Kite Festival Committee and Billings Kite Club member Drake Smith, 55, of Fairfax Station, Va., holds one of his kites in front of the Rokakku battle field.

The traditional Rokkaku Challenge, in which Japanese-style kites battle each other for sole command of the sky, involves teams with six-sided kites attempting to cut the lines of competing kites.

The competition's three heats each contain six teams. The last kite in the sky wins the contest.

“The fliers use an abrasive line so when they try to saw opposing kites, the lines melt from the friction,” says Smith. This year, the Midnight Squadron team defeated the reigning champions, the Rainbow Warriors.

"The Rainbow Warriors play dirty," says Smith with a smile.

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