Unmei Force Solitary Legends: Eternal Embers

by Xovercreator

The day of Cordelia's coronation as Archduchess has finally come upon, although it has sparked a new conflict in Gallia. The same team that saved Gallia once, returns to come to its aid once more, this time as instructors of Lanseal Academy, with several additions as students. Read on to see how the Gallian civil war unfolds...

13. Final Chapter

Unmei Force Solitary Legends: Eternal Embers

Final Chapter: The End of the Bloody Civil War

---

In the classroom...

Isara, Elma and Corrin was talking amongst each other, as they heard the good news about the general situation in Gallia, deciding to bunch their seats on Elma's table.

"Gallia is finally turning the tides against the rebels..." Corrin remarked first, as she seemed to be in a pleasant mood, considering how the war is turning to the favour of the Lanseal students and the Gallian loyalists. "We've blunted their desperate advances against the south region of the country, so much that what morale they acquired from capturing Randgriz has long been depleted. At this rate, the rebels would be likely to lose will to follow their cause, and surrender easily, all expect the most fanatical of them, who would rather die than turn their back to the rebel cause. Either way, the war's coming to a close, I can feel it in the air, metaphorically speaking.

"I hope that all of this ends soon as well, Corrin." Elma nodded back, as although she is quite pleased by the news, she was still concerned about the war itself, and particularly the causalities racking up for both sides."This kind of war shouldn't be dragged out... It should be ended quickly, so that less lives are lost for both sides... I don't agree with the enemy, but I understand that they're just fighting what they're believing in..."

"It doesn't matter at this point. The rebels have already crossed a line with all the atrocities they have done." Isara responded back with a solemn expression on her face. "At this rate, the rebels would be fortunate to receive a jail sentence that could last for almost their entire lives... It's just how it is, either that, or they'll be executed by the less pleasant members of the military."

Elma was silent, as she considering that possibility, although all it did was bring her gloom, as she sighed sadly. Suddenly, Avan burst in the classroom, as he seemed to be quite jolly.

"Yo! Morning, guys!" Avan greeted the class, as there was a smile on his lips, before he then walked over to where the trio was, as well as Zeri and Cosette, who decided to sit together. "How are you all doing?"

"Have you heard? Lanseal restored communications with the royal guard." Zeri told Avan, turning to him. "The counteroffensive at Randgriz has begun. Both them and Polar Star are fighting back."

"It's the final showdown. Hopefully, this means the war is almost over." Cosette added, as there was a hopeful tone. "After this, Gallia will return to peace once more."

"Yeah, totally." Avan agreed, nodding his head, and taking a seat with Zeri and Cosette. "I wonder what will lie in wait against us in that decisive battle... I bet that they're going to throw the entirety of the artificial valkyrias, what remains of them, right at us. It's going to be as hard as our fight defending Lanseal. But we're much stronger and more skilled than before, and we got Instructor Rain and Aliasse using their full power to fight against them. We'll win this for sure."

Suddenly, Brixham entered the classroom, as he took his place behind his desk, as he then cleared his throat a few times, preparing to make an announcement.

"Greetings, class. Good that you're all here." Brixham told the entire class, whose attention was solely on him.

"Has something happened, Professor?" Zeri asked Brixham with a curious tone.

"Orders have just come in from headquarters. Operation Alabaster Gale, the combined force's move to retake the capital, succeeded, with great effect thanks to the support of Polar Star. They have won a decisive advantage, and victory is now a matter of time." Brixham declared with a hopeful tone.

"That's awesome!" Cosette exclaimed with joy at the fact that the capital was returned to its rightful owners.

" It's a bit early for celebration yet. I'll get straight to the point." Brixham harshly stated the next words, as if to scold Cosette, who deflated with a slight frown. "In light of this reversal, the rebels are moving to shift southwards. The bulk of their forces have already pulled back. Since we've solidified our presence in most of southern Gallia, the word about how they've hunkered down in the harbor city of Anthold, is most likely to be true. We've been given word that all squads are to strike Anthold immediately. Class G-7 has been anointed as the squad to spear-head the city assault, due to out exemplary performance against the rebels throughout the year. Gather in the briefing room as soon as you're prepared to sortie."

Brixham then left the room, as the entire class was in uproar, hearing the news, as they were mostly riled up by the fact that the war is tilting to their favour and that the rebels are at the brink of being eradicated completely. Avan then turned back to Zeri, before he then took a deep breath.

"So I guess this is it." Avan remarked softly. "Everything that we have been through... It's all come down to this. We win this fight, and the rebels are as good as done for."

"I wouldn't be so relaxed about the entire situation." Zeri warned Avan, with a slight scowl and narrowed eyes. "This won't be a simple battle... We've faced rebels before, but we haven't faced a rebel force as large as the one that we're about to fight. We'll need to put our all into it, or we might get killed. This is a serious battle that we're going to be standing in the midst of. If the rebels have any remaining trump cards, they'll certainly play it against us. After all, out of all the squads here, we're the most effective, and thus their most dangerous enemy."

"I know, but you don't need to say it. I know how important this last fight is. I'm going to do my brother proud, by finishing this war on this battle, with a crushing victory against them." Avan declared with determination, pumping a fist up.

Back with the trio of Corrin, Isara and Elma, they were silent for a moment, letting the news sink in, before then turning to each other, in order to speak their opinion about it.

"So... I was quite correct when I predicted the end of the war was fast-approaching." Corrin responded back with a slightly sly smirk on her lips. "Still... I wonder about something that has been left unresolved. Since its our last fight, it would be wise to tie up any loose ends."

"I have none." Isara responded back firmly, shaking her head. "With the fact that Mischlitt is turning for the better, there is nothing else that I need to do. I even helped to outfit the Granoro with the best possible gear for this final mission, with some extra components, just in case for certain situations.

"Neither do I." Elma answered back, as she smiled gently with warmth in her eyes. "With the fact that Raymond finally got the recognition he deserved, and that Sofia was also becoming a lot more nicer and much less deceiving than she was before... I think that I've done everything I could do here, all except for supporting the final battle to the last moment. I want to be one of the people who ends this war, to save countless lives..."

"I'm glad that the both of you found it to be easy." Corrin chuckled lightly, before she then lowered her head with a disappointed sigh. "I do have a loose end, although I don't know how I'm going to approach it. You see... Morris Lling, one of my fellow class-mates in the same role as me... He has love to confess with Coleen. I worry that we'll be called to the front before he manages to make his confession, and that would be quite regretful to have."

"Then not to worry, because I was thinking of the same thing." Marisa's smug voice could be heard behind Corrin, as Corrin whipped herself around to see Marisa standing over them with a smirk on her face, which surprised Corrin momentarily.

"Mari... What are you doing here?" Corrin asked back. "What do you mean that you were thinking of the same thing."

"I suppose that you didn't know that love between Morris and Coleen was actually two-way. Actually, I didn't realise it, until you told me that her feelings were returned by him." Marisa chuckled. "Should have guessed that it was obvious, since I had suspicions when I saw that you and Morris were covered with sand as much as Coleen and I was. It's funny that we didn't realise we were looking for the same thing, for similar purposes."

"I see... That's good to hear, now that we know the story from both sides..." Corrin smiled back, as knowing Marisa's info allowed her to make a plan to bring the two timid lovers together. "...We can use that to bring them together."

"Already on it." Marisa responded back. "Here's how we'll do it: Each of us invites our own contacts to the courtyard fountain, so that they'll meet each other face-to-face. Oh, and make sure that they bring their own moon-glow flowers, so that it proves that they're looking for each other's love. If the situation goes awry in any way, we'll have Remi checking on the situation, with a sniper scope, not the rifle of course. If push comes to shove, we'll do that. After all, girl needs his boy, and the boy needs her girl. Ain't that sweet?"

"I could agree on that, they're just simply unaware of each other's feelings... I hope to change that." Corrin answered back with a gentle nod, before she then stood up. "Alright, let's find a place to start writing these letters."

Corrin and Marisa then left the room, as Elma and Isara were left wondering what was the context behind the matter that the other two were discussing, before deciding not to pursue it further, as Elma and Isara changed their topic to a more casual one.

---

A few hours later, at the courtyard fountain...

Morris was called over by Corrin with a letter, stating that she needs to meet him regarding the matter about his love with Coleen, and asked him to bring his moonglow with him. He was curious about why Corrin made such a sudden appointment, although if it was to help him, he trusted Corrin's word on the matter, as he slowly made his way to the fountain.

On the other end of the campus, Coleen was heading to the same place, as Marisa told her that she needed to talk to her by the fountains, also asking for her to bring her own moonglow flower with her, as she was slightly more suspicious, as she felt that Marisa wasn't the kind of person to prank her, or have a private chat with her.

The two ignorant lovers made their way to the fountain, as they didn't see each other yet, until they were on the opposite end of the fountain, being quite close to each other, yet still unaware of the other. Morris then looked around, and sighed deeply, unable to find Corrin, taking a seat on the edge of the fountain.

"Karin told me to meet me here... Could it be that she is a little late...?" Morris remarked to himself, as his voice caught Coleen's attention, as she froze up, upon realising that her boyfriend was so close to her, as she almost stumbled on her feet, and over the edge of the fountain, which could have embarrassed her before him.

Knowing that Morris was right there, she mustered all the courage she had, before then walking around the fountain, and facing Morris.

"Morris! I have something to tell you-" Coleen stated, before Morris then turned around, and unlike the female lancer, he was quite shocked, as he let out a mighty cry of surprise, jumping into the air, and stumbling backwards, as he was about to fall into the fountain.

However, with her trained reflexes, Coleen quickly caught her boy-friend, before his hair could even touch the surface of the water, as Morris was left unable to act, too stunned to even speak. She then hefted him up with a gentle 'Oop!', allowing the dark-haired armoured tech to sit back in his original position. She gave Morris some time to recover from the shock in his mind, which he did.

"C-Coleen... H-How nice it is to s-see you here." Morris stuttered strongly, as a large blush appeared around his cheeks, while he timidly looked away with a awkward chuckle. "I-I'm sure that y-you're not here for me right...? I-I'll just-"

"Stay, please, Morris." Coleen answered back firmly, with a gentle expression on her face, which surprised Morris yet again, as he faced her with wide-open eyes. She then took a moment to compose her mind and her words, as a gentle blush appeared around her cheek. "I... I want to confess my love to you."

"Me...? Confess your love... to me?" Morris mouthed, as he then pointed to himself slowly, then to Coleen, before back to himself, all with a flustered tone."

"That's right. You're my little prince." Coleen responded back, as she let herself have a wide adoring on her face, as her blush grew brighter in response. "And I've been waiting so long to confess to you. I'm sorry that I didn't have the courage to confess to you earlier, but now that I have something with me to prove my love... I feel much more braver to face you and tell you how I truly feel."

She then produced her moonglow flower, as Morris looked down, before his jaw fell open in shock. "A-A... A moonglow...!?" He stammered with pure shock.

"That's right. Instructor Mari helped me to find some back in that mission to support Class C-12." Coleen responded back. "It took me a lot of time and effort to find a single stalk of it, but finding it was the happiest thing that I felt, because now I can show you that I love you so very much. Morris, I want to ask you honestly... Would you accept this simple gift of mine, as well as my feelings stored within it..."

Morris was silent for a moment, before he was so overwhelmed by emotion that he suddenly wept, sobbing softly, as he tried to stop his tears from flowing with his hands, which would make him look bad before Coleen. Coleen herself, was shocked at Morris's reaction, as she believed that she might have hurt him in some way.

"Morris... Are you alright!?" Coleen asked frantically with panicked concern in her voice. "If you're not ready to do this now, then we can talk about this la-"

"No, I'm not crying because I'm not ready..." Morris answered back through sniffles, as he managed to calm himself down enough, before he then gave off a wide smile. "I'm just so glad... I'm just so utterly glad that I would never be accepted by you... I... I never let the thought that you loved me back so very much, ever cross my mind... I'm just so pathetic, being afraid of something that never existed... But... But I'm much better than I was before, Coleen... And I have something to give to you as well..."

Morris then pulled out his stalk of moonglow, as it was now Coleen's turn to be shocked with her jaw dropped. "...I was also going out, looking for the moonglow as well, Cosette told me about it, and it was Karin who convinced me to keep looking for it. I was glad that I didn't give up, because I would have nothing to return the favour with, if I did..." Morris answered back with a gentle and caring tone. "I wasn't ready to confess yet... But hearing that you've confessed your feelings to me... I now feel like I can do the same with all of my heart, without any regrets for what may come. Coleen... I gratefully accept your feelings for me, and I will cherish it so preciously inside my heart... All I ask is that you would do the same for me... That a brilliant girl like you would accept a wimpy and shrimp-like boy like me..."

"Oh, Morris..." Coleen spoke with great adoration in her voice, before she then pressed both of her hands against Morris's cheeks, as the armoured tech boy blushed even harder with a loud gasp, as she pressed her face closer towards Morris's own. "You might not be very strong, you might not be as upbeat as me... But you're the kindest and most generous person I have met, and you also work so hard to be the best for everyone, especially me... You don't need to be anyone else... You're just perfect for me as you are..."

Morris opened his mouth to say something, before Coleen then leaned forward and embraced him with a long-lasting kiss of affection, as Morris was stunned completely, as his entire face turned steaming red, while Coleen held the kiss firmly for a few moments, before releasing with a sweet popping sound, as her face was just as red as Morris himself.

"Once this war is over... I want to know you so much..." Coleen answered back, before she then crossed her hands over her heart, with a swooning expression on her face. "I can see a bright future, with you and I, as husband and wife in complete martial bliss."

Morris was left stunned by the kiss, before his mind mercifully shut itself down, bringing him to complete unconsciousness, his heart unable to withstand such a wild display of affection from Coleen, with the kiss so daring and intrusive against his poor timid heart. Coleen realised this, as she gasped in horror, when Morris's eyes were rolled over, and his head was lolled to the side.

"Oh gods, I went way too far!" Coleen gasped in pure fear, before she then grabbed Morris in a bridal-carry in a hurry. "I need to get him to the nurse's office, ASAP!"

As Coleen rushed through the courtyard, Corrin and Marisa rose out of the bushes, as they decided to move closer to observe the situation more clearly, while Marisa was smirking triumphantly, with a pumped fist, while Corrin looked simply glad at the fact that the two love-interests confessed their feelings to each other.

"She shoots, and she scores." Marisa declared with a victorious tone, bringing her fist down with a whispered 'Yes!'.

"I'm sure that this first step will be the most memorable one... At least for the beginning of their life as boyfriend and girlfriend." Corrin remarked, before turning to Marisa. "Oh, and Mari, you sure that this won't catch the attention and ire of Rain...? After all, he did give the class a warning against overly fraternising with each other."

"Ah, what's a little love here to him? He won't even know about it, so long as you don't blab to him." Marisa casually responded back, waving a hand around. "Besides, I can tell the pay-off for this love is going to be AFTER all of this is done. Not right at the end of the war, like a certain couple we know. Anyway, time to head back, our job's done, with great success."

Corrin nodded, before the two of them decided to leave the courtyard.

---

In the briefing room...

Richard then waited around in the briefing room, as he was waiting for a certain few individuals to arrive inside the room, although it had been long past the expected meeting time, making him slightly impatient, as he paced around the room.

"...Surely they should be coming, right...?" Richard remarked to himself, as he turned on his feet, and walked around the rows of seats placed in the back of the room, past the meeting table. "I mean, Aliasse should be able to come, Juliana promised to meet up with the others, since she's discharged from medical care, and-"

Suddenly, the door to the briefing room clicked open, as Alicia was in her casual outfit, and looking towards Richard. Richard himself was quite happy that Alicia arrived as intended.

"Ah, Alicia. Glad to see that you've finally come with me." Richard answered back, before gesturing to one of the seats by the large table. "Take a seat, the others should be coming soon."

"I hope that you've got a plan for what might happen at Anthold." Alicia responded back, before she then complied, taking her seat at one side of the table.

Soon enough, Aliasse was the next to come in, as she hopped around the room with a blissful expression.

"Mr Rain, Mr Rain! I'm here!" Aliasse called out, as Alicia turned to her with a raised eye-brow and a puzzled expression, while Richard turned to her. "What did you want to talk about?"

"We'll talk about it when everyone's here." Richard answered back, before pulling out a seat opposite to Alicia's side. "Here, take a seat here, the last person that we should be waiting for, will be coming soon."

Aliasse didn't need any prompt to rush over to the seat, as she leapt onto it, smushing her bottom against it, before spreading her legs and arms out with a gentle groaning sound, as if she was stretching her limbs. After finishing, she then sat upright, as if she was trained to do so.

"Aliasse... Why did you bring her here?" Alicia questioned Richard. "I know that she's going to be participating in the mission, but why just me and her-"

"Not just you two, there's one more." Richard interrupted Alicia with a raised finger to silence her, before Juliana strode through the door, back in her summer uniform, and looking far more healthier than before. "And she's here..."

"I'm here as you requested, Instructor Rain." Juliana humbly greeted Richard with a gentle nod. "Where do you like me to sit?"

"On the front end of the table, between the other two." Richard answered back, before he then took his seat opposite of where he intended Juliana to sit at. "I'll take a seat at the back-end, and we can start this meeting quickly."

Juliana nodded, as Alicia's eyes traced Juliana while she took her seat quickly, before she then turned to Richard with a serious expression.

"Rain, why did you bring Juliana here? She just recovered from her injuries, both internal and external from transforming into a artificial valkyria." Alicia asked Richard. "What does she have to do with the battle ahead? She can't be allowed to fight at all."

"You're wrong, and I'll explain why soon enough. Either way, time to get this meeting started." Richard responded back, before he then placed his arms on the table, hand clasped together with thumbs pressed together. "I'm glad that you all came here, it would help to get you all here and explain the situation at hand. I've told you in my letters that we need to discuss about the upcoming battle of Anthold, am I correct?"

The other three nodded, although Alicia was more hesitant with it, suspicious about Richard's motives, while Richard then nodded gently in response.

"Good, then I suppose that I should elaborate on that." Richard responded back, before then closing his eyes, as if he mentally prepared himself for what he was going to suggest. "For the final battle... I need all of your help."

"All of our help?" Alicia asked back, as she was curious about the underlying meanings of Richard's words. "Aliasse is a member of your class, and you would definitely have her fighting alongside you. Even I'm going to fight against the rebels at the harbour... But that doesn't account for Juliana. What is her purpose in all of this."

"I don't have time to play games, and I know better to hide things from you." Richard answered back, before he then leaned forward with a serious look in his eyes. "I don't ask for help as in just fighting... I ask for your help, as Valkyrias, both true-blooded and artificial."

"Valkyrias...? True-blooded and artificial..." Alicia repeated, before she then realised the implication of those words, staring at Juliana with open eyes. "Wait, you don't mean-"

"That's right. We're going to be a special unit of our own, to combat the artificial valkyrias that are certain to appear on the battlefield." Richard responded back. "It's only right for valkyrias to fight against artificial valkyrias, who are on the same level of the playing field as we are, however little power that have, which is balanced by their numbers. And Juliana is joining the fight."

"Rain, you can't be serious!" Alicia shouted with outrage, slamming both of her hands against the table. "Juliana barely survived using her power once! What gives you the right to abuse it, even if its for good intentions!? Are you saying that her life is worth the end of the war!?"

"Calm down, Alicia... I knew that you would say that sooner or later." Richard responded back with a stoic tone, as he leaned back and crossed his arms. "However, I will tell you three things. First of all, don't think that I like what I'm doing, or that I have a choice on the matter, and I choose the questionable option. But this isn't a game, sacrifices have to be made. We need our full power to deal with this, and since Juliana is the only functioning artificial valkyria on our side... If we're going to maximise our chances of victory, we need all the help we can get. Second of all, I noted what forced Juliana to a state of near-death. The loss of her shield. As you know, with Maximilian, the shield is also a source of her power, as well a conduit for it. Obviously, by losing it, she had far less control on her power than she intended, which damaged her body further. I've made extra sure that her replacement shield will be much more durable and sturdier against the enemy attacks, to ensure this incident doesn't occur again. And last of all, I wasn't the one who forced her hand. I told her that I needed her help, and she had all the right to refuse after everything she went through, but she didn't. Instead, she boldly declared that she would fight with her power with everything she had."

"The instructor tells the truth." Juliana added, as Alicia turned to her. "I know the risks of using that implanted power, but the fact that I stood by and did nothing to help my fellow students and my nation shames me so greatly that I would rather die fighting as artificial valkyria than spend my life carrying this deep regret. I assure you, with everything that Rain and Sally have done to ensure that my activation will not be as painful and damaging as the first time, I will be a proper asset to the battle."

"So you have it." Richard gestured, before he then sighed deeply. "Honestly, I know that we all don't like what we're going to do, but you don't win a war by taking the easy way out for most battles and situations. You use those risks to gain a proper advantage, and defend that advantage at all costs, for it may be the difference between victory and defeat in the battle, even the war if important enough."

"I... I understand. I'll have to spend some time trying to stomach this fact, but I won't argue on it any further..." Alicia responded back with some hesitation in her voice, before she then stood up, and turned to Juliana. "Juliana... Just please, don't let yourself die. You deserve a good life for what you have done."

"I assure you, Mrs Melchiott... I will fight with my all to protect that life of mine." Juliana answered back, before Alicia left the room, as Juliana then made herself the next to leave the room silently, as she gave Richard a gentle bow of her head as she made her exit.

There was only Aliasse and Richard inside the room, as the two of them looked at each other.

"Mr Rain... Is letting Juliana fight really that bad? Is that why Mrs Alicia didn't like it...?" Aliasse asked back.

"It is bad, but it's necessary. Like the fact that you have to use your power to defeat those other artificial valkyria. You can't just protect in that battle... You need to fight and destroy them, even though you might hate it, after everything we went through to teach you the meaning of life." Richard replied back.

"Don't worry, I won't hesitate... If I beat those artificial valkyria... They can't hurt everyone, right? That's all I need to know." Aliasse stated, before she then smiled. "Once this is all over... I want to see if I can be with any of the friends I made here..."

"Of course, you're free to go once this war ends." Richard smiled back, before he then stood up, and guided Aliasse out of the room.

---

At the harbour near Anthold...

Avan and his team managed to reach the centre of the harbour city, as they managed to clear the way through several rebel squads, which didn't inconvenience them the slightest at all, since the combined power of the entire class together was more than enough to cut through the enemy lines, as they struck deep down into the centre of the city, while the rest of the Lanseal classes fought against the rebels at many different fronts. Noticeably absent from the gathered class, was Richard himself, while the rest of the class was looking around the area for any paths that the rebels had retreated down across.

"This is the only harbour in Anthold, right?" Zeri asked Isara, who had her shield and war-pick at the ready, as if expecting an enemy ambush.

"Something doesn't seem right about all of this..." Isara answered back with concern in her voice. "The rebels' defence lines couldn't possibly be this weak, especially when losing this battle means the systematic eradication of their faction. They must have something planned... We need to find it out quickly.

"Gotta agree with Isara here." Avan nodded in agreement. "I wonder if something's changed around here. There ain't enough of them to handle all of our class together. What's more is that Rain's gone somewhere... I wonder what's he trying to do."

Suddenly, Remi noticed something far in the distance, as the object caught her interest. When she used her sniper scope to get a closer look at it, she was shocked to find out that said object was a large battleship docked against one of the city docks, as the emblem of the rebels was on it.

"Avan! There's something over this way...!" Remi warned the class chair. "It's a battleship, and a very large one at that!"

"What...!? Intel never mentioned any battleship!" Zeri exclaimed in surprise.

"Well, we ain't going to sit on our asses about it." Mari cursed, before rushing towards the direction of the battleship. "Let's get over there and assess the situation!"

They soon managed to get closer, as they could see the entire length of the battleship, which was almost as long as the dock that it was docked upon. There were several different armanents on it, turrets of varying calibres, and two large cannon turrets on the front of it, that were too big to be simply classified as cannons, more likely as rail cannons. There was also a large missile silo battery on the back, although no-one noticed that part of the ship, as they were still continuing on observing the ship's entire length.

"That's one huge battleship right there..." Gus remarked back. "So this is what they had as one of their trump cards... A large battleship like this would be powerful enough to take care of a force as large as the combined northern forces on its own."

"Look, on the gangplank! Isn't that Baldren Gassenarl?" Cosette exclaimed, as she pointed at a figure in the distance, boarding the ship. When Nichol and Remi took a closer look through their scope, they could confirm that the figure was indeed Baldren.

"What? Their main force is nowhere in sight, but the general's here?" Zeri shouted, before he then growled. "Something doesn't really add up here... They must have something else planned."

"He's also carrying some papers in his hands..." Nichol noted, which caught Avan's attention, as he snapped out his binoculars to get a clear look on Baldren, as he was holding the files on Project Valkyria.

"Wait a second, they've got... The rebels have Leon and Juliana's data! All the Project Valhalla results!" Avan yelled with frustration, before snarling and pocketing his binoculars.

"We can't let them escape. It's up to us to stop them." Zeri told the class.

"Wait, there's more to the battleship...!" Gus shouted to the class, as his eyes finally set upon the missile silos on the back of the battleship, as it made him feel a sense of dread. "...Oh that can't be good."

"What can't be good...?" Sanae asked, before she then swiped the binoculars from Gus's hands, before she then took a close look at the missile silos with her binoculars, before her face paled greatly, and her hands began to tremble in fear. "Oh no... No... No, no, no..."

"Instructor Sally, what's wrong? You looked like as if something spooked you." Cosette asked Sanae with concern.

"The... the battleship is carrying missile silos... And I have all the right to fear that they are armed with a warhead inside each of them..." Sanae answered back, which frightened some of the class. "And this is the worst thing that I would have anticipated... That the rebels have access to the nuclear option..."

"Nuclear option...?" Avan asked back.

"Those missiles... Just look at how big the storage silos for them are... A warhead this size... Forget about just wiping Randgriz from the map if one hits the place, there is enough missiles here to blast most of the nation back to the stone ages...!" Sally panicked, before she then quickly prepared her side-arm. "We need to get on that ship, take out the rebels, and dispose of those war-heads...! They cannot be allowed to fire at all!"

"But there's nothing we can do once they're at sea." Cosette responded back. "If it's as terrible as Instructor Sally says... We need to hurry!"

"We'll radio the Navy for backup. Just a second. Umm..." Zeri suggested, as he immediately fiddled with his comms device, hoping to tune in onto a frequency with direct contact with Randgriz, only to fail, before he then "Rrgh, there's no response. They've cut the long-range radio relays."

"So what do we do? We can't walk to Randgriz in time!" Avan shouted back with annoyance, before Isara quickly made her way to the Granoro, before she then tweaked something on the tank, as the back unit on it revealed itself as a communications relay unit. "What...!?"

"I expected that the enemy would try to cut communications from us and the others." Isara remarked, before she then adjusted the antenna of the unit for optimal signal. "With this thing that I have spent months perfecting it, we won't have to worry about our comms line being cut from others. Use the tank comms unit, it'll get a direct line to the headquarters."

Zeri quickly entered the tank, as he moved to the communication radio unit inside of it, while Lavinia moved aside to let him do his job, while he fiddled with the frequencies, until he had the right one, as HQ responded back to him.

"Squad G-7 to Randgriz HQ, Squad G-7 to Randgriz HQ, do you copy?" Zeri called out through the comms.

"We hear you loud and clear, Squad G-7. Randgriz HQ here. You got something to relay on us?" HQ responded back with some static crackling.

"We managed to find the rebel leader stationed on a large battleship. There is also enemy ordinance onboard, which we need to secure." Zeri answered back. "We need you to send some ships to create a water blockade to prevent the escape of the enemy battleship, as well as destroy it as a last resort if needed be."

"Right, copy that. We'll get the Navy on the horn, and rally your request to them. You just hang tight, and deal with the matter at hand. Randgriz HQ out." HQ replied back, before the communications line was cut off.

Zeri then exited the tank, before Avan turned to him. "Did it work, Zeri?" He asked the Darcsen with anticipation for the answer.

"Yes. The request is being transferred. Until then, we need to stop that battleship from leaving port." Zeri responded back.

"Right! It's do or die time, guys. You heard instructor Sally, if that ship gets away, Gallia is history!" Avan rallied the students. "Until the Navy can get her as soon as they can, we're the only ones here who can stop it."

"We can do this." Cosette responded back.

"And we will." Zeri added with determination, as he loaded the Victoire. "We've come this far to see to it the end of this civil war. We won't let them get away with the chance to ravage the country with destructive bombardment!"

The class soon made their way towards the battleship, before Gus looked through his binoculars, as he could see various rebel artificial valkyria jumping off the ship to face them, with Dirk leading them.

"Avan, look! The artificial valkyria... They're on the move!" Gus shouted out to the group. "Everyone retreat to safe cover! We need to lure the enemy into an advantageous field for us!"

"Damn, so that's where their artificial valkyria was..." Avan growled. "Alright, we'll need to-"

Before Avan could finish his sentence, the artificial valkyria were attacked by two sets of azure beams, which took out some of their numbers, and made the rest halt their advance. When Avan turned to see the situation, he saw Richard, Alicia, and Juliana rushing to engage the artificial valkyria, much to his and the entire class's surprise.

"I-Instructor Rain is here...!? With Mrs Melchiott... And Juliana as well!?" Avan exclaimed with shock.

Richard then noticed the group, as he used his enhanced speed to reach the group quickly.

"Thank goodness I got here in time, I managed to get the proper people to fight against what remains of the artificial valkyria..." Richard sighed in relief, before checking the entire class. "Now then, Aliasse, are you ready to go?"

"I am." Aliasse simply stated back with a determined nod, before Richard then threw her shield and lance to the girl, as he was carrying it in his hands. Aliasse caught it, as she wasted no time transitioning to her Valkyria form.

"What the...!?" Avan blurted out in shock. "W-What's going on right now!?"

"Avan, I need you to handle the supply vehicles here. From the looks of it, Dirk's overcharging himself with the power of several supply vehicles. It's going to be hard to keep him down, until we whittle his power down. The supply vehicles would have to be nearby the dock, but not in the open. Find them, and get rid of them as soon as you can. The sooner, the better for all of us!" Richard ordered Avan.

"But why is Juliana-" Zeri was about to argue.

"No time to explain that right now! We need to get rid of the enemy artificial valkyria, before they delay long enough for the battleship to start moving out of dock!" Richard shouted back, before he then equipped his shield and blade, before rushing into the fray. "Now go!"

"That horned one... He's dangerous. I can feel it." Aliasse muttered to herself, before turning to the rest of the class. "But I'll keep you safe. Avan, Cosette, everyone."

She then rushed after Richard, as Avan quickly got his bearings back. "Alright, I suppose that the only way we're helping in this fight is to destroy those supply vehicles!" He cried. "Everyone, split into teams with a lancer or mauler! We need to take them all out as quickly as we can, while the others are holding them off!"

The class immediately complied, separating into the necessary teams, before searching every street and section for the supply vehicles.

As the class went on a search-and-destroy mission, the four superhuman individuals were fighting against the rebel artificial Valkyria, as Richard and Aliasse were in melee range with the enemy, while Juliana provided ranged support with her artificial lance cannot, blasting the enemy numbers down, and Alicia was using a mix of both attack styles, swiftly moving through the enemy ranks, and tearing through them with lance swings and lance beams.

Richard then rushed towards Dirk, before he then rammed his shield forward, while Dirk used his own to counter the charge. The two of them struggled against each other for a moment, although Richard was yielding ground, with how powerful the enhanced Dirk was. Growling, Richard jumped back, and slashed at Dirk mid-air, who just redirected his shield to block the quick attack with the front of it.

Richard then retreated back from the duel, as he moved away and pursued the faraway rebel artificial valkyria, cutting through them in a flash. While Dirk was recovering his stance, Aliasse then came out of nowhere, as she used her whip-like lance to attack Dirk, who barely had time to block the attack, as she let out a sharp 'Ha!', before bringing her lance back.

"There are people who are important to me! I won't let you hurt any of them!" Aliasse declared with a strong tone, before she then rushed towards Dirk, before striking with several quick whipping strikes, as they sliced through the air. Dirk managed to block most of the attacks, although he was being pushed back by the relentless assault.

"You will harm dear Gallia no more!" Juliana roared, before she then charged her artificial lance, before firing a explosive blast at a group of artificial valkyria, taking them all out.

Although more and more artificial valkyria were jumping off the edge of the battleship, the group were not very exhausted, as they preserved against the enemy numbers quite well, and stale-mating the empowered Dirk long enough for the bright glow on him to fade slightly away, indicating that Class G-7 were successful on their objective.

"Looks like they really did it." Richard muttered to himself, before he then stomped his feet on the ground, turned to Dirk, and charged him at full force. "This is it for you, Dirk!"

Richard then charged right at Dirk, before he then batted the artificial valkyria's shield away with a strong side-swing of his own shield, before he then sliced right through Dirk's armour with a flurry of slashes, before finishing with a forward stab through the sternum of Dirk's chest, and pulling the blade out of him, which was dirtied with his blade.

"...It's over." Richard declared, as he flicked his blade in the air, getting rid of most of the blood on it, and turning away, just as the other three valkyria finished their job in disposing the rest of the rebel artificial valkyria.

Soon, Class G-7 managed to return back to the dock, as they looked fairly ruffled, although none of them received any serious injuries from fighting the rebels guarding the supply vehicles. They looked at the team of four that clashed against Dirk and the artificial valkyria, as they were all intact, albeit slightly tired from all of the fighting.

"So... I guess that's it...?" Avan asked back, before he then grinned. "Well, that was a piece of cake, their artificial valkyria is down, so all that's left is their battleship, we take that, and Baldren's smug face, and this war is over!"

"Indeed, and Dirk won't be getting up soon, so we have our path to the battleship clear." Gus remarked, before they heard the sound of metal rustling strongly. "...What's that noise...?"

Richard then turned behind him, before he then came face-to-face with most of the battleship's cannons faced towards all of them, at the right angle to blast them all with tonnes of explosive ordinance.

"SHIT! Alicia, Aliasse, Juliana! Defend the class! They're going to-" Richard warned the group, before the cannons fired, and Richard quickly used his shield to block the first few shells of the salvo, giving the three valkyrias time to cover the rest of the group, using their shields to block most of the explosive impact of the bombardment, and shield the class and the Granoro from what remained of that explosive force as much as they could.

Avan tried to see what was going on, although doing so led to him getting hit by the repulsive force of the exploding shell, which blasted him away from the protected class, and into the open. Richard noticed this, as he was about to rush over to shield him. "AVAN-" Richard shouted, before the shell whistled through the air, down to where Avan was.

Avan closed his eyes, as if he was accepting his fate. However, the shell exploded in front of him, but he didn't feel himself being torn apart by it. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Dirk himself covering Avan, as his helmet was blown apart by the large explosion, enough to reveal a face that was familiar to Avan, although it was much more pale than he remembered, and his face also had the blue bulging veins of a artificial valkyria. However, regardless of what changed about the face, it was one he recognised, one that made him utterly speechless for a moment.

"L-Leon...!?" Avan exclaimed, as he stared right into the face of his brother.

Leon breathed heavily, letting out a few low growls, before he then coughed out a large spray of blood, before falling to his knees, as his back was torn apart by the explosion of the shell, since he was unprotected without the power shielding his body in a blue aura. He then slowly raised his head, as there was blood leaking from the corner of his lips.

"A...van..." Leon wheezed weakly, with a pained expression on his face, as he slowly raised a hand to reach out to Avan. "Gggrhh.. nhaa..."

"Leon...!? You... You know who I am...!? And you were that horned leader of the artificial valkyria for the rebels...!?" Avan exclaimed with shock. "I... This... What..."

Richard then walked over, before he then placed a hand on Avan's shoulder, as the spiky-haired class chair turned to him with a betrayed expression.

"...You told me he died..." Avan quietly told him with a appalled expression. "...Did you know this a long time ago...?"

"...Yes. And I'm sorry that I didn't tell you sooner, but I couldn't let you know that your own brother was a monstrous puppet for the rebels..." Richard answered back solemnly. "I just could let that happen to you."

"Avan... All that... I've done..." Leon responded back with a hitched breath, as Avan turned back to him. "Even without being... in control, I... I was still conscious. I saw.. everything... I saw how you tried... tried to get everyone under control... back when... Lanseal was attacked... I saw your instructor... trying to stop me... Trying to... convince me... to stop... But... I couldn't... just couldn't..."

"Why'd you do it, Leon? How did it come to this?" Avan asked back with a melancholic tone, pressing his hands against Leon's

"I wanted to... keep Gallia safe. For Mom... For you. I thought who... Who'd do it, if not... me...? I carried that thought... when I accepted that special... mission... from Professor Foerster..." Leon groaned back, before he then dryly chuckled, followed with another blood-filled cough. "What... a fool I was... I lost all my memories... after I was transformed into this... Professor Foerster... She threw me out... as a failure... the rebels... found me... they manipulated me... I've done so much against... the country I loved... Against you... Against my own friends... I almost killed Juliana..."

"Leon... You idiot... Protecting something with your life and sacrificing it are... different." Avan declared, as he lowered his head, as he tried not to cry. "I'm sorry... that I couldn't help you... I'm so sorry, brother..."

"Don't be sorry..." Leon weakly smiled back. "You've done so much... I see not only the little brother I left in charge of our family... But also a leader to rival me... You've grown so much... You're not just taller... You're also much more smarter and more skilled than you were before... I think that the nation will be... fine... with people like you... fighting for it... You don't... need... This power..."

He then let out another cough in pain, as this one sounded much more severe, as he coughed onto his own armour, leaving behind a crimson mark on it, as his strength left him, and he started falling back. However, Avan caught him, using one hand to hold his back up, and the other holding one of Leon's hands. Leon then looked up to his younger brother, as his eyes were already dim.

"Avan, promise me... Promise me that you'll forget me..." Leon quietly whispered back. "No-one... would want to be... the brother of someone who... betrayed Gallia... If you at least... forget that... I existed... You'll be... a hero... who beat the rebels... and saved the country... Tomorrow... Your life can begin again... Without me... You'll be able to make this world... better... than I would have..."

Avan looked down at Leon with solemn eyes, before he then pulled out something from the pocket of his field suit, as it was a ragged pocket book. He then lowered Leon on his back, and placed the book on the centre of Leon's chest.

"Avan, what...?" Leon asked back. "What are you... doing...? Is that... my personal... book?"

"Don't run from the past, don't sacrifice tomorrow. Live the day!" Avan recited with closed eyes and a solemn tone, before moving Leon's hand over the pocket book. "That's for you, an Avan original. I'll never forget. I'll never forget that you were my brother. Even if you were with the rebels, and fought for them... You weren't yourself, and tried to stop yourself... You're still a hero to Gallia... Nobody here would call you a traitor after everything you have done. You got in the way to protect me... No traitorous brother would do that for his bro..."

"Avan... I..." Leon muttered back, as he accepted Avan's feelings.

"All this time, Leon... I wanted to be like you... I've learned so many things with Instructor Rain... and from Instructor Remi... I made so many friends here... and they all trust me as much as I trust them, we're a class bonded together with friendship and belief." Avan responded back, before he then raised his head and smiled back at Leon, with sorrow in his eyes. "I won't need your words, Leon... Because now, I won't have to be within your shadow anymore... I've finally left the nest... the nest that you nurtured me in... Your little brother is going to become the next Scarlet Lion for you... I'll make my own future, and I'll live on for your sake, brother... You can rest now. Just don't worry about me... I'll be living fine, because I have my friends to cover my back, and the experiences with them and the instructors to teach me how to be a great leader of men..."

Leon then raised his head, before he then mustered the strength to smile weakly, and nodded back, while tears leaked down his eyes. "Avan... Thank you..." He whispered gently. "You've grown so much..."

He then turned his head towards Richard, as their eyes met properly for the first time. "Hey... You're Rain... Rain Craider, right...?" He wheezed back, before he then nodded his head slowly at him. "I guess... that my brother was... in good hands with you... I guess... that there's still... someone to... take care of him... even when... I'm gone... Please... Please... make sure... that he has... a happy life... to go back to..."

"...I will." Richard hesitated for a moment, before he then bowed his head, with a sorrowful expression on his face, genuinely sad for Leon's passing. "You can rest in peace, knowing that your brother will be lauded a hero for all of this, and that he'll live on to be the pride of the nation, like I and my group has. I will make sure that you'll be buried in proper grounds, and your name will be marked as one of the most painful sacrifices to end this war... The Scarlet Lion... died protecting his brother."

"Ha... Ha... I don't... deserve that... much..." Leon coughed back, before he then slowly let his head rest down. "...I... I don't have... long... I can... feel... myself... dying..."

Juliana then rushed toward Leon, as there was a crushed expression on her face, as she quickly reached Leon. "Leon!" She cried with tears in her eyes. "I... I'm sorry... If I had only known that-"

"Juliana..." Leon groaned, before he then let out a few soundless chuckles. "I... I never thought that I would have... broken our promise... Instead of together... We were... fighting against... each other... all this time... I'm such a... failure..."

"Don't say that!" Juliana exclaimed with grief, before she then collapsed on her knees beside Leon, as she tried to hold back her tears. "It wasn't your fault... We were both used... Used by our own nation... And you were manipulated by the enemy... You helped me back then... on the battlefield... You worked with me to drive the enemy away from one of the villages back in the war against the Empire... I won't forget that... You're not a monster... You're still the Leon Hardins, who fought for Gallia... You told me that a commander has to risk themselves for the sake of their squad... But your brother proved otherwise... He told me that letting yourself be killed as a commander... will hurt your team, as they will be without anyone to rally their will to fight... I... I agree with him... No-one as skilled and loyal as you... deserves to die like this."

"Is... that so...?" Leon breathed, before his eyes then began to droop, while his own body was losing the last vestiges of strength in it. "...Then... I suppose... Avan has... one over me... I only regret... that... I couldn't... live... to see... him... gr..ow..."

Leon then collapsed on his back, as he passed away from his injuries with a smile on his face, and his hand over his own pocket book, and tears over his closed eyes. After seeing his brother finally die, Avan's emotions finally burst out, as he pressed his face against Leon's chest, and sobbed miserably. Even Juliana herself was in great grief, as she then covered her face with her hands, and began to weep as well. Richard was silent, as he stepped back and let the two grieving students have their moment to mourn the death of a brother, and a friend.

"Leon... Leon..." Avan wept, as he continued to cry his heart out.

After a few moments, Richard saw that Avan finally come to terms with Leon's death, as his sobbing came to a halt. He then raised his head from Leon's chest, before he then turned to Richard with a motivated look in his eyes.

"Instructor Rain... I want to ask you something." Avan stated in a eerily quiet and calm tone, not befitting the current expression on his face right now. "Was the rebel's intentions were to use D- Leon and the other artificial valkyria to distract us long enough to ready their cannons and fire them at us...?"

"...It seems like it is." Richard answered back with a grim nod. "...Do you wish to avenge your brother's death, caused by their hands...?"

"Damn right I will." Avan growled strongly, before a raging fire appeared behind his eyes. "I know that it's stupid that I should let my anger cloud my judgement on this, as Remi told me... But, to Hel with it... They killed my brother in cold blood, using him as a disposable pawn... I won't forgive the rebels, much less Baldren... He'll pay for this, I swear it...!"

"Then we better get on that ship then." Richard answered back stoically, before then turning to the rest of the class. "Raymond, carry Leon's body to a place where his body will be kept safe until the end of this battle. We'll retrieve his body for proper burial when the fighting has ended."

"O-On it!" Raymond exclaimed, before he then hefted Leon's corpse up, before then moving it towards one of the warehouses, laying him against the wall, before returning to the group.

"Alright, we take that battleship, and the rebels will be utterly defeated." Avan remarked back. "We go in, and do this last battle of ours right! We're going to be the ones who will save the day! For everyone who died being a victim of this war, for everyone who suffered because of it... Including my own brother... We're going to win this!"

Avan and the entire class made their way towards the docking bridge of the battleship, as they made their way up it, while Nichol hung back to snipe any rebels who tried to ambush the class from above, cleaning them out quite quickly, with the assistance of Reisen herself, who was killing most of them as quickly as they popped up.

Eventually, the entire class managed to get on-board, all except for the Granoro, which was too big to board onto the battleship, as Lavinia silently wished the class good luck on their final mission, as she retreated from the battlefield, planning to be of some help for the other classes, who were fighting against the rebel forces outside the harbour.

"Whew, we made it on board... Is everybody alright?" Avan asked everyone.

"Everyone's accounted for." Gus answered back, assuring Avan.

"Things are going well, now all that's left is to-" Zeri was about to say, before they felt the ship rumble, as the ship horns began to sound.

"W-What was that?" Raymond asked back, before some of them scrambled over the edge of the ship, as the docking bridge, which was still attached to both the dock and ship, began to detach itself from the ship, as it fell right into the harbour waters with a loud splash, while the ship was retreating. "The ship... It's moving!"

"Damn it...! They must have tried to get out of port, before more of us arrive on the ship...!" Avan cursed under his breath.

"If the ship manages to escape, and with those armaments on-board..." Zeri stated, before he then grimaced visibly. "It will not end well for Gallia herself."

"Then we won't let that happen! The Navy is going to send help to halt this ship from going anywhere! We'll take out Baldren and hold the bridge until they get here!" Avan roared back.

"We should also take those rail cannons offline." Zeri also suggested, gesturing towards the rail cannons on the front deck. "Even with the Navy here, they wouldn't do much with that around. Especially when there is the risk that there is explosive ordinance on-board in the form of war-heads... Just because the Navy cannot fire without fear of blowing us up with it... doesn't mean the rebels will try to shoot it down. We need to take down as many of the cannons as possible."

"Okay, got it. That's the plan, guys. Let's go!" Avan declared, as everyone let out a collective 'Yessir!' to that statement.

"Let us handle the cannons." Richard told the rest of the class. "We'll be able to tear through whatever heat-sinks they slapped onto their cannons. You guys just open the way for us! Alicia! Take the eastern cannon! Juliana, the western cannon! Aliasse, with me! We're taking the centre cannon down!"

"I won't let you down, Mr. Rain!" Aliasse declared back.

"Got it, Rain." Alicia nodded back.

"Leave it to me, I'll make sure that cannon of theirs won't fire another round!" Juliana roared back.

"Avan, we need your squad to assist our advance!" Richard shouted to Avan. "Will you lend us your help?"

"Yeah, of course! Everyone, split down into three teams, and let the girls lead you to the target!" Avan ordered his class-mates.

The class-mates immediately separated into three teams, as Richard, Alicia and Aliasse went towards the east, as the path to the centre deck required passing through either the eastern or western decks, while Juliana took care of the west.

As soon as Juliana and her team reached the western deck, she noticed that Marion, Lotte, Noel, Sofia, Alexis and Mari was with her. She smirked, before she then rushed towards the rebels in the area, before she then fired beam blasts at them, tearing through their ranks, allowing the others to advance. When Alexis met the enemy heavy tank in a frontal charge, she then evaded the cannon shell that was aimed at her, before then sweeping behind the tank, and smashing her mauler right through the radiator, destroying it and the tank in a single blow.

Marion was covering one of the flanks, as her machine-gun tore through the enemies, while Lotte was pacing along the entire area, dodging enemy shots like she was made of wind, and killing rebels with swift head-shots. Sofia provided ammo refills for Mari and Noel, who were using their lances to blow apart enemy cover, and allow them to advance.

Eventually, they reached the end of the area, as the enemy camp in front of them was captured quickly, allowing them to pass to the centre deck through a small passage. However, they could see that there was a ladder heading towards the upper floors of the deck, although the path ahead was sealed by a large bulk-head.

"Looks like this is as far as we can go for now." Juliana answered back. "No rebel would be foolish enough to have bulk-heads that they cannot open and close at their own will. Everyone, let us defend this deck from rebel reinforcements! Hunker down in cover, and use the time wisely to catch your breath, refill your ammunition, and lick whatever wounds you have! The enemy will not cease their fight against us, and they will come for us quickly!"

The squad complied with Juliana's order, as they took position in the captured camp, moving into position to best defend themselves against further enemy attacks.

Meanwhile, on the eastern deck, the combined forces of Avan, Erik, Anisette, Helmut, Nichol, Reiner, Coleen, Magari, Raymond, Mischlitt, Morris, Zeri, Cosette, Gus, Remi, Sally, led by Rain, Aliasse and Alicia, who were tearing through the enemy forces like knife through butter, as the rebels stood no chance against three valkyrur-level threats converging their force on the same area, from different directions. The enemy camp in the area fell, allowing the path to the centre deck to be secured.

"Looks like that our path ahead is clear." Richard remarked, before he then gestured for Nichol, Coleen, Raymond, Morris, Anisette and Gus to follow him and Aliasse. "Avan, hold your ground here, the heat-sinks aren't easily accessible. They would have definitely sealed the way to them, in order to prevent us from sabotaging them. Once we find the gate controls and open the way to them... Rush that heat-sink and blow it with everything you got. Alright?"

"Don't worry, we'll handle ourselves!" Avan shouted back. "You just take care of the enemies ahead!"

Richard nodded gently, before Aliasse and the rest of his squad followed, before Avan turned to Alicia, who nodded gently, as they took their positions to defend the area from rebel reinforcements.

As Richard and Aliasse were first into the centre deck, they were assaulted by gun-fire from all directions, although none of their ordinance could even harm either of them, as they just shrugged it off, while the other classmates behind them neutralised them one by one, while the rebels' attention was on the two of them.

Eventually, they managed to find the gate switches at the back of the deck, on two different walkways, with Aliasse and Richard each taking a switch, before flipping it onto the open position. As the gates opened for both the eastern and western decks, Richard could see in the distance, that the path towards the central cannon was opened as well.

"Looks like our path is clear! Everyone, charge!" Richard declared with boldness, as it rallied the squad's spirits and morale, rushing through the enemy forces without hesitation and with great efficiency, as they all run-and-gunned through the entire deck, with rebels falling by the dozen, until they managed to get inside the rail-cannon itself, as the giant heat-sink that was grafted onto it was right before their eyes, as it was glowing a lively blue, while steam was running off the guns. "Jackpot. Aliasse, you know what to do."

"I know! Say bye-bye to your cannon, rebels!" Aliasse roared, before she then jumped up and slammed her empowered lance down on the heat-sink, as it caused the entire component to explode, taking out a fair chunk of the turret itself.

As soon as the group moved outside, they could see that the other two rail-cannons were also taken out, with smoke rising out of their fractured barrels, indicating that Alicia and Juliana finished their jobs just as quickly as Richard and Aliasse did.

"That should ensure that they don't have any proper weapons to fight against the Navy." Richard remarked to himself. "The Navy ship's armour is far too durable to be affected by whatever light barrage that the other cannons can muster. We basically defanged this wild tiger."

Soon, the rest of the groups converged on the centre deck, as they regrouped with one another.

"Right, that should take care of their cannons!" Avan exclaimed. "Now, all we have to do is-"

Suddenly, a large influx of rebels surged in through various different paths to the centre deck, with all of them moving in to encircle the gathered class.

"Squad Two, fall in! Stop the intruders at any cost!" The commanding rebel officer barked orders to his men, as they moved accordingly to them. "Squad Three, circle round behind them!"

"Looks like they don't want to let us inside..." Zeri stated. "A good sign that we've got them on the ropes.

"We're totally surrounded though..." Cosette noted with concern in her voice, before she saw Richard and the other Valkyrur power their weapons up. "Huh...?"

"Not for long, we aren't. Their mistake is that they think that they can surround Valkyria." Richard smirked darkly. "Cute notion, but with power enough to ravage their ranks with a single blast, it means nothing at all! We'll scatter them to the winds-"

Suddenly, before they could finish their sentence, the centre deck was being bombarded, as it took out a large number of the rebels, leaving the commanding rebel officer shocked.

"What...!? What happened!? Where did that-!" The officer tried to discern the cause of the bombardment, before he was blown away by a explosion close to him. "ARGH!"

"What the... Who did that...!?" Anisette exclaimed back.

"Look! Over there, that's-" Cosette shouted, as she gestured to the side of the ship, as they could see past it, various Gallian battleships en route towards the ship, as there was a figure standing on the bow of one of them. "It is! It's the Navy!"

"All riiiight!" Avan cheered and whooped. "Looks like our message got through clear to them!"

Richard then took the moment to pull out his comms radio, before tweaking it to the proper frequency, before it connected with Cordelia herself, who was in fact the figure standing on the bow of the Gallian battleship.

"I received your message, Squad G-7. You have done Gallia a service. Now, for the sake of its future..." Cordelia remarked through the device, before her voice adopted a majestic tone. "Capture those traitors! Let none who would threaten its peace escape!"

"We will." Richard answered back through the comms. "You just make sure the Navy has the ship surrounded with nowhere to go. If you can give us artillery support against the enemy, it would be most welcome. However, please do not hit the missile silos on the back. They're loaded with ragnite-fuelled war-heads, powerful enough to blow cities to ashes with a single one of them."

"We are aware of that." Cordelia answered back. "When Randgriz was recaptured, we have found intel regarding the situation at hand. You are indeed right that the ship, the Dandarius, must not escape, with the deadly cargo it holds... Indeed, if it manages to escape, it could turn everything that you and I have fought for into nothing but dust and ashes... The rebels are too desperate to consider against such a horrible measure. You must ensure that these missiles will never be launched at all."

"Don't worry, we'll have this situation dealt with, as quickly as possible." Richard answered back with a assuring tone. "Rain Craider, and Squad G-7, over and out."

The comms were then shut down, as Richard then turned to the rest of the class, who were talking amongst each other.

"Well, we did it, Hardins." Erik smirked, as he was quite proud of the class's victory. "Looks like the rebels aren't going anywhere with the Navy here."

"With this, the war can finally come to an end." Marion answered back.

"No... It's not over. Baldren is still there." Avan responded back, shaking his head strongly, with a sour expression on face. "He won't lie down and accept defeat... We need to find him, and either capture or take him down."

"I can simplify that task. Greetings, cadets and instructors of Lanseal." Baldren's voice rang through the bridge, as it was resounding through the entire ship.

"...That voice!" Avan exclaimed, as he immediately readied his rifle for battle.

The entire class were also on edge hearing Baldren's voice, as the Valkyria already powered themselves back on. Suddenly, they turned their head one-by-one towards the top of the bridge, where they found Baldren, who was transformed into a artificial valkyria, with large blue tubes connected to his shoulders, and several red tubes linked to the side of his abdomen. There was also a large metallic tail that lagged behind his back, and his back had arc-like wings that had panels filled with blue ragnite energy connected to them. His face was also far less ruined than Juliana's was, although there was a sense of powerful insanity in his red eyes. In his hands was a artificial lance that seemed to have a saw-toothed outline for it, and his shield was made of layered metal plates and a central power unit that was protected by those metallic plates. He then crossed his shield and lance over each other, before his own power began to charge, with the azure blue aura appearing around his body.

"Valkyrian flame. A most worthy weapon for the son of House Gassenarl!" Baldren declared, before he then laughed manically, as the energy surged around him, creating a massive pillar of light.

"He... He made himself artificial valkyria...?" Avan exclaimed.

"Yes! I have become a true, complete Valkyria!" Baldren hissed with a condescending smirk on his lips.

"No!" Cosette exclaimed.

"This... This doesn't look the same as the other artificial valkyria... much less like Leon... He's... He's far more powerful than Leon is!" Gus exclaimed.

"For what end!? For what end do you transform yourself into such a abomination!?" Zeri roared back.

"We Gallians are chosen. Our race is strong, noble, superior!" Baldren emphasised each word, with a swing of his lance through the air, as it caused the air to howl in doing so. "But it must be purified of all Darcsen taint. Through me, the people of Gallia will see their nation reborn! As a stronger nation, one watched over by a pure bloodline! If you feel any loyalty to Gallia, join me now! Let us build it anew together! Men like you who have such skill and talent... They are essential for my new Gallia, especially you, son of the Scarlet-"

"SHUT UP!" Avan screamed back with rage, as Baldren's smirk dissipated for a moment, shocked to be rebuked so strongly. Avan then raised a accusing finger at Baldren. "You have no right to say that you're the one who will rebuild the nation! After all the people you've thrown away, all of the people you have killed... You decide that you're the one with the right to rule Gallia!? As if you're the stronger one here!? Don't make me laugh! You're not! None of your nonsense is real! A chosen race? Purify away the Darcsens? Just who the Hel do you think you are?!"

Avan then walked closer, as he made sure Baldren could hear his words. "You killed my brother! Threw him at me like a disposable pawn! My brother was a good man, who would have helped to make the nation better, and you killed him for your selfish reasons, because he wasn't useful!" Avan roared back with increasing anger. "Don't you dare insult me by saying that I would ever join a mad-man like you, Baldren! You don't care about people, you just care about whether they'll be your puppet or not, because you'll use them until their use is gone, and then dispose of them! You're no better than the Imperial Crown Prince!"

"You dare insult me, whelp!?" Baldren snarled back.

"Oh, I dare! I really do dare to insult you, because that's what you deserve!" Avan retorted back strongly, slamming a hand against his chest. "We all got here, because we all trusted each other, and become friends fighting for the same cause! It doesn't matter if we're Darcsen or Gallian, noble or commoner, pur or multi-cultural! We're all different from each other, but we're all Class G-7 together, and we're damn proud of it! We fight together, cry together, laugh together and see the future together! We don't throw away each other just because of mere disputes or petty disagreements! We stick together, and we fight as one! That is what strength in numbers would be, and power to bring peace and safety to the nation, unlike your insane purges and conquests!"

"Hmph, infantile pup." Baldren scoffed. " So be it. If you would cling to illusions, I will break them from under you!"

"No, it won't be us who will broken..." Richard declared, before he moved past Avan. "This is where everything you have done will end, Baldren...! After so long, leading your men through this nation in a rampage of slaughter, destruction and villainy, all of it will come to a close here! It's over for you!"

Richard then leapt into the air, before smashing right into the empowered Baldren, as they tumbled over the bridge. After a while, Baldren and Richard leapt back to the centre deck, as Baldren tried to fire a burst at Richard, who blocked it with his shield, although it did push him back.

"Alicia! Aliasse! Juliana! With me, we're going to take Baldren down together!" Richard called out to the fellow valkyria, as they rushed beside him, preparing to fight.

"What...!? You would dare use a failed test subject, and two true-blooded valkyria against me...!?" Baldren exclaimed with a snarl. "How fitting of your ilk to use such under-handed methods."

"So what...?" Richard asked back with a frigid tone and uncaring eyes. "You expect me to fight fair and square after everything you done? No. I expected that you would have tried to use that stolen research on Project Valkyria to make yourself stronger as a artificial valkyria. That's exactly one of the reasons why I brought every valkyria I know to this battle. You're outnumbered four-to-one, and even if you got power to exceed one of us in terms of raw strength, you won't last long, I assure you. You're going to die a ironic death in the hands of the valkyrur you so idolise."

"I won't let you get away with what Leon has done, and what you have done to Lanseal...! Gassenarl..." Juliana snarled, before she then powered her lance up. "PAY WITH YOUR BLOOD AND LIFE FOR YOUR TRANSGRESSIONS!"

"Rain is right... You're far too unhinged to deserve a fair trial on court, and since you have turned yourself in the same monster as Maximilian did two years ago..." Alicia agreed, before she then readied her lance. "...I won't show any mercy against you, especially when you have not shown the same kindness to your own country-men."

"Mr Rain told me that killing people in general is bad... However... Mr Rain told me something else..." Aliasse stated, before she then powered her lance up with a blood-thirsty grin on her face. "He told me that you're a very bad man, and deserve to be killed! And he's right! You hurt Avan by killing his brother! So I'll kill YOU!"

"D-Damnit..." Baldren exclaimed, his will faltering at the fact that he was facing Richard with three powerful valkyria, before he then roared. "DAMN YOU! I WILL NOT DIE HERE! I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL WITH MY POWER AND TAKE GALLIA FOR MYSELF!"

Baldren then fired a burst towards them, as they scattered, while Richard turned back to Avan and the other classmates. "Ensure that the rebels from this ship are cleared off! Secure the ship, and don't let them get between us and Baldren!"

"You heard the man, let's go!" Avan shouted to his classmates, as they dispersed from the centre deck, to get away from the potentially destructive fight between the valkyria and Richard against Baldren.

As Juliana dodged to the side, she then powered her lance, before firing a few shots at Baldren, which had little effect on him, although it did make Baldren flinch enough for Richard to charge him, as the mad prince barely managed to block his attacks, before knocking him away with a powerful swipe.

Alicia then charged right into the fray, as she charged her valkyrian lance up, before firing a beam that did much more damage to him, although it wasn't enough to damage Baldren directly through the protective aura around him. As Baldren tried to fire at Alicia, Aliasse moved around his back, before she then noticed the glowing power generator unit that was mounted on Baldren's back, as the blue ragnite glow from it reminded her of the tank radiators, as she grinned maliciously, finding Baldren's weakness.

"I got you~" Aliasse cooed, before she then dashed right behind Baldren, before she then struck him in the back with her lance. The blow managed to send Baldren crumpling across the ground, as it revealed the power unit on Baldren's back, as it was damaged by the attack, although not enough to shut it down.

"So that's how he managed to get so strong, he has a portable generator unit to fuel him with power beyond what several supply vehicles can give him..." Richard remarked to himself. "Too bad that it ain't going to change things. Girls, I need to blast him with everything you got, but be prepared when I signal for you all! We're going to end this with a single rush!"

"Got that." Alicia responded back, before she then levelled her lance towards the recovering Baldren, while Juliana did the same. Aliasse merely prepared her whip, as she charged it with her power.

Richard then took the moment to rush towards Baldren from the side, while the other three valkyria were bombarding Baldren mercilessly, as he was forced to shield himself with the blast, unable to perceive Richard charging right at him. When Richard was close enough to him to attack, the others ceased their attack, as Baldren was about to retailiate back at them with a charged lance beam. However, his attack was interrupted, when he got slugged in the face with Richard's powerful straight, sending him stumbling back.

"HURTS LIKE A BITCH, DOESN'T IT!?" Richard screamed at Baldren, before decking him with a series of hooks and upper-cuts, that bruised Baldren's head and face more and more with each strike. "I didn't just main with using the blade, you know, I have killer fists and a powerful swing! And with my own ancient strength, no fucking valkyrian aura can resist punches this powerful!"

Richard then took the moment to grapple Baldren, before he then swung him around, exposing his radiator to the valkyria, while Baldren himself was still dazed.

"NOW! Hit him hard and fast! Blow that damn generator unit to pieces!" Richard roared to the others, as it was the signal that the three of them were waiting for, as they charged up their lances to fire piercing beams that hit the generator with deadly precision, as it turned it from a optimal blue to a angry burning red.

Aliasse then moved forward for the finishing touches, as she leapt into the air, and raised her glowing lance above her head, as she rocketed down towards Baldren. Richard noticed what Aliasse was about to do, and released Baldren before she could make her attack. With a mighty cry, she brought her lance right down onto the generator, as it managed to smash the entire device into broken pieces from the impact, and floor Baldren on the ground, as the aura faded from, with his power gone.

Richard then stepped forward, as the rest of the valkyria surrounded him from all sides. As they all glared down to him, Baldren slowly raised himself up weakly, injured quite severely by the attack, and just as weak with the lack of the ragnite energy flowing through him.

"Hrrnh..." He then groaned, before he then began to chuckle. "Heh... Heh hah hah hah...!"

"What's so funny, Baldren? Did getting your ass wiped across the floor rattle your brain too hard?" Richard spoke viciously, pointing his blade at Baldren's head. "You're done for."

"Then you deny this power to the end... So be it, Darcsen fool... But do not forget that... this was your choice." Baldren responded back with hitched breaths. "To live in fear of both the Federation and the Empire. As a tiny nation stripped of the fangs to defend herself... You chose..."

Richard, having had enough of Baldren, decided to grab Baldren by the neck tightly enough to strangle the disgraced young noble, and lifted him up.

"...Enough from you. All this fucking bullshit from you only serves to IRRITATE ME FURTHER!" Richard screamed the last few words. "Even when you've lost, and all of your ambitions lie in ruins, you have the gall to mock me one last time. Very well then, I suppose that there's no reasoning with you anymore... Then that leaves one last solution to your pathetic rebellion."

Richard then turned to Alicia, while Baldren tried to release Richard's grip around his throat. "Alicia, turn Aliasse away. She doesn't want to see this." Richard warned Alicia.

Alicia nodded, as she quickly covered Aliasse's eyes, and turned him away, much to the latter's confusion and curiosity. When he was sure that Aliasse wouldn't be able to see him finish Baldren off, he then turned his eyes back to Baldren with cold fury in his eyes.

"You know what, fuck the court, you don't get that honour." Richard remarked back. "Instead, you get the same treatment as a proper soldier and enemy of the war. A trial on the field. And as the one with the most authority here... I'm your damn judge. And guess what, you're fucked. Baldren Gassenarl... You have committed numerous great crimes. Instigating rebellion against rightful rule. Committing high treason on countless occasions. Engaging in the slaughter of countless innocents, both Gallian and Darscen. Disregarding war conventions on human rights. Performing inhuman experiments on people for the sole purpose of acquiring inhuman power. And last of all, and the greatest- Threatening the nation with a nuclear option. As such... I deem you guilty without pardon, turnabout, or MERCY. You are to be executed summarily, and your house wiped from the annals of Gallian history, as unrepentant traitors to the rightful and just rule of the nation. May Hel welcome you with its fiery gates, for you are not fit to pass through the gates of Heaven for your numerous sins. Now that my judgement has been declared... Rot, Baldren, rot in a unmarked grave, forgotten as nothing but a traitor."

Richard then swung his blade right through Baldren's neck, decapitating him, as the headless body hit the ground, spilling blood from the neck-stump, before then throwing Baldren's head across the deck with disgust in his expression.

"It's... It's finally over..." Juliana answered back, before she then placed a hand to her heart. "Now all of this has finally come to an end..."

Richard then looked around, before he then sat down on the deck. "Yes... Yes it is..." He responded back, before he then saw the rest of the squad arrive at the area, as they returned to see that they have triumphant against the crazed leader of the rebels. "It's finally over... Now Gallia can return to peace at last... Hopefully... the missiles here will be dismantled safely... No-one deserves to have such power to destroy nations at their finger-tips..."

---

EC 1937, on the 21st of December...

Upon the death of Baldren Gassenarl, the Archduchess Cordelia called for the unilateral surrender of all remaining rebel forces. Their shattered army was defeated, and the civil war that had spanned the last year drew to a close.

South of the capital, the Lanseal Royal Military Academy reached its own conclusion in the following days.

It's campus destroyed by the rebel invasion and its name tarnished by news of human experimentation, the venerable academy closed its doors, forever as it may seem. Yet it's grounds still served one final purpose as the cadets and instructors of Class G-7 gathered to hold a graduation ceremony of their own, in the shadow of its bell.

---

In the courtyard of Lanseal...

The graduation ceremony was already ongoing, as all students of Class G-7 were lined up in neat rows and columns, all in formal blue wear, and having blue officer caps on their heads, standing before a stage, where Cordelia was sitting on one side on a mahogany throne made specifically for her, while Richard and the group were sitting on simple chairs on the other side, in between them was Brixham himself, standing in front of a large wooden podium, and with the large blue flag of the Lanseal Academy hung on the wall behind him.

"We're here today to celebrate your graduation." Brixham declared with a clear and calm tone. "Thinking back over the year we've spent together, my head spins at all that's happened. But all things, both good and bad, must eventually come to an end. Like seeds carried off on a warm spring wind, each of you will venture out into the world and find a place of your own. And though that's as it should be, I can't help but feel our parting is bittersweet. I'm going to miss you all."

Brixham then looked up to the sky with a solemn look in his squinted eyes. "As we begin the next chapter of your lives, we could not have asked for a finer day to make our farewells." He continued. "Yes, fortune has smiled upon us..."

"Yo, teach!" Avan called out, as Brixham lowered his head, seeing that Avan was smirking. "Hey, that's enough with the sappy speeches already! Don't tell me you're going soft on us!"

"Yeah, seriously." Noel grinned back, as she winked and flipped a hand out. "A little more fire and brimstone please!"

"Yes, we would like to see you take this all seriously." Corrin agreed with a faint smile.

The entire class then laughed heartily at this, before Brixham was silent for a moment. He then smiled back. "Right down to the very end..." Brixham answered back, before he then broke down crying in joy, covering his face with a hand, as his tone was quite emotional. "Hopeless, the lot of you..."

The class then cheered and clapped for Brixham, before Richard and the others took the podium.

"I never thought that I would be giving a speech to all you students of ours." Richard stated, before he then smirked and took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Oh well, I suppose that I gotta do this final speech to you all with the best I got."

Richard then slowly faced the rest of the class. "Do any of you remember what I told you in the start of the year...?" Richard asked the class, before continuing with a calm voice. "I told you that you would either respect, fear, or look up to me. I suppose that there's only a few who are in the third category and the rest in the first. Also, I promised that we'd make you all goddamn good soldiers and military personnel, and we made damn sure about it. Like Brixham said, it's sad that this is the end of our time together for a long while. However, for all of us, seeing that you all have inherited the same spirit, the same skills and the same mindset to things... That's all we needed to know, for us to be at ease about all of your futures. And look at Avan now... You'd think that he would be country hick, but he turned out to be one of the most damned best leaders in this academy! And all of you are worthy of serving under his command, as talented soldiers who has went through hell and back for him! Together, you are potentially the second Squad 7 in the making! All I hope for you all, is that you don't let all of this military talent go to waste. Sure, most of you have peaceful lives to tend to, but don't forget that the blood of a soldier burns within every one of you, no matter who you are. You can be munition officers, medics, engineers, front-line soldiers, therapists... There are many jobs that share a counterpart in military roles, so that you feel much more familiar with the scenery, as you guys have been training like the army for the entire year. Either way, I wish you all the greatest of successes, and that all of you will live long, happy and fulfilling lives. You all deserve for being the heroes of the civil war."

The class then clapped to that, before it was Avan's turn to address the class, as he stepped to the front of the stage, and faced them. "Hey, guys! Class G-7 may be graduating from Lanseal today, but don't think that means we're gonna fade away!" He called out to everyone, waving a hand out. "Our whole future's out there waiting for us. And I'll see you there! Come on, Class G-7, we graduated!"

Avan then threw his officer cap into the air, as it triggered a chain reaction from the rest of the class, as they did the same, all while little Jarde flew into the air, following after those caps.

While Zeri watched the caps fly, happy that he graduated from the academy, he then looked down, to see that Juliana was lying in wait around one of the corners. He then walked over, as Juliana was back in her casual outfit, as she faced Zeri with a blush on her cheeks.

"Zeri..." Juliana answered back, before she then smiled back brightly. "Congratulations on your graduation. Never thought that I would see a Darcsen like you graduate, with such high honours."

"I merely did my best." Zeri responded back, before he then smiled back warmly. "I suppose that you've been looking for me, haven't you."

"Yes... In fact..." Juliana answered back, before she then pulled out a fresh moonglow out, which surprised Zeri. "I kept one of these flowers in my own dorm, so that I could use this flower to confess to someone that I truly loved beyond anyone else. I never thought that I would use it, for someone like you... But I don't care... Anything's worth it to be with you, Zeri... You make me feel truly happy, when you saw past my status and accepted me for who I am... Would you be so kind to accept the hand of a humbled noble girl, who just wants love?"

"Oh, Juliana..." Zeri sighed, before he then embraced her softly. "We have all the time in this world to get to know each other, and let love blossom between us. After all... There's no denying that we're in love with each other, is there?"

Juliana blushed harder at that, before she then let her head rest against Zeri's chest, as the two of them held this loving embrace for as long as they felt was necessary.

---

What happened to the ones whose fates were changed by the group...?

Hubert Brixham toiled tirelessly to rebuild Lanseal. Though he was nominated for headmaster of the new academy, he demurred, claiming to be the worst possible choice, considering past matters. Today, he continues his work as a professor, instilling a spirit of duty in Gallia's youth.

After graduating from Lanseal, Marion Siegbahn enrolled in the mechanic school that Theimer attended. She hoped one day that she would be an equal to Isara herself.

Erik Kampmann eventually enrolled in the Militia Third Regiment, becoming a hardened squad leader. His care for animals and his ruthless attitude towards battle has earned him the moniker 'The Wild Beast'. He's strict to his men, but still fairly kind in meaning. He lives a busy life with three dogs, two cats and a bird.

After graduating from Lanseal, Anisette Nelson headed to the capital with Edy. She had succeeded in her dream of becoming a dancer, unfazed by her sister's foiled ambitions. However, she did not abandon her roots as a shocktrooper commando, as she intended to fight on the front, and become a idol of the battlefield much like her sister claimed to be.

Lotte Netzel turned her attention to finding out new mysteries and secrets, while spreading the 'truth' across the world with her reports. It was stated she was recommended to becoming protege to Irene Koller, although the reporter herself denied the request, stating that a person like Lotte works best, when working alone. She has also done some reconnaissance work for the Gallian Army, sending reports on possible threats for the Army to clamp down upon or investigate.

Helmut Bourdais returned to the Empire to prepare for another invasion for Gallia. Helmut's time at Lanseal however has caused him to change his opinion on Gallia as he no longer has the "heart" for another invasion. He used his own status to slowly convince the Empire that there is no point in invading Gallia once more, and that peace is the best solution for both sides.

Nichol Martins joined the army as a sniper to protect not only his sister but all of Gallia . His skill with a sniper rifle rivalled even Brixham's, eventually even surpassing him, but still not as mythical as that of Remi the All-Seeing Hawk, earning him the title of 'Silent Owl'. Strangely, there was reports that Francas was in the same squad as him, due to her over-protective concern of her brother.

Noel Willoch joined the Army, as she was granted squad leader. She was a inspiration to her squad-mates, and occasionally told them stories about her old days back at Lanseal, and about her mentor, the famed Mari Shine. No enemy armour survived an encounter with her.

Reiner Tristan joined the army and now leads a squad called the "Muscle Heads," filled with brawny members. He was also compared to the likes of Largo Potter of Squad 7, as both of them were bulky lancers of great skill.

Coleen Celsius became a radio host due to her chatting nature and she writes to Morris frequently. She is also given a invite into the army, with a rank of at least sergeant guaranteed for her, as well as being squad leader, should she choose to use it to join the military force at times of need.

Sofia Collins decided to enrol into the army as a engineer, as she proved to be quite talented, and the role model of aspiring female engineers. It is often said that she waited around in pub tables, waiting for someone that had captured her heart, as she would say.

Magari became an editor at a publisher. She won the trust of a difficult writer with the notes she took, regarding what she knew of the world around her, through everything she had seen in the war. She is also one of the few Darcsen engineers that is not present in Gallia's army, yet held in high regard.

Raymond Moen became a firefighter and saved many lives. He puts on puppet shows to raise fire awareness. He was given many recommendation by squads from the militia regiments to be a part of their squad, although Raymond declined all of them, due to the fact that he feels better saving people out of war, rather than in it.

Alexis Hilden joined the army. She earned fame as a fencer, being almost undefeated against any foe that crossed her path, earning her the moniker 'Silver Flash'. She then became an instructor at the royal court, and reminiscing about her time with her instructor Rain.

After graduation, Mischlitt studied psychology in an attempt to quantify and understand love, though a pioneer in the field, the answers still elude her. However, she did find someone to love, a young Darcsen scientist who was interested in her theories on love, and they both lived a peaceful and happy life together.

Morris Lling decided to become an lawyer, to stand up for the weak on the field of law. He considered that he was not worthy of being part of the army yet, although he promised that he would stand beside his love, Coleen, if she were to take up that offer to join the army. He is also keeping his relationship with her quite well, with the frequent letters between them.

Aliasse moved in with Cosette, who she believed was a 'sister' to her. She attended a horicultural school where her green thumb has allowed her to excel. Recently, her 'Lion's Paw Paradise' won praise at a national landscaping competition. She dreams of seeing Gallia covered with various kinds of beautiful flowers. Records of her being a test subject and a Valkyria has been wiped completely with the help of Brixham, Rain and Remi, ensuring that her bloody upbringing would never threaten the peace of her life ever again.

Cosette Coalhearth entered medical school with a full scholarship. There, her willingness to look beyond race and nationality attracted attention among academics and practising physicians. Though she's often quite busy, she steals away with a basket of food to share with her old friends from Lanseal as often as she can. She is also registered as a official medic for the army.

Zeri joined the Gallian army, rising to lieutenant quite quickly. Despite lasting prejudices in the army, his innate brilliance and versatility honed at Lanseal had won him the respect of his peers. He is also renowned for his prowess on the battlefield, which can only be second to Rain's own battle performance. Hence, he was named the successor of Rain Craider, the Black King-Slayer, with the title of 'Midnight Striker'. He is engaged to Juliana Everhart.

Juliana Everhart joined the Gallian Army, as she reached the same rank as her beloved did. With her status, she convinced the nobles of Gallia to see the Darcsens in a better light, and also help Darcsens who are still affected by discrimination, with donations from her own house's coffers. She constantly is seen with Zeri, as the two of them are very close.

Avan Hardins decided to join the Army, finally finishing his journey along his late brother's footsteps, as he earned the rank of Captain, much like his homeroom teacher, Brixham, once did. He made it his mission to assist the reconstruction effort of Gallia. His many friends in both the martial and medical fields provided him many a helping hand. His journey continues on yet, as he swears that he'll see Gallia safe as long as he lives, in honour of his brother.

Leon Hardins was buried with the royal cemetery of Randgriz, given honours post-humously, thanks to the accounts of Rain, Brixham, Squad G-7 and Alicia Melchiott.

As soon as they came, Isara Gunther, Karin Novengar, and Elma Delacour left the country, as there was no-one who had any clues for where they were, not even the most nosy Lotte. However, there was rumours that they left with Rain Craider and his group of friends, in order to make a grand voyage around the continent.

---

At a unknown location...

Hearing about how the war ended, Foerster, who was still on the run from Gallian authorities, due to her research being declared unethical, and a capture warrant sent out of her, was making her way towards Anthold on a small jeep, as she intended to flee the nation and head for the Federation, who would make use of her talents.

However, fate had something else in store, as something shot out the tires of the jeep, arresting its movement right on top of a shallow hill. Foerster was surprised at what happened, as she looked around for the source of the shots. And when she did, she felt real fear once again, when she saw that it was Richard holding a sniper rifle, as he threw it aside, and pulled out a side-arm.

Foerster quickly exited the jeep, as she tried to run as far as she could, and find somewhere to hide from Richard. However, with his enhanced speed, it didn't take long for Richard to catch up to Foerster, before he then shot out both of her legs, as she crumbled onto the ground. She then flipped herself over, as she tried to back away, only to fail when Richard slammed his heel right on her chest, pinning her down, as he bent down to face her.

"Well, well... Going somewhere?" Richard mocked back with a cruel smirk. "Like I told you, I would hunt you down eventually, and kill you slowly and painfully. You thought that it was a good time to run to the Federation when the war died down. Too bad, you won't get the chance. I'll been watching your movements these few days... And now that I've found you, it's time you get what you finally deserve, you sociopath BITCH."

Foerster was silent, as she just looked back at Richard with no emotion in her eyes, even when her life was at the verge of ending. Richard then scoffed.

"Heh, as expected, you don't care." Richard grunted back. "Anyway, before I start the process for your slow and painful death... I'll tell you one last thing, just to spite you. You wanted to have the perfect valkyria, didn't you. Well then, I'm sorry to say that you've been grasping at straws all this time."

Richard then crossed his arms. "For you see, there is a great scientist who said these undeniable words." He continued, before reciting the quote. "'There is no such thing as perfect in this world. That may sound cliché, but it's the truth. The average person admires perfection and seeks to obtain it. But, what's the point of achieving perfection? There is none. Nothing. Not a single thing. I loathe perfection! If something is perfect, then there is nothing left. There is no room for imagination. No place left for a person to gain additional knowledge or abilities. Do you know what that means? For scientists such as ourselves, perfection only brings despair. It is our job to create things more wonderful than anything before them, but never to obtain perfection. A scientist must be a person who finds ecstasy while suffering from that antimony. So to seek perfection... You are no scientist.'."

Foerster was silent, before Richard then laughed cruelly. "I suppose that you've learned the lesson from that. Everything you have done, was all in vain. To say that you wanted to create the perfect valkyria... Well, that isn't possible. If you actually created one... Then you would either a chronic liar, or basically a useless scientist. Perfection doesn't exist, dear Foerster." Richard mocked Foerster. "You could fill a bucket with water as much as you want, with whatever means you use, but no matter what it is, you cannot make the bucket 'perfectly' full. You can shade in a page for as long as you want, but you can't make the page 'perfectly' black, no matter how you try. Perfect is a word that narrow-minded people like you use in exchange for 'best', except you don't try to improve on that, believing perfection means that there is nothing more to be changed. So you've been wasting lives in vain, and still you feel nothing about it. I suppose that you would be in despair, knowing that your whole existence was a lie to begin with, you were never of any use, you just merely spited the world with everything you have done. As such... It's finally time for you to leave the world, as you have done more than enough damage to this world as it is. Farewell, Foerster, no-one will miss you. In fact, I'd bet a ducat each time someone pissed on your grave, and I'd relish it."

Richard then stepped off Foerster, before shooting her arms several times, rendering them useless, before then firing a shot into Foerster's stomach, as she let out a grunt of pain. He then turned away, slowly walking away.

"Have fun savouring your last moments. Perhaps you may repent out of fear of death, perhaps you'll just shrug it all off and accept death. Doesn't matter to me." Richard told Foerster as he walked away. "All I care is that you're going to die slowly, and there will be nothing you can do about it. This place is empty as your soul... No-one will find you in time, other than the wild animals who will feed on your deceased flesh when you finally pass on."

Richard then walked away, abandoning the scientist responsible for Selvaria and all of the artificial valkyria to die a slow death, before he then made a sukima to head back to the GFS Ryujin, as everyone else had returned back to it, while Richard made sure to make true on his promise.

---

On the GFS Ryujin...

Richard then hopped out of it, as he noticed that the rest of the team was here, as they seemed to be waiting for him.

"Hey." Richard simply grunted back. "So... I guess that all's well ends well."

"Yeah, Gallia's in far better hands, with these students trained by us for the entire year..." Sanae answered back, before she then smiled. "And so many things worked for the better... Juliana's alive... Cosette's a lot better from overcoming her trauma early..."

"I sure do miss the students..." Gus sighed deeply. "I guess that's what happens when you spent a year with them."

"I feel the same." Corrin responded back. "Never before have I felt such a feeling of camaraderie for so many person in a single journey to another world..."

"Well, I suppose that this mission was a success, Gallia's saved, Corrin and Elma's got a better grasp on fighting with a different approach... And I feel much more happier knowing that I helped a few grateful friends of mine." Richard answered back. "Gallia's not going to be in trouble any time soon, unless some otherworldly ass-hole decided to fuck around there, in which case, I'd toast his ass for even trying."

"Calm down, will ya, it's not like that we've got many enemies around here..." Marisa advised Richard.

"You're right... I suppose that it's time we make a victory toast for a mission well-performed in what felt like a year." Richard answered back, before he snapped his fingers twice, once to drop the various glasses for the people to drink in, and then the second to create sukimas that poured the respective drinks for each person.

Richard then waited for everyone to take their cup, before he then raised his. "To a Gallia far more safer, and far more peaceful, and to new friends." Richard chanted. "Cheers, everyone."

In response, the others responded with cheers as well, as they took their time to drink, before they would return to their daily routines in the space fortress, although it would be a while before their mind would be on anything other than things that happened on their mission.

---

Unmei Force Solitary Legends: Eternal Embers

E N D