The fleet of the Imperial Army's left wing, led by Eljin, was struggling against the fierce assault of the Banfield family.

On the bridge of the left wing's flagship, Eljin's eyes were wide as he observed Christiana's opposing tactics.

It would be fair to say he was captivated.

"I thought I had a firm grasp of modern warfare, but I'm no match for such brilliant skill. To think a commander this excellent exists in this era... the universe is truly vast."

Although he showed signs of admiration, Eljin had no intention of losing.

"I would have liked to meet her at least once... but it's too late for that now."

His opponents were rebels who had bared their fangs at the Empire.

If he were to meet them, it would likely be from behind iron bars.

"Let's change the fleet formation and alter our strategy. That aside, the main force and the right wing are moving poorly... Are Lord Cornelius and Didi just playing around?"

Just as Eljin was growing suspicious of the movements of his allied fleets, a single soldier rushed onto the bridge.

Judging by the patch on his uniform, he seemed to be a soldier from the right wing's fleet.

The reason he had come to report in person was to deliver accurate information.

Communication devices have advanced, but on a battlefield, misinformation can spread just as easily.

Furthermore, in consideration of potential enemy jamming, they had partially reverted to such old-fashioned methods.

"Reporting to Your Excellency, Eljin! The flagship leading the right wing fleet has been destroyed by the enemy! Lady Didi is missing in action, but we have confirmed that she boarded a mobile knight and her signal was lost just before!"

Looking at the soldier's face, which was surely filled with anxiety, Eljin let out a small sigh.

Although he said 'missing in action,' the reporting soldier himself probably believed she was killed in action, about eighty percent sure.

The remaining twenty percent was the hope that Didi, of all people, might have survived.

Eljin prioritized grasping the situation and didn't touch upon Didi's safety.

"Has command been transferred to the second-in-command?"

"Yes. However, the enemy exploited an opening to close in, and we've sustained damage. We've managed to regroup, but the situation is dire."

"Have you informed Lord Cornelius? ...No, it's probably useless to say anything to him right now."

If they delivered such news to Cornelius, who was apparently enjoying a one-on-one duel with the enemy's commander-in-chief, there was a high probability he would get enraged at being interrupted and blast them to bits.

The soldier seemed to understand that as well.

"We have reported to the acting general who has taken command."

"...I will coordinate with the generals currently in command."

When Eljin decided to take overall command, the soldier who had come to report showed a look of relief.

However, Eljin's inner thoughts were anything but calm.

(I have to command the other fleets while facing a powerful enemy... It would be great if Lord Cornelius returned, but he's taking longer than expected.)

He was inwardly surprised, and slightly irritated, that the enemy's commander-in-chief, Liam, was holding on so unexpectedly well.

(...The damage is greater than I anticipated. This will hinder our future operations.)

After winning this battle, the plan was to destroy the Banfield family, and the Three Knights would be sent to various borders to fight against other interstellar nations.

That plan was now on the verge of collapsing.

Eljin had a bad feeling.

(In the unlikely event that Lord Cornelius loses... it would be impossible to overturn our disadvantage.)

In other words, it would mean the Empire's defeat.

However, if Cornelius won, the situation would change completely, tipping heavily in the Imperial Army's favor.

"...It's a nightmare that a war of this scale is being swayed by the outcome of a single duel."

Eljin muttered so.

◇

Meanwhile, on the bridge of the Argos, Klaus was in command.

However, he was only leading the Argos and its escort ships.

He couldn't issue orders to the fleets led by Ellen or Emma, due to the privileges of the Knight Numbers.

All he could do was make requests.

Klaus was worried about Liam's safety.

"Lord Liam is still alive, isn't he?"

"Y-Yes! There's no doubt about it!"

The bridge crew was using the full capabilities of the Argos to watch over the battle between Liam and Cornelius.

The mobile knights and warships that had approached Cornelius had exploded, as if struck by an invisible attack.

Not only was it impossible to approach carelessly, but they had also been ordered by Liam not to come near.

At this rate, they couldn't interfere.

Klaus spoke while checking the footage that had just arrived... footage from several minutes ago.

"They're fighting quite flashily, but this doesn't look like a battle between mobile knights."

The massive explosions generated by Cornelius's mobile knight were on a scale that could easily swallow even a battleship.

Avid was darting around amidst these continuous explosions.

It seemed to be counterattacking occasionally... but Cornelius was dodging as well.

A crew member observing the battle situation said.

"The enemy fleet isn't approaching either. They haven't sent any mobile knights and are taking a wait-and-see approach."

Klaus's reaction to that was...

(It doesn't seem like they lack the courage to jump into those explosions. Do they trust their general? Or are they just under orders not to approach... No, they have complete faith in him.)

As Klaus watched the enemy fleet's movements, he saw that while they were under a fierce assault from Ellen's fleet, they were beginning to recover.

That was likely the effect of Cornelius's appearance.

Their fleet of one hundred thousand ships had been reduced to about thirty thousand, but they were reforming their lines and starting to show resistance.

Klaus had an idea.

"What about support via a fleet-wide volley?"

"Impossible. Both units are moving erratically across the battlefield, so it's unlikely a volley from the main cannons would hit."

Klaus shook his head at his subordinate's immediate dismissal.

"No. We'll be providing support to our front."

"The front? ...You mean to target the enemy's main force directly!?"

Klaus set his sights on Emma's fleet, which was present and had moved to support Ellen.

"Request cooperation from Knight Number 4's fleet. We will strike the rear of the enemy's main force and end this battle quickly."

(Besides, this is about all we can do right now...)

◇

The atmosphere around Cornelius, who had been setting off a series of flashy, massive explosions, changed.

"...The enemy fleet's movements have changed? Are they planning a pincer attack on my fleet? How troublesome."

The detached force of one hundred thousand had collapsed, and Ellen's fleet was dealing with the rest.

It seemed Klaus intended to exploit that opening, requesting cooperation from Emma's fleet to launch a pincer attack on the enemy's main force, which was currently engaged with their own.

"He's my prized right-hand man. It's over for you."

I'm watching the battle from inside Avid, and it seems the situation is starting to tip in our favor.

And I was confident that if Klaus made a move, we would win the fleet battle!

Cornelius looked displeased, yet also somewhat amused.

"My duel has been interrupted, but it is indeed the best move... The strongest of this generation certainly knows how to entertain me."

To Cornelius, who was still convinced he was superior, I said.

"You sound like you think you'll be the strongest forever. Why don't you just admit it? You're no match for Klaus in a fleet battle."

Even as we were having this conversation, Cornelius continued to unleash his explosion magic.

And I was still just running away.

"Such a sharp tongue. However, as the strongest knight, I will be victorious in this mobile knight battle. And once this fight is over, I'll just have to crush your fleet to win. It's as simple as that."

It's true that Cornelius, as he is now, could probably deal a massive blow to my fleet.

He might be amplifying it with his mobile knight, but to be able to inflict this much damage on Avid with explosion magic... he's no longer human.

Even if he's storing up magic power externally, for a human's magic to be this effective in a mobile knight battle is just too far beyond common sense.

"That's right. But the same goes for me. After I defeat you here and crush the enemy's will to fight, I'll attack your fleet and trample all over it... Once that's done, the Empire's defenses will be gone, and the Capital Planet will be completely exposed!"

When I let out a loud laugh, Cornelius's expression changed.

He was smiling, but his eyes weren't.

"The Imperial Capital Planet is where His Majesty the Emperor resides... Even for the strong, disrespect towards His Majesty is unforgivable."

"I'm getting tired of this fight with you. I'll end it here."

"Can you, who has done nothing but run, possibly defeat me?"

"I'll give it a try."

I gripped Avid's control stick again and stomped on the foot pedals.

As the machine accelerated so much it trembled, Cornelius's unit followed suit.

Their performance seemed to be almost equal.

"Your Avid is said to be a lump of rare metals, but the same goes for this one. No, in fact, this mobile knight was built to surpass its performance. It's impossible to overwhelm me with a performance gap."

For a mobile knight prepared to surpass Avid, its performance was lacking.

From my perspective, they were almost evenly matched.

What was bridging that gap was surely the Machine Heart I had given to Avid.

"Sorry, but your mobile knight is no match for my Avid."

"The type to get attached to your machine? I can't understand it. A mobile knight is just a tool. It's more efficient to switch to a more superior tool."

"I don't need you to understand."

Avid unleashed its full performance, pulling away from Cornelius's mobile knight, and then turned its body.

The moment it took a stance as if to draw and strike, Cornelius let out a laugh, convinced of his victory.

"Relying on your prized One-Flash in the end? But that spot is already within my range!"

What happened right after he finished speaking was the precursor... to an explosion about to assault Avid.

At the point where he would cause an explosion, there was a moment when an immense amount of magical power would manifest.

I had been waiting for that truly brief moment, not even a full second long.

"You think I was just running away this whole time? The One-Flash Style was originally a sword for slaughtering monsters. It exists to hunt the likes of you."

Cornelius, with his inhuman amount of magical power, was already no longer human, emitting a sinister aura.

As a swordsman of the One-Flash Style, I had to defeat him here and now.

When Avid unleashed its One-Flash, Cornelius's magic was cut down, ending in a misfire.

Seeing that, Cornelius's eyes bulged.

"...Impossible. Are you saying you cut it before the blast could even form?"

Avid swung its sword as if to flick off blood, then rested it on its shoulder.

"Don't underestimate the One-Flash Style. And another thing... it wasn't just the magic I cut."

As I said that, Cornelius must have realized it too.

He clutched his chest, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

He spoke while still looking at me.

"The time has come to relinquish my seat as the strongest knight in history, but to think my opponent would be a rebel and a monster on top of that... Your Majesty the Emperor, my deepest apologies."

As Cornelius spat blood from his mouth, his body was split in two, as if cleaving bamboo.

Cornelius's mobile knight, visible from Avid's cockpit, was also split in two in the same way, separating to the left and right before exploding a few seconds later.

But there was one thing I wanted to say to Cornelius.

"Don't lump me in with a real monster like you."

◇

At that moment, the Guide was writhing in agony in the vacuum of space, clutching his head as if rolling on the ground.

"No matter how you look at it, you're the monster! What the hell, cutting magic before it even forms!? That's just dirty! It's cheating! How dare you kill my dear Cornelius! Do you have any idea how much I supported him!?"

The Guide, who had been supporting Cornelius with all his might, was already in tatters, and he had completely drained the negative emotions swirling on the battlefield.

Negative emotions were still being generated, but since they had once hit zero, it wasn't enough to heal the Guide's wounds.

"...There aren't enough negative emotions. At this rate, I'll have to enter the Capital Planet to heal my body... and I must build up my strength again to defeat Liam..."

The Guide staggered off, heading for the Capital Planet.