Chapter 16: A Beautiful Day For War

Ken'ichiro's P.O.V

You remember how I said I hate heights right?

Heights have always been my nemesis, a paralyzing fear that gripped my chest like a vice.

The air was thick with the smell of salt and gunpowder, a bitter concoction that clung to the back of my throat as we soared through the sky. The roar of the engines was deafening, but it couldn't drown out the pounding of my heart. . Death was raining down from the heavens in the form of steel and fire."Hold on, son!" Kiyo's voice cut through the chaos, a lifeline of sanity in the madness of war. His hands were steady on the controls as we spun through the air, dodging the missiles that streaked past us like vengeful spirits. The world tilted violently as we dove for the sea, the cold Pacific rushing up to meet us. For a moment, it felt like the ocean might swallow us whole.

But Kiyo had other plans. Just as quickly as we descended, he pulled back on the stick, and we soared upwards, our plane mowing down the soldiers below with ruthless precision. The enemy didn't stand a chance. I could see them, the tiny figures scrambling for cover as the bullets tore through flesh and bone. The sight should have turned my stomach, but all I felt was a numb detachment. Japanese planes circled overhead like vultures, ready to pounce on any sign of life. The American soldiers were caught off guard, their defenses overwhelmed by the relentless assault. I could see them falling, one by one, their blood staining the sands red.But it wasn't just soldiers who suffered. Civilians, too, were caught in the crossfire. I watched as women and children ran for cover, their screams lost in the cacophony of battle. Some tried to shield their loved ones with their own bodies, only to be cut down in the merciless hail of gunfire. The harbor, once a symbol of American strength, was now a graveyard.

"What a marvelous sight to behold," Kiyo muttered, his voice cold, eyes gleaming with a twisted satisfaction."Where? Are we looking at the same gruesome scene?" whispered, Ken'ichiro

my voice barely holding back the tremor of horror that threatened to escape my throat.Kiyo turned to me , a stern expression hardening his features. "There will always be beauty in the struggle, my boy," he said, his voice carrying the weight of countless battles. "Never forget it. And always remember to stay ready—so your competition doesn't sneak up and slit your throat while you sleep. They'll remember this day for the rest of their lives, if they manage to survive at all."

The waves churned with blood, the once-blue water now a sickening crimson as bodies floated listlessly on the surface, their faces frozen in the final moments of terror. The acrid stench of burning flesh hung in the air, mixing with the salty sea breeze, creating a suffocating atmosphere of death. Shattered remains of the seven ships littered the horizon, twisted metal and splintered wood jutting out of the water like gravestones marking the watery graves below.

Kiyo's eyes swept over the devastation. Fires still raged on the remnants of the ships, black smoke billowing into the sky. The air was thick with the sounds of agony—the gurgled gasps of those drowning, the pitiful moans of the injured, and the desperate prayers of the few still clinging to life.

"Back to camp!" Kiyo yelled, They left behind 2,403 bodies, each one a story violently cut short. The waves lapped gently at the shores, as if mocking the stillness of death with their eternal motion.

"What a beautiful day for war!" Laughed Kiyo