Recaps

The Oya Cross Nation diplomatic delegation arrived in the Mars Sphere to establish relations with the Dion Empire, where Yelishao De received them in place of his bedridden father, Fadis. Yelishao De considered the delegation’s peaceful neutrality a chance to reduce the empire’s potential enemies, while its representatives remained uncertain about who truly held power.

• Major powers studied intelligence about the Skywing Mercenary Group’s new weapons and debated whether Mobile Fortress Downs revealed old technological reserves or Long Fei’s recent awakening.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group offered second-hand Irish Class MS Carriers for sale, and countries around the world rushed to buy them despite their lack of Mirage Systems.
• On September 15, Cosmic Year 125, Bishop of Foreign Affairs Radoslav and Grand Elder Adrian arrived in the Mars Sphere with the Oya Cross Nation delegation and accompanying reporters.
• Minister of Foreign Affairs Sigmund welcomed the delegation and introduced its leaders to Yelishao De, who received them with high honors.
• Radoslav and Adrian asked Yelishao De to convey their greetings to Fadis, and Yelishao De said his father was unwell and confined to bed.
• Yelishao De recognized the delegation’s diplomatic purpose and hoped Oya Cross Nation would remain neutral if war broke out, while regretting his father’s policies had weakened the Dion Empire.

Radoslav and Adrian negotiated with the weakened Dion Empire, restoring diplomatic relations and existing agreements despite disagreements over new terms. Yelishao De prepared to use the renewed ties as a path toward rebuilding the empire and reconnecting with other Earth Sphere nations, while Alexandre criticized his concessions and was urged to learn from his brother.

• Radoslav and Adrian told Sigmund and Felix that the Oya Cross Nation had joined the United Army because Dion’s massacres of civilians had turned its people against the war.
• Sigmund and Felix acknowledged Dion’s excessive actions and agreed to negotiate the restoration of diplomatic relations.
• Radoslav’s delegation proposed agreements, including protections for civilians during any future conflict, and Dion accepted some terms but rejected others.
• The Oya Cross Nation and Dion restored their previous diplomatic relations and agreements, allowing trade and economic exchanges to resume.
• Yelishao De planned to send an ambassador to the Oya Cross Nation and viewed the restored relationship as a step toward rebuilding Dion and renewing ties with other nations.
• Alexandre called Yelishao De weak for accepting the Oya Cross Nation’s demands, while Duke Mollicet and Manius praised Yelishao De’s patience and urged Alexandre to learn from him.

Dion Empire and Oya Cross Nation restored diplomatic relations under Yelishao De’s leadership, drawing international debate as Fadis remained in a coma. Kuroda Seiya prepared his long-planned revenge against Fadis and launched Operation Izumo.

• Alexandre rejected his elders’ advice to learn from Yelishao De, while Manius and Duke Mollicet warned that he needed to change.
• On September 19, Cosmic Year 125, the Dion Empire and Oya Cross Nation restored diplomatic relations and began preparing to exchange ambassadors.
• Purvi denounced the Oya Cross Nation’s renewed ties with the Dion Empire, while nations around the world remained uncertain whether Fadis and Long Fei had awakened.
• Kuroda Seiya reflected on Yelishao De and Long Fei, then learned that his warriors and the Izumo Project were ready.
• Kuroda Seiya ordered Operation Izumo to begin, declaring that his revenge against Fadis had started.

Long Fei and his allies discussed the Dion Empire’s likely recovery, possible internal conflict, and the United Army’s response as they planned how to prepare for a future war. The chapter ended with the Dion Empire and Oya Cross Nation opening embassies and the Dion Empire reaching out to other Earth Sphere nations.

• Long Fei told his allies to prioritize development and prepare for war, while they discussed the Dion Empire’s potential moves and needed battleships.
• Salamander warned that Alexandre might undermine Yelishao De and that Kuroda Seiya could cooperate with Alexandre to provoke a civil war.
• Aixisi asked Salamander to help map Mars, and Shlaik argued that the United Army might intervene in a Dion civil war under pressure from military-industrial interests.
• Long Fei decided they should avoid rushing into battle and let the Dion Empire and United Army weaken each other first.
• On October 20, the Dion Empire and Oya Cross Nation opened embassies, and the Dion Empire began courting other Earth Sphere nations.

Alexandre conspired with Severino and neutral-faction nobles to undermine Yelishao De, while a series of political attacks intensified unrest in the Dion Empire. The chapter ended with an explosion near Ilena’s vehicle after she left lunch with Yelishao De and Grisina.

• Alexandre met Severino, who offered neutral-faction support against Yelishao De, and Alexandre agreed to consult his grandfather and uncle.
• Alexandre secretly instigated the Oya Cross Nation ambassador’s assassination, and Yelishao De’s apology and punishment of the assassin provoked protests from extreme-minded Newtypes.
• Bombings and ambushes struck members of Yelishao De’s faction, the Great Noble faction, and the neutral faction, while Manius suspected Alexandre was responsible and Duke Mollicet warned him to watch his nephew.
• Alexandre told Severino that his grandfather approved of their actions, then ordered his driver to make someone disappear once the plan was finished.
• Yelishao De left lunch with Ilena and Grisina after receiving urgent news, and a thunderous explosion sounded just after Ilena’s vehicle departed.

After Ilena and Imperial Consort Iliya were murdered, Yelishao De investigated the attacks and suspected an unseen force was manipulating events. Duke Mollicet was later found poisoned, and rumors blaming both him and Yelishao De spread beyond the empire’s control.

• Ilena and Imperial Consort Iliya were killed in separate attacks, devastating Yelishao De and Grisina.
• Alexandre argued with Severino over the killings, then arranged for Severino to be killed and his information destroyed.
• Evidence linked the attackers to Duke Mollicet’s estate, prompting Yelishao De to surround it while Manius defended his father.
• Yelishao De learned that Lion Feuchtwanger had led the attacks and that he was connected to Severino, whom Alexandre had recently worked with.
• Yelishao De ordered Julius to suppress information implicating Alexandre, while Duke Mollicet planned to meet him and seek a resolution.
• Duke Mollicet was found poisoned after drinking wine, and rumors spread that he had killed himself, been murdered, or been framed by Yelishao De.

The Dion Empire descended into civil war after political accusations and attacks intensified the conflict between the Second Prince and the great noble faction. As foreign powers prepared to exploit the chaos, Long Fei rejected the United Army’s overtures and watched the fighting spread.

• Kuroda Seiya fueled unrest with conflicting reports about the attacks, while Alexandre accused his second brother of framing him and falsely claiming imperial authority.
• After the Third Prince was attacked and critically wounded, the great noble faction blamed the Second Prince, and their forces clashed with his troops, beginning a civil war.
• The United Army sought to hire Skywing Mercenary Group, but Li Jiaming rejected its commissions because he suspected it planned to use the group as a weakened vanguard before seizing its technology.
• Purvi won the Wanluo Federation presidential election and threatened Skywing Mercenary Group with sanctions, while Long Fei dismissed his claims and reelection.
• By November 25, fighting between the Dion Empire’s factions had spread across numerous locations, while the Oya Cross Nation embassy remained one of the few safe places.

The Dion Empire’s civil war continued as the United Army prepared to exploit Fadis’s unconsciousness and Purvi’s campaign against the Skywing Group drew little support. Taoxiang gave birth to Long Fei’s son, Long Quan, whose powerful psychic fluctuations surpassed those of the Newtypes at the main base, while Long Fei considered training him as his heir.

• Oya Cross Nation reported that Yelishao De and Manius each controlled half the Dion Empire and were fighting away from civilian cities under agreements to limit damage.
• Purvi ordered Wanluo Federation businesses to stop trading with or hiring the Skywing Group, but merchants used foreign companies and the Cross Vanguard resumed robbing unescorted fleets.
• On December 15, Cosmic Year 125, Taoxiang gave birth to Long Quan, whose psychic fluctuations were sensed throughout the main base.
• Long Fei visited Taoxiang and Long Quan with his daughters and Long Xuan, and he said he would train his son to inherit the Skywing Group.
• Taoxiang warned Long Fei not to put too much pressure on Long Quan and said his daughters would also train and help their younger brother.
• Long Fei left the delivery room, received congratulations from Salamander and other commanders, and Lixiang later visited Taoxiang and the baby.

Taoxiang gave birth to Long Quan, whose powerful psychic abilities alarmed world leaders and amused his family. While the Dion Empire’s civil war intensified and the United Army argued over its commander, Long Fei waited for both sides to weaken each other before revealing himself.

• Skywing Group announced that Taoxiang had given birth to Long Fei’s son, Long Quan, and reports that the unborn child had emitted psychic currents frightened leaders around the world.
• Long Fei told Li Xiucheng, Salamander, Anton, Pan Zhenhua, and Lamiel that he would stay hidden until the United Army had attacked the Mars Sphere for a while, explaining that the coalition’s members were divided and pursuing their own interests.
• Salamander assessed that the Russo-Soviet Republic would be the United Army’s most proactive Earth Sphere nation, with the Nanyang Alliance and Great African Unified Front also likely to participate.
• Long Quan used psychic fluctuations to signal that he was hungry, and Taoxiang had a childcare nurse prepare milk for him.
• Taoxiang kissed the sleeping Long Quan, who protested with increasingly strong psychic fluctuations, while Long Fei decided he would teach the boy to respect his parents as he grew.
• As the Dion Empire’s civil war grew fiercer and the United Army debated its commander-in-chief, Long Fei waited for the two sides to fight so he could benefit as a third party.

As Yelishao De’s Newborn Faction gained control of Mars, Manius agreed to pursue peace negotiations rather than risk the Grand Aristocrat Faction’s destruction. He told Alexandre that the price of survival was fighting on the front lines, where he would face death or have to earn redemption through victory.

• Yelishao De gave the Neutral Faction and some Grand Aristocrat Faction members evidence linking Alexandre to the attacks and Duke Mollicet’s poisoning, weakening support for the Grand Aristocrat Faction.
• Manius summoned the Grand Aristocrat Faction, whose majority chose peace talks despite Alexandre and a few others opposing them.
• Manius confronted Alexandre with evidence of his crimes and explained that continued fighting could give the United Army a chance to defeat the Dion Empire.
• Manius told Alexandre that a peace agreement would send him to the front lines beyond the Mars Sphere, where victory could restore his standing and death could make him a national hero.
• Alexandre collapsed, realizing that Manius had abandoned him and that refusing the assignment would cost him his title.

The United Army prepared a four-pronged invasion of the weakened Dion Empire while contending with the lack of Minov Particle weapons and the threat of automated machines. Victor urged the generals to defeat the empire quickly and seize its technology before Long Fei recovered and the Skywing Group could influence the war.

• Grisina learned that her third brother had indirectly caused the deaths of her adoptive mother and second sister-in-law, and that her second brother planned to send him to the front lines for revenge.
• After receiving word that the Dion Empire's civil war was nearing its end, Victor met with senior generals on January 25, Cosmic Year 126, to plan the United Army's invasion.
• The generals discussed their four-route advance, their preparations against the Mars Sphere's satellite cannons, their varied Mobile Suits, and Skywing's refusal to sell Minov Particle missiles.
• Victor warned that the United Army might have to make up for its lack of Minov weapons with manpower, and ordered the generals to concentrate on defeating the Dion Empire while it was weak.
• Victor explained that the United Army wanted Dion technology to narrow the gap with the Skywing Group, and the generals discussed where and how to attack.

The United Army began its second assault on the Dion Empire while the Skywing Mercenary Group livestreamed the capabilities of its new warships and Mobile Fortress Downs, alarming the world's major powers. Their leaders ordered the United Army to press on, and all four army groups engaged the Dion Army.

• On February 10, Cosmic Year 126, four United Army army groups advanced toward the Mars Sphere as the Dion Empire reorganized its forces into the Dion Army.
• On February 15, the Skywing Mercenary Group livestreamed the maiden flight test of its Guanwana-class MS Carrier, demonstrating its rapid launches, Rabian Rose's repairs, and Mobile Fortress Downs' manufacturing and repair facilities.
• Victor and the United Army's generals debated withdrawing after seeing the Skywing Mercenary Group's new technology, but their governments ordered them to continue the war.
• Victor ordered the news about the Skywing Mercenary Group's new weapons kept from rank-and-file soldiers so they could focus on the fighting.
• The United Army's First Army Group and the Dion Empire's First Small Army Group exchanged missile attacks and sent their MS into battle.
• The United Army's MS forces, including Russo-Soviet Republic Tekkal units and Hanxia Empire Veda units, fought against Dion forces as all four army groups engaged the Dion Army.

The Dion Army deployed its powerful Night Huntress Mobile Armors and used guerrilla attacks to disrupt United Army forces and supply lines. Victor’s commanders discussed countermeasures, including a newly developed reconnaissance drone, as they prepared to defeat the Dion Empire quickly.

• The Dion Army’s Night Huntresses devastated United Army machines with a variety of weapons while its Warheads interfered with the enemy’s ability to counter its drones.
• Manius ordered the first Shadow Raven Unit to withdraw after it cut off the United Army’s 3rd Grand Army’s supply line, and directed the other units to keep using guerrilla tactics.
• Victor ordered the United Army’s Grand Armies to spread out, reinforce their supply forces, and use anti-stealth mines against Dion guerrillas.
• George and Shuhakat argued over Long Fei’s refusal to sell advanced anti-stealth devices, while Victor urged the generals to defeat the Dion Empire quickly.
• Staff officers reported that a Dion Destroyer Battleship had struck the 4th Grand Army Fleet and that guerrilla forces had ambushed other Grand Armies’ rear areas.
• Joelcon proposed deploying the Anglo-Saxon Democratic Republic’s Fly Eye reconnaissance drones, and Victor approved testing them in combat.

The Shadow Raven Unit used cloaked Ink Shadow Saint Machines to ambush and disrupt United Army supply lines, giving frontline troops time to recover. At the United Army command post, Victor and the generals reviewed the machines’ capabilities and discussed their difficulty understanding Dion and Skywing technology.

• Ink Shadow Saint Machines cloaked behind asteroids destroyed Fly Eye drones and ambushed a United Army transport fleet, damaging its carriers and transports before escaping.
• The Shadow Raven Unit spent roughly ten days disrupting enemy logistics with hit-and-run attacks, though some guerrilla units were trapped and lost machines.
• Victor and the senior generals reviewed footage showing Ink Shadow’s stealth, speed, and close-combat ability.
• The generals discussed Dion’s miniaturized stealth technology and the challenges of studying or combining it with Skywing technology.

As the United Army and Dion Empire remained locked in a war of attrition, the Skywing Mercenary Group revealed its growing fleet and Mobile Fortress Downs, alarming governments that feared its strength. Long Fei planned to keep its newest weapons hidden while the nations pressured their generals to accelerate the campaign, leaving the United Army at risk of making mistakes.

• War correspondents mocked the United Army's stalled advance, while military experts said it was deliberately exhausting the Dion Empire.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group livestreamed the commissioning of its first Guanwana-class MS Carrier and the maiden flight of its second, then revealed growing numbers of warships entering service.
• After the second Mobile Fortress Downs made its maiden flight, national authorities panicked and considered recalling their forces, but decided to keep fighting the Dion Army.
• Long Fei told Salamander to stop revealing new Guanwana-class MS Carriers and Mobile Fortress Downs, hoping to frighten the nations into mistakes without prompting them to attack the Skywing Mercenary Group.
• On March 15, national authorities continued urging the United Army to accelerate its campaign despite their generals' advice to maintain the war of attrition.

The United Army’s political divisions undermined its advance, allowing Manius to exploit its poor coordination and inflict heavy losses. After democratic governments backed down and Victor reorganized the First and Second Grand Army Fleets, news of further attacks and massacres left the United Army facing mounting military and logistical crises.

• Manius learned that democratic nations had fractured the United Army’s command, while General Muswati attacked District 10’s colonies, using captured civilians in assaults and killing a colony’s inhabitants with poison gas.
• The First and Second Grand Army Fleets advanced with tactical nuclear missiles, but Dion Army defenses and counterattacks devastated the poorly coordinated United forces.
• Battlefield broadcasts exposed that the reckless advancing units belonged to democratic nations, and released government directives shifted public anger from the militaries to their governments.
• Manius exploited the United Army’s disorganization to encircle and isolate its forces, inflicting losses equivalent to at least one Army-level Fleet.
• After the democratic nations stopped pressuring their militaries, Victor restored frontline commanders to the First and Second Grand Army Fleets, then learned that another Destroyer Battleship had attacked the Third Grand Army Fleet.
• Victor and the commanders received news of more attacks and poison gas massacres in District 10, compounding the United Army’s losses and logistical problems.

Muswati’s Viper Unit tried to escape the District 9 Colony as the Skywing Mercenary Group’s forces closed in. The Alpha Unit ambushed the Viper Unit, and Muswati’s forces were overwhelmed as many coerced rookie pilots surrendered.

• Muswati learned that the Skywing Mercenary Group had sent the Alpha Unit after her Viper Unit and ordered the fleet to flee the District 9 Colony.
• A Black Wolf special force destroyed the rookie pilots sent to block its advance, then stopped pursuing the Viper Unit, prompting Muswati to change course.
• Muswati used hostage spaceships to halt another Black Wolf special force and continued toward the Mars Sphere.
• After the Viper Unit’s communications were invaded, the Alpha Unit ambushed it with two regiment-level fleets while Black Wolf forces attacked from behind and rescued the hostages.
• Muswati ordered her forces to abandon the hostage ships and break out, but her Daylight Saint Machine came under attack as the Viper Unit was heavily outnumbered.
• The coerced rookie pilots surrendered, increasing the Viper Unit’s numerical disadvantage, and the Alpha Unit did not kill them.

After the United Army drove Dion forces back to the Mars Sphere, both sides prepared for a decisive defense campaign. The satellite cannon turned toward the United Army, which launched nuclear-armed missiles at it as the battle began.

• Muswati and Dion’s Newtypes and Coordinators fought to the death; the Skywing Mercenary Group captured Muswati, who was presumed dead, and offered her safety in exchange for cooperation.
• Manius showed no interest in honoring Muswati, while Yelishao De posthumously awarded her the Gold Maple Leaf Medal.
• As Dion’s supplies dwindled, Manius withdrew four small army groups toward Mars, and the United Army pursued them.
• On April 16, the United Army’s four large army groups reached the Mars Sphere and dispersed to reduce the satellite cannon’s potential damage; Dion conscripted child soldiers and prepared its defenses.
• Manius reported that the Shadow Raven Unit had only limited success disrupting United Army logistics, while Yelishao De assigned the six Royal Knights to defend Mars and Julius announced he would fight in person.
• On April 18, the United Army encircled the Mars Sphere; when the satellite cannon turned toward the Second Large Army Group, United Army commanders launched nuclear-armed Mobile Drifting Ballistic Missiles at it.

Zoshan Taro, Sergio, and Erik fought commanders of the Sapphire Royal Knights, the Tianwei Knight Order, and Julius in their specialized machines. Erik and Julius continued their close-quarters battle as their remote weapons exchanged fire.

• Veronica used the Great Guard's remote cannons to keep Zoshan Taro's Black Rakshasa at a distance, while he pursued her with repeated sword attacks.
• Sergio's Crimson Evil Thunder fought Balbado's Bawi, whose shield absorbed energy attacks and powered its long Beam Saber; Sergio switched between fighter and humanoid forms to evade and counterattack.
• Julius piloted Saint Dragon against Erik Hylemons and his gladiator-like Hercules, praising Erik's strength as equal to his own.
• Erik deployed Hercules's six Wire-guided Cannons as Julius launched six Floating Dragon Claws, and the remote weapons traded fire.
• Hercules fired a Beam Crossbow at Saint Dragon, while Julius cut through the beams with his blade and charged toward Erik.

Eric fought Julius while concealing his Newtype identity and struggling with the danger his homeland posed to him. Julius discovered Eric’s abilities and offered him a place in the Dion Empire, but their battle left Hercules increasingly outmatched and one Wire-guided Cannon destroyed.

• Saint Dragon attacked Hercules, and Julius recognized that Eric was a Newtype after Hercules dodged the opening shots.
• Julius contacted Eric mentally, learned his name and homeland, and invited him to join the Dion Empire; Eric rejected the offer and mocked the empire’s weakness.
• Saint Dragon disarmed Hercules and attacked with its whip while Eric used a boomerang, but Julius’s Floating Dragon Claws destroyed it.
• Julius exploited Hercules’s lack of a mental control system, coordinating the Floating Dragon Claws to pressure both Hercules and its Wire-guided Cannons.
• Eric tried to steer a targeted Wire-guided Cannon away while defending against Saint Dragon, but one cannon was shot down.

Eric retreated from his losing battle against Julius after his allies urged him to survive, while Sylvia Fuller, the Gas Empire’s youngest Ten Great Ace, fought three Royal Knights Vice-commanders and their reinforcements. Sylvia remained in control of the fight, but the enemy called for powerful Ace Pilots and Special Saint Machines to counter her.

• Eric’s damaged Hercules broke free of Saint Dragon’s Floating Dragon Claws, but he retreated to the mothership after a comrade warned that the battle was unfavorable and the country needed him.
• The chapter described Sylvia Fuller’s rise to become the youngest and last of the Ten Great Aces, including her famous battle against Eric ten years earlier.
• Sylvia piloted the Crimson Shadow Lady against Sapphire, Heavenly Might, and Night Hunter, using her eight floating throwing knives to slice their machines’ limbs and destroy enemy floating cannons.
• Sapphire reflected the Crimson Shadow Lady’s Beam Cannon with an energy-absorbing shield, while Sylvia’s knives continued attacking other enemy machines.
• The Royal Knights Vice-commanders requested Ace Pilots with powerful psychic abilities and Special Saint Machines to deal with Sylvia.

Margarita Levieva piloted Nightmare Mary against Sylvia and forced Crimson Shadow Lady to retreat with her stronger mental control and remote weapons. The five-hour battle remained deadlocked, with both armies holding position to avoid becoming targets for the Dion Army’s satellite cannon.

• Margarita launched Nightmare Mary and confronted Sylvia, whose mental strength she surpassed.
• Margarita used Nightmare Mary’s mental particle device to seize control of the United Army’s remote cannons, while Sylvia relied on Crimson Shadow Lady’s floating knives and Simple Psycommu Weapon to resist.
• Nightmare Mary’s remote cannons and petal-like plates overwhelmed Sylvia’s defenses, forcing her to withdraw from the battlefield.
• Margarita did not pursue Sylvia and instead attacked other United Army units, shooting down numerous pilots.
• Victor and the generals kept United Army forces advancing and retreating together as both sides remained locked in a stalemate and feared the Dion Army’s satellite cannon.

The United Army advanced toward Mars until a second satellite cannon ambushed its forces, destroying a large share of its troops. Victor ordered countermeasures while Manius fired again, and the United Army launched a nuclear-missile assault under cover of its advancing units.

• As the United Army gained the advantage on May 23, reporters announced victory seemed near, but Victor and his generals grew uneasy when the entire front advanced too smoothly.
• A reporter warned Victor that a satellite cannon identical to the Mars Sphere's had appeared on the United Army's far left flank, and Victor ordered the army to activate its Rhombus Shields.
• Alexandre fired the second satellite cannon's Annihilation Cannon, whose Crystal Spire beam swept through the United Army and cost it a quarter of its forces.
• Victor ordered Rhombus Shields activated, the second satellite cannon prioritized as a target, nuclear warheads fitted to Mobile Drifting Ballistic Missiles, and forces dispatched.
• Manius fired the Mars Sphere satellite cannon again, and its beam pierced the Rhombus Shields and swept across the battlefield, bringing the United Army's losses from both shots to roughly one-third of its forces.
• The United Army's Fourth Grand Army Group launched nuclear-armed Mobile Drifting Ballistic Missiles and fighters, then advanced MS and Mobile Armor units under their cover as the fighters charged toward their target.

The United Army destroyed the Dion Army’s second satellite cannon, but the Crystal Spire’s explosion killed Alexandre and devastated the surrounding forces. Manius then unleashed the only Super Nuclear Explosion Missile, which detonated every United Army nuclear weapon and left both sides facing enormous losses and the United Army’s sole victory plan in ruins.

• Alexandre left the second satellite cannon for the first satellite cannon after a general told him Manius wanted to speak with him.
• The United Army’s nuclear missile and fighter assault overwhelmed the second satellite cannon’s defenses, and its missiles destroyed the Crystal Spire as it was about to fire.
• The Crystal Spire’s explosion killed Alexandre and caused massive losses among the Dion Army forces nearby.
• Manius ordered the Mars Sphere satellite cannon to fire, and Victor responded by committing all remaining nuclear missiles and fighter craft to the battle.
• Manius launched the Super Nuclear Explosion Missile, whose spreading energy waves detonated every United Army nuclear weapon and destroyed its fighter craft.
• Victor and his generals realized their only trump card had failed as nuclear explosions inflicted enormous losses on both sides.

The Skywing Mercenary Group arrived as the United Army withdrew from its disastrous defeat, destroying the Dion Empire’s satellite cannon and Crystal Spire with the Diva’s Photon Ring Rei. It rejected Victor’s request to cooperate and ordered the United Army to leave the Mars Sphere immediately.

• After the United Army announced defeat, Manius declared victory for the Dion Empire, but a massive blue beam suddenly destroyed the satellite cannon, the Crystal Spire, and nearby forces, killing Manius.
• War correspondents traced the beam to the Diva and discovered the Skywing Mercenary Group’s enormous hidden fleet had appeared around it.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group’s preparations had included secretly building and assembling warships, while it intercepted Shadow Raven Unit communications and detained the unit’s remaining members.
• Victor requested contact with the Skywing Mercenary Group, but it rejected him and ordered the United Army and its member nations to leave the Mars Sphere.
• The Skywing Mercenary Group warned that if the United Army stayed while it fought the Dion Army, the United Army would bear responsibility for any attacks.