"Your Majesty, we've arrived on Earth."
A woman with short pink hair sat weakly in a wheelchair—this was Lemrina, younger sister of Queen Asseylum Vers Allusia. She was the second in line to inherit the throne of the Vers Empire. But now she had cut ties with the empire and had been named Second Queen by the surviving Orbital Knight families. In truth, she was nothing more than a puppet, kept around to maintain the Aldnoah Drive on the moon.
Born with a congenital disability, the second princess had never been loved by her parents or grandfather. She called herself "the mistake born on the moon." She was deeply jealous of her older sister. Her life had always been unlucky. After the moon was repaired, she was brought to Earth, forced to live under Earth's gravity, and now couldn't even leave her wheelchair.
She could already sense it—the fall of the Vers Empire. This was her first time ever setting foot on Earth since birth. The sky was so blue. Compared to the pitch-black moon, Earth truly was beautiful. But what was the point? She was a fallen queen, never crowned through proper succession. Aside from a few loyal Orbital Knight families, no one supported her.
Now, the United Government had sent troops into the Vers Empire for a full purge—dismantling their army, destroying all weapons. From here on out, the empire would no longer be a complete nation. No army meant no ability to wage war. The queen actually felt relief about this. Without weapons, there'd be no more war. Long live peace. As for the common people of Vers being upset? That had nothing to do with her. She could keep making money from nobles by trading Aldnoah tech and go on living in wealth and luxury.
Asseylum publicly expressed regret over the Orbital Knights' rebellion and supported the Earth United Government's crackdown. With the moon restored, the Orbital Knights had been crushed in full retreat. Most of them were wiped out by Earth forces. The few survivors escaped to Earth, thinking the moon's collapse had been caused by some secret Earth weapon. But once they arrived, they realized Earth's people were just as clueless.
Now Lemrina lived in a run-down apartment, spending every day staring out the window, watching the colorful lives of Earth's citizens. She envied them. What was even the point of her being queen anymore? The Orbital Knights had to go find jobs just to support her disabled self. There was no royal dignity left.
"Why do these Earthlings get to live like this?!" Lemrina growled through clenched teeth. Even now, she hadn't realized just how wrong her father's "superior Martian race" propaganda had been.
Today, a Martian knight was stopped by a patrol cop. Nervous, he slipped up. The officer quickly figured out he was a Martian. The hunt began.
The knights still loyal to Lemrina rushed back to the apartment, wheeling her out to relocate fast.
"What's going on, Lord Mazkaru?" Lemrina still hadn't understood how dangerous her position was on Earth. To them, she was the enemy. A wanted criminal.
"Krush got exposed. Earth's police will be here soon. We have to move," Mazkaru said. Though a count himself, he only had a couple of men left. More people meant higher risk. So he had split from the others to hide the queen on his own.
"Where are we going now?"
"Your Majesty, I'll take you to Count Kaitratze. He'll protect you."
A car pulled up. Mazkaru helped the princess into it and told the men who came to help, "Make sure Her Majesty gets to safety—even if it costs your life."
"Lord Mazkaru, what about you?"
"I'll draw those damn Earthlings away," Mazkaru said. "Your Majesty, go—now." He could already hear the sirens.
Woooo—
"Go!"
The car took off, the driver nervously speeding the queen away from the city. Mazkaru turned back to activate his own mecha—a powerful machine capable of generating storms.
"Even if it costs my life, I'll protect the last honor of our Martian knight families. Her Majesty must not be harmed. Die, Earth police!"
Boom!
"It's a Martian spy—call the military!" The police couldn't handle something like this. They weren't equipped like Mobile Police. Only the army had mechas.
Mazkaru's giant mecha launched several black spheres. They pulsed with Aldnoah energy, disrupting the magnetic field around them. The resulting interference created massive storm systems, crushing everything in their path.
Winds swept through the city, shattering glass everywhere.
"These damn Martians still won't give up? Evacuate—now!"
A full-blown tornado formed. No one could get close. The army arrived but quickly found bullets useless. Even their own mechas couldn't approach. If they got too near, they'd get pulled into the vortex and crushed into scrap.
A total stalemate. Mazkaru wasn't trying to destroy the city—just buy time. Among the Martian knights, this count had only come for resources. He wasn't keen on killing. In fact, he hadn't even had a chance to land during the invasion before ending up like this. Honestly, it was kind of pitiful. Now he stood alone, surrounded. If he stopped the storm, the United Army would rush in. So he could only hold his ground.
'Her Majesty Lemrina must be safe by now.' That was enough. Mazkaru looked up. Without realizing it, night had fallen. A full moon hung high above, its soft glow spreading across the sky.
"Only on Earth can you see a moon this beautiful… If only time could stop here, I could just stare at it forever."
Mazkaru suddenly thought of the Martian emperor's greatest mistake—blowing up the moon. Luckily it had been restored. Now, at least, he could gaze upon this beautiful sight before dying.
He looked a moment longer. Then he planned to shut off his mecha and kill himself before capture. He couldn't let his family name be stained.
'No matter how you look at it… it's beautiful.' Building war fortresses on the moon had been a huge mistake. Right now, his heart filled with a strange sense of romance. A calm washed over him. 'This is fine.' The handsome, tea-haired young man smiled with quiet contentment.
He pulled a handgun from his pocket, slowly raising it to his temple. 'Let my life follow Her Majesty Lemrina. At least I get to die under this moonlight.' That soft layer of mist was like silk... No regrets.
Just as Mazkaru prepared to pull the trigger, he saw something in the moonlight—a triangular shadow, growing bigger and bigger. He opened his eyes wide and finally made out the shape. A man hanging beneath a glider, dressed in a crisp white suit.
"What… is that?" Others noticed too. A strange figure had appeared under the moon.
"A bat?"
"A dove?"
No—it was Kaitou Kid.
Kaitou Kid folded his glider and dove like an arrow straight into the tornado. While everyone watched in stunned silence, he slipped through the storm with ease, defeated the Martian mecha, and reappeared far behind it, standing atop a distant rooftop.
His white cape fluttered sideways, both hands in his pockets. Bathed in moonlight, he pulled off a performance that defied all logic.