It has been a while since I was last in outer space. Back then, it was only Aurelia and I, on our way to the Moon with seemingly no way to return to Earth. This time, we're voluntarily emerging from the safe environment of the spaceship to engage a drone fighter squadron coming toward us.

"Can you hear me, senpai?" Exla's voice speaks into my head. In reality, I have a communication device buried inside me, with a tiny bit of the antenna sticking out the back of my head. Since I don't need a suit, I have no atmosphere around me. It would make verbal communications difficult, but I came up with this solution in the end. Asoko and the twins did the same, while Hestia wears a helmet.

"Loud and clear." I reply by speaking with a mouth on the inside.

"The Queen Pelomyx has no shielding, so when the battle begins, try to keep the enemy away from her." The cloud girl explains.

"It's the most advanced ship Alverost has ever built, but it has no shields?" Frowning even though I know Exla can't see it, I inquire in a doubtful tone.

"Force fields are science fiction, senpai." She rebuts me in a sassy tone that borders on matching Senka's. I hear a loud 'hah' coming from the doll girl in the background. I'll tickle her to half death when I return to the command center after this battle.

"Why not shield using the Imagination Engine then?" Force fields are science fiction, but turning imagination into reality is not, huh? While talking, I change the composition of my eyes to alternate between ultraviolet and infrared. In the latter, I spot the heat signatures of the approaching drones, flying in perfect formation to each other.

"Because the Venus fleet uses inhibition field generators in their missiles." Exla replies in a grim tone. Alverost used an experimental handheld version with a relatively large radius, but according to the cloud girl, these devices had never achieved a radius beyond half a meter before.

"Do their fighters have them, too?" Half a meter is more than enough for any missile to pass through shields put up with the Imagination Engine. The best way to counter them would be with point defense then, but for a ship as needlessly large as the Mu-City class, it has surprisingly little in that department. It was meant as a carrier more than anything, it would seem, although it does have plenty of large-scale weapon systems.

In a world ruled by the Imagination Engine, I would expect that the Venus Fleet has plastered every inch of its vessels with inhibition field generators. It's what I would have done.

"Not that I know of. But in that case, you have conventional weapons." Exla replies vaguely. Alverost's handheld device was a technological breakthrough, but the Venus Fleet is working with older technology that might not be as convenient as I imagine them to be.

I zoom in on the approaching fighters with the Fata template, then switch off the infrared sight. That's when I realize that they're stealth vessels that blend almost entirely with the starry background of space. It's going to be hard for Hestia to spot them, especially with her weakened eyesight.

"Hestia, stay close to me." I switch the channel to a private line with the fallen angel and look behind me. She's flying with her wings folded, a stream of light trailing behind her from the jet engines built into the wing covers.

"Are you worried about my eyesight?" She asks in a warm tone, catching me off-guard with how well she saw through my thoughts. "Don't worry, Onee-sama. My helmet adjusts everything for me. I can see them clearly."

I don't know if this is a technology that was already present on the ship or something Kleihn cooked up before she boarded, but it's impressive, to say the least. Logically thinking, the customized wing covers are the gremlin maid's doing, but I can't be sure about the HUD-enabled helmet she's wearing now.

"Well, I'm worried about you in general." I turn over mid-flight and look back at her. She should be able to see my face as I give her a wry smile.

"Please watch how strong I have become." Hestia replies in a confident tone. I can't see her face through the helmet, but I can tell that she must be smiling.

"Fighters are changing into attack formation." Asoko suddenly blares through our communication channel, causing me to shift my gaze to her. Uten and Saten are flying in a delta formation with her, but break off upon those words.

"They have recognized us as enemies." Exla announces. "Our own drone fighters are no match for the Venus Fleet, so all they can do is serve as distractions."

"I didn't even know we had any drone fighters." I turn my head and find a swarm of small fighter jets getting into an echelon formation in front of the Queen Pelomyx.

"They fly on autopilot rather than with the AI that the Venus Fleet has. These were designed for piloted flight after all." The cloud girl explains, doubtlessly shaking her head and shrugging while doing so. I wonder if Alverost had planned to teach devils how to fly them.

"Incoming!" Uten and Saten speak in unison, and I transform the top half of my face into Nymphy's template. With some adjustments, I have a vast field of vision alongside infrared vision and nearly slow-motion perception.

In the next moment, a volley of missiles separates from the enemy fighters. They're still several dozen kilometers away when it happens, but within just a few seconds, the swarm of deadly payload flies past us at breakneck speed.

"Asoko, Uten, Saten, take out those missiles!" I point back to the Queen Pelomyx.

"Roger!" All three reply in unison and bring out the fighter cannons that they stored inside their bodies from their arms. Since the Imagination Engine doesn't work on the warheads, they need to use conventional weapons.

"Hestia, follow me." I look at the angel girl flying behind me through my nearly three-hundred-sixty degrees' field of vision. She nods and raises her arms mid-flight, summoning a massive array of black spirit spears. The only reason they're visible is that my sensitive eyes pick up the star-studded cosmic backdrop, and those shards of darkness blot them out completely.

Coming to a stop and spreading her metal-covered wings, Hestia launches the projectiles like a massive shotgun blast. The spirit spears shred through the approaching fighters, and more than a dozen silent explosions light up the space before us.

"So they don't have inhibition field generators protecting their hulls." I mutter to myself before raising my arms just like Hestia and summoning a massive array of spirits spears while she brings up the second barrage. This should make short work of them all.

As the two of us release the spirit spears in a dense shower of light and darkness, the enemy fighters try to break off to the sides. But even if the spears are slower than the speed of light, they're too fast for the relatively large fighters to dodge. Aside from a few at the outer edge, they scatter into explosions that light up even the fleet of larger vessels behind them.

That's when I notice the carriers spewing out squadron after squadron of new enemies. The thirty or so vessels we destroyed were nothing more than an initial scouting detachment. When I think about it, the scope of the Venus Fleet is just too grand. If all of them came down on us at once, we wouldn't stand a chance.

Behind me, Asoko and the twins shoot down the missiles one by one, with the drone fighters of the Queen Pelomyx helping as best as they can. I think not having automated point defense turrets is a serious design flaw in such a huge ship. Still, I suppose Alverost never considered the possibility of facing an enemy with an equal level of technology.

Several missiles make it through the barrage and the self-sacrificial drones ramming into them. They impact the front of the massive Queen Pelomyx, gouging holes into its hull. The damage isn't substantial enough to warrant alarm, but that was only a few warheads. It will be catastrophic if a whole barrage hit.

"Destroyers and battleships are firing!" Exla's voice pulls my attention back to the front, where a blinding volley of plasma and laser shots explode from the Venus Fleet detachment. As the projectiles fly silently through space, they illuminate the vast fleet of fighters and bombers coming our way.

"You can shield against those, can't you?" I ask the cloud girl while suppressing the doubt in my voice. Energy weapons can't have inhibitors built in, so she should be able to put up a shield with the Imagination Engine.

"I just wanted to make it more dramatic, senpai." In an apologetic tone, Exla replies. I can imagine that she's sticking out her tongue while averting her gaze. When I get back, I'll smack her on the head for this.

"Hestia, we're going for their capital ships." I create a spinning array of spirits spears around me, then grow out a plasma cannon on my left and an autocannon on my right hand. The latter is conventional weaponry from the Queen Pelomyx.

"Understood." Folding her wings, Hestia follows my example and creates a mass of black spirit spears that fly with her. Speeding up with a violet burst from her boosters, she stays close to me.

The enemy fighters unleash a barrage of missiles aimed at our carrier rather than at us. Maybe we're too small for their targeting computers, or they will use their autocannons to get into a dogfight with us. In either case, this time, there will be several hundred missiles heading for the Queen Pelomyx.

"I got this, Onee-sama." Hestia suddenly declares while shooting past me. She draws the long spear in a holster on her back and holds it in both hands before inducing a spin in her flight.

In the next moment, a thin red laser shoots out from the tip of the spear, which neatly cuts many of the missiles into pieces. They explode, causing a chain reaction with the others in the vicinity. Still, at least a hundred more make it through, but it's back on the level of what the second line of defense should be able to handle. The laser disappears after only a few seconds, most likely needing to recharge for a moment.

"Why didn't you use this from the-" I begin to ask, but then watch Hestia turning the spear's center section and drawing it apart to expose the internal mechanism. It ejects a glowing-hot rod from a chamber - spent ammunition. Then she pulls out a small relay baton-like rod from a holster on her thigh before inserting it into the spear. I had been wondering what those were when we left the hangar, but now I know.

"I have nine more shots." She declares, and I can imagine the wry smile on her face. She could have brought more, but there aren't many other places she could reach so quickly on her body. "Don't worry; I have other weapons."

Now I'm looking forward to finding out what those are. That laser spear must be Kleihn's invention, as Old Human technology is more advanced than that. But she's on the right track if she can make something on that level already. I assume there weren't any sufficiently powerful handheld weapons Hestia could have carried into battle with her, so this is good enough.

"Incoming!" I point forward, where the enemy fighters are converging on us. They must have determined that with us here, their missiles will be rendered ineffective, so they'll take care of this nuisance first. Without inhibitors around the ships themselves, they don't pose much of a threat to us, though.

Suddenly, two autocannons on each vessel shoot at us, unleashing a storm of bullets in our direction. With Nymphy's slow-motion perception, I can tell that they're tiny and won't have inbuilt inhibition field generators. I raise a light shield in front of me, and Hestia follows suit with a translucent black one. The bullets hit a second later, pelting them like vertical rain. The shields flicker on each impact but hold out effortlessly.

Then the fighters pass us by and spin around on the spot. Unlike an aerial battle in an atmosphere, there's no drag to take into account. And without living pilots, they can perform high-g maneuvers that would kill a flesh and blood human with impunity.

Hestia spreads her wings, which light up violet, just like her jet exhaust. The massive metal covers over her individual flight feathers give her a powerful rather than a graceful appearance. As the light reaches its maximum level, dozens of beams of light fire from her wings in every direction.

Brilliant fireworks of exploding drone fighters occur all around us. The dark angel adjusts her feathers and wings ever so slightly, the high-intensity lasers cutting through the space around us like a multitude of blades. Unlike the laser spear, she appears to be able to keep this up for much longer.

Within less than a minute, half the enemy fighter fleet is reduced to scrap. Finally, Hestia's wings stop emitting lasers, and she folds them again before charging forward in a burst of violet jet exhaust. I quickly follow her as she heads for the main fleet. The remaining fighters attempt to engage us in a dogfight, even though there's no point in doing so in space.

As I fly, I loose spirits spears behind me that shoot down our pursuers. Hestia swings her laser spear around, releasing short bursts that cut through fighters trying to intercept us from the sides. In a luminous dance of death, we leave behind a trail of muted explosions as we make our way toward the two carriers flanked by four battleships and sixteen destroyers.

Even now, the carriers continue to spew out fighter squadrons. As we approach, I realize that they aren't big enough to house even half as many vessels as they've already expelled. They must have matter replicators that use the Imagination Engine to keep creating ships.

"Those two first." I speak to Hestia through the communications device in my head and point at the carriers. As with the small fighters, I doubt they have inhibition field generators. I'm sure Alverost assumed that whoever made it this far either used vastly inferior technology or utilized the Imagination Engine as a crutch. Both would have been obliterated by the first volley of missiles already.

We make our destructive way through the fighters and bombers firing at us from all around. Sometimes putting up shields, switching between conventional weapons and magic at others, we cut a swath through the enemy fleet. Finally, we're close to the carriers, when I notice that the small vessels emerging from their bowels have changed shapes.

One of the carriers is making robotic copies of me, and the other of Hestia.

"Get these cheap dolls out of here!" I roar while flying forward, surrounded by a sphere of plasma. Burning holes through the copies that get in my way, I head straight for the center of the carrier before me.

Hestia can't do the same, but instead gracefully dodges her robotic clones while shooting her wing lasers. Like a certain angel-winged mecha, she single-handedly breaks through the line of lesser machines meant to replicate her. Finally, she makes it to the carrier and spreads her wings before creating a shield around herself.

I blast right through the core of my target and emerge from the other side. Secondary explosions that erupt into a chain reaction confirm that the carrier is going down. I then turn to look at Hestia, who bends her wings forward like two giant hands. Their tips move and align before lighting up violet. In the next moment, she shoots out a focused laser that travels straight through the massive ship before her. Wielding it like a giant blade, she cuts the carrier in two.

Turning around on the spot, she spreads her wings again and cuts through all her inferior robotic copies and remaining fighters in the vicinity. Floating in space with her arms and legs widened, she turns all the nearby enemies into balls of silent fire.

That's my girl!

"We need some help back here!" Senka comments as I approach Hestia to embrace her. Whether the timing was on purpose or pure coincidence, it ruins the moment of silent awe that the dark angel's power has put me in.

I look back and zoom in on the Queen Pelomyx to find that the destroyers of the Venus Fleet used the time we took on the carriers to loop around toward our mother ship. The battleships are too large to pass us by unnoticed, but the smaller destroyers - more like large gunships - used the explosions as cover.

Suddenly, the battleships unleash a barrage of missiles larger than those carried by the fighters and bombers. Hestia's wings have powered down, and my conventional laser gun is out of energy. If I had the knowledge of how to generate energy, I would be able to recharge it through the Imagination Engine.

But the others can deal with those. We'll take out the source before they launch a second volley of missiles. With a nod at Hestia, I head for the right two battleships. She replies with a nod of her own, then readies her spear and aims for the other two.

I approach my first target under a hail of laser shots and conventional bullets. Creating a plasma blade, I fly past its bow, plunge it into its superstructure, and carve a glowing-hot gash into the battleship as I travel across its hull. Eventually, I hit something critical, which explodes in my wake and causes a chain reaction inside the ship. Pulling away as the massive vessel shatters from within, I make my way to the second target.

Hestia is doing the same with her laser spear, cutting through the first battleship's midsection. However, she runs out of energy before an explosion occurs, and has to reload her weapon. But help comes from an unexpected side when the enemy vessel next to her first target fires a salvo of giant lasers. They're aimed at the fallen angel, but she dodges them effortlessly. Instead, the beams tear through their ally and deliver the final blow. So much for artificial intelligence.

Without even taking a moment to celebrate, the angel girl moves onto the unfortunate second target around the same time as I do. The Venus Fleet may be technologically advanced beyond reckoning, but they're facing opponents on the level of the Old Humans. There's a reason most of them did not need fancy weapons or armor; their imagination alone could overpower any technology.

"Four charges." Hestia expels a spent, glowing-hot rod from her laser spear and states when she meets back up with me. I'm watching the flying missiles making their way across the debris field between the Queen Pelomyx and the remains of the carriers and battleships. The sheer mass of warheads is overwhelming, and their size implies that they will cause far more damage than their smaller counterparts.

"Uten, Saten, Asoko, prioritize the destroyers." I relay my orders. "Exla, use all of the drones to ram the missiles."

"Those are nuclear." The cloud girl's reply takes me by utter surprise. As if having read my mind, she then continues. "I know what you're thinking. But these are still one of the best weapons humanity could ever produce."

If it works, why change it, huh? But does that mean that all the battleships of the Venus Fleet carry such a mass of nuclear missiles? That's beyond overkill for meeting a fledgling space-faring people.

"What would be the damage if even one hit the Queen Pelomyx?" I ask, expecting a devastating answer.

"I blocked the explosions last time by creating shields right when the missiles hit and their inhibition field generators broke. Even then, I wasn't fast enough to block the damage completely. But you know first-hand that no shield erected through the Imagination Engine can withstand the power of the sun." She's referring to when Zylos turned himself into a sun inside Earth's atmosphere. I tried to put hundreds of layers of shields around him to contain him, but the heat dissolved them instantly. A nuclear explosion is even hotter than that.

If only I knew the secret behind Sintress's inviolable sanctuary. But my mind is already too restricted by what I learned of the magic system to envision it properly. In the first place, how could an immovable object exist when the Imagination Engine has real physics as its limitation?

In either case, I will have to use my trump card now. I wanted to hide it until we reached the solar storm heading for earth, in case Areteniha is observing us and devises a countermeasure. But these nuclear missiles can't be allowed to get close to the mother ship.

"Everybody, return to the Queen Pelomyx." I send out the order while gesturing at Hestia to stay by my side.

"What? Why?" Asoko asks in a doubtful tone.

"We got this." Uten and Saten reply enthusiastically.

"Now!" I yell into the microphone, most likely causing them to flinch. A moment later, they answer in the affirmative, and I zoom in with my eyes to where the last explosions took place. Between the small debris field, I find that my other half and my children are flying backward while shooting at the few remaining enemy fighters harassing them.

The nuclear missiles are almost halfway to the Queen Pelomyx, and the destroyers are already engaging her in a close-ranged shooting match. They will be caught up in the blast, but maybe their role is to sacrifice themselves to keep the enemy in place. It's not like it has a crew whose lives would be lost.

I extend my hands toward both edges of the spreading debris field. This is my first time doing it in space, but it should be no different from back on earth. I only had a few hours to train, but everything depends on my imagination anyway, so it's up to me to picture the result I want.

In the center of the debris field, scrap begins to gather and form into a ball. Even though I aimed at the entirety of the area, the effect started at the very center and is only now beginning to expand. Almost like a magnet pulling in metal shards, the ball grows as more and more debris is drawn into it.

Then, as if surpassing a threshold, the effect multiplies exponentially in an instant. Everything in a region spanning several square kilometers is pulled inward at blinding speed - except for the nuclear missiles. However, they're punctured by debris, and some of them explode into blinding flashes of light. It sets off a chain reaction across the entire swarm of missiles. Massive spheres of light brighter than the midday sun appear before me instantly.

But even those explosions are pulled toward the center, where all the gathered materials have been compressed into a smooth sphere the size of a small car. It's gravity magic - the spell Thorvadis used to draw me into the gravity circle at the center of the grass field. Unlike him, I'm maintaining it until the end, though.

Energy and matter are compressed into the sphere, causing it to glow as hot as the sun. With my arms still spread out to limit the gravity field's area of effect, I use every available mode of vision to check if I missed a missile. Only when I'm absolutely certain, do I draw my hands together as if to enclose them around the shining orb dozens of kilometers ahead of me.

Then I turn toward the sun and perform a flinging motion, throwing the sphere at it. It should be fine to return matter that came from the source of the Imagination Engine's energy there.

"Always recycle." I mutter as I watch the orb that contains hundreds of ships' worth of scrap and the energy of several hundred nuclear explosions disappear into the light disc of the sun. It'll be a while before it reaches its destination - possibly even after we arrive there.

"Incredible." Hestia whispers, looking at me through her opaque visor.

"You more so." I reply with a smile. I had made up my mind to trust that my girls can fight on their own, but I never expected her to keep up with me. With the right tools, she even overtook me in the numbers of destroyed fighter crafts.

"We're done here as well. Thank you for asking." Senka's sarcastic voice pulls me out of my reverie. I turn to the Queen Pelomyx and find the last destroyer breaking apart under internal explosions. Asoko appears from within, her whole body glowing hot.

"Oh, damn." When I see that, I remember that I forgot to talk to her about not heating herself up too much. So many things happened since Zylos turned into a runaway nuclear fusion event that it slipped my mind. "We'll talk later on the ship, Hestia."

With these words and a wry smile, I gesture at the fallen angel to follow me at her pace before flying off ahead of her to rein in my other half.