Chương 48: The Forty-Eighth Palm: Fire!
"It's really ironic… I always say I'll stay with Michael until the end, but when that possibility actually arises, even I feel apprehensive, hesitant… Then Michael, all these years…"
With these complicated feelings swirling in her heart, Elysia, supporting herself against walls and the handrails of the moving walkways (Fire Moth One was so large, it had horizontal moving walkways like those in airports), finally dragged her exhausted body to the cockpit.
Himeko, guided by the AI, was rushing between control panels, pressing buttons she both recognized and didn't.
"Seriously… this so-called 'smart operation mode'… I thought it would be more advanced, but I still have to manually operate everything!" she complained without turning around.
"What else did you expect…?" the AI replied flatly.
"I thought… I thought it would be like driving a car. I'd just control the throttle and steering, or even have it on autopilot."
"Oh, that… That's not 'smart operation mode.' That's 'lazy mode.' Would you like to switch?"
"…"
"Pfft… Hahaha!" Elysia, leaning against the wall, covered her mouth with one hand and her stomach with the other, bending over with laughter.
Himeko glared at her and said through gritted teeth, "Switch to lazy mode."
"Acknowledged. Lazy mode activated. Autopilot engaged."
With the AI issue resolved, Himeko turned to Elysia. "Did something happen? You took longer than expected, and you don't look so good."
Elysia didn't answer, offering only a tired smile – she didn't know how to explain what had just happened.
She looked out the large window at the turbulent sea.
Suddenly, a white spray erupted from the blue waves. From the height of Fire Moth One, Elysia could only make out three small black dots emerging from the water.
Himeko, noticing Elysia's gaze, looked as well. They both breathed a sigh of relief.
Elysia straightened up, taking two steps forward.
But the exhaustion hadn't faded. She stumbled, losing her balance, and started to fall.
Before she could cry out, she landed in a familiar embrace.
Her ear, her neck, even her scalp through her hair, could feel the faint warmth emanating from the embrace.
His breath, seemingly light, was actually carefully controlled, like fingers brushing against her hair, lightly touching her scalp.
Then, a warmth at her waist. Michael had pulled her fully into his arms. She tried to struggle, but she was too weak, only managing to pinch him lightly in retaliation as he half-carried her to a metal chair in the cockpit.
She finally had the chance to look at the two new arrivals.
Sakura clutched her head, leaning against the wall as she slowly crouched down, seemingly still adjusting to the sudden spatial transition. Though Elysia suspected she was just trying to hide her embarrassment.
Michael's face was unusually pale. After setting Elysia down, he finally took a deep breath. He hurried to the window, his eyes like high-definition cameras, zooming in on the activity on the sea below.
The Yaksha, having lost its target, looked around in confusion. Two petrels, braving the storm, flew towards it. Just as they were about to cry out, their calls were cut short.
The Yaksha's form blurred into a smoky streak, a mere afterimage of its high-speed movement. The two unfortunate birds, caught in its path, were torn to shreds.
"Captain, dive!"
Without hesitation, Himeko took control from the AI, leaning forward and pushing the control stick down with all her might…
Fire Moth One's bow, like a sharp sword, pierced through the clouds. Bathed in the descending light, the disoriented Yaksha looked up to see a massive mountain floating in the sky…
No, not a mountain, but an immense sword, its blade angled downwards, its tip aimed directly at its small form.
The approaching sword displaced the air, creating powerful updrafts that even caused the sea below to cave inwards.
The only imperfection was perhaps the slightly blunt tip of the sword…
But then, a blue light glowed at the bow. Countless translucent parts materialized in the designated gun emplacement, assembling themselves like Tetris blocks under an invisible hand, solidifying into a pair of thirty-meter-long rails, completing the sword's tip.
The sudden weight forced the bow down further, almost pointing directly at the sea.
"Warning! Warning! Abnormal flight attitude! Excessive speed, hull integrity compromised! Altitude critical, imminent crash!"
"Michael, the ship's going down!" Himeko shouted.
"Hull breach countdown: 17, 16, 15…"
"Crash countdown: 23, 22, 21…"
In the cockpit, the color drained from Michael's face, the blood vessels in his eyes like a net, constricting his vision. His scalp throbbed in time with his heart, each beat a spike of pain so intense he wished he could just crack his skull open…
But this was it.
His silver-grey eyes spun, his pupils transforming into gears.
"Magnetic storm grenade loaded, target locked…"
The AI continued its dispassionate countdown:
"Hull breach countdown: 12, 11, 10…"
"Crash countdown: 18, 17, 16…"
The gears spun, then contracted sharply, turning a dangerous blood red –
"Fire!"
The entire ship shuddered, as if a giant finger had poked it, causing it to recoil slightly.
As the projectile left the barrel, Michael vanished from the ship, reappearing behind the Yaksha.
The Yaksha, about to flee, sensed the danger and instinctively froze space. But a golden light flashed, shattering the frozen space.
Elysia ran to the window. A blue beam pierced the space between the sea and the ship's bow, sending a massive wave of water, laced with writhing arcs of electricity, surging skyward.
The 680mm railgun's rails dimmed, the metallic solidity fading into a translucent blue, then shattering into fragments.
Without the weight of the railgun, Himeko, without needing to be told, pulled the control stick up with all her might.
"Warning! Altitude critical!"
"Activating anti-gravity engine, overload engaged!"
"Flight attitude stabilized!"
The massive ship leveled out, skimming just above the sea surface.
It sped forward, the sea below parting like a cut by a knife, waves surging on either side.
"Is it over?"
Elysia turned sharply as a familiar figure collapsed into her arms. She instinctively caught him, gently laying him down on the floor.
Michael was soaked, faint electrical arcs still crackling around him. He hadn't completely avoided the blast.
The arcs shocked Elysia's hands, the pain and numbness making her wince, but she didn't let go.
Honkai energy flowed through the Imaginary Tree and into his Herrscher core, healing his injuries.
Elysia wiped the seawater from his face.
Michael said, his voice tinged with pride, "I timed it to coincide with the projectile's arrival, forcing it to use its space-freezing ability. It took the full force of the blast."
"Yes, I know! Michael is the best!" Michael simply smiled at Elysia's childish praise, then, remembering her earlier state, he was about to ask her about it.
But Himeko interrupted, "No! Michael, the Yaksha isn't dead! That black streak… Damn it, it's heading for Ruruye!"
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