193. The Darkless Knight

A chain of cannon blasts chased Silver Knight Eric. He wrenched his machine into a sharp turn, narrowly escaping the barrage.

Yet his victory was short-lived. A warning alarm blared in his cockpit, and a second later, a streak of missiles collided with his Armatus.

“AHH!” he screamed as the hull shuddered violently. He checked the status display; it appeared the barrier had absorbed most of the impact.

“My turn!” He wriggled his fingers, motioning his Armatus to advance.

Instead, an unnerving silence filled the hull. The expected deep hum of the revving Arcanite engine was gone.

The energy gauge plummeted to near zero, and the dashboard dimmed. “Uh oh!” Eric exclaimed, yanking the controls to no avail. His Armatus was free-falling, spiralling out of control as the wind howled past the cockpit.

The visors of the Umbral Armatus glowed maliciously red as they dived in pursuit, their ionised blades crackling with energy.

“Shit!”

Eric reached for the ejection lever and pulled. The cockpit canopy blew open, and his personal thrusters fired, launching him into the open air.

The enemy’s pursuit shifted toward him instead, their motion relentless. They dove after him, taking aim as their cannons glowed a vibrant amber.

Eric squeezed his eyes shut—

In an instant, an X-wing Armatus moved in like a hazy shadow, piercing through the enemy’s machine and severing it cleanly in half.

A loud boom echoed across the sky, splashing a shockwave that shook him.

“I’m alive?!” Eric pondered, watching the Armatus Celer exit the cloud of smoke and shift into its humanoid form. The mechanical wonder.

“Silver Knight Eric! Regroup with the Zeigerlich! I’ll draw their attention!” Zetius bellowed through the proximity comm, his tone laced with a thrill. “Cubie, how’s the Celer

?”

“Peak capacity and flamboyant!” she chirped.

“The Darkless Knight?!” Eric gasped, decelerating his free-fall with his thrusters.

“I guess I am,” Zetius clipped, his eyes tracking the hundreds of Armatus units swirling and converging on his tail. “Do you have any mechs left in your roster?” he asked.

“Still got some! Thanks!” the Silver Knight replied, motioning one of the reserve units to his location.

“No problem!” Zetius replied, transforming the Celer into flight mode and flying in a zigzag pattern. The enemy began to fall behind, a clear sign that the Celer was a far superior machine in terms of raw speed.

Wind brushed abrasively through Eric's armour. He flipped to face downwards, spreading his arms and legs to slow his descent until the Armatus mobile suit arrived. It microadjusted its position with its rear thrusters, eventually matching his falling speed.

Eric narrowed his eyes, focusing on the open cockpit of his approaching mech. His heart thumped like a massive drum roll. A bead of sweat trickled down his face.

“Let’s go!” Eric fired a micro-burst from his thrusters and dove into the cushioned seat with perfect precision. The dashboard whirred to life as he slipped his hands into the mechanical control gloves and sealed the cockpit against the treacherous wind.

“Woooo!” he exclaimed in exuberance, rolling the Armatus to face the ground before rocketing back toward the fleeing Zeigerlich.

***

In the dimly lit cockpit, Zetius watched Silver Knight Eric make his way safely back to the battlecruiser. “Cubie?” Zetius signalled.

“Intermittent transform protocol engaged!” Cubie replied promptly.

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In a single fluid motion, the X-wing jet rolled and transformed into its humanoid mode. Its glowing eyes flashed red as it faced the enemy. Both beam cannons aimed, and Cubie pinged as the target lock completed.

“Fire!” Zetius shouted, pulling the triggers.

Dual beams blasted outward, shredding through the enemy squadrons and turning them into piles of molten steel.

“Bloody hell! Destroy that Armatus!” the Umbral Gold Knight hissed, leading the charge. Consecutive missiles launched with a ripping screech of tearing air. A swarm of projectiles slithered through the air.

With perfect calculation, Zetius’s verniers moved in harmonious sync as the Armatus Celer weaved left and right, narrowly dodging the incoming payloads.

“That’s amazing, Cubie,” Zetius exclaimed with excitement.

"I am flash!" Cubie responded.

Almost immediately, the Armatus Celer surged through the enemy ranks. Its X-wings retracted, transforming into searing, red-hot blades which it dual-wielded.

Masterful and elegant. He hacked and slashed, redefining the battlefield into his slaughtering ground. His massive mecha swirled through a storm of smoke and explosions.

Micro-bombs thundered across the sky as the enemy force scattered, scrambling away in fright.

“Fifty per cent Arcanite consumption reached,” Cubie announced in a system voice.

“Tsk…” Zetius clicked his tongue in exasperation. “That’s draining too fast. We need to use it more efficiently,” he muttered, bringing his Armatus to a halt in the air.

"Agreed," Cubie responded with a tune.

Zetius found himself quickly surveying the chaotic scene of fire and smoke below. Far beneath the swirling dogfights, he saw the wreckage of a gargantuan vessel spiralling down towards the distant, cloud-wreathed mountain peaks. The hull, emblazoned with the Umbral sigil, its once-proud 'Vanguard-Bravo' identification, was still roaring with intense flames.

“What happened over there?” A fleeting thought crossed his mind, but he shook it off. "Now's not the time to idle. I must focus." He internalised, his jaws visibly tightened.

“Zeta!” Astrid’s deep voice crackled through his comm.

“Astrid, how’s it going over there?” Zetius responded immediately.

“The Flame of Aries are providing ballistic fire from atop the Zeigerlich

. They can handle the defence!” she reported, her voice trembling slightly.

“Listen, you two,” Sandria suddenly interrupted, her expression serious.

The unexpected voice made Zetius jolt in the pilot's seat. "Sandria? Is that you?"

“Thanks to your support. We were able to bring the secondary engine back online. Now we can maintain the defensive lines from here on out,” Sandria reported firmly, her trademark monotonic tone apparent.

“How many enemy battlecruisers are left?” Zetius queried.

“Two. The Santose V and Vanguard Alpha… Wait!” Sandria paused as a new report flashed on her screen. “There’s another battlecruiser heading to their location. It must be one of their support vessels!” She gritted her teeth, her knuckles white where she gripped the console.

“Astrid, now’s the time!” Zetius urged, his eyes flashed with thrill. “Let’s counter-attack before that battlecruiser arrives. Remember the plan we came up with during the flight. Let’s commence it immediately!”

“Tsk… I don’t like this at all.” Astrid grimaced, but eventually nodded. “Fine, let’s do it!”

“I’ll come back to pick up Frain. You and Friederich use the X-12 to attack,” Zetius reported.

“Wait! Are you planning to take on the enemy alone?” Sandria’s concerned voice cut in. Her dark eyes darted to Zetius and then Astrid.

“Sandria, we’ll be fine. We have a Lunarius mage with us,” Zetius reassured her with a light smile.

“Uhhhh…” Sandria grunted. A protest formed on Sandria's lips, but she forced it down. Zetius was the man she trusted with her life and her crew. Her tactical mind warred with the absolute faith she had in him. The conflict lasted only a second before her expression hardened into steel. "Understood," she clipped, her voice leaving no room for doubt. "We'll hold this line for you, no matter the cost. Just come back alive."

“You got it, Ma’am! I’ve so much to live for,” Zetius quipped.

Soaring through the horizon, Zetius flew his craft back to rendezvous with Astrid at the top of the Zeigerlich.

As he arrived, he initiated the landing protocol near the parked X-12. Friederich, Astrid, Frain, and the Flame of Aries regrouped on the metal platform. Their hair and capes billowed in the wild breeze as the Zeigerlich circled across the landing zone. Plumes of smoke rose from the destroyed Armatus units littering the battleground below, an aftermath of the suppressive fire the Flame had been providing.

“That’s Sister Frain!” Cubie advised Zetius, pinging and zooming in on her. She was dismissing her Arc axe, Hemileos, in the spark of light.

With his expert control, Zetius motioned his Armatus to crouch on one knee, forming a step with its palm.

The hatch swung open with a hiss. The burnt ozone air hit Zetius's nose.

The lion Wildren hurried into the open cockpit, extending her arm toward Zetius.

“Huff!” Zetius pulled her inside and closed the hatch. A secondary seat was deployed from the left side, slightly behind the pilot seat. “Strap in, Sister!” Cubie suggested. Frain hummed and buckled her harness, one hand braced against Zetius’s headrest to stabilise herself.

“All good!” Frain uttered firmly.

“See you on the other side, Zetius!” Astrid called out as she and Friederich boarded the X-12.

“Best of luck, Astrid!” Zetius shouted, motioning his Armatus to take off into the evening sky.