Chapter 249

Chapter 249: Single Aircraft Breaking the Formation

With only one enemy entering firing range, the Guild naturally didn’t deploy full firepower.

In each triangular assault formation, just a few Vanguard ships opened fire. Even so, over a dozen ships combined their attacks, weaving a deadly web of flames from multiple angles—enough to shred any target to pieces.

That’s how it *should* have ended.

But the crimson Vanguard ship moved impossibly fast. Worse, its speed surged abruptly, defying all logic of the Aether Ring and engine mechanics. Even the most seasoned pilots couldn’t anticipate such a maneuver.

Of course, all the fire from those dozen Vanguard ships missed completely.

Within seconds, the crimson ship closed the distance.

*Single aircraft breaking the formation?*

The Guild Commander’s mind flickered with the absurd term from knightly tales before he snapped back to reality. Though he dismissed the idea, the ship’s terrifying speed left no room for carelessness.

“Full barrage—now!” he barked.

The remaining hundred-plus Vanguard ships obeyed, unleashing a storm of bullets. This new web of fire spanned wider and denser than before, a true rain of lead blotting the sky.

Deafening roars merged into a single thunderous roar. Countless glowing trajectories shredded the air, turning the battlefield into a boiling inferno.

Twenty Vanguard ships caught in this death net wouldn’t just suffer losses—they’d be annihilated before scoring a single hit.

Combat wasn’t arithmetic. A power gap this vast meant total domination: one side untouched, the other erased.

*The strong grow stronger; the weak perish.*

Yet Midi’s crimson ship danced through the bullet storm unscathed.

Like a red comet, it streaked across the sky, weaving through gunfire like a fish upstream. Empowered by the Ghost Cry skill *Demon Shadow Step*, it defied physics—rising, diving, jerking sideways, all propelled by the golden-red glow rather than engines or air currents.

To onlookers, it didn’t fly—it *leapt*.

Spins, dodges, afterimage dashes, instant halts with 180-degree turns—Midi executed maneuvers beyond imagination. Even stray shots that grazed the hull disintegrated against the golden-red shield.

From afar, the crimson streak tore through the bullet storm like a lone blade shattering an army.

“Impossible!” Idak hissed, clenching his teeth to quell the storm in his heart.

Others gaped openly. A gladiator dominating aerial combat against a hundred? Unthinkable. What *was* this Sky Arena newcomer?

“Hold steady!” the Commander roared as panic spread. “He’s alone! Dodging won’t win battles—he lacks the firepower!”

He forgot one detail: Midi *wasn’t* alone.

One crimson ship’s guns meant little. But twenty? Focused and unhindered, they could cripple even sturdier Skyships—let alone fragile Vanguard craft.

“Charge!” Midi ordered. “The Guild’s rewards await!”

Nineteen ships surged forward as one.

Originally, the pilots of these Vanguard ships dismissed Midi’s plan as amateurish fantasy. Both Captain Domon and his crew only followed along with this power struggle within the Rothschild Guild because of the twin blades Midi wielded.

Forced into compliance, they reluctantly joined the battle. Many pilots secretly planned to flee at the first chance during combat. Against Vanguard ships’ escape speed, even this high-tier gladiator who defeated "Bloody Killing Sword" Batolun couldn’t stop them.

Midi essentially led a fractured force to challenge Victoria’s brothers. Such coerced troops lacked combat effectiveness – facing overwhelming odds meant certain death without surrender options. Capturing a sister was family shame, and disposable bait shouldn’t witness such disgrace.

During the standoff, pilots cursed Midi’s impending doom while praying their families wouldn’t face repercussions. But when Midi revealed his true aerial combat technique, their jaws dropped.

A single ship breaking through enemy lines, facing a hundred foes at thirty thousand meters in the Sea of Clouds? Following such a commander might actually bring victory! Emerging victorious from this mess meant unimaginable rewards – saving the Rothschild heiress could elevate anyone to greatness!

At Midi’s command, nineteen Vanguard ships surged like hungry wolves. The Guild’s prepared formations collapsed under Midi’s lone assault. Premature firing ruined their aim, disrupting triangular assault patterns. Their reckless attacks left most Guild ships low on cannon ammo.

Midi’s crimson comet spearheaded a charge into the chaotic central formation, nineteen ships firing as one. Dozens of fire tongues shredded unprepared Guild vessels. Explosions painted the sky with firework-like fireballs as body parts and scorched debris swirled in strong winds before plummeting like steel rain.

First volley results: one friendly ship lost to stray shots versus twenty enemy losses. But this was just the beginning.

Vanguard ships’ blistering speed doubled during head-on charges. After exchanging fire, both sides passed each other, needing wide turns for another pass – mimicking Heavy Knights’ cumbersome ground tactics.

But Midi defied conventions. Using Ghost Cry skill "Demon Shadow Step", his ship pivoted 180 degrees instantly, inertia-defying. While others turned, he became a red wolf snapping at Guild ships’ tails.

Top-down pursuit meant total dominance. Matching speeds made targets stationary relative to attackers. Midi finally opened fire – not wasting ammo on showy explosions, but surgically targeting rudders. Precision trumped spectacle.