Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu ran down the hallway towards the castle exit. They decided to move quickly.
"So, what are we going to do to prevent the invasion of the three countries while also finding the Pillar?" asked Umi. Her long hair fluttered as she ran swiftly, slightly ahead of her two friends.
"We need to understand Cephiro's current situation. We need to gauge the strength of our enemies and Cephiro's own capabilities before we can strategize," answered Fuu.
"What about finding the Pillar? I forgot to ask Clef how to locate the Pillar..." Umi asked again.
"I don't think the Pillar is something to be searched for or found," said Hikaru this time.
"What do you mean?"
"If the Pillar is a person with the strongest and noblest heart, they will come on their own to save Cephiro. If we haven't found them yet, it's simply because we haven't seen them. They are already close to us."
"You're right, Hikaru. But, do we just wait?" asked Umi.
"No. There's still a lot we need to do. Maybe we need to observe more first. Call your mashins," said Hikaru as she saw the exit door ahead of them. When they reached the large veranda where they had landed with Fyula, she called out, "Rayearth!"
"Celes!" shouted Umi.
"Windam!" Fuu called her mashin.
Three giant creatures appeared, each resembling a lion, a dragon, and an eagle, clad in armor and protective helmets. Rayearth was a red lion enveloped in flames. Celes was a blue dragon with wings and a tail. Windam was a green eagle with large wings on its back. Their bodies shimmered in the light, with incredibly strong limbs.
The three mashins spoke in unison, welcoming them. Their voices were deep and resonant, "Magic knights from another world, you have come once again to save Cephiro from crisis... Are you ready to wield us again? Let us advance into battle..."
"I will fight," said Hikaru firmly.
"I understand what is happening now," added Umi.
"I have decided to fight for Cephiro!" Fuu concluded their statements.
"Magic knights, we accept your hearts." Red, blue, and green lights emerged from the crystals on the chests of the three mashins. The lights carried the magic knights into the bodies of their mashins. They then flew through the castle's shield, into the vast sky...
Unbeknownst to them, from the top of one of the towers, someone was watching where they went until they finally disappeared, with sharp eyes. The figure was cloaked in darkness, their robe fluttering in the wind...
"Magic... knights..." he murmured bitterly.
Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu hovered in the air, facing three paths created by the invading countries to enter Cephiro. On the sky map Clef had shown them, the paths appeared small, but now they realized their true massive size. The giant mashins seemed like ants in comparison. Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu were astonished, becoming even more aware of the seriousness of their situation.
"The enemy troops will pass through these paths..." said Umi tensely, while Fuu was deep in thought. "There must be thousands of them."
"This scene feels like a dream," said Hikaru, sharing her impression. The paths indeed glowed beautifully. "But... this is reality."
"Hey, do you guys want to try touching it?" Umi asked, grinning mischievously.
"Don't," said Fuu firmly. "These lights can penetrate Cephiro. They must be very strong... Don't take unnecessary risks."
"We won't know until we try. We might need to destroy them."
"No, Umi," Fuu warned. "Don't play around this time."
"Alright. It feels like we could really die this time." Umi looked around. "Look at these paths... Imagine thousands of soldiers passing through them... Imagine them all fighting over Cephiro..."
"I don't know what will happen to us in Tokyo if we die here. Aren't you scared?" Fuu asked.
"Of course. There's a country we need to protect, and we're racing against time. I don't know how strong I am to face all this, but I'll do my best," answered Umi.
"We will fight with all our strength, so we won't regret it when we return to Tokyo later."
"You're always optimistic, Hikaru."
"We still have hope... because we're fighting together."
"Yes!" Umi and Fuu said in unison.
Autozam Warship, NSX
"THIS IS AMAZING!" In front of a monitor displaying a radar, two soldiers scrambled to look at it. On the NSX aircraft radar, three energy points were visible. Scanning and observing the objects, the structure of the objects was analyzed. Along with the appearance of information about the objects, a beeping sound was heard. "Eagle!" one of them called out.
"What's up, Geo?" A 20-year-old young man appeared behind him as the door to the control room opened. Other soldiers sitting at the computers saluted him as he entered with military precision.
"I'll display it on the big screen. These three objects appeared near the path we created and haven't moved at all..." Geo informed. "This is very strange..."
"Something strange?" Eagle asked with a mocking tone. He stepped closer. "There's nothing strange in Cephiro... This is a land where you can still look like a child while being hundreds of years old... Nothing is strange if you master magic..."
A blip sounded, and the large screen in front of everyone lit up. People were amazed.
"Look."
Eagle's eyes, colored like a hawk's, sparkled.
"Three giant robots like your FTO. I wonder what they're doing there..." Geo's words were cut off by the enthusiastic shout of their young mechanic, Zazu.
"WOW! Robots! Can they transform?"
"You're very excited because you're a mechanic, aren't you?" Geo, with his muscular arm, punched Zazu's shoulder. "You want to disassemble them, don't you?" Geo ruffled Zazu's hair.
"You can't wait either, right?" With his small hands, matching his slightly small body for his age, Zazu punched back. "You want to fight right away, don't you? You're a fighter!"
They both laughed, filled with energy.
Eagle remained silent until he finally said, "Those are Cephiro's legendary mashins."
Geo and Zazu instantly stopped laughing. "So... those are mashins? Inside them are..."
"Magic knights." Eagle completed Geo's sentence. Eagle suddenly turned around. His cloak billowed behind him. "Zazu! Prepare my FTO for takeoff!"
"What?! Where are you going?!" Zazu asked.
"I'm going to greet them. We must introduce ourselves properly to the opponents..." Eagle answered, smiling happily.
"Wait!" Geo stopped Eagle. "Why does the main commander of this ship have to be the first to go out and fight? I'm here!"
"Because I'm responsible for the success of this mission. I must officially introduce myself and Autozam to the three knights who are saving Cephiro. You, take over command of the ship temporarily. Don't argue."
Geo couldn't do anything.
"Have you seen enough?" Umi asked. "I feel so weak. Is it time to eat? Without the sun, I can't tell if it's day or night."
"Should we go back now?" Fuu asked. "Hey, Hikaru, why are you so quiet?"
Hikaru looked very serious. "I feel something approaching us..."
"Hikaru." Umi became alert. She heard a rumbling sound around them. "There's a machine noise... A machine?"
"Umi, watch out!" Suddenly Fuu shouted loudly.
Umi realized something appeared behind her, coming out of the light path... So fast that she didn't have time to dodge. Her eyes widened as she saw a laser sword in the robot's hand... "A robot?!"
"WATCH OUT!" Hikaru pushed Umi aside. With her fire sword, she blocked the robot's sword. The robot kept pressing her, pushing Hikaru away from the light path and her two friends. Hikaru saw Umi and Fuu chasing after her and simultaneously attacking the white humanoid robot. The two eyes in the robot's head glowed brightly as if really staring at her. Its movements were agile and very fast.
Hikaru thought Umi and Fuu would succeed, but the robot had excellent weapons. It deflected Umi and Fuu's attacks with a protective shield covering its body... The robot seemed very eager to finish her off... to finish them! Hikaru and the robot clashed swords, and she heard a man's voice...
"I'm Eagle Vision from Autozam," he said calmly. The robot's engine noise grew louder. The robot's attacks became more intense and aggressive. "Finally, we meet, legendary magic knights..." he said again. His tone was so cheerful as if this battle was just a game. Laughing softly, he said, "Come on... let me kill you-"
Hikaru was very surprised. The robot was right in front of her. So fast! No. I'm going to get hit! Hikaru saw the laser sword aimed at her... Suddenly, without warning, an energy ball was fired and exploded between them. Hikaru and Eagle Vision were thrown in opposite directions. Umi quickly caught Hikaru...
"Who?!" Hikaru shouted.
"Up there!" Umi pointed, while Fuu flew ahead to protect Hikaru and Umi.
Against the backdrop of the dark sky adorned with lightning, a very gallant man riding a black flying horse appeared. His armor occasionally sparkled, reflecting the lightning. His face was hidden in the shadows, but they could see he was a handsome young man. In his hand was a long sword, and on his shoulder perched a tiny forest fairy of the blue butterfly race.
It was unclear what his expression was, but they knew he was looking at them, at her... Is he an enemy? Hikaru wondered silently. There was no answer, but she saw how the robot that had been attacking her suddenly became still.
"Lantis."