Until The End, Part 7
Ten Minutes Ago…
"Welcome back, Captain." Macey said as Nolan's ship rises to the same level as the other three surviving ships and hovers in the air.
"Where is Cambion Mons now, Macey?" Nolan asked her through his lacrima.
"About 2 kilometers away from Crocus." Macey replied.
Nolan, Team Natsu and the others on deck quickly turn to the direction of Crocus and clearly see Cambion Mons now crawling near the city walls.
"Then we better get moving." Nolan said to Macey with his eyes narrowed.
"Hold on, Captain." Sheena said, causing Nolan to turn to her. "If we go straight to that machine again, Cornelia and the others in the bridge will immediately detect our presence and wipe us all out with its tentacles within less than a minute. We have to come up with a plan first."
"She is right. We can't be rash." Ichiya said, letting Nolan and everyone on his ship know that he, Tryo and Macey are still listening in on their conversation through their lacrimas.
"But we better make it quick. Cambion Mons will fire its cannon at the palace at any minute." Rita said anxiously.
"Does anyone have any ideas?" Darren asked.
Everyone on the front deck contemplate for a moment before Allelujah suggested, "Why don't we use our firepower against those tentacles as we sail towards it?"
"I don't think that's possible." Rita said as she places her hands on the sides of her hip. "If Cambion Mons is able to operate them while its energy shield is still up, that means those tentacles are heavily protected as well."
Natsu yells in frustration as he slams his fist on the ship's railing. "Darn it! How exactly are we going to stop Cambion Mons before it destroys the palace then?!" He yelled angrily.
"I'm sorry, Natsu. That is just how we design its shield to be. No form of attack can damage it, and no physical being and object can pass through it." Rita said.
"No physical being and object can pass through it…" Lucy murmured before she widens her eyes and said aloud, "But is it still possible for any physical being and object to push it?"
Jeanne gasped and said, "Of course! An armor or shield can protect your enemy, but a powerful strike from a fine weapon can still stumble them!"
"Great thinking, Lucy!" Erza said, smiling at her friend.
"You know what?" Rita rubs her chin before nodding her head to Lucy. "It just might work."
"But what are we going to use to knock down something as big as Cambion Mons?" Rogue asked.
There was a moment of silence among everyone on the front deck as they try to think of whatever method they could use to push down Cambion Mons. But it was quickly broken when they all heard a voice from Nolan's lacrima.
"I'll use my ship to ram against Cambion Mons, Captain." Tryo said.
"What?" Nolan asked incredulously as he holds up his lacrima and everyone stare at it.
"Tryo, what are you saying?" Macey asked in bewilderment as Tryo stood in front of her chair at the center of her ship's control room. Miruko and Pony gaze apprehensively at their superior as they stay in their seats behind the controls.
"I repeat. I will sacrifice myself to ram against Cambion Mons, and hopefully it will stay down long enough for Nolan's ship to go near it and allow Rita to disable its shield." Tryo said firmly as she places her hands behind her back. "We need to get Nolan and his team inside Cambion Mons by any means necessary. And we also need as much valuable fighters as we can to protect the civilians and fight back their army of monsters. Since my ship has the least number of volunteers compare to the others, I will willingly volunteer in taking down that monstrosity."
"Lieutenant Eriksson…you know you'll die doing this, right?" Nolan asked, his voice sounding grim.
"Yes, I do." Tryo paused for a moment. "But we all came here to Crocus to put an end to this war once and for all, Captain. If we do not make sacrifices today, billions of people will die tomorrow. We cannot let that happen."
"Are you resolute?" Nolan asked.
Tryo stayed silent for a few seconds before giving a solemn nod. "I'm resolute."
"Very well. I understand and respect your decision." Nolan said to Tryo through his lacrima. Team Natsu, Darren, Alicia, Sheena, and the others on his ship's front deck stiffened and remain silent for a brief moment before looking back at their captain.
"Now our next concern is its defenses. If Tryo drives her ship directly towards Cambion Mons, they will immediately destroy her with its tentacles." Kirito said.
"But I'm pretty sure if the tentacles are protected by its energy shield, they can be pushed back as well." Makoto said as she cups her chin.
"But how can we do that? None of our ships have the firepower to leave an effect on its tentacles while the shield is still up, let alone Cambion Mons." Gray said. Sheena briefly lowers her head before looking back up at everyone with a suggestion of her own.
"Maybe we don't need to push them back. We just need to protect her ship." Sheena said.
"And how are we going to do that?" Sting asked.
"How about having Macey's ship stay in front of Tryo's ship? Macey can use her tablet to summon giant objects, am I right?" Sheena asked as she turns to Erza.
"That's right." Erza said with a nod.
"So, we can have her summoning giant shields or tables every time one of Cambion Mons's tentacles delivers a strike." Sheena said.
"I don't think one person is enough to handle seven giant tentacles at once." Darren said.
"That is why I'm thinking of having Archer do the job as well." Sheena replied. "My hometown is surrounded by dangerous monsters living outside in the forest every day. But when Archer was still known as Emiya, the captain of Mizuho Defence Army, he had the strength and agility to take out multiple monsters that are as strong as a wyvern. So, his skills will come in handy in deflecting the tentacles."
"And since my partner Lyon is still available, I recommend having him by their side too. Like me, Lyon can use his Ice-Make to create large shields and objects for protection. And I can assure you, he is as tough as me." Gray said.
"But if Tryo just trails behind Macey's ship throughout their journey towards Cambion Mons, her ship won't be fast enough to create a powerful collision against the enemy." Allelujah said.
"And the enemies in the bridge will detect the presence of both ships anyway." Marie added.
"How about we have Macey's ship approach Cambion Mons first? And while they are occupied with her, Tryo can come in later to ram her ship against it." Darren said.
"A surprise attack? I like it." Erik said with a lopsided grin.
"But judging how long and powerful those tentacles are, there is a possibility that Cambion Mons will still be able to destroy Tryo's ship while it is also defending itself from Macey's ship." Wendy said.
"So how can we keep Cambion Mons occupied with Macey long enough for Tryo to come over and ram her ship against it without giving it any time to defend itself?" Carla inquired.
"The Mizuhan warriors in her ship." Yui responded. "They can use Volt's Lightning to accelerate Tryo's ship towards Cambion Mons so fast that they won't have enough time to react."
"Sounds good to me." Nolan said to her.
"That's my girl!" Kirito said cheerfully as he ruffles Yui's hair, causing her to giggle.
"To minimize casualties, I believe only one Mizuhan warrior is enough to use Volt's Lightning to move a ship this big forward by over a hundred kilometers." Sheena said.
"As for how we are going to keep it occupied with Macey, I have an idea." Alicia said. "We'll have Macey sail her ship towards the bridge, making Cornelia and the others think she wants to knock them down. Macey, Archer and Lyon will defend their ship until it is near the bridge. When it is close enough, Macey will allow Cornelia and the others to damage her ship. But while they are busy doing so, Tryo on the other hand will make her way towards the cannon. She will ram her ship hard against the cannon to stop its attack on the Flower Light Palace and send Cambion Mons falling to the ground. Are we all good?"
"We don't have much time left, so we're counting on it." Nolan said as everybody else on the front deck nod their heads to Alicia. He holds up his lacrima and asked his fellow ship captain, "Macey, did you get all that?"
After her tears have dried up, Macey uses her handkerchief to wipe her eyes as she sat on her chair at the center of her ship's control room.
She puts it away and said hoarsely to Nolan, "Yes. Loud and clear, Captain. I will volunteer in bringing my ship towards Cambion Mons first as a decoy while Tryo prepares to ram her own ship against it. I will evacuate everyone in my ship except Archer, Lyon, Raine, one Mizuhan warrior, two other volunteers and myself before we execute our plan. Archer, Lyon, and I will stand on the front deck and stop Cambion Mons's attacks with our magic and weapons as we go near it. Raine will also stand alongside us to heal any injuries we may receive from their blows. Two other volunteers will control the ship, and one Mizuhan will stay in the bottom to accelerate it towards Crocus and Cambion Mons before they too make their evacuation. When Cambion Mons is about to finish us, I will give the signal to Tryo to immediately send her ship forward and ram it against our target."
"Finish you? Macey, you sound like you're willing to die too." Tryo said.
"Tryo, you are my best friend." Macey replied. "I can't call myself that if I-"
"No." Tryo said flatly. "When your ship takes too much damage, give the signal and get yourself out of there."
"No! I won't let you die alone!" Macey cried.
"And I don't want you to waste your life for me! Think! If Nolan is killed inside Cambion Mons, and Lucas and Sayyid both die fighting against those beasts, who else will take command of this army during our absence?!" Tryo shouted.
"But Tryo-"
"Live long enough to help us achieve victory!" Tryo bellowed. Macey fell silent as her words struck her with great force. "Everyone of us came here to win, Macey. If we hesitate now, we are letting everybody else down. Got it?"
Tears cascade down her cheeks again as Macey sat still at her chair for a few seconds. She takes a gulp and nods her head.
"I…I understand." Macey replied.
"Thank you, Macey." Tryo said calmly as she continues standing in front of her chair in her ship's control room.
"We don't have any more time to waste. So let's commence this plan now." Nolan said sternly. "All four of us will fly far away from Crocus and Cambion Mons for the time being. When we are about sixty kilometers away from their location, Macey will sail her ship over to Crocus and slow down as she makes her way towards Cambion Mons's bridge. When she gets their full attention and her ship is about to be destroyed, Macey will send a signal to Tryo. After receiving it, Tryo will accelerate her ship towards the main cannon as close as possible. After we stop Cambion Mons's attack and bring the whole thing down, my ship can come over and allow Rita to disable the shield. And after we take out both Cornelia and the shield generator, Ichiya and everyone else who is still available can deliver hell onto the machine. Understand?"
"Roger, Captain!" Tryo, Macey and Ichiya replied in unison.
"Let's do this. And Lieutenant Eriksson…" Nolan paused. "It's been an honor fighting alongside you."
"The honor is all mine, Captain." Tryo replied.
"Tryo…" Macey sniffed as she resists the urge to cry. "Thank you for everything you have done for us."
"You're welcome. And thank you all for being my friends." Tryo said.
"It's our pleasure." Nolan replied before Tryo could hear him and Macey signing off.
After sitting back down on her chair, Tryo presses a button on the armrest and announced to the Mizuhans who are still in the bottom of her ship. "Attention everyone! This is your ship captain, Lieutenant Tryo Eriksson speaking! I am going to accelerate and ram this ship against Cambion Mons. But I need at least one volunteer who is willing to stay behind to perform that duty. To everyone else who wish to evacuate, grab a parachute from the storage room now while I open the backdoor to let you leave. Thank you very much for your cooperation."
After releasing the button, Tryo turns to Miruko and Pony who are still sitting at their stations.
"You two may leave if you want." Tryo said to the pilots. But Miruko and Pony smile as they shake their heads.
"We're staying with you till the end." Pony said solemnly.
"Aye." Miruko added with a nod. Tryo frowns sadly at the pilots before bowing her head to them.
"Thank you." Tryo replied. "Now man your stations."
"Roger that!" Pony replied as she and Miruko turn around.
"Opening the backdoor now." Miruko said as she presses a button.
With her head lowered and her eyes closed, Macey wipes away her tears after spending a few seconds of silence to bid her final farewell to her friend.
"Goodbye, Tryo." Macey murmured. When she lifts her head back up with tearstained eyes, she sees all the Rune Knights inside the control room silently gazing at her.
"We're waiting for orders, ma'am." One of the Rune Knights sitting at the ship's controls said to her. Macey gave him a nod before pressing a button on the armrest.
"Attention all units, this is Lieutenant Macey Rommedahl. Earlier, you all witness the sheer power of Cambion Mons as it wiped out three of our allied ships with little effort. But now, we're going to return the favor. The other captains and I have planned to drive my ship towards the bridge of Cambion Mons as a decoy to allow Lieutenant Tryo Eriksson to ram her own ship against its cannon. To execute this plan, I want Archer, Lyon Vastia, Raine Sage, and at least two other volunteers and one Mizuhan warrior to stay behind in the ship. The rest of you quickly grab a parachute and evacuate this ship within two minutes. That is an order." Macey commanded.
"You heard her! Let's get out of here!" The Rune Knight at the ship's controls yelled to everybody else in the room. He quickly turns to the controls and presses a button that triggers an alarm which rang throughout the ship.
All the knights hastily get up from their seats and make their way to the bottom of the ship, leaving their commanding officer behind in the control room.
At the bottom of Macey's ship, the Rune Knights and fourteen Mizuhan warriors rush to the storage room to grab a parachute for themselves. After putting them on their backs, the Knights and Mizuhans rush to the edge of the open backdoor and jump out of the ship. As they plummet through the air, they release their parachutes to soften their fall.
Meanwhile on the front deck, Archer and Road gave each other a quick and warm embrace.
"Good luck, Archer." Road said, looking up at him.
"You better come back alive, Lero!" Lero cried to Archer with tears brimming in his eyes.
"I will." Archer said with a solemn nod. "Now go."
As Road turns around and leaves the ship with Lero in her hand, Raine and Colette also gave hugs to Lloyd, Zelos and Genis after the latter chose to stay behind on Macey's ship.
"Take care of yourself, you two." Lloyd said to Colette and Raine.
"We will." Colette reassured with a warm smile.
"Please don't die, sis." Genis said to his older sister worriedly.
"Don't ever believe that, Genis." Raine smiled as she ruffles Genis's hair.
"Come on. We better get going." Zelos said to Lloyd and Genis. The two boys nod their heads to him before they all turn around and make their departure.
"Good luck, Lyon, Sherria." Toby said as he and Yuka stand in front of Lyon and Sherria.
"If we don't make it, tell my cousin that I love her." Sherria said grimly to them.
"I think it would be better if you can stay alive and tell that to Sherry yourself." Yuka replied. Sherria briefly widens her eyes before she felt Lyon wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure that happens." Lyon said, smiling down at Sherria. The young girl smiles back at him and nods her head cheerfully. Lyon looks back at Yuka and Toby and said solemnly, "Take care of yourselves."
"You too, Lyon!" Toby said with a grin before he and Yuka turn around and leave the ship. They run past Macey who goes over to the front deck to join Lyon, Sherria, Archer, Raine and Colette.
"Alright, here are more details to the plan. We will first fly alongside Nolan, Tryo and Ichiya. After we are about sixty kilometers away from Crocus, I want Archer, Lyon and Raine to stand alongside me on the front deck. Sherria and Colette will go to the control room and drive the ship."
"What?" Colette said incredulously.
"But I never drive a ship before." Sherria said nervously.
"Don't worry. I just need you two to keep it straight." Macey said with a small smirk.
"Oooohhhh…" Colette and Sherria said, smiling in relief as they slowly nod their heads.
"The remaining Mizuhan who is still in my ship will use Volt's Lightning to accelerate it towards Cambion Mons." Macey continued. "When we arrive at our destination, Archer, Lyon, and I will begin using our magic to knock back its tentacles every time it tries to attack us. Raine will stand by and heal our injuries. When our ship is close to the bridge and has taken enough damage, I will send a signal to Tryo to bring her own ship towards our target. And when she arrives, we'll quickly jump down from our ship and I'll summon a cushion for us to land on. Got it?"
"Understood." Lyon said as he, Archer and Raine nod their heads to her.
"Then let's get moving." Macey said with a frown.
After Yuka, Toby, Lloyd, Genis, Zelos, Road, Lero, the Rune Knights and most of the Mizuhans left their ships, Macey and Tryo sail alongside Nolan and Ichiya. The four ships quickly fly away from Crocus and Cambion Mons until they are about sixty kilometers away from the current location of their target. After coming to a halt, the captains steer their ships towards the direction of Crocus and stay in their positions.
Macey departs from the control room of her ship, leaving Sherria and Colette behind to man the controls. She runs over to Archer, Lyon and Raine on the front deck and stands alongside them.
"Lieutenant Macey Rommedahl, are you ready?" Nolan asked her through their lacrima orbs.
"Ready to execute the plan, sir." Macey responded as she holds up her orb to her face.
"We only got one shot at this. Good luck." Nolan said before signing off.
"Ayame! Accelerate the ship towards Crocus and Cambion Mons with your lightning!" Macey ordered the sole Mizuhan in her ship with her lacrima.
"Yes ma'am!" Ayame responded.
Macey, Archer, Lyon, Raine, Sherria and Colette soon see their ship illuminate in bright yellow light. Within two seconds, the ship swiftly flies towards Crocus and Cambion Mons, and everyone find themselves arriving at their destination.
As the cannon continues charging up, Bradley looks down at his radar and gasps as he sees one large red rectangular-shaped object heading towards their current location.
"Ma'am! There is one enemy ship approaching us from the left!" Bradley yelled. Cornelia snaps out of her thoughts as she, Mard Geer and Riah turn to him.
"What?!" Cornelia responded incredulously.
"Are you guys ready?" Macey asked Archer, Lyon and Raine when her ship is now less than two kilometers away from the left side of Cambion Mons. The three of them nod their heads while gazing at Cambion Mons. She looks back at the giant machine and lets out a sigh. "Let's hope our plan works."
Macey summons her tablet and holds it in front of her chest. Archer and Raine hold up their swords and staff and get into their battle stances, while Lyon continues standing still.
"According to my calculations, that ship is heading straight towards the bridge!" Bradley yelled at Cornelia, Mard Geer and Riah before turning back to the radar and control panels.
"If they want to eliminate us, their attack will be completely pointless since we are protected by the shield." Wilhelm said to him.
"Unless…" Riah widens his eyes and drops his jaw. "They want to push us down to the ground!"
"Stay focus on the palace!" Cornelia ordered her men in front of her before she turns to her left and places her hand onto the menu. As a large screen appears on the left to show Cornelia a visual of Macey's ship, she glares at it as she begins sliding her fingers around the menu. "I shall wipe that ship out of existence myself!"
Soon, the three middle tentacles begin to move. Macey and the others on her ship watch the tentacles lift themselves up in the air and prepare to deliver some downward strikes. Macey hurriedly types on her tablet before she holds it up in the air.
"SUMMON GIANT SHIELD!" Macey shouted. Her tablet shoots a beam of energy into the air and it forms into a large and digitized heater shield above them.
The three large metallic tentacles bring themselves down and slam onto the shield. Macey and the others yelp as the impact not only destroys the shield, but also sends all four of them falling onto the floor. Macey, Archer, Lyon and Raine quickly get themselves up as the tentacles pull back.
"Well, at least now we know what to expect every time it does that." Lyon commented.
The two back tentacles on the right now swing down onto the ship. Lyon takes a step back and thrusts his right hand at them.
"ICE-MAKE: APE!" Lyon shouted as an enormous ice sculpture of an ape appears in front of him. The tentacles slam onto the ice sculpture, creating an impact that breaks it into pieces and sends Lyon and the others stumbling back, but they remain unharmed. The tentacles pull themselves away from the ship.
When the two front tentacles on the left swing down onto the ship next, Archer crouches down and pulls his swords back. He lets out a yell as he leaps into the air and swings his swords horizontally at the tentacles to push them back with great force. He succeeds, but he falls and lands back down onto the floor on his back.
"Heal!" Raine yelled as she aims her staff at Archer to heal his injuries, though minor. As Archer quickly gets back up, the center and far-right tentacles swing down onto the middle of the ship's front deck again. Macey holds her tablet up in the air.
"SUMMON GIANT TABLE!" Macey shouted as her tablet shoots a beam of energy and forms a gigantic, digitized table above her, Archer, Lyon and Raine. The tentacles slam onto the table, breaking it in half before it dematerializes. Macey and the others yelp again as they fall onto the floor while the two tentacles pull back.
As Archer and Lyon quickly get back up, Cambion Mons now swings the two left tentacles and second right tentacle down onto the ship at the same time. Archer leaps into the air again while Lyon thrusts his right hand at the second right tentacle.
"ICE-MAKE: SNOW DRAGON!" Lyon shouted as he quickly summons a large dragon made of ice from his hand. The dragon roars as it flies over to the tentacle and collides against it. The impact pushes the tentacle back while the dragon breaks into multiple chunks of ice.
Meanwhile, Archer swings his left sword diagonally to knock back the tentacle on his left. He quickly swings his right sword horizontally to knock back the other tentacle on his right, and the impact sends him plummeting through the air. He crashes onto the wooden floor of the ship below, and he groans in pain as he could feel Raine healing his injuries.
"Stubborn mages!" Cornelia roared as she continues watching the screen beside her. She now slides her fingers up across the menu to bring all the tentacles up.
When Archer gets back up, he, Macey, Lyon and Raine look up and see all seven tentacles pulling themselves back.
"They are going to swing them down all at once!" Raine yelled as she, Archer and Lyon quickly return to their battle stances. Macey types on her tablet before she holds it up in the air again.
"SUMMON GIANT SHIELD!" Macey shouted as she summons another digitized heater shield above her, Lyon, Archer and Raine. Suddenly, instead of all the tentacles swinging down onto them at once, only the two left tentacles and the left center tentacle did so.
"Or not!" Lyon yelled with his eyes wide.
The three tentacles slam onto the center of the shield to break it. Macey, Archer, Lyon and Raine yelp as the impact causes them to drop their weapons and collapse onto the floor. The three tentacles pull themselves away from the ship. The other two center and two right tentacles take the opportunity to swing down onto Macey and the others while they are still lying on the floor.
Macey, Lyon and Raine close their eyes and turn their heads away, preparing for the worst to come to them. Archer on the other hand swiftly summons a long black bow and a silver spiral sword. He aims the bow and sword, which magically turns into a long spear-like arrow, at the tentacles and yelled, "Not on my watch!"
He fires the arrow, and when it collides against the tentacles, it creates a powerful explosion that pushes them away from the ship. Macey, Lyon and Raine look up and watch the explosion in awe.
"Amazing." Macey uttered.
"I guess you're not called Archer for nothing." Lyon said to Archer, who dematerializes his bow and turns his head to him and the others with a smirk on his face.
After snapping out of her thoughts, Macey holds up her lacrima and ordered Sherria and Colette in the control room, "Sherria! Colette! Full speed ahead towards the bridge!"
"Aye!" Both girls replied in unison before accelerating the ship.
The four people on the front deck grab their weapons and stand back up. They look to the front and see their ship approaching the bridge of Cambion Mons. But before they could reach it, one of Cambion Mons's front tentacles manages to coil itself around the ship, causing Macey, Archer, Lyon and Raine to yelp as they find themselves falling onto the floor again.
"Got you!" Cornelia exclaimed triumphantly at the screen. Her teeth broke out into a wide grin as she finally caught the ship with Cambion Mons's tentacles.
As she sits up on the floor, Macey manages to take out her lacrima orb and holds it up to her face.
"Sherria, Colette, Ayame! Get out of the ship!" Macey yelled to her orb.
After Sherria presses a button to open the ship's backdoor, she and Colette quickly pick up their parachute bags next to their seats, turn around and make their way out. When they arrive at the bottom of the ship, they see Ayame already jumping out through the backdoor. After making sure their bags are securely strapped to their backs, Sherria and Colette run over to the edge of the backdoor and jump out as well.
Macey tosses the lacrima orb away and quickly makes some taps on the screen of her tablet which she still manages to hold onto in her hand. Soon, two more tentacles wrap around the ship and they bring it closer to the bridge of Cambion Mons.
"Ma'am! The cannon is now 100% charged!" Rip shouted.
"Music to my ears." Cornelia replied to him with an evil smile. She looks back at the screen on her left and grins diabolically as she watches the tentacles slowly crushing Macey's ship with their grip. "Now, you fools can just stand by and witness your spectacular failure…as the palace and the rest of Crocus falls before you!" She ends with an evil laugh.
When they see the main cannon of Cambion Mons begins to illuminate with bright orange light, Hisui and Toma rest their chins on each other's shoulders and close their eyes. Arcadios and Darton also lower their heads as all four people on the balcony of the Flower Light Palace are ready to accept their fate.
Meanwhile, on her ship, Macey, Archer, Lyon and Raine stand up from the floor and look up at the control bridge of Cambion Mons from a short distance as the machine prepares to fire its cannon. The ship captain's lips soon form into a wide, mocking smile.
"They don't know what's coming." Macey uttered before she and the others quickly run over to the starboard.
Suddenly, Tryo's ship appeared and arrived at Crocus. It is only a kilometer away from the front section of Cambion Mons and it is heading straight for the main cannon.
Cornelia, Mard Geer and Riah all gasp in shock upon seeing Tryo's ship making a sudden appearance on screen. Bradley also gasps in horror when he detects a second red rectangular-shaped object on the radar.
"MA'AM!" Bradley bawled at his superior with his eyes wide.
"NOOOOOO!" Cornelia howled as she slides her fingers down on the menu.
The tentacles quickly release and push Macey's ship away, sending it falling to the residential apartments below. Macey, Archer, Lyon and Raine quickly jump off from the ship and plummet through the air. The ship captain aims her tablet at the ground below and shouted, "SUMMON GIANT CUSHION!"
The tablet fires a beam of energy at the ground and forms a gigantic cushion. Macey lets go of her tablet and they all land safely on top of the digitized cushion.
"The Mizuhan has left the ship, ma'am." Pony said to Tryo who sat still on her chair in the center of her ship's control room.
"Good." Tryo said, gazing at Cambion Mons's main cannon as they sail directly towards it. "Pony, Miruko, it's an honor to die alongside you both."
As the ship is now only a few hundred meters away from the cannon, Tryo, Pony and Miruko close their eyes and lower their heads as they are ready to brace for impact.
"Okay, dramatics over!" Miruko yelled cheerfully as she lifts her head up with a wide grin plastered across her face. "Time for us to abandon ship too!"
As she whirls about and gets up from her seat, she quickly grabs Pony by the sleeve of her uniform and pulls her over.
"What?! Hey!" Pony cried incredulously as Miruko quickly carries her up over her right shoulder and dashes over to Tryo.
"What the-" Tryo uttered in bewilderment before Miruko wraps her left arm around her stomach, causing her to grunt as it made contact. Her hat falls off from her head and lands onto the floor, making Tryo widens her eyes in shock.
"No!" Tryo cried woefully as Miruko lifts and carries her up over her left shoulder and dashes to the back of the control room. She swiftly lifts her right leg up and delivers a powerful kick onto the wall to create a large opening for them. Miruko briefly crouches down before she leaps into the air and flies far away from the ship and Cambion Mons.
Finally, a second later, Tryo's ship crashes onto the left side of Cambion Mons's main cannon with an incredible amount of force. The collision was so powerful that it caused the giant machine to turn to the right while Tryo's ship burst into flames and debris. When the cannon finally fires, its large blast of solar energy barely misses the Flower Light Palace by less than a hundred meters, and it lands onto a mountain range outside the city walls instead.
Hisui, Toma and Darton all delightfully cheer and throw their arms into air while Arcadios drops his jaw in shock, trying to comprehend what just happened and why he is still alive. He was soon snapped out of his thoughts when Hisui and Toma wrap their arms around him and pull themselves into a tight embrace.
Cambion Mons soon loses its footing, and it began to turn on its side. It crashes on top of the buildings below a few seconds later, and there is a deafening thud as it lands onto the ground. Everyone in Crocus were silent for a few moments before they all erupt with whoops and cheers.
As she, Archer, Lyon and Raine continue gazing at the fallen machine while standing in the middle of a road through a residential district, Macey sniffed as tears began to cascade down her cheeks once more.
"We did it…We did it!" Macey cried happily. She looks down at her tablet in her hands and contacted Nolan. "Captain Mathias! Cambion Mons is down! I repeat! Cambion Mons is down!" Macey could hear cheers erupting from his side.
"Roger that, Lieutenant! We're on our way!" Nolan responded.
Meanwhile, at another residential district, Tryo collapses on her knees and stares blankly at the sky. Behind her on the pavement, Pony and Miruko laugh cheerfully as they held onto each other and jump around merrily.
"Yo, what's the matter, Lieutenant?" Miruko asked as she and Pony stop jumping and pull away from their hug. "We should be happy that we succeeded and survived, right?"
"Miruko, why did you save my life?" Tryo asked without looking at her. "I should have died back there."
"So that you and your friend can live to tell your stories about what happened here." Miruko smirked as she places her left hand on the side of her hip.
Tryo sighs heavily as she lowers her head and stares down at the road. While Miruko may be right with her answer, there is still one thing holding her back from celebrating their success with her pilots.
Suddenly, a familiar white officer hat rolls over the road on her left and falls right beside her. Tryo gasps and widens her eyes for a moment before she picks the hat up and puts it securely on top of her head. After doing so, Tryo stands up and turns around to give a stern frown to Pony and Miruko. Both demihumans stiffened for a moment before Tryo's lips suddenly form into a wide smile. The three women chuckled as they go over and wrap their arms around each other into a warm embrace.
As they stay in their hug, Nolan's ship suddenly appears above the city and flies towards the fallen machine. The ship makes a 90-degree turn as it stops and hovers in the air about 30 meters away from Cambion Mons. Nolan, Rita, Team Natsu and the others on board quickly rush over to the port of their ship and the former praetor quickly swipes her arm through the air to bring up three circular glyphs in front of her. Rita quickly spent the next two minutes tapping on the keyboard in the middle glyph and occasionally turning the knobs on the left and right glyphs. When all the glyphs suddenly turn red, Rita thrusts her hand, pushes the middle glyph hard and they all dematerialize in front of her. Everyone on the ship watch as the energy shield over Cambion Mons become visible for a second before it suddenly burst into millions of tiny energy orbs. They float up in the air for a few seconds before fading away.
"We did it! The shield is down!" Rita whooped as she turns around and smile at everyone. "Now come on! Let's-"
Suddenly, a tentacle rises up and hits Nolan's ship from the bottom, causing everyone on the front deck to yelp and fall onto the floor as it lifts it high in the air. The tentacle later coils around the ship and tosses it to the buildings below. Everyone on Nolan's ship yell and scream as they hang onto the railings and masts and brace for impact. Seconds later, the ship crashes on top of a row of apartment buildings in one of the residential districts.
"NOOOOO!" Macey screamed as she, Archer, Lyon, Raine and everybody else in Crocus watch the collision in horror.
When they heard a massive groan, everyone in Crocus turn to Cambion Mons, look up and see the giant machine using its right tentacles to push itself up from the ground. When it is high enough, the machine places its legs down onto the ground and it slowly adjusts and gets itself standing back up on its feet. Soon, Cambion Mons is standing above the city area of Crocus and facing the Flower Light Palace again with its tentacles flailing around in the air.
"Damn you…" Cornelia growled, quivering with rage as she stays in her seat with her glasses now tilted to the side and a few strands of hair dangled in front of her eyes. She widens her eyes and slams her hands on the armrests as she bellowed, "DAMN YOU ALL! You think you have won?! Just because you have wasted our shot on the Flower Light Palace?! I still have control of its tentacles, so I will just swing them onto the palace and smash it into pieces! And afterwards, my Lahmus and I will level the rest of this city to teach you all a lesson! ALL OF YOU SHALL PERISH!"
Suddenly, Cornelia and everyone else in the bridge yelp in shock as a powerful shockwave trembles throughout the interior of Cambion Mons. Riah and Mard Geer stumble for a moment while Cornelia, Bradley, Friedrich, Rip and Wilhelm nearly fall off from their seats if they had not cling onto the armrests in time.
"Report!" Mard Geer shouted.
"The back left section of Cambion Mons's underbelly has taken some damage!" Friedrich responded.
"What? That means…" Cornelia drops her jaw. "Cambion Mons is vulnerable!"
After her Soul Extinctor has died down, Mirajane lowers her arms and yelled to everyone in the residential district with her, "The shield is down! We can damage it!"
"EVERYONE! IF YOU CAN FIRE PROJECTILES, CONCENTRATE ON ITS TENTACLES AND GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU GOT!" Lucas bellowed to everyone around him as he points his double-bladed sword at Cambion Mons.
Soon, almost every mage, Mizuhan and former praetor in every district of Crocus unleash their attacks onto Cambion Mons and its tentacles.
Atalanta, Natalia, Raven, Archer, and the former praetors continuously fire their arrows with their bows and crossbows. Allen, Velvet, Mirajane and Kallen use their demonic and armored arms to shoot blasts and beams of energy. Noel, Ludger, Patty, Alzack, Bisca and Beatrice fire multiple bullets with their guns. Cheria and Cana throw their daggers and cards. Juvia holds up her arms and releases a huge cyclone of water from her hands. Levy uses her Solid Script: Bullet spell to fire a continuous outburst of energy pellets. Laxus throws his head forward and unleashes his Lightning Dragon's Roar attack. Bickslow has his dolls spin around in a pentagon pattern in the air and releases a beam of energy. Evergreen waves her arms through the air and unleashes her Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun attack. Tear, Raine, Mikleo and Pascal use their staffs to shoot orbs and blasts of magic. Ragna, Jin, Sami, Totomaru, Sorey, Celty, Lucas, Tsubaki, Colette and the Mizuhan warriors swing their swords, batons, scythe, and rings around to fire curved blasts of energy and Volt's Lightning. Pony aims the top of her head at Cambion Mons and continuously shoots her horns at it. Sol points his finger at the giant machine, forms a circular glyph in front of him, and fires a huge fist made of plaster at it. Lyon swings his arm horizontally and unleashes a swarm of ice dragonflies. Romeo throws multiple purple fireballs. Aria, Laphicet and Vasda hold up their hands and continuously shoot blasts of air, fire, and energy. Finally, Medea and Milla jump up, hover in the air, and unleash their Rain of Light and Elemental Mastery attacks on Cambion Mons.
Cambion Mons flails its tentacles around in the air to deflect their attacks. But the combined power of their attacks is too great for it to handle, and soon one by one, its tentacles either explode or fall off from the sides of its body.
While the mages, Mizuhans and former praetors kept delivering as much damage as they can onto Cambion Mons, Nolan's ship slowly adjusts itself and ascends from the wreckage. Nolan and the others on the front deck groan and rub their arms, necks, and heads as they recover from the impact and get themselves back up on their feet. But this time, no one on the front deck suffered any injuries.
"Control room, damage report." Nolan asked his navigation officer while holding up his lacrima orb in front of his face.
"The port is damaged, though not as bad as the starboard, bow and underbelly from the last attack from Cambion Mons. The overall condition is down to 34%." The navigation officer replied.
"Any casualties?" Nolan asked.
"Not at all, sir. Everyone in the control room and hull are fine and alive." The navigation officer said.
"That's somewhat good news for us." Nolan said.
"Indeed, sir." The navigation officer said before Nolan signs off and puts away his lacrima.
"Your idea worked, Sheena. Thanks to Volt's Lightning, the entire body of this ship now has the extra protection against a strike from Cambion Mons." Nolan said to Sheena.
"And none of us were injured badly too. So I don't need to heal anyone this time." Wendy added with a smile.
"Good job, Sheena!" Happy said as he winks an eye and gives a thumbs-up to Sheena.
"Arigatou." Sheena smiled as she gave a quick tap on the ship's main mast to create a small spark of electricity.
When Nolan's ship is now hovering about a hundred feet in the air, everyone on the front deck rush over to the port and watch all their allies on the ground deliver their attacks on Cambion Mons.
"Our friends may be able to attack Cambion Mons for now, but its shield will go back up at any second." Rita said.
"We can't risk going near that thing again either now that both sides of my ship are damaged. We'll just have to create an opening on it from our current position." Nolan said.
"How are we going to do that?" Erza asked.
Darren briefly looks around the deck until his eyes land on Momo. He rushes over to her and asked, "Momo, you are able to create and pull out any kind of object from your body, right?"
"Maybe. I have only created weapons and bandages from my body so far. Why do you ask?" Momo inquired.
"I was thinking…" Darren leans forward and whispers into Momo's ear.
"Well, I'll try." Momo said before she turns around and runs over to the other side of the ship.
"Everyone! Move aside!" Darren shouted before anyone could ask what is going on. Everyone immediately moves away from the railing and stand a few meters apart from each other. They turn their heads to Momo and watch her kneels on the floor and grabs the flaps of her leotard that are over her chest. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
"Here goes nothing." Momo said before she suddenly throws herself forward and pulls open her leotard. She lets out a moan as what appears to be the front section of a cannon emerges out from her chest. She throws herself back and moans louder as the barrel of the cannon grew longer and wider. Natsu, Darren, Gajeel, Gray and Sting drop their jaws and widen their eyes as they gawk at Momo.
"HELP HER, YOU IDIOTS!" Erza roared at them. The five men immediately snap out of their thoughts and rush over to Momo. They grab the sides of the cannon and help pull it out from her body. As the object grew bigger, Momo strips her leotard further down to allow a pair of large wheels at the sides of the cannon to emerge from her whole upper body. When the cannon is finally out, Darren, Natsu, Gray, Gajeel and Sting place it down on the wooden floor. Momo groans as she quickly throws her head forward and puts her leotard back on.
"A cannon?" Natsu said in confusion as he, Darren, Gajeel, Gray and Sting stare at the long and wide cannon that Momo had created. Its wheels are blue, and the body of the cannon is painted with red and white stripes.
"Not just any cannon. It's a human cannon. The kind that performers used in circuses back in my world." Darren said as Momo stands back up and breathes heavily as she clutches her chest.
"Are you saying it's a cannon that launches human beings?" Gajeel asked incredulously.
"Exactly." Darren said before they turn to the others. "Who wants to volunteer in being launched towards Cambion Mons and create an opening for us?"
Jeanne's lips form into a smile as she holds her hand up. "I'll do it." She said before she and the others run over to Darren, Gray, Momo, and the Dragon Slayers.
As everyone stand at both sides of the cannon, Jeanne carefully inserts herself into the barrel while still holding onto her spear in her hand. Meanwhile, Shouto delivers a hard punch to Darren's gut, causing him to gasp in pain as he throws his head forward and collapses on his knees.
"That's for making my girlfriend do that." Shouto said flatly to Darren.
"I-I'm…s-s-sorry." Darren groaned apologetically as he turns to Shouto, bows down to him, and places his forehead on the floor.
"It's alright, Shouto. I did it willingly." Momo said apprehensively to Shouto.
"But he still deserves it anyway." Alicia said, looking down at Darren with an arched eyebrow. She turns to Momo and gives her a wide smile. "Anyways, this cannon looks authentic. Great job, Momo."
"Arigatou." Momo said, smiling back at her.
"First you can create realistic guns, now you can create realistic cannons too." Alicia said.
"Yes. I have my friend who was once our school's librarian to thank. She helped me find all sorts of encyclopedia books back then." Momo said.
"Jeanne, are you ready?" Erza called to Jeanne as she looks inside the barrel of the cannon.
"Ready!" Jeanne yelled back as she looks up and places herself at the very bottom of the barrel.
"Adjust the cannon!" Erza shouted at Gray, Sting and Gajeel who are standing at the right side of the cannon and holding onto the handle of the gear. The three men groan as they quickly turn the gear anti-clockwise to bring the cannon up. Nolan stands behind the cannon and watches until the barrel is aiming directly at the body of Cambion Mons.
"STOP!" Nolan bellowed. Gray, Sting and Gajeel quickly stay still.
Meanwhile, inside the cannon, Jeanne looks up at the side of Cambion Mons through the hole above her as she patiently waits to be launched.
"Hey, this reminds us of the Siege of Paris, doesn't it?" Jeanne could hear her doppelganger's voice speaking inside her head.
"It sure does." Jeanne said with a wan smile. "Such a shame we couldn't break through their walls back then."
"Well…let's make up for that, shall we?" Her doppelganger replied.
"Yes!" Jeanne said, now smiling confidently as she holds her spear in front of her.
"Ready?!" Nolan shouted to Jeanne as Natsu snaps his fingers to create a small flame. "3…2…1…"
Natsu places the flame onto the matchstick on the back of the cannon. A second later, everyone covers their ears and closes their eyes as the cannon creates a loud boom that sends Jeanne swiftly flying through the air and towards Cambion Mons. Jeanne lets out a yell as she thrusts her spear forward. She smashes through the side of Cambion Mons, causing the giant machine to stumble to the side. Everyone on Nolan's ship rush back to the port and stare at the cloud of smoke on Cambion Mons apprehensively, hoping that Jeanne had both survived and created an opening for them.
"Lucas! Sayyid! Tell everyone to stand down!" Nolan ordered his lieutenants with his lacrima.
A few seconds later, everyone on the ground stop firing their attacks and the cloud dissipates, revealing Jeanne standing proudly at the edge while holding her spear beside her. Everyone on the ship cheered.
"Alright! Way a go, Jeanne!" Lucy whooped.
"Good job, Jeanne D' Arc!" Alicia cheered.
"Hurry up and get over here!" Jeanne shouted to them.
"Bring us over to Cambion Mons!" Nolan ordered his navigation officer.
"Right away!" The officer replied as he quickly steers the ship and sails straight to Cambion Mons.
Jeanne smiles and lowers her head as she places her fist on her chest. "That was for Paris." She uttered.
When Nolan's ship is near the giant machine, it makes a 90-degree turn, moves closer and stops beside Jeanne and the large hole.
"Get inside! Go, go, go!" Nolan ordered as Darren, Alicia, Team Natsu, Sheena, Kirito, Yui, Rita, Sting, Rogue, Gajeel, Erik, Allelujah, Marie, Momo, Shouto, Makoto and C.C. quickly climb over the railing and enter Cambion Mons.
"Good luck, Captain." The navigation officer said to Nolan.
"Thank you, Gator." Nolan said before putting away his lacrima. He quickly climbs over the railing and joins his friends inside Cambion Mons right before the energy shield reappears all over its body and turns invisible. Gator quickly sails the ship far away from the giant machine.
"We did it. We're inside Cambion Mons." Darren said as he and everybody else stare at the hallway in front of them with their eyes narrowed.
Natsu slams his fists together and shouted, "Let's finish this!"
Sovereign: I would like to thank LayLay lives, Amanny, AquaBluey, snowfairy65 and Crimson-Tuna-Sub for reviewing, favoriting, following, and checking out my story. Thank you everyone!
Gator is from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.
I also made a tiny edit to Chapter 51 for how long it takes for the shield to come back up after being disabled. Lol.