Above Kosma

While Tokyo was focused on Seoul, Paris had already taken Rome and was already almost finished with Istanbul. Louis Delacroix, the Blue Knight, was leading the French army and was being assisted by the German army. However, the most terrifying thing was Louis’s Ability which allegedly let him wipe out an entire army by himself. Once he was finished with Istanbul, Russia would be next, and then finally Tokyo.

Fortunately, Tokyo wouldn’t be fighting Paris, at least not yet. After declaring war on London, New York allied themselves with the French and Jack then opened the door for Tokyo to join the coalition. Keitaro and Toko were now preparing for a diplomatic trip to Paris to finalize the agreement.

The trip would be short. They would arrive at night, go to sleep, spend a full day in Paris, and then leave early the next morning. The Blue Knight was off on a campaign, so they would instead be negotiating exclusively with the Blue Maiden, Sylvie Marche, who was still in Paris.

However, there were still a few matters to attend to before they left.

“Come on, can you please let me join you?”

Kyoungjong Yang had lost his lord, and while he was arrested afterwards, he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel yet and was now begging to be employed by Keitaro.

“And why would I do that?”

“Think about it. The people of Seoul hate you right now. Even if they submit, they won’t like it. Don’t you feel like a fellow Korean will help smooth things over with them?”

While he made a decent point, Keitaro didn’t like the idea of putting his faith in such a turncoat. Still, their occupation had hit a few snags. Having more of the natives on their side would be very useful.

“Fine. But this doesn't make you a free man. You’ll be serving under Souji Okita.”

With a smirk, Yang bowed his head. “Thank you, sir…”

Musashi leaned over. “My lord, are you sure this is a good idea?” He didn’t trust Yang one bit.

“Haven’t you read Sun Tzu? Enemy defectors can be very useful.”

“Yes, but he’s still a traitor.”

“Maybe, but that’s why I’m going to have Okita keep a close watch on him. If he tries anything funny, we’ll just throw him in prison.”

With that taken care of, Keitaro returned to his and Toko’s room with Musashi.

“Keitaro, y-you’re back.” Toko was packing, although her suitcase was mostly empty, filled with just the essentials and some manga.

“We’re scheduled to leave in an hour. Are you ready, Keitaro?” Tomoe asked him.

“No. There’s one last thing we need to do…” Keitaro looked right at Tomoe. “I believe a delivery should’ve arrived while I was gone.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Bending down, she picked up two boxes. “What did you order?”

With a smirk, he replied, “Something very important… Here, Toko. Catch.” He tossed the second box to his sister.

While Keitaro and Toko preferred casual clothes, they had to wear formal attire for their official duties and military fatigues for combat. However, Keitaro believed that they needed an overhaul to their wardrobe. Something that portrayed them as both noble leaders and fierce warriors. Something functional, stylish, and formal.

After a quick change, Keitaro and Toko emerged dressed in matching sleek black outfits. Both very similar, resembling a military officer’s uniform. Each had a jacket, a cloak, boots, and a peaked cap with the only big difference being that Keitaro wore pants and Toko wore a long skirt.

Keitaro’s cloak swayed as he hit a dramatic pose, “Pretty cool, right? I had these custom made by one of Tokyo’s top tailors. Perfectly fitted for our bodies, expertly designed for both in and out combat, and produced with only the finest materials available.”

Musashi looked him up and down, cringing. “You look like an anime villain…”

“Exactly!” Keitaro grinned. “These new uniforms give us an aura of strength!”

Sighing, he pleaded, “I think you should just stick with a suit.”

“Nope.” Keitaro adjusted his cap so that the brim covered his face.

Tomoe clapped her hands and smiled. “I think it makes you look really handsome.”

“See!” He gestured at her. “Someone’s got good taste.”

Meanwhile, Toko was looking at herself in the mirror. It was a bit embarrassing, but she did like it. While it was a criticism from Musashi, looking like an anime villain did boost her confidence.

***

The trip to Paris would be made at night with Tokyo’s airship. Known as the Yamato, it was similar to New York’s Columbia, but it had a less industrial, more regal design with some traditional Japanese flair. The interior was fairly luxurious, albeit not very spacious.

For Keitaro, however, the most important thing was just the fact that he was riding in an airship.

It had always been a dream of his ever since he was a boy to go in one, and here he was. He marveled at every detail, and while he was still his jaded self, his eyes shined like he was a little kid. “Without question, this has to be the coolest thing ever.” he said after getting a tour of the cockpit.

Toko wasn’t that interested herself, but just seeing her younger brother so excited brought a smile to her face.

After some time, Keitaro calmed down a bit, opting to stand by the window in the lounge and watch the view with Toko. From way up in the night sky, they could see all of Kosma, although it was difficult to tell the difference between the cities from so high up, but Keitaro still could, especially if he focused on specific landmarks like the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben.

The city of Kosma was effectively a big circle separated into eleven slices like a giant pie. Each city had their own slice, the looping order being New York, London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Istanbul, Moscow, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Rio.

However, two cities particularly stuck out like a sore thumb…

Rome and Istanbul had been ravaged. Keitaro felt guilty about what he did to Seoul, but that looked like a car accident compared to the state that those two cities were in. Most of the buildings had been destroyed, and there was even significant damage to landmarks such as the Colosseum.

Toko whispered, “It looks like a scene out of a video game…”

At the very least, the fighting seemed to have stopped in Istanbul, although that only meant that Moscow was next and thus even more devastation.

As they entered French airspace, passing the Eiffel Tower, Keitaro said, “You know, I always wanted to travel the world. I didn’t think this is how I’d do it.”

Toko chuckled. “I guess not…”

They stood still, looking down at the city until a familiar voice was heard. “Keitaro. Toko.” Musashi had walked up behind them. “We’ll be landing shortly.”

“Got it.”

The airship began dropping as it approached the Palace of Versailles. Keitaro didn’t trust much in the old world, and even less in this one, but he knew that inside that Grand Palace is where Tokyo’s destiny would be forged.