Hold The Line Part 3

Takashima stared at the screens in front of him, his usual calm expression unreadable. The numbers flashed in real-time—each one a painful reminder of what had been lost.

"Only a few million survivors..." his voice was barely above a whisper.

Andrew stood beside him, arms crossed tightly. He already knew what the next words would be, but hearing them still made his chest feel tight.

"Out of the three hundred million who lived on Mars." Takashima exhaled, gripping the edge of the console.

Andrew didn't respond. He didn't need to. The weight of it was suffocating.

Lionel's forces had slaughtered millions. Entire cities, entire families, wiped out in days. It was worse than anything they could have imagined.

And now, this was all that was left.

Aboard the massive warship, chaos erupted as soldiers and refugees rushed through the corridors, the final evacuations underway. The ship stretched over eight hundred meters, a steel behemoth barely holding together as alarms blared overhead.

Arnik sprinted through the halls, weaving between the desperate, the wounded, and the dying.

He had no time to stop.

He had to get to the bridge.

Boots pounded against metal as Markus appeared from an intersecting hallway, his bloodied armor barely holding together. His weapon was strapped to his back, his face as cold as ever.

"You're late," Markus grunted, falling into step beside him.

Arnik didn't bother responding. He could see it—Markus was just as drained, just as beaten down. But he was still moving.

Ahead, Kai burst through a side door, his coat barely hanging onto his shoulders. His glasses were cracked, and he was muttering under his breath.

"Of course you two are together," he sighed. "I can never have a moment to breathe, huh?"

Arnik smirked despite himself. "You can breathe when we make it out of this."

Kai adjusted his broken frames. "That's assuming we do."

A deafening explosion rocked the ship, causing them to stumble. The hull trembled, screams echoing in the distance.

A figure darted ahead of them—fast, agile.

"Pick up the pace, idiots!" Rose yelled, ears twitching in agitation. "I'm not dying here because you all decided to have a dramatic moment."

She was panting, her wounds barely stitched together, but she still had enough energy to be pissed.

Kai rolled his eyes. "Great, you're here. Now it's truly a nightmare."

Rose punched him in the shoulder mid-run. "Shut up!"

Then, as they rounded another hallway—

They found Aika.

Not fighting. Not running.

Passed out in the middle of the floor.

The girl was curled up on her side, her staff loosely clutched in her hands, completely dead to the world.

Arnik stopped dead in his tracks. "You've gotta be kidding me."

Kai blinked. "Wow. She really hit her limit."

Markus glanced at her, unimpressed. "Step over her."

Arnik sighed, grabbed her by the ankle, and started dragging her.

Aika barely stirred. "Mmm… five more minutes…" she mumbled sleepily.

Rose gawked. "She's literally sleeping through an evacuation."

Kai adjusted his glasses. "I mean, she's been working nonstop."

Aika kicked weakly in her sleep. "M'gonna hex you…"

"Yeah, yeah." Arnik kept pulling her along, not slowing down.

Finally, they reached the bridge doors.

They shoved through, the room illuminated by glowing displays and flashing red alerts.

Takashima and Andrew turned as they entered.

"You all made it," Takashima muttered.

Andrew didn't look surprised. He gave them a once-over. "You look like hell."

Arnik breathed heavily, glancing at the screen. The fleet outside was barely holding.

"How long do we have?"

Takashima didn't answer immediately. He just stared at the screen, jaw tight.

Then—he finally spoke.

"Not long enough."

We are making use of Mars's Magic Crystal to space jump to Mercury. In less than 24 hours, Mars will be uninhabitable.

Kai adjusted his glasses, his voice flat. "This is the only way."

Andrew stood at the command deck, gazing at the planet one last time before turning toward the crew. He exhaled sharply before his voice thundered through the bridge.

"PREPARE THE ENGINES!"

Takashima snapped a salute before barking orders to the engineers. The warship trembled as its thrusters roared to life, pushing against the dying planet's gravity.

The other twenty warships followed, their hulls glowing as they powered up, breaking free from Mars' atmosphere.

Below them, the surface cracked. The oxygen thinned, escaping into the void. The once-thriving world, which had stood strong for centuries, was already beginning to die. The reddish hue of the sky faded to a darker, lifeless shade.

But this was not the end.

This was only the beginning.

Even if it took years, the human and demi spirit would never break.

Lionel's fleet opened fire.

Bolts of energy ripped through the vastness of space, targeting the escaping fleet. Shield barriers shimmered as they absorbed the blasts, but the enemy wasn't letting them leave easily.

Andrew turned sharply. "Do any of you know how to run a fighter?"

Markus raised his hand without hesitation. "I do."

Kai sighed and raised his hand as well. "Same here."

Andrew locked eyes with them. "Are you willing to face Lionel's forces in space?"

Markus straightened. "Yes, sir."

Kai shrugged. "Guess I have no choice."

Andrew smirked slightly. "Good. Then get moving."

Markus and Kai took off down the hall.

"May the spirit be with you!" Arnik called after them.

Rose crossed her arms, yelling, "If you die, I'll kill you!"

Kai and Markus ran side by side, the distant booms of enemy fire shaking the walls around them.

Kai glanced at Markus. "How you feeling?"

Markus's jaw tightened. "Horrible. What do you expect? That man is here."

Kai's grip on his weapon tightened. "Don't lose your cool."

Markus exhaled sharply. "I know."

"Promise me."

Markus met his gaze, eyes dark. "I promise."

They tore through the final hall, bursting into the hangar. Fighters lined the deck, engineers scrambling to prepare the last-minute launches.

A mechanic turned toward them. "We've got ships ready—custom-made for Angel Squad!"

Markus didn't hesitate. "Good."

Kai smirked, stepping forward. "Give us a ship."

The mechanic pointed toward two sleek, high-speed fighters designed for mobility and firepower.

Kai nodded. "Now let's get moving, Markus."

Markus climbed into the cockpit, his expression hard.

He nodded. "Let's do this."

Markus and Kai shot through the launch bay, their fighters cutting into the darkness of space. The battlefield stretched before them—a chaos of energy blasts, warships maneuvering through the black void, and Lionel's fleet pressing forward like an unstoppable wave.

Kai's fingers danced over the controls, his eyes scanning the fight ahead. "This is a nightmare."

Markus, already adjusting his targeting systems, exhaled sharply. "Then let's wake up."

The coms crackled.

"Do not engage in combat you cannot handle," Takashima's voice rang through their headsets. "You're not the most experienced pilots."

Kai scoffed, flipping a few switches. "Yeah, yeah, we'll be careful."

Markus, however, had already gunned the thrusters, diving straight into the action. His ship weaved between energy blasts, moving with a precision that didn't match a so-called "inexperienced" pilot.

Kai cursed under his breath and followed. "Yeah, sure. Let's just ignore orders immediately. That sounds smart."

Markus didn't answer. His sights were locked on the enemy ahead.

Lionel's ships were massive, brutal, and efficient. Their heavy cruisers laid down cover fire as swarms of smaller fighters broke off, aiming to pick apart the escaping fleet.

One of the fighters locked onto Markus. His screen flashed red.

"You've got one on you." Kai's voice was sharp.

Markus didn't flinch. "I see it."

A quick roll to the side dodged the first burst of energy fire. Another sharp turn put him directly behind his pursuer. His fingers squeezed the trigger.

BOOM.

The enemy ship exploded into scattered debris.

Kai, watching from the side, muttered, "Alright… that was pretty cool."

Markus smirked. "Told you—don't lose your cool."

Their coms buzzed again.

"We've got more incoming!" A panicked voice from the fleet cut through the static. "They're trying to break through our formation!"

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Markus, follow my lead."