25 Companions of the Flame 6
The fourth flower of flame.
At the instant the blossom unfurled in the vacuum, Jin made his decision.
"Edelweiss! Bring a few skilled operatives! Nastin Lieutenant! Continue firing! The rest—"
He fixed his gaze on the enemy vessel, closing in.
The defense grid of the automated anti-air satellite Umbrella II now had a significant gap.
Enough space for the assault frame unit to penetrate.
"Follow me. Infiltrate the enemy vessel. Seize control."
A force of approximately twenty units attempting to bring down a battleship was reckless.
Yet Jin judged it possible with this force.
Above all, time was short.
The Earth, once the size of a fingertip, could no longer be hidden by a thumb.
The Moon, once a satellite, was approaching.
There was no knowing when Laitera would activate.
If they were to stop it seriously, this was now a turning point.
Without metaphor, the next hour will decide humanity’s future.
The combination of Edelweiss and Jin will pierce the enemy’s defense line.
Each possesses a combat capability so formidable that neither can be countered easily on their own.
Among the people of Thelminas, Edelweiss is second only to the Seventh in strength. No human wielding an assault frame could stand against her—except Jin.
Since Jin is operating alongside her, even the Cyborg Squadron is reduced to the status of mere infantry.
What is more terrifying is that Jin’s movements have become even sharper since joining forces with Edelweiss.
Until now, he had never encountered an opponent who could keep pace with his full effort.
That imbalance seemed resolved by Kou’s presence—but perhaps, even now, a hesitation remains unacknowledged.
Kou, who should be nearing retirement, is astonished beyond concealment.
"No, this... is a high hurdle, Mio."
The words Jin had always spoken—how he could not entrust a weaker opponent to Mio.
To his brother striving to overcome that barrier, Kou offers a strained smile in encouragement.
Kou himself had confidence in his strength. Not enough to claim victory, but enough to believe he could hold his own against Jin.
Yet that confidence wavers now, seeing this.
Ten simulated battles against the current Jin—could he even secure two wins?
Even in close combat, where he might otherwise boast, he could only claim victory through a surprise tactic, barely.
Likely the element of surprise would work only once. The second time, Jin would adapt. A grim foreboding settled in.
One might begin to doubt whether they were even the same species.
—Naturally, Kou’s assessment includes the effects of the nanomachines Jin is taking.
Only Shirley and a select few medics know that Jin is consuming what is eating away at May’s body.
Even without that, Jin’s movements now resemble those of a god possessing him.
The cybernetic squad, already surpassing ordinary aces, is utterly helpless.
Among them, a group moves with sharper precision. One unit veers past Edelweiss, attempting to latch onto Jin.
“Tōgō, Jin!”
A griffin, its head half-destroyed, swings Etherdagger toward him.
The mere fact that it has passed through Edelweiss’s long sword’s range is enough to mark it as a formidable opponent.
Jin recognizes the voice.
“Grace, captain, wasn’t it?”
‘To be made to pay for one’s own mistake this far... You should have been eliminated or assimilated without hesitation.’
How much easier life would have been if Jin had not been here, even in this region.
How much effort was poured into containing a being who undoubtedly stood at the pinnacle among humans.
And the sight of him overcoming all of them, slaughtering comrades in a single motion, was a harbinger of death to the Cyborg Squadron.
Fighting with the same机体, blades clashing—yet not even a proper clash of steel could be achieved.
Most people would find Jin’s movements unsettling, seeing them now.
The control stick, the pedals, the various switches—
moving in rapid, continuous tiny motions, as if playing a drum.
In response, the thrusters and actuators across the机体 strive faithfully to replicate Jin’s intent.
A strange lack of resistance—Grace feels the机体 being dragged forward.
Before understanding she has been deflected, her arm is severed.
Like a fight between adult and child.
Denied even the chance to strike back, she is crushed without resistance.
As commander of the cybernetic squad, Grace possesses a broader range of enhancements than ordinary humans.
Yet Jin does not allow her even that much opposition.
Indeed—she regrets not having held back.
Once Kusunoki Rei had died, restraint was no longer warranted.
At that moment, she could have certainly secured Jun'ei Jin.
But at that time, Jin showed no reliable cooperation and posed a risk of disrupting the plan—Grace was the one who reported this.
Her judgment contained no falsehood.
No falsehood—but there was, just slightly, consideration for Rei.
She had wished to avoid exploiting the death of a former subordinate.
Even if the matter could be erased, she could not bear the guilt during the time it remained.
This is the result of that softness.
Jun'ei Jin is now the greatest obstacle to the plan.
Mio says that her meeting with Jin was a mistake.
Grace fully agrees.
Had Mio been raised under someone else’s protection, Jin would never have joined the Laitera Project.
Or perhaps it was allowing Chi’s rampage.
Before knowing of Mio’s existence, that moment still held the possibility of recruiting Jin.
But the result was failure. Only suspicion toward her remained.
Even she ultimately betrayed the Laitera Project.
Worse—now, Jin is piloting a domestic-spec Griffin, not the export model. Where did she acquire the parts?
Why is she here?
Given all this, it becomes impossible not to conclude that Chi, once considered a trusted subordinate, has passed information to the Third Fleet.
‘—! Why?’
Grace shouts, consumed by fury.
—Is the Kusunoki Directive so easily dismissed to you?
Participation in the Laitera Project implies a past Grace wishes to alter.
Accidents occur even among migrant fleets.
Most are contained without casualties, but occasionally they are not.
Grace’s fiancé was one of those unfortunate souls.
Jin and Grace should have shared the same longing.
That is precisely why it is unforgivable.
Why interfere?
Why cannot you understand?
—To reclaim the one you love… even if it demands the suffering of many—do not tell me you never considered it!
I do not believe I am right.
The grand justification of humanity’s sake is merely a justification.
All who participate in the Laitera Project do so out of self-interest alone.
Only because we recognize this ugliness can we not act so openly.
He wants to be intoxicated by a glorious cause.
This time, he could not deflect the griffin’s charge—its impact driven by fervent voice and forceful momentum.
They collide head-on. The ether daggers lock, then separate from each hand.
Recoiling from the shock—then, a divergence in action.
Jin hesitated for a moment. Was it the unexpected assault? Or the words just spoken?
Grace felt no such hesitation. She had prepared for this collision.
A fleeting gap. A moment too brief to measure.
Even as she sought to press the advantage, Grace’s current unit bore no weapons.
While she retracted her equipment, Jin regained his stance—next attack, she would be shot down.
Jin would not miss, not even by accident.
Then. There is only one move Grace can make now.
(Harold-sama... the rest is up to you. Please—)
With her remaining arm, Grace’s griffon wraps around Jin’s griffon.
She entangles her legs as well—complete entanglement. The appearance is clumsy, but the restraint is doubled.
Jin realizes the intent and attempts to pull free, but their strength is equal. Even with one arm compromised, he cannot break loose.
‘Our wish!’
Grace’s griffon’s reactor surges out of control.
Even a fraction of its power would normally have been enough to knock the assault frame from the sky.
In an instant, Grace’s griffon vanishes.
Grace herself—complete self-destruction. A final strike, willing to sacrifice her life to take Tōgō Jin down with her.
And Jin, at nearly the same distance, cannot escape. He is caught in the explosion.