[LightDragonman]

Okay, time to do one more action scene, before we get to a lot more of simple downtime.

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"Damn it!" Raizo swore, having taken down yet another Ideal class Annihilator. "How many of these Dorssian and ARUS bastards do we have to take out?!"

"Keep your head in the game" Inuzuka reminded, blocking another shot with with Unit 05's Clear Fossil IMP Shields. "Just remember that we only have to keep the main ex-ARUS cruiser from taking any damage. L-Elf and Shouko moved all the other shuttles to dock with it so all the survivors could be united."

"I know!" Raizo responded. "At least this only gives us one ship to worry about. Easier to defend one against these assholes than three at the same time!"

"Stay focused" the voice of L-Elf sounded in both pilots' cockpits. "Remember, Inuzuka is to do the defending, while you, Raizo, are the damage. Meanwhile, Renbokuji supports you both."

"It's Thunder! And man, it's great that only now did you snap out of your funk!"

"Concentrate Thunder" L-Elf said exasperated. "Or would you rather be out there with no sort of strategy whatsoever. Already, you've raised your heat gauge too high."

Not able to form a response, Raizo returned to his task of blasting all the incoming enemies with his Armstronger Cannons.

As for Akira, she was zooming back and forth between both of the active Valvrave units, hacking enemy mechs and launching multiple Fan Talons when supporting Raizo, and boosting the shields of the remaining ARUS cruiser when defending it with Inuzuka. All while having to deal with her brother's worried cries whenever she got hit.

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"I'm sorry we can't be of much help to you" Sheridan said apologetically to L-Elf, who was observing the fight from the command deck with Shouko.

"Don't worry" L-Elf responded, fists clenched together tightly. "Besides, we're going to need what all we can use once they both return in order for our plan to work."

"You really trust that those two will make it back in time?"

"It's all I can really do at this point." L-Elf responded.

Shouko also nodded. "Even if just one of them makes it back, then that still puts on on better ground."

"I know you can do it Haruto!" she thought.


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"W-We've got more Dorssian forces coming up behind us!" Akira yelled.

"Damnit!" Raizo swore. "Can't they just spare us a single one?!"

"D-Don't ask for the impossible Yamada!" Akira replied.

"She's right!" Inuzuka added. "You can't underestimate these Dorssian forces!"

The three tried their best to manage dealing with the reinforcements. However, this time they were all hammering shots at the ex-ARUS cruiser, and the sheer amount of firepower was making it hard for even Unit 05 to defend against all the blasts. Indeed, it was only thanks to a few quick moves from the cruiser's main crew that it only managed to escape with merely a few glancing shots from a Kirschbaums main Lowenglitzen Cannon.

"It's too much for them!" panicked Takahi, still trying to keep the cruiser out of harm's way with Satomi and the others in the command deck.

"We'll be okay, don't give up!" Satomi said to reassure her.

It was starting to look like the odds were turning in the enemy's favor, as several Ideal Blume-Class Annihilators dropped off another swarm of Waffe units behind the cruiser, all the while the Kirschbaums continued hammering away at the Valvrave Units. Even Unit 05's IMP shields were starting to give way, while their Heat Gauges were rapidly approaching their limits.

"Aw shit!" Raizo cursed, as he saw the oncoming fire, while another Annihilator approached the three.

Just then, a green projectile slammed into the Annihlator, destroying it instantly, while a streak of red cut through a section of the Waffes. As the explosions faded, the sight of two more Valvraves, one green and the other red, was made clearer.

".....Carmilla and Hito?!" Akira gasped. That could only mean...

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"IT'S UNIT 01 AND 04!" Yusuke whooped in triumph, alongside the other survivors.

"Haruto and Rukino-san are back!" a male teenage student cheered.

"We're going to make it!" another female survivor yelled happily.

"Look's like the cavalry finally arrived!" an ex-ARUS soldier remarked.

Behind his joined fists, L-Elf couldn't help but smile at the sight of their arrival.

"Glad I placed my faith in you Haruto" he whispered. "Now take care of these stragglers!"

Shouko for her part also grinned, albeit hers was a bit strained as the arrival of Haruto meant that they'd have to catch up after everything, and with it, reveal her thoughts on their relationship moving forward.

"Haruto.....at least accept the gift that Mikhail and I have been working on."


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"Looks like we made it back just in time!" Saki remarked, having joined in the fray alongside Haruto.

"Yeah" the latter added. "And now it looks like we've got to deal with these forces as well!"

"Can you hear me you two?" the voice of L-Elf echoed in both of the cockpits.

"L-Elf!" Haruto said. "Sounds like you're feeling better."

"We can talk about that later. For now, both you and Rukino Saki need to deal with the remaining fighters! The other Units are at their heat limit. I'm pulling them back now. I trust you two can handle the situation?"

"Roger that."

"You can count on us!" Saki added, recatching her Unit's Spindle Knuckles. "This is now our stage after all!"

"Good luck you two!" Inuzuka called out. "It's great to see guys back by the way!"

"Go kick their asses for me!" Raizo said boisterously.

"I-I'm glad you're both alright!" Akira added.

With that, the Units 03, 05, and 06 were recalled back into the hanger, leaving both Unit 01 and 04 to face off against the incoming forces.

Immediately, the two Valvrave's joined each other back-to-back, both pilots sizing up the situation. They still had several Waffe units, Kirschbaums, and Annihilators to deal with, but the pilots were confident in their skills.

"Okay Haruto" Saki called out, "If you can get in close with your Z-Edge Swords, I'll be able to use my Spindle Knuckles to take out any that are circling your position!"

"Understood Rukino-san!" Haruto replied. "If things get too dicey for you, I'll back you up with the Volc Arm!"

With that, the two headed right into combat, with Haruto taking the enemies out from close range, his Z-Edges easily cutting through multiple targets at once. Meanwhile, Saki kept a vigilant distance from her partner, throwing her Spindle Knuckles at any that tried to hone in on Haruto's back, while also zipping back and forth with the Multi-Leg Spine system to act as an effective deterrent.

Soon, the two seemed like a blur of red and green energy, as the Hard Afterglow enveloped both Valvrave's as they went on the offensive. At one point, the even joined hands together, with Unit 04 throwing Unit 01 with added momentum thanks to the former's greater speed, launching the latter through several mechs before zooming back to its side.

It all almost seemed like a choreographed dance routine to several of the onlookers inside the ex-ARUS cruiser, and some even swore that they saw the shape of roses form from the Hard Afterglow that was surrounding them.

Finally, their was only one Kirschbaum left. With a roar of triumph, Haruto and Saki, both Valvrave's enveloped in Afterglow, performed a simultaneous dive kick into the final enemy mech, the force from both impacts causing the latter to explode in a shower of red and green energy, with both Units striking a pose at the end.

Cheering erupted in the ex-ARUS carrier, with many celebrating the two's victory.

"WAY TO GO YOU TOO!"

"Glad to see they haven't lost a beat!"

"Man, have they always worked this well together?"

"They saved us!"

The adrenaline finally wearing off, the two pilots made their way back to the hanger, a look of relief on both of their faces. Though for Saki, it was tinged with a slight bit of melancholy.

"I know that he'll want to catch up with Shouko now" she thought. "He'll no doubt choose to be with her. But I'll still support him no matter what. That's my promise to you Haruto."

Just before they could properly dock however, L-Elf called them both again.

"Hang on you two, there's one more Kirschbaum Unit heading your way!"

Looking outside, the two saw it, highlighted with golden tinges.

"Don't worry L-Elf" Haruto said. "He's on our side."

"What do you mean?"

"This is former Dorssian Special Force Soldier A-Drei to the survivors of the massacre" the Kirschbaum's pilot announced. "I am hereby surrendering myself over to you."


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Man, I really need to work on my skills regarding mecha action.

At the very least, the next few posts will be mainly interactions between the characters, and where the main relationships will be solidified.