“Is that something she inherited from her father, I wonder?”

Road watched Reina fly off before he could even give the order, then turned to Zeke with a dry chuckle.

What came to mind was Zeke’s figure from the time they’d fought together in the great EU war.

“H-H-how embarrassing. I’ll call her back right away!”

“Nah, no need. She probably wants to test out her new machine anyway, and she said she’s free to move as she pleases. But…”

(Jilian’s been defeated? What’s going on? Is the enemy pilot Holy Knight class? But Sis is out there alone right now…)

“Zeke, over here.”

“? …Y-Yes!”

Road, seated in the throne-like command chair, beckoned Zeke closer.

“Keep this secret from the others. Find Sis, protect her, contact only me, and stand by at that mountain.”

“? …Understood.”

And with that, Zeke boarded his KOG and took off as well.

He’d accepted Road’s request—to rescue Yumir Earthguard, who was combat-ineffective and wandering the slums.

…

The imperial princess escaped with her back turned, abandoning her KOG.

In the meantime, Reina intervened to keep Kenya from pursuing Yumir.

“You can hear me, can’t you? Who are you? You don’t strike me as just some resistance fighter.”

Reina’s voice came through on the open channel.

(Why is Reina on the battlefield… No, she’s an Earthguard soldier. It makes perfect sense ability-wise.)

“No reply, huh…”

(Should I reveal who I am? No, not yet. I can’t abandon my status as an Earthguard soldier just yet.)

“Fine. If you don’t want to talk…”

Reina charged straight at Kenya, sword at the ready.

“Then I’ll rip that mask off you by force!”

The sword she brought down carried clear hostility and killing intent.

(Fast! Faster than in the simulator. This beautiful silver-and-cherry-blossom machine… it’s gotta be Reina’s dedicated unit! Aphrodite!)

In the world of KOG, there were dedicated machines that only ace pilots could handle.

Kenya had thought they didn’t exist in this era yet, but the appearance of Takemikazuchi and these new-model KOGs had changed his mind.

They cost more than standard units and boasted vastly superior performance.

Reina’s Aphrodite in particular was a superbly balanced type.

The polar opposite of Kenya’s melee specialist—high marks across the board in offense and defense.

It was supposed to be the most-used machine in master rank.

In a simulator match with identical machines and specs, Kenya wouldn’t fall behind Reina.

But her skills had been improving by leaps and bounds lately, and now she had the latest dedicated unit.

She wasn’t someone he could brush off easily.

“Ngh!”

Kenya parried the sword and recoiled.

Sweat beaded on his forehead as anxiety gripped him—this couldn’t go on, or he’d be done for.

Such serious killing intent.

(So this is you on the battlefield…)

But.

(I can’t take down Reina… or there’d be no point in me fighting at all.)

“You’ve been slippery this whole time! Fight me for real!”

Kenya was purely on the defensive, dodging and blocking her attacks.

But that alone wouldn’t last—he’d be caught eventually.

She was that strong. By Kenya’s estimation, she’d already surpassed Holy Knight level and was definitely stronger than Jilian.

(Got it, Reina. Sorry if I hurt you.)

In the next instant, Kenya turned the tables.

“!?”

He counterattacked.

A full-force strike—the real deal, one he’d never shown even in the simulator.

The goal was neutralization, but against her, he couldn’t pull off the finesse of not injuring her.

It was full power precisely because he trusted her.

Like experts clashing in deadly earnest during training—if you didn’t trust your opponent’s strength, you might kill them.

Even if it meant his own death, he absolutely refused to kill Reina.

But she could handle it.

So he’d neutralize her with everything he had.

Kenya hammered her relentlessly, chipping away at her machine.

He targeted her limbs with a storm of gunfire and sword strikes in continuous assault.

“Guh!”

(Strong! She was definitely holding back until now… Annoying as it is, this guy’s stronger than me!)

Reina pulled back to create distance.

In her cockpit, she was panting hard, drenched in sweat.

The brief exchange had sapped her stamina and willpower alike; she breathed heavily with her shoulders heaving.

The pressure of risking her life had taken more out of her than imagined.

“Haa… haa… This combo attack. It’s just like Kenya-kun…”

At that moment, a transmission came in for Reina.

“Reina-kun, can you hear me?”

“Lord Road? Yes, loud and clear.”

It was Road Earthguard.

He’d arrived at the battlefield in his massive tank serving as a command vehicle.

“Disengage immediately—you can’t win this. It’s the one who took down Holy Knight Captain Jilian. Focus on evasion and fall back to me.”

“…Understood.”

From Reina’s strained transmission, Road instantly realized her opponent was Jilian’s vanquisher.

But he also knew escape wouldn’t be easy, and that she couldn’t win alone.

So she had to run.

But turning her back carelessly would get her pierced in an instant.

(Even escaping this enemy… is tough for me.)

Reina slowly widened the gap, one step at a time.

Yet the KOG in front of her didn’t budge.

A trap? But a clearly superior foe had no need for such tricks.

(Why…)

She retreated step by step, then took to the skies—and still, that KOG didn’t move an inch.

All the while staring straight at her.

“I don’t know. But… I was saved. If we’d kept fighting, I’d have died for sure.”

Reina returned to the massive wheeled military base—Road’s mothership of sorts.

The moment she climbed out of the cockpit and stood on the ground, her knees buckled, and she dropped to them.

“I-I’m this worn out…?”

The fatigue from a girl who’d braced for death had drained her stamina beyond imagination.

She rested for a while, resupplied, then headed back to the command room. Her knees still trembled, but she’d recovered somewhat.

“Where’s Lord Road?”

Reina asked a nearby soldier as she entered the command room.

“He stepped out for a bit—said to keep watch on the situation.”

“I see… Where to?”

After waiting a while, Road and Zeke entered the command room.

“You’re back. Welcome home, Reina-kun. Good thing you’re safe.”

“Yes, thank you for the retreat order. Is Lady Yumir all right?”

“…No. Sis was struck down by the resistance.”

“!? …I see. My apologies.”

(I should have escorted her back… No, against that opponent, even I…)

“It’s not your fault. You fought well. That was the one who beat Jilian. Right, Zeke?”

“Y-Yes! Good to see you back safe, Reina.”

Zeke had returned to the command room too and startled when Road suddenly called his name.

He seemed somehow different from usual, but Reina chalked it up to their father being tense after so long away from the battlefield.

(What a terrifying man… to do something like that.)

◇ A little earlier

“Lord Road, I’ve secured Lady Yumir. She’s resting in the nearby mountains for now. She looks quite fatigued.”

“Haa… haa… Kill that bastard quick, Zeke. Drag that insolent fool before me! I’ll make ’em suffer worse than death. Gouge out their limbs, blind them so they can’t even kill themselves, and keep ’em as my pet forever!”

Zeke sat the exhausted Yumir down and stood by on-site.

He knew Jilian as a fellow Holy Knight Captain.

A young appointee, sure, but still a captain—not someone who’d lose easily.

And yet, the result?

Her KOG cleaved apart in one stroke.

By an overwhelmingly superior force.

(Have Holy Knight Captains fallen off? Jilian was upper-tier Holy Knight, but… maybe no real tough fights lately dulled her.)

Knights grow through war.

Through victory in battles where life hangs in the balance.

Zeke knew that all too well, but real fights had been scarce lately.

As Zeke pondered, a single KOG descended from the sky.

It was a royal dedicated machine, adorned much like Yumir’s KOG.

“Lord Road.”

The KOG knelt, and the pilot emerged.

“Road! You came!”

Yumir’s face lit up at the sight of the blond boy, who seemed gentle at first glance.

“Zeke, anyone spot you?”

“No. Lady Yumir’s guard unit is fully engaged with the resistance. It’s just me.”

“Good. That’s perfect.”

Gunfire raged below.

Yumir’s guards were locked in combat with Isshin Kurokami’s resistance forces and couldn’t break away.

“What’s perfect? Road. Explain it so even I can understand.”

“No need. Not for someone who’s about to die.”

“Eh?”

Bang.

The gunshot rang out, muffled by the din of battle below, its dry crack echoing across the wild hills.

Road’s pistol, drawn from his chest, had pierced Yumir’s chest.

“Why… Ro…”

“Farewell, Sis. As for you…”

Blood sprayed as Yumir collapsed limply to the ground.

“I despised you from the bottom of my heart.”