++She is subdued.++

It takes a moment for Carol to register the words. P… Pangu? Slowly, Carol raises her head, gets to her feet, then turns around to find Pangu is holding Corazon in a tight chokehold with one tentacle, the other holding the katana away from her chassis.

++You were in trouble, so I came to help,++ Pangu explains as Corazon falls unconscious, dropping her sword.

"S… So, you did," Carol replies quietly, not quite believing the turn of fortune she just had. "Th… Thanks, I guess."

++You're welcome,++ Pangu replies. ++What shall we do with her?++

Carol hesitates a moment before an idea comes to her. "Oh! Yes! I know what to do! Where's that control panel?"

++A control panel is unnecessary,++ Pangu explains. ++The Bakunawa is draconic technology, like myself. It was because of that I saw you had lost to your sister, and were about to‑++

"Yes, yes, I was there," Carol dismisses. "In that case, release Merga."

++With pleasure.++

The glass tube trapping Merga rises to the ceiling, the engineered dragoness collapsing onto the floor.

Carol dashes over and hauls the stricken foe to one side. "You know what to do," she instructs Pangu.

The cephalopod robot obeys the implicit command, placing the now unconscious Corazon where Merga was and trapping her inside the glass tube. She is secure.

"Does that mean… it's finally over?" Carol asks.

++The battle is over, and we have emerged victorious,++ Pangu answers.

Carol feels a colossal weight lift from her shoulders. Fatigue and emotion finally take hold, and she collapses to the deck, tears of relief streaming down her cheeks at the knowledge that Avalice is once again safe.

++Are you in need of assistance?++ Pangu asks.

Carol rolls onto her back, smiling contentedly. "No… I'm just… I did it… It's over… It's all finally over… I saved the world… I… fucking… rock!"

On board the Sky Battalion flagship however, King Dail doesn't share the same opinion. Not knowing that Corazon is defeated, he is forced to deal with the fact that the Bakunawa is still airborne and heading towards Shang Tu.

"Contact General Gong and Priestess Li," Dail orders his radio operator.

The general is the first to answer. "I take it you're still concerned about the Bakunawa's trajectory," he replies as soon as the connection is established.

"Indeed," Dail confirms. "I fear we may not be able to wait any longer. Soon it'll be over land."

Gong sighs deeply. "Then we have no other choice."

At that moment, Neera joins the conversation. "My apologies, Your Majesty, but I was checking on Lilac and Milla."

"There's no need to apologise," Dail assures. "Your concern is understandable. However, we must now decide what to do about the Bakunawa."

"No word from Carol or Pangu?" Neera asks.

"None," Dail confirms.

"Then we have no choice," Neera relents. "Just… Just let me be the one to break it to Lilac and Milla when they wake."

"As you wish," Dail agrees.

"Thank you." Neera leaves the call.

"General, before we attack, I want to make it absolutely clear that this is being done entirely under my orders," Dail informs. "My actions in the past put this world in grave danger. My actions today will help save it."

"You don't need to take all the responsibility," Gong assures.

"You're right, I don't need to," Dail agrees. "I choose to."

"History will judge you well," Gong promises.

"History's judgement is of no concern to me." Dail takes a deep breath. "Open a connection to all ships."

"Connection open," the radio operator confirms.

Dail closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. Lilac, Milla… Carol… I'm so, so sorry for the order I'm about to give. Please understand I have no choice. "King Dail to all ships of the Sky Battalion: target the Bakunawa with all weapons and… destroy it."

On board the Bakunawa, Carol lays still while Pangu tends to her injured leg.

"Do you think we should kill her?" Carol asks.

++Corazon?++ Pangu asks in reply. ++Do you want to kill her?++

"It'd save a shitload of hassle in the future, probably," Carol guesses.

++Say the word, and I'll commit the act,++ Pangu replies.

Carol thinks for a moment. "I can't do it. I can't kill her, and I can't order you to kill her."

"Pathetic," Corazon growls.

++She's awake,++ Pangu informs.

"No shit," Carol sighs. "It's over, Corazon. You've lost."

"I haven't lost," Corazon counters. "All you've done is delay my victory."

"Y'know, I might change my mind," Carol muses.

"You won't," Corazon asserts. "You‑"

The Bakunawa lurches violently.

"What the fuck was that‽" Carol exclaims, sitting up in surprise.

"Your allies trying to kill you," Corazon smirks.

"Pangu, where is the Bakunawa heading?" Carol asks.

++One moment.++ Pangu communicates with the ship briefly. ++Shang Tu.++

"Fuck!" Carol leaps to her feet and dashes to the cockpit, ignoring the pain in her leg, and jumps into the pilot's chair, where she very quickly finds all the controls unresponsive. "Shit! Pangu! Get this thing stopped!"

++I cannot do that,++ Pangu informs. ++Only a dragon can control this vessel.++

Merga! Carol leaps out the chair and sprints out the cockpit, leaping down the stairs in a single bound and landing in a roll as the Bakunawa continues to shake. "Merga! Wake up!" she cries, sliding to a halt beside the charred dragoness.

"This is all so ridiculous," Corazon sneers. "You can't do a thing about it."

Carol ignores Corazon and shakes Merga, desperate to wake her up.

"I told you, it's pointless," Corazon asserts.

"One more comment from you, and Pangu turns on the lightning!" Carol barks.

"Then you won't get to hear me say my greasemonkey reprogrammed the ship to only respond to me after Merga unlocked it," Corazon replies.

Carol freezes as the implications hit home.

"You have to free me if you want to live," Corazon smirks.

"That won't happen," Carol growls.

"Then you'll die with me," Corazon sighs, settling down to await her apparent fate.

Carol's mind starts racing. There must be a solution… There must be something… Anything… The supercharged crystals! Of course! Carol leaps to her feet and searches the deck frantically for the supercharged crystals.

"Looking for these?" Corazon asks, tapping the crystals on her glass prison.

Carol turns to see her sister holding both supercharged crystals. "Shit."

"Seems you have a difficult choice to make," Corazon smirks.

Carol's mind races again… then clears in a moment of absolute clarity. "No, I don't."

For the first time, Corazon is confused. "Explain."

"No," Carol refuses, gathering both swords and heading back to the cockpit.

"You need these crystals," Corazon asserts.

"No, I don't," Carol replies calmly, closing and locking the cockpit behind her.

Corazon narrows her eyes. What is she planning?

In the cockpit, Carol sits in the pilot's chair, Corazon's sword in her hands. "'Fùchóu shì zhídé děngdài de'… 'Revenge is worth waiting for'… Coral was right: you really are beyond redemption… At least now, there's no way for you to win."

Carol drops Corazon's katana to the deck, reclines in the chair, closes her eyes, and awaits the inevitable. "Lilac, Milla, it's been a wild ride… My only regret is I won't see you happy again before I die."

The barrage of shells from the three united fleets eventually breaks through the Bakunawa's armour, the next salvo punching through the hull and crippling the engines. A few moments later, the whole superweapon goes dark as the power generation fails. Unable to cope with the damage, explosions begin to tear through the vessel.

The Bakunawa falls from the sky and crashes onto the shore, ploughing a trench a quarter of a mile long before coming to a smoking rest.