I made this chapter while fixing and adding a few scenes to the previous chapters, particularly chapter 5 and 6. I recommend you check it out first.

I kinda forget the smallest tiny detail about the universe of Valvrave: 70% of humanity now lives in space. Which means there are more than one or two Dyson Spheres up there in space. Oh fey.

Also, another allusion that Valvrave 02 was meant to evoke the sense of wolf: the mass produced model Valvrave Kagerou was modeled after the broken unit 02, the Tekka.

Kagerou… is composed of two words: Kage as in Shadow, Rou is Wolf. So, Kagerou: Shadow Wolf.

Ermm... I would also like to note... the Alert system in Fanfiction seems to be malfunctioning sometimes. I post new chapter and i didn't get any alert... makes me wonder if others gets it too...

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The Sakimori students of the art school pooled all their effort and resources to create their latest masterpiece.

See, they've got a formidable army of Valvraves, Kagerous, and a whole fleet of ships. They're already as good as a working nation now, the citizens are united, and speaking of nations, they've already elected a full set of cabinet as well:

Secretary of Defense: L-Elf – "Why do I have to put up with this crap?" L-Elf groaned. Unlike the others, he's dressed in his Sakimori disguise.

Commander in Chief of Armed forces: Tokishima Haruto – "Just play along." Haruto wears his pilot suit, but the three legged crow symbol is now emblazoned on his left chest to denote his new post.

Minister of Public Relation: Rukino Saki – though preparations had been made to change that into Tokishima Saki. "Well… let's just get this over with." She's wearing the dress she used on her date with Haruto last time, though she kept her hair loose this time.

Chief Cabinet Secretary: Renbokuji Satomi – "Takahi… aren't your clothes a bit too… risqué?" Satomi wears a white tuxedo.

Minister of Foreign Affairs: Ninomiya Takahi – "Hey, the most important thing is to keep up appearances right?" In her style, she wears a white elegant dress, which shows off her cleavage at the center.

Minister of Justice: Kitagawa Iori – "Who else isn't here?"

Minister of Finance: Inuzuka Kyuuma/Aina - depending on the situation – right now it's the latter though. "There's Yusuke, Juuto, Nanami-sensei and… ah there they are!"

Minister of Education and Science: Otamaya Yusuke – "Sorry! Still having a hard time believing it, we're ministers now."

Advisor: Kibukawa – "Don't worry. We'll help you out every now and then." Kibukawa was being pushed by the new Minister of Health and Welfare: Nanami Rion. "Alright! Let's pose in for the photo."

Minister of Transport: Banshou Juuto – "Wait! There's one more person! She's coming here soon."

Minister of Internal Affairs: Marie Nobi – "There she is and… …wha~at is that she's wearing?"

And finally… the head of the Nation, elected within minutes by overwhelming majority of vote…

She came there wearing… what appears to be an orange anime shirt with a twinkle eye on the other chest, and a skirt… and a tophat. Stylish… but for a head of nation, it looked… awfully out of place. "Hora! What do you think? This twinkling anime eye is cool right!? Ah! I know! How bout if we all wear it!?"

"Rejected!"

"EEEH?" And so democracy is at work and the entire cabinet unanimously rejected Prime Minister Shashinami Shoko's first petition of her policy regarding standardized personnel clothing.

Her Advisor and deputy: Shashinami Ryuuji merely laughed out loud.

So they have it. An actual governing body. They're just one thing short from a proper nation:

A National banner.

Then again… as things are, they came to realize they already have one.

"We kinda took some… artistic liberty with it." The arts students presented their work.

The flag was the three legged crow flying with the crescent moon logo found on the Valvarves. The moon was re-colored gold, and the crow was re-colored black on white background, but its wing feathers has the color of red, white, yellow, green, blue, purple. The color of the 6 Valvraves. And the writing of New JIOR was written beneath it.

Shoko smirked. "Nii~ice!"

Everyone in cabinet posed together with the flag as the background and one of the students took a photo of it.

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Haruto, having aced the test, are now allowed the second level of training.

In this case, it's one Kagerou, piloted by him, with paint gun…

Vs.

L-Elf in an Ideal class Annihilator… with 20 Unmanned Waffes… all with live rounds.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!" Haruto gulped.

"It's okay. I ran a spec-check; Kagerou's armor can handle 50 caliber rounds below with ease. What they're using is 48. The damage will be cosmetic. But… it will push you around, disorienting you. Oh, and by the way…" L-Elf unloaded a shot that knock a piece of Haruto's shoulder armor. "This one is loaded with 80 caliber armor piercing rounds. It will do a HELL lot more than just knocking you around."

Haruto's cold sweat is now floating before his eyes.

"Your job is to shoot me 20 times before I shot you dead. Training begins in 3." Pause for one second. "3." And the bullet rain starts.

"OH SHI~IT!"

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Takahi, now wearing a green pilot suit, tried her very best to suppress her nervousness and maintain her dignified posture as she entered Carmilla's cockpit. And then the question appeared.

Do you believe in humanity, yes or no?

She pressed her answer, and then the injector descends. She gasped when she felt the feeling coruscated through her veins. When it was done, 04 suddenly behave strangely. Even after modification, the color scheme is still black base with green stripes… but when a new pilot entered, the colors were reversed. Green becomes black, black becomes green. It's the same thing that happened with 03.

"That was a rather… awkward tingling…" Takahi commented as she ascended out of the cockpit of 04-Reverse. "And yet… I felt no different."

"Well, that's how it is for us. At first." Takahi looked up and saw Saki, descending towards her. She's wearing, of all things, maternity clothing from the hospital. "Strangely… it seems all second pilots got the reverse side of things." Saki noted the reversed color of her Valvrave.

Takahi shook her head as she took one more look at Saki's maternity clothing. It's like her yesterday's stunning look was an illusion. "To think you of all people would get knocked up…"

Saki smiled solemnly. "Go ahead. Laugh at me to your heart's content. I'm not regretting it, I'm carrying the child of the man I love."

"I have no taste for such offensive behavior." Takahi shrugged elegantly. "My question is… why me? You don't even like me."

"I still stand by it." Saki smirked. "But you're a fighting woman. In my opinion, Carmilla is meant for a girl who's ready to shape their own fate with their own hands. I think you're just that sort of girl. And though I may not like you, I can respect a fighting woman. Am I wrong?"

Takahi smiled. "So you're saying that your fighting days are done?"

Saki touched her womb where a new life is being formed inside her. "…hardly. But I'm a mother now. I feel like I can still jump a motorcycle into an exploding train. But… right now… I'm scared shitless for my child. Haruto's child. Our child." Saki smirked sarcastically at Takahi. "Now. I think you better start familiarizing yourself with this new Valvrave."

Takahi entered the machine while Saki and Takahi's two friends entered the command center to monitor her first test-run.

The launcher moved the Carmilla to the launchpad, and then the unit was shot out. Takahi is still moving by momentum when she zoomed through space.

Saki immediately contacted her. "Alright. Takahi. Listen. Whatever you do, start at low throttle. You do that by pushing that lever next to the main controller to the maximum."

Takahi did so, not knowing that Saki had just ordered her to go into maximum speed in a heartbeat.

When Saki heard a screech of horror from the com, she knew exactly what had happened, and Saki gleefully shook her head. And so she then turned to other horrified girls. "Girls, get to your Kagerous. When she crashed and she definitely will, she'll be knocked unconscious and she'll need picking up." She chuckled as Lilly and Eri ran in panic towards the changing room to suit up.

Takahi screamed in panic as the new Carmilla virtually ran rampant, smashing everything in her way, she hold on to the controls and instead of slowing down, it actually went faster and faster, completely out of her control. She tried to move the controllers, but they seem won't budge an inch, so heavy it was. "WHAT IS THI~IIISS!? HEEEELPPPP!" Takahi squealed and cried in panic. Kagerous were nothing like this! But then, Saki had done a test run with it, and the hangar crew swore that she actually made her dance in the palm of her hands. 'That Rukino girl… she's been using this beast of a machine so easily!?' And finally, Carmilla smashed against an asteroid, spiral out of control and landed violently on a space rock, its pilot knocked unconsciousness.

Saki had to pinch herself to prevent her from laughing out loud. But her cheeks were flustering and puffed out, her eyes trickling with tears, trying her damndest to keep herself from bursting into laughter, and her stomach are hurting in her effort to do so.

"You should not be here." Saki turned and saw Haruto standing by the door, panting and holding on to the wall for support, while rubbing his clearly nauseating stomach. "You should be in the hospital."

The mother smiled at the father of their child. "So should you. What happened? You look like crap."

"L-Elf's an asshole. It's official." Haruto groaned. "What are you doing?"

"Well, since I'm not piloting the Valvrave, I'm training another to pilot it in my stead."

"Yeah, and the first thing you did was to send her crashing into a rock at full speed so that you can laugh your brains out at her expense. Great start."

Saki chortled. "Oh come on. It's just a little bit of fun."

Haruto still look disapprovingly at Saki. "Saki, I'm worried. Nanami sensei said you've been pregnant for a week now. That means our child had been conceived even before… well… what happened yesterday. I'm concerned that-" Haruto was cut when Saki placed two fingers over his lips.

"Don't worry, I know my limits. I'm doing this just for today, honey; so I need to have my fill of fun. L-Elf will take over tomorrow." Saki pouted when she saw how Haruto still look a bit upset. "Sheesh. You know, when this child grew up, I want Haruto Jr. to inherit a bit more of his mother's sense of humor."

Haruto laughed and lovingly embraced the mother of his child. "Oh, Saki… I prefer Saki Jr. to inherit some of her father's more serious side."

Saki laughed happily as she placed her hand over the father of her child.

Just then, the com beeps. It was from the Carmilla retrieval team and Carmilla itself.

Three window screens appeared showing Lily, Eri, and the less than pleased Takahi. "WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO, YOU WRETCHED SLATTERN!? SQUASHING ME FLAT INTO PANCAKE!?"

Saki replied nonchalantly: "The thought did cross my mind." And then she chuckled, much to the other girls' fury and Haruto sweat dropped. "But now I think you noticed that the Original Valvrave is nothing like its bootleg copies."

"NOTICED!? I ALMOST GOT KILLED!"

"Ninomiya… do you know how fast you were just now?" Saki calmly played with her phone, surfing the net for the information about avionics and flight, seemingly ignoring the three angry girls. "A pilot of a normal aircraft needs special G suit to prevent their organs from bursting from the resultant G-Force pressure. And even that, they can only handle 10G. Just now, you were moving at 20G. That's enough speed to cause a normal human pilot's organ to burst, even when they're wearing specialized space suit. By all accounts, you should be dead by now."

Takahi gasped in realization. The other girls looked at Takahi in horror. "Then how come I'm still alive?"

"You're not human anymore, Ninomiya." Saki smiled as she gave the simple answer. "I used the Mk. 2 briefly, but from that brief use, I can tell you this: Pino went all out and pulled all the stops. That thing is no longer something that can be controlled by normal human." Saki smirked deviously at a gawking Takahi. "Abandon the preconception of something like this is humanly impossible. You're a half Alien Vampire now. I admit, I tricked you into going full throttle, but I'm willing to wager, that speed just now, you barely pushed the throttle halfway through?"

Takahi looked at the speed throttle and Saki was right. She barely went through a quarter throttles and she panicked upon experiencing the uncontrollable speed.

"If you already panicked from merely using this much speed, then, young lady, you still got a long way to go." Saki smirk turned into a solemn glare, of someone who had seen it all, done it all… relatively speaking. "You need to learn to master that speed. The new Carmilla has various new features in her now; she's leaps and bounds more powerful than ever. However, one thing that has not changed is that speed is her main weapon and her most important lifeline. Got it?"

All things considered, Takahi realized she had to swallow her pride and take the bitter medicine. Saki clearly knew more of this unit than anyone else. She piloted the previous version, and she gave some input in designing this one. No wonder she can easily master its use in so short of a time. "Got it."

"Good. Now, fly back here. Slowly this time."

"Anoo~o." It was then when Lily suddenly peeped.

"Hm?"

"Umm… maybe it's just me… but my radar detected a lone Dorssian Walkit Cruiser coming our way."

Chapter 7:

The Grim's Tale

Haruto and Saki looked at each other. "…just one ship?" Haruto asked.

"Just one."

"It could be a trap. Remember, they have stealth capability."

Saki quickly noted. "Takahi! Use one of Carmilla's familiar, the Nacha spiders. They have a powerful sensor, as well as an advanced stealth jammer."

Takahi blinked. 'Nacha Spiders?' Takahi activated one of them and what appears to be a three pronged massive shuriken on the left unlatched itself from Carmilla's shoulder. The shuriken looked somewhat peculiar, the center is a wheel with a sensor sporting multiple eyes, reminiscent to spider eyes. Encircling the center were three folded arms, complete with actual palm and five fingers, embedded in three points around the wheel in a triangle position. Each hand is holding on to a massive scimitar made of green clear fossil. First glance they looked nothing more than an over glorified decoration of the said weapon. With the three scimitars sticking out, rather than a chakram, it now looked more like a three pronged massive shuriken. But then, the three folded arms unfurled into actual arms, using its scimitars as extension of its limbs. It floated in space, a small mechanical head poked out, its many eyes glancing and skittering to every direction, observing the surroundings, a three legged spider like drone stand ready.

Suddenly, a mechanical visor slide down over Takahi's left eye inside her helmet. The visor is also equipped with multiple mechanical optic bulbs. Everything the familiar see was directly transferred to the feed on the said visor. Said feed are now being transmitted to the command center as well.

Haruto whistled. "You helped Pino designed this?"

"Apparently, Carmilla was redesigned for high speed urban combat. Recon and enemy detection at tight corners. Stuff like that." Saki replied. "That's why it's now got all this new HD camera and funky recon stuff."

Thanks to the concentrated valvrave tech from Pino, Takahi can actually feel she's controlling the Familiar drone with brain impulses from her brain, she think it, it does it. The familiar assumed flight mode, with two arms folded backwards in a winglike state, and flew ahead of the Valvrave, heading straight towards the incoming ship.

Not long, the Familiar caught sight of the Walkit. The Familiar landed on a nearby debris, its three appendages, originally served as a wing, turned into actual spider-like legs as its many eyes observed the ship. And everyone can easily see it was in bad shape. There are plenty of holes coming from cannon shots, its armor blasted here and there, and half of its bridge had been smashed asunder. That thing is barely flying.

"If this is an invasion, then I'm the Empress of China." Takahi commented.

But Haruto and Saki, the combat veterans, weren't convinced. "It could be trap. Check the surroundings. 10 mile radius."

"The Nacha sensors have multiple modes of visions: infra red, ultraviolet, thermal, echo locator, motion detectors, and most importantly, the Rune Scanner sensor, among many more. Scroll through them." Saki added.

"Okay." Takahi nodded. And she ordered the familiar to fly around the wreckage, the image of the ship and its surroundings changed multiple times, scrolling through different vision modes, giving different point of view of things.

In thermal, they saw the ship was indeed in its last legs. Motion sensors detected movements inside the ship, there are people in there. Very few. Several vision modes were tried… no cloaked ships, no stealthed invading fleet… The ship was heavily damaged… all of its crews were severely wounded and dying. Everything leads to one conclusion. This is not part of an invading force; this is just one lone ship barely escaped destruction.

"Somebody call either L-Elf or A-Drei, I think they need to see this."

Fortunately for Haruto, Akira was already on the case. She already caught the transmission a little earlier and had already gone decrypting it. The full content of the message horrified her greatly. She immediately sent it to the one person she knew needs to know it.

A-Drei was walking in the library when his phone rings, and Akira's message came of the said transmission. And the content was as follows:

"Dorssian royal family has fallen… to any other royalist who receive this transmission, please help us!"

"This is… this is the Royalist's specially encrypted channel!" A-Drei gasped. He quickly contacted L-Elf. "L-elf! It's the royalist!"

On the other part of the module, L-Elf had just finished receiving the call from Haruto. "I know. I just told Tokishima Haruto to sortie the Kagerous."

Outside, 3 Kagerous flies out of the Module. However, there's something new. The hangar crew had found a way to retrofit the Kagerous with the equipments of the original Valvraves. Due to the power demand of these weapons however, a Kagerou can only handle a portion of the equipment. In this instance, the three Kagerous that set out had been equipped with 01's one set of Z-Edges (long and short katana), a Volc Arm, a Strike bracer shield, and a wing booster on its back (Kagerou Hito Pattern), another one has one of 03's Armstrong Cannon arms attached right at the center of its back, and the originally shoulder mounted Chain Saucer cannon had been converted into an elongated twin barreled handheld cannon (Kagerou Hikaminari pattern), and the last one has one of 05's shield on one shoulder and a bolt phalanx on the other arm with some additional fixed triple blaster on the other shoulder (Kagerou Hiuchiba Pattern).

The three Kagerous dashed towards the wrecked Walkit. The crews of the Walkits were utterly terrified when they saw the incoming Valvrave like robots. At their devastated state, they won't be able survive something like that. "Major Kriemhild! What should we do?"

"Wait…" Kriemhild, the only superior officer still alive on board frowned. "Contact them. Tell them we mean them no harm."

"Soldiers of New Jior! Please! We mean you no harm, please do not attack us! I repeat, we mean you no harm, please do not attack us!" The com officer desperately contacted them on open channel.

Haruto, aboard the Kagerou Hito, caught the transmission. "Identify yourself."

At this point Kriemhild took over. "This is Major Kriemhild, captain of Dorssian Imperial royal guard. Identify yourself?"

"This is Tokishima Haruto, of the… the…" That's right, how should they call themselves again?

"NJDF!" Help came from Shoko who whispered at Haruto's com. "New Jior Defense Force." She quickly added. "And don't forget you're the commander in chief!"

"Ah! Yes! Right! This is Tokishima Haruto, Commander in Chief of the New Jior Defense Force… errm… you can call us NJDF for short." Haruto replied, inwardly thanking Shoko for coming up with such a good name. "Why are you here?"

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The crew of the wrecked Walkit gasped. They were being welcomed by the now infamous Tokishima Haruto, the first of the Novus Magius. Kriemhild thought for a moment and then she quickly explained. "We are survivors from the Dorssian Royalist resistance, from Earth. We're currently adrift, and our engine is half dead. Please help us?" Kriemhild's request horrified her crew.

"Major, are you mad!? That's Tokishima Haruto, the Novus Magius! Even if he won't kill us now, he'll feed on us!"

"He also resisted the Council. He's the first to declare a war against the Magius. The enemy of our enemy is our friend." Kriemhild explained. "Besides… what choice do we have?"

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A more or less similar discussion is happening between Haruto, Shoko, Ryuuji, L-Elf, and A-Drei. "What do you think everyone? Can we trust them?"

"I suspected, after that speech we made, the royalist should be in total uprising." A-Drei explained. "However, given what we've seen from that announcement of Dorssia Magius alliance, obviously the Dorssia Magius practically outgunned the royalist. The reason we haven't heard anything of it, probably because there's a tight information censure. The Magius wouldn't want the news of how they massacred revolting citizen to come out. Looks very bad on the public press. Then again, this is just a guess."

"Nonetheless, we can use them as a source of information. To get an update on things." L-Elf replied. "They came from earth, and they've been into conflict with the Magius, we may be able to use them to predict the Magius next move and to learn more of Earth's current situation after that disastrous massacre." So L-Elf said, but in truth, he had an underlying motive. The news of how the Dorssian royal family has fallen troubled him. This could be his chance to found out more about Lieselotte's situation on earth.

Others couldn't agree more with L-Elf's idea. That massacre was the last news they had received on open channel. After that, most, if not all news had been blocked, as various kinds of television channels went down one after another, starting with the most major ones. Akira can't do anything because technically, she can only hack information uploaded into the net… and they virtually shut down most if not all of it. As of right now, they're completely unaware of the development on earth in the last 2 weeks.

"So be it then." Shoko nodded. "We'll let them in. However, Haruto, many of our friends are still wary of that thing about the attempt on your life. They can do whatever they want but keep them in the hangar." Shoko had been informed by L-Elf about the traitor who tried to cut off Haruto's head. Shocked would be an understatement.

"Roger that." Haruto nodded.

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Soon, Kriemhild received a call from Haruto. "We'll escort you to the module. Can you move?"

Kriemhild nodded. "Yes… barely though."

"I understand. Please follow us."

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The wrecked Walkit ignited what's left of its boosters and flew slowly under the watchful guns of the Kagerous.

"Is this okay, Haruto?" The pilot of the Kagerou Hikaminari quirked. "Letting these Dorssians in? They're not like the others we've let in, they're coming straight from their motherland!"

"And that is precisely why we'll put them under strict watch. Then again, these people are dying. It's not like we can just leave them be." Haruto glanced at the Nacha Familiar still posted on the rock. "Ninomiya-san, watch our backs!"

The drone head nodded once.

As the module is in sight, Kriemhild and her remaining crews were welcomed by the Carmilla and her retinues of Kagerous. The two salvaged Mag Walkits were also there, all of its guns were aimed at the incoming wreck, just in case they try something funny. They've also been salvaging equipment from the abandoned Dyson Sphere behind them, armoring up the main module for war. From this alone and the mas produced models of the Kagerou, Kriemhild can easily see these people are really getting ready for a war and they're not just entertaining an empty threat as the local news would lead them to believe.

Just then, the last of the wrecked Walkit's boosters finally exploded and shut down. The ship is now drifting by force of momentum alone. Two more Kagerous armed in Hikaminari pattern equipment flew out of the module. The Armstrong arm split into four appendages and all Kagerous converged around the wreckage, using their own thrusters to correct the wreckage's direction, carrying it into the hangar using the Armstrong appendages.

Once inside, Kriemhild were welcomed by another 5 Kagerous… and… "What's that ball right in front of us?" One of the Dorssian soldier blinked in confusion.

At the center of the hangar is a sphere; significantly larger than the Kagerou, it floated menacingly off the ground. It has a transparent yellow crystalline material composing its surface, they looked like they were composed of hundreds of smaller pieces.

"…what… is that?" An unnerved crew swallowed a gulp. Call them suspicious, they have an uneasy feeling that sphere is following their every move.

"I don't think I want to know." Kriemhild unnervingly looked at the way the sphere seem to follow their every move in a threatening manner like a living eyeball, and the way it hums as if building up power. That just screams: deadly weapon in so many ways. "But… if I have to guess… seeing these kids clearly not messing around… then I suggest we don't make any sudden moves."

The Kagerous brought the ruined ship into and dropped it on the hangar, and then the hangar door was closed shut. Takahi and her Kagerou retinues remained outside, partly for her to continue her training, partly to patrol the module. All present Kagerous aimed their oversized guns at the wreckage. As if that weren't enough, multiple hijacked Unmanned Waffes floated around them and aimed their guns at them.

Seeing all this hostility and excessive firepower aimed at them, the Dorssian crews nervously peeped. "Why do I get the feeling we really aren't welcome here?"

"Because we've been attacking these children one time too many." Kriemhild sighed. "Everyone, we walk out… and keep our hands above our heads."

Moments later, the crew of the Walkit, led by Kriemhild walked out of an opening of the Walkit, their hands raised.

No human to welcome them. Strange.

But then, the floating 'Giant Eye' scanned them with green colored scanner, the newly installed Rune Scanner. Inside the said sphere's cockpit, the screen showed how every person were being scanned, and none of them show indications that they are Magius.

"They're clean." The pilot of the golden sphere announced. "They're all human!" And much to the Dorssians' relief, the eye stopped humming and powered down.

"Well of course we are you damn monsters!" One of the shorter tempered crew roared in anger.

Bad idea. Cued by the hostile response, all the guns were suddenly locked and loaded at them. Kriemhild silenced the rash soldier with a stern glare. And then, seeing the guests are pacified and not a threat, the sphere flew away, leaving the Walkit and its crew alone.

However as soon as that statement was given, human presence filled the hangar. Though none are friendly. In particular, Jior soldiers, all vigilantly bear their guns at them. One Kagerou landed right in front of the Walkit crew.

Haruto descended from his Kagerou and approached the Dorssian soldiers, escorted by two Jior soldiers. There's only one woman among them, and so he quickly surmised as soon as he met the major on eye level: "Major Kriemhild?"

"I am." The dark haired Dorssian soldier nodded.

"Tokishima Haruto of the NJDF." Haruto stated. "You're unarmed?"

"Feel free to check if you like." Kriemhild stated. "Even if we are, you have us outgunned."

After a quick search, nothing was found. "She's clear."

Meanwhile, L-Elf and A-Drei had arrived at the scene, and both, particularly A-Drei, were shocked to see a familiar face. "Major Kriemhild?"

"A-Drei? You're still alive?" Kriemhild gasped, and she seems to be particularly happy about this fact. "We thought you were dead!?"

"Sorry to disappoint." A-Drei frowned.

The female soldier then turned to L-Elf. "And L-Elf…" She says nothing about the traitor soldier beyond a simple frown that wipes away her initial slight show of joy.

"Major Kriemhild, before we start, I'm sorry to say… but can you limit the activity of your men to this hangar and don't leave the perimeter?" Haruto quickly stated. "Nothing personal, but the last people we let in, one of them tried to kill me. Hence many of us are still somewhat intolerant about newcomers… especially Dorssians."

"I understand." She nodded. "But we have many wounded people inside the ship."

"We will send in our medical team. Hang tight." Haruto replied.

"Thank you."

And now that they're done with the pleasantries, A-Drei went straight to the point. "Major, you said you're from earth? What happened after that massacre?"

Kriemhild realized it's going to be a long story. "Can we talk somewhere private?"

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Not long after, Haruto, Shoko, Ryuuji, L-Elf, A-Drei, Pino, and Kriemhild sit together in the meeting room. The Dorssian Major began reiterating her story.

"Ever since New Jior exposed the Magius and then declared war against the Council, there has been uprising and revolt happening everywhere. In Dorssia, the many elements of the army who secretly supported the Imperial family rise up to the surface, and joined with the revolting citizens. Until three weeks ago, Dorssian military forces were completely overwhelmed by these two combined forces. We royalist also make use of it and began open revolution to restore the imperial rule using the unrest. But then… Amadeus started that Dorssia Magius alliance… and suddenly… it turned into genocide."

Kriemhild doesn't need to explain in verbal words for the listeners to get a clear image of the bloodbath that follows. Kirschbaum lining up and opened fire at the protesting civilians armed with only picket signs and standards. The screams of pain, and the pleading for mercy that ensues beneath the roar of merciless guns tearing them all apart.

The audience gave a moment of silence to mourn this act of sheer cruelty.

Kriemhild continues her story. "The revolution was a complete failure. And not just in Dorssia. That massacre killed every head of nation on earth that defied the Council. Leaderless, most if not all those countries fell into a complete state of anarchy in the vacuum of power that followed. The leaderless nations became easy picking for the Council. In a matter of days, 87% of Earth had been taken over, the rest is just… terrorized into submission. Earth is officially under the total rule of the Council and Dorssia, now a puppet nation to the council. And then… about a week ago…"

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A week ago…

"I didn't think that you, of all people will try to kill me." Lieselotte had just finished her soup when Kriemhild appeared with a small group of armed soldiers.

"We don't want to kill you, your highness. We're trying to rescue you." Kriemhild stated. "They're finishing what they started 12 years ago. The purge against the imperial bloodline has begun. Your mother… the queen… and your brothers and sisters have all been…" a mortified Kriemhild couldn't bear to continue.

"…the Emperor?" Lieselotte sighed in understanding as she cleaned her lips, having been waiting for this day to come for years.

"Safe."

"Then you should've left when you had the chance. I'm the least of your worries."

"Your highness-"

"-and where will you take me, Kriemhild?" Lieselotte asked her the same question she asked of Michael a long time ago.

"…I'm thinking one of our hidden outposts or… perhaps… New Jior."

Lieselotte chuckled as she shook her head. "Maybe that's what he (Michael/L-Elf) intended all along." Lieselotte tidy herself up and finally got up off her seat. "Let's go."

Alas, as soon as they walked out of the door of Lieselotte's chamber, the group was welcomed by two men standing menacingly before them. At first Kriemhild didn't realize it. "Don't worry, they're my men."

"No." Lieselotte stopped her. "No they're not. Not anymore."

Somewhere on their body, the Rune symbol glowed brightly on their skin. The two magius smirked as Amadeus suddenly walked in through the door and Kriemhild's retinue gasped in horror.

"You seriously think we'll just gonna let you unwatched, Kriemhild? Former captain of the imperial guard. Cain think he can find some use of you, so we let you off. Not anymore. Stand aside or we will end you."

Kriemhild stood ready before Lieselotte. Lieselotte shook her head. "Mirko. Never take you for a traitor."

Mirko twitched. "Lieselotte, you're condemned and punished by the Queen herself. You're not going anywhere."

"Ah, so you do recognize her as the queen." Lieselotte chuckled. Kriemhild and her soldiers were confused at this conversation, unable to grasp what's really going on.

"The Covenant of the Seven Rainbows is over! This is a new day not just for humanity but for all Magius. And you, and your queen, are in the way!"

Lieselotte let loose a terrible reverberating laugh that was clearly not the voice of humans. "You know… you're right about one thing. The covenant is very much over. I can surmise that much when I saw the new Valvraves Pino had created from human technology. This is a new day. But…" Lieselotte left the protection of the dumbfounded Kriemhild and the imperial soldier as she moved towards a painting of the Dorssian imperial family… the very first. "But this, I promise, Mirko. You, and those traitors of the Council, will not live to see it." She placed her hand on the Roman numeral I beneath the painting and pulled the secret lever disguised as the said number. The painting suddenly slide open to the side, revealing a capsule… with a Scythe carrying a dangling incense emanating black smoke from its seams. Lieselotte smiled. "Good to see you again old friend." She grabbed the scythe and stood ready.

The Magius were shocked to see there's such a convenient secret chamber available. They were even more terrified when they recognized the scythe in her hands. Her infamous badge of office. Mirko could not hide his shock and his face frowned to terrible proportion. "How did you-"

"12 years, Mirko." Lieselotte answered their confusion. "For 12 years, that person, Amadeus, locked me up in here. He knows what I am… but he never knows what I can do. 12 years of ignorance. Do you have any comprehension of how much damage I can do in that time-span?"

"So what!?" Mirko growled. "You got nothing left, Witch. The Queen's Geass are still upon you, you're as weak as human!" Four more Magius in Dorssian human body walked in. "This building is filled to the brim with our men! You will not leave this place alive! We have Kirschbaum and a whole army of immortals waiting for you out there! What do you have?"

"A complaint." Lieselotte suddenly revealed a more mischievous side of her as her answer earned her a bewildered ludicrous look from everyone. "I'd like to lodge in a formal complaint regarding the sanitary of this palace. I know this is supposed to be my prison and all, but… despite your extensive resources you really are a skinflint on cleaning details… this place suffer from a pest infestation-"

Lieselotte grinned as the Magius soldiers marched towards her as she finished:

"-and I fear it's quite an extensive RODENT infestation."

Suddenly, the walls and ceilings crumbled and thousands upon thousands of green rune eyed white rats poured in from every nook and cranny, flooding the said room, drowning the incoming Magius under a white tide of the white rodents. And not just that room. Every corridor, every chamber every nook and cranny were bursting with an overwhelming number of rats. The kitchen's chimney suddenly started spilling rats, the storeroom has been pillaged clean, the armory was overrun with rats, the weapons and armor had been chewed to ruin, the soldier's quarter were swarming with rats, sending many of them to panic and disorder. The worst were the dungeons. The Warden had just escaped a swarm of rats to the safety of his office, only to find that the dungeon is literally an ocean of rodents as big as his arm. Rats, rats, rats, everywhere you look, it's ratsville all aro~ound.

Chaos and panic ensued allover the palace which Lieselotte, the harbinger of the Black Plague in Constantinople, found very familiar. Of course, unlike before, she did not spread a plague or anything, but these rats still serve a purpose. Mirko screamed as he vainly tried to swath the rats swarming allover him. "GET HER! QUICKLY!"

The Magius assassins struggled past the ocean of rats, swatting and stepping upon them to no avail. Lieselotte merely smirked. She stretched out her hand, and suddenly, purple gold rune from a few dozen rats flow out like purple smoke and entered her outstretched hands. Green rune markings appeared allover her body, shining through her clothing and her runes began to seep out, Pino's geass went active as soon as it detected Lieselotte's rune level spiked above the prohibited level. In a second, the Geass will drain her dry again. Then again, she needed only a second. The Grim Witch screeched and swung her scythe, sending a wave of black smoke that literally swatted the approaching assassins like flies they are. They only stopped flying after they went through five layers of brick walls. Only a very frightened Amadeus was left unharmed by sheer luck, though he quickly bolted.

Lieselotte frowned and gently rubbed her scythe as she turned to a very horrified Kriemhild and her men. "Y… Your highness… WHAT on EARTH… are you?"

"I'm something NOT of this Earth. Clearly." Lieselotte smiled sadly. "And I'm the only person who can make sure you survive this. Follow me if you want to live."

The former Captain of the Imperial Guard and her men looked at each other. They finally cocked their weapons, ready to follow wherever the princess will lead and give help whenever needed… though they seriously doubt the latter is necessary.

And they walked past the ocean of rats undisturbed. The same cannot be said to the other Magius soldiers in the said palace. Several Magius attempted to intercept her, but Lieselotte merely repeated what she's done earlier. Pino had cursed her with a geass that will drain and disperse her runes away every time it spiked to a certain level, that's true. But Lieselotte had found a loophole in that curse. The Geass still drain and disperse her runes, but she learnt a trick to redirect that dispersed Runes to be stored into her favorite familiar animal: her pet rats. And she had spent centuries stockpiling Runes throughout her time, particularly in the last 12 years. Now she can momentarily regain her old powers by draining them back from her rats.

She drained the runes from another few dozen rats and she unleashed a wave of purple and gold runes blast that shattered all windows and blast away all the Magius that stands in her way. Of course there are resistances… but… they were completely outmatched. They fired with heavy machine guns, Lieselotte generated a purple wall of hardlight, and the bullet bounced off. And then they brought an artillery cannon, Lieselotte pointed her scythe to the ceiling, and by a brief flash of light and some unseen force, the ceiling cracked and smashed the cannon to rubble.

The worst is when they try to barricade the door from the other side. They tried various methods like literally melting the door into a single molten slag. Lieselotte groaned and swayed her fingers. The rats unleashed their stored runes, they scurry away, and Lieselotte redirect the amassed runes to the sealed door, and with a snap of her finger they exploded with the force of a bag of C4s, smashing the sealed door asunder.

With her at the lead, the royalist are all but unstoppable until they reached the final door leading outside… where Lieselotte stopped.

"Mirko said… they have Kirshcbaum and a whole army waiting for us…" Lieselotte frowned. "I'm betting they were ordered to open fire as soon as we walked out of that door."

Outside, 10 Kirschbaums were flying all over the palace and a whole army of soldiers were waiting with tanks and heavy artillery weapons all pointed at the front door. A dozen Ideal Blume was stationed allover the perimeter. Hundreds of Waffes floated up the sky, and to top it off, two walkits and a carrier stand ready. All this excessive force to deal with one Lieselotte, and still one of the Magius thinks: "I think we need more men. Seriously."

"…what can we do?" Kriemhild frowned.

Lieselotte merely stated. "We call for backup."

"Backup?" Kriemhild looked at Lieselotte incredulously.

Lieselotte took a rat in her hands; she whispered at it and then let it go to scurry into the swarms of thousands of its brothers and sisters. And then, somehow, the rats began to transform into its aerial rodent cousin: Bats.

Suddenly, thousands upon thousands of bats flew out from every window, broken and unbroken, and swarmed the aerial units.

"What the hell is this!?" The Kirschbaum screen was completely blotted by bats. The soldiers below opened fire in panic, but there's just too many and they are everywhere! As if that weren't bad enough, rats burst out of the ground and swarmed the land forces, infantry, tanks and all, going inside everywhere: the cannon barrel, the tank's cpu, the missile launcher guidance system, even the soldier's underclothes. The disciplined soldiers turned into a disorderly panicking band in an instant.

"FIRE! FIRE AT THEM FOR GODSAKES!" The soldiers frantically opened fire to every direction. But the rodent army were just too numerous both in land and air. They finished a clip, took out several dozen, and there are still uncountable hundreds surrounding them.

"Flamethrowers!"

Heavily armored soldiers brought out the flamethrower, and with one burst, the rats scurried away, and many were instantly burnt to death. The Kirschbaum above unleashed proximity aerial mine, the blast instantly dispersed a large portion of the bats, killing many more.

Kriemhild saw this and frowned in worry. "Oh no. They brought the flamethrower and explosives, your rodent army will be undone soon."

"Yes." Lieselotte took a moment to momentarily mourn the deaths of her beloved pets. "All according to plan. Kriemhild, will you be so kind enough to go to the store-room and fetch us some umbrellas?"

When the rats and the bats died, the runes they carry were unleashed into the sky as a purple and gold black smoke. With at least a thousand of them died, huge amount of the said peculiar smoke gathered and coalesce into a massive cloud which quickly disperse, merging with the cloud above… and the sky instantly darken into a menacing purple color… and within moments, a freakishly heavy rain falls upon that entire region. No normal rain was this because each raindrop is sickly purple water drop.

"What is this?" The soldiers looked at the eerie unearthly rain… before they cry, coughed, sneezed repeatedly, laughed uncontrollably, vomit excessively, urinate nonstop coupled with some unnatural ejaculation, and violent uncontrollable defecation all rolled out at the same time.

And while this applies to infantry soldiers who received the rain in full, the fates of those protected inside their mechanized units were much worse. The rain vaporized upon contact with their unit, and the vapor infiltrate the robot's internal system, clogging their joints and circuitry with purplish substance. The pilots were only allowed a momentarily reprieve before the vapor went into their helmet's breathing system. "Oh no-!" the Kirschbaums, the Waffes, and the Ideal Blumes went rigid as the rain consume both the robots and the drivers inside. And then there's something else. All of them were given a new color scheme, with purple runes appearing on their design and their eyes turned purple.

When Lieselotte and Kriemhield as well as her retinues come out with umbrellas opened up, the rain is still going, but all the soldiers were helplessly buried under their bile, laughing and crying uncontrollably as they fell further into their own mire. The entourage walked calmly, more like nervously, amidst the purple rain like walking in a park like they're in no man's land, and not a single shot can be fired at them amidst all this chaos. The Royalists soldiers winced and shelved the thought of humming: 'I'm singing in the rain', when they saw the other soldiers down on all fours crying and laughing at the same time as their bile bursting out of their clothing from every opening. Kriemhild however, gazed warily at the limp but still floating Kirschbaum, Waffes, and the paralyzed Ideal Blume. They still have those Mag Walkits and Carriers to worry about, but Lieselotte have even that under control.

"Keep them busy for a while will you?" So says Lieselotte… to the Kirschbaum, Waffe and Ideal Bloom, who immediately followed her orders without question and redirected their attack at the said space cruisers.

Naturally, the crews of the Walkits and Carrier went into panic as they were unprepared when their own forces turned against them. The sky was in chaos as the two forces trade shots. They were in so much mayhem, Kriemhild and her retinues easily secured a convoy of panzers, while its owner is too busy laughing, crying, and vomiting at the same time.

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Kriemhild's story was momentarily cut off when they heard the sound of shrilly laughter echoing allover the room. Everyone looked around to see who's laughing, but no one was laughing or saying a word. But Haruto and Shoko recognized that laughter. "Pino?"

A computer screen lit up, revealing Pino laughing her brains out loud as she rolled on the cyberspace floor, holding on to her hurting stomach with one, banging the floor with the other. "I'm sorry… it's just… Lieselotte really did all that!?"

"You're… Queen Pinovalkia, right?"

"Not a queen anymore!" Pino replied singsongly. "More than that, please continue your story! It's very interesting! What happened after that?"

Kriemhild blinked in confusion. She momentarily looked at the others questioningly. Others merely gave her a look of understanding, as if telling her that this sort of thing is what to be expected from the whimsical fairy queen. Kriemhild nodded and continued.

"We were passing by the St. Petersburg street on our way to the Star Port when-"

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The convoy of three APC panzers continued across the now empty and ruined street. At the center car, Lieselotte observed all this with sorrow evident in her eyes. She remembered walking through this very street, decades ago in better times, and it was very different. Citizen can actually walk freely in the streets without fear of being arrested or shot at, children laughter once colored the atmosphere, as do people's smiles decorated the city everywhere she looked. How could she let things be like this?

The panzer at the rear suddenly exploded, followed swiftly by the panzer at the front. Their wreckages trapped the center panzer in the middle. Kriemhild gritted her teeth as she and her remaining entourage armed themselves. Lieselotte also frowned as she grasped her scythe tightly.

And then, a Dorssian tank thread in right in front of them, with a second tank also came from behind, followed swiftly by an entire battalion of uninfected soldiers. What's more, having been alarmed of Lieselotte rodent army, at the front are a group of heavily armored soldiers carrying flamethrowers. They're surrounded.

Kriemhild looked at Lieselotte. "Highness… you… wouldn't happen to have any more of that rodent army?"

"It took me centuries to amass that much Runes in rats. I still have some more… but… I can't use it now. I have a feeling we're gonna need it for a more important need in the near future."

"How about now?"

Lieselotte measured her options against her existing Runes. "Hmm… maybe I can try something…"

But before Lieselotte can make her decision, an Armor piercing RPG suddenly punctured the first tank, causing it to explode violently a moment later. The second RPG swiftly destroyed the second tank, followed summarily by a rain of 50 caliber bullets that came out of nowhere, wiping out every Dorssian soldier in vicinity within seconds before they can found cover.

"…" A few seconds later, Lieselotte and Kriemhild dared themselves to peek out of the panzer to see what happened.

That was when an open sports car came into view. A heavy machine gun has been welded onto it, and two sticks of empty but smoking RPG launcher confirmed that the owner of the said car is their rescuer.

Of all things, the owner of the said car was none other than H-Neun. He grinned at Kriemhild. "And the hero came to the rescue! Do I earn a kiss from the damsel in distress or what?"

"H-Neun!" Kriemhild blinked in surprise.

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"H-Neun!?" L-Elf and A-Drei gasped ceremoniously.

A-Drei frowned. "So he's with the Royalist all along?"

"H-Neun is an agent of mine. An undercover agent we planted in order to…" Kriemhild stopped there momentarily and continued. "To spy on the Karstein facility. Searching for elements of Royalist sympathizers in the institute."

A-Drei grew angrier the more Kriemhild reiterated her answer. There's something she didn't tell them.

But then, before he can press the issue: "Now, now, A-Drei!" Pino suddenly interjected. "Let the good lady finish her story first, will you?"

"That's right! It's not too late to ask questions later once the story ended." Shoko supported Pino's opinion.

"Hear, hear!" Pino cheered. "Then! I wanna hear it! Did you gave him a kiss or did you?"

Everyone dumbly looked at the excited former Queen.

L-Elf twitched. This is supposed to be a debriefing. Since when it suddenly turned into some romantic story telling?

Haruto cleared his throat. "Eh-hem. Kriemhild-san, please continue?"

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"So this is the princess eh? Name's H-neun. At your service, your majesty." H-neun elegantly knelt before the Princess and kissed her hand. "And may I say, what an honor-"

Lieselotte smiled nervously and she quickly explained before things escalate any further. "I'm a magius and I'm older than you by a few centuries. Sorry."

H-Neun collapsed on all fours as all of his romantic hero plan went up in smoke with that one comment. "Why…? Oh, fate… cruelty is thy name…" But then, H-Neun quickly blinked. "Umm… wait a minute… Kriemhild-san? You're supposed to rescue the princess… so why is a Magius…?"

"The Princess IS a Magius. I don't understand it either. However, she did make a point that the safety of the royal family is the main priority. For some reason…" Kriemhild's head is all messed up. She didn't even understand what's she's doing anymore. "…so… what now?" She seem to be following Lieselotte's instruction, whether she likes it or not.

"Where's the remaining royal family?"

"All safe and aboard. We're ready to go." H-Neun nodded.

"Right, let's go." Lieselotte sighed at the wrecked state of the panzer. She took a moment to pray for the fallen ones on the other destroyed panzers and then she shouldered her scythe. "The star port shouldn't be too far, shall we continue on foot?"

"No, no we shall not!" H-Neun shook his head and flicked his finger. "The Star Port is under siege! I was lucky to have managed to escape the first time… Besides, how can I let fine ladies such as you to walk on foot? Come! I have a ride ready! Someone, get the weapons from my car! I still got a few more things in store!"

Soon, at Starport… just like what H-Neun had said, the Star Port is besieged. The front door had a few tanks on standby, backed by a whole battalion of Dorssian soldiers at the ready, armed to the teeth.

Against all that, H-Neun's sports car charged straight at the front. The Dorssian soldiers, seeing the speeding civilian car towards them, instinctively opted to simply shoot first, check the corpse later. "FIRE!" The sport's car were instantly obliterated, the canopy that enclosed its once open driver seats were torn apart within seconds, revealing its driver: the car's autopilot system, wired to four crates of semtex explosives. Of course, the shooters don't know that. Not yet…

At least not until the car smashed a tank, and exploded in an excessive pyrotechnic that not only took out everyone, but also attracted attention from everyone. 4 Kirschbaum quickly flocked in to the scene. They checked around the scene of carnage, searching for survivors or what's left of the culprit.

"Car bomb." One of the Kirschbaum pilot commented. "Dumb ass must've vaporized himself along with everyone."

"Who do you think stupid enough to do this?"

"Must be the Royalist remnants. Those crazies are getting desperate."

"What should we do?"

"Ah! If I recall, we were ordered to put the Star Port under lockdown." One of the Kirschbaum pilot commented. "I'll hold the line here, you guys check the other perimeter while waiting for backup. This could be just a diversion, you know?"

"Good point. Keep your eyes peeled, kid. We're leaving this sector to you."

The Kid, H-Neun, grinned. "I'm in the most powerful weapon our empire ever made." Inside the Kirshcbaum cockpit are Kriemhield and Lieselotte, tucked tight next to the main pilot seat, well outside the camera feed. "What could possibly happen?" H-neun smirked.

The three Kirschbaum left his sights, leaving him alone. H-Neun gave a V sign for victory to the two ladies. "Now I'd say that gives us 15 minutes. Let's make it count."

In those precious 15 minutes, a few more panzers, carrying what's left of Kriemhild's soldiers and the precious cargo rode past the ruined gate. They managed to actually get all the way to the hangar, where a Walkit class is on standby. As Kriemhild oversee the evacuation, H-neun watch their backs, that's when he noticed something more important. "Ah! Houston? I just remembered we have a problem. To launch the Walkit, we have to open the mass driver catapult. To open the mass driver catapult, we need to activate it from the command and console right above! And it's biometrically locked by the good master of the port. Problem is…" At that moment, alarm blared allover the port as the sensor detected an unauthorized boarding. "Problem is, I think he now knows what happened."

"And you bring this up now?" Kriemhild groaned.

"Hey, you know me Ma'am. I'm making this up as I go."

"We'll take care of it." Kriemhild turned to one of her men. "You, continue with the evacuation."

"I'll go with you!" Lieselotte stated.

"Princess, you should evacuate with the rest."

"My life is the least of your worries. We have to get the remaining royal family out of here!" Thus how Lieselotte ended all discussion short. The trio made their way to the command center, easily plowing through the armed guards laid before them, thanks in no small part to Lieselotte's prowess. When the door of the command center is slammed open, the Master of the Port held the trio at gunpoint, a problem easily solved by a quick shot by H-neun who quickly disarmed the Port Master.

"You will not leave this place, traitors! You need voice recognition to deactivate the lock on the mass driver and I'll never talk! And even then, the power has been shut down! You'll never get out of here!" The Port Master gloated.

But Lieselotte has the solution. "Don't worry. You will talk." Lieselotte approached the fidgeting Port Master. She grabbed hold of his head, exposing his neck, and then, as she opened her mouth revealing her fangs, she bit deep into him. The Port master gasped and his consciousness faded. His blood cells were branded with the symbol of a Magius. Lieselotte's eyes briefly turned violet as blood trickled from where she bit him.

And then, the initially trashing and screaming port master went limp. And when Lieselotte parted away from him, the Port Master had calmed down considerably, get up from his seat, and nodded once at Lieselotte. The purple glow in his eyes showed he had been possessed. And yet, unlike Haruto or the others, Lieselotte didn't lose consciousness. The man moved calmly, naturally, as if it was the portmaster himself who had changed his mind completely. He moved to the voice recognition sensor and stated. "Authorization: Arsted Dolzov. Code: 19756800342, Mass Driver unlocked." The said Port master turned around to Lieselotte and nodded. Lieselotte revealed her arm and the possessed port master bit her on the said arm. The Magius symbol on his blood cells disappeared, and he fainted once the deed was done.

Outside, the Mass Driver launch track opened up and ready to launch, now there's just the matter of finding enough electricity to start up the launch sequence. Enough electricity to power a city for several months would do.

"And where can we find something like that?" Krimhield groaned.

"Don't worry, I've already started the reactor as soon as we came in. It should only take another five minutes for it to build up power!" To emphasize his point, lamps began to lit up at the upward curving mass driver track. The Walkit had also begun to warm up.

H-Neun grinned in triumph at a sighing Kriemhild and a smiling Lieselotte. Down there, Kriemhild can see the remaining royal families are being escorted into the Walkit…

But all the sudden, a hail of bullets showered Kriemhild's men, instantly killing some of the royalties down below. "Oh no!" She cursed as she readied her rifle. "We don't have five minutes!" On the other side, an army of Dorssian soldiers had caught up with them and now opening fire at her team, who returned fire as well, defending the entrance to the ship with everything they got while some carried an injured royalty member inside the ship.

"Let's go! Come, Princess!" Krimhield motioned Lieselotte to follow her. She looked at H-Neun, but he shook his head. "H-Neun?"

"I'll stay." H-Neun stated with a grim resolve.

"Why?" Kriemhild frowned.

Suddenly, the intercom blared. "Port Master, what happened? What are you doing? Lock the Mass Driver, no one is supposed to use them!" X-Ein's voice came flowing in.

"That's why." H-Neun grinned, recognizing his close friend's distressed voice. "You're gonna need someone inside to keep an eye out anyway." He can't just leave his friends her under the mercy of these aliens.

Kriemhild looked at the blond haired Dorssian. "H-Neun… if they finds out about this…"

"Well, all things considered, you owe me a date, major."

Kriemhild was not amused. "Soldier!"

"Tell them I 'jacked' you." Lieselotte offered some advice.

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In a Dorssian Military Tribunal, H-Neun gave out the false testimony Lieselotte had told him to give out when he's being questioned. "The last thing I remembered was the Princess Lieselotte bit me. Violently. Then I blacked out, and I don't remember anything beyond that. It's a blank spot in my head. A hole."

X-Ein and Q-Vier stand behind H-Neun. X-Ein in particular, looked greatly troubled by this. H-Neun was suspected to have aided the royalist' escape, hence the charge of high treason. All three of them, quite in fact, were put in jail for their failure to prevent the escape. Right now, they were summoned to this hearing to testify on what happened that day.

"And then I woke up, I saw the Port Master on the floor, drowning in his own droll and foam on the carpet, and the two were leaving."

"And you did nothing?" The skeptical Judge pondered suspiciously at the blond haired boy.

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"Shoot me." H-Neun grinned. "Shoot me, anywhere but the head. That way I can lessen the suspicion."

Kriemhild nodded and she shot H-neun twice on a leg.

"YEOOUCH! Hey! What gives?" H-Neun gasped in shock as he held on his bleeding leg.

"You asked me to shoot you anywhere." Kriemhild frowned in confusion.

"That I did." H-Neun grinned. "But I was hoping some form of sentimental moments of hesitation or some kiss of encouragement for the sacrificial hero…"

Kriemhild rolled her eyes. "Just stay alive, soldier."

"Blitzendegen." H-Neun painfully saluted.

"Blitzendegen!"

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"Your honor, she already disarmed me and then she shot me for good measure to make sure I can't follow her, and she also locked the system so that I can't interfere with the launch in any way." H-Neun showed his still injured leg to make his point.

"You could've shot that leg yourself, to make up your own alibi. Why didn't she shoot you in the head?" The Judge sneered while H-Neun merely groaned in pain, but hardly irritated by his current state.

"Your honor, I obviously can't tell you why. Only one person can answer that question, and she is no longer here."

"I find it awfully convenient that you can just easily claim that your whole treasonous action up until that point was not of your own will. That the traitorous princess of our nation is really a Magius in disguise."

"How would I know? How would you know? How would anyone?" H-Neun reiterated, carefully choosing his words. "Lord knows how many more of the Magius are hidden in our own backyard. Who knows what they can really do?"

Unrest erupted in the courtroom. They start looking at each other in suspicion, seeing truth in H-Neun's words. The Judge quickly banged his hammer several times. "Order in the court!" The Judge glared at a smirking H-Neun. "What's your point, H-Neun?'

"No point." H-Neun shook his head. "I'm merely stating my belief that my enemy was clearly out of my league, outmaneuvering me using a wholly new different class of subterfuge and tactics I did not foresee. When I first started, I knew almost nothing of my enemy. Now I know, and I will be prepared next time."

"Considering how things turn out, there may not be a next time for you, H-Neun." The Judge growled. "Now… next we have… Agent Q-Vier and X-Ein to testify. Now, due to certain… peculiar medical condition, Agent Q-Vier's testimony has been rendered irrelevant. Therefore we'll go straight to Agent X-Ein Karstein's testimony."

H-Neun gave a smile of encouragement to a rather nervous X-Ein as he sat down and the bespectacled boy took to the podium.

X-Ein cleared his throat and start his debriefing. "After H-Neun and I parted, I went on standby on the Star Port. Things happening exactly as H-Neun had described. But when I saw how the supposedly locked and inert Mass Driver is powering up, I knew right away that something was wrong."

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"What is this?" X-Ein looked at how the mass driver was opening up, the lamps on its upward curving tracks are turning online one after another. "This is wrong! Port Master, what happened? What are you doing? Lock the Mass Driver; no one is supposed to use them!"

But his question fell on deaf ear and only static replied him. X-Ein grew desperate. 'I thought we've already cut the power line to the Star Port? Where did all this power come from?'

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"Who ordered you to cut the power?"

"I did it myself, your honor. With my own hands." X-Ein explained. "The Main Line was cut… it seems the power came from a backup line, and they use the energy redirected from other systems. Someone hacked the system. We suspected that Dorssian Royalist had men infiltrating the system beforehand."

"Not your friend H-Neun?"

"I don't think so. H-neun has no expertise in computer hacking and electronic warfare. Even if he does, he would not have enough time." X-Ein explained as he understands it.

"So… how do you solve it?"

"I have to take drastic measures, your honor." X-Ein explained. "Earlier before, I posted Q-Vier to guard the manual override to the Star Port Power Plant, I immediately contacted him to do the exact opposite."

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"Q-Vier! DESTROY THE REACTOR! DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY!"

Q-Vier, in his Kirschbaum quirked when he received the order. "YEEAAHAHAHAHA! DESTROY, DESTROY, DESTROOOYY!" Q-Vier deployed an army of Mag-Waffes and fires away, destroying the Power Plant complex.

As the power went down, the Mass Driver also stopped powering up. The Walkit can't launch.

"Oh no. Now what do we do?" Kriemhild and Lieselotte were on the ground, warding off the last of the enemy resistance. But more are pouring in, and the Walkit can no longer launch.

Lieselotte had predicted this will happen. "Kriemhild, remember what I told you. Keep everyone safe!"

Before Kriemhild can stop her, Lieselotte run and stand between Kriemhild's team and the incoming enemy army. As she let loose a series of incantations and lifted her scythe, the dark purple smoke emanated by the scythe suddenly glowed gold and create a wall of fog around her. The last of Lieselotte's rats, still numbering in their significant thousands, sprang up out of nowhere run towards the smoke. Thousands of rats entered the smoke… and then come out as thousands of bats, flying towards the Mass Driver. The bats swarmed and stick themselves on the Mass Driver's supporting base, and from their body, green energy runes flowed out and coursed through the arching launch pad.

The Mass Driver once again thrums with power, power coming from the bats, power enough to, quite in fact, short-circuit the systems of the entire facility. But the fact remains that the Mass Driver is now online, coursing with electricity, all powered up, ready for launch.

"Go!" Lieselotte shrieked as the opposing Dorssian soldiers start to open fire at her. The smoke protected her, but she knew it will not last. "GO! I'll hold them off! GO!"

Kriemhild looked reluctantly at the Princess. "No… this is wrong!" Kriemhild shrieked. "We came here to rescue you! Why are you rescuing us?"

Lieselotte turned around and smiled kindly at her, not caring the many bullets that nearly hit her face. "It's the right thing to do. Because I need you to protect the future." She turned around and face the enemy at her doorstep. She thrust her scythe to the sky, and in a flash of green light, the whole ceiling collapsed in a rain of stones and rubbles at the incoming soldiers. Crushing some of them flat. "NOW GO!"

Kriemhild gritted her teeth and finally nodded. She barked orders to her subordinate, telling them to enter the ship, they're leaving. As soon as Kriemhild is on board the command bridge, the Walkit's boosters lit up and they start moving and picking up speed across the electrified track. Kriemhild knew at this point, nothing can stop them anymore. Now they'll just have to worry about surviving the space blockade outside. Then again, they have the royalist space force waiting up there. Once they cleared this, they'll be okay.

Or at least, so she thinks, at the time. Meanwhile, she kept watch on the Princess defending the launch with everything she's got. The Dorssian and Magius army throw everything they got at her. Anti tank cannon shells, a whole salvo of missiles, a whole army of Waffe drones…

And yet she slapped the cannon shell aside, the missiles exploded harmlessly against her protective shield, and the Waffes were somehow bewildered into shooting their own allies and then each other. Things went worse when they use actual manpower.

Lieselotte grabbed an incoming soldier, bit and suck out his runes to momentarily power herself up before she launched another spell: the whole rubble flipped up right beneath the incoming soldier's feet, throwing them all into the air. She looked back and saw the Walkit is on the last stages of the launch, their successful escape and safety is assured… at the cost of her own safety.

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Kriemhild's story was once again interrupted, this time by L-Elf who, at that point of the story, slammed the table with his fists. "You left her!? YOU LEFT HER BEHIND!?" He could barely prevent himself from jumping up the table and throttle the life out of her.

"I'm sorry." Kriemhild held her temple. "I… I'm still trying to make sense of what I see. That… princess… Princess Lieselotte… we came there… to rescue her. Instead, she rescued us, and she even treated the entire Dorssia-Magius army like they were halfwit children." Kriemhild finally lost her composure of a military commander and snapped. She's been holding it ever since they left earth: the stress of trying to comprehend that such unimaginably powerful being actually exist on this earth. "…She is… singularly… the most powerful thing I've ever seen, and yet… all the Magius we encountered who seem to know her… they all keep saying that she was at her weakest state!?"

L-Elf's and A-Drei's eyes widened in disbelief. A being so powerful that even the normally calm and composed Kriemhild cracked.

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4 Kirschbaum entered the building through the smoke, surrounding her. At that point, with her reserves of Runes is at the very last, Lieselotte was fully convinced that she may not make it. Even if she did… she could not stand the thought of facing her queen again after how far she had failed her.

And then… at this point… at her lowest point… she suddenly remembered a certain silver haired boy. And for a moment… just a moment… she let her personal feelings overcome her commitment to her duty. "…Kriemhild?"

"Highness!" Kriemhild replied on the com.

"…I'm just… saying this… on some off chance if you see… him… again."

"See… see who, Highness?"

Lieselotte smiled shyly at herself.

"Hi-~-ighn-ess?!"

The Walkit continue to pick up speed, and their voices began to break up. Lieselotte realized she needed to hurry. "Tell him… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything… and goodbye. He may never see me again… and don't come looking for me. Tell him to forget me and move on. Tell him I'm dead. Tell him…"

"Te-ell wh~oo, high-ne-ss!?" Kriemhild's voice is breaking up worse than ever. The growing distance between them are to blame.

Lieselotte smiled sadly. "…Goodbye."

And with that, the transmission was cut as the Walkit was finally electromagnetically catapulted into space. Lieselotte smiled in satisfaction as she finally managed to rescue that which matters most. Life.

And then she looked at the bringers of death before her. The Grim Witch grunted as she began gathering all runes she had. Purple energy build up around her. The Kirschbaum pilot realized something's wrong is up in the air, and they began firing at the princess. And yet, a bright purple energy shell form up around her, causing all the energy shots to bounce away from her harmlessly.

Lieselotte lifted her scythe to the sky. "…Goodbye… L-Elf."

And then she brought it down.

Even as the view of the Star Port from the ship's rear camera had stopped shrinking as the Walkit continue to zoom upward, Kriemhild can still see a brief flash of blinding explosion of purple light exactly at the spot where she left Lieselotte even when they're so far up from this distance.

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A week later, Dorssia, present day…

A 50 feet wide charred crater is now marring the Dorssian Military Star port. All that was left from the place where Lieselotte unleashed her final desperation move. The explosion had also collapsed the whole Mass Driver structure.

The Dorssian Military tribunal is currently viewing this picture on the wide screen to show the destructive nature of this incident. All in all, their main star port is in complete ruins, and it may not be operational for some time, thus their capability to send their forces to space are severely reduced.

"Ensign X-Ein… when you ordered Q-Vier to destroy the power plant, do you not know the importance of that star port?"

"I do." X-Ein answered. Without that star port, all Dorssian forces will have some difficulty getting their army into space. To rebuild the facility will take… months… or years.

"Then why did you ordered him to destroy it anyway?"

"Your eminence, the situation was such, at the time we prioritize on capturing back the escaping royalists. By any means necessary."

"And you still fail anyway, and the royalist managed to escape."

"Let me stop you right there, your eminence." Cain suddenly step forward. "The reason X-Ein, H-Neun and Q-Vier had failed to accomplish their goal was because of unforeseen circumstances, the enemy's capabilities are far more than what was known."

The Judge was unfazed. "All in all however, we have no proof of their claims of innocence other than your words."

"That's because the energy surge used by the Magius Princess to repower the Mass Driver had short-circuited all systems and wiped out most of the records… and then she cap it off by blowing up half the port. There's nothing left." Cain added.

"That seems to be awfully convenient."

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"And then?" A-Drei asked. "What happened then? The royalist survivors. What happened to them?"

Kriemhild's face mourned in mortification. "As soon as the ship reached space… we were ambushed. It seems Magius had planted agents even amongst the royalists' ranks. We were caught unprepared… me and my men barely survived." Kriemhild bent down her head. "The other ships that were supposed to escort us were destroyed… and many of my crew were killed… the Emperor…" Kriemhild looked at A-Drei and turn away in shame. "…dead."

A-Drei was visibly shaken by this revelation.

L-Elf laughed bitterly. "…So… Lieselotte died… for nothing?" L-Elf glared at Kriemhild. For the first time in his whole life, L-Elf had lost it. He lost the composure and the well trained cold logic of a perfect soldier. "She sacrificed herself… for what!?" Suddenly, everyone can see an angry human beneath the broken shell. His fist tightened, and he even gnashed his teeth so hard blood trickled out of his lips. His balled fist pressed against the table, itching to do some injury at the Major. "Why… Why must she…" He flew one last bloodshot look at Kriemhild and suddenly, for the first time, Haruto can guess what he's about to do.

He jumped up the table and lunged at Kriemhild. Haruto jumped in just in time and intercept L-Elf. Haruto had recovered his super human strength, and so it was easy for him to stop L-Elf on his tracks. "L-Elf!"

"WHY!? WHY HER!?" L-Elf roared angrily at Kriemhild. "WHY SHOULD SHE DIE!? AND FOR WHAT!?"

"L-ELF! CALM DOWN! L-ELF!" Haruto had no trouble restraining the roaring L-Elf, but he had to be careful as to not hurt him.

Shoko gasped as she looked at this outburst of emotion. She had only seen a glimpse of it once, when they first met during that rather violent confrontation with Haruto… and now she's seeing its entirety in full.

L-Elf continue to struggle, until he finally realized, Haruto's strength won't let him take another step forward. L-Elf glared at Haruto, demanding him to let him go, but Haruto shook his head, saying he won't let go. And still he struggled.

"L-Elf! Stop this! This is disgraceful!" A-Drei stated.

"SHUT UP! THE HELL YOU KNOW! SHE… SHE'S DEAD! SHE…! SHE…!" This is no longer the cold and composed L-Elf, this is a kid being overtaken by emotion. More angry than determined.

A-Drei scoffed and finally moved towards the struggling L-Elf. He grasped the back of his neck, and with a crack, L-Elf saw black and fainted in Haruto's arms.

Haruto looked at A-Drei. "I take it this never happens before?" He put the unconscious L-Elf over his shoulder.

"First time for everything." The one eyed Dorssian shook his head, never expecting this side of his friend.

"Take him to his room." Shoko pleaded. "Let him rest. Let him calm down first."

Haruto and A-Drei looked at the concerned Prime Minister. Both couldn't agree more. "Right." A-Drei nodded.

Haruto fly one last look at Shoko's distressed look and also nodded before he carried L-Elf away.

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In Dorssia…

"This much, I knew." Cain stated. "IF they fail, that would not be because they're disloyal, they're simply outmatched. If they fail, that would be because they are not ready." Cain added. "If they must be punished for being unable to prevent this disaster from happening because they've done all humanly possible… then there's one more person you need to bring to justice."

"Who?"

"…me… and the Fuhrer himself."

"Are you OUT of your MIND!?" The Judge's eyes went wide in shock, and the courtroom went into an unrest, bordering on frenzy.

"If we're talking about convenient, may I ask this: how did Lieselotte managed to literally remodel the palace that was supposed to be her prison into her personal Arsenal warehouse? 12 years! Our soldier had her right under their nose for 12 years! And we knew… nothing."

"Your point, Colonel?"

"I'm repeating, and supporting, what H-Neun said. We are dealing with a very powerful creature… so powerful, it was overwhelming. It literally… redefines what we know of conventional warfare. Dorssia has the strongest military strength in the world… and a single Magius girl just made fool of our army in a day." Cain answered. "And that was just ONE Magius. Imagine a whole army."

"We have a Magius army on our own."

"For how LONG!?" Cain stated. "I think, seeing this is an internal tribunal military court, all that gathered here had this thought running their heads. The same thoughts that ran across my mind, ran across your mind, eminence, and, dare I say it? The mind of our glorious Fuhrer as well: 'We CAN'T trust the Magius."

The court became silent.

"What happened at the Star Port showed them one thing: that even with their technological aid, we are helpless against their species' natural capabilities. Remember that speech? We're being sucked in into their own power play. All this… is just their attempt to wrestle power from their queen. This is their own political play, and we are a disposable cog in their machine. Do you all, seriously, want to be like that?"

Before the Judge can answer, a new voice entered. "My thoughts exactly." It was none other than the Fuhrer himself, Amadeus K. Dorssia.

Everyone hurriedly get off their seats and stand up in respect of the newly arrived leader of their nation.

"It was I who arranged the imprisonment of my… or… should I say… a creature that I thought was my little sister in law. I underestimated her, and now the lives of hundreds of our men and the dignity of our army is tatters. If being outsmarted and overpowered by a vastly superior enemy is indeed a mistake… then I'm here to face my share of judgment for this disaster."

"My Fuhrer… I… wouldn't… dare…"

"Cain. Truly, worthy to be called my right hand man. You understand me so well." Amadeus immediately took charge of the court. "We're not fighting humans anymore. We're fighting fairy tales coming to life. Here and now. But know this. I don't care if where we're going is a place where there be dragons. Fact is, this incident is an obvious act of war from these dragons. That being said, it's not just our army who had been insulted today… our whole nation had been. And we will not respond kindly to this now… would we?"

The crowd agreed in their angry silence.

"Let this incident… be a harsh lesson for us in the coming battle. This is the kind of enemy we are facing. Throwing blame on defeated soldiers when our enemy is stronger than us is just how a loser dog barks." Amadeus turned to the convicted children. "If we are to really do something… then sharpen their fangs so they can BITE back!" He looked meaningfully at Cain.

Cain nodded and step forward. "H-Neun, Q-Vier, X-Ein. All three of you are to return to the Karstein Institute to be retrained in anti Magius counter strategies."

"And I think, not just the Karstein children… but our entire military in general needs to be reassessed. We're fighting immortals, after all."

At this point, everyone was clearly inclined to follow Amadeu's words. Everyone but one person:

H-Neun.

Despite seeing their luck obviously turned, he found something really odd at this. Something he can't quite put in his tongue, and so he decided to stay it for now.

00000000000000

It's been a week now since Kriemhild and her team had been accepted into the New Jior. Everyone is now at least polite, treating them with smiles and at worst, mild neglect. The many Dorssian prisoners and others who had been there before them helped quicken the integration.

The students that has been drilled by A-Drei has… well… having the time of their lives… in a matter of speaking. They've been trained until they puke blood and broke backs. In these three weeks they've survived obstacle course, field striping rifles until blisters forming above their blisters around their fingers, at times they even continue to have workout for 2 days straight with only hours of sleep. In short, they've been taking names and kicking ass.

And still A-Drei considers them Half Baked. Regardless, he would say they won't be as helpless as before, where they would allow Dorssian attack team to easily infiltrate and hold them hostage again and again. At least this time, they can resist back… and proudly died fighting, if the worst are to come.

The Modification to the Valvraves has been largely completed. Now it's only the matter of the pilots getting used to all the new features that has been installed into them. The only problem now, is that Valvrave pilot training had suddenly grounded to a halt when the broken spirited L-Elf had suddenly refused to have anything to do anymore with this new nation he had helped to create. Haruto momentarily take charge of the training program while L-Elf… He's taken to lock himself in his room, he barely eats, he barely rest or sleeps. One of those times Haruto or Shoko (mostly the latter) get in there to deliver him food, he had been writing scribbles allover the room, and they keep adding each day. He's been using his food to smear his writings. They are mostly strategies and tactics, geared towards rescue plan. Sometimes he would be writing the same thing over and over, but he kept modifying them, checking for error or mistakes, wanting everything to be perfect. But ultimately, he would stop because it all amounts to one thing:

"Dead princess no longer need rescuing L-Elf!" At one point, A-Drei was quite fed up with L-Elf's disgraceful state of denial. "Stop acting like this! This is unsightly!" He violently grabbed L-Elf's collar, tearing him from his newest yet obsolete master plan to rescue Lieselotte and looked at him in the eye. "On your feet and get your act together, soldier! We still have a war to win!"

But L-Elf was more dead than alive at this point. His ears could hardly hear what A-Drei was saying. And he just stood there, hanging limp on A-Drei's hand, not caring anymore even if A-Drei bashed his head to the ground till it breaks. A-Drei looked at this living corpse in his hand and could not find the fire that he used to see in L-Elf's eyes. He's… all spent. The realization made him ease his grip and let him scurry back to his maddened scrawling.

A-Drei back away in disgust. He looked at Haruto. "It's useless. That's not L-Elf anymore."

"Give him time, A-Drei-san, for pity's sake." Haruto shrugged. "He just lost the love of his life. He needs time."

"Time we no longer have!" A-Drei retorted. "Earth has been largely taken over, this Sabbath we're having is just the calm before the storm as our enemy gathering its forces for the deep plunge. We need him." He pointed a finger at the grumbling and moaning L-Elf.

"Indeed we do. That's why we'll have to wait. Wait until he recovers. Until that time, you and I have to take his place as the center of our strategies. I'll fight twice as hard, for his sake… for everyone's sake too." Haruto looked at L-elf's downed figure. "It's okay, L-Elf. Take your time. We will wait for you."

That comment made L-Elf's scratching stopped for one moment… but then he continue on and on.

As Haruto walked out with A-Drei, he noticed someone at the corner of the corridor, a familiar brown hair. Haruto sighed and nodded as he walked away with A-Drei, leaving L-Elf's room behind. "How long do you think we have, A-Drei-san? Before the Magius find us and come for us?"

"I don't think they'll come to us." A-Drei murmured. "I think, they'll expect us to come to them."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because they've taken over Earth at this point." A-Drei noted as he sighed to the window opening, showing the black vastness of space. "…even though 70% of humanity lives in Dyson Spheres, Earth is still the center of our civilization. One way or another, we cannot not go back there and try to retake it."

"And why won't we go back there? Earth is our home. Humanity's cradle, so they say."

"My point exactly. You weren't even born on Earth. By your words, you were born in a Dyson Sphere. You're Spaceborn. And yet you're still sentimentally bound to earth. No matter where they were born, humanity needs earth to identify themselves as human." A-Drei stated. "And the Magius knew this, hence, instead of going to you, they all waited for you to come to them. And herein lies the problem." A-Drei turned and looked at Haruto. "All humanity recognizes earth as the seat of the highest power. Whomsoever reigns over earth reigns over the entire humanity. Seeing that right now it's the council… everyone is looking forward to going after their jugular to take Earth in one fell swoop… But…"

"But… they broadcasted that massacre out in the open… everybody suddenly realized they're out of their depth… right?" Haruto frowned. "And seeing that they're outmatched… everyone is using us to test the waters? To see how do we fare against them?"

"So far, the Magius won through sheer overwhelming power: they possess the impenetrable shield of their vastly advanced technology and mastery of runes. But we have you. We have the all piercing spear in form of the Novus Magius, genetic bio weapon created for the sole purpose of defeating the Magius."

"Impenetrable shield vs the all piercing Spear…" Haruto knew that story. "That story didn't end well, did it?"

"That story is a tale of contradiction. But it is a proper analogy given our current situation. You and the Valvraves are the only edge we have against them, truly fire fight fire, but this is a gamble." A-Drei merely shrugged. "If we lose, and that's that. Everyone will submit back to the reign of the Council once again and things will be back to the way it once was, with the exception that the Council will now reigns in the open. But if we win… if you defeat the council then and there… The humans who lived in space outnumber those who lived on Earth, and that represent a significant force of men. Combine that with other suppressed but still disgruntled resistance on earth, by numbers alone, humanity outmatched the Magius' forces by far. If you win, these humans will rise up and easily overwhelm the council… knowing that they can win. But…"

"But…?"

"Say you won. Say you freed humanity from the control of the Magus once and for all. How do you think Humanity will react when this battle is over? That they'll thank you and welcome you back? No. They will treat you like a royalty at first, out of fear, but then they will treat you like a Lab Rat out of envy. They'll want to become like you. Who wouldn't be? Immortal, forever young, forever strong?" A-Drei frowned darkly at Haruto.

"No. That, I won't allow!" Haruto barked. "When this battle is over… I will destroy the Valvraves, destroy all research, so that no one else will suffer the same way that we did."

"It's too late for that Tokishima Haruto. You have exposed the world. You've shown humanity that one of their greatest desires is within their grasp. Even if you destroyed all traces of the VVV project, somewhere, someone will continue and repeat the project." A-Drei shook his head. "And if they can't become you, they will hate you. They will hunt you down. Your powers… may well be the only thing that will keep them at bay."

"A nuclear deterrent." Haruto frowned darkly. "Is that what we are now?"

"As I said before, you're a weapon, Tokishima Ha-"

"No." Haruto suddenly glared disagreeing at A-Drei. "I'm a father. And I have an innocent unborn son and you are telling me that this is the kind of world my child will be born into?" Haruto pointed at the Kagerous undergoing construction on the hangar below through the overlooking window. Weapons of Mass Destruction each and every one of them. But this fearsome arsenal is nothing compared to the ones controlling it. "No. I don't believe it. I refuse to believe… that's all there is."

"Humanity is rarely so kind, Tokishima Haruto. Believe me. I know." A-Drei glared back at Haruto. "Ethnic cleansing, bloodline purging, holocaust… human history is filled with various kinds of vicious example of the brutality that they can do to others who are not like them, and yet they're still one species. We're talking about the fact you're no longer a member of the human race. Humanity will unite, put aside their differences to defeat the greater foe. You."

Haruto blinked. Suddenly, he finally realized where this is going and what A-Drei asked of him. That Dorssian who saved his life before also pretty much asked the same thing. He had forgotten that question but now A-Drei brought it back to his attention… and suddenly, he realized he still haven't come up with an answer. And now he really needed to come up with an answer. The war is right in front of his nose. If he didn't come up with an answer now, he may never gonna give any answer. "You… are the second person who asked this question… albeit in a different manner."

"Excuse me?"

"I know… the question you're implying, A-Drei. You're asking what will I do after this is all over, right?" Haruto nodded and A-Drei narrowed his eyes, confirming it. "The problem is… that question was never just mine to answer. I can't answer that question alone. In time I will answer that question… but now is not the time. In fact, let's put thing to the present first before we venture to the future." Haruto firmed his gaze at A-Drei. "Let's focus on the coming conflict first okay? Talk about the future when we actually had a genuine chance of winning?"

A-Drei nodded, knowing that Haruto dodged the question, but he made a correct and precise point. Before they can even start dreaming of the future, they need to live through the present first. "Yes. Let's."

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Back on earth…

In a secret Dorssian training facility…

H-Neun and X-Ein are resting after finishing their latest training to use the Kirschbaum… which involve them shooting 50 rapidly moving targets under 10 minutes while the Kirschbaum simulator rocked them manically upside down and sideways at such speed, their body was enduring 12 Gs.

Right now, they're watching Q-Vier laughing his brains out while the simulator rocked him allover the place. FYI, despite all that he still managed bullseyes all the way.

"The date of the attack had been finalized." H-Neun stated as he read the report in his screen of his palmtop. "We're to leave to Moon within the week."

X-Ein merely shrugged, but his eyes didn't leave the laptop previewing and evaluating his performance.

"Now that the Mass Driver has been destroyed, how are we going to launch our fleet to space?" H-Neun kept asking, trying to start some conversation with X-Ein.

"We'll use ones we took from the ARUS." X-Ein answered short and then he went back to his laptop again.

"Hmmm." H-Neun moaned. Ever since that trial, X-Ein grew somewhat distant from the team. He seems determined not to take his second chance for granted, and giving it his all, focusing on training, ignoring everything else, even H-Neun.

One could even say, especially H-Neun.

"X-Ein?"

The Bespectacled boy didn't answer, but he listened.

"…come on… talk to me buddy. Are you really that pissed at me that I screwed up that bad?"

"Not really." For the first in a long time, X-Ein finally turned to H-Neun. "These are aliens and monsters. Myths and dragons. Completely unlike anything we've been trained to fight. And you got beat by them because you were clearly unprepared. The question is… have you learned from your mistakes and prepare yourself accordingly the next time you fight them again?"

"I'm working on it, buddy. I'm working on it real hard." Though seriously, H-Neun came up blank with ideas on how to counter aliens that can hijack your body. Though he does have some ideas… he looked at X-Ein again. He's virtually buried on his laptop. "By the way… what exactly are you working on in that laptop?"

"A report on the improved Kirschbaum performance. Colonel Cain asked me to deliver this report to him personally this afternoon."

"Oh? He did?" H-Neun twitched. Knowing X-Ein, that must've been Cain's exact words… and X-Ein intend to follow it down to the letter.

"Yes."

"He did…" 'Personally… heh?'

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Haruto spent hours on some planning on how they're going to invade the obviously Magius occupied Moon later on. Without L-Elf, it's up to him and A-Drei to formulate the plan. Much to his surprise, he managed to come up with an idea that, as A-Drei put it, marked pretty high by his standards. Well, of course there's the fact that Haruto incorporated ideas from the minds and memories of other people he had absorbed, but still… it's a good plan.

And so preparations were quickly made to implement that plan into practice when the time comes. Meanwhile, Haruto had other things he needs to look after. Namely, his future wife to be carrying his child…

"KYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Saki laughed as she banged her fist at the table repeatedly watching a screaming Takahi made a complete fool of herself desperately trying to take control of the rampaging Carmilla.

…who seems had found a taste of playing sadistic tricks on her supposed replacement pilot.

"Wahaahahahahahaha!" And her supposed caretaker, Pino is also laughing, letting her charge play as she pleases.

"Sa~akiiiiii…" Haruto groaned.

"Guki!" Saki and Pino stopped laughing for once. They quickly turned around and let loose an innocent shining smile. "Hone~ey!" Saki gleefully remarked with outstretched arms.

"Honey my foot. What are you doing here instead of the hospital!? And you-!" Haruto glared at a chuckling Pino. "You are ONE LOUSY nanny - considering the fact you volunteered for the job."

"Ahahahahaha…" Pino chortled. "Before you asked, Saki-chan's doing just fine. All signs are consistent to the stages of female pregnancy found in normal human." Pino scratched her head. "The interesting part here is that… I have no idea to tell if your baby will be born a Magius or a human."

"Eh?" Haruto blinked in confusion. "But… his/her parent are Magius. Won't that be a given?"

"Given our history of how long the Magius have been living among you, do you have any idea how many humans had been born by the marriage of human and Magius in disguise over the centuries?" Pino shrugged. "Subtract the number who had become Magius and you'll get zero. Human and Magius DNA don't mix. Kinda like oil and water. It's not a simple matter of putting some strand into this RNA and all that. The two of us are a very distinct species after all." Pino sighed. "Problem is, humans and Magius had a very different reproduction method. Hence, for me, Human reproduction is an unknown territory. Even I don't know how much genes from the parents would be passed on."

"Ideally I would hope the child would grow up normally…" But Haruto knew the universe is rarely so kind. "What do you think will happen?"

"Beats me. Creating new life… is never easy… nor is it simple. I learned that much living with you humans." Pino gently caress Saki's womb. She smiled happily as she sensed this new life growing in her. "Which is why… Rukino Saki… you are so going to hospital right about now, missy. On the double. Come on. You have enough fun already."

"Oh, so now you're on his side?" Saki pouted. But then she gave up, seeing her growing motherly instinct also demanded that she agreed to Pino's and by extension, Haruto's, demands.

"I'll look over the training of Takahi and the new Carmilla. I'll be inside that unit for some time." Pino turned to Haruto. "I've modified 01 so that it can function without me on board. But I suggest you give it a testrun. In preparations of what's to come."

Haruto nodded.

00000000000000

Shasinami Shoko has never been one for elaborate plans. But somehow just for today… she felt she really need to plan this carefully… up to the point she even had to ask Kriemhild and A-Drei for advice, spending her week preparing every detail with Akira as well. Now… all she need is resolve.

That resolve seems to waver when she's now standing right in front of L-Elf's room. She took a deep breath… and she finally steeled it again and opened the door.

There, down on the floor, L-Elf is still busy drowning in his own misery, scratching on the floor, completely ignoring everything. "L-Elf? L-Elf?" She even took precaution as to call him with his proper name. And still he plays deaf. "…hrmmm… not gonna listen to me are you?" L-Elf answered with his continued ignorance. Shoko sighed. "Okay. Know that this is your fault. It really is, you forced me into this." She took the liberty of going in, took something floating in the sky… and placed a live modified claymore bomb in the room before she ran out of it like a bat out of hell.

Seconds later, the whole room exploded, filling it with Sarin gas… and plastered everything inside it with yellow paint.

And L-Elf maybe… L-Elf… but he's still human. And a human's natural response when a paint bomb exploded on his face is to scream angrily as he run out of the devastated room, searching for the one responsible. In his search, someone shot his yellow face with a blue paint bullet. He angrily looked at Shoko, wearing a full Jior army attire, carrying a paint rifle aimed at his head. "Tag. You're it." She chuckled.

"Shashinami Shoko…" He hissed. "I've no time for your games!"

"That's a cryin' shame. Because we will play. Whether you like it or not." Shoko smiled. And to enforce it, she pulled out something that made L-Elf's heart stopped beating for a second.

Lieselotte's photo. He must've left it floating in the air, and Shoko picked it up. "Give it back!" He growled.

"No." Shoko answered as she takes another shot at L-Elf. L-Elf blocked it, but his hand was splattered with a blue paint. "Not unless you play this game with me."

L-Elf roared and charged at Shoko. But before he can reach her, the emergency door fell right in-between them, parting the two. Shoko smirked at L-Elf's maddened growl through the window opening at the door. She giddily pressed buttons on the phone, ignoring L-Elf's muted screams from the other side. Moments later, the intercom blared with Shoko's face.

"Here's the game, Haim-Elf. Your target is to take back this precious photo from me. Problem is… it won't be that easy. I've already shot you twice. And I'll keep trying to splatter some colors at you, through various methods." Shoko smirked. "If you get hit 3 more times… I will toss this photo out of the airlock."

That's it. That's the clincher. L-Elf completely lost all his cool and barked madly like a rabid dog. "SHASHINAMI SHOKO! IF YOU DO THAT I WILL TEAR YOU APART LIMB BY LIMB!"

But L-Elf death threats fell on deaf ear, literally. "…relax. We'll be playing this game in a very limited area. Akira-chan had sealed off certain compartments, assuring you won't be able to spill this potentially bloody conflict to other areas. And don't bother trying to hunt down Akira either to get ahead. We're in the Module, and she is aboard the Potemkin several kilometers above the module… testing the new features of her modified Valvrave… which makes all this possible, see."

True enough…

Akira chuckled nervously as she's standing inside the cockpit of her modified Valvrave, which is sitting nicely inside the hangars of the modified Potemkin… which is floating a healthy distance away from the module down below.

Now, down below…

The game is on.

L-Elf counted at least a dozen ways to horribly torture a certain woman by the name of Shashinami Shoko to a slow and agonizing death. His mind was counting the 14th iteration of Shashinami Shoko's horrible death when his leg tripped a wire trap, and another claymore exploded. Coloring half side of his body blue.

As if getting smeared halfway blue paint was not bad enough… he had to listen to that damn girl's grating gloats roaring allover the intercom. "That's 3 shots, Heil-Elf. Two mo~ore to go!" The fact that a clearly inexperienced girl is outsmarting him like this did wonders to damaging his massive ego.

Normally, L-Elf would calm down, to a certain extent, and start thinking a strategy to get ahead. But… between malnutrition, panic, and anger… well… he's in a position where he is anything but dangerous. Limping, dragging his feet as his eyes fluttered wildly allover the place, L-Elf crept from room to room as quickly as he can, moaning and muttering "Lieselotte…" and "give it back…" among other things.

One turn and he saw Shoko's face looking at him from the distance before she turn tail and run, clumsily so as the sniper rifle weigh her down. The determination to get the photo back somehow gradually summoned some fresh strength to his weakened limbs. L-Elf started to focus, and without further ado, he rushed straight towards Shoko.

Shoko pant and gasp, remembering the plan exactly as A-Drei and Kriemhild had told her. Understanding it is one thing… doing it is another. She knew that L-Elf is right behind her, and given the difference in speed and weight, he would catch with her any second, but she tried not to think about it and continue to run. "FIELD AND TRACK TEAM! BANZAAAII!" She run as fast as her leg can carry her, reaching impressive pace and managed to stay ahead of the crazed L-Elf. She's almost there, and likewise, L-Elf's flailing arm is right at the nape of her neck. Until suddenly Shoko took a leap forward, and L-Elf's feet tripped another wire, a flashbang grenade hit him by the head before exploding full force. Shoko, wearing goggles, was unfazed by the bright flash and fired a round from her sniper rifle. The bullet hit L-Elf's chest and pushed him back, and Akira quickly brought down another gate right inbetween the two players.

The fourth shot landed to his being and the desire to take back the photo of his beloved brought some much needed clarity of mind for L-Elf. And so his mind began formulating a plan.

Some minutes later and Shoko stand her ground. "Akira, give me some status update. Where is he?"

Akira typed furiously as she checked the cams… to her horror, she couldn't find him anywhere within the perimeter. Shoko. Bad. Couldn't find him. He's not in the perimeter.

Shoko remained calm, reading A-Drei's teachings written on the memobook in her hand.

Tricking the cams with fake display of the room is the oldest trick in the book. They take videos of what the camera is seeing, and then you put that on the camera, put the video on a loop. In this scenario, this is how L-Elf would often trick other people, giving the illusion he had left the perimeter. "Akira, move the cameras several times. See which one whose pictures remain the same."

Akira did so… but everything remains the same… nothing changes…

"Motion Sensors? Thermal Sensors?"

Yep. She's prepared for everything just for today.

Akira checked it… and bizarrely… nothing registered on the thermal sensor or motion sensor.

How did he do that?

"Motion sensors you can trick by stop moving and became perfectly still…" Shoko continue to read… "…thermal sensor, you can trick by lowering your body heat…" Either that, Shoko continue to read, or your sensor have been hijacked. Shoko think quickly and then: "Akira, turn on the sprinklers!"

Akira did so in a huff, the sprinklers in every room suddenly sprayed water to the whole room. The water's freezing by the way. "Now check the thermal sensor again. Find which one is malfunctioning."

Akira checked… every thermal sensor in every room indicated the room temperature lowered… every sensor except one… The room right beneath Shoko's feet. Akira gaped, knowing what it meant. "SHOKO-CHAN, RUN!"

Shoko ran just right on time as the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed. Shoko quickly ran as she flanked over shoulder where she saw, as she had expected, an angry L-Elf jumped out of the hole, and now he's hot in pursuit.

L-Elf's focus continues chasing Shoko room to room, and, using the rubbles as ammunition, he began to snipe every camera in his sight. Slowly, bit by bit, Akira began to lose visual, much to her concern for Shoko's fate. However, there's one visual that she still have: Shoko's visor. What she sees is now being displayed on her monitor. That being said, Shoko is now the only eyes and ears she can rely on. But even with that, Akira is still at a loss on what she should do…

At least A-Drei isn't. "Take the right turn and keep that speed up, Shashinami Shoko." A-Drei, also in 06's cockpit with Akira, monitors the progress of this 'Shoko VS L-Elf death-match plan'. Quite frankly, when he first heard the girl's grand plan to awake the beast, in his initial opinion, it sounded like the girl's elaborate attempt on suicide. But… after everything, and with L-Elf remained in his unsightly state of denial for far too long, the fact that A-Drei actually gave this ridiculously coined and even more ridiculously conceived plan a go ahead showed just how desperate he is on regaining back the man L-Elf once was. He had his doubts of how far it would go of course.

Then again, seeing her achievements: scoring three shots and blasting half of L-Elf body blue is quite something for an amateur, A-Drei gained a new dose of hope. Enough that now he gave this plans his full attention. "Keep moving." Seeing the cameras are malfunctioning one after another, he used the blueprint of the area as a guide while he talked to Shoko via comlink. "Don't worry if you lose sight of him, just go to the canteen area."

"Why. Canteen?" Akira asked.

"It's an open area where L-Elf can get a clear shot at Shoko." A-Drei quickly added before Akira can protest. "It is also a trap. The whole room that she had rigged with paint bombs in every corner. Ignited, it will color everyone and everything inside blue… which, in this case, would include L-Elf's oh so precious photo."

"Shoko knows?"

"Of course she did." A-drei nodded. "She asked my advices on how to rig the room herself."

Soon, Shoko arrived at the killbox room. A canteen with a huge window on one side, providing the background view of the dark starry space for the occupants. However, as soon as Shoko arrived at the canteen, she stopped when she smelled something stink by her nose. "What is this… gas!?" Shoko gaped.

A-Drei and Akira balked. "Gas?" The two echoed. They clearly did not see that one coming.

And then Shoko realized, L-Elf had punctured every gas tank for the stoves in the canteen area. The whole place is filled with gas. One spark… and boom. She would've guessed that he had also taken out all of her rigged paint bombs.

"Game over, Shashinami Shoko." L-Elf entered the gas filled room. He quickly locked all doors, overriding remote control, preventing Akira to do anything but watch. He also brought, naturally, an cigarette lighter.

Shoko groaned amidst her pants and gasp for breath having playing this cat and mouse game with the super soldier. "…seriously? That's your game? You're gonna blow us both sky high for a photo?"

"Yes." L-Elf nodded.

"You realized if you light that match… this precious photo of yours will burn as well?"

"I know." L-Elf nodded again. His lifeless eyes were filled with steel cold resolution.

Suddenly, Shoko, and by extension, A-Drei and Akira, realized just how far gone L-Elf had become. This here is a man who had completely lost his will to live. His way of thinking, brilliant as it is, is now anything but sane, as it had been marred into erratic and suicidal tendencies. This makes him dangerous, makes him unpredictable, after a fashion. And no normal thinking people should face this kind of person without some preparation.

Now… there's just the slight problem of the fact that, at times, Shoko's way of thinking is also anything but normal.

A-Drei quickly blared at the com in Shoko's earpiece. "Abort. Shashinami Shoko, abort! L-Elf really has gone insane! Abort! Give him back the photo! You've done enough! We'll try it again some other time."

But Shoko shook her head. She didn't make it this far only to give up now in front of a death threats of a suicidal man. She aimed the gun and fired at L-Elf. "5 shots. You lose, L-Elf."

"Irrelevant." L-Elf gloated. "Give me back the photo, or we'll both burn together."

"Oh yes it is relevant." Shoko unlatched the paint bullet magazine from her sniper rifle and put in a new one. "Remember what I told you I'll do when I've shot you five times?"

And suddenly, she aimed the gun… at the Canteen window overlooking the view of the dark space. And she fired. The first shot cracked the window, giving everyone the shocking revelation that Shoko just placed live rounds into her sniper rifle. A-Drei and Akira could only stare in horror. And once again, L-Elf lost his cool, realizing what she's doing. "Wait…"

Shoko didn't bother listening, she took another shot, and the window cracked even more. One more shot. "You can't be seriously thinking of…" L-Elf gaped, and his feet made ready for a dash.

L-Elf's question was answered by one final shot from Shoko's rifle.

As soon as the last bullet flew out of the barrel, L-Elf had dropped the broken lighter he used to bluff and was already halfway towards Shoko. As soon as the bullet punctured the glass window, finally shattering it, the alarms blared, Shoko's feet had left the ground, and the window shards were sucked out into the void of space, as do everything inside the canteen. Tables, Chairs, Coffee machine were sucked into the air-hole, thrown out into space, and more importantly, the gas and the gas tanks were also sucked out. At the last moment just before Shoko's body were thrown to the point of no return, L-Elf grabbed her hand and hold her tight with one hand, as he hold on to one of the unmoving pillars with the other, anchoring both of them to the ground.

Akira worked like a hacker possessed, and seconds later, the countermeasures to deal with vacuum breach kicked in, and a steel shutter closed the broken window, sealing the vacuum breach shut. No longer sucked out, everything fell on the floor, including a panting Shoko who fell right on top of a panting L-Elf.

And then silence…

Akira and A-Drei looked in disbelief at the event unfolding on the screen. Their pale face showed that at least a few decades had been shaved off their lifespan. Figuratively speaking.

L-Elf was the first to break this silence. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" He shouted. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? TRYING TO KILL YOURSELF!?"

But Shoko's reply to that was a punch to L-Elf's face. "Am I crazy!?" She punched him again. "Am I CRAZY!?" She roared as she punched him again and again. As she did, tears began to trickle on her eyes. "YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON I WANT TO HEAR THAT FROM!"

"Wha…" L-elf gaped. "Wait… did you seriously think I'm going to blow that gas up?"

"You're telling me you're not?" Shoko screeched.

L-Elf twitched. The thought really DID cross his mind. But only an instant. An idea he didn't entertain any further as soon as his discipline and logic took over when his need to finish his mission, reclaiming the photo unblemished, overwhelm all emotion. Thus how the gas plot was just a bluff for his part. However… L-Elf suddenly came to a sudden revelation.

Earlier before… in any point of his life as a soldier, facing various kinds of dangerous death defying situations, he never would have even thought of doing something that suicidal for something so objectively insignificant but sentimental as a photo of a dead person. And suddenly, even if it's just an afterthought, he considers such meaningless death seems to be a bright idea. "I… I…" L-elf's flabbergasted reply was all it took for Shoko to confirm her suspicion.

"YOU STUPID! STUPID! STUPID IDIOT!" And Shoko's back to making a punching bag out of L-Elf's face. However, it seems it did more damage to Shoko's hand than L-Elf's face.

But all these punches are starting to annoy him, and in one fell swoop, L-Elf put a stop to it by catching both of her fists midflight. "Stop." He stated. "That's enough."

Shoko struggled a bit, but she settled to just glared angrily L-Elf.

"In the end, I didn't go through with it-"

"I'M ANGRY AT YOU TO EVEN THINK OF THE POSSIBILITY!" Shoko roared at L-Elf's face.

L-Elf was now more bewildered than angry at this point. "W… Why… do you care?"

"BECAUSE YOU'RE A FRIEND!" Shoko roared again. "And we don't let our friends kill themselves." And Shoko slapped her final anger by shoving Lieselotte's picture to L-Elf's temple. "…for ANY reason!"

At that, Shoko tear herself free from L-Elf and walk away, still fuming. L-Elf on the other hand, looked at Lieselotte's picture in his bosom, not sure what to think.

Suddenly, banging can be heard from the locked door. With each banging, a dent appeared on the door, showing that it was being hit by something inhumanly strong from the other side. The banging continues until the sliding door bent out of its hinges. And then a loud creaking sound squeaked when the door was forcibly opened by Raizo and Haruto… both, clearly, were less than pleased, Haruto was even more so.

Haruto looked at L-Elf and Shoko… he looked at Raizo. "Yamada-senpai… get L-Elf out of here, put him in a brig… or somewhere I don't have to see him for some time… otherwise I might kill him." While Haruto knew this was Shoko's plan, it took every ounce of his self control to restrain himself from tearing L-Elf apart after the ordeal he forced upon Shoko.

Yamada didn't argue and grabbed the bewildered L-Elf and dragged him away from the evidently bloodthirsty Haruto.

Now, there's only Haruto and Shoko in the canteen. Haruto looked at Shoko's armored figure. Completely out of place. The image of Shashinami Shoko he remembered never fit well with a gun in her hand. Haruto slowly approached Shoko, grabbed her by the shoulder and gently turned her around to face him.

When they finally see face to face, Haruto noted that she actually smiled at him. Even winked and stretched a tongue. "Gomen, Haruto." She's trying her damndest to stay calm after all that, and she's apologizing for him? "Can't bring back one of your best friends back."

Haruto closed his eyes. That smile is just too painful to watch. He grabbed the Sniper rifle still hanging in Shoko's shaking hands. "Enough. Let it go. Put down the gun… it doesn't suit you. Not one bit."

"You think so?" She grinned as she tried to pose… but suddenly, the weight of the gear came in full force… and her shaking legs gave in. "Eh?"

Haruto removed the sniper from her possession and throw it away. He helped Shoko, seating herself against the wall. Haruto looked at the camera. "Akira… shut down the camera and the audio will you?"

Akira nodded in understanding and turned everything off. A-Drei shook his head seeing this conclusion. He had predicted this will happen, forgetting the suicidal tidbit, still, he regretted that it was all for naught.

Haruto sit right next to Shoko. "Okay… for now… let's just pretend we really are going out."

"Eh?"

"Let's just pretend I'm your loving boyfriend, and you need a shoulder to cry on and some pair of deaf ears to listen through it all." Haruto casually noted.

All thoughts of maintaining her cheerful façade finally collapsed. Suddenly, the 17 year old girl was reminded of what she just gone through. She was playing cat and mouse game against one of the most powerful super soldier ever produced by Dorssia, ever, and then she nearly getting blown up to bits, and then she was almost spaced as well. Tears welled up as Shoko's smile disappeared. And she does what every girl do after surviving such ordeal. She breaks down in tears. It started choked sobs… and then finally, a full blown weep. Shoko buried her face on her knees, crying her heart out while Haruto just listened patiently.

00000000000000

All was in readiness. All Cain needs now… is a sacrificial pawn. Which is why, he sent for the unquestioningly loyal X-Ein whom he knew, for a fact, worship him. What he need is someone who would not be questioning his every order, no matter how completely out of his, as in Cain's, character. X-Ein was perfect for that purpose. Hence why it was Attlach who ordered to call him in to his mansion, not Cain…

"I'm sorry. Probably it was something that X-Ein ate… he had diarrhea. Serious diarrhea, he spent the whole day in the hospital wing. So he told me to bring this to you in his stead, Cain, Sir."

So when H-Neun showed up in front of him instead… there are some… complications.

For H-Neun's part, he realized spiking X-Ein's meal with a whole strip of laxative was the easiest part of the job. Now he just threw a snowball right into the stoves of hell.

In this case, he's that snowball.

Cain led him to his office. "You realize that I didn't send for you, H-Neun?"

H-Neun chuckled. Of course. Cain will not make a messenger out of some of the deadliest espionage agents in the world if there isn't a special assignment that Cain had in mind. "I understand. Us Karstein are agents not courier boys. But… I think it has something to do with the canteen food that disagrees with him… and… well… there's no way X-Ein would dare to present himself before you when he's covered in vomit."

"No. He certainly wouldn't." Cain shook his head. 'Humans and their stupidly delicate disposition.' "Very well then, you'll do."

"And… what exactly is the mission sir?"

"Nothing fancy, really." Cain shrugged. "I just need a bodyguard to come with me to a banquet."

"Sir?"

"A banquet." Cain repeated in annoyance. "With some members of the Council of 101."

H-Neun's bewildered look switched to horror almost instantly. "I… see… and… you need me there… to escort you?"

"I might just be walking into the jaws of death here. I just need someone I can trust to watch my back. Are you that person, H-Neun?" Cain frowned his one eye at H-Neun.

At this juncture, all traces of fear and doubt vanished from H-Neun's eyes. He saluted readily. "I will follow you to end, Colonel."

Cain noted the determination in H-Neun's eyes and translates it as his willingness to do whatever needs to be done. In some sense, he did not mistranslate that determination. "Very well. Come. They're already waiting downstairs." Cain stood up and quickly make his trip, with H-Neun following behind him. The trip took them to a secret stairs that lead downward into what H-Neun surmised as the centermost part of the mansion.

"How long have they been here sir?"

"Long enough. We're very late, you know that? I've ran out excuses to avoid them." Cain murmured.

They finally arrived at what appears to be a dining hall. The room was filled with some men and woman in hood, sitting around a long and lavish dining table. Only… for a banquet… the table is surprisingly empty. No plates, no dishware, no dining utensils of any kind. Everyone looked at Cain as he walked in… or to be more specific, they all looked at H-Neun with, as he noticed, hungry expressions. And then there's this… cage with glowing bluish thing right inside it.

"Cain, what is the meaning of this?" One of the council members spoke. "This is not what you had promised. I thought I demanded a young intellectual for my new body? Is it the one?"

"No." Cain noted calmly. "My apologies. But it is not." Suddenly, a clicking sound was heard and Cain turned to H-Neun who had just pulled the pin out of a grenade. A fragmentation grenade.

H-Neun tossed the life grenade right at the center of the table. "Dinner is served!"

The grenade exploded, sending shrapnel to every direction, riddling everyone and everything with holes as H-Neun and Cain ducked away beneath the table to avoid the blast. The explosion was also powerful enough to collapse the ceiling, raining rubble and ruin upon the occupants below.

"Well, well… this is not what I was expecting." Cain chuckled as he and H-Neun took cover beneath the table… but then he found H-Neun plastered a gun at the side of his temple. "H-Neun?"

"If X-Eins hears you know… he'll cry." H-Neun glared. "That grenade wasn't meant just for them."

"Hoo…" Cain chuckled. Indeed, he didn't expect H-neun to just throw a grenade out of wazoo. "You noticed?"

"What you're saying to me today is the exact opposite of what Colonel Cain said to us in the past." H-Neun growled. "He always said, whatever you do, never ask a friend to watch your back. Always have the strength to protect both your back and your friend. Asking me to watch your back is something Colonel Cain will never ask of me, or anyone else for that matter."

"Hoo… I see… this man said that once huh… he's wise for a human." Attlach chuckled. "I guess I should've done my research a bit better before I erased his consciousness from existence."

H-neun roared in anger. "YOU BASTARDS!" And he unloaded a couple of shots at the being that was once Cain Dressel. To his surprise, Cain didn't dodge. No, instead, the bullet was stopped midair by a transparent green energy barrier that just appeared around Cain's being. What's more, his one eye whined green, and light green glowing markings that looked like spider web crept out from beneath his eye-patch, covering the right side of his face.

H-Neun's eyes widened. "What… are… you…?"

"Someone you aren't prepared to face, human." Cain smirked sinisterly before he swept his arm, and suddenly a wave of green energy hit H-Neun in full, smashing him through the table, slamming him to the wall, the collision instantly causing him to puke blood. What's more, the energy wave remained in form of spider web, tying and strapping H-Neun to the wall, squeezing him tight. Some of the energy wires even began to slice him up.

"Is this your idea of an entertainment, Lord Attlach?" Amidst the pain, H-Neun can still hear voices. He saw figures rising up from the rubbles of the demolished dining hall. He found, to his horror, that the Magius occupants in the room were practically unscathed and unharmed. All of them were protected by this… spherical energy barrier that prevented them from taking even a single scratch from both the grenade explosion and the rain of rubble. Not one of them was hurt.

"My apologies. It seems one of my collections figured me out." Attlach chuckled sinisterly at one of his collection of future hosts. "H-Neun was always the reckless one. But can be quite perceptive, when he put his mind to it."

"If he's expendable, then get rid of him. He knows too much." Another Council Member groaned.

Attlach smiled as he watched H-Neun grunting as he struggled to break free from his webs. He silently pondered his gains and losses of destroying one of his prized collections. From the very beginning his reason for gathering the Karlstein boys under his wing was so that he could always have a ready supply of new host bodies… one he can easily takeover in case his current one had outlived its usefulness. One in particular, he modeled to be his greatest masterpiece. "Oh well… fine. I can always get another-"

"Wait." Attlach stopped and looked at the speaker. It was Prue inside the cage, protected by a barrier of Rune Hard-light. "I need a body."

Cain's eye widened. "Lord Prue?"

"I've been stuck in this incorporeal form for far too long. I needed a body." Prue repeated.

"My lord, I just don't think H-Neun is a suitable vessel for you." Attlach noted. In fact, it took him quite a while to find a proper body, "Such is the strength of your essence, I fear his body will not be able to transmit your full power-"

"Just the same… I dislike being stuck here in this cage, unable to do anything but sit and wait." Prue growled. He looked at H-Neun's hanging figure, studying him intently. "His will do, if only for a temporary vessel until you gave me a proper one. It's enough if I can move and fight. Besides, I've made do with less, so have you."

Cain's eye widened in amusement. He chuckled as he looked at H-Neun. "Well, congratulations H-Neun. It looks like you've turned calamity to victory. You're about to be the host for the essence of one of the most powerful beings in the universe."

H-Neun grunted and growled, struggling to break free. As he did, Prue sent a pulse of energy that caused a pair of electric cables to burst out of the ruined wall. The stumps of the said cables were covered in light bluish white crystal growths that formed what appear to be fangs, a pair of injectors. Said crystal fangs approached H-Neun's neck from both sides. H-Neun's grunt grew louder and more desperate as the fangs grew closer.

The Magius in the room raised their hands and chanted. "Abandon thy flesh and embrace the new one." And so they repeat it again and again like a mantra.

H-Neun glared angrily at the smirking Cain. Any moment now, and the fangs will sank to his flesh. But H-Neun managed one final show of defiance. He managed to wrest one of his arm free and aimed a gun at Cain. "YOU BASTAAAARDS!"

A few shots were unloaded, but then it abruptly stops as soon as the fangs sank, and H-Neun's scream as his consciousness faded drowned the sound of Magius' chanting around him.

00000000000000

Back in the Module, the preparations for the battle to come is reaching its final stages. There's an increased pace in activity, everyone is scrambling to get their job done as soon as possible. The Valvraves, all upgraded, loaded for war were checked, rechecked, and tri-checked over and over to make sure nothing is wrong when the shooting starts. Everyone is busy, everyone is utterly absorbed in doing what needs to be done…

Hence why Kriemhild was able to sneak away from everyone's attention to attend her own secret meeting. Everyone was too busy to notice her slither into the dark recesses of the severely devastated Walkit Cruiser she used to get into the module. Deep down inside, while most of the systems are completely destroyed, some parts, like its inner sanctum, still functions. Kriemhild pressed her thumb on the DNA scanner, and the door to the chamber was opened. Unlike most of the ship, this inner chamber is untouched and unscathed, owing to the fact it was armored with tougher shielding.

Inside the secret chamber, was a person encircled by a couple of guards. "Kriemhild? Is that you?" An aged and wizened voice sounded from the man at the center.

"I apologize for taking so long." Kriemhild bowed her head down. "These children admirably run a very tight ship. I suppose they've wizened up after their various combat experiences."

"Did you see him? Did you see Sasha?"

"Yes."

"Is he okay?"

"Yes."

"Did he know I'm here?"

"Fact is, no one knows you're here. Only me… Your Majesty." Krimehild bowed before the dethroned Dorssian Emperor.

"Oh, I see… so that's how it is."

Kriemhild and the Emperor's royal guards turned in shock at the source of that voice. To their horror, Pino materialized through the wall and floated giddily before them. The Royal Guards readied their weapons and aimed it at the Alien queen, but Krimehild managed to keep her calm. "Don't shoot!" She shouted. "Don't shoot!" If they shoot, they'll be drawing unwanted attention to themselves. And she… or to be more specific, her charge doesn't need such attention right now. And while her orders didn't cause the gun to go down, it stopped the frightened Dorssian Royalists from firing. Kriemhild looked at the smiling Pino. "Queen Pinovalkia…"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a queen anymore." Pino chortled. But she looked at the elderly man sitting at the center. "So you're the emperor of Dorssia… yes?" Pino courteously bowed in a lady style before the Emperor.

"It is an honor, Lady Pino." The Emperor nodded his head.

Pino looked at Kriemhild's flustered expression. "So you kept his survival a secret from everyone. Were you worried that there are assassins among us?"

"I need to be sure that there will be no undercover assassins among you. So I take my time during the last week ensuring the module is safe."

"I see." Pino nodded.

"How did you know that the Emperor is still alive?"

"I didn't. I came here looking for you, Kriemhild." Pino looked at the Emperor again. "I wasn't expecting that the Emperor is here as well. Why won't you reveal yourself to your son, Emperor?"

Everyone cringed. "I…" The Emperor frowned in resignation. "So… you already… knew… about it?"

Pino nodded. "Akira-chan isn't the only one doing research on Dorssian family line." Pino looked at the royalists again. "He is your son? Right? Alexander W. Dorssia… or as people would know him by his codename these days… you call him Shasha… we call him A-Drei."

Kriemhild and the Emperor's eyes widened in surprise. They don't know who this 'Akira' is, but what Pino just said… they've taken great pains to keep it a secret. "We… prefer as few people as possible to know about that fact, lady Pino."

"Relax." Pino tilted her head. "If anything else, I want that fact a secret as well."

"Oh?" Kriemhild frowned. "Why?"

Pino looked at Kriemhild… looked at the Emperor… and she nodded. "Before I explain… did A-Drei know about his lineage?"

"Yes…?" Kriemhild nodded.

"I see." Pino looked at Kriemhild. "Kriemhild… when Lieselotte rescued you… there's a part you didn't tell anyone. Right?"

"I…" Kriemhild's eyes widened in shock.

"…Kriemhild-san… what did Lieselotte told you… when you two were inside that panzer?"

Kriemhild gasped. But the truth is out in her eyes. Pino was right, there's a part of the story she didn't tell anyone. Not only because she finds it strange… she didn't understand a single bit of it. "I…" She looked at Pino, eying her inquisitively…

"Kriemhild?" The Emperor looked at the royal guard captain questioningly.

Kriemhild finally nodded and took a deep breath. "…on our way to the starport back in Dorssia… I asked a few questions… regarding her… and her nature."

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Inside the Panzer…

Kriemhild eyed at Lieselotte suspiciously… and then she dared herself to ask: "Highness… are you-"

"I'm a Magius." Lieselotte confirmed it with one breath as she rested her head on her hand. "…always have been. For centuries."

Kriemhild gasped. "Then… that body you're using… did you take over that body!?"

Lieselotte smiled sadly. "No. This body had always been mine. I'm different with the other Magius. Unlike them, I never had the need to possess another's body."

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"Yep, that's true." Pino confirmed it. "Lieselotte is the only one of us who never had to switch bodies. She can just change it to suit her needs. Even with her current rune levels, shape-shifting of that level is still possible. That shape she's using right now is her favorite form, back in the day." Pino explained. "Ah, please continue!"

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"That's impossible! How can you be an immortal Magius and a member of the royal family at the same time… you… I don't-" Kriemhild grasped her head in utter confusion.

"You don't have to understand right away, Kriemhild." Lieselotte replied calmly. "Right now, concern yourself with the matter at hand. The Emperor isn't the only person you need to protect."

Kriemhild gasped as Lieselotte turned to look at her. "There's one other, remember?" Lieselotte was referring to A-Drei of course.

"…B… but he's…"

"I'm pretty certain he's still alive. You don't have to worry about me, you protect them both and…"

"And…?"

Lieselotte sighed. "Bring them before my Queen."

"Your Queen?"

"Queen Pinovalkia Acachia Walvravia, the Queen of all Magius. She's in New Jior. Whatever happens, bring those two there, she will understand."

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Kriemhild did not continue nor did she explain this bit back then. Truth be told, she did not understand this part… and so she didn't tell. Until now. Now… where the Queen of the Princess is now standing in front of the Dorssian Emperor. "… I just don't understand that part. But I do know… that telling this bit will reveal who A-Drei is to everyone… so… I kept my lips sealed… at the time."

Truth be told, even the Emperor was confused at this small portion of the story. In fact… if they had been in Kriemhild shoes… they might just as well omit this small episode entirely.

Not so surprisingly enough, only Pino who seem to gain an epiphany in this revelation. She sighed and her eyes gleamed in enlightenment… and… to everyone's confusion… awe and admiration. "I see…" Pino nodded. "I see… oh I get it now… it all makes sense now."

Make sense to her… and her only. As it stands, everyone else is utterly confused out of their wits. Kriemhild, and everyone in that room looked at her in confusion, asking some explanation from the Queen.

"A-Drei once told me about the story of Dorssia's revolution… and then there's this… bit…" Pino shook her head, closing her eyes, laughing in amazement. "Lieselotte… oh my Lieselotte… you're an amazing girl you… hahahaha…"

Kriemhild and the Emperor looked at each other in confusion. And then they turned to Pino again, asking explanation…

Pino noticed the attention and nodded. "Right… I finally understand. The Dorssian revolution. Why Lieselotte is so concerned about the Dorssian Family line… and its slaughter by Amadeus… I finally understand why it happened."

"Excuse me?" Kriemhild and the Emperor blinked in confusion. An Alien Queen understands more about a Dorssian revolution than its rulers?

"It was never about simple human power play." Pino nodded. "It's something much deeper than that."

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Meanwhile… unknown to everyone…

Black purple smoke seep out subtly from every opening of the ruined Walkit… unnoticeably, it flowed on the ground… turning towards the Valvrave…

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At that exact same time…

Right at the crater of the Dorssian Starport… on the spot where Lieselotte made her last stand…

The ground cracked from inside…

And a hand wielding a scythe burst out.

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Next chapter… the long awaited mecha combat scene…