GalaxyTL
* * *
“S-Stop it, stop it, let go! How much do you want!? Let gooooーーー!!”
“H-Hehehe… H-Hey… please! H-Help… Uwah!?”
“I’m the Air Force Commander! An upper-class citizen! A Skyling!”
The scene returns to the control room.
The monitors covering the walls of this room are currently filled with countless images sent from surveillance cameras secretly installed throughout the Sky Kingdom of Neverfall.
All of them show Neverfall citizens being attacked by Neverfall-kun and fleeing in terror.
“Hohoho! Hohohohoho!”
Atmo, seeing that, clapped her hands and laughed.
The sight of her laughing at the people’s fear is truly madness!
“Why!? Why are you doing such a horrible thing!?”
Air shouted, glaring at Atmo on the monitor with tears streaming down her face!
“Because, because, because! If I’m going to die, I want to die with a clean body! Hohohohoho! I don’t care about the ‘contract’ anymore!”
Chika-chika!
Chika-chika, chika-chika!
Atmo shouted, causing the half-destroyed Atmo Sphere to flicker violently!
“Contract… !?”
The meaningful word ‘contract’, amidst that scream.
Air felt something was off, and involuntarily repeated the word.
“I said, it’s annoying!! Stop flickering!!”
But!
Before Air could ask for details!
Emi, irritated by the flickering Atmo Sphere, punched it again, this time completely destroying it!
“GYAAAAAAAAAAH…………!?”
At that moment!
Atmo’s figure, which had been displayed on the monitors, was enveloped in intense noise, and with a final scream… it disappeared.
The electronic Great Spirit, who had spent an eternity in the sky, vanished, quite anticlimactically.
“““““Ehhh……”””””
Everyone in the control room involuntarily let out dumbfounded voices, at that anticlimactic end.
But their bewilderment only lasted for a few seconds.
Because even after Atmo’s demise, the situation hadn’t improved at all.
Neverfall-kun was still chasing after the people, and Neverfall is gradually, gradually descending.
They have to do something!
“Alright, old hag! I’ll leave this to you!!”
The first to move was the red-skinned man, Yuuhi.
Yuuhi, after rotating his shoulders and neck, and cracking his knuckles, turned on his heel.
“GAHAHAHAHA! I’m going up top, and smash those monsters to piecesーーー!!”
And shouting that, Yuuhi started running towards the entrance of the control room!
“Ah, Yuuhi-no-ossan!”
“Wait!”
“We’re coming too!”
And then, the trio of Nui, Lusa, and Litto followed him.
“W-Wait!? Are you guys going back through the labyrinth now!?”
It was Takataka who was flustered by this.
And his point is very valid.
After all, they spent a long time clearing this labyrinth.
If they were to backtrack now, who knows how long it would take…
“…No, there’s no problem. They’re probably going to use the secret route to the palace.”
But Ijokis, placing her hand on Takataka’s shoulder to calm him down, said that calmly.
“Secret… route?”
“Yes. The route used by royalty and the Three Knights of the Royal Guard. We couldn’t use it when infiltrating because of security, but… now that the whole country is in chaos, there shouldn’t be any problem.”
“Wh-Why does he know about that route…?”
“Well… you can ask him yourself—after everything is over.”
Looking at Takataka, tilting his head in confusion, Ijokis smiled faintly.
* * *
“Th-That’s right! Takataka, come here!”
“Eh!?”
And the next one to move was Air.
She grabbed Takataka’s wrist and pulled him towards the front of the control room.
There, a steering wheel, instruments, and a control panel.
In other words… various devices for manually operating Neverfall.
“Hey, Takataka… You said it, right? That you’re the son of a legendary airship pilot… that you can pilot any ship!”
“Eh, ah, u-um, yeah, I said that… but…”
“Then!!”
Air’s serious face neared Takataka’s.
They’re so close that their eyelashes might touch!
Takataka’s heart involuntarily skipped a beat!
“Please, operate it! You… operate Neverfall!!”
“…………Eeeeeeeeehhhーーー!?”
And Takataka, hearing Air’s words… this time, his entire body jumped in surprise, and he screamed in shock!