Good day everyone. It's been a while.

More than a year ago. Well, I kinda saw that one coming. The other reason is most likely due to the fact of my delayed holidays and my days sick of food poisoning.

These aren't all the reasons why I took a while to start with this chapter. I cooled down a good bit from writing in Turkey by playing video games.

The Division Two with the new Manhunt and I finally, finally took up Doom Eternal. Had a real blast with it. It's one of those things that you just get.

Only three years after it came out. Three years ago, we got into that mess of COVID. All the shit that happened back then. It all seems so long ago.

Started this chapter when I went back to work after three weeks. Some were glad, others were angry with me.

But I reached finally the point (or it might be the recharge of the holiday) that I can't bring myself to give a flying hoot.

But now about this chapter. I had this idea of the chapter in my head for ages. But well, shit happens and things take a while.

Also, if any of you would like to be a beta author (or just help me with chats on this), it'd be really appreciated.

Openings song. Linkin park. Castle of Glass.

Stated on 16/03/2023

Ended on 26/03/2023

If there was one thing that Kerlongsj would admit, it was the fact that he had no idea what a destroyed or ravaged world could really look like.

For weeks on end now, they had been trying to look for signs of life. There had to be someone alive out there.

Wherever human life was, it wasn't found on the rocks and coasts they had flown by.

It had been three weeks since they found what was left of the Infinite Stratos Academy.

When he was part of the small landing party on what was left of the ISA. Tabane had also come along during that investigation. They found that nearly all important things had been stripped away.

The Devil would admit that raiding the kitchen wasn't that professional but some canned and dried food was better than the MRES they had in stock.

Kerlongsj would never deny that much that it did boost morale. It did wonders for them, given the amount of crap they all were put through for the last while.

The ship wasn't exactly meant to have five hundred young men on who felt their bodies being slumped down and their hormones raging.

It was his decision to make a stop at a nearby beach where he let them out and told them to have a day of fun.

Fishing, swimming, sunbathing and just being out in the sand were even better boosts. That didn't mean there were no guards or watchmen.

During the weeks on the ship, fights and arguments became frequent. Those who had been found to go overboard had been assigned that.

It wasn't even Kerlongsj or Anaton who was the officer in charge. Jozek Janousek took his role very seriously and didn't allow any infractions on his watch.

The Devil even found that he was a bit too serious about this. But given their situation, he didn't blame his lieutenant to be strict with the men around him. They were on unfamiliar ground, in an unfamiliar world, and in an unfamiliar situation.

There were hints of destruction and death but those had decayed, years ago. While signs of fighting had been going around, they couldn't figure out what exactly had been going on.

It was like giant things had made a mess out of things.

They had been picking signals and they had gone after it. But it had been going on for a while now.

The runners had been prepared for many sights on this Brave New World. Yet, seeing how giant robots were fighting Infinite Stratos and something else, they couldn't guess what it exactly was.

But one thing was no doubt the truth. They had found human life on this planet. And they would be dammed if they let them die on this front.

In the sky, several ships had been gathered around where those robots came out off. So that meant those five vessels were their primary threat to take down. But from the smoke and fires, it became clear that the island in the middle got into serious trouble.

At that point, they heard a signal coming through via the intercom. For some reason or another, they managed to find the source of the signals that they had been hunting for.

[Unknown airship! Unknown airship! This is commander Hida from the Ataraxia Fleet Speaking! Identify yourself or be risked to shot down!]

The voice took both Tabane's and Kerlongsj's hearts for a jump when it reminded them of Chifuyu's voice.

[Airship Hackers make themselves known to Ataraxia Fleet! This is captain Orlejov speaking. We are]

The Devil couldn't get any further as a familiar voice was next. Kerlongsj couldn't help but smile when those words were spoken.

[Captain? Is that really fucking you, Captain? Are you there on the ship? I am not dreaming.]

[It's good to hear your voice, Joel. Can you let those around you know that we are friendlies.]

The sound of a laugh mixed with tears of pure relief was a sound that not many made on this planet. But it could be seen as the most beautiful song on the planet.

[Oh, if you're there, Captain. This entire goddamned war has just turned in our favor. But we are in bad shape. Would you be so kind to get those hostiles of our ass?]

Before Kerlongsj could answer, he heard something that would shake the entire ship.

[It would be much appreciated, captain Orlejov. It can help those here to show you what the Flemish Devil can do.]

There was so much, so many things, and countless emotions that Kerlongsj wanted to say and experience at the same time when he heard the voice of Chifuyu Orimura. But in front of his men, he couldn't crack.

He could thank the fact that Tabane Shinonono didn't give a rat's ass about appearances.

[Chi-chan? Is that you, Chi-chan? Oh, I'm so happy that you are still alive. My love for you has kept you alive.]

Anaton knocked Tabane off the communicator while Kerlongsj took the time to compose himself. His little brother winked at him. From all the ones on board, he knew what it meant for Kerlongsj to hear the voice of Chifuyu.

[It's been a while, Orimura. I'll be sure to accommodate you. Can you guarantee there will be no friendlies in the skies? It'll make it easier for us to focus on the hostiles.]

Chifuyu had no problem with that. Hearing the man in the skies made her feel that heaven had heard all her prayers.

[You heard the man. It will save our lives if we follow along with him. Oh and Orlejov. Good to hear your voice.] Kerlongsj wanted to keep the smile on his face. Yet, he found that impossible to do so.

Chifuyu was alive. If it weren't for the fight he would have, he would have jumped out of the ship and raced down to grab Chifuyu up, hug the woman, kiss the woman and for the first time since Azalof died, cry his heart out.

With his emotions running high, it was time that someone jumped up.

Jozek immediately sprung to officer mode.

"Companies Alpha, Charlie. I want you ready to make a race downstairs. Give those saps our help on the ground. They'll need it. Bravo, get on the guns. Fire at will when given the order. Delta, you guys are running the ship's navigation. No mistakes!"

Turning to Kerlongsj, Jozek forgot to who he was talking.

"Sir! I want you to give Companies Alpha and Charlie a protective circle by going west of the ship. You have to take the left flank and take out those three ships on your own! We will take the right flank!"

Every Hacker had his mouth dropped open at the brazen tone in that the lieutenant talked to his boss and the orders he gave. It only took a second for Jozek to catch up on what he had just said.

"Eh, apologies, sir. I just caught up in the moment and I wasn't. I am thinking of the." Kerlongsj waved the apologies away and shook his head at the young man. There was a hint of a smile on the face.

"Don't worry, Lieutenant. Someone needs to keep his head straight and it is a good strategy! Good luck out there to you."

Curbing one's natural path was something that Kerlongsj would never do and the officer had done a good job of telling him what he should be doing. No reason to punish him for that. Besides, he could carry out the given order just fine.

"Companies Alpha, Charlie. On me!"

Before Anaton could join his older brother in this fight, he felt Janousek's hand on his shoulders.

"No, young Sir! You need to stay!"

"Let me go, lieutenant!" Anaton protested while Jozek shook his head.

Jozek shook his head while keeping his grip hard on the boy.

"No, young Sir. You cannot go. Your older brother would kill me if something happened to you. Besides, I need a helmsman. You are most suited for this as I will have to oversee the fights."

Anaton sobered up quickly and the idea of handling the ship was awesome. Getting on the controls, the Hell Son made himself ready for steering the ship. It would work out just fine.

"Should have that sooner! Everyone, get ready!"

Jozek took the middle of the command center.

"Turn a hundred eight, young Sir. We need to be able to give Captain and the two companies that were taken along with him.

The five hundred men were divided into four companies.

Alpha was about 150 boot soldiers while Bravo numbered 100 gunners on the ship. Charlie were 150 technicians and meds while Delta consisted of 100 reserves who could do about anything but wasn't specialized in anything.

It made them perfect for running the ship.

Kerlongsj didn't look back, he knew that they had to keep up with him. The ship began to turn around which allowed the men to have an easier way down. The one thing that would give them problems was the fact that there were dozens of those robots that had turned their attention to them.

[Captain Orlejov. We have those in the skies. A precise attack would give our pilots a safe way down. Plus, it could give your men a safe passage down.] The voice wasn't Chifuyu although she sounded oh-so similar.

[Sure thing!] Kerlongsj aimed his arm, right at the few bits.

[Sniper Line!] A beam of energy just shot out and Kerlongsj was sure that it destroyed all the robots.

It made a real show in the destruction of their foes while it kept the pilots safe.

[Yo, two questions. One. Is everyone you have back on your soil?]

The woman was amazed by what she had just witnessed.

[That is correct. I thought that Orimura was exaggerating when she told me about you.]

The Hacker scoffed when he heard that.

[Lady, you ain't seen nothing yet! But who am I talking to?]

The woman had a laugh that seemed so similar to Chifuyu that Kerlongsj felt his body betray his mind.

[I am commander Reiri Hida. And please, impress us!]

Kerlongsj knew that he would have to meet her soon on the ground.

[We aim to please! Shockwave!] Clasping his hands together, Kerlongsj sent over a huge wave that was made out of pure energy which made a huge opening in the attack.

[Men! Make yourselves ready!] Kerlongsj shouted through the intercom and the young men were hungry for their fight.

[Yes, sir!]

As their leader, the captain was going first into the danger zone. Luckily for him (and the men behind him), Kerlongsj opened up a huge circle of energy that would protect them from bullets. It was large enough for them to move in.

He could give them a safe passage to the ground before he took off and destroy those others.

Reiri spoke again for the soldiers on the ground.

[For all those on the ground, we are about to have some allies coming our way. Be sure to give them a warm welcome.]

Scene skip

Chifuyu hoped that she could keep herself composed. She had prayed, prayed that Kerlongsj would be in this place.

She thanked the heavens that he appeared in the sky, just when her girls had been pushed back.

The Infinite Stratos Pilots had taken over the mantle as fighters for Ataraxia academy.

Gertrude had been the only HHG pilot who had stayed back and there was one thing that even the Technical Gears couldn't cover. So that was where Chifuyu had sent out the Infinite Stratos girls and they had been the main fighting force for the two islands.

Chifuyu had never let Reiri forget it was her full-on attack that had cost both Amaterasu and the Masters.

While the Infinite Stratos Pilots didn't have the same firepower as the Heart Hybrid Gear, they came to find that they worked a lot faster and they were better in small squads.

Plus, the IS girls had another huge ace up their sleeves.

Joel had managed to use the "Hunter's Faith" Program to run as a cover for the girls. It meant they were invisible and undetected until they made their attack known. It had caused ships and machinery to get significant damage.

Joel had also gifted the Infinite Stratos girls their nickname.

Night Witches.

It had been accepted as their name and while it wasn't flattering, it made the point come across. Fear wasn't on their minds and they could cast their spells as they had perfected their flight.

Now, those girls were air force Number One.

But it had begun to wear its toll as the continuous fighting was doing too much on them.

If they didn't receive any help in the coming days, Chifuyu knew that eventually, one wouldn't come from the sky.

And then she heard Joel speaking that he was picking up a signal.

When she heard his voice, she knew that they were safe.

And that was the time when she ran outside to watch the fight of the man that she loved.

Scene skip

Kerlongsj allowed his men to get to the floor as they followed up on the ground. While there were no foes in the skies, it appeared that the ground wasn't exactly much better. They could see how the robots were fighting back against the students.

[Men, do what you do best! I'm going up in the skies!]

The Flemish Devil took off while the boys just landed. Company Alpha had started to take out their guns and was giving cover fire. Others had deployed their Nanites and smashed through the Albatrosses.

One group of Hackers fired their AKs right at a few robots which gave way to an explosion.

One of the students came up to them and nodded to them.

"Thank you."

The leader of the group smirked.

"Thank us when we're done. Keep firing men!"

The Japanese joined in with them. For the Hackers, it meant those brave volunteers were doing their best to keep up. It was always welcome.

The ISA students were also happy that those Hackers relieved them. Alpha proved their name worthy as they fought like maniacs.

Robots were made to scrap metal as they tore them with their deformed limbs.

Charlie took care of the fires while they pulled them out of the danger zone. They administered medical aid where it was needed while technicians began to look over the machines they got before them.

The Pilots were glad they could feel their machines getting repaired. Girls nodded while some even pecked the Hackers on the cheek.

The Hackers kept themselves professional while they kept on firing or healing. Others were taking up the guns that were laying around.

Momo Kurumizawa was horrified as those boys just ran up to her designed babies and started to fire them.

While she was one of the few who wasn't relieved by the new fighters, the fighters sighed in relief as those Hackers were proven highly effective in taking down their foes.

But when they looked up in the sky, their mouths dropped open when they saw a giant, made out of pure energy which was smashing the ships together.

They could see the way the armor had bound itself around something in the middle.

"That is a Knight." One of the Students shouted as they witnessed the giant.

"No, are you blind? It's definitely a Samurai!" One of the ISA girls replied.

The Hacker next to them barked a laugh.

"It's neither of those two things, ladies. That right there is a Hussar!"

Scene skip

Kerlongsj had made sure that his men were safely on the ground. Once there, they could take care of the fight themselves.

There was a line between babying and taking care of them. And Kerlongsj wouldn't cross that line. Some would say that they had to reach the battlefield themselves.

It would be so if he had all his troops. But now, he only had a handful of his soldiers. He would not let them suffer casualties if he could help it.

Besides, he would be in infinitely more danger than his troops as he flew by ships that were ominous and dark.

Yet, he couldn't feel a hint of fear in his body. In fact, he felt an odd way happy. Almost giddy to a degree.

"What do you say, Jack? We go wild for a change."

The small, black bird on his shoulder flapped his wings like he was impatient. His conduit would be glad if he could meet Chifuyu very soon.

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

When thousands of robots came crashing out of the ships, Kerlongsj just smiled when he could have his own fun against these things.

Leaning his head back, he smiled when he avoided the swipes of the Albatrosses.

"Oh-ho-oh, the echoes of eternity!" Kerlongsj sang as he grabbed one arm and smashed them into another robot.

"Oh-ho-oh, Valhalla Calling Me!" For the Devil, it could call him how long it wanted. He wanted to be sure that Chifuyu was safe first.

When he flipped through the machines, Kerlongsj hammered them back into the ships which gave nice explosions.

He went over all the weapons that he had at his disposal, ranging from different gun types to his swords, axes, and other melee weapons like spears and scythes. It was funny how his body just made different weapons as he trashed them back into the robots.

It didn't even put a dent in his body or his fatigue. In fact, Kerlongsj felt like he was working out a system that he had been keeping in for a while.

The Devil rarely found a way to the full extent of his power to play out and destroy things without any repercussions.

For the fire time in a long while, Kerlongsj had fun while he kicked, fired, fought, and blasted back at all their foes.

When the bird on his shoulder began to get louder, Kerlongsj found that it was time now to wrap up the mischief that he was causing.

"You are right, Jack. What do you suggest this time? Samurai as we are in Japanese waters?"

The bird loudly voiced its disapproval of the idea of Kerlongsj.

"Okay, how about Gaul? We can do that?"

For the second time, Jack disagreed with his owner on the suggestion.

"Alright, Jack. I'll let you make the choice on what you want."

The bird let the power that he was the gatekeeper of, flow through his owner. Rise and Reign. The Devil stood back and let that power go through him while the ships fired at him. Yet, they couldn't do anything against the power that shielded them.

It was only proving the demise that Kerlongsj had in mind for them. His eyes went up to the sky as he hoped that someone was watching over him now.

'Please, if you're there, watch over me.' There were a few up there, who would watch over him in this fight.

Kerlongsj leaned his head back and then found some sort of giant Three-headed monster that was coming his way.

"You think you can have this easily. Let's roll."

Energy began to form around his body while he began to feel the type that Jack had chosen for him. The song that he had chosen to play in his head was now along.

"I'm a sailor Peg. And I lost my leg! Climbing up the topsails! I lost my leg!" Kerlongsj wished that he heard that Children of Bodom had covered this song.

Dropkick Murphys version was already awesome but theirs couldn't be beaten. Alexi Laiho was an amazing singer and it showed what drugs and drink could do to someone.

The guitar began to play through his mind while the Dragon came closer to Kerlongsj. It was so focused on him that it didn't even notice the huge arm that threw it away.

"I'm shipping up to Boston! Wheeheeyo, I'm shipping up to Boston!" It would be weird to hear a man singing in the middle of the battleground but for the Devil, it was the most normal thing in the world as he smashed the Dragon around.

The cries were that of terror and fear while Kerlongsj just let Jack build the energy around him. Jack had chosen the Hussar for him to play with.

The wings behind him were more for the show while the spear that was made out of energy was big enough to match the ships around him. Kerlongsj knew that he was a giant compared to the others around him. But yet, there was nothing that he couldn't do in this form.

So grabbing the Dragon, he kept the body still with one hand while he smashed the spear through the body. The explosion was big but for him, it felt small.

Scene skip

Reiri Hida's mouth dropped open when she witnessed the display of the man in front of him. No, the monster that was Kerlongsj Orlejov.

Now, she understood why Chifuyu and Joel were so relieved to hear his name.

The show of how Kerlongsj could destroy a Tri-head like it was child's play was just a show of how good this man was.

"Is that a man I see? What is he even?"

Chifuyu crossed her arms under her sizeable bust while the smile was one of pure relief.

"That, right there, is Kerlongsj. Pearce and Mattheus' boss. If you now believe the stories, I have told you. The man is having fun up there." They saw how Kerlongsj took a ship and smashed it right into another one while the spear that he threw disabled another one.

There were fiery explosions that covered the screens while the giant saluted to them. It was clear that he was safe.

[Fleet Ataraxia, if you can hear my voice, my name is Kerlongsj Orlejov. And I and my men are here to help. I only hope that you can give us a place to stay.]

Reiri walked over to the microphone and spoke into it.

[Captain Orlejov. We thank you for the much-needed help. If you do come by, I'd hope you can shrink down to a hostable size.]

[Very well, commander Hida. Thank you for the friendly welcome. I'll come as soon the fight is over at the other side.]

There was nothing more in the skies. He was about to help out his ship. Just to be on the safe side. Then he saw something opening. A rift in the sky.

An impossibility as there ever was one. An anomaly that couldn't exist. Yet, it showed here in front of him.

But when he saw the rift, he found there was one tiny figure that came crashing out of it.

[Orlejov, by all costs, get that man! His name is Kizuna Hida. He is my younger brother. He went MIA after his last mission. Captured by the other side and transported there. He has been gone for so long. We need to know what happened. Plus, he is also our answer to this war.]

Kerlongsj didn't have to worry about it and so he carried out the order. And despite how much closer he got to it, he couldn't help but think that he recognized this boy.

'Well, fuck me.' Kerlongsj managed to get the boy in a bridal carry style while he looked at him.

'Badly wounded, completely exhausted and there are tons more things wrong with you. But look at you.'

Kerlongsj hoped that down there, he could see Chifuyu who would give him some clarity about this whole situation.

And he wanted to bet that he would find that Reiri Hida would look a ton like Chifuyu Orimura.

Scene skip

Anaton was ready for this match as he steered the ship right between the others that were out there. Compared to the vessel they used, they were dwarfs. But those dwarfs were armed to the teeth, fast and nimble. So they were better for this.

Kerlongsj's little brother was ready for this and he began to steer the ship around while he used the speed that he had.

"Bulgarians, fire!" It was a nickname for the Bravo Company as they were made out of Bulgarian soldiers. The young boy had turned up "The Valley of Death" that played through the ship. It did wonders on morale and from the sounds of guns, it was taken as an incentive. Cannons unloaded on the ships while Anaton steered them out of the way of their own fire.

The navigators made it possible for Anaton to bend the ship to his will while he made sure that the gunners could fire as stable as possible.

Company Bravo was led by a man called Vericho Vazov. The man was using an experimental weapon that was dubbed the automatic cannon. Fully automatic 30mm rounds from underneath the canon as Vazov was enjoying the fight.

"Come on, man. Show them how we do it! For the nation, we are fighting for!"

Anaton heard the words coming through while he had his own energy to keep the ship protected.

Making it possible for them to drop out and fall back when their foes fired at them. It was just showing off the weapons they possessed and how those tactics weren't out of time just yet.

And their Hacker ship was nimble enough to give their foes headaches.

Their Heavy Machine Guns made Swiss cheese out of the monsters that were coming their way while their canons (loaded with explosive shots) did literal wonders on the ships.

Anaton could feel the ship while their speed was high and he avoided the problems that came their way.

It was good preparation for him.

Usually, ships were maintained in different ways as they used conventional methods. This, where a Hacker bound himself to the ship, could only be done if he was strong enough.

Usually, this was reserved for the top five hundred Hacker leaders as none could handle the immense stress that came through. You also needed top navigators for this job.

Luckily for Anaton, he had them but that didn't stop the one truth.

Anaton was the youngest of this generation to be able to do that.

Just twelve years old. But as Kerlongsj's heir, he had a lot to prove.

"Excellent, young Sir. We see that one of the ships is going down. Look out, another volley!" Anaton let the ship go up as Jozek found the pressure to be too strong to keep his footing.

"Shut up, Lieutenant. Focus on the battery. Vazov, what are our stats?"

The man barked a laugh when he heard Anaton's voice.

[That serves you right, lieutenant. Young sir, we are getting through the machinery. You have done some great steering.]

When another voice came through, the Hackers were also relieved.

[Great to hear you have put Anaton to work, lieutenant. Sergeant Vazov, how does it look?]

Vericho was a bit more surprised that Kerlongsj would refer to him.

[We've been doing well, sir. No casualties on our end. We have burned through quite some ammo though.]

[That's why we have it on board, Sergeant. Look, do you think you'll need my help to finish this?]

There hung a lot on this question and not just for them. It would be great to have their boss watch over them. But for Anaton, it would show that he would need his big brother to help him out of a fight. One where Kerlongsj already did the heavy lifting.

It would show that he was the little boy who needed his daddy to help him in his fights.

[Do you want to help us? Or would it be more convenient if we do this ourselves?]

Anaton shot back to his older brother as it was also clear that saying yes could be on the table.

[It'd be saving me some time and problems on my end.] Kerlongsj would be answering truthfully and his boy would have to prove himself to the men around him.

[We'll handle it ourselves. Thanks for asking, brother. See you on the ground.]

For the older Hacker, it proved a lot from the boy that he scraped from the streets one day.

'You really begin to look like your dad. It makes me happy.' Kerlongsj made his way down to the ground.

There was no missing where the important people were as he saw a huge building. When he flew by, he witnessed how his boys were doing their jobs by dragging wounded out of the rabble or healing them up.

Others were talking to the Pilots or fighters around them. It was like they were friends for ages already.

There was an immense amount of relief and gratitude from the students who weren't shy of showing their affection to the men.

Kerlongsj spotted that a few of his boys were cracking under it. Not that he blamed them. These girls were cuties in their own right and well, if you went without women for a while, when you finally had them,…

There wasn't a reason for him to worry though about it. But when he felt Kizuna move, there was a worry that set in his system. When his Nanites checked the boy, he was nearly horrified. His heart rate had plummeted and the child was going into septic shock.

Kerlongsj made a pit dive to the ground where he landed between the students who saw the man with the captain of Amaterasu.

"That is Hida-kun."

"He was captured by the other side."

"Can't say that I'm that happy to see him."

"I do wonder who that other guy is."

The rumors and ruckus wouldn't be a great place for him to work so Kerlongsj's deadly glare shot out to all fighters.

"Hackers, do your job! Get them moving! And get someone in authority here!"

The orders were barked and with great relief, nature and instincts kicked in.

"Yes, sir!"

It was like an ant hill that got to live as the Hackers began to recruit those who could walk to help them carry out those who were wounded. Others received help from the medics. Fires were being put out while some were performing daring rescues by getting underneath burning rubble to pull out the wounded.

Kerlongsj witnessed how Kizuna began to wake up. It wouldn't be ideal if he did find himself awake. So the Flemish Devil tapped over his head and let the Nanites be an anesthetic which caused Kizuna to get off into the land of dreams.

Not that those were pleasant. When Kerlongsj was convinced that Kizuna was dazed, he cut open the suit. Not that there was much on his body. It barely hung on them, to begin with, and what was left was dirty, tattered, and stained.

Kerlongsj gulped when he witnessed the big wounds on Kizuna. It appeared that Kizuna had been in a few serious fights. But there was something that was eating away his life force. That couldn't be done.

So when Kerlongsj had his hands on the heart of Kizuna, he could feel the energy being drained.

"Not that easy, pall. Hang on." Summoning a rod of energy in his left hand, Kerlongsj put on the right arm and pulled through. It would look gruesome but it didn't hurt him. It would give Kerlongsj an easier way to handle the healing portion of his Nanites.

When he jammed the spear into Kizuna, the young man stirred but then relaxed as he felt the energy being pumped into his body. On his right forearm, Kerlongsj could see what was going on. The Nanites were restoring energy in his body.

There was something inside of Kizuna. What in the world was a "Heart Hybrid Gear?" It must have been the machines that he was seeing others use in this world.

[Captain, you have one fine child. He did one awesome job!]

Kerlongsj couldn't look up from Kizuna so he asked his lieutenant what Anaton had achieved.

[Oh, what did he do?] Kerlongsj asked as he was taking more of Kizuna.

[Took out the last few ships. We're coming in now.]

Scene skip

While Anaton was damn sure that he was just steering this ship, the Hacker navigation and all that taxed on his body while keeping it afloat was wearing on him. Energy had begun to grow low on his end.

But he couldn't afford to crash. If he crashed, the entire ship would come down.

"What is our situation looking like, Vazov? You are getting through."

[We have been doing mighty fine work. Your last evasion was superb, young Sir. Keep that up.] The sergeant was happy about how this fight was going.

[We can't make too many evasive maneuvers anymore. Our energy is running low.] That comment from Sergeant Lawrence. He was the officer of Company Echo. While he was English from birth, he had lived all over the world. It made the Echo Company one of the most ethnically diverse groups.

[Copy that, Sergeant. Asides from energy, how are we looking?] Anaton hoped there was more information that could help them out.

[We don't have any damages so far and you kept our ship in decent shape. But my boys are running out of energy, young Sir. It's hard to keep the ship running.]

Using the knowledge that his brother instilled in him, Anaton didn't bark back at the sergeant. It was hard on him as well.

[That is mutual, sergeant Lawrence. I do hope that.] It would have been rude for them but then they heard the voices of Vazov. It made them happy.

[Take a look outside!]

Every soul on board did and they had seen the beautiful destruction of the last ship. It went down in a fiery light.

[Young Sir. Get the ship down on the ground. I think you have done well enough.] The weapons outside were steaming from the fire they had gotten.

But they had done their job well. And when Anaton felt more energy coming through, he knew that Vazov had already set his own men to help them out.

[Great work, you all. In my brother's stead and my own, I am damn fucking proud of all of you.]

Anaton steered the ship away from the destruction and mayhem they had caused. Over the intercom, they could hear another voice coming through. A woman this time. The same one that Kerlongsj had contacted before he went out off the ship.

[Ataraxia, as you have witnessed, we can thank our new allies for this victory. Get your ship down, we'll foresee a place for you.]

Anaton could feel his fatigue hitting him. He had to ask for harsher training from his brother to increase his stamina.

The boy began to steer the ship down via the instructions that he received from upstairs. When his ship finally had set down, he opened the back hatchet to allow the remaining men to get off the ship.

The first person to leave was Tabane who jammed out of the ship while the Hackers began to follow her.

Anaton stayed behind while leaning on the sip.

"Young Sir." He turned to see Jozek standing behind him as he watched over the boy.

"Follow your boys, lieutenant! I'll catch up." There wasn't a hint of weakness that Anaton could show here.

He was twelve now, not seven. It was time for him to fight his own fights. He wasn't needed now so when the lieutenant left, he took a few moments to catch his breath.

Stumbling out of the ship, leaning against the walls, Anaton forced his body to move. He walked through the empty ship. It was weird as this was their home for nearly five weeks. All of them were happy to get off the vessel.

Anaton didn't believe that he managed to park the ship right next to his brother who was busy with an operation.

Gathered around him were Chifuyu Orimura, a woman with an uncanny similar appearance, and a few other girls that Anaton recognized as Infinite Stratos pilots with Personal Units. Besides them, there were a number of Hackers who set out a perimeter around his brother.

One of them was Janousek who kept watch over Kerlongsj. Something the older Hacker didn't appreciate.

"Janousek, get out of here!"

"Sir, with all due respect. The men know how to handle themselves. They managed to get to this island and survive. They'll be fine. You need protection."

Kerlongsj was about to say more to the lieutenant until an immense loud scream echoed over the entire island.

"CHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!"

Tabane shouted when she catapulted herself right at the Brunhilde. Without even hesitating, Chifuyu's fist was buried into the jaw of the genius. She was flung right into the building which caused rubble to fly everywhere and the earth to shake.

Janousek, who was wielding a shotgun, got the weapon resting on his shoulders and looked from Chifuyu to the scientist and back to Chifuyu.

Looking the Brunhilde straight in the eye, the lieutenant only said two words.

"Thank you."

Those words were spoken in the most, calm, neutral yet, the most sincere, thankful, and grateful way possible.

Chifuyu couldn't understand why this man who most likely, didn't have much love for her, thanked her for being violent.

But she was also polite and given the fact that Kerlongsj was now here, gave her reasons to reply.

"You're welcome," Chifuyu replied while Kerlongsj continued to heal Kizuna. Anaton continued to walk to the group but found he had overexerted himself during this.

His legs felt like jelly and Anaton felt that he had the mother of all headaches. His entire body was numb but before he felt the cold ground he got closer, and two strong arms captured him.

He didn't even need to look up to know who had captured him. His body felt like it was exhausted from the energy.

"Thank you, Chifuyu." Scooping him up, his legs left the floor while she got him to her hips and carried him back.

"You're welcome, Anaton." When they wanted to join the group, they found a boy standing, trying to bite back tears and a smile on his face.

Joel Pearce was about to lose it on the two. Hell's Son looked up to his best friend.

"Hey, Joel."

"Bout fucking time you two showed your ugly mugs around these parts." Joel's voice was cracking when he said that.

Anaton smiled when he heard that line.

"Good to see you too."

When Reiri kneeled down in front of Kerlongsj, he looked up into her eyes. He was only guessing the first time but now, he was sure.

"What are you doing to my brother?" The commander demanded to know if he was helping or hurting her brother.

"Saving his life. Don't worry, I know what I am doing." And when the cable was good, he could relax a bit more.

"He'll be fine now. It was close. Let him heal up and rest will make sure he gets a full recovery. In the meantime, as long my cable is hooked in his body, Chifuyu, could you be so kind to tell me what happened since you went missing?"

Chifuyu knelt down to Kerlongsj while Joel took the other side. As stalwart as ever, the Infinite Stratos girls remained quiet while Janousek kept his watch.

"That's a long story, Kerlongsj. I hope you can believe all that I'm going to tell you."

The man barked a laugh as he looked at her and then shifted his eyes to Reiri.

"I think I'll do the same."

I had this idea in my head for years. It worked out to a degree that I liked. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter.

I know that I have taken over a year but if I didn't have the holiday, it would have taken even longer. That is just how my time is going now.

I don't have much more to add, other than the fact that I crapped this out faster than I would have guessed.

I'm glad though that I finished this on my father's 65th birthday.

So Da, this one is for you May many more years to come for you, Old Man.

Don't forget that you can find this fic back on AO3 if this ever disappears.

I hope to see you all next year.

Saluut.