[StratoSpear]

I'll see to it. Having trouble churning out scenes when sudden ones keep popping into my head forcing me to write it down somewhere...

With their sights laid upon Tanegashima Island, Ichika leads the formation consisting of Houki, Lingyin, Cecilia, Charlotte and finally Laura.

“Tanegashima Space Center… Who would’ve thought…?”

As Houki passes the question, Lingyin grows even more troubled, magnifying her view upon the distant orbital launch complex.

‘Tsurugi…’

*ti-tiit—!*

“-We got a radar signature closing in on our six!-”

“…!”

The pilots turn their heads at Laura’s prompt, looking over their shoulders. Far beyond their range of sight, the Stygian Gospel speeds head-on in hot pursuit of the formation, folding its twin wings down parallel to its back.

“It’s an IS… I’m not sure who exactly though.”

“It might be one of the units dispatched by Phantom Task to retrieve the Athena right after we’ve tracked down its location.”

“Why now of all times…” Houki cringes, abruptly pulling out of the formation and turning to the pursuing IS.

“Houki…!”

“You guys press on ahead, it’s only one unit! I’ll drive it off!”

The rest advance while Houki hovers in place.

“Get ‘em, Amatsuki!” She swings the glowing katana out hard, firing a shower of crimson beams which fans out like a wide web then converges upon the speeding Gospel.

*KA-PAA—!* The Gospel’s wings pop open, revealing its four huge wings on its back and using them as an airbrake. Analyzing the beams’ oncoming trajectory, the Gospel weaves its way through the homing beams raining upon its path with very little effort. Houki sweeps the Karaware katana across her front in an aggressive flourish, firing multiple crescent-shaped energy beams.

“-Engaging secondary objective: Akatsubaki.-”

Dodging every crescent beam fired it way, the Gospel flaps its massive wings, giving a brief boost of speed as it closes in on Houki, much to her surprise upon seeing the unit.

“Silver Gospel...!?”

This time, (Spoiler Warning)UC Ep 6 is responsible.