The shockwave from the explosion rocked the Varsenda, tipping it violently.
Before Saito could even yell for help, the Zero Fighter had already began sliding towards the side of the ship… falling off the edge of the upper deck shortly after.
“Ahhhhhhhh!” Saito screamed.
The Zero Fighter, with its engine still idling, dived with its nose downwards toward the earth.
“We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash! We're gonna crash!” Saito could only frantically yell. Just then, Derflinger spoke:
“Partner.”
“What is it!?”
“Well, I’ve got some good news for you.”
“This is really not the time or place for this! Man, I never thought I would die like this… How cruel.”
“The propeller’s spinning, isn’t it?”
Huh? Saito immediately raised his head to look. Of course, the wind from the plummet was enough to start the propeller, if somewhat shakily. Regaining his composure, Saito activated the ignition switch. The propeller began winding up with a whine, before it quickly began spinning with a full roar. Saito pulled against the handle, and regained control of the plane.
“Phew… What a relief!”
Saito relaxed while wiping off the beads of cold sweat on his forehead. He turned his head and glanced behind him, Louise was still busy focusing her will. This girl is normally so restless and unsettled; it's only in the period before she casts a Void spell that she’s able to concentrate, becoming completely oblivious to the outside world.
“Partner.”
“What is it?”
“You could always praise me a bit more, you know…” remarked Derflinger in a dejected tone.
“You're great.”
“Just a bit more, just a bit, Partner. You threw me aside for so long… for you to not flatter me a little now, don’t you think that’s just a bit wrong?”
“Oh… you are so brilliant, so magnificent.”
Why are all the people I’m stuck with like this, stubborn and insecure! Thought Saito, completely ignoring the fact that he himself was no different.
Before he realized it, the 2nd Dragon Knight Squadron was already flying around him. There were ten of them.
Adjusting the speed of the propeller and his throttle, Saito brought the cruising speed to roughly 110 kilometers per hour.
Unrivalled in terms of speed, the wind dragons kept up with the Zero Fighter easily. Saito waved at the members of the 2nd Dragon Knight Squadron, freshly formed since yesterday. They waved back. Sitting in the back seat with The Founder’s Prayer Book open across her lap, Louise, deep in her trance, paid them little heed.
It seemed like the job was to simply escort this user of “Void” to the target objective.
It was for this reason that the roughly-formed squadron of ten dragon knights and a single plane were headed in the direction of Dartanes.
One of the dragon knights flew to the head of the pack, while the tail of his dragon shook left and right. It seemed like he was the leader.
He was the dragon knight that was said to have a sweetheart waiting for him in his village back home. A mere seventeen year-old blonde-haired boy, he was the same age as Saito.
To his left was a dragon knight of eighteen years-old. Having finally achieved his dream of becoming a dragon knight, his face was bright and cheery. As the third son of a noble family fallen from grace, he hoped to prove himself by winning glory in this war. To his right was a sixteen year-old pair of twin brothers.
The people present here were all friends and comrades who had been drinking all through the night till dawn. Those among the dragon knights were all very warm and welcoming, though they were all nobles. Their philosophy was, “When you are all flying through the skies, what difference is there between nobles and commoners?” meant that they all looked upon Saito as a fellow friend.
The roaring of the cannons of countless ships firing could be heard in the distance.
It seems the combined fleet of Tristain and Germania and that of Albion had begun firing their broadsides. The epic clash between the hundred plus ships had been set in motion.
The smell of gunpowder could be smelt even through the cockpit of the plane. Staring at an overwhelming display of smoke and flames, Saito was captivated by the sight, but…
Saito turned his head away. Within each and every explosion, were also the charred remains of tens or dozens of sailors being blasted to pieces. Such a thought sent a chill down his spine.
Before he could even sympathise with their deaths, a feeling of relief crept up, relief at how great it was that he did not have to be there. In an instant, Saito, to prevent such shameful thoughts from crossing his mind, began concentrating ahead. Without something to protect himself from, he wouldn’t think like that.
Amidst the canopy of blue skies and white clouds, Saito flew the Zero Fighter towards Albion, under the protection of the dragon knights.
In one swift motion, the Tristain-Germania combat fleet opened ranks and, developing a line formation, surrounded the three-pronged line formation of the approaching Albion fleet. As the Albion fleet tried to breach the blockade, the combined fleet hurriedly reinforced it, preventing a break-through.
If successful, it could perhaps be finished in one stroke… But, the distance was simply too close. With the two fleets so near to one another, the battle quickly broke down into a muddled chaos of close-quarters ship-to-ship fighting. Aboard the upper deck of one such ship, the Redoubtable, sat the trembling figure of Malicorne. Huddled next to him was the similarly shaky Styx.
Their teeth couldn’t stop shaking. Even when they tried to stand, they found their legs unable to exert even the slightest of force to push them up.
Apart from the thick bellows of smoke from the gunpowder, and the lightning flashes of the enemy cannons firing, they could see nothing of their surroundings. The hull of their ship crashed against the bow of the enemy’s, producing a huge crushing noise, followed by an equally loud crack.
Dragged suddenly into such a battlefield, Malicorne’s world had been turned upside-down in an instant; he was unable to grasp what was happening all around him.
They, having been drawn into the chaos around them, no longer cared about dealing with Bowood. They no longer had the will left to do so.
All they could comprehend was that their ship and the enemy’s had clashed together, marking the beginning of a ruthless melee not unlike that between swordsmen, in which you either killed or got killed.
Peering through the settling dust and smoke, one could glimpse the enemy ship… It was at that instant that they heard the order to fire from the decks above and below them.
A thunderous roar echoed from the cannon fire that followed. Numerous holes pierced through the enemy ship, blowing to pieces both wood and men alike. The enemy did the same, responding with cannon fire that just breezed past them.
The floorboards about them exploded into pieces, sending splinters flying through the air. Ropes danced through the air as they snapped, and spilt oil flowed down the deck.
Someone yelled to quickly release the sand.
Chaos. Yelling. Smoke. Blood. The smell of gunpowder…
The sound of metal cannonballs smashing against the hulls of battleships.
The endless rolling of repeated cannon fire… and the smoke…smoke so thick you couldn’t even see ahead of you.
This was the battlefield that Malicorne witnessed.
Unable to bear the horror any longer, Styx sprinted towards the deck hatch. It was probably to escape to the relative safety of the deck below. However, an officer was already standing there, with a wand in his hand, prepared to prevent any of the soldiers from deserting their posts. Styx could only slip back, huddling on the floor with his head hidden in his arms. The deck officer headed towards them and bellowed: