…I think I forgot to say where to rendezvous.

Right, there’s the Dancing Light… of course it’s me—great eye for magic.

As an aid beyond body skills and gear, magic’s gotten real clout lately. Yekase even feels an urge to go study it deep in the West.

The person beside her seems to de-transform as their energy runs dry; Yekase can’t see clearly. Her own form is the Twenty Second Squad’s Magical Girls projected into three dimensions—no energy, no time limit. Sustained ops are fine.

So she just catches her breath. Once Twin Towers City’s forces feel warmed up, she rides her staff skyward and casts a city-wide Dancing Light.

“Justice on the East Asian front is right here—everyone, rally to Luciferin!”

City lights glitter underfoot, like the starfield she saw at the Causal Horizon.

From that “sky,” tens, dozens, then hundreds of mechs rise, all shapes and colors.

Standard-issue Mind Energy mechs.

A red-painted unicorn mech.

A strange build with saucers in place of legs.

Even a refit Prismatic War Chariot.

The world’s far from ideal. But maybe it isn’t as bad as she feared.

“Ivaris, you asked me then—where can we still see stars.”

Yekase hums a quiet laugh.

“Right here will do.”

Dragon God Pioneer flies in along the light, carrying a container just a size smaller than itself.

Crimson Field’s voice booms on the loudspeaker: “Delivery for you, please sign!—this form is so cool!”

“Cool, right? Strong, right? Genius, right?”

Yekase glides to the container as it parts to both sides, excitement she can’t suppress.

A mech.

Mobile Suit.

Built to her taste, ripe for her future tinkering—her machine, hers alone.

At last the doors fully bloom, and its heart shows.

White overall, red linework.

A taut, balanced upper body in the classic tradition.

Not the bulbous “rice-cooker” head; a full-face visor of armor, leaving only twin eye sensors.

On the brow, two golden antennae at right angles—one long, one short.

B-666 stenciled on the pauldrons.

A lightened waist assembly.

Long, athletic legs, two pairs of auxiliary thrusters within.

Feet tuned for hard contact.

A beam rifle and cannon tubed across the back.

Beam sabers hung at the hips.

Everything matches the machine in her dreams.

“Luciferin…!”

Luciferin’s chest plates unfold, offering up the cockpit without reserve.

The Beast King Squadron’s classic panoramic interior now carries a seat, sticks, and gauges at Yekase’s insistence. Professor F kept voice commands—“If the stick lags, just yell,” the cockpit seems to say.

Yekase slips in, careful as a cat.

Her hand strokes the control stick…

“I can feel it!”

This is real, not a dream!

A suspicious breath escapes her. Her hands roam up and down the stick.

“That damping… that function-first vibe… that…”

Then she drops into the pilot’s seat.

“Oh-oh-oh-oh!”

That perfect support and wrap! The Mech Pilot’s Primer said comfort is the prelude to man-machine unity. Tested today—spot on!

A sound pilot.

A sound seat.

Housed in a sound cockpit…!

Seatbelt, seatbelt.

Never forget safety, even high. A mech can go back for repairs; a life can’t.

Click—latched.

Twin engines, OK. Power feeds, OK. Anti-lock, OK.

Limiters off—All clear!

“Then—”

She floors it.

“Yekase, B-666 Luciferin, launching!”

Eight thrusters on back and legs ignite together. The frame roars alive and claws free of the container.

She yanks the mic from beside her head, thumbs the PA. She’s about to speak, then remembers: today’s helpers may be tomorrow’s foes. Don’t reveal the true voice.

Still, she owes them an answer for stepping up, whatever their motives—

“I’m Magical Girl Icarus! I trust you’ve all recovered your One-Year War memories!”

Some double-jumped. Some honked.

“…Good. No need to explain more.”

Luciferin draws a beam saber. Silver particles surge from the hilt and form a blade.

She lifts it high, aiming at the leviathan veiling the sky.

From its many hatches, Exogens pour out like a black tide.

“If they want to reenact history, we’ll reenact it to the end! Ready to earn extra metrics?! Before we go back, burn away your grudges!”

“OHHHH—!!”

“We’re taking the area around the twin towers.”

“Don’t steal my kills! I’m taking first!”

“Kill kill kill kill kill!”

Fine. Let them have their chaos.

Luciferin hangs steady and watches mechs dive into the swarm. Even Dragon God Pioneer charges in, swinging the empty container down onto heads.

Whew…

Yekase draws a deep breath and grips her scarf.

Warm, like a small fire that won’t go out.

“—Twenty Second Squad, advance.”

Luciferin swings and charges the warship.

…Feels like I forgot something… whatever.

A few stragglers close in and cut her thoughts. Yekase swings Luciferin, cleaving two Exogens in half.

Her hands are still green. The strike misses their cores. The black fragments fall, knit themselves into a larger body, and lunge up at her back.

“This is why ‘stab the cockpit clean’ should be in pilot training… Ivaris!”

Two lances of light cut in from behind, severing both cores of the fused Exogen.

Infinite Power vision—when driving an Infinite Power machine against foes soaked in it, it’s like a precision radar, gifting unmatched spatial sense.

Yekase doesn’t even glance back. A Z-cut, shedding the rest, and she slips to the warship’s belly.

The Cruiser-Destroyer-turned plane entered through a hatch near here.

Pick any opening and take a look…

Inside, it’s cold steel compartments and corridors stretching to nowhere.

Luciferin carries a friendly locator. Yekase isn’t worried about Ling Yi or the Beast King Squadron losing her. She pushes on.

It’s eerily quiet. No Exogens in the halls—so different from outside. Did they move all strength topside?

The calm doesn’t last. She walks into a dead end, looks left and right, and finally finds… a man-sized iron door at her feet.

Welp.

Looks like forward means dismount and go on foot…

Good thing Yekase’s body, boosted by the Magical Girls, is cranked to unprecedented max. Luciferin can wait here for Beast King Squadron to recover.

She just hates leaving the new mech so soon.

It’s fine. She’ll sit as long as she wants later.

She pops the hatch, jumps down.

One kick, and the door goes in.

Then another life-wasting loading corridor.

Finally, light blooms—an immense, bright hall. That familiar form hovers dead center.

“Cruiser-Destroyer…”

Not self-repairing. Just floating, quiet, like a dungeon boss waiting for challengers.

Beyond it, Lalabel—captured—just as expected. Still caged like a bird, time-frozen, head bowed in a helpless curl.

Yekase taps her headset.

“I’ve found the target.”

[Eh? That fast?!] Ling Yi’s voice.

[We’ll be there soon. Also—Magical Girl Icarus… great name. Careful not to fly too high.] Professor F.

[Need to wait for our rendezvous, or can you solo?] Crimson Field.

[What’re you saying? Even for Sis Leaf, going flesh vs a boss-level robot…] Ling Ya.

[Keep safe.] a calm male voice she hasn’t heard.

[Little sister Yekase hasn’t met me or Uncle Elephant, right? We’ve heard plenty of your feats. This is Dragon God Tiger and Dragon God Elephant. Pleased to meet you! Drinks after!] a lively mature woman.

[Why’d you skip me again…] a frail, complaining girl.

…The channel’s getting crowded.

Yekase’s mouth edges into a smile… then a jolt of dissonance.

—Wait, what? Dragon God Lion—the Yellow Warrior is a girl?!

And that timid? That’s not the voice I heard before!

[You can change voices with a mask. Others can with a helmet.]

“Uh, right…”

So she’s the gentle, even soft type who flips a switch in battle—instant berserk… terrifying.

“Anyway, I’m going in. Luciferin will stay outside. Pick her up when you pass.”

[Understood.]

[Good fortune in battle!]

[You like beer or baijiu?]

[Safety first.]

[Pr-professor sis, you got this…]

The channel stays a noisy chorus.

It’s been a long time since Yekase felt this ring of comrades—support, trust. Last time was in R&D, but the pressure left no room to feel it. Leaving showed how precious those co-workers were.

The pressure’s heavy now too, and there’s no paycheck.

Call it a shift from corporate drone to freelancer.

At least she can claim a place in someone’s memory… huh? Why think of that now.

“At least, hold tight to what’s in hand—”

Yekase shakes the thoughts away.

Levitation Spell on.

—Draw blade, charge.