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"There are pilots like you in every generation. And I felled every last one of them."
― Mihaly[2]

Mihaly Dumitru Margareta Corneliu Leopold Blanca Karol Aeon Ignatius Raphael Maria Niketas A. Shilage[a], or Mihaly A. Shilage for short, was an ace pilot flying for the Erusean Air and Space Administration. He took part in many conflicts and shot down countless opponents, eventually earning him the nickname of "King of the Skies" from comrades and enemies alike.[3][4]

Biography[]

Shilage[]

Mihaly was once in the line of succession for the Grand Duchy of Shilage. However, the country underwent a revolution and Mihaly's family was removed from power. A close friend turned on him and nearly killed him during this conflict.[5]

The revolution, however, was essentially doomed by coming to pass during Erusea's age of expansion. After a period of revolutionary rule, Shilage was annexed by the rising regional power. Erusea restored the titles as well as some of the influences held by Mihaly and his family prior to the revolution.[5]

Despite having largely retained his status (which presumably exempted him from military service), Mihaly allowed himself to be conscripted like a common Erusean citizen. He was accepted into the Erusean Air Force by order of the then Erusean king, ultimately proving the merits of this decision by distinguishing himself as an ace pilot. Even after the deposing of the monarchy and the formation of the Federal Republic, he continued to serve the new regime's air force until 1991, after which he was transferred to Erusean Air and Space Administration and worked as a test pilot.[5] His role involved frequent flights in the outer layers of the atmosphere, which would take a toll on his health as he got older.[6][7]

Training Yellow 13[]

Prior to the Continental War, Mihaly trained Yellow 13. According to Erusean records, the young Yellow 13 brushed his trainer aircraft up against Mihaly's aircraft during a training flight. Mihaly was intrigued and decided to see if it was repeatable, or just luck. The trainee was able to replicate the results. He had the scenario repeated a third time, but having watched Yellow 13 perform the collision twice, he was able to use the collision maneuver against his pupil.[8]

Lighthouse War[]

Mihaly's work for the EASA contributed greatly to the Erusean military build up in the 2010s, which saw the kingdom's air force substantially augmented with unmanned combat aerial vehicles, by providing technical and behavioral templates for the UCAVs' artificial intelligence. Mihaly was aided by his two granddaughters, Ionela and Alma, who accompanied him during his service with the EASA.

After the initial Erusean success during the Lighthouse War and the subsequent Osean-led IUN counteroffensive in 2019, under the guise of generating improved data for UCAV development, he returned to active combat duty. Although he suffered greatly under the effects of intense g-forces while dogfighting, his skills, experience, and heavily modified Su-30SM made him a terror among the IUN forces, who dubbed him "Mister X".

He crossed paths with Trigger for the first time right as Erusea used one of its recently-commandeered Arsenal Bird drone carriers to break up an IUN operation over the Chopinburg Rainforest; although neither directly engaged one another, he shot down one of Trigger's allies, Brownie, as the latter was separated from the rest of the Osean forces and ordered to return to base due to battle damage.[9]

AC7 Su-30SM Kulbit

Mihaly easily outmaneuvers Champ before killing him

Later Mihaly and Sol Squadron engaged Spare Squadron over Yinshi Valley. After toying with and taking down Champ, he engaged Trigger in a lengthy low-altitude dogfight through the mountain valleys. Mihaly was intrigued by Trigger's ability to mitigate otherwise critical damages as well as avoid taking fire entirely. After several minutes of intense maneuvering, Trigger eventually landed a few difficult hits on Mihaly's plane, dealing substantial damage. Due to the worsening weather conditions and the damage he'd sustained, Mihaly's wingmen urged a retreat. Mihaly complied and Sol Squadron withdrew having sustained no losses.[10]

Before the battle for Farbanti, Mihaly was given a new specialized flight suit that was effective in eliminating problems related to high g-forces.[7]

When Osea gained the upper hand in the battle of Farbanti, Sol Squadron intervened and engaged Osean forces including the Long Range Strategic Strike Group. After dealing considerable damage to Osean naval and ground forces, Mihaly was able to shoot down LRSSG's Fencer and flight lead, Wiseman, instantly killing the latter in the process. Shortly after, he was hit multiple times by Trigger and his plane sustained severe damage once more. Before he could be shot down, however, the A-SAT strikes conducted by both Osea and Erusea caused confusion among the IUN and Erusean forces, allowing the Sols to escape.[11]

As the Erusean military splintered due to the resulting collapse of all long-range communications in the region, Mihaly and Sol Squadron broke away and dedicated themselves to the defense of Shilage and the neighboring Voslage. When the LRSSG came to pillage Shilage Castle for supplies, Mihaly entered the battle in a prototype X-02S Strike Wyvern armed with an experimental railgun and engaged Trigger in a dogfight for a third and final time. A lengthy duel ensued; in the end Trigger finally shot down Mihaly. Before his communications went out, Mihaly pleaded for Trigger to put a stop to Erusea's drone production.[12]

Mihaly survived being shot down and was rescued soon after. The strain and stress from continuous aerial combat, coupled with the injuries resulted from his final duel with Trigger, took a toll on his already aged and ravaged body to the point of preventing him from flying again. As a result of these injuries, he was forced to retire from active duty and spend his remaining years at his home. While Mihaly pondered why he was still alive and if he was being punished, Avril Mead reasoned that Mihaly was able to enjoy peace in the world in his old age, seeing his grandchildren work for a better tomorrow.[13]

Etymology[]

Mihály is the Hungarian form of Michael. The Slovene form of Michael—Mihael—was previously used for one of the rookies in the Megalith defense squadron.[14]

Shilage is an alternate spelling of Szilágyi, a Hungarian surname.

Mihaly's TAC name, "Archange," is French for Archangel.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • There are parallels between Mihaly and Trigger skill-wise:
    • While dueling Trigger during Operation Two Pairs, Mihaly will note that Trigger is able to position his plane to deflect missiles away from critical components.[10] This trick is used nimbly by Mihaly, as noted by Count during Operation Beehive.[12]
    • Mihaly will note that Trigger's skill compensates for the limitation of his plane's assistance system, whereas Mihaly himself will gradually disengage his X-02S counterpart in their duel while increasing the aggressiveness and accuracy of his EML attacks.[12]
    • Both Mihaly and Trigger have reckless flying styles. Some of the former's notable tricks include flying straight towards the sun or the ground at high speed before sharply turning back. He is also able to weave between any vertical hazards.[10][11]
  • Mihaly's name being a form of Michael, combined with his TAC name of Archange, are likely an allusion to Saint Michael, an archangel of Abrahamic theology.
  • During the cutscene following the first phase of Lighthouse, an Su-30SM sporting his livery can be spotted.

Footnotes[]

  1. Mihaly Dumitru Margareta Corneliu Leopold Blanca Karol Aeon Ignatius Raphael Maria Niketas A. Shilage (ミハイ・ドゥミトル・マルガレータ・コルネリウ・レオポルド・ブランカ・カロル・イオン・イグナチウス・ラファエル・マリア・ニケタス・ア・シラージ)

References[]

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