Takashima stared at the screens in front of him, his expression unreadable. But behind the glow of flickering red warnings… was despair.
The numbers kept rising.
And falling.
Mostly falling.
"Only a few million survivors…" he whispered.
His voice didn't carry far. It didn't have to.
Andrew stood beside him, arms crossed tightly. He had already seen the data—heard the casualty reports. But the words still hit like a hammer.
"Out of the three hundred million who lived on Mars…" Takashima exhaled shakily. His hand clenched the console edge like he needed something to keep from collapsing.
Silence stretched between them.
The weight of it was crushing.
Lionel's forces hadn't just won—they had devoured.
Entire continents wiped out. Cities turned to cinders. It had taken days. Just… days.
Andrew's jaw was tight. "That number will drop even further if we don't have soldiers defending these ships."
Takashima's head turned slowly. "I know."
His eyes moved back to the screen.
One by one, red pings blinked out—shuttles lost in flight. Fighters overwhelmed. Ships too slow to escape.
"Without defense…" Takashima murmured, more to himself now, "...they won't even make it into orbit."
He didn't need to say more.
They both knew.
If the evac fleet fell here… it wouldn't just be Mars that died.
It would be everything that survived it.
Alarms wailed through the bridge.
Outside the viewport, the defense fleet was already beginning to shift. Fighters launched in swarms, shield barriers pulsing with every impact. Lionel's warships loomed in the distance—cold, relentless, and closing in fast.
Takashima didn't look away from the screen. "We need every available pilot in the air."
Andrew turned sharply, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "Get me Angel Squad."
A nearby officer flinched. "B-but sir, they're barely—"
"Do it," Andrew snapped.
"Yes, sir!"
The officer bolted.
Moments later—heavy footsteps echoed in the hall.
Arnik burst onto the bridge, dragging a half-asleep Aika behind him.
Markus, Kai, and Rose followed, all of them battered, bloodied, and barely standing. But they were there.
"You all made it," Takashima said without turning. His voice was low. Weighted.
Andrew glanced over his shoulder. "You look like hell."
Kai collapsed into the nearest support beam, panting. "We get that a lot lately."
Rose looked up, furrowing her brow. "Is this about the evac ships?"
Takashima finally turned. His face was pale.
"If we don't hold the enemy here… no one makes it out. Not the refugees. Not the soldiers. Not a single soul."
Arnik stepped forward. "What do you need?"
Andrew's eyes flicked between them. "Fighters. Pilots. Defenders."
Kai raised a brow. "You're not seriously thinking—"
"I am," Andrew cut in. "Do any of you know how to fly?"
Markus didn't hesitate. "I do."
Kai groaned. "...Same here. It's not exactly my major, but I've done sims."
Andrew nodded. "Then listen closely."
He stepped toward them, the background hum of the engines growing louder by the second.
"This fleet is the last of Mars. Two dozen ships. All full. All vulnerable. We're going to attempt a planetary jump using the Magic Core, but until it activates, we're sitting ducks."
His voice dropped.
"We need time. Ten minutes at minimum. That's what we're buying."
Takashima spoke next, folding his arms.
"We'll send you to the front. High-speed intercept fighters. Designed for Angel Squad's specs."
Kai blinked. "Wait. You planned this?"
Andrew smirked slightly. "Not really. But we hoped."
Markus glanced toward the massive glass viewport where Mars hung like a dying god.
"Alright," he said. "We'll hold them."
Andrew's gaze hardened. "Make sure you come back."
Markus gave a single nod. "We will."
Kai rolled his eyes. "We better. I still haven't been paid."
Arnik stepped forward, clapping them both on the shoulder.
"May the spirit be with you."
Rose crossed her arms. "If you die, I'll kill you myself."
Markus and Kai turned without another word and sprinted toward the hangar.
Down the corridor.
Past rows of engineers scrambling to ready the last ships.
Every footstep echoed with urgency.
Kai glanced sideways as they ran. "How you feeling?"
Markus's voice was flat. "Like hell. He's here."
"Yeah," Kai muttered. "I figured."
Markus's hand clenched into a fist. "But I'm not going to lose it."
"Promise?"
"I promise."
The hangar opened before them like the gates to another world.
Sleek black fighters lined the launch deck, their surfaces gleaming under emergency lighting. Massive cranes lifted fuel cells. Mechanics shouted across the noise.
A man waved them over. "Angel Squad?! Your ships are ready!"
Markus didn't even break stride. "Good."
Kai smirked, following his lead. "Give us a ship."
Two angular, high-speed fighters were waiting—sleek, armored, and burning with energy.
Kai slid into the cockpit. "Now this feels familiar."
Markus pulled down his visor. "Let's go."
Engines ignited.
A moment later—
WHOOSH.
Both fighters shot down the magnetic launch rails and into the void.
Space opened before them like a storm.
The battlefield had already begun.
Blasts of magic-infused energy tore across the darkness. Martian defense ships traded fire with Lionel's elite units. Fighters zipped past like streaks of lightning, each one a thread in a web of chaos.
Kai's voice crackled over the comms. "This is bad."
Markus adjusted his trajectory. "Then let's fix it."
Their HUDs flared red—enemy units locking in.
Takashima's voice buzzed through their headsets. "Do not engage recklessly. You're not trained pilots."
Kai groaned. "We know. We'll be careful—ish."
But Markus was already gone.
His thrusters flared. He dove.
Straight into the center of the storm.
...
The sounds of the battle still echoed faintly, even through the reinforced hull. But here, in the dimly lit medbay tucked deep in the heart of the Defender, everything felt quieter.
Slower.
Safer.
For now.
Aika leaned against the side of the bed, her shoulders slouched, bandages crisscrossing her arms. A faint bluish glow pulsed in her hand—a small, marble-sized mana stone. She popped it into her mouth and bit down with a crunch.
The bitter taste washed over her tongue, but she sighed in relief.
"…There. I can feel my mana restoring," she murmured, her voice hoarse but calm.
Next to her, Rose sat on the bed with her shirt pulled halfway up and her torso wrapped in gauze. Aika was pressing a glowing hand against her side to heal a cracked rib—but a sudden zap of pain shot through Rose's nerves.
"OUCH—! Come on, be a little more gentle!"
"I'm trying…" Aika sighed, dragging her hand away slightly. "You're the one who won't stop squirming."
Rose winced, groaning as she laid back again. Her ears drooped slightly.
"…Those idiots," Aika muttered after a pause. "Rushing off like that."
She clenched her fists for a moment, then let out a breath. "Gosh… we just made it out of there by the skin of our teeth."
A chill rolled up her spine. The memory of falling cities, of burning skies, of screaming ships and splintering concrete—it wasn't gone yet. It clung to her like smoke.
She shivered.
"I mean seriously," Aika mumbled, her voice wavering slightly. "Why is Kai such an idiot?"
She looked up at Rose, only to catch her flinch.
Rose had tensed.
Aika tilted her head. "You okay?"
Rose said nothing.
Just stared down at the bed, her lips pressed into a line.
Then Aika smiled.
A slow, knowing smile.
"You know… Markus went too."
That got her.
Rose's eyes widened just a little.
Aika smirked. "Why are you only thinking about Kai, huh~?"
Immediately—
"Wha—?!" Rose's entire face lit up bright red. Her ears shot up like arrows, and her tail stiffened behind her. "I—That's not—! I wasn't—!"
"Ohhh my gosh," Aika grinned, voice full of mischief. "You totally were!"
"Sh-shut up!!"
Aika giggled and lunged forward, grabbing Rose's cheeks with both hands and giving them a playful squish.
"Mind your business!!" Rose yelped, face still glowing.
"Okay, okay! Owowow—I'll stop!" Aika laughed, falling back into her seat and raising her hands in surrender.
Rose turned her head away quickly, her hands clutching the edge of the bed. Her face was still a furnace.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
"…Great Spirit," she whispered under her breath.
"…Keep him safe, please."