reached him and opened up the hatch, her face was mortified at what she has seen and she skipped a beat when she tried to read his pulse.

There was none.

Alex`s heart… has stopped.

…