Chapter 42: Black Angels
With the day of the invasion of Misurugi having finally arrived, the gathering that had formed at the grand temple was quite the sight to behold. At the temple's base, the Ryushinki, Villkiss, and Wyvern stood like temple guards as the clans who had come to join the fight gathered in the courtyard. Those that couldn't find a place to land remained circling overhead, creating a sight that was both grand and terrifying to behold.
"Whoa, it's a full course DRAGON convention!" Vivian whistled as she looked through the gathering, spotting DRAGONs both familiar and unknown among their numbers.
"Kinda glad we're on their side for this one," Alain mused.
"It's definitely a spectacle," Tusk nodded.
"Sir Tu~sk…" Dr. Gecko sang as she suddenly came up from behind Tusk, blowing into the young man's ear and causing him to jump. "I was looking forward to doing more research with your body. Or perhaps getting Alain to let me see what his is like in a more… thorough fashion."
"I have enough problems with our medic, thanks," Alain dismissively replied, Dr. Gecko chuckling at his flat tone.
"Y-yeah that's a real shame…" Tusk stammered.
"Next time we'll do coital experiments," Dr. Gecko licked her lips before both Alain and Tusk were yanked away by Ange and Naomi, both girls giving the doctor glares that could puncture a steel hull.
"Sorry doc," Ange snickered. "But Tusk isn't some rat for you to experiment on. He's my knight."
"Oh…I see…" Gecko sighed with a disappointed look.
"Woo hoo!" Vivian cat called, Ange coughing into a hand as she saw her, Alain, and Naomi smirking at her and Tusk.
"Let's just get going!" Ange bit, stomping off towards the Villkiss. As the last few late arrivals finally trickled in, at the top of the temple stairs, the High Priestess stood and gazed out over her people.
"Proud People of Aura," she spoke, spreading her arms outwards. "It has been many moons since we were robbed of the light of our Great Mother. But at long last, the time for retaliation has come. Now is the time to show Embryo our anger and might. Even if we fall, our wings will not break! Under the watchful gaze of the Progenitors, let us return the grandest of them to her home!"
The air echoed with the roars of the assembled DRAGONs and the pilots mounted up their machines, engines beginning to rumble as they prepared for liftoff.
"Headquarters, this is lieutenant guardian Salamandinay. We are ready to proceed. All units, move out!" The Enryugo took the lead, the air filling with those departing as the crowd below waved them off. DRAGONs and Para-mail alike, for the first time, flew side by side as they departed the canyon city towards the destined singularity point. As they flew, Ange looked to Tusk's Air Runner as she heard him chuckling over the line.
"What's the deal? You sound creepy."
"I'm just happy," Tusk beamed. "You finally accepted me as your knight."
"Hey, if the DRAGONs win, is our fight over too?" Vivian asked, leaning out from behind Tusk.
"Maybe, maybe not," Naomi answered, her Halberd pulling up next to the Villkiss. "If they do win, then at least it gives us one hell of an edge in what comes after. I can rest easy with that much."
"You can say that again," Alain laughed as he brought the Wyvern close, Ange rolling her eyes at his seeming need to perform some tricks as he joined their formation. "Man, the modifications made Wyvern fly way smoother than before. Naomi, how's Halberd holding up with the new kit?"
"Like a dream!" Naomi giggled, her shoulders wiggling in her excitement. "Who'd have thought a simple engine and battery change would make her run so differently? I'm definitely letting Mei look at it so we can overhaul the others."
"Well hey, if the fight's done, what'll we do then?" Vivian chirped. "Big Bro said he wants to explore, Naomi wants to work on machines, and I'm gonna invite Salia and the others to meet Mom! What about you, Tusk?"
"Me? I…" Tusk gave it a moment, then a small smile came to his face. "I'm going to open a small café, in a nice town by the sea. With Ange. We'll call it Angel's Café Ange. Sea snake soup will be out signature dish. And we'll live on the second floor with our four kids."
"Wow, you've thought this out," Naomi chuckled. "Huh… hey Alain, how big of a place would we need for all of us to live together? You, me, Ersha, Salia, Chris, Rosalie… maybe even Hilda… plus any kids too. Yeesh the whole house would be nothing but bedrooms!"
"It definitely wouldn't be small," Alain chuckled.
"Vivian, you can kick Tusk off," Ange sighed. "And you two, quit talking like I'm all in on that idea of his."
"No, I mean…" Tusk let out a breath. "I just hope we can get to enjoy peace someday. Sorry about my mouth getting ahead of me."
"Well then, what about you, Ange?" Vivian asked.
"Me?"
"Opening singularity!" Kaname suddenly called before Ange could think of an answer. Just ahead, the air before them began to crackle and pulse in the familiar sign of an opening singularity. This one was far larger than any of them had seen before, only fitting for the sheer numbers that had to pass through.
"All forces, follow me!" Salamandinay called as she charged ahead.
No time but… Ange's gaze settled as her fingers adjusted on her controls. It actually sounds nice. Café Ange huh? But, for now she'd have to set those ideas aside. Throttling ahead, Ange was the first of her group to pass through the singularity. To her surprise, she found they'd come out above open waters rather than right on top of Misurugi. Where are we exactly? I don't see a coast anywhere.
"Quiz time!" Vivian cheered as she sniffed the air. "Where are we? Time's up! The answer is… we're home!"
"Hold on," Alain muttered, tapping at his console. "Something about this doesn't feel right. Wyvern?"
"Your instincts are correct," The AI replied, which didn't make Alain feel any better. "By my calculations, we are 48,000 kilometers northeast of the intended destination."
"Wasn't the plan to open up right over Misurugi?!" Alain wondered. "What the hell could have…" Alain flinched when a sudden sensation of danger ran up his spine. "Guys look alive!" No sooner did those words leave Alain's mouth than his radar flared up with incoming signals. Far ahead where the Ryushinki led the way, explosions flooded the horizon as a barrage of missiles crashed into the forward guard of the DRAGONs' invasion. Most lifted barriers to protect themselves but a few weren't fast enough and fell to the sea below.
"What the…?" Tusk gasped.
"It's a trap!" Alain yelled, his hands tightening on the controls as his alarm pinged again with new contacts. And judging by how fast and agile they were, it had to be Para-mails. But who's attacking us?
Salamandinay's mind was sent racing from the second she had realized they were nowhere close to their objective. She had gone into this mission confident in where they would go and how they would save Aura. So to say the girl was thrown off to not only learn they were so far off target, but that the enemy had clearly been waiting for them was an understatement. As she tried to make sense of this new and unexpected development, Salamandinay flinched as one of the Vivel clan has his head suddenly blown off by an emerald bolt of energy.
"Naga, Kaname. 15 degrees port!" she called as Enryugo's computer traced the path of the bolt. Salamandinay followed her machine's guide, her eyes going wide as she saw what had intercepted them. Hovering in the air was a machine that was all too familiar. Its frame identical to Villkiss but with a pure black body highlighted by bright blue markings. In one hand was a long-barreled rifle while a single sword hung from its wing hardpoint. A Ragna-mail, she realized. The Cleopatra: judging by what she had read in the ancient records.
"But if that one is here, then…" Salamandinay quickly scanned the horizon and located four other black shapes zooming into position around the Cleopatra. Before their forces even had a chance to regroup for a counterattack, the five Ragna-mail opened fire, raining emerald death upon their opponents.
"Princess, what is going on?!" Kaname gasped.
"They knew we were coming," Ikuchi growled, the concentrated beams of Seiryugo's cannons cutting through the air as it returned fire.
"So… Lizardia's intel was…" Naga muttered.
"Right now, our priority is defeating the enemy before us," Salamandinay said, her hands tightening on her controls as she shifted Enryugo into Assault Form. "All forces, destroy the enemy!"
Far from the battle, a dark room was lit up by a mana screen projecting the confrontation to the room's occupants. Sitting in a plush chair, Embryo smiled as he sipped his tea, his vassal Cipher standing by his side. And strung up by her wrists to the ceiling, Lizardia hung battered and exhausted from the torture, watching the slaughter with pained eyes.
"What do you think?" Embryo mused. "Thanks to the information you provided, your friends are being massacred," The DRAGON woman gave no answer, only a despondent gaze as she tore her eyes away from the screen as Embryo chuckled and glanced at his masked enforcer.
"I'm surprised you chose to remain. I almost expected you would want to supervise your students in their first battle?"
"Let's consider this their final exam," Cipher noted. "If they can't handle this much without me and Siegfried, they're not worth piloting the Ragna-mails."
"A shame. I was quite looking forward to seeing you field test the new modifications since its repairs. Though, I suppose now you wouldn't consider it worth your time unless the Wyvern was there. The boy with the phoenix emblem. I wonder if he'll appear here."
"Fate would only be so kind."
The chaos that reigned across the sky was an all too bitter reminder for the Arzenal group. The air filled with the familiar but now heart wrenching screams of falling DRAGONs, the sea filling with bodies as they were shot down without mercy. And now it was being done by the machines they knew had ruined the world they had just left and could very easily wreck this one just as well.
"Stop it!" Vivian screamed. Unable to hold back anymore, Ange and Alain throttled their machines to blast ahead of Tusk and Naomi.
"Hey, don't go rushing in!" Naomi shouted.
"And just let them get slaughtered?!" Alain snapped.
"Hold on a minute!" Tusk urged. "This has got to be Embryo's doing! We can't go running in blind!"
"That's all the more reason to go and help!" Ange countered as she and Alain charged straight into the storm.
"Well… can't say they're wrong," Naomi sighed. "Tusk, you keep behind us. You and Vivian are too exposed on that Runner."
"Got it. Vivian, hang on tight."
"Right!" But Tusk just couldn't shake the bad feeling he had as he followed after the others. What we speculated… Who's piloting them? It couldn't be pilots from Arzenal, could it? Tusk could only hope his thoughts wouldn't be proven right as the battle went on.
There's only five of them! Salamandinay cursed as she and the blue trimmed Ragna-mail clashed against each other. How are we so tied up with this?! While the Ryushinki boasted performance on par with such machines, she had to wonder if it was a difference in experience that was leaving her and her team so tied up with such a minor difference in their numbers. Even worse, every minor disengagement felt like their foes made sure to shoot another of their kin down just to spite them before engaging once more in dog fighting. And Salamandinay didn't quite appreciate feeling like she was being mocked.
"Right flank is down thirty percent!" Kaname reported.
"The left flank isn't going to hold!" Naga added.
"Salamandinay, this is looking bad," Ikuchi warned, weaving his machine away from another barrage of beam fire. "We weren't prepared for this kind of ambush, and our enemies are too well organized."
"And yet there's only five…" Salamandinay growled as she let loose a volley of shots from her rifle, her target zipping past with ease. "So fast!" Suddenly, a flare of engine fire carried the Cleopatra right in front of her, its sword lifted high. But as the blade came down, a phoenix emblem on a wing filled her viewscreen as Alain intercepted the incoming hit on his shield.
"Come on, pick it up a bit!" Alain yelled, shoving his shield forward and forcing the Cleopatra back. "You put up a fight against Ange and this is giving you trouble?"
"Don't you go and embarrass me now!" Ange added as Villkiss came flying in, spraying the Cleopatra with its assault rifle to force a retreat.
"You alright, Sala?" Alain asked as Ange chased after the Cleopatra.
"Y-Yes."
"Then you need to get away while you can."
"I can't! Not until we take back Aura!"
"Not happening!" Alain snapped "I get how you feel but look around you! This isn't a fight, it's a slaughter! You won't be saving Aura if you and your forces get torn to shreds before you can even reach her!"
"You're the lieutenant guardian, aren't you?!" Ange snapped as her blade clashed against Cleopatra's. "Alain's right. You're not going to be getting Aura back in a situation like this.
"Salamandinay, they're correct!" Ikuchi said. Two of the other Ragna-mails dashed in to try and aid their comrade but were scattered by a blast from Seiryugo's cannons. "Our best option now is to retreat and regroup! We need to return this news to the High Priestess. We can achieve victory in the next battle but this one is already lost!"
"We'll give you the cover you need to get out of here. Once you're away… well, we'll figure that out as we go!" Alain took aim with his rifle and fired, trying to edge the Ragna-mails away from the DRAGONs.
"Aura…" Salamandinay whispered. As much as she wanted to protest, she couldn't deny what they were saying. "All units, retreat! Collapse the front and return to the singularity!"
As the DRAGONs began turning and making a run for it, Ange, Alain, and Naomi gave cover with their weapons to keep the Ragna-mails at bay. One marked in green went chasing after a group of Schooners and Ange shot at it until her magazine emptied. When it didn't break off its chase, Ange fired her last RPG grenade only for it to harmlessly explode on the Ragna-mail's arm mounted beam shield.
"Ange, take this!" Salamandinay yelled as she spun and heaved her energy rifle towards her. "Be safe, all of you."
"Just go already!" Ange sniped as she opened fire with the new weapon as Naomi came up alongside her. It wasn't as fast as her assault rifle, but the range and power were far greater. More than once, two or more Ragna-mail would have to scatter to avoid getting hit by a single blast.
As the DRAGONs made their way through the singularity, Alain took note of two more, marked in pink and yellow, moving off to try and intercept. Thankfully, Ange and Naomi moved to handle it along with the green one still harassing Villkiss. From the corner of his eye, Alain caught the Cleopatra moving in to target Villkiss as well. Before it could get close, he shot towards it as Wyvern drew the Striker Sabers, bringing the first one up and clashing with the Cleopatra's sword as he intercepted.
"Sorry, but you're fighting me instead!" Alain challenged as the weapons sparked together. "Always did wanna fight one of these things. Perfect time to put Wyvern to the test now that he's all fixed up. Ready to go, partner?!"
"Ready."
With Wyvern's own confirmation, Alain broke the blade lock and took off after the Ragna-mail. Alain felt glad that all the time in drills had left him more than prepared for the possibility of facing non-DRAGON enemies in combat. And he would even admit there was a certain thrill to finally fighting a Ragna-mail himself. The Siegfried had been a certain case of its own, but now things were far different than either of those fights. A renewed reason to fight and a restored Wyvern to back it up. As Alain darted through the air, exchanging sword slashes and gunfire with his foe, Alain had to admit that if there had to be some kind of test of those things, he was somewhat glad it was this.
And yet, as he and the Cleopatra continued to dance through the air, a feeling began to creep up in his mind. Something about the way the machine flew was… bothersome. The way it pulled back from his barrages to make distance, the all-too precise aim with its rifle that made shots arc so close Alain could almost feel the heat from the beams. The by-the-book yet so finely controlled maneuvers. Every sweep, every roll, every attempt to break away; he knew that style of piloting.
"No, it can't be." Alain decided he would take a gamble. A certain maneuver he kept in the back of his head. One he'd only practiced with one other person as more of a game than anything. Pulling back and changing Wyvern to flight mode, Alain hit the throttle to max and began to charge right for the Cleopatra. No attempt to weave away, only a direct line. Something that would be far too easy for an opportunistic opponent to get a sure-kill shot in on.
Yet a shot that would have rammed right through the nose formed by the shield and through Wyvern's body wasn't the response he got. Instead, after a seeming pause, the Cleopatra also changed into flight mode and shot forward. As the two machines began to draw closer, they began to bank in opposite directions. By the time they passed, the differing banks brought the two to pass by with underbellies so close they almost scraped together. And as they shot away and turned back around once more, Alain could only stare at the Ragna-mail with shocked eyes.
"Salia," Alain scrambled to switch his comms to open as the Cleopatra wheeled around towards him, his instinct telling him the pilot was ready to fire unless he did something quick. "This is a broadcast to all units in the area! Ragna-mails, if you're receiving this, respond! This is… agh dammit, screw the protocol… Salia! If it's you in that thing, it's me! It's Alain!"
With Alain's call, the hectic combat came to a sudden halt. The roar of beam fire finally vanished, leaving only the humming of engines even as some refused to lower their weapons. As the Wyvern and Cleopatra passed again, both machines changed to Assault Form and hovered in mid-air facing one another.
"Wyvern, activate visual comms… send it to anyone not receiving."
"Are you sure? If it isn't her…"
"Just take the chance!"
"Understood."
Alain took a breath and looked into the camera as Wyvern did as he said. As the connection went through, Alain was greeted with the image of a black, blue-highlighted helmet with a darkened visor facing him. The wearer flinched the moment Alain came into view, a slender, plug-suit covered hand rising to the side of the helmet.
"I thought I recognized that maneuver," as the visor brightened. Alain's teeth grit again as he was faced with Salia. "The only person who'd be that daring…of course it was you. Which means Ange is back too. What are all of you doing fighting with the DRAGONs?"
"Pot meet fucking kettle!" Alain spat. "What are you doing in a Ragna-mail?!"
"Wait, it's Salia?!" Naomi yelped. "So then… if she's in that one, who's in the rest of them?!"
"I'll be asking the questions here," Salia said, a slight waver in her voice. And Alain couldn't quite find a word to describe what he felt as the orange and green marked Ragna-mails crested over, and two more windows opened to show Ersha and Chris respectively as the pilots.
"Alain…it's really you," For a brief moment, a pang of guilt shot up Alain at seeing Ersha's distraught expression, but it was shoved down just as quickly by the equal flare in his anger.
"The hell… what kind of a sick joke is this?!" Chris snarled; an expression Alain didn't think he even knew she could make. "This is a joke, right Alain?!"
"Chris, cool it," Salia barked. "Answer us. Why are all of you with the DRAGONs? Ange, Naomi?!" But before an answer could be given, Salia looked to the side. "Salia here… understood, Lord Embryo."
"So it is that bastard?!" Alain snarled as he heard that name, Salia looking back at him with a steeled gaze.
"Whatever your reason, we can hear it later. We're taking all of you into custody."
"Oh, you know damn well that isn't how I work," Alain bit, readjusting his grip. "If you think me or any of them are coming quietly to meet that son of a bitch, apparently you forgot how we do."
"No, actually I expected that. So, we're taking you all in by force. Got that, you two? Those are our orders."
"Yes, Knight Leader."
"Ange, Naomi, Tusk; handle the other two," Alain's tone had dropped down to a much cooler tone as the direct comms cut off. "These three are mine."
"Alain, are you sure?" Naomi had a worried look on. "Nobody knows how you fly better than Salia. And in those things…"
"He'll be fine," Ange said, her gaze going to the remaining yellow and pink marked Ragna-mails heading towards them. "Once we drive 'em off, we're getting out of here. Back me up? Tusk, you stick close too!"
"Fight hard," Alain closed the line, taking another breath as his eyes darted between the three circling Ragna-mails. "Guess I need to remind you three why I'm Ace of Aces. Let's fly!"
While Ange could admit a part of her hadn't quite been on board with letting Alain fight three Ragna-mails piloted by her former squad mates, she also had to admit that, on seeing the steeled look in his eyes, there was very little that could be done to deter him. Especially since those three were like that with him. This is personal so I'll let him deal with it. Consider it my way of paying him back for helping with Momoka.
"Tusk, think you and Vivian can do something to make openings for me and Naomi?" Ange called as she and Naomi exchanged fire with their new targets. All she could assume was the pilots had to be from Arzenal as well. The way they were trying to hound the escaping DRAGONs certainly felt like it.
"This Air Runner doesn't have the firepower to even dent one of those things," Tusk replied. "Best I can do is a distraction. And shouldn't our priority be escaping anyway?"
"Tusk has a point," Naomi agreed through a clenched jaw as she kept firing away, bullets and bolts of plasma arcing from her weapons. "The four of us can't do much on our own even if we make them retreat. Which, knowing Salia, I doubt we're going to get away with. We need some way to get out of here. Some way they won't be able to follow us."
"A way to escape without being followed…" Ange knit her brow as she pulled Villkiss away. Her eyes then fell on her ring and a bulb lit up in her head. "I've got it! Once that singularity is closed, we need to group up! Villkiss can get us out of here for sure!"
"Please tell me your idea isn't just to go running back to the other world!" Naomi groaned, Ange returning it with a smirk.
"Trust me. I've got it this time! I know exactly where to send us. I Just need Villkiss to gear up and listen to me," Ange had to admit, coming up with a crazy plan like this certainly felt exciting. Even if she wasn't sure how it would pan out. Eh whatever… one step at a time!
If there was something that Alain had to admit when it came to his piloting, he was quite glad he'd been so experienced in fighting Sloop class DRAGONs. Without that experience he'd have been horribly unsure on how to dogfight enemies that moved at similar speeds as his own machine. But this time was quite different. Wyvern's renewed frame could more than handle the output of the synchronized ND Drives. So, while the Ragna-mails were certainly nimble, Alain remained more than able to dart out from being boxed in whenever the three tried to form up on him.
"How the hell did he get even faster?!" Chris yelled as her shots continually failed to connect even with a positive lock. "What did the DRAGONs do to that thing?"
"It's like what Cipher suggested," Ersha stated. "During the battle at Arzenal, Alain was able to unlock another of Wyvern's functions. One that made it much stronger."
"Don't get overwhelmed," Salia ordered. "We trained for this, and we expected he'd have some new tricks up his sleeve," Though as a shot from Wyvern's new swords flashed by her, Salia was wondering if Alain was even aiming for them. She knew how accurate he was. "As long as it's within the projections we're fine. Just because Alain is faster doesn't mean his overall style hasn't changed."
"You say that like it's gonna be easy!"
"It won't be." Salia ignored Chris's indignant shout as she throttled the Cleopatra forward. But, Alain isn't the only one who's changed since that battle.
Salia knew she and Alain were something of a mismatch when it came to piloting. Alain flew fast and aggressive, intent to close in on a target and hit them hard before bolting away for another pass. His willingness to take risks with his maneuvers to follow up with more unorthodox attack positions didn't help either. His style was a hellish blend of in-your-face and devious distraction.
Salia however preferred a more measured method. Keeping distance and marking her targets to quickly take them down from afar, only getting close when needed. If there was some measure of cover than that would be even better, though that was rarely an option when most engagements with DRAGONs were over the open ocean.
In short, Alain was absolutely the worst opponent Salia would tally herself up against in a straight fight. However, that was the case BEFORE she got the Cleopatra and what she'd learned from him on what to do in this situation. The plan was simple. Keep out of his sights.
Shooting up until she rose past the Wyvern and was well above it with the sun to her back, Salia took aim as Ersha and Chris kept laying on the fire to draw Alain's attention. Her target was one of the wings so as to at least slow him down. And as her shot lined up, the bolt let loose from her rifle's muzzle only to bounce right off of Wyvern's shield as it lifted up in the same instant.
"Don't go trying to catch me off guard with one of the red guy's tricks!" Alain shouted, Wyvern bolting away from Ersha and Chris and right for Salia. Gritting her teeth, as Wyvern bolted past, Salia let her machine drop downwards before kicking the thrusters back on. She could feel G-forces slam into her but she grit her teeth and rode it out as she drew her sword in time to parry a blow from Alain's.
"Well, you picked up some new tricks while I was gone," Alain scoffed, the sardonic tone to his voice all too deliberate. "Lemme guess. Alongside the new toys from Embryo, that dick in the mask has been teaching you too, right?"
"Don't you speak ill of them!" Salia snapped. "If it wasn't for Lord Embryo and Master Cipher, I wouldn't have gotten as strong as I am now. I've changed! So don't go acting cocky with me!"
"Still talking to me like you have to prove something!" Alain snapped. Salia responded by breaking the blade lock and kicking the Wyvern away.
"Now!" barked Salia. "Use formation Shining Rose Triangle!"
There was a brief pause from her wing mates.
"So lame," Chris grumbled.
"Did you say something?"
"No, Captain." Chris sighed.
"Seriously!" Alain sniggered, Salia's face going red. "The least you can do when we're fighting like this is come at me with a name that wasn't pulled from some Shoujo manga!"
"Oh, shut up!"
"Is this still a duel or a lover's spat?" Ersha sighed. As the three Ragna-mails darted around Alain, rearing back arms as hook-anchors locked into place, he let out a scoff.
"It's just a three-way pincer. No problem. Wyvern, we're going full throttle!"
"ARISE Mode, activating." As the Wyvern's drives throttled up and its body glowed red, it shot upwards right as the three anchors fired in a crimson flash. The three Ragna-mail pilots could only gasp as their prey escaped, their anchors colliding with each other.
"What the hell was that?!" Chris yelped.
"Wyvern can do that?!" Ersha gasped.
"The same light from back then…" Salia snapped out of her shock as her warning alarms went off. But as soon as she was able to react to them, Wyvern's swords came crashing onto her as she swung back. To Salia's shock, the blade snapped from the impact with Wyvern shooting past and leaving little more than a crimson trail in its wake.
As quickly as Wyvern had reached Salia, it shot past Ersha and Chris, the swords slicing through their rifles without any trouble before pulling away. The now useless blasters were quickly discarded before they could blow, and the three turned as the Wyvern finally stopped. The red light shrouding it like flames burning from the wings as it hung in the air, dying away as the drives whirred down.
"So, the red guy tell you how to handle that trick?" Alain muttered. "Or was the ARISE mode being that strong now outside your guesses?"
"I expected it, but…" Salia grit her teeth as she gazed at the Wyvern. "After all of that… how is he still this much stronger? Why am I still playing catch up?!"
"Heyy! You four done having your spat yet?!" Ange shouted over the open line, Villkiss and Halberd hurrying over along with Tusk's Air Runner. "Alain, Salako and the others are out, so let's scram!"
"What, you're just going to run away now?!" Salia snapped. "Like hell! I'm bringing you to Lord Embryo one way or another!"
"Oh shove it!" Ange drawled. "What, Alain's gone for a week and you're already sleeping with some new guy? Please, I thought you had better taste!"
"Can we not insinuate that?!" Alain growled.
"Kind of a low blow, Ange…" Naomi sighed.
"Why you…" Salia growled.
"Sorry, no time to care. We're getting out of here!" As the other three formed up on Villkiss, the machine started to glow blue. "Time to fly, Villkiss! No time like the present! If you don't listen you know damn well what I'll do!"
"Oh no you don't!" Salia prepared to fire her anchor right at the Villkiss. But before she could, the Villkiss's blue glow became a flash and all four machines vanished into thin air. "What the… where did they go?"
"Guess Alain wasn't the only one with some tricks," Ersha hummed. "Still, having to fight Alain like that, I never thought I'd be in this position."
"I didn't get any hits in." Chris growled. "Next time… like hell I'm letting him off easy. He promised. He fucking promised me!"
"Enough, both of you!" Salia snapped, though there was no hiding her own frustration. "Irma! Tanya! Come on back. The operation is a bust, we're RTB."
"Yes, Knight Leader." As the five Ragna-mails shifted form and took off, Salia could only sit there and stew in her mix of emotions. Why the hell do I feel like this right now? Why am I just as happy as I am frustrated? I got stronger; I got better. So why does some part of me feel relieved at the same time? Is it just because Alain is back? Or is there something else about it? Dammit I just know the debrief is going to be annoying.
