Julius could see the back of Aroganz, who had defeated all of the enemies that had been waiting for him, looking miserable.

''Rion, what the hell did you do?''

　I have a bad feeling about this as I look at Aroganz, which is clearly different from the way he's been moving so far.

　Aroganz looks back at me.

''-- Nothing. More importantly, I'm a bit tired. If you need anything, please.''

　Aroganz, who had been moving incredibly earlier, now appeared to be barely able to move.

　Rion, the pilot, not Alloganz, was quite exhausted.

　Gregg speaks to Julius.

''That guy Rion, did you use something?　I heard you used some questionable drugs during the Republic.'

''A potion?

　Julius knew that there were medicines of that kind - medicines that strengthened the body and magic power.

　But they always have disadvantages as well.

　The greater the effect and the more immediate the effect, the greater the burden on the user.

　Julius's plane grabbed Aroganz's shoulder.

''Rion, don't be reckless!

　But Leon ignored the advice.

'We're running out of time. Let's move on quickly. We still have some Finn left.'

　Julius wipes the sweat off his face.

'Finn?　Is he that strong?

　I've heard the stories, but I didn't think Leon was as afraid as he was.

　Rion makes a distressed sound.

''--I'll take care of that one.''

　I wanted to tell him not to be reckless, but when Rion was this determined, Julius couldn't stop him.

'You two were so close, you know. I knew you would choose not to fight.''

I can't. We're not gonna back down from each other.

Okay.

　Julius continues onward, lending a shoulder to Aroganz.

　Greg, who is leading the way, asks Luxion.

''Hey, is our destination still ahead of us?''

　After breaking into the interior of Arcadia, I've been spending a lot of time going through the maze.

　It's taking longer than I thought it would.

'It's just ahead. The reaction of the power reactor is approaching.'

　Gradually, the concentration of magic elements was getting thicker and thicker.

　The meters showed them, and it seemed that their purpose was finally going to be fulfilled.

''As long as we destroy the power reactor, will this ridiculously large fortress sink as well?''

I'm sure of it.

　Greg lets out a commanding voice.

'What. It's rather simple. What were our ancestors doing that couldn't win against this kind of fortress?'

　The answer to that question is Luxion.

''If Arcadia was in perfect condition, we would have already been wiped out. We didn't even have a chance to win.''

　Julius is surprised.

'So much?　Even you can't win?

　Julius' eyes widened when he heard that even the Luxion, which was created with the best of the old human technology, could not win.

''Yes. We are able to fight thanks to the soldiers of the old humans who drove Arcadia to this point.''

　Greg says in a horrible voice.

"Then we'll put a stop to it, and we'll give your ancestors what they deserve.

　In the process, he noticed an enemy approaching from behind.

　Julius let go of Aroganz and then took cover with his shield at the ready.

''Ouch!　Are they catching up with us?

　Coming up from behind is the enemy's armor.

　The figure of the magic armor can be seen among them.

　Leon lets out a distressed voice.

''Finn is!''

None. Apparently, it's a different kind of spell than the Brave's.

　Finn doesn't seem to be among them, but it's still tricky.

　Greg worries about Zilk and the others.

'Hey, do you think Jilk and the others--'

No, they are safe. 'No, we are still defending the enemy. We believe the enemy in front of us has returned to the fortress from another route.

　Julius looks at the enemy in front of him.

　He counted the number of them while using his shield to prevent the enemy from shooting at him.

(The armor called magical armor is four machines. The others are the normal armor of the Empire?)

　Glancing at Aroganz, I saw that Rion's movements were awkward.

'Luxion, can Rion fight?

He's currently on a neutralizer. He'll recover quickly, but I don't think he'll be combat ready under the present circumstances.

He'll be back on his feet in no time, right?

"Yes.

　Julius took a deep breath, ready for the conversation with Luxion.

'Then let Rion go ahead. The enemy is gathering, you know. It's better if someone stays behind here.'

　He drew his sword and then launched an attack with the weapon he carried on his backpack.

　Rion was surprised.

''You.''

Go ahead. I'll buy you some time.

"There's no way one man can take on all these people...

　Greg interrupts their conversation.

'Then I'm staying!　If you're worried about Julius alone, why don't I stay behind?''

　Leon was about to say something, but Julius pushed Allogantz.

Go!　--you don't have time for this, do you?

　As Allogants turned his back, he moved onward.

　Seeing Aroganz move on, one of the magicians forcefully rushed in to stop him.

　Julius blocked it with his shield.

''Sorry, but we're blocking traffic!

　Julius' white armor emitted a pale light from his backpack.

　Luxion had recreated the function of the armor that had been destroyed during the duel.

　As he thrust his sword into the magic armor, his enemy was engulfed in blue flames and burned.

　From the rear, he was shot at from the rear, but he used his shield to protect it and returned fire with the cannon on his back.

　As the other magic armor flies out, this time Gregg stabs the enemy with his spear to bring it down.

''Julius!　If you fly too fast, you'll run out of breath later!

It's not your business. Here comes the next one!

　The two men begin to fight for Leon to prevent enemy reinforcements.

◇

　Arcadia's command center.

　Finn, who had sent Mia there, was about to go out again.

'Buddy, the Aroganz are closing in on the power reactor. Our allies will either be kicked out or stranded and unable to stop them.'

　Finn clasped his hands together as Brave informed him of the current situation.

'I see,'

　Mia hugs Finn.

'Mia?'

　Mia shuddered.

'Sir Knight, please. Please - please come back. Don't leave me alone!'

　Finn hugs Mia gently as she cries.

'It's okay. I'll be back.

Are you sure?

Yeah, really. So wait here.

　Brave also reassures Mia.

'You're the safest place to be. With Mia here, your partner can fight without a care in the world.'

　Mia looks at Brave.

'You make sure you come back, Boo, too.

I'm on it!　I mean, can't you do something about calling him Mr. Boo?　My partner calls me Kurosuke, and people don't call me Brave, do they?'

　Finn laughs.

'Doesn't it suit you, Kurosuke?'

　Mia smiles too.

'I think you're cute, Boo,'

"I just don't understand your sensibilities.

　Feeling relieved to have a normal conversation, Mia pulled away from Finn.

　Then she made a gesture of prayer.

'Knight-sama, please come back properly.

　Finn replies with a smile.

'--oh.'

◇

　There was movement outside Arcadia as well.

'Serge, stay back!'

　It was Serge, fighting with his tattered armor, ignoring Erik's voice issuing orders from the airship.

　Even now, he's taking down the monsters that are attacking him and the armor of the Empire.

'I have to fight them.'

　It was as if he was fighting to atone for his sins.

　At the same time, he understood that if he backed down now, the Republican army would crumble.

'Because I was entrusted with it - because my father entrusted me with it.

　Serge struggled, but his armor reached its limit before he could.

　The joints scream and disintegrate in the air.

　The engine part of his back also catches fire.

(Ah, I'm going to end up here too? Finally--)

　Just as he was expecting to be released, an ally plane approached Serge's plane.

　It was the armor of the Dukes of Fan Oth.

''Republic guys, why don't you just watch and help?''

Hey, you okay?

　It wasn't the Republic's allies, but the Dukes of Fangorse who had saved him.

　That spoke volumes about Serge's current position.

◇

　The airship of the Dukes of Fanouse.

　On the bridge, Hertrude looked at the Republic's armor that the duke's knights had retrieved.

''I wonder what happened to them to leave the struggling ace behind?

　A nearby captain suggested to Hertrude.

''Master Hertrude, our allies are at their limit. The Royal Army has come forward as well. There's no problem for us to fall back here.''

　The Royal Army had been reorganized and joined, and now it was easier than at first.

　But it was not a time to let our guard down.

''No. We can't allow ourselves to pull out of this fight.''

But!

And when I got away.

　When you escape, what awaits you is death as a species.

　Before he could finish saying those words, Arcadia's appearance changed.

　The eye-like paint on the outer walls glowed and was about to fire its main gun.

''The enemy is attacking us!''

　As Hertrude prepared to go this far, something white crossed the side of the airship.

It is!

　The figure is a distinctive single-horned airship.

　It's a Ricornu.

　On either side of it, a spaceship follows.

　The spaceship with shield specialization became an ally shield from Arcadia's main gun.

　If they were unable to prevent it on the way and were wrecked, this time Ricorneu stepped forward and deployed a magical barrier like a curtain to protect his allies.

　It completely blocked the enemy's main gun.

　Hertrude looked at Ricorne and shrugged his shoulders.

''You had a trump card ready to replace the royal ship?''

　But for now, it would be a great help if they could block Arcadia's main guns.

'I expect everyone to fight hard. Make the name of FanOth known here!

　There are many reasons why the Fan Oth family has to work hard here.

　It was because their position in the new kingdom would be decided.

　With that in mind, Hertrude couldn't make the decision to go down easily.

　And also personally.

(I have to repay my debt to Saintess-sama as well.)

　Hertrude wanted to repay his debt to Marie.

◇

"Crap!　My Ricornu!'

　Ricorne managed to block a blow from the main gun, but that doesn't mean she's safe.

　The interior of the ship was violently shaken, and each part of the ship was overloaded.

　Simply because he is getting energy from the young trees of the Holy Tree, there is no problem - but that doesn't mean there is no problem.

　Clutching her staff with both hands, Marie, who was standing, was breathing heavily.

　The role of deploying the shield lies with Marie, the saintly woman.

　And now that she was close to Arcadia, the burden on the shield was even greater.

　Kara is worried about Marie.

''Marie-sama, if you're tired, you should take a break.

　However, Marie makes a smile.

　A forced smile is not a flattering one.

'Duh, it's okay. Don't worry about it.

　Kyle brings me water and a towel.

'Master, if you push yourself too hard, you'll fall over.

I'm okay with this.

　He clutched his staff and managed to stand.

　As he took a drink of water, he heard the voices of Leon's friends fighting around him.

''Keep your enemies away from Ricorne!
"Don't try to take a shot at me!　If you shoot in front of it, you'll hit it even if you don't want to!'
'Aaaaah!　I knew I shouldn't have dressed up and entered the race!'

　I can hear a mixture of screams.

　Both the airships and armor handled by Rion's friends were highly capable, as Luxion had built them.

　And they had been dealing with them for several years now, and their skill level was higher than the others.

　Marie wipes the sweat off her face.

(Your brother's friends are doing great too.)

　These are the valuable allies that Leon has prepared in the school.

　However, there are still a large number of enemies.

　Even if they do their best, the gap in strength will not be easily reversed.

　Creare's blue eyes shine.

''Tch!　There's a bunch of people coming through.'

　The monsters slip past their allies and swarm Ricornu, who decides they are in danger.

　The allies stepped forward to shield Ricorne, but the monsters rushed forward, ignoring the friendly airship.

　The monsters were closing in on them, over twenty meters outside the window.

　Angier shouts to Clairele.

'Intercept!'

I'm sorry. You're too far gone with the damage you did. It'll take 30 seconds to recover. Oh, but you know--

　That's when it looked like they wouldn't be able to intercept them in time.

　Marie's eyes widen.

''--What?''

　A white plane - two planes that resembled Julius' plane - stepped in front of Ricorne.

　They slashed through the large monster with their swords.

　The monster is slashed through and disappears as black smoke.

　Then, the two armor machines turn around.

''Looks like you're in trouble, ladies.''

　They were wearing similar masks as their images appeared on the ship's monitors.

　Angier's face goes blank.

'What are you doing?'

　Each of the masked men would strike a similar pose.

'I am a knight without a name. I don't want to say "I'm a knight without a name", so you can call me a masked knight.
"I'll call myself a masked knight for now.

　They both said the same thing as Julius.

　Marie's body relaxes and she collapses from her knees.

(These guys are father and son after all!)

　The smell of uselessness came from both of them, and Marie knew the horror of what was called blood.

　The masked knights were facing each other and cursing each other.

'Who are you!　I am the Knight in the Mask!
Who are you?　I've been up all night thinking about it, and you're copying my outfit!'

"You wear a mask with no taste!
You said it!　Arle also insulted the mask that told him he was cool!　Right there!　I'm going to slice you up!'

　The two men begin to fight.

　The masked knight - Roland and, it was Jake.

　A tired-looking Livia gives a cold voice to them.

'If you're going to interrupt me, please leave.'

"Oh, honey, you're cold.

"We'll be laughing our asses off when we get home. Well, all right. Now we'll fight with him too. Don't get in my way, masked knight.

"I'm the real thing!　I am the original!　More importantly, by the sound of your voice, are you a young man?　I wish I could see my parents' faces.'

"You must be the one who's not a good-looking adult.

　Creare blurted out.

''Actually, before we left, the two of us came to consult separately. I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. Even so, it's interesting to see a father and son all dressed the same.''

　Marie sees them fighting outside the window.

'Parents and children are so scary,'

　It was sad to think that Julius was on the same level as these two, as he was dressed the same way.