High above the clouds, the Arcanite engines hummed in unison as Jack and his fleet tore across the horizon.

  Half a kilometre ahead, two of Rhok’s Armatus units scouted the skies, while one flew on each flank as vanguards.

  In the centre of the formation, Jack’s silver Armatus led the modified cruiser, shielding it in close proximity. Two small P.N.I. bots flanked the cruiser, where Frain and Lupus sat aboard one of them.

  A subtle vibration ran through the cabin as the vessel glided through turbulence. Aurelia sat secure in one of the side-row seats, across from Triss and the Virgo mages.

  “Umm, Triss,” she called softly.

  Triss turned her green eyes toward her, curiosity glimmering in her gaze. In the background, the Novitcius mages murmured and giggled, already making plans for their arrival in Porand.

  “For the record,” Aurelia continued, “you don’t have any weird premonitions, right?”

  With her black veil draped over green hair, Triss shook her head gently. “Not that I can recall,” she replied, her voice graceful and serene.

  Aurelia exhaled deeply, clutching her chest. “That’s a relief.”

  “Not really,” Friederich interjected, seated beside her. “I feel more anxious not knowing what lies ahead.”

  Triss’s smile faltered at his words. “Sorry,” she murmured, as if her inability to foresee the future at will was her fault.

  “Fried! You made Triss sad!” Aurelia scolded, glaring at him.

  “I–I apologise,” Friederich stammered. “It wasn’t meant to undermine your ability, Terissa.”

  Triss tilted her face slightly, revealing a soft smile. “I know you didn’t mean it, Guardian. I only wish I could serve better.” Her voice carried a note of sadness, hidden beneath her smile.

  The elven mage met her gaze. “Triss, your clairvoyance saved the lives of the DebrisX crew — whether used actively or passively. Never forget that.”

  Triss’s lips parted slightly, warmth stirring in her heart as she blushed. “Your kind words... I’ll never forget them.”

  ***

  Inside the silver Armatus cockpit, Jack scanned for Arcanite signatures, eyes darting over the radar.

  Since Aurelia hadn’t muted her comm, he’d been eavesdropping on the entire conversation.

  “Ah… It’s nice to be young,” Jack muttered with a smirk. He’d suspected something between Triss and the Prime Guardian for a while now. Both were stunning — Friederich especially, blessed with 190 cm of sculpted physique, symmetrical features, and dazzling blue eyes.

  Switching to the pilot channel, Jack contacted Rhok and Steve.

  “How’s everything?”

  After a moment’s pause, Rhok’s voice crackled back. “All clear up to 50 klicks. No Arcanite readings. Steve?”

  “P~Peak efficiency on the cruiser!” Steve replied from the pilot seat, checking the diagnostics and autopilot status.

  The fleet sailed smoothly as they reached the midpoint of their voyage.

  “This is Jack Squire. We’re halfway through with no sign of enemy contact,” he announced over the comms. “I repeat — no enemies. It’s our lucky day.”

  He eyed the scanner again, noting the enemy’s base of operations — 100 klicks north. One of Rhok’s Armatus units was still scanning for signatures.

  “Anything up north, Rhok?” he asked.

  A short pause. “No…” the clipped reply came.

  Jack frowned. “Okay…” He replied. The change in Rhok’s tone gnawed at him. “Is something wrong, or am I overthinking this?”

  Still, the mood remained high as the crew hummed along in light spirits.

  ***

  Beep—Beep—Beep!

  The emergency lights pulsed red.

  Dozens of Arcanite signatures appeared. Hundreds of enemy units were converging from the north — fast.

  “Knew it wouldn’t be that easy…” Jack muttered, slamming the comms open. “Everyone! Enemy contact! Steve, take us down! Rhok, intercept with your units!”

  “Understood!” Steve responded quickly.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  The cruiser and support units dropped into a sharp descent, light trails streaking behind them.

  On the map, four Armatus under Rhok’s command soared north to engage the enemy.

  “Shield up, Steve.”

  “Shield protocol engaged!” Steve called out as a semi-transparent sphere flickered to life around each craft.

  Below the clouds, the forest stretched out — flat and dense. The canopy stood about five metres tall.

  “No enemies in this area…” Jack mused, eyes flicking to Rhok’s position. He was about to engage.

  Then—

  Silence.

  Rhok’s signal vanished.

  “Rhok!? Rhok!?” Jack shouted. “Are you there?”

  Panic surged through his chest. The silence was deafening to at point that the only beating heart drummed in his ears.

  "Did I... just send him to die?" The chilling realisation sank into Jack.

  Alarms blared again, hooking Jack’s attention to the screen.

  “Twenty~no, thirty Armatus signatures!” he whispered, red blips flooding the screen.

  On the ground, Dunkelheit’s mobile suits powered up, shedding their Pb-coated covers — sheets of lead composite designed to mask their energy signatures.

  Their glowing red optics ignited with menace.

  A red Armatus appeared atop the ridge, massive cannons mounted on its back. It raised an ionised axe, glowing with red-hot energy.

  “Engage! Capture the princess alive!” the gold-ranked commander barked.

  The forest trembled and branches shook as the enemy launched skyward, their paths locking onto Jack’s fleet.

  Jack’s thoughts raced.

  North — hundreds.

  Ahead — thirty.

  A retreat might be another trap.

  “Jack! Send us to check Rhok’s position!” Lupus cried, her voice steady.

  “No! Stay with the cruiser,” Jack replied immediately.

  On his radar, the enemy converged on their position fast.

  “Please, have some faith in me — not because I’m an Olympian mage, but because I made a promise I intend to keep,” Lupus pushed back, her tone pleading.

  In that brief moment, Jack caught the unwavering resolve in her golden eyes. He knew in his heart that she wasn’t going to back down.

  “…Fine. If it gets bad, you run. Got it?” he ordered.

  “Got it. Stay safe!” Lupus said firmly.

  “Stay safe, Jack!” Frain echoed.

  “You too,” Jack nodded, directing the P.N.I. bot to veer sharply north.

  The engine groaned as the craft surged to investigate.

  ***

  [Incoming Message]

  Jack’s heart skipped, he rechecked the source, “It’s from the enemy’s Armatus.”

  “…Stuff it.” He accepted the call.

  A red-armoured knight filled the screen, his armour plates streaked with bold white stripes. A long, sweeping fin crowned his helmet like a futuristic mohawk. He leaned forward, closing in on the camera. A presence forged from control and sheer intimidation.

  “He must be at least Gold rank,” Jack muttered as he studied the man.

  “Nice to finally meet you, Spaceboy!” the knight sneered.

  Jack scoffed. “What do you want?”

  “Hand the princess over. We’ll let you live,” the man laughed, voice sharp like a hyena’s bark.

  “And if I refuse?” Jack smirked, masking his shaking fingers.

  The knight commander’s tone turned icy. “Then you die. Jack Squire, just a squire, you’re no match for someone of my rank.”

  “Really? Then I challenge you to a one-on-one.” Jack retorted.

  The knight burst into laughter. “Hahahaha! Very funny, Jack.”

  He leaned even closer, eyes cold. “The name’s Pael Shade. Take it to hell with you!”

  ***

  Twenty klicks away, the enemy charged — their Armatus giants painted in dark crimson.

  “Steve! Stay above the canopy!” Jack ordered, pulling his own unit into intercept position.

  Once in range, Jack steadied his aim. The auto-lock beeped.

  “Now!” he fired, three plasma rounds tearing across the sky.

  Boom!

  The bronze enemy fell, melting on impact.

  The barrages of devastating missiles arced toward him in retaliation.

  Jack spun sharply, eluding the attacks. Yet, they turned and followed in tight pursuit.

  “Homing missile, huh?! How about this!” Jack grumbled.

  The silver Armatus darted through the battlefield with breakneck speed, weaving left and right past the enemy frontline.

  With a masterclass in his flight skills, he dodged through the enemy’s axes with ease. Behind him, homing missiles collided with clustered bronze units, exploding into starfalls.

  Another wave charged with ionised axes. To counter, Jack shifted his thrusters to the left and hit max output.

  “Come at me then!” he roared, spiralling into them with devastating whirlwind slash.

  Within fifteen minutes, half of Pael’s fleet was destroyed.

  “Jack! Help — Ah! They’re chasin— Ah!” Steve’s voice crackled over the comm, followed by crashing sounds.

  Jack spun mid-air, scanning for the cruiser with precision. Above the treetops, a few Armatus flew close to the craft, attempting to capture it.

  “Hold on, I’m coming—”

  Zzzk-WHUMP!

  A plasma round struck Jack’s unit. The cockpit shook violently.

  “Ah!” He yelped, momentarily squinting his eyes.

  The shields shimmered, absorbing the blast.

  “Destroy him! For Dunkelheit!” a silver knight roared, leading a dozen more toward Jack.

  Missiles and plasma rained down, capturing their momentum of advancement.

  “Stop wasting my time!” Jack growled, his cannon returning fire.

  His shots ripped through the sky, cutting down enemies one by one. Microbombs exploded in the distance.

  From the smoke, Jack’s Armatus emerged with his red-glowing sword. Then he sliced through opponents with brutal precision.

  A bronze unit recklessly rushed in, swinging its axe. Jack evaded and spun, his blade plunging through the cockpit.

  Pael Shade grimaced within his helmet.

  “Tch… I underestimated the damn trash collecter. How is he matching my units?” His mind scrambled for a new strategy.

  Shoutout: