Back in the cockpit.
Ichiro took a deep breath and asked, ''How much can the plane take?''
''Uhh, what do you mean?'' Lucas asked and had stopped steering the plane because it was already too late.
''Like, if a Martial Commander kicks the floor beneath us, would it break?'' Ichiro looked at the solid floor.
''Ah... No, it won't.'' Lucas shook his head and was proud enough to know that someone as strong as Martial Commander won't be able to break it with a kick, but it would be a different story if the Martial Commander was all-out attacking.
Ichiro nodded and felt the hard texture of the floor with his toes. He closed his eyes and soon came to a conclusion.
''It will hold.'' Lucas frowned after hearing Ichiro's words and had no idea what he was planning.
''But, I need to keep my strength in control...'' He muttered under his breath and noticed that the missile was only five hundred meters away!
''Sit tight!'' Ichiro suddenly screamed, which made both Lucas and Rick flinch.
They finally remembered the situation, which they managed to forget for a few seconds because of Ichiro, but the reality caught up.
Lucas, with his shaky hand took a picture from his pocket and looked at it, ''I wonder will my fiancee cry?''
''I am sure she will mourn for a few months, but she will then move on and find someone else,'' Ichiro said.
Lucas bit his lip, and tears started brimming in his eyes, ''Ouch... That didn't help... I don't really want to die now.''
Ichiro grinned, ''Good... Send me an invitation to your wedding.''
''Hah...'' Lucas chuckled and touched his chest with the picture, putting it close to his heart, ''Sure...''
Lucas closed his eyes, and once he opened them, he could almost see what the missile looked like. It was only a few hundred meters away.
''True Iron Style, First Direction of Attack!'' Ichiro suddenly shouted, which shocked both Lucas and Rich.
He raised his right leg and smirked, ''I choose you!'' In the final moments of his life, he decided another move for his True Iron Style that might save him and hundreds of other lives.
''Iron Kick, Stomp!'' Ichiro's mouth moved in slow motion, and his leg started moving towards the floor of the plane.
The smoking missile was getting nearer and nearer.
Lucas closed his eyes and waited for the death to embrace.
Rick screamed with frustration, ''Noooooooooooo!''
*BAM!*
A sound that resounded in every place of the plane appeared.
Most of the passengers started crying even louder because they thought that it was the missiles.
Bonney informed everyone that they would be hit by missiles and should spend the last minutes talking with their families who were with them on the plane.
Antti and Antero were hugging each other, crying their eyes out.
Patti looked much more aged than previously.
Hessu had his eyes closed with tears trickling down his face.
Bonney, Olivia, and the rest of the Flight Attendants were crying as well and were ready to get surrounded by either water or flames.
But... Soon, they realized that the plane was moving downwards!
Inside the cockpit.
It was shaking, and Lucas opened his eyes with a slam and noticed the missile flying over the plane!
He snapped his head towards Ichiro, whose leg was smoking with a dent on the floor, shaped as a footstep.
''W-What did you do?'' Lucas asked with disbelief.
''Heh.'' Ichiro raised his leg and grinned, ''It worked, nice...''
When the missile was only around 100 meters away, Ichiro stomped the floor, which decreased the plane's altitude by hundreds of meters, and that was enough for the hypersonic missile to miss the plane and couldn't change the trajectory fast enough.
''Another one...'' Ichiro looked towards the distance, and another similar-looking missile was approaching.
Lucas looked outside the window, towards the mirror, and saw a reflection of the first hypersonic missile flying far away!
''W-We aren't dead?'' Rick raised his head and looked around the cockpit, but no signs of fire or anything.
''Hah...'' Lucas chuckled out of disbelief, ''Hahahaha... What the hell...''
Ichiro looked at the bottom of his feet and saw a large red mark.
''Hmm...'' He started fidgeting his toes and felt fine, without any significant injuries.
''C-Can you do that again?'' Lucas asked with a gulp.
''Yup.'' Ichiro replied simply and looked at the somewhat destroyed floor, ''I won't pay for damages tho.''
''It's fine... Just make sure that we will survive... I am counting on you.'' Lucas leaned on the chair and clenched his fists tighter.
Chances of seeing his fiancee again appeared on his mind.
Soon, the second missile was only a hundred meters away.
''Iron Kick, Stomp!''
*BAM!*
The plane once again trembled and decreased altitude by several hundred meters!
Lucas looked outside the window, and his eyes sparkled as the missile flew past the plane but almost touched the tail of the plane.
''Oof!'' Lucas quickly grabbed the steering wheel after noticing that it started changing directions, and now he understood why Ichiro didn't want him dodging.
He wouldn't have been able to lower the attitude otherwise, and they all would be at the bottom of the ocean by now.
''Last one...'' Both Lucas and Rick murmured simultaneously.
A hope started rising and also the passengers finally found out that something was wrong.
They all silently waited, and few of them even heard the missiles flying past the plane.
The rumors about the missiles missing the plane started quickly spreading, and hope started arising in their hearts.
Back in the cockpit.
The final missile was approaching with deadly speed!
It didn't come after 10 seconds of the second missile; instead, after 5 seconds!
But, it didn't matter to Ichiro because he was already prepared.
Soon, it was only a hundred meters away from the tip of the plane.
''Iron Kick, Stomp!''
*BAM!*
The plane trembled, and everyone's hair arose as the altitude suddenly decreased by several hundred meters.
Lucas and Rick looked with wide eyes as the final missile flew past the plane and towards the horizon!
