“Finally gone silent, huh…”

Road stood up after watching the battle from start to finish.

“Jilian and his daughter shouldn’t have stood a chance against him. Even I at my peak couldn’t have won.”

Zeke and Reina, who had been watching the fight through footage, let out voices of surprise.

But Reina alone harbored lingering doubts.

(It was just like Kenya-kun… Resistance… Japanese… No way!)

That was when Reina realized it.

Having clashed with him day after day, she could intuitively grasp Kenya’s habits and fighting style just by watching.

“Still, that should have drained his energy. Such incredible combat skills… What a shame to lose that talent. But given how he fought, I doubt he’ll turn to our side.”

(And that fighting style… it feels familiar somehow.)

Road wasn’t well-versed in tactics.

But with his astonishing powers of observation, he tried to connect the dots from the fighter’s quirks.

It felt like he’d seen that style somewhere before, but without enough information, he couldn’t link it to Kenya.

“Indeed. That unbreakable will, staking even his life on the line. He won’t bend easily. Guys like that…!?”

“What is it, Zeke?”

“No… he might already be dead, possibly. I’ve seen it countless times on the battlefield.”

What Zeke imagined were all those formidable foes.

They were proud warriors who chose suicide over capture.

Perhaps that KOG pilot as well.

“No way… Lord Road! Please show mercy! Spare his life, at least!”

Reina lost her composure upon hearing that.

She was on the verge of linking Kenya to that pilot, and it shook her.

It wasn’t confirmed to be Kenya yet, but she desperately wanted to save his life somehow.

That was when it happened.

“Lord Road! One of our Earthguard forces’ transport vehicles just passed through. Resupply?”

A transmission came in from the command room.

“Resupply? I wasn’t informed of any. You’re absolutely sure it was one of ours?”

“Yes, no doubt—it’s one of our transport trucks, cleared the encirclement. We confirmed the ID, but… it headed straight for Point E, so I figured I’d report it just in case.”

(What? Friendlies?)

“The ID? Whose?”

“Uh, the ID belongs to… 13th District KOG Research Institute… Issei Tanaka… 2nd Class Earthguard Citizen.”

“Tanaka!?”

“You know him, Zeke?”

“Yes. He’s a KOG researcher in this country. Hey, was that transport carrying a KOG!?”

“? Not sure. But it is the type used for KOG transport…”

Zeke pieced it all together upon hearing the report.

The unnaturally strong Resistance pilot—meaning, a Japanese.

And Tanaka’s machine was the one still under research.

There was only one person Zeke could think of who could pilot it.

(No way!? So that’s how it is? You… Kenya-kun. You’re the Resistance’s… pilot…)

“Scary… Just a little pressure, and…”

Kenya hesitated to make up his mind.

He’d fought with resolve to die, but taking his own life required a different kind of courage.

Still, he had no idea what horrors awaited if the Empire captured him.

So.

“Phew… alright.”

He steeled himself to apply force. That was when.

A single vehicle approached from behind at ferocious speed.

From its speaker came a familiar voice.

“It’s me! Tanaka! I brought it! You still good to fight!?”

Kenya understood everything from that voice. He tossed away the gun and hurriedly climbed out of the cockpit.

He leaped onto the vehicle as it drifted to a halt right in front of him.

The hatch opened, and he slipped inside.

He couldn’t fathom why Tanaka was here, but right now, this was his only shot.

If it’s that machine.

If it’s my partner machine, then even this situation…

“Lord Road? Our forces’ vehicle has arrived. Are they capturing that pilot?”

“No idea! Zeke! What the hell is that!?”

Road raised his voice at the sudden irregularity.

“I… I don’t know. Speculation, but it might be the KOG our military was researching…”

Even Zeke was thrown off by the abrupt development.

But one thing was clear.

If.

If that’s Kenya-kun over there.

And if the KOG he brought is that cutting-edge model…

The battle situation.

Would change completely.

“Zeke! We’ll talk later!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Transmit to all units! Abandon the encirclement! Head to Point E!”

Road issued the order to the entire army.

Nearly 70 KOGs now converged on Kenya.

His voice sounded shaken.

(This is it… This is what my gut was warning me about.)

Road shuddered at the sight of the white KOG emerging from the transport.

His intuition rang alarm bells: that’s dangerous.

If that pilot with his freakish skills piloted not a mass-produced unit, but a dedicated machine—and a state-of-the-art one at that…

“All forces! Subjugate that white KOG with everything you’ve got!”

“Tanaka-san, you saved me. I’ve got a ton of questions, but…”

“Yeah, first let’s get out of this mess.”

Kenya, now in the KOG, communicated with Tanaka.

Tanaka replied from inside the transport.

“Adjustments are complete. She’s in peak condition—this is her first real battle. Got a name for her?”

Kenya had been mulling over a name at Tanaka’s request.

There was only one that fit. Just one.

The partner he’d ridden countless times in his old world.

The machine that had carried him to world champion status.

“Yeah, I’ve got the perfect name ready for this KOG.”

Kenya gripped the controls tight and shouted the name loud and clear.

“Takemikazuchi! The god called the martial deity, the thunder god. Perfect for this lightning-quick machine!”

“Takemikazuchi… From this country’s myths, huh. Great name. Thanks, Kenya-kun.”

And with that, Kenya activated the KOG.

The transport bay opened, revealing the white KOG.

Pure white like a gleaming bolt of lightning, the machine raised its head and stood tall.

Its gaze fixed on the black horde of enemies.

The white lightning charged forth.

“Go get ’em, Kenya-kun. Those invaders…”

“Here we go! Takemikazuchi!”

“Blow their minds!”