The intense turbulence and gravity inside Arroganz’s cockpit made for an unbearably uncomfortable ride. I was plastered to my seat, the cushions flattening beneath me. But something else concerned me far more than that agony.
“For the love of everything, just don’t let this plan end in failure. Then I’d really look like an idiot,” I said.
The Einhorn had taken off ahead of the rest of the army, opting for a long detour around the battlefield so that we could surprise the enemy from the rear. Once we were in position, the boosters Luxion had attached to the ship for extra speed started firing on all cylinders, accelerating straight toward our destination. I’d been suffering in the intense gravity from that point on.
“Please swallow your complaints. I reduced the gravitational impact considerably. It could be worse,” Luxion told me, nagging at me the same way he always did.
“Seriously? This is reduced gravity?” I only managed to speak with great effort, but Luxion talked smoothly, as if this had no effect on him. Maybe that was a given, since he was a machine, but it still pissed me off.
“I sorted through the information Cleare and Fact sent us. According to them, Arcadia has no offenses left to use against us.”
That had been the whole purpose of our strategy—to wear Arcadia down.
“Looks like it was worth sacrificing the Partner, then,” I said, grinning through the agony.
Luxion moved his lens up and down, nodding. “Yes. The Partner accomplished its final mission successfully. It is almost time, Master. Soon we will be the ones fulfilling our duty.”
“Make sure to get us there as safely and smoothly as you feasibly can,” I added. I knew what I was asking was impossible, but I had to try.
“I will do my best,” Luxion said without really meaning it.
My teeth sank into the mouthpiece he had prepared for me. It was meant to keep me from biting my tongue.
“Thirty seconds until impact,” Luxion announced, beginning the countdown.
Violent tremors, likely caused by incoming fire, racked the ship.
“Ten seconds until impact.” And after a few more seconds, “Five, four, three…”
✦ ✦ ✦
The imperial army’s ships began firing on the Einhorn. The monsters had shifted position, flocking to Arcadia’s rear in an attempt to act as shields against the enemy vessel. However, they hoped to shoot the Einhorn down before the need to physically block it arose.
“How dare you?!” Arcadia howled. “And with that sad excuse for a ship!”
Whatever they tried didn’t slow down the Einhorn. It ignored their attacks, plowing forward and smashing right past the wall of monsters like they were nothing.
Moritz’s brow furrowed at the sight of Arcadia’s panic. His eyes darted back to the monitor, where he watched the Einhorn. “A three-pronged attack,” he muttered to himself.
Luxion’s main ship and the Partner were mere diversions to weaken Arcadia so the Einhorn could make its move.
The name “Einhorn” fit the ship perfectly, since it had a single horn on its prow. From its containers, it launched several hundred missiles which pelted the monsters in the air around it. Their attempts to shoot it down proved futile; worse yet, the return fire sank a number of their ships.
“We can’t stop it.” Moritz stood firm with his arms crossed over his chest. He hollered at his men, “Brace for impact!”
None of the tremors they had experienced compared to the violence of the one that followed.
Arcadia’s intense fury left his eye bloodshot. “You filthy, oil-covered piles of scrap!” he screeched in a high-pitched voice.
The empire’s victory had been all but assured up to this point, but this surprise attack had tipped the scales. Who would win was anyone’s guess.
That’s fine, Moritz decided, welcoming this development. It’s for the best, really. Come at us with everything you’ve got. Whoever survives until the end will rule this planet. Don’t hold anything back!
He’d been plagued with guilt at the thought of murdering innocent civilians who couldn’t even fight back, but he wouldn’t feel so bad about it after a battle to the death in which both sides fought tooth and nail.
The command room descended into confusion.
“Have the army keep fighting the enemy forces,” Moritz commanded, reining everyone in. “Tell them there’s no need to worry about the attacks on Arcadia. Call back the Demonic Knights!”
The multifaceted attack on Arcadia had shaken their army already. Ordering them to continue the assault would keep them from hesitating in front of the enemy, wondering whether they should double back to protect their emperor and Arcadia. Moritz was summoning the Demonic Knights again because they’d be needed to deal with the Einhorn. Its horn had punctured Arcadia deeply, providing an infiltration point a number of intruders were already taking advantage of.
Arcadia’s enormous eye twitched with irritation. The monitor switched to the intruders, and he glowered at them. “You have some nerve, breaking into my fortress.”
These intruders piloting Armors boarded Arcadia. One Armor had a particularly unique design, as well as a gargantuan container on its back.
Moritz and his men grimaced.
“That’s Arroganz.”
“The archduke himself came to attack us.”
“He must be out of his mind.”
Five other Armors accompanied him, followed by a veritable army of drones whose camera lenses gleamed eerily.
Arroganz paused and turned its rifle toward one of the cameras. A voice filtered from its cockpit microphone. “Hey there, everyone from Holy Magic Empire of Vordenoit,” Leon greeted those watching in the command room. He fired at the camera; the monitor went black, but even without visuals, they still heard him. “And a special hello to the man responsible for this whole war—His Imperial Maj-ass-ty, the sad sack of crap calling himself your new emperor.”
Those around Moritz erupted in fury at the archduke’s impudence, but the emperor himself found Leon’s candid greeting rather pleasant.
Gentle tremors ran through the ship, indicating Leon and his comrades had begun their assault on the fortress.
Moritz burst into laughter. “He’s as crude as Finn said he’d be. There aren’t many in the world who would dare insult me like that.”
Everyone in the room froze, confused by his reaction.
Moritz sobered, the emotion draining from his face. “Let’s give our new guests some entertainment,” he ordered.
“A-as you command, Your Imperial Majesty!” His men scurried to carry out his orders.
The whole time, Arcadia trembled with rage and indignation. “Never in all my battles with old humanity have my inner walls been breached. You shall pay for this. You will suffer before this is through!” Veins bulged across his body, but his incandescent fury ebbed quickly, transforming to panic. “Where is Her Imperial Highness? Send guards to protect her, quickly!”
Exasperated, Moritz sighed at the creature and its intense mood swings. His gaze fell on the cane in his hands. Father, the man you sought to join hands with has boarded our fortress. We’ll win this, however, as long as we can take him down. I’ll shoulder all the blame when this is over by forfeiting my own life. When I do, I expect you to tell me why you betrayed us in the first place.