Ace Combat: Chronicles of a Demon

Ending 3:Knight

AN:Hello again. I'm AurelianAce, this time with an update regarding my Skies of Deception sequel. Thanks to an idea that lixiaofossil gave me, I'm going to postpone the sequel at least until after I play Ace Combat 7. I know it seems ludicrously long (especially since Namco Bandai keeps pushing back its release date, and my budget to buy games is not too wide), but the idea lixiaofossil gave me is too good not to consider it. I hope, however, that I can at least begin with the sequel of Joint Assault this winter.

Without further ado, enjoy the Knight ending. Thanks for your time and patience...

Cipher's cottage, Ustio, July 15th 2008, 13:18 Hours; Weather: Cloudy

Erich Hildebrand took a sip of wine and started his story.

-"Mercenaries are often viewed as money-hungry psychopaths with no respect for human life, and Belka was no different, not even before the Rald Party era."-he said.-"Mind you, at least in my case, that opinion is at best far-fetched. I followed a set of rules: Fight only against those who can fight back; never harm a civilian, no matter the cost; never take out someone who tries to surrender or flee the battle area, and show respect even to your most merciless enemy."

-"You had a wingman back then, right?"-said Brett Thompson.-"Larry Foulke, if I'm not mistaken."

-"Oh, yeah, Larry."-replied Hildebrand, with a sad sigh.-"He was a man who followed his ideals, and I admired that more than the fact that he had survived a dogfight even after his right wing was destroyed. We met shortly before our first mission together. The ironic thing was that, since we were both South Belkans, we were closer to each other than with any other member in the base."

-"What happened during your first mission?"-asked Thompson.

-"It was a cold, snowy day of April."-said Hildebrand.-"Larry and I were ordered to take out a squadron of bombers tasked with destroying our base. During that mission, I piloted a J35J Draken, which is the plane in the photo you almost dropped. Just before we intercepted the bombers, he told me that he had heard stories about me, and that my pride would get me killed, to which I responded "Larry, I'd rather die by pride than live in shame." The mission proceeded smoothly. It was nothing much, just a bunch of B-52s, BM-335s and their escorts. Taking them out was easy, since they were slow bombers and not too skilled pilots. Some of them actually retreated, and I, as a true pilot, let them go."

-"That may have taken the Belkans back."-said Thompson.-"A mercenary letting an enemy go, especially after their aircraft was damaged, is most unheard of."

-"You can say that again. I hoped that taught the Belkans a lesson in humility. To me, it was not about money, but about defending Ustio without becoming a monster."-replied Hildebrand.-"I needed the money to buy my weapons, fuel and aircraft, the latter in case I needed to replace mine. After the end of our first mission, Larry said that he thought that he and I would get along just fine and that I had potential. It was also the first time he called me "Buddy"."

-"So, money was not that important for you?"-asked Thompson.

-"Of course not. Especially since more often than not I earned it for killing people, even if they were my enemy."-answered Hildebrand.-"Our next mission was an attack on Belkan ground forces over Route 171, on Arlon, Sapin. It was an especially delicate area, and there were windmills and other civilian building everywhere, so I did not annihillate the entire area and focused only on the active Belkan units. Despite that, I needed all the cash I could get, since I had ordered a new aircraft to replace the J35J."

-"You mean, your emblematic F-15?"-said Thompson.

-"Yep, the F-15C Eagle."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was an aircraft for a more civilized age: fast, nimble for its size, well-armed, resillient,... I could guess why Larry had chosen that aircraft when he joined the Ustio Air Force. It had a downside, however: it was not suited to carry guided air-to-ground weapons. So I had the mechanics and engineers modify it to, at least, carry large unguided bombs, which I would use against the targets I needed to destroy no matter what. However, that had a steep price, and when all was said and done, I was almost broke. Fortunately, I would have a chance to get some of my money back, in a mission that would change my life."

-"It was then when you faced Dimitri Heinreich, i.e., Indigo 1, right?"-asked Thompson.

-"Certainly. However, before he and his squadron arrived to Area B7R, we took out some of the fighters patrolling the area."-answered Hildebrand.-"But as you know, what easy comes, easy goes. Shortly after our AWACS' warning, four JAS-39C Gripens of the Indigo Squadron attacked us, and it took us quite a while to gain the upper hand. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I guess I was a bit to blame for that. I hesitated to shoot them down, since even then, I wanted to cause as little damage as possible. If it hadn't been for Larry, I would have been killed back then. Despite that, we won, taking down two Gripens each."

-"That was a close call, right?"-asked Thompson.-"But in the end, you managed to survive the ordeal, and you were rewarded."

-"Absolutely. It was not very often you got to come toe to toe with a Belkan ace squadron and live to tell the tale."-replied Hildebrand.-"Back in the base, Larry and I were received like heroes, but I was a bit ashamed, since I almost got both of us killed, as Larry reminded me some time before we landed on Valais, but all he did was to tell me that next time I was not to be too merciful. Especially since that mission over Area B7R turned out to be just a diversionary one."

-"Yeah, it was a mission to give the Osean Forces an opening, right?"-stated Thompson.

-"Both Larry and I were livid. I mean, we knew it was our duty, but the higher-ups could have been nice enough to tell us beforehand."-retorted Hildebrand.-"Later, Larry and I were sent to the Futuro Canal to take part on the Offensive Campaign 4101."

-"Which was your role in it?"-questioned Thompson.

-"I chose to participate on the Operation Gelnikos."-answered Hildebrand.-"Larry and I were task. There was a small problem, however; the amount of fuel tanks could lead to an unnecessary amount of destruction if careful fire discipline was not taken. But using missiles on the anti-aircraft weapons and jamming facilities instead of heavy bombs was a good alternative. The enemy was taken out, and nothing else was destroyed. I also let damaged enemy aircraft to retire if they had no other choice."

-"That's very nice of you, Erich."-said Thompson.-"I don't know if the Belkans saw it that way, though."

-"Well, even if they didn't. It was my standpoint. Taking out a defenceless enemy is an act of sheer cowardice."-replied Hildebrand.-"My next mission took place over Solis Ortus, where we had to protect some cargo planes of the 101st Airborne Division of Osea. I didn't drop a single bomb, but I still cleared the area of anti-aircraft units, and the interceptors sent to shoot down the cargo planes were either shot down or too damaged to continue their mission."

-"Did you operate the same way when you liberated Directus?"-asked Thompson.

-"Of course. Killing the civilians of the same country I was serving would have been even worse than killing a retreating enemy."-replied Hildebrand.-"Standard missiles were accurate enough to take down most of the ground units, and I strafed those who did not go down with a single missile, taking extreme care to avoid hitting civilian buildings. The Belkan planes and helicopters, on the other hand, were shot down with air-to-air missiles. It was exciting to see the Ustians cheering us up while we drove the Belkans back. However, just after we secured Directus' airspace, the Coupled Cormorants appeared, as if to challenge our air supremacy."

-"Coupled Cormorants?"-asked Thompson.

-"The Gelb Team. Those two pilots were tough as nails, and second to no one when it came to air-to-air combat."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was not enough that they piloted Su-37s, which were fast and maneuverable, but they also had backward-firing missiles, which were very close to hitting me a handful of times. They fought like true warriors, but in the end, Larry and I survived. And at least one of them, Gelb 2, managed to live too."

-"What are your thoughts of the other aces, by the way?"-said Thompson.

-"Well, let's start with the aces we've talked about so far, starting with Dimitri Heinreich. He was right about me being naive back then, for which I will give him credit, and I've matured since then, but generosity is a must for knights, something I see he disagrees with."-said Hildebrand.-"In the case of Rainier Rainier, I'm glad he survived, and I'm willing to give him my condolences for the loss of his flight lead if I see him, since I know how it feels to lose a brother in arms. Regarding Larry, I saw that, in the documentary, he said that I was blessed by the goddess of war, and I completely disagree with that. The goddess of war does not bless, but curses, and those cursed by her are almost certain to live the rest of their lives in constant torment and despair."

-"That's so takes its psychological toll on soldiers more often than not."-said Thompson.-"Now, back to the issue of the liberation of Directus..."

-"Oh, yeah. I was glad the war was over."-said Hildebrand.-"For a moment there, I thought I could finally retire in peace."

-"But I guess that would not be the case."-guessed Thompson.

-"Bingo. I was livid when I heard that we had a mission over Glatisant, a fortress at the peak of Mt Ivrea, to destroy anti-aircraft artillery and secure the area for a so-called nuclear inspection. Both Larry and I knew it was a ruse, though, and neither of us was happy about it, and we weren't subtle about our complaints. To make matters worse, we had no choice but to bomb a gargantuan amount of archaeological heritage to the Stone Age."-said Hildebrand.-"Although the mission seemed successful, we heard that an entire squadron had gone up in smoke during the mission over Ustio's border. We didn't know it, but it was the first blow of the Excalibur."

-"Excalibur?"-asked Thompson, baffled.

-"Before I elaborate on the Excalibur, I must explain what happened during the next mission."-said Hildebrand.-"Larry and I were sent to establish air superiority over the Schayne Plains to secure a route for a group of transports. When we reached the combat area Larry said that there was not much difference between the countries from the air. Physically-wise, he was right, but try to tell that to the Belkans while you're in the cockpit of a fighter loaded with air-to-air missiles."

-"That's true. I guess the Belkan forces would kill you rather than reason with you in that case."-replied Thompson.-"So, how did the mission go?"

-"Well, at first, it was just another day in paradise. By-the-book air-to-air combat, helping out ally pilots whose aircrafts had been damaged, letting go enemies too weakened to fight back... It didn't seem like anything could go wrong at all."-answered Hildebrand.-"However, the entire battle was the calm before the storm all along. While we escorted the cargo planes so they could land safely, a white flash of light whizzed through the sky, and in the next second, three of the transports exploded. To make matters worse, a laser beam fired intermittently over the area began to shoot down the remaining Allied aircraft. It was then when everyone in the area realized shit had gone south, and that all we could do was get out of the area as soon as possible. In the end, however, only Foulke and I managed to escape alive. When we reached a secure area, I told him: "There's no way anyone could consider this mission a success, my friend. Belka may have found a way to fight back after all."."

-"Only you two managed to survive?"-asked Thompson.-"Did the Ustian Air Force receive any reinforcements after that?"

-"Actually, we did. A small squadron of F-16C pilots. The Crow squadron. It was then when I met Patrick James Beckett. He was even more idealistic than Foulke, and that threshold was vast."-answered Hildebrand.-"The first time the Crow and Galm squadron were deployed together was during the attack on Excalibur."

-"You've mentioned this "Excalibur" thing a handful of times."-observed Thompson.-"Could you please explain what it is?"

-"Of course. After all, I was just getting to it. Excalibur was a chemical laser weapon used for long-range interception of ICMBs and, later, aircraft."-replied Hildebrand.-"Before we began our mission, our flight was detected and the Excalibur fired on us, destroying the tanker assignated to us. The two flights headed to attack the four ECM stations that provided cover to Excalibur. It was relatively swift, considering that the Excalibur fired on us at regular intervals, and that we had to change course to avoid being fried by the laser."

-"But in the end, you made it, right?"-said Thompson.

-"Brett, I swear, if I hadn't made it, history as we know it would have been dramatically different."-chuckled Hildebrand."-I have to admit, though, I was spellbound by Excalibur's size. Did you hear of Gaiuss Tower, in Aurelia? The skyscraper built as a symbol of Aurelia's peace? Well, turns out Excalibur was almost as tall as Gaiuss Tower, according to data recovered after the war. When we reached Excalibur, however, it was not only the superweapon itself what we had to worry about, but also a myriad of triple A units, rail-based lasers, and even some fighters. But in the end, I managed to destroy the goddamn Excalibur, and that March 23rd 1995, I was known as "the man who pulled the sword of Tauberg"."

-"So, you had quite the reputiation after that."-guessed Thompson.-"People even called you "The Demon Lord of the Round Table"."

-"Actually, I fought three times over Area B7R, the area known as "The Round Table"."-said Hildebrand.-"The second time, which would turn out to be the last time I would fight over Area B7R during the Belkan War, was the largest air-to-air battle in all of history so far. It had began with an Osean Air Force surprise attack, which turned south as soon as the Belkan Air Force retaliated. Before Larry, the Crow squadron and I reached the operation area, Osea had lost over 40% of their fighters. To me, it was a chance to prove that, although I was deadly, I was not a cold-blooded killer. However, I heard a handful of things over the radio. It was then when I was refered to as a "Demon" for the first time by the Belkans, the first time I heard the Wizard and Sorcerer squadrons, and the time where I began to find out what kind of men Larry and Beckett were. Beckett said that he was fighting for peace, but to Foulke, there was no peace in war. I agreed with Patrick more than I did with Larry. After all, all it takes for the bad guys to win is that the good guys do nothing. But soon, I would not have time to worry about all that stuff."

-"The Silber squadron, right?"-guessed Thompson.

-"Exactly; the squadron comprised of four freshmen and their legendary leader, Dietrich Kellerman."-replied Hildebrand.-"To me, it was the chance of a lifetime, for Dietrich had just been brought back to the frontlines to bolster the Belkans' morale. As you know, I lived in Belka before I left for Ustio, and despite all the strife, I admired Dietrich as a pilot and as a person. He was not idealistic per se, bu he had a good set of rules, and he cared for his "students". His squadron had some admirable equipment: Dietrich flew an F-4E Phantom II with a zebra-style camo and a shark mouth, and his four students flew 4 F-16C Fighting Falcons with a similar paintjob, sans the shark mouth. His students were not nearly as skilled as he was, but they were only one or two missions away from becoming true pilots. I'm actually a bit sad for them; had they not fought me, they would have lived to become great pilots. Both Larry and Patrick were surprised by Dietrich's skills, and I'm not gonna lie, he was impressive. Despite that, I won the battle, shooting Dietrich down before his students suffered the same fate."

-"And, after that operation, you became the Demon Lord of the Round Table."-said Thompson.

-"You can say that again. I actually feel bad for Dietrich, since he lost most of his students in that battle."-said Hildebrand.-"The next mission was simple: escorting a flight of Osean B-52s during a bombing over Hoffnung."

-"Oh, yeah, that infamous mission."-said Thompson.-"Please tell me you at least did not attack civilians."

-"Of course I didn't. That mission should have never taken place. I started having second thoughts about the mission when I heard the bomber crews prioritize destruction over accuracy. Those guys tossed bombs like flyers all over the place, and it's even rumored than a Tomahawk missile hit Hoffnung too. It was nauseating."-answered Hildebrand.-"Larry and Patrick bickered about the nature of both the mission and war all the time during the attack. It was the bombers which caused most of the damage, whereas I took down most of the aircraft in the area, even some stealth fighters and jammer aircraft sent to take out the bombers. I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I let a single bomber be shot down for their reckless bombing. When we returned to Valais Air Base, Larry and I talked about the mission. I said that, even though I hated to say it, we still had a duty to fulfill with Ustio. He retaliated by saying I was doing a poor job if I allowed a whole bomber crew to die. My answer to that was: "Just one crew, Larry! Are you gonna compare that to only God knows how many innocent civilians killed during this reckless bombing? This is not war, it's sheer, unfettered madness. I like it as little, if not less than you, my friend. All we can do for now is pray to never be assigned to such a mission ever again." After that, I retired to my room, leaving Larry brooding about the mission. Which takes us to that fateful day."

-"June 6th, 1995."-said Thompson.-"I saw it in the news back then. 12000 victims."

-"I had just turned 25 that day."-said Hildebrand.-"It was supposed to be a mission over Sudentor, just another day in paradise. Larry seemed a bit off that day; he was lagging behind me and the Crow team. Before we began, we received a message from HQ. A group of Belkan bombers loaded with nukes had taken off. We engaged the bombers, which were a group of Bm-335s and F-15Es, without even knowing which ones were carrying the nukes. Meanwhile, a group of Belkan MiG-31s engaged the bombers. It gave me hope to see that even some Belkans opposed such madness. After destroying all them, I thought we were in the clear, but boy, oh boy, how wrong I was."

-"How bad was it?"-asked Thompson.

-"Well, one moment we were celebrating our victory, and the next, everything went white, and chaos ensued."-said Hildebrand.-"Our AWACS was frantically trying to comunicate with us, but before we could make head or tails about the situation, I overheard a conversation between Larry and some unknown pilot, and after Larry said "Buddy, I've found a reason to fight.", my missile alarm went off. I evaded the missile, looked behind me and saw that the guy firing on me was my own wingman."

-"Are you serious?"-asked Thompson, baffled.-"I mean, I know you guys became enemies later, but for Foulke to actually fire on you..."

-"Oh, believe me, I was as surprised as you back then."-replied Hildebrand.-"Then I heard that Belkan reinforcements were en route to our position, and while I was taking them out, Larry took his chance to escape. The last thing he said was "This is where we go our separate ways." to what I replied "Larry, why did you do this? What is your reason to fight?"."

-"So, what happened after that, Erich?"-asked Thompson.

-"I was transfered along with Patrick to Heierlark Base in Osea for an attack on Yering Mine's vicinity, near Mount Schirm, to take out various Belkan divisions that refused to surrender."-answered Hildebrand.-"It was nothing much, just yet another multirole mission, but at the beginning, Patrick began talking about his life. I mean, he was a nice, likable guy, but his idle chatter and his love for polo could wait until we returned to base. I told him "Patrick, I'm more than willing to listen to your stories, but please, wait until after we finishi this mission." He got the message, since he barely said anything irrelevant during the mission. However, although we took out almost everything in the area, we missed a large hangar, which hid something that would turn out to be a huge threat months later."

-"The XB-0, from A World With No Boundaries."-guessed Thompson.

-"You're right. But before that, we had yet another mission, this time over Anfang, to maintain air superiority over the area after the Mercury and Mars teams finished their missions, during the peace ceremony in Lumen."-said Hildebrand.-"Patrick kept repeating that there were too many forces to be mere remnant Belkan forces. Also, they fought too ferociously, as if the war had not ended for them and they kept blaming me for everything that had happened to Belka. However, after that mission, I was by all intents and purposes, out of the job. The Ustio government was supposedly discussing our future in the Air Force, but I thought that was a mere formality. For six months, things were really quiet, and I was a bit glad, since tha meant it was over. But on December 25th, just six days before we were due to get word of our future, the XB-0 Hresvelgr attacked our base."

-"The XB-0 attacked the base!?"-asked Thompson.-"It must have been utter chaos there."

-"It was as if the gates of Hell opened over our heads and poured a shower of white hot steel."-replied Hildebrand.-"Even I was taken aback by its size while I waited for clearence for takeoff. Luckily for Beckett and I, the runway remained almost intact, although almost of the anti-aircraft guns had been strafed by the XB-0 and its escorts."

-"Among them, the Espada Team, right?"-asked Thompson.

-"In fact, we had to fight them before we could even fire on the XB-0. And even reaching the airspace where it was took us a bit. On our way, Patrick and I flew over the area where the nukes were detonated back on June. Only by sheer power of will I managed to avoid vomiting at the thought of what the victims had to endure. Finally, we got visual on the XB-0 over the Waldreich Mountains, heading north in an attempt to escape."-explained Hildebrand.-"At that moment, the Espada Team, a couple of Sapin Air Force pilots, engaged us. Our AWACS and Patrick tried to reason with them, and I vainly hoped it worked. I counterattacked and shot down the flight lead, Alberto López, who piloted a J35J with a red paintjob, black radome and dorsal stripe, and yellow stripes in an X on the wings. The other pilot, Marcela Vasquez, piloting a Rafale M with a dark grey paintjob, red stabilizer, and red and yellow stripes on the wings, tried to avenge her fallen comrade, but didn't last long either. The rest of the escorts were even easier. Among them, a couple of B-2As, which at best, were only a distraction."

-"Maybe that's what AWWNB was looking for."-suggested Thompson.-"Also, since they attacked Lumen before attacking Valais, they were involved in the bombing too."

-"Hmm, now that you mention it, you're probably right, Brett. But then again, in the best case scenario, those bombers only made me waste a handful of seconds. Not even enough to give the XB-0 room to escape. I have to admit, however, that the XB-0 itself was really well-armed. As soon as we got close enough, Patrick and I were greeted with a storm of AA rounds and air-to-air missiles."-replied Hildebrand.-"It was no easy task, but in the end, Patrick and I destroyed all the anti-aircraft artillery and the engines, before I attacked the cockpit, dealing the final blow to that blasted airborne fortress. After that, however, we received a coded message that caught me completely off-guard."

-"From Larry, I guess."-supposed Thompson.

-"Well, the message was "Yo, Buddy. You still alive?", so you can imagine I assumed that it was him."-said Hildebrand.-"At first, I was so shocked I couldn't even speak. Seconds later, however, that surprise gave way to sadness; Larry, who betrayed me only months before, had returned to the battlefield, and fighting for the enemy, no less."

-"I see. That must have been traumatic for you, Erich."-observed Thompson.-"What happened next?"

-"Patrick and I sortied on a final mission against A World With No Boundaries. Their HQ was on Avalon Dam, where they intended to launch a new type of missile, the V2, to blackmail the world into doing their bidding."-answered Hildebrand.-"Before that, Patrick and I flew over Area B7R, which was supposedly a shortcut to our destination. However, while we were over Area B7R, we were attacked by the Wizard Squadron, led by Joshua Bristow. F-16XLs sporting a grayish blue paintjob and blue trims attacked us, or that's how it seemed at first. Another group of YF-23 Black Widow Iis, sporting a darker grey paintjob, but the same kind of trims, ambushed us from behind. It was an intense fight, and Joshua was hellbent on shooting me down, but in the end, I defeated him. However, his ideals remained intact."

-"Yes, he did not forfeit his ideals. He even attempted to commit a terrorist attack on Osea, and he's now serving time in prison for it."-said Thompson.-"So, after that encounter..."

-"Patrick and I rendezvous with the tankers to refuel before the final attack on Avalon Dam."-said Hildebrand.-"The tanker pilot asked us why we were late, and I replied "I'm sorry, we were ambushed by YF-23s and F-16XL over Area B7R, and we had to fight our way through." After that, Patrick and I flew through a canyon while a group of Osean fighters drew the triple A over themselves. Yes, the Avalon Dam facility was covered by a massive anti-aircraft defence network, and not even I was willing to fly through that. The canyon, dangerous as it was, was the safe option."

-"Was it difficult?"-asked Thompson.

-"AA guns, SAM launchers, pileboxes, enemy aircraft... A World With No Boundaries was pouring everything in that operation. The Osean forces had been almost completely eliminated by the time Patrick and I reached the dam."-explained Hildebrand.-"Since we took the safe way, it was easy for ys. I flew into the missile silos to destroy them, while Patrick crossed all targets that could have attacked me during my way out of the silos. A couple of runs was enough to destroy all of them, and, while our AWACS assertained the situation, Patrick explained that he was going to marry his girlfriend, to who he had bought flowers, and I wished him the best. And just at that moment, things took a turn for the worse."

-"What do you mean?"-said Thompson.

-"Suddenly, our AWACS told us that there was a bandit heading fast towards us. Patrick then broke hard left. Whether it was to evade the attack or to protect me, I'll never know. At that moment, a laser hit his F-16C right under the canopy, and Beckett drifted off and his plane exploded."-said Hildebrand.-"I screamed his name over the radio hoping he was alive, but when I realized what had just happened, my heart froze: my new wingman and friend, who had yet to propose to the love of his life, had just been killed instead of me. And then, over the radio, an all too familiar voice said some words that will be etched in my memory forever: "So, have you found a reason to fight yet? Buddy.""

-"Larry Foulke, I guess."-sighed Thompson.

-"You couldn't be any more right. And for the first time in my life, I felt truly angry at an enemy. He had taken his life, instead of mine, all just because of one simple mistake."-replied Hildebrand.-"I have to admit, however, his aircraft, which had forward swept wings, and some sort of laser pod over its fuselage, and also sported Foulke's paintjob, was as beautiful as it was deadly. Larry used his aircraft's laser, which he could aim anywhere to its front, to try and kill me as he did to Patrick, as he rambled about his ideals and the uselessness of borders. He knew that I liked borders as little as he did, but the way he tried to get rid of them was not the right one. I eventually managed to destroy his laser pod, despite his ferocious attacks. But then, Larry pulled out another superweapon: some missile that could clear an entire area with a huge explosion."

-"Nuclear air-to-air missiles, maybe?"-asked Thompson.

-"Not exactly. Unlike back in Sudentor, my F-15C's avionics didn't go apeshit. But believe me, as far as firepower goes, these new missiles packed quite a wallop. They weren't accurate by any means, but I'm sure that just one of those missiles would have been enough to wipe out an entire bomber squadron."-answered Hildebrand.-"I managed to damage Larry's aircraft enough to make him ditch his missiles, but that's when he resorted to launching the V2."

-"No way!"-gasped Thompson.-"He actually managed to launch it?"

-"Not only that, but shooting down Larry was the only way to stop the missile, since it entered boost phase in an instant, and not even my F-15C could catch up with it. To add insult to injury, his aircraft's only weak points were the engine air intakes. That's when Larry made the most of his aircraft, whose codename was Morgan."-said Hildebrand.-"We attacked each other headon, while Larry said that we were two sides of the same coin, that when we faced each other we saw our true selves, and that while there was some resemblance, we never faced the same direction. And he was right, however, but now all I could do was fight back or be killed. I was not the only one who managed to land some hits, though; I ended up losing part of my left wing in the combat."

-"Really?"-asked Thompson.-"How much did you lose?"

-"I'd say that I lost 15% to 20% of my total wingspan. Not as much as Larry had lost back in his day, but I could feel the controls were a bit stiff."-replied Hildebrand.-"But in the end, I won that last battle. Larry fought back until the very last second, to the point where he tried to collide with me when he lost control of the Morgan. I dodged him, and shortly after that, his aircraft exploded. Despite all he had done, when I saw him go down, I did feel a bit sad. To all intents and purposes, I had lost a friend and shot down another one."

-"Before we end this, I'd like to hear your opinion of Vasquez, Bristow and Foulke."-said Thompson.

-"I'll start with Marcela. I'm sad things went out the way they did. Alberto had a second chance in life, and he should have taken it, instead of returning to the battlefield; I'm pretty sure Marcela would have thanked him if he had. As for Joshua, I partially agree with him. The world is in constant change. All it takes is the will of a single man, but if done the wrong way, the change can be more often than not detrimental for the innocent."-said Hildebrand, as he took the last sip of his wine cup.-"And finally, let's talk about Larry. Our fight is over, despite the tragedy that set us against each other. I've come to terms with everything, and I'm glad he survived. I also hope he eventually finds out whether borders are meant to be or not."

-"So, what did you do after A World With No Boundaries was eliminated?"-asked Thompson.

-"I became a regular for the Ustian Air Force as an instructor for five years. After that, I sold my aircraft to the National Aeronautics Museum of Directus to be displayed permanently, after eliminating the name of the pilot."-replied Hildebrand.-"With the remaining money I had, I settled down here, trying to live a tranquil life. But then I met a certain person."

-"Who?"-asked Thompson.

-"A doctor called Erica Granger. I had a car accident three years ago and she was one of the doctors tasked with taking care of my injuries."-replied Hildebrand.-"She was nice, and more curious about me than the rest of the doctors. Eventually, Erica found out who I was, and despite that, she treated me as if I was any other person. She didn't care that I was the Demon Lord, or about my money. She saw me for who I really was; a Belkan who only wished to live a normal life."

-"How did things go?"-asked Thompson.

-"We hit it off shortly after I got out of the hospital, and we've been a couple since at least two and a half years."-answered Hildebrand.-"We're still considering marriage, but things are looking good for now."

-"I hope you eventually do."-said Thompson.-"Thank you for the interview, Erich."

-"No problem."-said Hildebrand. He then said.-"You know what? You actually trusted me without knowing me or my true intentions, and I can't just do nothing in return. Regarding our interview's privacy, I'll take it back. Feel free to write an article about it, if you feel like it."

-"Really!?."-asked Thompson, overjoyed.-"I'm so glad! I still have second thoughts about it. Maybe your story was never meant to be known to the public."

-"It's up to you, whatever you choose to do."-said Hildebrand.-"The next flight to Oured is scheduled at dusk, so since we have a whole afternoon before us, it would be very impolite of me to chase you off of my house now. And by the looks of the time, it seems like Erica is going to get home very soon."

Some minutes later, around 14:35 hours, a woman with shoulder-length light brown hair and chocolate brown eyes entered the house.

-"Erich! I'm here!"-the woman said, as Hildebrand headed towards her and kissed her passionately. She then turned to their guest.-"Who is this lovely gentleman?"

-"Erica, this is Brett Thompson. Let's say he is a new friend I made."-said Hildebrand, introducing them.-"Brett, this is Erica Granger, my girlfriend."

-"Pleased to meet you, Ms. Granger."-said Thompson, as they kissed on their cheeks.-"I came here to talk with Erich about the Belkan War."

-"You're Brett Thompson, the author of "Warriors and the Belkan War", right?"-said Granger.-"Erich told me he had sent an email to someone to talk about the Belkan War. He always said he needed to get it off his chest."

-"I guess. Something like that is not an easy thing to live with."-Thompson pointed out.-"I don't mean anything bad, though."

-"Don't worry. You can't change the past, and you can't foresee the future, so we need to enjoy the present."-said Hildebrand.

-"Always so positive. That's one of your best traits, Erich."-said Granger.

-"I'm still no better than someone who loves another person not for their fame or their money, but for who they are."-replied Hildebrand, kissing Granger again. He then turned to Thompson.-"Brett, the next flight to Oured leaves at dusk, so you can stay here if you want. I'll tell you everything I explained before if you decide to write an article."

-"Thank you for everything, Erich."-said Thompson.-"I'll write down an article about you, but I'll do my best to keep your identity a secret."

While Granger had lunch, Erich and Thompson worked on the article about the Demon Lord. Shortly after they started, Granger joined them, and together they finished the article at around 16:30 PM. Thompson had kept his word of not giving away Hildebrand's identity, despite all the information he had written about the Belkan War and the Demon Lord's missions.

-"The Demon Lord is not that much of a demon; in fact he's more humane than most self-appointed knights."-Thompson mused while he was writing the article.-"He fought for what he believed in and respected his enemies, even if they looked down their nose at him."

At 7:30 AM, Hildebrand and Granger took Thompson to the airport.

-"I hope your time here in Directus was good."-said Hildebrand.-"If you need anything, give me a call. Regarding the Belkan War, however, there's not much more about it than I already told you, so I would just be repeating myself over and over."

-"Thank you again for everything."-said Thompson, shaking Hildebrand's hand.-"I'll keep it in mind."

-"You're welcome to visit us anytime."-said Granger.-"As Erich said, give us a call. We'll pick you up here if you do."

After that, at 9:55, Thompson was on his way back to Osea.

-"All these answers finally bring my search for the Demon Lord to a close. However, the best thing is that I came here looking for a legend and found two new friends."-he though, as he stared outside of the airliner's window next to his seat and into the sunset.-"Erich, Erica, I hope I see you again soon."

One year later...

Brett Thompson's new article, "The Truth behind the Demon Lord", published on August 7th 2008, had turned out to be a critical and financial success. It brought a new interest in the subject of the Belkan War and the air combats during it, despite not revealing the Demon Lord's identity by any means.

Erich Hildebrand and Erica Granger married on a small church in Directus on July 15th 2009, and many friends of both Hildebrand and Erica attended the wedding, including one of the people who influenced the most in Hildebrand's life.

Larry Foulke.

He had not been officially invited to the wedding, but his presence was not unwelcome by any means. Nobody seemed to know, or even care, that he and Hildebrand had almost killed each other years ago.

Foulke had approached Hildebrand and Granger shortly after they retreated to the shore of a small lake at the resort where the banquet was being held.

-"Yo, buddy. Congratulations."-he said.

-"Larry!"-said Hildebrand, surprised.-"Fancy seeing you here. How're you doing?"

-"Well, things have been quite calm recently. You can say it's kinda like the calm before the storm."-said Foulke.

-"How come?"-asked Hildebrand.

-"It's always been that way, Buddy. Not that I like it anyway."-replied Foulke.-"As long as there are men there will be wars."

-"It makes sense."-said Hildebrand.-"But today is not the day to ponder about such things."

-"Most certainly."-said Foulke.-"You're quite a lucky guy, by the way. Your wife is beautiful."

-"Aw, are you always that flattering, Larry?"-replied Granger, amused.-"How is it possible that someone like you is still single?"

-"You know why, Erica."-quipped Hildebrand.-"He's already married to war."

-"Hey, weren't you saying that we shouldn't be thinking about war and whatnot?"-asked Foulke.

-"Of course, and I'm still holding on to what I said."-answered Hildebrand.-"You were going on about your ideals, with which I agree, by the way, while I only answered my wife's question."

-"You're still as sharp as that day of April, Erich."-said Foulke.-"By the way, I'm sorry things went down the way they did."

-"No need to apologize, my friend. I know it was not a good time, but Patrick would have wanted things to go right."-said Hildebrand.-"It's best if we focus on the present and live our lives according to our ideals."

-"I wouldn't have said it better."-replied Foulke.-"So, was it right that the kid admired me, despite everything?"

-"You have no idea."-answered Hildebrand, with a slightly melancholic amusement.-"He never stopped talking about you, even when you..."

-"Yeah, I know. And looking back, I'm not proud of it."-said Foulke.-"I made mistakes, and I'm still trying to amend them."

-"At least you're trying. The worst people are the ones that don't let go of their hate."-said Hildebrand.

Hildebrand, Granger, and Foulke kept talking for a while more before returning to the banquet, making the most of the couple's most special day...

Knight ending of Chronicles of a Demon. Way behind schedule, I might say, but real life takes toll on my time. I've also started taking classes of Budo Taijutsu this month. With a bit of luck, the sequel to Joint Assault will begin to be published this winter, hopefully. I still have to come up with a decent list of aircraft and weapons. In a final note, I'm uploading some pics of some customized planes in Assault Horizon in my Steam Account. Check them out and give some feedback. Good luck and take care. See you next time