The hangars remained brightly lit.

All the magic stones that gave off light were gathered and distributed to the hangars. Aside from providing light, a portion of the magic stones were installed onto the planes for the lack of light sources.

This operation involved all the Aerial Knights; not only did the 200 odd planes represent Neverwinter's full air force, they also represented humanity's hope.

Several hundred ground crew support rushed about the warehouses with carts, inspecting every plane with Anna in the lead. With her hair tied up and with thigh-high boots, her appearance in work clothes left a huge impression on everyone. It also elevated the atmosphere.

Roland was no exception—her greasy cheeks in contrast with her sparkling and clear sapphire eyes left a deep impression in him.

1:30 a.m.

With the plane inspections coming to a close, the refilling of fuel began.

All the ventilation fans operated at full capacity to reduce the fuel fumes in the air.

Due to the low requirement for illumination, along with the bid to lower risks and prevent accidents from occurring, this step was conducted at the hangars and ground surface simultaneously.

Out of the ground surface air units, the most eye-catching plane were the two single-winged, four-engined bombers.

Although they were much smaller than the standard plane, their form remained sufficiently spectacular, with a wingspan of over 30 meters. Its pitch-black paint made it stand out at a glance.

After swapping out the Phoenix's engine, she was only capable of flight with base oil, but in exchange for this was a reliable and mature body frame. Because of this, the Ministry of Engineering was able to rush out two planes before the actualization of the operation.

Of course, the attractiveness of the two planes was not just their size.

The appearance of the First Army and G.o.d's Punishment Witches guarding the belly of the plane similarly indicated that the two planes were different from the others. Although the majority of the people had never seen the weapon that many had placed their hopes on, everyone knew that the two planes were the crux to deciding the battle.

3:00 a.m.

The Aerial Knights gathered and conducted their last route review.

"Remember, the cover of the night doesn't give you any reference objects to direct you. The stars in the sky will confuse you, and any light sources on the ground will be the enemy bonfires!" Tilly stood on the platform and spoke loudly. "The only thing you can believe in are the flickering tail lights on the plane in front of you! Open your eyes wide and watch the positions of your teammates. Upon leaving the floating island, there will be no chance of turning back!

"If everything goes smoothly, we will arrive at the designated location by daybreak. After that, the two bombers will cast their bombs in succession. During this process, your mission is to ensure that our main a.s.sault planes doesn't get attacked. Shoot down anything that attempts to draw close to it, be they Devilbeasts or senior demons!

"Listen clearly, due to the gap between the casting of both bombs and the explosive might of the bombs, do not stay too close to the target. Aside from that, regardless of the outcome, the fleet must return to the hangar. King Roland has allowed for failure, but hasn't agreed to sending people capable of living and surviving to die on the battlefield. The sky belongs to us, and I hope that will never change!

"Let us write a brand new page of history for humanity—for this operation, I will be flying alongside you!"

"Yes, Your Highness!" everyone shouted out in unison.

3:50 a.m.

"To be honest, I'm nervous."

On the ramp beside Phoenix, Roland noticed Tilly's slightly trembling hands.

It was his first time seeing her reveal an unsteady and nervous expression.

They were only half an hour away from the scheduled flight. Two hundred aircrafts, if placed in the other world, was capable of sustaining four to five major operations. They had to ensure the flight formation prior flying to ensure that no one got left behind in the long-distance raid.

"Are you afraid?"

"Maybe…" She nodded her head first, then shook it. "But I'm even more antic.i.p.ative of it. Brother, do you remember our promise? Just the thought that the day is coming soon makes me somewhat unable to hold down the emotions in my heart."

When the Battle of Divine Will concluded, Ashes would come back to life. This was the faith and belief that had supported her all the way through.

"Yes, I remember," Roland replied gently. "But the condition is that you return safely, to ensure that I didn't lie to you."

Tilly raised her head. "Brother, can you hug me?"

He extended his hands out and pulled the small figure into his embrace, who leaned forward naturally and laid her forehead on his chest. Time seemed to reverse to a point in time a year ago—the time when she wept in his embrace.

A moment later, Tilly's breathing stabilized.

"I'm going." She took two steps back.

"Go on."

She boarded the plane, lowered the cabin cover and mouthed a few words to Roland.

It was apparently 'thank you.'

The ramp retreated as the propellers started to spin.

4:20 a.m.

Sluice gates numbered one to ten were all opened, as biplane units flew out of the cruiser.

Sylvie activated her Magic Eyes and observed the entire situation, reminding those that might potentially lose their comrades or to a.s.sist those deviating from the flight path. In the dark of the night, two hundred planes surrounded Eleanor Skycruiser like a swarm of fireflies.

This was the phase that potentially had the highest rate of accidents—the lack of radar guidance and night vision equipment rendered the pilots blind, preventing them from differentiating the ground from the air. As more and more planes soared into the air, drifting flight path lights brought about some confusion. If Lightning and Maggie had not received Sylvie's guidance, tapping on the gla.s.s panes of everyone before any accidents happened, the fleet might had already lost some planes.

4:55 a.m.

Through the radio, Roland gave out the commands.

Seagull and Phoenix took the lead and initiated an ascent and they were closely followed by the two bombers. They had been given the names "Kun Peng" and "Ark of Peace," which represented the cores of the two formations.

Following that were the Fire of Heaven and Fury of Heaven planes, that formed the escort fleet. Although differentiated into two formations, it was only for the convenience of night flight. As for the mission itself, every plane were equally important and had been tasked to prioritize survival.

Maggie and Lightning were the last to leave.

The two waved to Roland, who was at the command station, and turned to fly into the darkness. Adding Shavi, Wendy, Andrea, Sylvie and the others who were on the Seagull, this formation could be termed to be humanity's full force effort.

Very quickly, the large fleet became engulfed by the darkness and disappeared without a trace.

Roland looked in the direction of their departure for a long period of time.

"Even if you do not believe in G.o.d, the only thing you can do now is pray…" Nightingale whispered emotionally.

He nodded his head slightly.

It was probably what everyone else staying behind was thinking.

They had all done their part.

The next phase was the most difficult and worrying wait—to wait for fate to be determined.

"Fortunately, we do not need to wait for long." Anna pointed to the dark horizon. "The sky… will be bright soon."

…