Omake - Daredevils
…
【Accessing [IS] Sub-Branch: Epsilon-24636-4qP】
{Clause: Observation of events for possible main branch ripple.}
{...}
{Actions: Observation of Events and elimination of possible ripple.}
{...}
{『Administrator』 prerequisites identified.}
…
{Initiating Nexus.}
…
"Orimura-sensei, I…have a bad feeling about all of this."
Chifuyu didn't need to look to know that her friend was frowning, it was already there in her voice, that slight waver mid-sentence. "How so?" She asked, even though she already had an idea as to why.
"The Silverio's drone swarm." Maya answered, fingers typing away on a holographic keyboard. "They aren't your usual drones. They're UCAVs numbering in the near hundred…"
The greenette turned to her, her face set in an expression rarely seen; deadly seriousness. There were nary any hints of the meek teacher behind the steely gaze, and the former Brunhilde hasn't witnessed it in years.
Frowning, Chifuyu merely kept her gaze on the holographic screen that displayed the IS Cadet Squad southwest of Oshima Island. "And what do you want me to do about it? The Gospel's closing in and the brats are already out and about. We can't pull them back when the battle's going to come roaring their way in just a few more minutes. All we can do now is to trust in their capabilities."
Maya was quiet for a few more seconds before she pulled out her phone. The action finally gained the combat teacher's attention as she turned her head, a brow rising in curiosity.
"What are you doing?"
Fingers tapping just as fast on the phone's screen as those on the holographic keyboard.
"Calling my nephew."
And just like that, all the chaos in the makeshift command center was gone. The few other teachers that came with them to operate the machines turned to her with varying degrees of shock. To a normal everyday person, someone calling their nephew over the phone wouldn't warrant even a glance, much less any kind of shock.
However, to those in the faculty, they were in the know, and that warranted such a reaction.
"...Maya, think about your decision carefully." Chifuyu warned her friend, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Bringing him in this is dangerous, you know that."
The greenette merely stared back defiantly, her thumb hovering threateningly over the green 'call' button on the phone's screen.
The tension in the air was thick, and the other teachers certainly felt it. A battle of wills, they could almost see the sparks from their staredown.
"This is strictly an in-house situation." Chifuyu continued, her glare becoming more and more icy. "We don't need any outsiders to complicate things."
"My nephew is no outsider." Maya growled, surprising the other teachers at her action. "If anything, this entire situation warrants his presence!"
"Which is exactly why we don't need him to further mess things up!" The combat teacher argued. "You know who he works for and what they want!"
"I'm not calling them, I'm calling him! There's a difference!"
Chifuyu pinched the bridge of her nose, her jaw visibly tensing as she tried to calm herself down. The rampant stress of the situation was getting to her, to everyone really, and nobody needed anymore shouting in the command center.
She knew Maya wasn't going to budge when it came to family and she sympathized, she really did, but…
The teacher tensed her jaw, reprimanding herself for such shallow thoughts. She was wary of her friend's nephew, or at least the organization he worked for. They were shrewd, ruthless, and bordered on being extrajudicial. Their mere presence in this operation would immediately draw the eyes of the world, and that would include detractors and those who sought to bring the Academy's downfall.
'But then again, would it really be that bad? All that matters is that Ichika's chances of survival will rise and that Tabane's plans are going to be ruined…'
…
…
…
"Fine." Chifuyu grit her teeth, already kicking herself in the ass for her decision. "Make the call."
It was a calm and sunny day, mildly cloudy, but befitting to that of summer. The breeze was just the right amount of warm and refreshing for people to enjoy a nice walkabout.
However, for a select few, this summer day was not one for enjoyment.
"...I see it!" Cecilia reported as she looked down the scope of the Blue Pierce. "God above, the drone swarm..!"
"It's mostly UCAVs!" Laura snarled as the Purizushi charged up. "And not just any UCAVs, they're the US' newest models made to counter 6th Gen Fighters! Verdammt, why were they in Pearl Harbor?!"
Ichika couldn't help but gulp, his grip on Yukihira tightening as dark clouds grew closer-
'No, those aren't clouds..!'
Coming out from within a larger cloud formation was a mass of gray. It was an amorphous blob that constantly shifted and rippled, and the Byakushiki's Hypersensors could detect a faint buzzing noise as it gradually neared.
"You're telling me that those are…?"
"They're drones, yeah." Houki snarled beside him, clad in the crimson 4th Gen. Amatsuki and Karaware were in her claws, coated in energy and ready to strike. "It doesn't matter if they're state of the art or if they're modified, they're just drones!"
No sooner than she finished her sentence did a barrage of blue beams streak across the sky. It was so sudden, that they barely had time to dodge. Ichika quickly rolled to the side as three beams brushed against his shields, taking out a small chunk of his energy as a result.
"Whoa, what the-?!"
"Incoming missiles!" Charlotte yelled as the twin Garm rifles in her arms roared. "Evasive action!"
"If you can't dodge, shoot 'em all down!" Rin roared as she combined her Souten Gagetsu into its Guandao form, spinning the blade so fast that it was but a blur in her arms. "Do whatever it takes to survive!"
Woosh!
From the blob of gray angry buzzing, came several drones that fired off the homing ordinances from their wings. All of the IS Cadets scattered at the sight, either firing their own countermeasures or simply doing their best to dodge.
Boom!
Laura used the Schwarzer Regen's wired daggers as some sort of sweeping weapon, wrapping them around her arms and spinning them in circular motions to create a shield. It didn't help much with the blast waves when the missile detonated against her makeshift barriers, but the albino was far from affected by it if her smirk was of any indication.
Boom!
Cecilia was in her element, treating the incoming missiles like it was a shooting gallery. There was an easy-going smile on her lips as she used the Blue Pierce to detonate chain reactions within the swarm that were specifically gunning for her, all the while shooting down stragglers that were left with the Optical Bits. This kind of situation was what the Blue Tears was made for, and it showed in her marksmanship and prowess as its pilot.
"Hah!"
Fwoom!
Twin rounds from the Shenlong's Shockwave cannons sailed across the sky, blasting through the drones that were in the way. Said drones broke into tiny bits and pieces, flying about this way and that, piercing missiles and causing chain detonations. A proud smirk was on the lips of the Chinese girl as she utilized the 360 degree firing capabilities of her cannons, though she was mindful of the Ryuhou's overheating.
"Hraaagh!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
And there went a pink crescent from the Akatsubaki, cutting a swathe through both missile and whatever unfortunate drone was in its path. The crimson IS' blade bits were flitting around, blocking any missiles that were missed by her initial attacks. Throughout all this, Houki was glaring at the incoming drones, swinging Amatsuki and taking out one of them as they passed.
"This is crazy..!" Ichika muttered as the sky lit up with explosions around him, the blast waves buffeting him as he tried to make sense amidst the cacophony of chaos. "I thought the drones were just gonna be, I don't know, recon drones or something!"
Boom!
An explosion behind sent him forward, the debris of a drone flying past him harmlessly. Shaking the shock away, he turned his head to see Charlotte holding out a Rain of Saturday with its barrel still smoking.
"Don't get distracted, Ichika!" She warned him as she spun around and demolished another passing drone with a shotgun slug. "We can't let the Gospel and this drone swarm close to Tokyo!"
"R-Right!" He replied, but inwardly he cursed. He wanted to help but all he had was his sword. Granted, his task was to disable the Gospel once all of the drones were dealt with but right now he felt useless. A sword against a ranged horde? What a joke.
〈 Everyone, do you hear me? 〉
'Eh? Nee-chan?'
"We read you loud and clear, mentor." The pilot of the Schwarzer Regen reported as she used the AIC to block a barrage of blue beams from a cluster of drones that were peeling away. "Is there a problem?"
〈 Objective's changed. I need you all to hold off the Gospel and its drones for a bit longer. 〉
"What happened to destroying it?!" Houki fumed as she sent a cross slash towards the amorphous mass, only for her energy crescents to crash against blue beams which resulted in brilliant explosions. "It's right there, we can take it!"
〈 Don't get reckless, Shinonono! That drone swarm is too numerous for your numbers, your best bet is to wait for reinforcements. 〉
That piqued Ichika's interest.
'Reinforcements? I thought everyone else was unavailable?'
"We're getting help?" Charlotte asked, using her shield to block a beam as it splashed against both the physical and energy shields of the Rafale-Revive Custom 2. She returned fire with more slugs from her shotgun, downing three more drones that buzzed by. "Who? The second years?"
〈 Someone we shouldn't really owe favors to. 〉
"What..?"
Beep! Beep! Beep!
〈 ..! Massive power spike coming from the Gospel! Dodge! 〉
The warning came a second too late as a veritable deluge of blue beams streaked out from within the pulsating mass of gray. They were fast, faster than what beams the drones fired, and they tracked after them when they tried to dodge. Once again, Ichika had to dodge as best he could or else he wouldn't have enough energy to power the Yukihira when the time came. By the skin of his teeth, he barely managed to weave in and out of a threadwork of beams.
The others, however, were varied in their attempts.
The Schwarzer Regen had the advantage of the AIC, with Laura using it to full effect by stopping a large helix with the rainbow-like barrier. However, it seemed as if there was a fair bit of power in the hostile attack, as the IS itself was being pushed back by unknown means. A few beams curved around the AIC to strike at the rear, but the Rafale-Revive Custom 2 suddenly interposed itself between them and the black IS, utilizing its physical shield to angle the beams away at the cost of some of its own shield energy.
The Blue Tears had its Optical Bits fire back into the individual beams that converged towards the IS, brilliant explosions trailing it as the British girl retreated further and further away. This was double-edged, however, as a tendril of drones quickly swarmed around her, peppering her with waves of missiles and weaker beams. This forced the girl to fire at everything everywhere, the IS' own blue beams joining the chaos as she clocked her Bits into overdrive.
Fwoom!
Fortunately for the blonde, the Shenlong's Ryuhou Cannons cut a swathe through the tendril, filling the sky with enough shrapnel at such speeds that all of their shields acknowledged the small debris as projectiles. Metal buffeted them all, but the drain on the shields was negligible, but Cecilia was thankful for the aid nonetheless.
A flash of red attracted Ichika's attention away from his friends and he saw Houki be hounded by multiple drones and beams, the latter weaving past missiles harmlessly as they nipped at the heel of the Akatsubaki. The Red IS was utilizing its sword bits to crash into the pursuing drones, breaking them apart and stopping them from firing the rest of its missiles, but they could only do so much.
Slash!
Karaware gleamed as a pink crescent was shot back against the beams and missiles, erupting into a massive explosion upon contact. This blew Houki back as she yelled in surprise, the ponytailed girl spinning head over heels at the sheer force of the shockwave. Even from where he was, Ichika could feel the wave buffet his form.
"Houki!" He cried out as he quickly boosted over to her, dodging more missiles and beams with twirls and spins. An idea quickly formed in his mind and he suddenly arrested his forward momentum, his legs snapping forward as the thrusters in the leg units of the Byakushiki roared. Two drones quickly shot past him, releasing their payload too late as the missiles simply soared out to the horizon.
Slash!
With a horizontal swipe of the Yukihira, the drones were cut in half. They sparked as they fell to the ocean below, and mere seconds later exploded as the fuel tanks of both craft detonated. The beams coming up behind him were detected via his Hypersensor and he executed a spinning slash that cut through two of the beams, his blade briefly glowing gold. He smiled when the beams fizzled out harmlessly but his eyes then widened when two missiles crashed into his shields, the remaining drones having used the glare of the beams to fire off two more missiles.
Boom!
He was launched back from the explosions, his shields taking a beating. He was a white blur across the sky before-
Crash!
"Ow! Hey! What the hell Ichika?!"
-he impacted the Akatsubaki. His back aching, the young man apologized as he tried to shake away the discombobulation caused by the blast waves. His jaw tensed as Houki covered his vulnerable state with swings of her swords and of the sword bits. Through shaky vision, he spotted numerous drones circling around his friends, who were practically back to back as they covered each other's weaknesses.
"This isn't looking good…" He muttered as a sword bit blocked a beam that was coming towards him, his grip tightening on his sword as it did so. Accessing his comms, he glared at the gray blob in the distance. "Sensei, how long until reinforcements arrive?!"
"Wha-? Ichika!" Houki scolded him, for whatever reason, he wondered.
"There's too many of them!" Ichika reasoned, his voice a bit panicked as more drones began peeling off from the swarm and towards them. "And half of us here are melee focused, we need more people who know how to shoot!"
WOOSH!
A wall of missiles and beams surged out from the swarm, blanketing the sky with smoke trails and eye-searing light. They curved this way and that and, to the boy's mounting horror, they all turned and headed towards them. He looked at his friends, who were busy fending off the drones that circled them, and saw that they too had wide eyes, aware of the incoming threat that was probably hundreds of missiles.
It was practically impossible to miss, even without the IS' Hypersensors.
Everything became white noise to Ichika as the world slowed down, with only the beating of his heart being audible. His mind went through thousands of thoughts, most of them not even decipherable to the young man, as he tried to find a way out of their situation-
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
-when suddenly, dozens of pink beams streaked across the skies. He saw them, the masses of energy, as they sailed past in a crawl's pace. His eyes tracked them as they crashed against blue beams and shot through missiles, etching into his memory the sight of the metal ordinances instantly being heated to a near-white hot consistency.
BOOM!
Time resumed just as the wall of missiles exploded into a massive fireball. The beams themselves were caught in the blast and they too exploded, the volatile energy producing a light show that strained the eyes of those that witnessed it.
The combined force of the explosions sent the IS Cadets back several meters, the drones that were harassing them blown back into a flat spin as they fell to the ocean. There was a high-pitched ringing in his ears as he stabilized, catching Houki beside him who was in the midst of spinning.
'Those pink beams…' He turned his head to where he thought the source came from, squinting when he saw what seemed to be green sparkles in the distance. 'What the..?'
"...chika!" He jolted when he heard his name be called through muffled hearing. "Ichika, you can let go now!" Looking over, he saw the pained expression of Houki and he realized that he was gripping her arm too tight with the Byakushiki's claws.
"S-Sorry, I was just-" Ichika's apology was cut off when a window suddenly opened on their HUDs.
/ / CAUTION / /
UNSC PEACEKEEPER SQUADRON
"KNIGHT"
ENTERING THE BATTLEFIELD
/ / CAUTION / /
"'Knight Squadron'?" He wondered, unfamiliar with the name or the affiliation as the window winked out. It sounded like something out of a video game, which admittedly got him a bit excited. If a squadron was able to have a cool name, then they must be good right? Frankly, he was just glad that they finally got backup.
…Though, why the 'caution'-
"KNIGHT SQUADRON?!" Laura yelped, her sole eye wide in shock as she whirled around. "WHY ARE THEY HERE?!"
"You know them, Laura?" Ichika asked, trying to track the sparkling green amidst the blue horizon. It was hard to see, honestly, but with the aid of his IS' Hypersensors, he could see what seemed like five blots heading towards them.
"Ichika, do…do you not know about Knight Squadron?" Charlotte turned to him, confusion clear on her face. "Do you know about the UN Security Council's Peacekeeper Squadrons, at least?"
"The what?"
Woosh!
The sounds of missiles being launched stole their attention as they whirled back around, weapons raised just as another wall of the soaring ordinance neared their position. More drones peeled off of the swarm, numbering in the dozens, and began defiling the sky with their blue lasers.
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
And once more, pink beams flew past them and into both missiles and drones, causing several chain detonations that crept closer to the undulating mass of metal. If Ichika squinted, he could just about see their target in the middle of all of it.
The Silverio Gospel.
〈 They're there then. 〉 Chifuyu's voice was muffled, as if there was something interfering with the connection. 〈 Cooperate with Knight Squadron in taking out the rogue AI- 〉 Whatever the teacher said after were lost amidst garbled static just as the sounds of jet engines became audible.
Two streams of blue tracers shot past them, ripping into the drones that were closing in and reducing them into what was effectively swiss cheese. Ichika turned his head once more to see two aircraft that were curving around them, their pink exhaust and white shock diamonds visible even from this distance.
Both planes were of a light gray coloration, with black accents here and there. The cockpit glass was an opaque blue, preventing any of the IS Cadets from seeing the pilots. On the left wings of the crafts, was the symbol of the United Nations, though it was of a golden coloration as opposed to the standard light blue. On their right wings, however, was an emblem that most of them recognized.
On a backdrop of a dark shield was a white knight's helmet, complete with decorative plume, looking towards the left. Above and behind the helmet were a trio of comets shooting up at an angle. Below said helmet were two crossed lances, their tips a golden sheen.
"The VF-25 Messiahs." Laura muttered audibly for all of them to hear on the comms. Her expression was a mix of grudging respect and of disdain. "Exclusive only to Peacekeeper Squadrons… And that emblem…those are the K-models."
"It really is them." Charlotte frowned as glanced over her shoulder at the planes. "But only two..?"
〈 IS Academy Cadet Squad, this is Knight-4. 〉 A feminine voice squawked from their comms, just as grainy and static-y as Chifuyu's. 〈 Knight-5 and I will form a perimeter in case the Gospel tries to make a run for it. We'll leave the fighting up to Knight-1 and the rest of the squad. 〉
"Where are the rest of your squadron?" Cecilia asked, her brows furrowed at the apparent insult in sending in just two fighter craft as aid. "As vaunted as you are, this is the Silverio Gospel we're dealing with!"
〈 …Come on, Knight-5. Let's go. 〉
With that, the two planes soared past, keeping a wide berth from the unnervingly unresponsive blob of drones.
"How rude of her!" The noblewoman fumed, her lips stretched into a snarl. "Can't even answer a simple question!"
Bzzzzz…
Everyone froze at the sound and they turned simultaneously to see more and more of the drones peel off of the blob, with it visibly shrinking by the second. Once what was the size of a three story building was now one story short, though there were far less gaps in its odd concealment.
Once more, they readied themselves for another barrage of explosives, even as the Blue Tears' Optical Bits sparked and sputtered, or as the Ryuhous visibly had a heat haze about them.
Charlotte looked uneasy, glancing at her shield energy nervously but steeling herself for another bout, reloading her Rain of Saturday and the Garm rifle in her other hand.
Laura merely snapped Purizushi up, the barrel sparking as she readied to unleash a shell that will pierce through the drones.
Houki and Ichika both readied their swords, their expressions determined as they resolved to finish the fight here and now. Even if there were still probably several dozen drones in their path, they were still going to fight through until the end.
…
〈 How dramatic. 〉 A garbled voice suddenly spoke up in their comms, filled now with more static than before. 〈 Let me handle this. 〉
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
Several dozen pink beams once more intercepted the launched missiles, detonating the ordinance and causing another brilliant chain of explosions.
BOOM!
That seemed to agitate the drones as they soared past the Cadets, who watched with caution as they turned to see something green and sparkly heading their way.
《 Knight-2, joining the fray. 》
Several objects seemed to shoot out from the approaching blob, quickly shooting up towards the drones. At first Ichika thought they were missiles, but there was an odd lack of smoke trails nor the curving nature of the ordinance. Instead, they took sharp turns and sudden stops, acting more like-
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
Pink beams shot out of said objects, quickly filling the sky with explosions and drone debris as missiles and drones were shot down with terrifying precision. Cecilia's eyes widened as green box-like objects shot past them, quickly interposing themselves between the cadets and the drone swarm.
"Those are-!"
They were around half their height, the coffin-shaped barriers that never stayed in one place for long. They zigged and zagged, and as erratic their movements seemed, they always covered them in one way or another. The swarm pulsed once before firing back, filling the air with heated energy as blue and pink beams clashed against one another.
Then came a harmonic sound, one that was a mix of chimes and that of a powerful turbine-like engine. Charlotte found her Hypersensors malfunctioning all of a sudden and she had to turn her head to look back at what was causing the noise. At first she thought that perhaps the rest of Knight Squadron had arrived in their Messiahs, but what she saw was not an aircraft in the slightest.
'An IS..?'
It was humanoid, that much was clear from this distance, and it seemed more proportional to the human body compared to the IS. Blocky green armor decorated the white frame, and she could clearly see a yellow V-fin alongside a red chin block armor. It left green sparkling particles as it flew, lacking any sort of thruster engine or exhaust trail that was expected of most IS'. Two rifles were in its hands, which were of similar make to the odd Bit-like objects that floated around him.
《 Haro, let's finish this up quick. 》 Knight-2, who the Frenchwoman assumed to be the pilot of the suit, spoke and left her confused at his words. Even as explosions and flashing lights went on in front of her, she could only wonder just what the male pilot was talking about nor why he was using the loudspeaker.
Suddenly, blue-green optics flashed as it positioned itself above them, showering them in the odd particles. The moment it washed over them, however, their HUDs went haywire, fizzling out just mere seconds after and leaving them without any visual aid on their shield levels or how much ammo they had left in their respective weapons.
"ECM?" Laura muttered, glaring up at the blocky suit. "Just what have you done to us, Peacekeeper?!"
The male pilot ignored her, instead raising his rifles at the angry swarm. The armor above and between the V-fin snapped up, revealing a large lens, which was followed by the shoulder armors also snapping up to reveal similar lenses. From the sides of its thighs, two more lenses popped out, briefly flashing blue as the particle output of the two odd exhaust ports on the rear of the suit increased.
《 Zabanya, Indiscriminate Firing! 》
Any further complaints they had on their tongues were cut off when the volume of pink beams increased. The green suit's arms were blurs as they shot at drones with deadly accuracy, filling the sky with scrap and molten metal. The shields still protected them from stray shots, and Charlotte couldn't help but gape at the capability of the Knight Squadron member before them.
'Zabanya..?' She wondered, intrigued at the very word itself. Was it a new designation, a new name for this weapons platform?
Fyoom! Fyoom! Fyoom!
The suit's rifle-like bits also joined the fray, darting behind the shield bits before coming out to shoot.
Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
Portions of the green armor on the suit folded out, revealing micro-missile pods, and within the next second, filled the sky with orange-tipped ordinance that were powered by the same mysterious green particles the suit used. They were less accurately aimed, more on passing the drones that weren't shot down and letting the particles get to them instead. Several of the UCAVs seemingly shut down afterwards, falling down into the ocean in a deadfall.
Ichika's jaw dropped at the display of firepower.
It was utterly awe-inspiring, making him forget the dangerous situation they were in.
'Okay, now I sort of understand the others' apprehension of the Peacekeepers…'
Woosh!
A blur then passed by them from above, going so fast that their ears rang when the sound barrier was broken. The shockwave blew away the particles, and buffeted them as they tried to track whatever just flew past.
《 Tch. Took you long enough, Knight-3! 》
Laura narrowed her eye as she locked on to the black blur, watching it gradually slow down to a stall. It was some sort of large vehicle with wings, the armor colored in red and black. There were two 'heads' that were likened to dragons, with their 'mouths' open and had some sort of green visor which she assumed was how it sees. It had a segmented tail and yellow talons that looked more for decoration than anything else.
'Knight-3?' She thought with furrowed brows, ignoring the blue beam that splashed off a green shield bit in front of her. 'I thought they would be in their Messiahs. Just what is this..?'
《 I had to recalibrate some things, Lockon! 》'Knight-3' responded, a bit of a growl in his voice as the black object began to shift. 《 You know this isn't an orthodox op! 》
Before their very eyes, the draconic craft began to transform.
First were the 'heads' folding back, its mouths closing and twisting around to form a pair of boots. Then, a pair of hands popped out from within the taloned feet, opening and closing as to test its range of moment. The wings then spread out to help it stabilize when its 'tail' revealed itself to be some sort of whip attached to a shield, which was attached to a moving left arm.
Ichika then realized that someone was in that transforming craft.
"Holy…" He let out, slack-jawed when green optics flashed as the dragon turned into a humanoid suit, one that was like the Zabanya above them but it had a red V-fin. The gem in the middle of its chest also flashed green and the hilt, which oddly had a cable connecting to something on its side, in its right hand ignited with an emerald blade that was as long as the suit was tall.
But the most attention-grabbing feature of the suit was that the beams fired from the drones were simply splashing off of the armor like it was nothing.
《 This is Knight-3, Drake, in the Epyon! Sinking my fangs into my prey! 》
With that bold proclamation, it swung its sword down towards the swarm-
Fwoom!
-where it grew longer and larger, instantly cutting through the swarm like a hot knife through butter. There was a split-second of silence after the slice, as if the very air itself seemed to be in stunned awe at the sight, before a multitude of explosions engulfed the swarm.
BOOM!
The combined super-explosion was bright and really, really loud. This time, even the shield bits and the green suit were blown back by the sheer force of the pressure wave, though 'Lockon' didn't flip head over heels like the IS Cadets.
《 Knight-3! 》 The pilot of the Zabanya growled as both its rifle bits and holster bits reattached to the suit's rear thruster blocks. 《 If you could control yourself? 》
《 I'm merely acting on the optimal course the System's making. 》 Drake sniffed, smugness radiating in his tone as he lowered himself to be at the same level as the Zabanya. Powerful thruster engines kept it aloft, as opposed to the mysterious green particle-exuding engine of the latter. 《 Besides, those annoying drones aren't a problem anymore. 》
True to his word, as the dust and debris settled down, there was no sign of any drone in the air. Upon stabilizing, Ichika looked down and saw several gray objects floating down in the ocean below them, those of the drones disabled or destroyed beforehand.
Vwoom…
The odd sound caught their attention and they turned their heads to its source.
Clad in immaculate silver with a clearly angel theme, was the Silverio Gospel. The winged IS looked majestic as it spread its arms slowly, as if beckoning them into its welcome embrace. Its large wings mimicked the actions of its hands, stretching up and out as it split into three pairs of varying thickness and designs.
"I think you just made it angry." Rin muttered, annoyance and wariness mixing in her voice as she gripped her swords tightly. Her words seemed to hold merit, as there was a subtle vibration going on with the unmanned IS. Blue spots then opened up on the surface of the wings, all of which began glowing.
Fwhip!
The Epyon's heat rod shot forth and wrapped around one of the Gospel's legs, the black metal quickly turning orange as it heated up within the blink of an eye. Then the silver IS was yanked up high, blue beams firing off into the sky at the abrupt movement of the black suit's wrist.
《 Batter up! 》
WOOSH!
SLASH!
Then something flew by the unbalanced AI in a loud roar of powerful thrusters. Thruster exhausts filled Cecilia's vision as she raised a claw to shield her face from the heated air, the temperature almost scalding her exposed skin. Through the gaps between her IS' digits, she could see that half of the wings had been sliced off cleanly. Then, in a golden arc, the rest of the wings were lopped off before the Epyon swung the Gospel around and let go, the IS flipping head over heels a fair distance away.
《 …You're late. 》 Lockon muttered, a bit of annoyance in his tone. 《 Were you also 'calibrating' something, Knight-1? 》
《 Partly. 》
The noblewoman's heart skipped a beat, her brows shooting up in surprise. Lowering her claw so that she could see, she was greeted with something majestic.
Two shining swords were held in claw-clad hands, their blades made out of some lustrous metal. The hands were protected in immaculate white armor, and she moved her gaze a little bit up, towards the two wing-like thrusters that peeked over the shoulders of the suit. They spewed out two large thruster exhausts, ones where the color turned from white to blue to purple and pink near the lower edges. The thruster wings themselves were around the same height as the white armored suit.
More white armor decorated the suit before them, though they were a mix of angular and curved. This gave it a knight-like aesthetic, bordering on it being royal given the golden swords in its hands. There were splashes of blue to break the monotony of the white armor and gray inner frame, as well as the golden insignia of Knight Squadron on the right pauldron and the UN's symbol on the left.
《 Visari pulled me aside and gave me the usual spiel. 》 Knight-1's tone was dismissive as he straightened, facing all of them with a perceptible regal air. Pale red optics flashed as the Peacekeeper Squadron's leader took them all in, and Cecilia shivered when she knew his gaze lingered on her for a few seconds longer than the others. 《 But of course, I'll conveniently forget about it in the midst of battle. This is, after all, your idea, right Lockon? 》
《 Tch. 》 The pilot of the Zabanya clicked his tongue as he readied his rifles again. 《 Look, my aunt called and I answered. As if you wouldn't have done the same for those siblings of yours, Monarch. 》
《 Don't call me that. 》 'Monarch' growled as he pointed a sword at the green suit. 《 You know how I hate the TAC name they gave me. 》 Then, with a flourish, he pointed the same blade upwards before lowering it to point at the Gospel in the distance.
"Oh what the hell is that?!" Houki, ever so eloquently, reacted as two large wings of energy spread out of the silver IS. "The specs didn't have that!"
《 The Americans are going to get grilled for this, I assure you. 》 The Knight Squadron leader promised, a hint of sadistic anticipation tinging his voice. 《 For now, let us take over the fighting. You all deserve a break or two. 》
Laura snarled as she pointed at the white suit. "Now hold on, you damn Peacekeeper-!"
《 Knight-2, harass the Gospel with the Zabanya's Rifle Bits. 》
《 Copy. 》
With the odd chime-like sound of its turbine engine, the green suit surged forth, the aforementioned Rifle Bits shooting out from the Holster Bits before the latter separated and began floating around it.
《 Knight-3, work with me to dismantle the IS. Use combat pattern Zero. 》
《 Understood! 》
Powerful thrusters roared as the black and red suit shot off, leaving a visible trail as it headed towards the mess of pink and blue beams in the distance.
"Hey, wait a minute! I'm not just gonna stand here and gawk while you guys do the heavy lifting!" Rin grinned as she boosted forward, right in front of the white suit, before poking his armor with a claw. "I'm joining the fray and you aren't stopping me!"
Pale red optics regarded her for a few seconds before he turned around with a huff.
《 Do what you wish. Just don't blame me if your sponsors get upset about this cooperation. 》 Monarch's thruster wings audibly began to spool up as he held his blades by his sides. But before he could fly away, he turned his head and gave a look over his shoulder. 《 And Lady Alcott? This Friday evening. See you then~ 》
Everyone's brows shot up at his words and they all turned towards the blushing blonde, who was sputtering as she tried to formulate a reply. But before she could do so…
《 This is Knight-1, Monarch, engaging in the Bael! Time for this Demon to clip Angel Wings! 》
WOOSH!
Ichika stared at Cecilia with wide eyes, somewhat disbelievingly after the Peacekeeper said his words. Actually, all of them were staring at the flushing noblewoman in shock and disbelief.
"Wait, you've got a date with him? Alcott, is he your boyfriend?!" Rin's lips curled up into a wide grin, ever so excited by the prospect of gossip. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Cecilia pressed, looking away from all of them as she covered her face. "He's…" She muttered incoherently after, the words indecipherable even for Laura, who looked at her suspiciously.
"He's what?" The German pressed, eager to find more information on just what machines the Peacekeepers were using. "What is he to you, Alcott? A menace? A churl? A poor excuse for a man?"
The noblewoman snapped her head towards the albino and gave her an affronted glare that actually caused the latter to visibly flinch. "He may be many things, he is none of those! How dare you insinuate my fiancé is some sort of dreg of society those damn supremacists keep on spouting about!"
Ichika's brows shot up into his hairline, just as the others' did as well. "W-Wait, did you just say-"
"HE'S YOUR WHAT?!"
"HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!"
Krsssht!
Simultaneously, their comms crackled with static as their HUDs returned, cutting off any further questions and exclamation.
〈 -ello? Cadets, can you hear me now? 〉
"Mentor!" Laura perked up as a glitchy screen popped up that had Chifuyu frowning at them. "Why is a UNSC Peacekeeper Squadron here and why are they using IS'?"
〈 That's because they aren't. They are called 'Mobile Suits' and were created by separate companies who are 'coincidentally' subsidiaries of the Helghast Corporation. 〉
Charlotte paled. "Quoi? That's…"
〈 Very suspicious, I know. They aren't even trying to hide it this time. But to answer your question, Bodewig, it's because Yamada-sensei called in a favor. 〉
"Wait a minute…" Houki narrowed her eyes as she stole glances at the distant battle. "Earlier, that Lockon guy said something about his aunt calling in a favor. You don't mean…"
〈 Damn it, the one time I hoped those secretive bastards kept up with their reputation… Yes, 'Lockon' is Yamada-sensei's nephew. 〉
"Yamada-sensei has a nephew?!"
〈 Enough! Cadets, finish the operation! We'll discuss more during your debrief, now get going! 〉
〈 Y-Yes, ma'am! 〉
Chifuyu sighed as she cut the connection, stealing a glance at the greenette busy with monitoring their students' status. Earlier, Maya had looked so proud when the satellite imagery displayed the mass of pink beams that came out of the green suit, or what they hoped was the green suit.
Something about those particles was bad news to her, the teacher could feel it. On top of being able to disrupt communications and radio waves, there was also the fact that it acted like some sort of localized jammer that didn't allow them to see just what exactly the suit was aside from a mess of glitchy green and white.
She then glanced at the mostly still classified files the UNSC had sent her concerning Knight Squadron.
'Ryo Yamada, Knight-2 with the TAC name Lockon. Pilot of the Zabanya, a sniper-centric mobile suit that can switch to an omnidirectional attack suite…'
The teacher could still remember the first time she and Ryo met, back when Maya was still the Representative Candidate of Japan. The black haired boy was cordial enough, if a bit protective of his aunt when she had given her some, admittedly, harsh criticism. He was otherwise average, with nothing else standing out aside from the piercing green eyes that were opposite of Maya's softer tones.
'To think that the kid would become a Peacekeeper…'
Her eyes glanced down to the next name, her brows furrowing.
'Davion Romefeller, Knight-3 with the TAC name Drake. Pilot of the Epyon, the result of a pet project of the squadron's mechanic and a corporation that wanted to one-up the IS. Apparently an interception and close quarters combat suit…'
Unlike the issue with the Zabanya and its particles, they were able to see just what the mobile suit was. What they didn't expect was for it to be a transformable suit capable of creating a massive blade with no apparent issues whatsoever. That boded ill, considering that something like that must have had an impressive power supply.
Chifuyu looked at the photo of the younger man, noting his gunmetal gray eyes and the tousled brown hair, and especially the bandages on his cheek and on the bridge of his nose. There were faint scars on his face that told of old wounds and healed scars, which told her that this was a boy that didn't shy away from fighting.
'And finally…'
Her brown eyes locked on to electric blue as she stared at the photo of the Squadron's leader.
'Ephraim Montag, Knight-1 with the TAC name Monarch. Pilot of the Bael, a dueling-centric suit that is apparently capable of going through IS shielding with those swords of his…'
He was also the fiancé of Cecilia Alcott. A surprise to most but Chifuyu and Maya were already in the know concerning their student's rather complicated family politics.
'The Head of the Montag Company and the Heiress of House Alcott...'
She had met the man once, back during their younger days when she was the Brunhilde a decade before. He was one of the boys most corporations would send in hopes would woo her and tie her down. However, she was pleasantly surprised when she found none of the usual kowtowing or faked politeness most of those boys had. Instead, all he had back then was genuine admiration to her sword forms and an honest, childish adoration of her beauty.
He even challenged her that one day, he will become the best swordsman in the world. That he would 'uphold the reputation of being The Strongest' by having it so that there was also a male equivalent to pair up with her 'Strongest' title.
It was, honestly, adorable.
But that was then, and this was now. The childish Montag was gone, in favor of the rather infamous UNSC Peacekeeper known as 'Monarch'. And from what she saw through the satellite was true, then he could have finished the fight the moment he got within range.
But he didn't.
Was it, perhaps, a message? Something akin to a predator playing with its prey? Or perhaps he wished to show off despite the risk of death?
Chifuyu wouldn't know, unless she went and talked with him.
Sighing, she rubbed her temples in irritation.
"Stupid daredevils."
…
{Conclusion: Observation has yielded vital information. Lack of ripple identified.}
{...}
{Actions: Future events in Branch [IS] will be further modified.}
{...}
{『Administrator』 prerequisites identified.}
…
【 [IS] Sub-Branch: Epsilon-24636-4qP will be put in Observation. 】
...
{...}
{Console Connection: Deactivated.}
/Shut. Down./
AN:
Not beta'd by ProjectRyo, I die like a Graze against the Barbatos.
Anyway, hi! Hey, it's been a while haven't it? Thought I'd forget this little project of mine? Nah, I wouldn't! I was just...busy and got sidetracked by Elden Ring and Diablo 2: Resurrected, is all...Also got sidetracked by my HG Graze Standard Type/Commander Type. I do love me my grunt suits...
Also, ProjectRyo and I got sick at the same time, with the same symptoms, and recovered at the same time. Mind you, we aren't within contact distance to each other.
Both Project Ryo and I were also busy with personal things, things such as documents of the boring kind and those of the academic sense. University's a bitch, I'll just tell you that.
I'll answer the reviews in the Episode Chapter after this! By the time I upload this, ProjectRyo is combing it over and hopefully I'll be able to upload that in a few days at least.
Truth be told, I'm actually still sick, though the more crippling symptoms have passed and all I have is this overall fatigue at the end of the day. That and a runny nose and an ever-present sore throat. I'm taking my lozenges, don't worry! It just sucks to pay for medicine because that means I have to go out of the house.
Well, with that out of the way!
The title is a reference to both Ace Combat and the fact that the trio's suits here are connected to Hell. The former is because the Silverio Gospel here has got a drone swarm and a strong shield, somewhat like the Arsenal Bird, and for the latter...well:
Bael = King of Hell and the First Spirit typically mentioned in works such as the Lemegeton Clavicula Salomonis.
Zabanya = In Islam, the Zabaniyah are the tormentors of the sinners in Hell.
Epyon = Draconic themes and intimidating aesthetic give it a menacing look. In Christianity, dragons are often typically stand-ins for Satan or those who work under him, and thus are seen as 'evil' and connected to Hell via this attribute.
And yes, Ephraim still keeps up to his theme of being a Char Clone. Ephraim Montag. Eduardo Mass. Also McGillis.
Welp! This is a recovering Cipher, trying not to be too hooked to Elden Ring, signing off!
