In the early morning, a glimmer of light barely appeared on the horizon.

Most people were still asleep, but the guards and ground crew at the newly opened airfield on the outskirts of Glowing City had been busy for a long time. They rushed back and forth on both ends of the runway against the cold spring wind, their linings soaked with sweat.

Aircraft after aircraft were dragged out of the warehouse and towed to the end of the runway. The final refueling, loading, and inspection work were also nearing completion.

Inside the barracks next to the airfield, Tilly gathered all the air knights with combat experience.

After several rounds of expansion and a teaching method that combined veterans mentoring newcomers, the number of people who could go to the battlefield had now exceeded a hundred, and the number of students undergoing intensive training was more than double that. Thus, a "new army" independent of the ground forces was faintly taking shape.

In the previous battle of the Endless Mountains, although the aircraft suffered heavy losses, the survival rate of the pilots was not low. Compared to infantry, who found it difficult to escape the pursuit of demons and faced a bloody battle once encountered, even if the Skyfire lost its combat capability, it could quickly leave the battlefield by gliding.

Therefore, whether shot down by the enemy or crashing due to mechanical failure, as long as they weren't too unlucky, experienced pilots could generally hold out until a suitable forced landing area.

Of course, this was also related to the biplanes' low speed, natural lift, and the demons' spears lacking a fatal blow capability.

These factors allowed the entire team to mature at an extremely rapid pace.

"You should all be very clear about the details of this mission," Tilly said, crossing her arms and slowly walking past the front row of the team. Like the warriors about to set off, she was also wearing a thick windproof combat suit, her gray hair coiled behind her head with a blue headband, looking neat and spirited. "Break through the enemy's defenses and drop the bombs into the belly of the floating fortress, just like in the training sessions a few days ago."

"However, this time you will be flying not over the distant suburbs of Glowing City, but over the enemy fortress. Those who intercept you will not be academy students, but Terror Beasts and high-ranking demons."

"Your Highness!" Someone in the team suddenly raised a hand.

"Speak."

"Isn't that easier?"

The speaker was Goode, which caused a burst of low laughter.

Tilly also raised the corners of her mouth. She didn't object to this kind of "arrogant" dialogue. On the contrary, a high fighting spirit before the expedition would help everyone relieve tension.

Besides, Goode had already achieved the feat of killing twelve Terror Beasts, so it wasn't too conceited for him to say that.

"It seems so at first glance, but the high-ranking demons behind the Terror Beasts are still opponents not to be underestimated. I hope you can come back alive to prove this point." Tilly changed the subject here, "In addition, I must emphasize that the floating fortress has a very large land area. Breaking into the central area means that the surrounding areas are all demon territory. The consequences of a forced landing there are imaginable. Therefore, this operation should avoid accidents as much as possible. I demand that you temporarily abandon the idea of gambling on being pierced by a demon's spear in exchange for killing results, understand?"

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Very good, then next is the team arrangement—those assigned to the 'Sky Fury' will be responsible for the bombing work in this mission."

As soon as this was said, all the air knights perked up their ears.

The Sky Fury was the first improved version of the Skyfire. The fuselage was more compact, and the cockpit had a circle of glass canopy, which not only looked more beautiful than the Skyfire, but also had significantly improved performance. The most critical changes came from the new radial engine and external weapon system. The former was a degraded version of the Phoenix engine, with its power limited to a lower level and no supercharger, in order to meet the production level of the assembly line. The latter could be determined according to the mission, including machine guns and aerial bombs, etc.

The first batch of ten Sky Furies had been transported here by ship. They were the core of the air raid rehearsal. Whoever could fly the new aircraft would undoubtedly be recognized by the princess.

Tilly paused deliberately for a moment before taking out the list and said, "According to the plan, these ten aircraft will be divided into two squadrons, protected by corresponding escort squadrons. The first squadron leader is—Goode."

"Goode accepts the order!"

Everyone cast envious glances. As the air knight with the best record, his selection was undoubtedly uncontroversial.

"The second squadron leader is—Manfred."

The latter was stunned for a moment before reacting, "Your Highness, you chose me?"

"Is there another Manfred here?" Tilly raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, yes! Your subordinate accepts the order!"

Manfred responded with joy.

This caused a low murmur in the team. Compared to most experienced air knights, his combat record was minimal, purely a newcomer. In the previous battle of the Endless Mountains, his record was not outstanding, only one kill. Although he performed well in normal training, it was unexpected for him to be the leader of a squadron.

Tilly knew clearly that this newcomer had extremely strong talent, which was not only reflected in flying the aircraft, but also in fierce battles. In terms of flying skills, Manfred Castan could rank in the top ten of the team, but in combat intuition, he far surpassed others.

In the mountain air battle, only she noticed that Manfred's aircraft had been wandering in the weakest position of the team, repelling the enemy trying to insert from here several times, and completely freeing her Phoenix. Whether it was covering teammates' attacks or rescuing teammates from danger, the other party would always appear in the most needed position.

This was by no means an easy thing to do. The situation in the air changed rapidly, and most people could only pay attention to the situation of themselves and their wingmen. This was also why the flying squadron needed to be subdivided as much as possible. Being able to review the overall situation and capture efficient entry points in fierce battles, this kind of sensitivity and vision had already exceeded the flight itself.

Compared to Goode, who was outstanding in personal skills, Manfred's advantage lay more in the team. Therefore, perhaps even he himself had not discovered where his true talent lay.

In fact, immediately after the end of the battle, Tilly immediately consulted the person's detailed files. The origin of the knight family could explain where his cultivation came from, but what was intriguing was that such a knight could not save the declining family - Manfred's body and strength limited his performance in close combat. If it was a one-on-one contest, she suspected that Carter could knock him down with one hand.

And now the roaring engines and machine guns would not care about the individual strength of the driver. Relying on the power of the biplane, the vast sky was obviously a field more suitable for him to display his abilities.

Tilly did not say her reasons for choosing him. She believed that as long as he experienced a few more battles, Manfred and others would naturally notice this.

After explaining the list of the two flight crews, she looked up at the position of the sun, and then issued the order to move out.

Under the command of the flag language, the Phoenix was the first to slide across the runway and rise into the sky, and the golden morning light reflected a dazzling halo on its iron wings.

Following closely behind was the Seagull—after the first one crashed, Anna quickly remade the second one as it was. For her, this kind of skilled work didn't take much effort.

Finally, there were forty Skyfires and ten Sky Furies hanging aerial bombs. They formed a huge air fleet, which crossed the Glowing City in a mighty manner and disappeared into the clouds in the west.