“…Yeah, you. Now that you mention it, you were there.”

Kaguya called out to Reina in a low, gravelly voice laced with menace.

In her mind, Reina was already the enemy.

The enemy of Japan. The enemy who sided with Earthguard. The Earthguard forces who had killed the person she loved most that day.

“Kaguya… it’s been a while.”

“Yeah, since that day. Since the Earthguard forces massacred our Resistance.”

“This battle is pointless. Please withdraw.”

Reina told Kaguya.

Surely Lord Road would return Japan to them someday, so fighting was meaningless.

But this was a battlefield. Reina’s words, lacking full context, failed to reach Kaguya.

If only they could have talked more calmly.

Even then, they probably wouldn’t have stopped. Not after being deceived so many times, not after having so much taken from them.

Their hatred—born from losing family and loved ones over and over—wasn’t so fragile that a single enemy’s words could halt it.

“Pointless… yeah. That’s always your line, isn’t it? Talking down like winning is just a given for you.”

“No, that’s not what I—!”

“Shut up! I’m done running, done hesitating! I won’t stop until we take back this country! Not even for you if you get in my way!!”

Kaguya channeled her blazing fury into her sword and lunged at Reina.

“I’ll kill you!”

…

(Reina? Why are you here—no, why’d you come straight in your dedicated machine… To save me?)

“Ngh!”

“Saved by the skin of my teeth, Military God! Is that your daughter?”

Thanks to Reina, the Military God Zeke barely escaped.

But he was still fully occupied blocking White Lotus and Thor’s relentless assault. He had no spare moment to help her.

“Can’t you withdraw!? Just like your daughter said in the open channel earlier! This battle is pointless! Lord Road will surely return Japan to us!”

“As if that devil would ever do such a thing!”

Zeke’s plea was brushed aside.

“If that’s true, then drop your weapons and surrender—all of you. We’re not like you. We don’t massacre prisoners!!”

“You think we’d accept that!?”

Unconditional surrender, without any guarantee of safety—Zeke couldn’t allow it.

No one knew better than Earthguard what fate awaited captives.

Even if the World Alliance treated prisoners justly.

“Then we have no choice but to fight! This is war, Military God. Kill or be killed. The victor becomes justice and shapes the era. The loser just loses everything.”

“And you’re the ones who’ll lose—you Earthguard scum, enemies of the world!”

“Ngh! That’ll just repeat history! Even if you win and destroy Earthguard, what’s next is war among yourselves!”

“We know that! That’s humanity for you—war is human history. It’s too late to change it! Culture, race, ideology! The slightest difference sparks friction—it’s inevitable!”

White Lotus, Thor, Zeke.

Each clashing with their convictions.

All were career soldiers. They’d followed hated orders.

They’d killed people they didn’t think needed dying—because it was an order, for the nation.

“People can’t understand each other! As long as there’s power, there’ll be strong and weak! Humans wield power—that’s what we do! Even if it hurts, decades later a new generation forgets it all!”

“As long as humans rule the top! As long as human desires drive the world! True peace will never come! That’s why we fight, staking our lives for a fleeting, false peace—a momentary illusion we chase over and over!”

“Fighting for peace…!”

“You know it too. Peace is just a respite between wars.”

White Lotus, Thor, and Zeke fought on.

For what?

When all that lay ahead was the next battle.

…

“Get out of my way!!”

“Ngh!”

Reina and Kaguya faced off.

(She’s strong… Nothing like half a year ago…)

But the fight was one-sided.

Kaguya, one of Asia’s Thirteen Gods. Reina was Holy Knight class.

Unless she were Holy Knight Captain level, she couldn’t hope to match Asia’s strongest.

“You’ve gotten weak!”

“What!?”

“This past half year, you just drifted through life, didn’t you!? Blissful days!”

“That’s not—ngh!”

Reina reflected on the past half year.

What had she done? Just spent happy days with Kenya every day.

She’d been fulfilled.

Honestly, she’d just found living with him so comfortable.

“I trained like hell!! So I wouldn’t lose anything precious like that day ever again!”

“!? This strong already…”

Reina could only defend desperately.

She couldn’t withstand that onslaught, that fiery rage.

“Want me to tell you why you’re weak!?”

“Ngh!”

“You lack it! Something worth staking your life to protect, a conviction to hold true! You don’t have it. You, who just let days flow by without thought! You, living without emotion!”

Kaguya’s furious barrage assaulted Reina.

“But I do! It’s never changed since back then! It’s taking back this country! Japan! From you bastards!!”

(That’s what Onii-chan wanted… what Kenya wants…)

“Shi—!?”

Reina’s—no, Aphrodite’s sword flew through the air.

Kaguya’s Kagutsuchi had knocked it away with its red blade.

“Bye, Reina. Even as an Earthguard, I didn’t hate you…”

Reina stumbled off-balance. Kaguya’s red sword pierced her.

No escaping now—a fatal blow.

That should have ended their bond right there. But it was stopped.

“Reina!!!”

Zeke halted it.

He shoved Reina aside, saving her by a hair’s breadth.

“Papa!? Sorry, thank y—huh?”

Reina recovered and looked at Zeke.

But her words caught in her throat. Her heart raced, blood drained from her face.

She couldn’t believe the sight before her eyes. A chill ran through her body.

Ahead, Zeke’s machine was impaled by White Lotus.

“Papa!!”

She called to her father in a trembling voice.

No reply came. Zeke didn’t answer.

“Well done, Kaguya!!”

Zeke had tried to save Reina.

White Lotus wouldn’t miss that opening.

Its azure spear had pierced Zeke’s abdomen.

Straight through—the spear had run the cockpit through.

“Nooooo!!!”

The machine fell limply to the ground.

Reina flew straight toward it.

She caught Zeke’s machine just before impact, sparing it a crash.

Slowly, father and daughter descended to the earth.

The daughter just kept calling her father.

But.

“Papa!? Papa!!”

Her voice didn’t reach him.

Kaguya watched silently and murmured.

“…Sorry.”

Kaguya understood Reina’s pain all too well right now.

The agony of losing beloved family. The rage of having precious ones killed.

Still, she had to fight. No other path.

No regrets. She couldn’t afford them.

Even so, Reina—once a friend she’d shared time with.

How many times had she wished for a girlfriend her age?

Hanging out after school at karaoke, chatting at cafes.

Gushing over boys together.

Reina, so much like her. If they’d been normal students, they might’ve fought over the same guy.

If they’d met differently, or at least from the same country, they could’ve been friends.

But.

“I can’t stop anymore… Sorry, Reina.”

With her anger subsided, Kaguya regarded Reina calmly.

She turned to leave. No point killing her now.

The Military God was dead.

The battlefield’s victor was decided.

The tide turned to the World Alliance. Earthguard forces, learning Zeke had fallen, saw morale plummet.

The front lines crumbled. Earthguard soldiers wept everywhere.

Fighting spirit lost, the lines collapsed.

“Good work, White Lotus!”

“Yeah! All units, advance! Reclaim Japan with every ounce of strength! All standby units—deploy! The battle is decided!”

At White Lotus’s command, every waiting KOG sortied.

Earthguard, bereft of pillars and commanders, disintegrated in moments.

The battlefield turned one-sided. The World Alliance overran them.

…

The girl wept alone in her cockpit.

Calling her father over and over. No response.

And.

The battlefield wouldn’t wait.

“White Lotus!? What are you—!”

White Lotus returned after ordering the full advance.

Immediately, the azure machine leveled its spear at Reina.

“That’s a dedicated machine—and an enemy who can fight you. Kill her while you can. You knew her… so I’ll do it.”

“W-wait! The objective’s already—!”

“No. This is war, Princess.”

“B-but!”

“Enough!”

White Lotus barked. Kaguya fell silent.

“We kill enemies. All we can do is keep moving. Tell yourselves their deaths led to world peace! We can’t stop! So!”

White Lotus—Seiryu—thrust its azure spear at Reina.

Kaguya shut her eyes instinctively.

The azure dragon’s strike should’ve pierced Reina in an instant.

But instead came thunderous roar—the air exploding.

And.

Kiiiiing!

Metal clashing—like a sword parrying.

“Re…ina?”

Kaguya opened her eyes in fear and saw.

“Huh?”

A pristine white machine batted away White Lotus’s spear.

It had descended from the sky at lightning speed.

The white bolt repelled it faster than sound could catch up.

The machine wielded swords—two in both hands.

Its left hand for protection, right for piercing.

Both blades carried unwavering feelings for two people.

“You did this…”

The knight of wrath descended upon the battlefield.

Air exploded. Thunder boomed.

The world’s strongest knight, guarding what mattered most.

His fists. His swords.

Shaking solely with rage.