12:00 AM.
The hangar was brightly lit.
All the luminous magic stones were gathered here. Besides providing illumination, some of them would be installed on the aircraft to supplement the light source.
The air knights would be out in full force for this operation. The two hundred plus aircraft were not only all of Neverwinter's current air power, but also the hope of all mankind.
Hundreds of ground crew members pushed carts back and forth between the warehouses, checking the condition of each aircraft. Leading them was Anna. Her hair was tied up, she wore boots, and her work clothes left a deep impression on everyone, raising the atmosphere in the field to a fever pitch.
Roland was no exception—her cheeks stained with a bit of oil and her sapphire-like clear eyes were deeply imprinted in his mind.
1:30 AM.
The inspected aircraft began refueling operations.
All exhaust fans operated at full power to reduce the oil and gas content in the air.
Due to the low lighting requirements and to reduce the risk of fire, this step was arranged to take place simultaneously in the hangar and on the ground airfield.
Among the aircraft on the ground, the most eye-catching were two single-wing, four-engine bombers.
Although scaled down in terms of specifications, its size was still spectacular enough. The wingspan of over thirty meters and the black paint made it stand out from the crowd.
Replacing the engine with the Phoenix allowed it to fly only on bottom fuel, but in return, it gained a reliable and mature airframe. It was because of this that the engineering department was able to rush out two aircraft before the plan was implemented.
Of course, it was not only its size that made it stand out.
The carefully guarded belly of the aircraft by the First Army and the God's Punishment Witches also indicated its uniqueness—although most people had not seen what the highly anticipated weapon looked like, it still did not prevent them from understanding that these two bombers would be the key to swaying the battle.
3:00 AM.
The air knights gathered together for the final round of route review.
"Remember, there is nothing in the dark night that can guide you, the stars in the sky will confuse your vision, and the lights on the ground are the enemy's bonfires!" Tilly said loudly on the podium. "The only thing you can trust is the flashing tail lights of the aircraft in front! Open your eyes wide and see the position of your teammates clearly. Once you leave the floating island, there is no turning back!"
"If all goes well, we will arrive at the designated area at dawn. Then, two bombers will drop bombs one after another—during this process, your mission is to do your best to protect the main attacker from being attacked, and shoot down everything that tries to get close, whether it is a terror beast or a high-level demon!"
"Listen carefully, because there is a time difference between the two bombings, and the bombs are extremely powerful, so remember not to get too close to the target. In addition, no matter the outcome, the air fleet must return immediately—His Majesty Roland allows failure, but does not allow the loss of humanity's vital forces in a battle. As long as the sky still belongs to us, hope will not be cut off!"
"Go write a new history for mankind—I will be with you in this operation!"
"As you command, Your Highness!" Everyone shouted in unison.
3:50 AM.
"To be honest, I'm a little nervous."
Next to the gangway of the Phoenix, Roland saw that Tilly's hand was trembling slightly.
This was the first time he had seen her show such an uneasy expression.
At this time, there were only half an hour left before the scheduled take-off time. Two hundred carrier-based aircraft could support four or five attack waves in another world. It was necessary to take off early to arrange the formation to ensure that the subsequent long-distance raid would not be too far behind.
"Afraid?"
"Maybe..." She nodded first, then shook her head, "But I think it's more anticipation. Brother, do you remember our agreement? When I think of that day coming soon, I can't help but feel excited."
Waiting for the end of the Battle of Divine Will, when the ashes will return to the world, this is also the belief that has supported her to fight until now.
"Ah, I remember." Roland said softly, "But the premise is that you must come back safely to prove that I didn't lie to you."
Tilly looked up, "Brother, can you hug me?"
He slowly stretched out his hand and put her small body in his arms. The latter leaned forward naturally, her forehead resting on his chest—time seemed to have returned to a year ago, when she was crying in his arms like this.
After a while, Tilly's breathing stabilized.
"I'm leaving." She took two steps back.
"Go ahead."
She entered the cockpit, pulled down the hatch, and opened her mouth to Roland.
From the shape of her mouth, it was a "Thank you."
The gangway was removed and the propeller started to rotate.
4:20 AM.
Gates one to ten on the floating island were fully opened, and the biplane formation successively flew away from the mother ship.
Sylvie used her magic eye to closely monitor the overall situation, reminding those aircraft that might be lagging behind or deviating from the airspace to return to the right track—in the dark night sky, more than two hundred aircraft circled around the Eleanor, like swarms of fireflies.
This was also the stage where accidents were most likely to occur. Pilots lacking radar guidance and night vision equipment could not even distinguish between the sky and the land, and with so many aircraft taking off, those erratic navigation lights would also bring chaos to the air knights. If it weren't for Lightning and Maggie, under Sylvie's instructions, reminding everyone by knocking on the window before the problem occurred, it was estimated that many aircraft would be lost in the formation process.
4:55 AM.
Roland issued the order to start the operation through the radio.
Seagull and Phoenix, as leaders of the air fleet, took the lead in climbing, followed closely by the two bombers—they were given the names "Kunpeng" and "Peace Ark" respectively, and were also the core of the two formations.
After that was the escort group consisting of Tianhuo and Tiannu. Although they belonged to two formations, it was only for the convenience of night flight—for this operation, both bombers were crucial and could not be lost.
Finally, Lightning and Maggie left.
The two waved goodbye to Roland in front of the command post, then turned and flew into the night. Including Shawi, Wendy, Andrea, Sylvie and others on the Seagull, this battle can be said that mankind invested all its air power.
Soon, the huge air fleet was swallowed by the night and disappeared without a trace.
Roland looked into the direction where everyone left, reluctant to take his eyes away for a long time.
"Even if you never believe in gods, all you can do at this time is pray..." Nightingale sighed softly.
He nodded almost imperceptibly.
This was probably what all the people left behind were thinking.
They had done everything they could.
Next was a difficult and anxious wait—waiting for the moment when fate was decided.
"Fortunately, we don't have to wait too long," Anna looked at a dark skyline, "The sky...will be bright soon."
...