Once the last standing alien fell on the ground, deadly silence spread across the battlefield.
It took several seconds for the ringing in the soldiers' ears to subside, caused by the numerous gunshots that had gone off.
"We… won?" One man mumbled, still having trouble comprehending that fact. His weak voice caused a chain reaction to occur.
"WE WON!" Several men next to him shouted in unison.
"HUMANITY WAS BORN TO INHERIT THE STARS!" Their collective shouting boomed across the whole valley.
Ava took a ragged breath, her pink eyes locked onto Michael in the far distance, who was massaging his shoulder.
"Now that I think about it, I might have gone a bit over myself thinking I can take on the 40 Elites by myself." He chuckled dryly.
'You think, you crazy maniac? HAHAHA! You really are mental beyond recovery!' His sword laughed in high spirits. In its entire existence, it had never had the pleasure of killing so many souls as today.
"MICHAEL!" Once Ava realized that what she was looking at wasn't some kind of illusion but the real deal, she felt all of her exhaustion leave her body before dashing forward like an arrow.
Thud!
Going faster than she realized caused her to collide with Michael. He, not expecting her reaction, felt his breath leave his lungs before collapsing on the ground.
"Ugh, I am back." He groaned.
"You idiot! I really thought you died!" Ava cried, burying her face in his chest while hugging him so tight that he felt like his bones were about to snap.
"A—Ava, calm down. You are going to break me at this rate."
But she didn't seem to hear him, as she tightened her embrace even more, causing him to groan even harder.
"You really aren't leaving my side from now on!"
Just when Michael was about to collapse, another voice came calling down Ava.
"Little junior, I can see that you don't want to let him go. But at this rate, you might kill him, you know?" Victoria's voice was relieved, yet she managed to keep her professional side, even if barely.
"Hmph! If you had let me go rather than him, this wouldn't have happened!" Ava protested. She didn't let go of Michael but lessened her embrace, allowing him to breathe easier.
"May I know the details of what happened?" Victoria asked, eager to know how he was able to get the help of the renowned White Angel.
"Nothing that serious. I baited the Elites away. Once I judged the distance was enough, I was about to kill them, but Claire came and wiped them out before I could even lift a finger." He said as he gazed at the petite woman, her face not visible since it was still buried in his chest.
"So I'm fine. You can let go now, right?"
"No!" She refused.
Victoria found Michael's explanation lacking. Usually, most mecha riders, especially ones as renowned as the White Angel, would ignore what was happening on the ground and go toward the spaceships.
'The only two ways I can explain it would be if the two knew each other and had planned this out, which is highly unlikely, or… That Michael's released aura rivaled the Elites, catching the White Angel's attention… Which is even more unlikely since he is still just an Early Adept.'
Feeling a headache coming, Victoria decided she was going to ask the White Angel herself for answers.
Once the perimeter was judged safe, the energy shield was turned off. That caused two reporters that had been waiting patiently to approach Victoria as soon as possible.
"Lady Victoria! Can we get your word, please? What is the name of the one who baited the Elites, what is your relationship with him, and did—" Skylar asked, questioning in a hurried manner, only to be stopped by Victoria's raised hand.
"I am unable to answer questions as of this moment. Also, I expect to receive all of your recordings. Since it contains mine as well as my troops' fighting style, it will have to be heavily edited. Until then, you are forbidden from recording or making interviews."
This was rather common practice, especially since she suspected that Michael was destined to rise very high and would rather limit the information known about him. If the Immortal Legion learned of his potential, they would try everything in their power to recruit him, and Victoria wanted to protect Michael from that.
Skylar's face fell, but she didn't protest. She knew that if she were allowed to upload their recording, she would get very famous. All she had to do was wait for the green light.
After taking the count of her troops and being surprised that they had won with zero casualties, Victoria went toward the White Angel.
With the battle over, Claire had parked her graceful mecha before exiting and approaching her grandfather.
Usually, she wouldn't ever leave the safety of her mecha, but with her grandfather as well as so many members of the Heavenly Pact here, she felt safe enough to do so.
"You old man. Didn't I specifically tell you to retire and stop causing trouble for me?! I can't have anything happening to you!" She stomped on the ground like a little girl throwing a tantrum.
Bryce laughed out loud, amused by his granddaughter's show of affection.
'To think someone would still care about me to such an extent.' He thought, stroking his overgrown beard.
"Sunshine, didn't I tell you not to worry about your old man? I have lived enough anyway. Whether I pass on in the middle of battle is something I will decide."
Claire stomped on the ground again. "I am not your Sunshine! Stop playing around and take things seriously! I am taking you back to our headquarters whether you like it or not!"
Bryce laughed again. "Sunshine, stop worrying about me. I am having the time of my life here."
His gaze momentarily moved to the side, where Michael had finally managed to get Ava off him, managing to stand up.
"As it turned out, there have been many pleasant surprises in the last week or so. How could I get back to my old life now, after my blood has been ignited by the passion of battle once again?" He said joyfully before patting her on the head.
"YOU! I told you to stop calling me Sunshine!" Claire protested, her face flushing red, yet not moving away.
"Oh, did you? It seems my memory has gone bad. HAHAHA!"
Victoria, who had waited for the two to finish, cleared her throat, catching their attention.
"It's an honor to meet you, White Angel." She nodded in appreciation before speaking.
"May I have a moment of your time? I wish to discuss a few things with you…"