Alex kills the pilot of the star-shaped ship and takes Alvis on board the Sylvana, leaving Lavi and Claus behind. Claus repairs the vanship and obtains extra fuel from the downed ship nearby. He and Lavi then follow the trail of the Sylvana, for Al's sake. Al wakes up on the ship and meets Sophia. When the vanship catches up to the Sylvana, Alex allows the ship to fire upon them, but they are able to avoid getting hit and they ""crash-land"" on the Sylvana. They encounter mechanics in the hanger, and Claus is beaten up by one of them for fun. However, Tatiana and Alistia show up and Tatiana grudgingly asks for Claus' name. Lavi helps Claus up to the bridge, where they meet up with Alex again. At that point, Claus' injuries get the better of him, and he falls unconscious.

Dio and Luciora investigate their downed star-shaped machine. When Luciora fixes the camera on it, they are able to see an image of Alvis being protected by Claus. Tatiana and Alistia arrive at the palace of the emperor and inform him that the "cargo" is safely aboard the Sylvana. And speaking of the cargo, Al explores the ship on her own, making it down to the hangar, where the mechanics entertain her until Sophia retrieves her. Sophia brings her to Claus and Lavi, and later brings the still injured Claus to see Alex. Their talk is interrupted by a red alert claxon. The Guild is about to attack the Sylvana. In the course of the attack, one of the star-shaped machines comes aboard the ship and goes after Alvis. It's destroyed by one of the mechanics, and unfortunately ruins Claus and Lavi's vanship. Claus offers to fly and fight and the mechanics give him a quick review of combat flying. Another star-shaped machine comes on board, and the last scene is Claus, using his vanship, to shov

Moran is "officially" accepted by the crew of the Sylvana, albeit in a most interesting manner.

Sophia presents the chance for Claus and Lavi to enter the 8-Hour Endurance Race at Horizon Cave. They accept the challenge, so long as the Sylvana mechanics will help them out. At the event, Al is allowed to "pick" the vanship that they must repair and fly for the race. Tatiana and Alistia, however, have a mission during the race. They need to hit a specific point in the race at a specific time. Tatiana expresses her dislike of "amateurs" i.e.: Claus and Lavi, but Alex shuts her up.

Dio and Luciora show up, because Dio is with his sister, Daphne. Dio shows an interest in Claus, who doesn't return the fascination. Dio informs Claus that he is there to fly in the race with him.

While the race is going on, Alex is at an auction to purchase something rare. It turns out to be an EXILE item, and Alex's opening bid on it, is 10,000,000 Claudia. This shocks the man sitting next to him, who just

Claus and Lavie progress in the endurance race, but Dio and Lucciola continue to challenge them. Duke Henry Knowles raises the bid price on the Exile artifact, spurring interest among the other auction participants. As Alex attempts to outbid the others, Guild Maestro Delphine Eraclea challenges him and finally raises the bid price to 50 billion Claudia, at which point one of Knowles's men puts a gun at the back of Alex's head, threatening him not to continue bidding. On their final pit stop, Tatiana and Alister pick up a cargo of explosive charges for their mission. When the auction ends, Duke Knowles takes Alex outside and reveals that he wants to avenge the death of his son, captain of the Goliath. Claus and Lavie pull ahead of Dio and Lucciola in the final lap after only filling part of their fuel tank at the last pit stop to lighten the vanship and win the race. At precisely midnight, the explosive charges dropped by Tatiana and Alister destroy Horizon Cave's power generators, leaving it in darkness. Seizing the opportunity, Alex kills Knowles's men and escapes. When the artifact is taken to Delphine, it is discovered to be fake. The true artifact of Exile is revealed to be a Mysterion, one of four phrases with corresponding answers that will reveal the secret of Exile. Graf, the butler of House Hamilton, entrusts Alvis and the Mysterion to Alex. After the race, Lavie tells Claus that she does not want to fly in a fighter vanship but will continue to serve as his mechanic. Claus understands her decision and makes a promise that they will fly together again to cross the Grand Stream. Dio and Lucciola, who are able to see in the darkness, offer to tow Claus and Lavie out of Horizon Cave to the Silvana.

Alex announces that they are going to battle against Urbanus. Although she hesitates at first, Sophie announces their mission over the loudspeakers. Meanwhile, Al has come out of her ""coma"" but she has no recollection of what has just happened. Dio refers to her as ""genuine"" but does not elaborate. Later, when Sophia confronts Alex, he tells her she can just leave the ship, but he refuses, reminding him that she is his first officer. Tatiana briefs the vanship pilots on tactics against the Urbanus, and much to Alistia's chagrin, chooses Claus to be her navi.

Lavi and Al prepare water and a lunch for Claus before he takes off. Alex is leading the Urbanus, and three other ships, into the Dragon Fang. While Vincent does anticipate Alex's moves, he doesn't anticipate the other captain's desperate battle response. Despite the Urbanus dealing a crippling blow to the Sylvana, Alex is able to sink two of the Urbanus-class ships.

Al and Lavi are thrown to the ground, and Lavi is knocked unco

Claus reports to Alex that Disith has become uninhabitable and that he and Lavie can no longer return home to Norkia. Rumors circulate throughout the ship about Claus and Tatiana, making Lavie upset and unwilling to speak to Claus. However, Claus does not seem to understand her actions and wants her to come to better terms with Tatiana. Alister warns Tatiana not to read too much into Claus's care for her when they were in the desert. Meanwhile, Vincent is stripped of his command of the Urbanus after losing four battleships against the Silvana and is assigned to the fleet defending Norkia. The Emperor of Anatoray decides to take advantage of Disith's collapse and plans on escalating the war, to Prime Minister Marius's objections. When Marius learns that the Silvana has completed its repairs, he decides to keep the news from the Emperor. Dio reveals a photo of Claus's and Lavie's fathers in Alex's possession, prompting Claus to confront the captain. Alex confesses that he is the surviving pilot from the mission to deliver the peace proposal to Disith and the former owner of the vanship Claus and Lavie are flying. He recounts how his fiancée, Euris, and Claus's and Lavie's fathers died and the memory of seeing Delphine smiling when he flew away from the Grand Stream. Alex tells Claus that he is fighting to destroy Exile, which reinforces the Guild's authority in the world. After receiving a pigeon post from Marius warning of the Emperor's actions, Sophia reveals herself as the Princess of Anatoray. Conflicted between her responsibility to the throne and her desire to stay aboard the Silvana, Sophia is comforted by Claus. She suddenly kisses Claus as gratitude.

In the Emperor's absence, Sophia orders the Urbanus to stop General Vitellius from attacking Disith in compliance with a ceasefire. The arrival of Duke Mad-thane's fleet forces Disith to withdraw. The following day, a vanship courier arrives with a message from Walker, who invites the Silvana to Horizon Cave for repairs and resupply. Lescius reveals himself as a member of the purged House Dagobert and entrusts Alex with the third Mysterion. Prime Minister Marius, a member of the purged House Bassianus, also sent the final Mysterion to Alex before his death. The Silvana finally arrives at Horizon Cave, currently used as a training base for an assault against the Guild. Although the Guild suspects of a rebellion, Delphine decides not to take immediate action. At the base, Claus meets Mikhail Wednesday, elder brother to the late Ralph Wednesday from whom Claus took over the duty of delivering Alvis. Claus and Lavie are also reunited with fellow vanship pilots from Norkia after Duke Mad-thane, who was inspired by Claus's and Lavie's actions at Minagith, called for all pilots to fly as fighter support.

Sophia arrives at Norkia to parley with Disith commander Nestor Messina and reveals to him a copy of the peace offer lost in the Grand Stream ten years earlier. As a gesture of goodwill, Disith supplies Anatoray with a map of the Grand Stream's air currents and a recording of Exile's acoustic signature. Mullin decides to rejoin the musketeer squad and meets the female Disith musketeer, who introduces herself as Dunya Scheer. They are informed that the capture attempt of battleship Claudia units will occur on the Guild's Covenant Day, when 17-year-old youths pledge their allegiance to the Maestro. Before the Silvana leaves dock, Claus, Lavie, and Alvis say goodbye to Mullin. The formal alliance between Anatoray and Disith is signed at Sophia's coronation as Empress. Claus, Tatiana, Dio, and Lucciola arrive ahead of the Silvana to send congratulations, but Delphine's ship appears from the clouds above and rains down rose petals as a declaration of war. Dio, realizing that he has been found by his sister, panics and flies his vanship erratically. When Alex sees Delphine's ship above the site of the coronation ceremony, he immediately orders that it be destroyed, but his crew refuses to comply for fear of killing Sophia.

After the Urbanus locates the Silvana and ensures its safety, Sophia returns and is surprised that Claus has been taken. Covenant Day arrives, and Dio takes part in the Trial of Agoon to claim inheritance of the Maestro's position by participating in mortal combat against other Principals. Claus, who cannot bear to see Dio fight, worries that he may die. At the same time, the operation to capture Guild Claudia units commences at Horizon Cave. On the Silvana, Lavie finally completes the repairs of her and Claus's vanship. Delphine takes Alvis and Claus to the location of Exile, where they find its defense system has begun attacking Guild ships as well. Exile attacks Delphine's ship but stops when it senses Alvis's presence. Delphine reveals that Exile is a colony ship used by those who first settled on their world. Alex, who has been injected with a truth serum, recites the Mysteria, and Alvis responds to each one. However, he reveals that he has not read the final Mysterion before entrusting it to Sophia. Delphine then receives word that Dio is the Trial's victor.

Exile indiscriminately attacks both the alliance and Guild as they approach the ship, forcing the alliance fleet to fall back so that they do not lose more ships. Claus rendezvous at a fueling station in the Dragon's Fangs and makes the journey to the Grand Stream, switching vanships and navigators after each leg until he is reunited with Lavie. On the way, Claus dogfights with two Guild fighters, destroying them with Tatiana as his navigator. When Exile receives a pulse signal, it begins to retreat from the Grand Stream towards Disith, followed by both fleets. At the Casino Royale, the last checkpoint before the Grand Stream, Claus and Alvis reunite with Lavie, who holds the message tube containing the final Mysterion. They fly together in Claus's and Lavie's vanship, whose body has been reinforced for the journey in the Grand Stream, but are intercepted by Dio, who has run away from the Mad-thane residence in a separate vanship.