It is already midday, and the sun now stands at its zenith. The heat is unbearable, and there is very little wind, something unusual in this beautiful Nation.

Within the imperial territories, the city possesses advanced technologies in the form of flying vehicles. These are dirigibles powered by Wind Element-Energy. It is also possible to observe wind towers—some grouped together, others standing alone—which are connected as nodes to supply electrical power, taking advantage of the considerable gusts that normally sweep through this land.

Many dirigibles come and go. Some are commercial, others are used for export, and others are strictly military.

An entire surveillance system safeguards the regulation of incoming and outgoing dirigibles. The wall towers positioned along the edges of the Capital City constantly perform additional inspections on approaching airships, all of which must possess an extremely costly imperial seal in order to obtain permission to enter.

The Nation also possesses ground-based military vehicles powered by Wind Element-Energy. However, these are not available to the general population and are developed solely for heavy labor or purely military purposes.

Numerous commercial dirigibles move constantly through the skies. Some of them release special cargo directly to the surface using parachutes, streamlining the import process by avoiding the need to land. Throughout the capital, there are elevated zones known as “aerodocks,” which allow the temporary docking of several dirigibles arriving in the city.

However, among all the dirigibles currently entering the Nation, there is one in particular where a group of fifteen individuals opens the hatch to descend to the surface. The leader of this group is none other than Doku Ihibūshi, the renegade lightning terrorist who had been warned about.

They managed to infiltrate the Capital by acquiring a special commercial dirigible through an assault. The vehicle bore the exclusive imperial seal that authorized entry into the Capital. Thanks to this, they were able to pass through without being stopped.

“Listen to me,” the man commands with authority. “I will assault the Imperial Palace directly. The moment I enter the palace complex, I want eleven of you to jump and secure the entrance, preventing any external reinforcements. The remaining two will crash the dirigible into the western wall. That will facilitate our escape from the Capital once I have stolen the Elemental Diamond.”

The eleven individuals assigned to this task know that escaping from the very heart of the Nation after causing chaos directly in front of the Imperial Palace is essentially suicide. Still, they raise no objections, even if they see the plan as unfair. Their fear of this man is so great that they do not dare to refuse or question him.

With that, the reckless plan is set into motion. Doku advances first, moving swiftly through the air at tremendous speeds, his form resembling a bolt of lightning slicing through the clouds. As he moves, a thunderous crack echoes across the area, startling everyone in the Capital. The sound of lightning is unmistakable, despite the fact that the sky is currently clear, though dark storm clouds can be seen gathering in the distance.

Doku arrives almost instantly near the Imperial Palace and forces his way into the complex, violently destroying part of the upper structure. He crashes down into an enormous, luxurious hall that serves as a vestibule, landing atop a mass of rubble created by his entrance.

In an instant, he is surrounded by a multitude of soldiers stationed inside the Palace.

Meanwhile, the eleven accomplices leap from the dirigible, landing near the massive Imperial Gates that lead into the palace complex. Each of them—men and women alike—cushions their fall by channeling Element-Energy.

From the Renegade’s position, staircases leading to the second, third, and fourth floors rise directly ahead. Descending those very stairs is Emperor Yamato Nawasaki, the ruler of the Elemental Nation of Wind, clad in his ceremonial robes of authority.

“I expected you to cause trouble,” the Emperor remarks calmly, “but I didn’t expect it to be so soon, nor in this manner. You are either arrogant or foolish. I don’t understand you.”

“Not at all, Yamato,” Doku replies. “But I am arrogant enough to claim that neither you, nor anyone else in this hall, nor in this Nation, is capable of stopping me.”

Many of the surrounding soldiers are visibly offended and prepare to launch an attack against the intruder. However, from the staircase, Emperor Yamato orders them to stand down and leave the matter in his hands. Somehow, this confrontation has become personal, surpassing its nature as a simple invasion.

To the renegade’s benefit, he quickly realizes this.

As the Emperor prepares himself, the eleven accomplices outside continue their task, defending the palace entrance from external reinforcements. They clash using various forms of Element-Energy. Among them are several Earth and Water elemental users.

The remaining two accomplices, who did not jump from the dirigible, take control of the vehicle and deliberately begin descending in order to crash it directly into the western wall, as instructed.

Once they align the collision course, they search for the fastest way to abandon the vessel. Inevitably, the dirigible is sent crashing into the massive walls, descending prematurely and tearing through structures along the public streets of that sector of the Capital. Many people are injured, while countless others flee in terror to seek safety.

Civilians who witnessed the incident nearby begin to run in panic. After dragging itself forward across the ground and demolishing everything in its path, the dirigible finally explodes upon colliding with the wall, triggering a massive blast and bursting into flames within seconds.

People run frantically in all directions. Soldiers and auxiliary personnel rush to assist civilians and help those near the site of the explosion. One of these auxiliaries is Takeshi Ori, the same young man who is a fellow institute student and friend of Jin, and who aspires to become a soldier of the Nation.

As he moves through the chaos, Takeshi manages to help several people reach safety near the explosion site, where intense heat radiates from the flames and spreads further due to the constant natural gusts of wind.

In his anxious movement, he encounters the two accomplices who had jumped from the dirigible. They clearly do not look like ordinary citizens of the Nation. Despite the surrounding chaos, they appear calm.

The civilians do not confront them, driven by panic and focused solely on protecting themselves and their loved ones. Takeshi, however, is determined to face them. His code as a soldier-in-training grants him the courage to confront these two intruders.

“You’re not from around here!” he accuses, clearly identifying them as responsible for what has occurred. As he speaks, he places his hand on the hilt of the sword strapped to his waist.

“Maybe,” replies one of the men, dressed in blue garments and wearing a mysterious respirator over his face.

“You caused this, and it’s my duty to stop you!”

“And what will you do, then?” the man asks in a threatening tone.

Resolved to fight, Takeshi draws his sword. The winds sweeping through the area carry the heat of the raging fire behind them.

As any proper soldier-in-training, he carries one of the most commonly used bladed weapons within the Nation’s military, even when he is not attending the Military Institute. Without another word, he launches himself into an attack against the man with the strange respirator.

Meanwhile, inside the Imperial Palace, the ruler of the Nation engages in hand-to-hand combat with Doku Ihibūshi. In a sudden burst, the Renegade Lightning unleashes a flurry of electrified strikes. One of them lands squarely in Yamato’s stomach, forcing him to recoil in pain.

Despite this, the Emperor counterattacks immediately with a Wind Elemental technique, striking Doku in the chest and hurling him backward through a powerful burst of wind. The attack detonates violently, repelling the renegade and slamming his back into a palace wall, where he ends up embedded.

The blow delivered by the Emperor is extremely painful.

The soldiers witnessing the scene feel frustrated. They do not understand why the Emperor has chosen to “play” with the intruder, engaging him in what appears to be a battle of honor or ego. Being so young, the Emperor may have been driven by the desire to personally overcome this global threat, instead of allowing the Nation to respond as it should have from the beginning.

Meanwhile, Doku’s accomplices—those tasked with “protecting” the palace entrance—are being treated like practice dummies by the reinforcements arriving. They are fully aware of Yamato’s order not to interfere with his battle. No matter what sounds echo from the imperial vestibule, they must not enter. Thus, they focus on subduing the eleven bandits, who are steadily reduced to helplessness.

Some of them have already been defeated.

What will come of this assault?

Information Piece: The Renegade Lightning of Earth

The terrorist Doku Ihibūshi, who has infiltrated the very heart of the Capital of the Nation of Wind, is a problematic figure throughout the entire Elemental World. No one knows his true motives or objectives, though it is suspected that he is constantly devising strategies to strike against the Nation of Earth, the land from which he originates.

Regardless of his intentions, confronting him is always dangerous, as his Element-Energy is highly unusual—a unique rarity.

He possesses electrical Element-Energy, which is why he is known as the “Renegade Lightning.” He is the only known individual to wield this element.

How did he develop electricity as an element?