“It’s begun, then.” Aziz flew over to the closest battlements as dull explosions shook the Heaven-cleaving Fortress with a terrifying unity, their cadance reminding the colonel of troops marching. The demons’ encampment was well within the firing range of the fortress; through an elaborate bait, they had been led to believe that the Heaven-cleaving Fortress only had an effective range of five kilometres.

Shells pounded the various makeshift structures that had sprouted up over the past few hours, their resulting explosions and fragments creating a river of blood and flesh where they landed. The attack was clearly premediated; the first volley was enough to turn the foremost stretch of structures into smoking ruins.

“I wonder how many died in this attack,” said Marie.

“Or rather,” said Aziz, “were sent back to be, uh, respawned. That’s what demons do, right?”

“That’s about it.”

From the flames that were ravaging the ruined stretch of buildings, Aziz could tell that some of the shells loaded had been special ones.

“Incendiary shells,” Marie observed quietly. “The North pledged not to use it in wars unless it’s a last resort, given that it was a needlessly cruel way to kill someone, but to think that we’re now firing them at the demons.”

“But they’re immortal,” said Aziz. “It’s just needlessly cruel.”

“Yes. Would it deter the dead when they respawn?” Marie asked. “If you consider that issue from this angle, we can see why incendiary shells were used in this battle.”

Before Aziz could ponder her words, an ear-piercing shriek slammed into his recently damaged eardrums, and a huge fountain of red liquid shot to the skies. At the same time, monstrous roars rang out across the battlefield, and a horde of demons took to the skies, their combined ascent releasing a shockwave of air that battered at Aziz.

The alarms ringing through the Heaven-cleaving Fortress changed, and a few solid contingents of fliers took to the skies too. From their uniforms, it was clear that most of them were from the Eastern Territories, the First Air Army led by Commodore Tenouji.

“Should we support, ma’am?” Aziz asked. “Our men are also ready to sortie.”

She pondered for a moment. “Colonel, take command. However, we will act as a reserve force, and if opportunity permits, as a hammer. Your current priority will be to take no losses.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Make sure that the troops are ready. Like it or not, we’re fighting against enemies that look very much like us. The newer troops are unlikely to have that experience.”

“I’ve already taken steps to address that issue, ma’am.” Aziz thought about it for a moment, and then shook his head. “Or, to be more accurate, the officers have already acted. We should see no repeat of what happened at Defence Line Foxtrot.”

“See that it stays that way.” Marie closed her eyes for a moment. “I’ll return to Fortress Command and prepare to sortie with the Guardians. After you’re done with the orders, come too.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

With that, she flew into the depths of the Heaven-cleaving Fortress. Aziz watched her departing figure for a second or two, and then took out his Radio. After ensuring that it was set to the correct frequency, he clicked the transmit button, his eyes on the crowded skies above.

“All callsigns, this is Colonel Aziz. The First Aerial is to sortie in five minutes. Our mission is to act as reserve. Furthermore, all commanders are to act at their own tactical discretion within permissible bounds, over.”

“Thunderbolt Sunray, roger, over.”

“Stardust Sunray, roger, over.”

“Avalanche Sunray, roger, over.”

Aziz took a deep breath. For a battle of such a scale, where Knights and the demons’ equivalent were to take part, there was little value in having Aziz lead a regiment. If he were still a Squire, he would have joined up with the rest, but normal doctrines meant that he was to join the Knights’ battlefield.

“I will be heading to the Guardians’ battlefield. Be careful of enemy Knights hiding in the enemy ranks,” said Aziz. “All callsigns, happy hunting. Out.”

As the other kids — no, he couldn’t quite call them kids anymore — replied in the affirmative, Aziz glanced at the three battalion squares, his heart heavy. His gaze lingered for a few more seconds, before he shot towards the skies, where the other Guardians were already gathering in a loosely knitted formation.

“Done?” Marie asked, as he drew close.

“Done.” Colonel Aziz forced out a smile, checking for his equipment. Of everyone present, his weapons were probably the most mundane; he was still using military-issued weapons. “I feel under-equipped, though.”

“Didn’t you get a rather nice sword from the Holy Temple’s vault?” Marie asked. “Last I checked, you were waving it around happily.”

“Four years ago,” Aziz replied, rolling his eyes. “I’m more of the knife and artefacts guy. You know what they say about swords, right? Takes ten years to master it. Given that I’ve been busying myself with paperwork for the past three years, it’s safe to say that I haven’t trained with it at all. In fact, if you haven’t mentioned it at all, I would have probably forgotten that I had it.”

The colonel clicked his teeth. “Now that I think about it, I even had to fight against a shadow of what seemed to be Gaius.”

“You did mention that bit, true.” The marshal chuckled. “Given that little fact, you should have treasured that weapon more, right? Why didn’t you go train with it afterwards?”

“Like I said, no time.” Aziz eyed Marie for a few seconds, and then shook his eyes. “I mean, I would have, if not for a particularly overbearing boss who loves to dump a fifth of her work to me.”

“I didn’t have a choice either.”

“Yeah, yeah, marshal. Anything you say.”

“I’m not a marshal here. Today, we’re just comrades, fighting alongside each other.” She gestured at the other Guardians. “See? They’re all just chatting and waiting for any sign.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t all that simple, however. Aziz knew that the light-hearted chatter going on right now was just a disguise for nervousness. Taking a deep breath, he forced the tension out of him and drew on his reserves of mental strength. A calming chill spread through his veins, a sensation that was amplified by the reassuring touch of his Straight Shot.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, the demon Knights — or whatever they were called — began to move.