Louise, along with Kai and Saito, were waiting at the entrance of the academy. They were waiting for a carriage from the palace to take them to Germania. However, the only thing that arrived was a breathless messenger.

The messenger asked them where Osmond was, and ran in that direction upon getting his answer. The trio looked at each other in confusion. Something horribly wrong was happening, so the three of them ran after the messenger.

Osmond was busy with preparations for the wedding. Since he was going to be gone for an entire week, he had to organize different documents and pack his luggage.

Hearing a loud knock, he asked, "Who is it?"

The messenger from the palace burst into the room. "Reporting from the palace! Albion has declared war on Tristain! The princess' wedding has been postponed until further notice! Soldiers are currently heading towards La Rochelle! For safety reasons, an order was issued stating that all students and staff are to be confined to the academy!"

Osmond's face paled. "A declaration of war? There's going to be a battle?"

"Yes! Enemy forces have set up camp in the fields of Tarbes and are about to go toward our forces near La Rochelle."

"The Albion forces must be strong for such a daring plan."

The messenger had a sorrowful tone. "The enemy forces are a dozen in number led by a huge warship called the Lexington. The total amount of soldiers is estimated to be around three thousand. Our main fleet has already been destroyed, and counting all of our troops, we only have around two thousand. We weren't prepared for a war... However, the worst part is that they have complete aerial dominance. Our troops will be decimated."

"...What's the current situation?"

"The enemy is setting fire to the village of Tarbes... We requested aid from Germania, but the soonest they would arrive is in three weeks..."

Osmond sighed. "...They're planning to abandon us. Within that time, Tristain will fall by Albion's hands."

Backing away from the door, the trio looked at each other. Louise's face went pale at the mere mention of war, but this... this was about to be the end. Saito's face was full of concern and worry, Tarbes was Siesta's village. Kai's face was full of anger, he had to do something!

The two boys ran off, knowing exactly where to go, and in a panic, Louise followed them.

As Saito was getting into the zero fighter, and Kai was climbing on top of it, Louise pulled on both of their pant legs.

"Where are you both going?!"

They both shouted in unison. "To Tarbes!"

"Why?!"

Saito yelled, "Isn't it obvious?! I'm going to go save Siesta!"

"You can't! It's war! Even if you went, you wouldn't make a difference! Either of you, even both of you!"

Kai clenched his fist. "Even if I can't make a difference... I still have to try!"

Louise shook her head. "There isn't a single chance that you can win! Don't you understand? You can't make a difference! Just leave it to the soldiers!"

It looked as if something snapped within Kai. Those words...

He took a deep breath in to calm himself. "Louise. I might not count for much. I don't think I have a snowball's chance in hell to beat a warship, but..."

"But what?"

"No matter what, I can't just lie down and give up... not anymore. If there's even a chance that I can save someone, I'll take those odds."

"The chance of either of you surviving is almost zero."

Kai shrugged. "Been dealin' with a zero right in front of me for a while, so I think I'll take that chance."

"Are you a braindead moron?! You want to go back to your world, right? How is dying here going to help?!"

"It's not, and I don't even need to care about this world, but I do... Though, Saito, you don't have to go. I could probably handle it by myself."

Saito shook his head. "Against a warship? Maybe, but against six of them? Absolutely not. You're going to need my help, and besides... I want to protect those who have treated me well. I don't have that responsibility, but I want to protect them."

Louise was at a loss for words. Then she noticed something. Kai was trembling... and so was Saito. "Aren't you both scared? Stop trying to act cool if you're scared!"

Kai closed his eyes. "Scared? No, I'm terrified. But right now, I think I understand what Wales was saying back then. Forgetting the fear of death... Yeah, right now, I might be scared, but I'm not letting that dictate my actions."

"What are you saying? You're a commoner, not a courageous prince!"

"Trust me, I know. It ain't got anything to do with that though. I think Saito agrees with me."

Saito nodded.

Louise tried her best to hold back tears. "If you die... If you die-"

Kai put his hand on her head. "Don't worry about it. I'll be a-okay. If I died, who'd be there to protect you?"

Wiping her face, Louise looked up with conviction. "I'm going too."

"No, you're not."

"I said I'm going as well!"

"And I said, no, you're not. Besides, there isn't enough room in the plane."

By the time Kai separated himself from Louise, Saito was already in the cockpit. Slowly floating up, Kai stood right behind the cockpit.

Before Saito could start the plane, he realized he hadn't refueled it. He quickly told Kai and the two of them ran off to Colbert's laboratory.

With her fists tightly clenched, Louise started trembling. Why... Why was he so stubborn!? Even when I said it would be dangerous...

Saito woke up the sleeping Colbert.

"Huh? What?"

"Mr. Colbert! Have you made the gasoline?"

"Hm? Yes, I've made the amount you needed. It's over there."

"Then help us carry it! Quickly!"

Colbert, Kai, and Saito all carried the gasoline. Colbert, who was still half asleep, didn't know about the war, and neither of the boys explained.

"You're going to fly it so early in the morning? At least let me freshen up."

"We don't have time!"

As Saito and Colbert fuelled the plane, Kai looked around. He couldn't see Louise anywhere. He breathed a sigh of relief. She might've dissuaded him if she persisted. Wales did say that protecting something made you forget the fear of death but in Kai's case... Not so much. This was still terrifying.

As soon as they were finished fuelling the plane, Saito sat in the cockpit and started turning it on. Kai spun the propeller with his hand, and quickly jumped back onto the plane.

Saito checked the gauges. The runes told him that everything was normal. He checked the machine gun in front of him. They were loaded.

When he released the brakes, the zero fighter started moving forward. The court that he was moving from... it seemed a bit short.

Derflinger, who was in the cockpit, said, "You may want to tell that noble to use wind to propel you forward."

"Propel?"

"So that this thing can take off with the shortened distance."

"How do you know that? You don't know anything about planes."

"This is a weapon. I know about it in general. Remember, I'm legendary."

Saito closed his eyes. "Hey, Kai, can you tell Colbert to propel the plane?"

Kai didn't question it. "Got it."

He quickly turned to Colbert and started yelling for him to propel the plane, but the zero fighter was too loud. He made some gestures, and since Colbert was quick-witted, he understood Kai's strange gestures.

When the spell finished, a strong gust of wind pushed the plane. Saito took a deep breath in and relaxed the pressure on the brake. Once he pushed the throttle lever down, the zero fighter shot forward like a spring.

Before they hit the wall, Saito pulled the control stick and the zero fighter started to ascend.

Seeing the ground far below them, Saito let out a relieved sigh.

"I'm half surprised that this thing actually flies." Kai's thoughts entered Saito's mind.

"Of course it flies, I said it would."

"Though... the thing is a little slow. I could totally fly faster than it."

Saito rolled his eyes. "Shut up."

Under the bright sun, the zero fighter split the clouds apart and flew through the skies of a different world.

The fire consuming Tarbes had calmed but the area had changed into a cruel battlefield. Battalions had been assembled in the field and were awaiting the moment they would clash with Tristain troops in the port city of La Rochelle. Protecting them above were the Lexington's dragons. The Tristain dragoons would attack sporadically, but they had all been forced to retreat.

Before the battle, Albion's command decided that they would use the cannons of the warships to deal with the Tristain troops. And so, the fleet prepared its cannons.

One dragoon on the lookout above Tarbes noticed an enemy dragoon was approaching from above, about two thousand five hundred meters away. The dragoon had the dragon cry out, alerting the others that an enemy was approaching.

Looking below, Saito saw no trace of the simple, beautiful village he had seen before. The houses were scorched and black smoke rose from them. He clenched his teeth. He saw Siesta's beautiful face telling him how she wanted to show him this village.

A dragoon unit was spewing fire at the forest on the outskirts of the village. Saito felt something inside him snap.

"I'll kill you."

The zero fighter started to swoop down towards Tarbes, and the runes on Saito's hand were shining bright.

"What could one dragoon possibly do?" The ascending dragoon troop was severely estimating the approaching enemy.

The enemy in front of them looked unusual. It had two wings that were completely rigid, and made a thunderous roar that they had never heard before.

It didn't matter though. Just like the rest, this dragon would be finished in a single breath. If they targeted the wings it would go down, just like the other two.

"This would be the third." One of the dragoons had a smile on his lips.

Though... it was fast. Faster than any normal dragon.

Panicking, the dragoon made the dragon breathe fire. At that moment, the enemy flew over the fire, and countless shining lights ripped through the dragon's wings right next to him sending the dragoon hurtling toward the ground.

When the dragoon tried to fire once more, he saw a figure jump off of the enemy dragon, and before he could think, he felt a fist in his gut. The force of that one attack completely knocked him unconscious.

Flying past the dragon without a dragoon, Saito started firing at the remaining dragons in front of him. Both of the dragon's wings were instantly torn apart.

Four more dragons flew in the skies above the village. They had seen what had just happened. The enemy had a dragon that used some sort of magic, and there was a mage that was flying around. They knew that one dragoon alone wouldn't suffice.

"Saito, three more from your bottom left. Don't get hit by their breath."

Though Kai couldn't hear anything from Saito, he assumed that Saito nodded since Saito did a complete 180 above the dragoons. The dragoons couldn't keep up in the slightest.

By the time the panicking dragoons had turned around, they were already being shot at. One dragon, two dragons... Before the third went down, they tried to escape by diving. It was futile.

Looking up, Saito saw that Kai had just finished taking down two dragoons. Something that caught his eye was that Kai was taking a long time. Looking at another dragoon Kai was about to take down, he saw that when he hit them, Kai grabbed the dragoon, teleported to the ground, and teleported back to the dragon.

Being distracted, Saito failed to notice that there was a dragon nearby. The flames in its mouth were about to fire directly at him. Just as the flames in its mouth were about to spew out and kill him, Kai punched the dragon right in the face, sending it crashing to the ground.

Once Kai hit it, he flew back on top of the zero fighter. Saito could tell he was starting to get tired. He looked at his runes. That's why he was getting tired so easily, Saito was borrowing Kai's strength, even when he didn't need to.

Just as he was about to direct the plane to the next group of dragoons, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"T-That's incredible! Albion dragons are supposed to be unrivaled, yet they're dropping like flies!"

Surprised, Saito looked backward. Louise's head popped out from the gap between the seat and the rest of the plane. There had originally been a large radio, but since there wasn't anyone to radio, it was removed. Louise had slipped into that little gap.

"What are you doing here?! Get off!"

"There's no way I can get off now!"

Kai's thoughts entered Saito's mind. "Hey, what's going on? The plane is shaki-"

Looking up, Saito saw Kai's blank face and he was motioning for him to open the windshield. Saito did as was told, and Kai forced his way in, practically on top of Louise.

"What, and I need you to listen to this part, the HELL are you doing here?!"

Louise firmly gripped the Founder's Prayer Book in her hands. She didn't go anywhere earlier.

"It's dangerous! You idiot!" Louise firmly wrung Kai's tail with one hand, and Saito's neck with the other. "Don't forget! You. Both. Are. My. Familiars. So. Don't. Just. Do. What. You. Want! I. Will. Not. Forgive. You. Understand?!"

Since the engine was drowning out her voice, Louise was shouting in their ears.

"I'm your master! If the master doesn't lead the way, then the familiar won't listen!" She let go of her grip on the two of them. Saito's shoulders drooped, and Kai rubbed his tail.

"What happens if you die?!" Kai sounded frustrated for some odd reason.

"Then try harder! Even if we all die here, I will find a way to kill you!"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kai felt a headache coming.

Derflinger broke the argument up. "Sorry for interrupting, but..."

"What?"

"Ten from the right have just arrived."

Saito's eyes widened as he pushed the control stick to the left. As the plane started to dodge, Kai grabbed Louise, so that she didn't bump into anything.

Even though she didn't bump into anything she was still yelling. "Control it more elegantly!"

Saito shouted, "Don't say something so stupid!"

The plane started to descend rapidly. As it did, Kai concentrated on one of the dragoon's energies. Just a little more...

In an instant, Kai disappeared.

With the sun behind him, Saito opened fire on the dragoons who were chasing him. Along with the gunfire, Kai was knocking them out left and right.

Louise, who had fallen down, was about to cry from fear. "Maybe I... really shouldn't have come?" She gripped the Founder's Prayer Book tighter. I just wanted... I just wanted to help them. They're not fighting alone, I'm here too...

Even then, she couldn't do a thing. It was always like this, but she felt regret this time.

With fear in her heart, she reached into her pockets for the Water Ruby that Henrietta had given her, and put it on.

"Princess, please protect us..."

In the end, she hadn't finished the edict. She cursed her lack of poetic talent. She was hoping to think of the edict on the carriage to Germania.

That's right. I was going to go to Henrietta's wedding ceremony. I was waiting outside the academy's gates for the carriage to arrive. I then learned war had broken out. Destiny is a cynical thing. She opened the Founder's Prayer Book while muttering to herself. She was planning to pray to the Founder for their safety. She opened the book and flipped to a random page. The Water Ruby and the Founder's Prayer Book suddenly shone, taking Louise by surprise.

"They got... wiped out? In only twelve minutes they got wiped out?"

Sir Johnston, the supreme commander of the invasion force, who was on the afterdeck of the flagship, Lexington, looking over the preparations of the bombardment attack with the ship's cannons, turned pale at the report.

"How many enemy units were there? A hundred? Tristain has that many dragoons left?"

"Sir. A-According to the report, only one."

"A single unit?"

Johnston stood motionless with a dumbfounded expression. He threw his hat to the ground.

"Nonsense! Twenty dragoons were taken out by a single enemy unit? Surely you jest!"

Frightened at the supreme commander's attitude, the messenger took a step back.

"According to the report, the enemy dragon had incredible speed and agility along with strong, long-ranged, magic-based attacks... and its dragoon was flying around taking out our units."

Johnston grabbed the messenger.

"What about Wardes?! Wardes, who was given command of the dragoons, what about him?! What happened to that cocky Tristainian?! Was he also killed?!"

"The Viscount's wind dragon was not included in the list of casualties. But... it seems like he wasn't seen around..."

"So he betrayed us! Or otherwise, he was too much of a coward! Whichever it was, we can't trust him..."

Quietly reaching out his hands, Bowood said, "Reacting like that in front of all the soldiers will lower their morale, commander in chief."

Enraged, Johnston took his anger out on Bowood.

"What are you saying? It's your fault that the dragoons got wiped out! Your lack of competence was just asking for our precious dragoons to be destroyed! I will report this to His Excellency. I will report it!" Johnston yelled as he reached out to grab Bowood.

Bowood drew his wand and jabbed Johnston's stomach. Johnston instantly fell to the ground. He ordered the soldiers to carry him away.

Should have just made him sleep in the first place.

Noise apart from that of explosions and cannons only agitated the troops. A single decision could be the difference between victory and defeat, especially during battle.

Bowood turned to the messenger who was staring at him with a worried expression. He spoke with a calm, composed voice.

"Even though the dragoon force has been wiped out, the Lexington is still undamaged. Also, Wardes has probably devised a plan. Don't worry about it, just put effort into what you're doing."

"A single unit killing twenty units? A hero, eh..." Bowood whispered.

But at most a hero. And thus only an individual. No matter how much power an individual holds, there will be things he can change and things he can't change.

"And this ship is the latter," Bowood whispered.

He issued orders.

"Advance the entire fleet. Prepare the left cannons."

After a while, far away, at the other end of the field of Tarbes, the battle array of Tristain's troops, situated in La Rochelle, which was a natural stronghold due to the mountains around it, could be seen.

"All fleets advance slowly. Ship to starboard."

The fleet turned so that the Tristain forces would be facing their left side.

"Fire the left cannons. Continue firing until further orders."

"Upper part and the lower part, prepare the right cannons. Use grapeshot."

About a thousand feet in front of the Tristain troops crowded within La Rochelle, the enemy force could be seen. It had the three-colored Reconquista flag and was approaching quietly. Having never actually seen an enemy before, Henrietta, mounted on a unicorn, was shaking. She closed her eyes to offer a prayer so that the soldiers around her wouldn't see her shaking in fear.

But... her fear did not stop so easily.

Henrietta looked up at the large enemy fleet and turned pale. It was Albion's fleet. The side of the fleet flashed. It was enemy fire. The cannon shells accelerated by gravity were flying toward Tristain's troops.

Impact.

Hundreds of cannon shells dropped down on the troops in La Rochelle. Rocks, horses, and people were thrown together and sent flying through the air. The troops were trying to flee from the overwhelming might before them. The place was drowned by the sound of thunderous roars.

"Calm down! Everyone calm down!" Henrietta shouted, driven by her fear.

Mazarin whispered in Henrietta's ear.

"You need to calm down first. If the general is distraught, there'll be chaos in the blink of an eye."

Mazarin quickly whispered to the generals nearby. While Tristain was a small country, it was one filled with history. Its history included many righteous nobles. Of all the Halkaganian nations, the Tristain army had the highest percentage of mages within its ranks.

By Mazarin's command, the nobles created barriers of air within the openings of the mountains. The shells would hit them and break. But some of the shells got through. Screams could be heard with rocks and blood scattering.

"As soon as the enemy stops their bombardment, they will most likely stage an all-out assault. There's no other way but to face them," whispered Mazarin.

"Is there a chance of being victorious?"

Mazarin noticed that the soldiers were starting to tremble before the enemy bombardment. They had advanced with great vigor but... There are limits to people's courage. He did not want to tell the truth to the princess who had made him remember something he had forgotten.

"We're evenly matched."

Impact. The ground below them shook like an earthquake.

Marzarini sorrowfully understood the situation.

Three thousand strong troops formed the enemy's numbers, while their forces, crumbling from the bombardment, only numbered two thousand.

They had no chance.

Louise looked at the Founder's Prayer Book in wonder.

It was... written in ancient runes. As Louise took lessons seriously, she could read the ancient language.

Louise chased the letters in the light.

Foreword.

Henceforth, I shall record the truth I know. All materials in the world are comprised of fine grains. The four branches intervene with these fine grains and apply an influence, which transforms them into spells. This was how "Fire", "Water", "Wind" and "Earth" were formed.

Louise was filled with curiosity. With an impatient feeling, she turned the page.

The gods bestowed upon me a greater strength. The fine grains, which the four branches bore influence over, are comprised of even finer grains. The power bestowed upon me by the gods does not belong to any of the four. The branch I wield intervenes with even finer grains and applies an influence, transforming them into spells. A Zero that belongs to neither of the four. This so-called Zero is "Void". I name the Zero the gods have bestowed upon me "Void".

"The branch of Void... Isn't that a legend? Isn't that the legendary branch?!"

Whispering to herself, Louise turned the page. Her pulse was racing.

With the dragoon fleet being wiped out, Kai concentrated and appeared in the plane. Saito looked out. Above the fields, he spotted a large warship, and below that ship was La Rochelle.

"Saito, that's the one. If we don't take it down, we lose."

"I know."

"Let's finish this!"

Saito stayed silent and put the zero fighter on full boost. The zero fighter ascended toward the large warship.

The right side of the ship shone. Aimed at the Zero Fighter, something was flying towards him. It was countless lead bullets.

With wide eyes, Kai put both hands on opposite sides of the plane. "Hrrrrrr!" The plane started shaking.

Just as the bullets were about to hit them, Kai screamed out, "BARRIER!" A thick coat of Ki lined the entire zero fighter. The plane was protected, but Kai's energy took a massive hit.

"Don't go near it! They're using grapeshot!" Derflinger yelled.

Saito made the zero fighter do a sudden dive, avoiding the second round of fire. He bit his lip. He couldn't get close to the ship, much less sink it.

Behind the seat, Louise had lost herself in reading the Founder's Prayer book. The thunderous noises did not reach her ears. She could only hear her own pulse getting louder and louder.

The one who can read this will inherit my deeds, thoughts, and objectives. They will become the bearer of this power. Be mindful, wielder of this power. For my brethren and I, who have died unfulfilled, you should strive towards retaking the "Holy Lands" stolen by heathens. "Void" is powerful. Yet, the incantations are of great length and consume much energy. Take heed, mage. At times, your life will diminish depending on the power. Thus, I choose the reader of this book. Even when one not qualified wears the ring, they cannot open this book. Only when the chosen reader wears a ring of "The four branches" can they open this book.

Brimir Ru Rumiru Yuru Viri Vee Varutori

Following, are my recordings of the "Void" spells I used. The first step of the very beginning. "Explosion".

A spell in the ancient language followed after that. Dumbfounded, Louise whispered, "Founder Brimir, aren't you forgetting something? If I wasn't wearing this ring, I wouldn't be able to read the Founder's Prayer Book right? The stuff about the chosen reader... and the "take heed" section has no meaning then."

And then she realized. Chosen reader... that means...

I'm the chosen reader?

I don't really understand but... I can read the words. If I can read it, I can probably perform this spell written here. Louise remembered how every time she recited an incantation, an explosion would result. That's... in other words, that's the "Void" written about here?

When she thought about it, no one could tell her the reason why she made things explode. Her parents, her sisters, her teachers... her friends as well... they only laughed at her for being a "failure". They didn't think anything of the explosions.

Perhaps I really am the chosen reader.

I can't really believe it, but I perhaps am the chosen reader.

This might be worth trying out.

And also... There's nothing else to fall back on now.

She was calm and cool. The runes she had just looked at were on the tip of her tongue as if they had greeted one another many times.

Like the lullabies she had heard in the past, the spell's tune was somewhat similar.

I'm going to try it.

Louise stood up.

She made her way to the front, pushing past Kai.

"What are you doing?! Just stay still! Argh! I can't see in front of me! Hey!"

Like a snake, she slipped through the gap with her small body. She made her way to the front of the seat, where Saito was sitting.

"...I can't believe it but... I can't really say it but... I might have been chosen. This could be a mistake though," Louise muttered.

"Huh?"

"Just listen to me. Fly near the warship. It might just be a hoax... but trying it out is better than not doing anything. Besides, there's no other way to sink that warship... The only way is for me to do it."

Saito was dumbfounded by Louise. "Are you alright? Did you finally go crazy from fear?"

Louise shouted, "I told you to go near it, didn't I?! I'm your master! Familiars obey their master's orders obediently!"

It was useless to argue with Louise when she used that threatening attitude. Saito reluctantly approached the large warship.

The grapeshot flew towards them. Going around the other side would probably have the same result. The ship also had cannons sticking out the bottom as well. The Lexington was like a porcupine with cannons.

"What are you doing?!"

"This thing is hard to get near!"

As if suddenly thinking of something, Derflinger spoke up. "Go straight above the warship."

"Why?"

"There's a blind spot there. It's where the cannons can't reach."

Saito rose above the Lexington like he was told.

Louise straddled Saito's shoulders and opened the canopy. A strong wind blew across her face.

"What the hell are you doing?! Close it!"

"Until I give you the signal, keep circling around here."

Louise took a deep breath and closed her eyes, but before she could start reading Kai felt a familiar energy. His eyes widened as he felt it.

"SAITO, DODGE RIGHT! NOW!" Kai suddenly pulled Louise into the plane, as Saito pulled the plane to the right.

A gigantic bolt of lightning flew scarily close to where Saito had just dodged.

Looking up ahead, they could see someone familiar.

It was Wardes.

Mounted on top of the wind dragon, Wardes grinned. He had been hidden amongst the clouds above the Lexington, waiting for his chance to strike. So this was the mysterious dragoon who had crushed all the fire dragons. Wardes didn't have much chance of winning if he faced him front-on. Which is why he had to aim for a weak spot.

His plan hinged on the warship. The enemy's aim would definitely be this warship. And if he was a skilled enemy, he would be able to find its blind spot. Thus, hiding nearby and waiting was the best option. Wardes' prediction was right.

His target started to dive.

I see... he avoided the fire dragons like that.

But, my wind dragon's speed is greater than that of the fire dragons.

Wardes steadily shortened the distance separating them.

With deep interest, he looked at the Zero Fighter.

It's not a dragon. That's... not something made from Halkeginia's logic... the "Holy Lands"?

He saw three familiar faces in the cockpit. The other half of Gandalfr controlling the plane... One with pink hair... Realizing who the last one was, he grinned.

"So, you're alive."

The left arm he had lost throbbed.

His wind dragon's breath wasn't of any use, but he had his powerful spells. Gripping the reins with his artificial left hand, Wardes cast a spell. Air Spear. The air solidified to form a spear to skewer them.

Knowing that they'd be dead within minutes, Kai came to a decision.

"Saito, keep flying around, I'll try and be quick." Kai turned to Louise. "Hey, Louise... What you see out there. Please don't get too scared..."

"What are you talking about?"

Kai didn't answer her and jumped out of the zero fighter. He was just in time to slap away Wardes' Air Spear.

Looking in front of him, Wardes was on a wind dragon, and Kai noticed that he had some sort of mechanical arm.

"So Wardes, it seems like you didn't like my little makeover? Gotta say you looked better asymmetrical." A small smirk was on Kai's face.

"I do have to thank you Gandalfr, you truly helped me back then. You showed me just how much I could improve myself. Though, I am surprised that you survived."

Kai shrugged. "You could say that I'm really stubborn."

"Let us see if you can cheat death again..."

Wardes slowly floated off of his dragon, who started to chase Saito around. Before Wardes could attack, Kai raised a hand.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to skip this part. I'm in kind of a rush."

Wardes closed his eyes. He was here for the Golden Demon, Gandalfr. "Be my guest."

Louise was watching from inside the cockpit.

"Just what is that idiot doing?! He's going to get himself killed!"

"I wouldn't be so sure..." Louise turned to the voice and it was Derflinger. It seems like he forgot to bring his sword.

"And he forgot to bring you?! What a moron!"

"Louise, have some faith in him. I'm sure he knows what he's doing."

Before Louise could say anything, the plane... not just the plane. The entire sky started violently shaking. Louise quickly looked outside the plane, worried for Kai, only to find that he was the source of the shaking.

"Haaaaaaa!"

The white clouds around them started to darken as a golden aura erupted around Kai. His eyes turning teal.

"Hraaaaagh!"

The golden aura turned blindingly bright as Kai's hair started to rise.

"YAGH!"

With a final shout, Kai finished his transformation in a gigantic ball of golden light.

Wardes smiled as he saw Kai's transformation. This time would be different. This time he was prepared.

"Come Gandalfr! Show me your-" Wardes was cut off with a gut punch. Kai quickly followed it up with a spin kick, knocking him far off.

A spin kick? Really?

Shut up! I'm fighting!

Kai rushed forward, rearing his arm back for a devastating punch. Wardes got ready to parry it, but Kai appeared behind him. Wardes quickly spun his long wand around to hit him, but Kai blocked it.

Wardes furiously attacked, but couldn't land a single hit.

Suddenly flying away, Kai gave chase to Wardes. Shooting out a lightning bolt, Wardes was unpleasantly surprised by Kai punching his stomach, in the process punching through the lightning.

Kai followed up his attack by kicking Wardes higher into the sky, appearing behind him, and hammering him down.

"Time to end this!" Kai cupped his hands. "Kame... Hame..."

Kai's golden aura flared higher as the blue ball in his hand grew. Wardes recovered mere moments ago, but he made no attempt to move out of the way. Wardes just floated there smiling, which gave Kai a bad feeling, but he didn't have the luxury of thinking about it too hard.

"HA!" The beam of energy flew towards Wardes, but he simply raised his left arm. It looked as though the Kamehameha was eaten as it disappeared.

Kai's eyes widened. Crap...

Wardes flew straight at Kai with speed unseen by him and slashed his wand forward. Kai met it with an energy blade of his own.

"So, you've gotten a little upgrade, huh?"

"It's an artifact that Reconquista had at their disposal. You won't win this time."

"Gotta say, it is surprising, but it won't be enough to beat me!" Kai let out a yell as his aura burst which knocked Wardes back a bit.

The two rushed at each other. Kai threw a punch while Wardes tried to stab him. They both missed each other, but Wardes seemed like he was holding back.

Not a moment later, he landed a devastating kick to Kai's side, sending him flying away. Wardes followed it up with a volley of lightning, but Kai was able to maneuver around it. He knocked the last bolt away and rushed at Wardes. He was able to land a punch on Wardes' face, and Kai followed it up by spin-kicking him again.

Moving back a bit, Kai started panting a bit. Saito using Kai's energy wasn't great for longer fights.

Kai's eyes suddenly widened hearing Wardes' laughter. He... he was completely unscathed.

Warily backing away, Kai asked, "What's so funny?"

"I just thought... that you would be stronger." Wardes' face turned dead serious as he rushed toward Kai.

Kai raised up his arms to defend himself, but Wardes appeared behind the boy and gripped his neck with force he hadn't ever felt before.

Before Kai could process what was happening, he felt something horrible. It was similar to how it felt when Saito was fighting next to him, but so much worse.

"GYAAAH!" Kai let out a blood-curdling scream as his golden aura was being drained into Wardes' arm.

"Yes... YES! Scream louder! Let the world know that I killed the Golden Demon!"

"GAAH! HRNG!" Kai tried to power up. His golden aura erupted, but it was a fruitless endeavor since it was just drained away.

Just before every drop of energy was drained, Wardes heard that loud dragon. He turned around and saw hundreds of small shiny objects fly toward him. Wardes let go of Kai and got out of the way.

Between the gap of Wardes and Kai, Saito flew the zero fighter and Wardes' wind dragon was right behind it.

Wardes looked at Kai, his hair was black, and practically all of the boy's energy had been drained.

"Now then, Gandalfr, thanks to our rude interruption you survived, but you don't seem to have the strength to continue."

"Hah... Hah... Hrn!" Kai used the last embers of strength to power up into Super Saiyan, and a ball of energy started to condense in his right hand.

"Hahaha! Do you really think that... No. Let me see your final stand!" Wardes was ready for it.

"Brilliant...!" Kai threw the now tiny ball of energy straight at Wardes.

Wardes simply raised his left hand, and the energy was quickly absorbed. "Victory belongs to m-"

"EXPLOSION!" Kai clutched his right hand.

In an instant Wardes' left arm completely exploded, leaving behind that same stump.

"You... You... How did you... Have enough power...?" He was completely stunned.

"Hehe..." Kai's hair faded to black as he started to fall from the sky.

Before he could gain some true speed, the zero fighter swooped under him and caught the boy.

"Hey, are you alr-" Before Saito could check on Kai, Louise pulled on the boy's ear.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Louise screamed directly into Kai's ear.

"Ow...! My ears! I'll explain it later, but right now, Wardes is about to go on a warpath, so whatever trick you have up your sleeve, use it. Now!"

Louise was grumbling to herself as she climbed back on Saito's shoulders and opened the canopy.

She once more took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Then, as if she were flaring up, she opened her eyes and started to read the runes written in the Founder's Prayer Book.

Looking behind him, Saito couldn't shake off the enraged Wardes. With Kai out of commission, and there not being any more bullets, all Saito could do was dodge Wardes' attacks.

Despite all of the chaos, Louise continued chanting in a low voice.

"Eoruu Suunu Firu Yarunsakusa"

A rhythm had started pulsating through Louise. She felt as though she knew the rhythm from somewhere. With every word of the incantation, the rhythm grew stronger. It sharpened her senses, while not a single noise around reached her ears. It was as if something within her body was born, and was searching for a destination...

Louise remembered what she was once told. When you recite an incantation of your own branch, a similar feeling to what she was feeling would be felt. Is it really what I'm feeling? Me, who has always been despised for being a zero. Me, who was said to have no talent in magic by teachers, parents, sisters, and students. Is this the real me?

"Osu Suunu Uryu Ru Rado"

She could feel a wave being born inside her, slowly swelling.

"Beoozusu Yuru Suvyueru Kano Oshera"

The wave inside her, searching for a destination, went berserk. Louise gave Saito a signal with her leg. Saito nodded and pushed the control stick down. The Zero Fighter began to swoop down at the Lexington below them. Opening her eyes, she timed her incantation.

Void

The legendary branch of magic.

I wonder how powerful it is.

No one knows.

Of course, there'd be no reason I'd know.

This was supposedly beyond legendary.

"Jera Isa Unjyuu Hagaru Beookun Iru..."

After the long incantation, the spell was complete. At that moment, Louise understood the power of the spell. It would swallow everyone. Every person in her vision would be swallowed by her spell. There were two options. Kill, or don't kill. What was she meant to destroy? With the winds blowing against her face, she looked down. A large warship appeared before her eyes. The Lexington. Following her impulse, she aimed at a single point and swung her wand down.

An unbelievable scene unfolded before Henrietta's eyes. There was a light that had appeared a minute ago. A bright golden light that seemed like fire dancing in the air. And almost as quickly as it appeared it disappeared. Then warship that had been bombarding them... A ball of light had appeared in the sky. It was like a smaller version of the sun, and it expanded. And... it swallowed it. It had swallowed the warship in the sky. The light continued to expand until it was all she could see. There was complete silence. Henrietta suddenly closed her eyes. The light of the sphere was so intense that anyone would think that their eyes would burn from staring at it. And then... after the light had faded, the whole fleet was on fire. The fleet led by the Lexington had all their sails and decks burning. As if it were a lie, the head of the fleet that had been tormenting the Tristain troops sank to the ground.

A tremor in the earth could be felt. The fleet had come crashing down. Henrietta was dumbfounded. Complete silence overcame them. Everyone stared at the unbelievable scene.

The first one to come to his senses was Cardinal Mazarin. He was looking at the silvery wings, shining under the sun in the sky. It was the zero fighter.

Mazarin cried out, "People! Look! The enemy fleet has been destroyed by the legendary Phoenix and Golden Demon!"

"Phoenix? The immortal bird?"

"Golden Demon? Like the legend?"

A commotion spread through the troops.

"Look at that bird flying in the sky! That's the legendary bird that's said to come in Tristain's hour of need! The Phoenix! The Founder has blessed us!"

Shouts of joy could be heard everywhere.

"Long live Tristain! Long live the Phoenix!"

Henrietta asked Mazarin quietly, "Cardinal, the Phoenix...the Golden Demon... was it the truth? I haven't heard of anything called the legendary Phoenix... And the Demon... He's just made up so people do not go to the elves' land."

Mazarin mischievously smiled.

"It's a big lie. But, everyone's sense of judgment is lost at the moment. They can't believe the scene they saw. Neither can I. However, the truth is that there was an unfamiliar bird, and golden light fluttering about after the enemy fleet had fallen. There was no choice but to use it."

"Hah..."

"What? No one cares if what I said was the truth or a lie. What they do care about is whether they're dead or alive. In other words, victory or defeat."

Mazarin peered into the princess's eyes.

"You must use everything that you can use. It's one of the basics of politics and war. Remember it well, Princess. Because from today onwards, you are the ruler of Tristain."

Henrietta nodded. It was just as the Cardinal had said. The thinking... could come later.

"The enemy's morale will be low and they will no doubt be trying to flee. Their supporting fleet is now gone. There's not a better chance to strike."

"Yes."

"Princess. Shall we go forward to victory?" asked Mazarin.

Henrietta nodded strongly once again. She held up her shining crystal wand.

"All troops, charge! Royal troops, follow me!"

Tired, Louise started falling backward.

"I gotcha." Kai reached out and held Louise.

"Hey, Louise."

"Hm?" Louise replied absentmindedly.

A feeling of fatigue overcame her. But this was a nice tired feeling. It was fatigue that came with the satisfaction of accomplishing something.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?"

"Not to quote you, but what the hell was that?" Kai asked in a tired tone.

"It's a legend. And not to quote you, but I'll explain that later. I'm tired."

Kai nodded and smiled. He patted Louise gently on the head.

"Here I was thinking Kamehameha sounded weird, but there you go spouting off stuff like 'Jera Isa Oogblu'."

The two of them shared a laugh.

Saito was about to comment on them but stopped himself. This was a victory, they should all be able to enjoy it.

Below them, the Tristain troops had just charged at the Albion forces. The vigor of the Tristain troops was obvious even to a novice. It was vigor that would triumph even against enemies that outnumbered them.

Saito wondered if Siesta was all right.

That evening... with her siblings, Siesta timidly came out of the forest. News that the Albion troops had been defeated reached the village people who had taken shelter in the forest.

Albion's troops were crushed by Tristain's charge, and many had surrendered. Well, there weren't any Albion soldiers strutting along the village. The angry bellows, the clash of arms, and the explosions had ended. Black smoke rose from the field, but the battle had ended.

A thunderous noise could be heard in the skies above. After looking up, a familiar object was flying in the sky. It was the Dragon's Raiment. Siesta's face brightened.

When the Zero Fighter landed on the field, Saito opened the canopy. Someone from the forest came running towards him. It was Siesta. Saito jumped off the zero fighter and ran towards her.

With great effort, Kai also jumped out of the plane and watched Saito hug Siesta tightly.

Aw, that's nice.

Shut it you.

Louise was quick to follow Kai out of the plane.

"So, you're the Golden Demon?"

Kai shrugged. "Eh, not as big of a deal as you'd think... So, you're magic is..."

"Void."

"Neat."

"Still, it doesn't feel like what just happened was real. Maybe it's because it was Void? Can I really use Void? Is there some sort of misunderstanding? It explains Gandalfr, but..."

Kai put his hand on Louise's head. "Don't sweat it too much. The disbelief will wear off soon, trust me."

"In any case, from here on, it'll probably be busy. Still, if this were a dream, I would feel relieved. I should learn from you, and not think too much about it. You really don't seem that legendary."

"Hey!"

Louise let out a small laugh.

In the cockpit, Derflinger muttered to himself, "Despite all being legends, those three aren't worried at all. Humans around their age are hopeless."