The goliath.
A menacing steel beast emerged from the clouds.
Inside the cabin, Muska wore brown sunglasses, his hands crossed under his chin.
On the table in front of the man was a military compass, and inside the transparent glass cover was a blue stone. Currently, the path of light emitted from the center of the stone was pointing in a certain direction.
It was also the direction the giant airship was heading.
"Mr. Muska!" A Soldier in a green military uniform ran over from the lookout, clutching an old pair of binoculars. "Three small aircraft discovered on the left wing!"
"Aircraft..."
"Yes! Should we accelerate..."
"Sink them."
"Mr. Muska?" The Soldier asked again, fearing he had misheard.
"I said, sink them. Any problems?" The man turned his head, a faint Libra pattern flashing briefly on his forehead. "Soldier?"
"Sir!"
..."Sister!"
"Keep climbing! They're about to fire!"
The three aircraft climbed toward the dome at full speed, their noses raised, as the howling wind carried their shouts further and further away.
"The gun ports are open!"
"Scatter, quickly!"
The control stick was too long and far away, so Mori Tsukisa simply reached out with her foot and stomped the throttle all the way down—the aircraft visibly lurched forward!
Like a small steel fish, it dove into the thick clouds and vanished.
Boom!
Bang! Bang!!
Black shells thundered, orange flames blossoming like flowers in the wake of the three aircraft.
"Master!" Nagini stood up from her seat. "Get close to that airship, and I'll take care of them!"
"I can handle something fun like this," Mori Tsukisa waved her hand. "Besides, you can't fly."
Arrietty: "You can?"
"Sister!!"
Baru's voice drifted from far behind.
He saw Nagini stand up and say something to Mori Tsukisa, and his head throbbed. He knew, he had seen that woman's capabilities; he had also smelled the thick, pungent scent of blood in the Base before—she was going to attack that airship!
No!
Sheeta is still in their hands!
"Sister! Sheeta! Sheeta might be on that airship!!"
Baru pushed the control stick to its limit, catching up to Mori Tsukisa's aircraft, and together they accelerated to chase Imhotep ahead.
"Sister!"
Mori Tsukisa turned her head, her tone filled with displeasure. She wanted to see how the leaking airship would crash. "Ah, I know. Tell me, is it possible that your Sheeta isn't on the airship?"
"H-how can we joke with Sheeta's life?"
"Sister!"
The anxious Boy stared intently at Nagini, seemingly afraid that if he looked away for a second, she would transform into a giant python again, tear apart the airship's wings, and knock the heavy machine to the ground.
However, Nagini just looked at him quietly.
"I see..." Mori Tsukisa listlessly withdrew her already raised palm and slumped back into the pilot's seat with a frustrated look. "How boring."
The two aircraft chased each other and soon caught up with Imhotep and Anck-Su-Namun, who had intentionally slowed down.
"I thought you were going to tear them down."
The artillery fire continued to explode until the three aircraft climbed and hid in the clouds—
Only then did the deafening explosions gradually quiet down.
Moonlight shone on their faces as time slowly marched toward the early morning.
Anck-Su-Namun, who had hardly rested since taking off in the afternoon, sat with her eyes closed, looking very exhausted.
Mori Tsukisa, full of energy, looked at the solemn Imhotep—given the High Priest's former temper, he would never show mercy to anyone who threatened Anck-Su-Namun. Mori Tsukisa didn't think this arrogant High Priest would stand by and watch shells being fired at his hard-won resurrected lover.
After all, Anck-Su-Namun wasn't like Imhotep; she was just a skilled Warrior Maiden. No matter how good she was at fighting, she was still a Mortal.
Mortals can die.
Hearing Mori Tsukisa's inquiry, Imhotep nodded, admitting he had thought about taking action. "I tried to sink them."
With that, the man's face grew even gloomier, his sharp gaze searching his palms. "But I couldn't."
"Isis, Your Excellency the Mage." The man sighed heavily. "My magic has been sealed."
Sealed?
Mori Tsukisa blinked.
—This was a bit of a mixed blessing.
The good part was that it confirmed Mori Tsukisa's judgment: only a god who once held power over the Underworld could seal magic from the Styx.
Anubis, Guardian of the Duat really was involved in this.
The bad part was even simpler.
—The flying stone in Imhotep's hand couldn't lift so many people into the air. In the skirmish just now, if they were shot down, it would be very troublesome, or even lead to casualties. After all, with Imhotep's magic sealed, no one here could fly.
"Oh, I have some news for you too." Mori Tsukisa pinched her earlobe and looked at Baru to her right with a sheepish expression. "Um..."
"Baru, remember the question I asked you?"
"What's wrong, Sister?"
"If that very special control lever that makes a crisp sound can't be pulled..."
"Yeah, that's the decelerator—" Thinking and speaking, the Boy's face suddenly filled with terror. "Sister! You didn't break the brake lever, did you?!"
"Is it stuck?! Quick! Pull it back hard!"
"Don't let it get stuck!!"
Mori Tsukisa waved her hand. "It's not stuck."
"I'm not an idiot."
"Scared me to death... What exactly happened? This isn't the time for games, don't make such terrifying jokes." They were thousands of feet in the air.
"No," the girl paused and said awkwardly, "It's just..."
"I pulled too hard."
"And it came off."
With that, a glaring red lever was held up by the girl's hand. She waved it a few times in front of Imhotep and Baru, using the tip of the lever to trace a few words in the wind.
'The little red lever broke off.'
Imhotep and Baru looked at the heartless girl with complicated expressions.
"...Are you a fool!"
"Stop being so pleased with yourself; something big is about to happen!!"
Baru pounded on the fuselage, nervously maneuvering his aircraft closer, measuring the distance between the two. "No! This is too dangerous!"
—The wings of the aircraft were very long, and in high-speed flight, the fierce air currents didn't allow for a mid-air transfer.
—And below was a bottomless abyss.
"Hold onto the control stick!" Baru gestured frantically at Mori Tsukisa. "Push the one on the right! Yes! Stop laughing!"
"Push it halfway, then pull the blue rope!"
"Don't move! Don't you dare touch the emergency boost button!"
"Pull back your right hand!"
Following Baru's step-by-step instructions, the stumbling aircraft slowly stabilized.
Although the most critical issue was far from resolved.
"This is all we can do for now..."
"Wait until the morning Sun comes out and visibility is better..."
"I'm thinking of a way..."
Mori Tsukisa's smile made Baru incredibly angry. How could she be like this?! This was something where one mistake could cost a life!
"Relax, little Baru. I told you I'm not an ordinary person."
"Besides, shouldn't you be cheering right now?"
"Cheering?"
"There."
The girl nodded toward the front left.
A giant storm cloud had appeared above the three aircraft at some point, with magnificent, dazzling azure lightning crackling and screaming within it.
If the goliath had been a hawk and they were ants just now—in the face of this lightning-filled storm cloud, everything was as insignificant as dust.
"The Dragon's Nest..."
Baru murmured.
---------------------------------
I hope you enjoy this fanfiction! If you're having fun and want to read 30 chapters in advance, feel free to check out my Patreon: patreon.com/TLScarlet
Your support means a lot so if you like the story, don't forget to drop a Power Stone.