"Kyorano, don't you get it? She sent that video to lure us into a trap," Arien protested.
"I know that perfectly well, but I'm not exactly known for thinking things through the way you do," he shot back.
Arien bristled. "You'll lead our people to slaughter. They died because they were reckless — they knew what they were walking into — and if you act like this, their sacrifice will have been for nothing."
Kyorano spun around, grabbed her by the collar of her uniform and yelled, "I can't let that witch live. If you don't want to lead your Esios squad, do as you please, but I'm going to get her — even if I have to do it alone."
Yuu was still reeling from the images he had just seen. He couldn't bring himself to believe a human could do something like that.
Kyorano's usual playfulness had vanished; Arien's frostiness hadn't softened an inch.
At that moment a man hurried up to them. "Captains — the Kingdom's army is attacking us from Era," he announced.
"They don't give us a single moment," Kyorano said. "I'm going to take that witch's head. You go to the Era border," he told Arien.
"If you don't come back, who will be the new leader of Libertas?" she asked.
Kyorano turned his back and walked away. "You."
Yuu stood up and followed after him.
"Kyorano, wait." He quickly stepped in front of him. "Please, just wait a second and hear me out," he said again, more firmly this time.
"I don't have time for this," Kyorano replied, brushing past him and continuing his brisk pace. Yuu struggled to keep up.
"Don't go to Esios. Let us handle it instead," Yuu suggested, his voice determined.
"Out of the question," Kyorano shot back without hesitation.
Yuu couldn't understand. "Why not? We've already fought Governors. We can do this!"
"That witch has escaped too many times… and she's already ruined far too many lives. I'm going to be the one to end her," Kyorano said, turning sharply toward the hangar.
"This time, we'll defeat her—together. All her monsters, everything. We'll free the prisoners locked up in those labs," Yuu insisted.
Kyorano suddenly stopped, scanning the area to make sure no one was listening. Then, in a low voice, he spoke.
"She must never meet Shinya… or you might lose her forever."
Yuu froze in place as Kyorano began walking again.
"Why Shinya…?" he asked, rushing to catch up.
The Captain said nothing.
Yuu came to a sudden halt. "Kyorano, let us go. Arien is right. We can't afford to lose you in this battle."
Kyorano stopped as well.
"I don't know what connection Kana has to Shinya," Yuu said, his voice steady, "but I swear—I won't let her lay a single finger on her."
Kyorano closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them again, the anger that had filled them was gone.
"I want to believe you, Yuu," he said quietly. "Please… whatever happens, don't let Shinya take off the ring I gave her. It will protect her from that witch."
Yuu stared at him, surprised. He had never seen Kyorano like this before.
"I promise," Yuu replied.
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It was decided that they would take care of Kana themselves; they would be accompanied by the Esios and Astalia teams. The mission was to carry out a swift and silent assassination of the Governor — not a direct assault on the city.
To avoid being noticed, they would depart in separate groups and then reunite in Blanc, the capital of Esios, along with some allies. It was decided that Yuu would go with Gilbert and Kaito, who insisted on bringing Misuto along as well. For security reasons, Misuto would be chained; his mind was still shaken, and sometimes he called out to Kana, begging for her forgiveness.
"Do you really think it's wise to bring him with us?" Gilbert asked.
"As long as he doesn't face his fear, he'll never be free," Kaito replied. "Or at least, that's what I hope."
The groups would depart on different Lizards and land at different locations and times — they couldn't move in large numbers or risk attracting attention.
While the others loaded supplies for the journey, Yuu slipped away toward the infirmary. The beds inside were almost all occupied. Yuu recognized some of the prisoners they had rescued in Esios not long ago. This was the harsh reality of war — sparing no one, not even children.
He walked further to the back room. There was only one girl, dressed as a nurse, preparing medicine for the wounded.
"Hey, Khala," he greeted her. "Looks like you found a job here with us."
"Oh, Yuu, it's you." She welcomed him with a smile. "Well… I wanted to be useful, but if I went with you to battle, I'd just be a burden… like last time..."
Yuu remembered the battle against the gorilla-headed giant. He had only been able to fight freely after making sure Khala was safe.
"We haven't had many chances to talk since you came back, but know that I'm really happy to have you here with us again. I think everyone else feels the same," Yuu said, approaching her.
"I'm happy to see you all again, too… After three years locked away there, I didn't think I'd ever see you again."
Yuu pulled her into a hug. "In less than an hour, I have to leave again. When I get back, would you like to go back to Reeda? With everyone else... I haven't seen our old village in three years either."
"Of course! I want to see our old refuge with my own eyes."
"War has changed everything… My home and my family are gone… This mission will be very difficult. I don't know if I can make it."
Khala shook her head and took one of his hands in hers. "I'm sure you'll come back!"
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They spent the journey in silence, broken only by Misuto's occasional groans.
A few minutes before landing, they headed to the crates to grab their backpacks filled with supplies.
"I wonder what kind of food we'll get on this walk," Kaito said casually.
Yuu opened one of the crates—but found no food inside… or rather, only crumbs!
Inside was a small girl with snow-white hair.
"Wah!" she screamed, immediately knocking over the box.
Yuu jumped back in surprise as well. "Wh—Who are you?" he asked as she stood up.
She was short and thin, with bright blue eyes. She wore a light white uniform.
"I'm Nya!" she said right away. "Nice to meet you all!"
"Looks like we have a stowaway on board," Gilbert remarked. "How did you get here?"
"I was a little hungry, and when I saw them loading food into these crates, I hid inside," she replied cheerfully.
"As if that's something a normal person would do," Gilbert commented dryly.
"Relax, old man," Kaito chimed in. "How old are you, Nya? And where are you from?"
"I'm thirteen years old and a soldier of Libertas from Astalia!" she declared, standing at attention as if speaking to a superior.
"Thirteen and a soldier?" Yuu said, intrigued. An Esper so young with white hair could only have come from the Kingdom's labs.
Ryou must be crazy, he thought.
"That's right, I'm an Esper!" she repeated proudly.
"We're Esper too," Yuu said. "Gilbert, that grumpy guy over there, and I have fire abilities, while Kaito is a special type."
Gilbert snorted.
"I'm an ice Esper and serve directly under Captain Ryou!"
Every time Nya spoke, Yuu remembered when he was a child and dreamed of becoming an Esper just like her.
"What's your role?" Gilbert asked her.
"I bring him drinks and cool them down!" she answered with pride.
Yuu, Gilbert, and Kaito exchanged silent glances.
"Well, this mission is very dangerous, so you can't come with us," Gilbert said firmly. "We'll be getting off soon, but you have to stay here on board. The pilot will take you back to Sira."
"No, ugh!" she protested. "I want to join a mission too! I've never been on one!"
"When we get back, we'll ask Ryou to assign you your very own mission, but for now, you can't come," Yuu said gently, trying to be kind.
Each took their share of the supplies and prepared for landing, ignoring Nya's protests.
Kaito removed Misuto's chains and stayed close to him.
The hatch opened as the Lizard descended.
Gilbert gave the order. "Now!"
Before Yuu could get off, the Lizard was hit dead-on by something. All four of them were thrown to the ground, outside the vehicle.
"What's happening?!" Yuu shouted to the pilot still inside.
"We've been hit by an enemy Lizard," came the reply from the cockpit. The rear of their Lizard was on fire.
"I can't control it anymore!" the pilot screamed. "Get away!"
"Nya, run, quick!" Yuu yelled. Another shot struck the Lizard. The craft spun violently and began to lose altitude.
A deafening blast shattered their eardrums. Their Lizard, hit by a third missile, crashed hard just a little farther away — while someone leapt out of the enemy Lizard.
The Kingdom pilot landed before them, showing no sign of fatigue.
"Get ready, looks like an Esper," Kaito warned.
He was dressed entirely in black, like all the Kingdom pilots' uniforms. His face was hidden behind a black helmet.
Misuto ran to hide behind a tree, whimpering.
"I knew you'd come, Libertas," the pilot said coldly.
"Now that you know we're here, we can't let you live," Gilbert said, lighting a cigarette.
The pilot studied him. "You're the traitor of Atlas, Gilbert Strauss," he said.
Yuu didn't understand. Unlike the others from Esios, he didn't know much about Gilbert or Katia. They had personalities even more closed-off than Geist's.
"Our Gilbert served as a commander in an Atlas battalion for a year before deserting and joining us," Kaito explained.
"He was a soldier for the Kingdom?!" Yuu exclaimed in surprise.
"Relax, we can trust him," Kaito reassured.
"Guys," Gilbert said, "Don't get involved. I want to handle this alone."
Yuu was about to protest, but Kaito blocked his path with an arm.
"Let's not waste time!" Gilbert said. From his sleeve, he pulled out a deck of cards and drew some of them. "Alright, exactly ten," he said.
He slid the remaining cards back into his sleeve and threw the ones he drew onto the ground in front of him. The enemy pilot didn't stay still. He placed his hands on the ground, and two large rocks hurled toward Gilbert.
The fire Esper easily dodged both attacks. "Is that all you've got?"
The pilot stayed defensive, ready for Gilbert's next move. Gilbert smiled, then spat his still-burning cigarette onto the cards on the ground. The cards instantly caught fire, flames swirling around Gilbert.
"Innominatus!" he shouted from inside the flames.
"Gilbert doesn't like calling it Ethereum, so he gave it a new name," explained Kaito.
The flames transformed into a three-meter-tall humanoid figure, its feet replaced by a vortex of fire rising from the burning cards.
"Wow!" Yuu whispered. It was truly magnificent.
The fiery monster immediately launched blazing orbs, but the pilot moved swiftly to dodge.
"I don't have any data on your abilities, so I'll have to improvise," the pilot said, cracking the ground beneath them.
Gilbert shifted, then his arm stretched out, striking the opponent's chest. The black armor absorbed the flames. Gilbert unleashed a fiery breath, but once again, the pilot dodged — his speed was superior.
"Now, extinguish!"
The earth rose up around Gilbert, engulfing him and tightening like a cage.
Yuu stepped forward, but Kaito stopped him. "Wait," he whispered. Moments later, the earth trapping Gilbert exploded outward, and the fiery figure reappeared as before.
"When he was still with the Kingdom, his subordinates called him the Endless Flame," Kaito explained. "His fire can't be put out unless he runs completely out of energy."
Gilbert lunged at the pilot, who mirrored the move. They grabbed each other's hands and collided headfirst. For a moment, they seemed evenly matched, but then Gilbert started twisting the opponent's arms.
Eventually, he tore them off — but instead of blood, broken wires and severed cables spilled out.
Gilbert punched the pilot's helmet, then elbowed him in the chest, slamming him into a tree. The pilot's head hit hard, shattering the back of his artificial skull. He immediately stopped moving. Gilbert deactivated Innominatus.
Yuu stepped closer to see the face. When the head lifted, he recognized Misuto's.
"An artificial clone," Gilbert spat on the mechanical corpse. "That's why we have to kill that witch now."
"She even managed to copy Misuto's powers," Yuu said, stunned.
The real Misuto was still hiding behind the trees, with Nya trying to calm him.
"Let's go — better he doesn't see this," Kaito said.
They quickly left the area, heading toward the capital, Blanc.
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Just moments later, when the footsteps had already faded into the distance, Kana slipped out from her hiding spot and approached the fallen body of her creation.
"You still had some imperfections, but I can fix that. You're much better than the original—I can't let you die like this," she said, bursting into laughter.