Published at 22nd of August 2019 11:42 pm

Volume 24, Chapter 4: Assault

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Tuesday, November 30th

The plan Kiriha devised for taking Fort Charldrissa involved a surprise attack and strategic sabotage carried out simultaneously. First, two forces would infiltrate the base from a location where guard was insufficient. From there, the covert force would disable defensive equipment while the strike force drew attention. They would work together to open the front gate and let the main force in.

If everything went well, the battle would be over in less than an hour. That was ideal. As the Reborn Forthorthian Army had to protect the spaceport, they wanted to avoid a prolonged battle.

“According to Sanae’s report, the enemy’s attention is directed towards the east side,” Kiriha explained.

“Not the west where the front gate is, but the east that’s harder to attack?” asked Koutarou.

“So it seems. After checking it out, there are records indicating that they were attacked by a rebel force from the east a while ago,” she replied.

“So that’s why they’re focused there. Then what do we do?”

“I’ve already asked your attendant to cause a diversion on the east side.”

“Her, huh? Then we can rest easy. When it comes to diversions, she’s the best around.”

“Using the opening she creates, attack from the north.”

“Not the west?”

“The geographical features to the north will make it easier to hide the giant robots. The west is an option, but we’ll have Theia’s main forces strike there. The terrain there is easier to traverse.”

“I see. Thanks, Kiriha-san. You’re always such a big help.”

“That is my job. Well, good luck. I’ll talk to you later.”

“You got it.”

Sensing that Koutarou and Kiriha’s call was over, his armor’s AI hung up. Even though they were using the hard-to-detect laser communications method, they were still in the middle of a covert operation and communications needed to be kept to a minimum.

When his call was over, a soldier who had been patiently waiting spoke up. “Your Excellence―”

“Orion, could you give it a rest with that ‘Your Excellence’ thing?” Koutarou instinctively interrupted the soldier. He felt self-conscious being addressed like that. It only made it worse that the soldier calling him that was older than he was.

“But then I would have no choice but to call you Lord Satomi.”

“…Okay, fine. Call me what you want.”

But in the end, Koutarou accepted the title. It was better than being called Lord Satomi, and he knew they didn’t have the time to squabble about it.

“Yes, sir. So Your Excellency, what did headquarters say?”

“Supposedly north is our best bet. Apparently they’re on guard to the east because they’ve been attacked there before.”

“Then I’ll let the squad know that we’re marching in that direction.”

“Please do. And let the covert force know too.”

“Understood.”

The young man serving as his adjutant saluted Koutarou before leaving. Making sure his footsteps couldn’t be heard, he disappeared into the darkness of the night forest. Koutarou and the others were currently making their way through it, but Koutarou was at the front of the line. His young adjutant left his side to report to their allies behind them which route they’d be taking. After waiting for the adjutant to disappear, Harumi moved up alongside Koutarou.

“…Satomi-kun, I can feel traces of mana. I think Darkness Rainbow is involved,” Harumi whispered, cautiously looking around.

While their allies were near, nobody was paying attention to her or Koutarou. They were more concerned with the enemy right now.

“…Can you tell what kind of magic it is?” he whispered back.

“…It’s still a ways out, so I can’t tell what spells are specifically being used. But since I can sense it from this distance, I believe they’ve used a great deal of mana in one place.”

The crest on Harumi’s forehead and her long hair briefly flashed silver. It was a sign that she was using magic.

“…So if it’s a detection spell, we’ve already been found out,” Koutarou whispered in an even lower voice.

“…I’m afraid so.”

Harumi sensing mana from the base was more like a sixth sense than an actual spell for detecting mana. A spell would have allowed her to sense it much sooner. It would also be more accurate than more passive forms of detection. But even so, enough mana had been used at the base that it could be sensed from a great distance. If that was the result a detection spell, it would have had a massive search area. It would also mean they could expect that the enemy already knew they were coming.

“…But I can’t imagine they’d use such a serious spell just to keep an eye on their surroundings. Something smaller would have be enough,” Harumi continued to whisper.

“…Which probably means they’ve got some kind of big magical weapon set up or something,” Koutarou responded, still in a whisper too.

“…Or they could be in the middle of creating something. They shouldn’t know that we’re attacking today, after all.”

“…Having magic used against you really is problematic…”

Koutarou took his eyes off Harumi and looked ahead in the direction they were marching with a bitter expression. The dense forest reduced visibility, but ahead lay Fort Charldrissa where there enemy was preparing something magical. Magic was remarkable and versatile

took. It could be used in any number of ways in almost any situation. But that also meant that having it used against you was like having a jack-in-the-box in front of you with no way of knowing what surprise lay in store. It was an unpleasant situation, and the tension would only continue to mount as the handle turned.

Koutarou’s combat troops safely reached the vicinity of Fort Charldrissa. No one had pursued or confronted them, so it seemed they’d escaped detection so far. Right now, they were concealing themselves in a nearby valley while waiting for the troops in the back to catch up.

“Sakuraba-senpai, can you sense anything?”

“It’s not just one color of magic… There are several spells being used at once!”

While waiting for the rear to catch up, Koutarou and Harumi moved away from the other troops to observe the base. Koutarou used his spirit sight and Harumi used her magic to gather additional information.

Despite it being night, the base could clearly be seen. Being a military installment, it was well illuminated. Inside the fence surrounding the base was a runway with several fighters lined up next to it. There were also plenty of cannons and machine gun turrets installed around the base, all pointed up towards the sky. Tanks had been placed to protect key points, and there were soldiers actively patrolling the base. It was indeed well defended. They must have realized they would be the next target after the spaceport.

After concentrating, Harumi could eventually sense the mana from before coming from inside the base. Her reading was more detailed this time. It wasn’t just one powerful flow of mana, but three. Then a sudden voice from behind gave them even more information.

“This feels like Yellow, Orange, and Green. At least three leaders of Darkness Rainbow are probably here.”

“Aika-san! You’ve already caught up?” Koutarou exclaimed.

“We’re light and nimble, unlike your squad, Satomi-kun,” Maki replied.

She had walked over to Koutarou and Harumi after arriving with her troops. In her indigo mantle, it almost looked as if she’d walked out of the night itself. But she was smiling brightly at Harumi and Koutarou. She was more like the moon that shone through the darkness.

“I see… So were you serious about three of the leaders being here?”

Maki’s arrival had alleviated some of the tension in the air, but it was short-lived. Koutarou knew they needed to be focusing on what Maki had just said.

“Yes,” she replied. “Considering the atmosphere around this mana, I don’t think there’s any doubting that it’s those three.”

Maki was originally a leader of Darkness Rainbow herself. That’s why she was well aware of the distinct traits in the mana that each of the other leaders gave off. Because of that, she could identify them just by sensing fluctuations in the mana. It was like a signature,

but only Maki could see it. It wasn’t something just anyone that could use magic could do. Maki’s mana reserves weren’t all that much, but when it came to skill and accuracy, she was second to none.

“And if those three are here, I imagine the other three and Maya-sama are here as well,” Maki continued.

“That might be true. They know that they can’t afford to lose this base, so it’s safer just to have everyone come,” said Harumi, agreeing with Maki’s suspicion.

Considering the situation, it was hard to imagine that they would place magical girls in all of the surrounding bases. Since there were only a few of them, they would focus their magical power wherever needed to be defended the most. If they didn’t work as a group, they’d be taken out by Koutarou and the others one by one.

However, there was something that made Maki anxious.

“But this feels too obvious. It’s like they’re asking us to find them…”

Why didn’t they try hiding their mana? If all of the leaders were here, it would have been easy to do. But it seemed like they’d made no attempt at it. Maki couldn’t understand why.

“I think it’s just like you said, Aika-san,” Koutarou said.

He seemed to have figured it out. He could imagine a reason why they wouldn’t bother hiding their mana.

“Oh?”

“It’s on purpose. They’re telling us, ‘Hey, we’re over here. If you don’t hurry, it’ll be too late.’”

“They wouldn’t go out of their way to do that, would they?”

“They would. It’s just like something Elexis and Maya would think of.”

“So it’s a challenge?”

“I’m wondering that myself. It might be a challenge, or it might be a trap. Either way, it’s clear it’s going to mean trouble.”

If the flashy Elexis was in charge of things, it might be a grand challenge. But if Maya was in charge, it could be a trap. Of course, it could also just be Crimson running out of patience. There were several possibilities, but they all had one thing in common. The mana emanating from the base was powerful. Whatever was ahead of them would be a mighty obstacle.

Infiltrating Fort Charldrissa wasn’t particularly difficult. Between Clan’s optic camouflage and Maki’s magic, it was easy to make a hole in the metal fence surrounding the base. Clan also sent a device to flash lights a few kilometers east of the base in order keep the enemy distracted. That allowed Koutarou and the others to break into the base without any problems.

I know it’s not realistic to use magic to keep watch over such a large base, but… when there’s nothing at all, that’s nerve-racking in its own way…

Koutarou and the others had been able to infiltrate the base so easily because they were only up against the standard, mundane precautions. Sanae had already confirmed that there wasn’t any spiritual energy at work, and Harumi and Maki determined that there weren’t any magical defenses. It all seemed too easy to Koutarou, especially knowing Darkness Rainbow was involved, and that feeling only made things seem more eerie.

It seems like this really is some kind of trap. I need to stay on my toes or I’ll walk straight into it.

And it was only natural for Koutarou to think that way, considering he had no idea what Vandarion’s true intentions were. If he had known then, things surely would have happened differently.

“Satomi-kun, Sakuraba-san, I’m off,” said Maki, snapping Koutarou back to reality.

Maki and her squad were going to split off from Koutarou and the others now that they were inside. They needed to operate in secret as they disabled defensive equipment and opened the front gate.

“Please be careful, Maki-san. Let’s all meet again safe and sound,” Harumi said, bidding her a heartfelt farewell.

“You guys are the cornerstone of the operation this time, Aika-san. We’re counting on you,” said Koutarou, concerned in his own way.

In this battle, Maki’s squad would be in the most danger. A small squad of just ten people had to disable the defensive equipment and open the front gate of Fort Charldrissa. If they were discovered, escape would be difficult. They’d been tasked with the riskiest job.

Kiriha had specifically assigned it to Maki for her calmness, her rationality, and her versatile magic. Really, this part of the mission was only possible because they had Maki on their side. That’s how critical her role was.

“Heh, in that case, is there a reward to be had if I complete the mission unharmed?” she asked, smirking.

Perhaps it was because she was well aware of the danger she was in and the importance of her job, but it was a rare request from Maki. She was asking to be doted on by Koutarou.

“That’s―”

“I’m just kidding. Well, then I’m really off this time. See you later.”

But in the end, Maki was Maki. She didn’t want to hear Koutarou turn her down, so she put an end to the conversation by brushing it off as a joke. While she was unmatched in strength as the indigo magical girl, when it came to interpersonal relationships, she was a

coward.

“Aika-san, there will be a reward!”

However, Koutarou knew Maki well. He’d also promised Maki’s red-headed friend that he would treasure her. That’s why he was able to call out to Maki now without hesitation.

“Ah…”

Hearing those words from Koutarou, Maki stopped in place for a moment.

“Then I’ll do my best!” she called as she looked over shoulder, flashing a radiant smile.

Seeing Maki leave like that, Koutarou let out a sigh of relief. Harumi did the same.

“Seeing her like that, I think she’ll probably be fine,” said Harumi.

“If anything, I’m more worried about us,” replied Koutarou.

Maki was an experienced warrior. Her job was dangerous, but there was no need to worry if she could make full use of her abilities. From this point on, Koutarou and Harumi would need to focus on their own safety.

“It’ll be fine,” Harumi assured him.

“Huh?”

“I’ll protect you, Satomi-kun.”

“Hahaha! Okay, I’m counting on you. Really.”

“Of course! Leave it to me!”

Koutarou and Harumi turned towards the main building of Fort Charldrissa at the same time. The main building was their next goal, and they’d be breaking in to make a scene. Since they would be purposefully drawing the enemy’s attention to distract them from Maki, their job was also dangerous. They looked at each other briefly to confirm their resolve before nodding and starting to run with their troops in tow.

Maki’s objective was in the maintenance tunnel under the base. The tunnel housed a communications cable that connected the base headquarters to the other facilities, the defensive equipment within the base, and the antenna that relayed with the satellites in orbit. Maki’s destination was just before where that cable branched off. Her job was to change the connections there in order to disable the base facilities, the defensive equipment, and the antenna.

“Please hurry! We don’t have much time to spare!” she quietly called to her troops.

“Yes, ma’am! Everyone begin work at once!”

Since Fort Charldrissa was originally an allied base, the Reborn Forthorthian Army had an accurate map of it. Thanks to that, things were going well. Maki and her squad were able to reach their destination without getting lost. The patrolling soldiers were a problem, but Maki used her mind manipulation magic to get her squad through safely.

They eventually reached their destination and began working on sabotaging the system. While her subordinates were working, Maki kept guard with a serious look on her face. They’d managed to avoid getting caught in the Imperial Army’s surveillance net, but there was something that made Maki anxious.

Green might still know our location. If she used her Future Forecast ahead of time, it wouldn’t matter if there are traces of mana right now!

If Green had used Future Forecast several days ahead of time to determine Maki and Koutarou’s positions, there would be no need for the Imperial Army to spread out their guard. They would only have to position themselves strategically and effectively, and down here in the tunnel would be one of those places. With Maki’s subordinates working away on the cable, it would be easy to ambush them. Getting attacked here would spell certain failure for their mission.

“What a scary face, Maki.”

“Crimson?!”

Maki’s fear took form in the worst way possible—Dark Crimson, the leader of Darkness Rainbow with the highest attack power. She was the last person Maki wanted to find them.

This was a grim turn of events. With her squad in the middle of working in the confined space of an underground tunnel, Crimson’s explosive magic would be fatal. Maki wouldn’t be able to protect everyone on her own. She couldn’t avoid the sinking feeling she was about to lose her whole team.

“Jeez, I finally found you. This was the fourth most likely place you’d be according to Green’s Future Forecast from three days ago.”

“Stop right there, Crimson! If you move a muscle, I will attack!”

Maki readied her staff and pointed the tip towards Crimson. The soldiers who were working also realized the situation they were in and drew their weapons. But their positioning in the tunnel was working against them. Only two of the nine soldiers had a clear shot at Crimson.

“Calm down. I didn’t come to fight today either,” she announced.

Unlike Maki’s crew, Crimson left herself wide open. She simply stood still, not readying her staff or chanting any spells. She just stared at Maki.

“I don’t believe that,” Maki declared.

“I’m sure you don’t, but it was an order from your master.”

“Maya-sama?”

“Don’t get me wrong. We didn’t get to go all out last time, so I’d love for you to attack me first. I’m allowed to defend myself after all.”

“There’s really nothing to gain from attacking you.”

Crimson rarely ever lied. She much preferred using fists and firepower to mind games. And the stronger Crimson’s opponent was, the more anxious she was to fight them, and in turn, the more honest she was. Since Maki knew that better than anyone, she turned

around and issued a new order to her subordinates.

“Everyone, continue working! We have no time to spare!”

“Y-Yes, ma’am!”

The soldiers were dubious, but they obeyed and got back to work on the cable. They knew time wasn’t on their side.

“That’s more like it.”

“So why did you come, Crimson?”

“I came to see you, of course.”

Sensing that Maki’s cooling hostility, Crimson casually approached her. She was convinced that Maki wouldn’t attack, and her instincts were correct.

“I’m happy, but obviously that’s not the only reason, is it?”

“You’re as smart as ever. There’s something I want you to tell me.”

“You want to know something?”

“About your man.”

“You mean Satomi-kun? Don’t call him my man.”

“Well, he might as well be if our serious little Maki doesn’t flat out deny it. Anyways, who is this Koutarou guy really?”

Crimson had come to obtain information on Koutarou. She knew there was a high chance of making peaceful contact with Maki, especially after Green had revealed her possible positions with Future Forecast. But this was a job she had accepted from Elexis. Since she wasn’t allowed to fight, she had time to spare and accepted the job of coming to see Maki.

“Satomi-kun is Satomi-kun. Nothing more, nothing less,” Maki responded calmly.

“There’s no way that’s it. He was getting attention for the way he looked and fought before even coming here. Not to mention he closely resembles a certain native legend here. If you’re trying to incite something, the run-up is taking too long and there was no reason to start it up back on Earth. There have also been too many coincidences with the legend for it to be just a coincidence. There has to be something more to it. Or so Elexis said.”

Elexis and Darkness Rainbow were closing in on the truth about Koutarou. As they had fought with him several times before, they had a lot of circumstantial evidence. It was more than enough to make them suspicious of Koutarou’s identity.

“Crimson, I know what you’re getting at. And what you’ll do if I don’t tell you the truth.”

A drop of sweat ran down Maki’s spine. Crimson said she had no intention of fighting, but it was unclear if it would stay that way if she didn’t get what she wanted. There was no telling if she’d go on a rampage to get Maki to start talking. Everything would be ruined if that happened now. Maki knew Crimson was simpleminded enough that she hadn’t put her in this position on purpose, but she still felt her hand being forced.

“Then you can just be honest with me,” said Crimson.

“I just hope that what I can tell you will be enough to satisfy you.”

If Maki said too much, it would put her friends in a difficult situation. But if she didn’t say anything, the mission would be in danger. It was a very fine tightrope to walk She almost felt like praying.

“You’re right, Crimson,” Maki finally said. “It wasn’t a ploy to gain public support, and it wasn’t anything intentional. It all pretty much started with a lone girl praying. One thing led to another after that, but he’s done the best he could with what was thrown at him. That’s how we’ve ended up in this complicated situation. If it seems like there’s something more to it, it’s just because that’s the kind of guy he is.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s all I can say.”

With a serious look on her face, Maki stared down Crimson. She’d said what she could. All that was left was whether or not Crimson would accept that, but Maki wasn’t optimistic. If Crimson made a move, she was ready to start an incantation right away.

“That’s all I needed to hear. That’s what Elexis wanted to know.”

Betraying Maki’s expectations, Crimson nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Huh?”

Thrown totally off her game, it was all Maki could manage to say. She was stupefied.

“Koutarou wasn’t intentionally put on a hero’s pedestal. As long as Elexis knows that much, he can apparently use the evidence at hand to figure out the rest for himself.”

Having known him for a while now, Elexis had plenty of information on Koutarou. All he really needed to piece it all together was the right perspective, and that depended on whether or not the Reborn Forthorthian Army had intentionally made a hero out of him.

“Elexis said he’ll be sure of it by the end of this battle.”

“…Then there really is something going on here?”

“Let me put it this way for you. Maya’s been enjoying herself.”

“That’s bad… We have to finish our work quickly!”

Maki’s surprise only lasted for a short while. She quickly returned to her usual self as she desperately racked her brain over what to do next.

“So there you have it. Let’s meet again sometime, Maki.”

With Maki’s focus wavering, now was the perfect time for Crimson to attack her. And yet she didn’t. She simply turned and walked away peacefully as promised. To Crimson, there was nothing more boring than a surprise attack that ended a fight quickly.

“Crimson!”

“What? Are you ready to fight now?”

“I’m glad to see that you’re doing well.”

“…See you, Maki.”

“Yes. Let’s meet again some other time.”

Crimson wasn’t picky about making sure it was a fair fight, but if she was going to fight, she would prefer a proper, straightforward fight so that it would last longer. She was willing to wait for that kind of opportunity.

Around the same time Maki and Crimson crossed paths, Koutarou and his platoon made their way into the main building of Fort Charldrissa. Since Koutarou had brought the robots with him at Sanae’s behest, he put them to work and used them to break through the wall of the building to let everyone else in.

“We’ll follow after you once we’ve fully blocked off this place! Please move the forces up ahead!”

“Please do! But don’t be reckless! After ten minutes, head out even if you haven’t finished the blockade! If we can’t reach the headquarters within ten minutes, we’re leaving!” Koutarou ordered.

“Understood! Best of luck to you!”

“Thank you! You too!”

Koutarou and his platoon’s goal now was to conceal the presence of Maki’s squad. In other words, it was their job to stand out. Attacking the center of the enemy base seemed like the quickest way to get their attention. Since this facility managed the control of the military satellites, it was particularly valuable to the Imperial Army. Surely they would go out of their way to defend it. And Koutarou wasn’t disappointed. When they arrived, the Imperial Army forces were gathered in the center of the base.

“Sakuraba-senpai, please!”

“Yes!”

In total, the Imperial Army was about three thousand strong. If they got completely surrounded, Koutarou’s platoon of forty wouldn’t stand a chance. They weren’t really looking for a fight; they just needed to distract the Imperial Army for ten minutes or so. That would give Maki and her squad enough time to infiltrate and let Theia’s forces inside through the front gate. But even if everything went according to plan, Koutarou and his men would still be on their own for several minutes. If they let the Imperial Army put them on the defensive, they would be in trouble, so they were planning on going all out from the start.

“Shine, Signaltin!”

Responding to Harumi’s call, Koutarou’s sword began shining. The light was pure white at first, but it turned red as it grew brighter. Red magic was the type focused on attack spells. Accordingly, as Signaltin’s mana was being charged with destructive powers, the blade gleamed with red light.

“Hyaaaaah!”

Booooom!

With a single swing of Signaltin, Koutarou destroyed the shutter that had been lowered to keep out intruders. The soldiers standing at the ready on the other side were too slow to respond and were also hit with the blast. They’d been watching Koutarou and his men through the surveillance camera and hadn’t expected him to knock out the shutter with a single swing of a sword.

“The distortion field generator is… that thing!”

Koutarou was quick to seize the opportunity. He swung Saguratin in his left hand and sent out an Aura Blade.

Shwiiing!

The Aura Blade sailed through the air with all the speed and force of Koutarou’s swing. It cut through the barrier generator set up behind the soldiers. Not even their powerful defensive machinery was any match for spiritual energy. The generator was easily cleaved in two.

“A-An enemy attack! Drive them back!”

Seeing Koutarou emerge from the explosion of the destroyed generator, the enemy captain hurriedly ordered his men on the offensive.

“If you had opened the shutter and attacked, we’d have been in a tough spot… but sadly, you’re too late.”

Koutarou quickly dropped down to the floor. Not a moment later, a volley of bullets flew overhead. Koutarou’s troops were firing on the Imperial Army soldiers to keep them from firing first.

“All right, looks like that went well.”

As Koutarou got up, he saw all of the Imperial Army soldiers collapsed on the floor. However, not a single one was dead. Koutarou’s men had fired special rounds intended to incapacitate the enemy, but not harm them.

“Your Excellency!” Koutarou’s adjutant, Orion, called out as he ran over to him.

Orion had been in command of the shooting, and based on his expression, he had something to say on the matter.

“I know what you want to say. But there’s no time to rest. We’re moving on right away,” said Koutarou.

“No, that’s not it… Shouldn’t we be using live rounds instead? This is just too dangerous for you, Your Excellency.”

Orion was worried about Koutarou. The bullets that knocked out their opponents had almost no firepower. They were only designed to apply concussive force, which meant that no matter how many bullets they fired, they wouldn’t be able to take out barriers. That put the on onus on Koutarou to take the front line and deal with them. Orion knew how dangerous that was.

“This will do as long as I’m still here in one piece,” Koutarou replied. “I’m not going to ask you to kill as long as I have these two swords.”

Koutarou understood Theia and Alaia’s wishes. That was why, unless there was absolutely no other choice, he wasn’t going to let soldiers from the same country kill each other.

“Your Excellency…”

“But when I’m not around, I’ll leave the decision of what bullets to use up to you. I can’t ask you not to defend yourselves.”

“…”

Hearing Koutarou’s answer, Orion straightened his posture and gave him a crisp salute, just like he’d learned at the academy.

“What’s with the salute all of a sudden?”

“I am honored to fight at your side, Your Excellency. We will do everything to protect you, so please be at ease.”

Even as Forthorthe continued to develop and move away from the era of knights, its people were steadfast in living by the ways of chivalry. That was especially true for the soldiers who had volunteered to protect their country. Koutarou incited a special devotion in them, and they were proud to serve under him.

“H-Hey…”

“Then if you’ll excuse me, I’ll hurry the soldiers.”

After one-sidedly saying what he wanted, Orion quickly returned to his subordinates, leaving behind a confused Koutarou.

“Being a hero is hard work, isn’t it, Satomi-kun?” Harumi giggled.

“This is nothing to laugh about, Senpai. I’m not doing anything special…”

Koutarou simply didn’t want to betray the people close to him. He wanted to respect their wishes as much as he could, princess, empress, solider, commoner, or otherwise. Koutarou didn’t feel like he was doing anything particularly worthy of praise.

“Normally it’s not that easy to pull off such a thing.”

“Well, that’s because I have Sakuraba-senpai and others who aren’t normal helping me out.”

“Then you must be very special indeed, Satomi-kun. If not, then all these people wouldn’t be helping you, would they?”

“Please give me a break, Senpai.”

“I’m afraid I can’t. Please do your best, Sir Knight.”

Since she had just used Signaltin’s powers, the sword crest was still faintly present on Harumi’s forehead and her hair was still glowing silver. Because of that, Koutarou felt like it wasn’t just Harumi talking to him, but also a certain precious someone from his past. It

sent his heart aflutter. But he knew this wasn’t the time to get sentimental. Koutarou quickly changed gears and asked Harumi something that had been on his mind.

“By the way, Sakuraba-senpai, can you sense any mana around here?”

He was worried about Darkness Rainbow. After parting with Maki, they had encountered Imperial Army forces three times, but there had been no sign of Darkness Rainbow yet. They were supposedly here, but they weren’t attacking. Koutarou couldn’t help wondering why.

“They’re not nearby. It seems they’re more, um… to the south.”

While listening to Harumi, Koutarou brought up a holographic map. They had infiltrated from the north and continued to move in that direction, essentially towards the runway.

“…What are they trying to do? Why aren’t they attacking?”

Koutarou’s expression was serious as he turned the matter over in his head. There was no doubt that magic was being used in the base, but the leaders of Darkness Rainbow hadn’t shown themselves. There was also no sign that there was any magical surveillance being used, and the soldiers were all equipped with standard, non-magical weapons. Something seemed very, very strange.

“Your Excellency!”

“Satomi-kun, everyone’s gathered.”

“I guess nothing will come from worrying over it. Let’s go, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Yes!”

While Darkness Rainbow bothered him, it was more important that they didn’t stick around in one place. After putting his thoughts aside, Koutarou led his platoon through the passage.

By the time they reached the base headquarters, most of their ten minutes was already up.

“We made it in time!”

Koutarou peeked around the corner of the passage and confirmed their remaining time. They only had a minute and a half to go. They were perfectly on schedule according to Kiriha’s plan. With the time they had left, they should have an opening to charge into the headquarters just ahead of them. But Koutarou wasn’t focused on the headquarters just because it would attract the enemy’s attention. There was another important job to take care of.

“Orion, have you gotten any report from the covert forces?”

“Nothing yet. They might be delayed, or…”

“Nothing will come from worrying. We’re charging in like planned!”

That was a failsafe in the event that Maki and her squad failed. As long as they could take the headquarters, they could disable the defensive weapons, gain control of the military satellites, and, of course, open the front gates. During the planning stage, Kiriha had properly accounted for multiple ways to clear each objective.

But even so, if Koutarou and the others got too hung up on charging in, the entire plan might collapse on itself. That’s why they needed to wait for the right time to make their move. The entire plan didn’t hinge on them. They were just a backup in case of an unexpected delay. But as luck would have it, Maki had fallen behind schedule, which gave them their opening to charge in.

Meanwhile, inside the headquarters were soldiers with their guns trained on the entrance. They also had a powerful distortion field deployed just before the door. Even if Koutarou breached it like he had the others, it wouldn’t take out the soldiers just behind it, and Koutarou would be temporarily halted by the barrier. That would give the Imperial Army soldiers an opportunity to attack and call for their reinforcements lurking nearby. They would swiftly defeat Koutarou first, then attack his forces from both sides. That was the strategy the base commander had devised.

“It looks like they’re falling straight for our trap…”

A middle-aged woman stared at the door from behind the lines of soldiers. Despite her age, her well-trained body made her look much younger than she was. This was the commander of the base, the knighted Lady Tygashion. Her long hair was adorned with her family crest, a petrel with its wings spread.

“They’re very naive. This should be simple,” a soldier commented.

“We can only hope. We have nothing more to fall back on,” she replied.

Though her subordinate was optimistic, Lord Tygashion still had a stern look on her face. She was confident in her plan, but the Reborn Forthorthian Army couldn’t be underestimated. Even taking their naivety into account, she wasn’t fully assured of her victory.

“We can’t afford any mistakes on our side. All we can do now is pray for protection from the Goddess of Dawn…”

Based on the speed of Koutarou’s invasion, Lady Tygashion figured she would only have one shot at an effective counterattack. She knew she wouldn’t get the time to reposition her soldiers. That said, she also knew that constantly changing positions or only sending in a few men at a time was foolish. Lady Tygashion needed to concentrate her counterattack in a single location, and she had chosen the headquarters for the showdown.

Since she didn’t know that Koutarou and the others had Clan’s technology on their side, she had no way of knowing about their interference with the underground comms cable, and she fully expected the base headquarters to be their primary target. Moreover, since Koutarou and the others weren’t killing Imperial Army soldiers, she didn’t have to worry too much about putting her men in harm’s way. She could use them like pawns to guide Koutarou and his forces into using the same tactics over and over as she prepared for the battle for the headquarters. She believed that was the most effective plan.

Now it was just a matter of seeing it through and figuring out whether or not it would work. Lady Tygashion believed she had done all she could to prepare in the short amount of time she had. All that was left to do was pray. With everything else in place, she believed that was the best she could do with the time she had left.

“He’s here! The knight in blue armor!” a soldier cried.

The surveillance camera set up at the door revealed a knight wearing blue armor. Everyone in the room knew what that meant, and the tension spiked.

“The enemy will be stopped by the barrier for only a moment. Keep calm and aim properly!”

Soon after Lady Tygashion issued her order, the door to the headquarters was sent flying at a terrific speed.

Kaboom!

The splinters of the shattered door splattered against the barrier’s surface. The soldiers then waited for the knight in blue armor to get caught up in the barrier, but he wasn’t the next thing to slam into the barrier.

Thunk! Clank, clank, clank…

“Oh no, it’s a flash ba― No, that’s…!”

There was an object shaped like a lemon rolling across the floor. Lady Tygashion thought it was flash bang at first. As the Reborn Forthorthian Army didn’t kill and wanted the control room in tact so they could take over the satellites, they wouldn’t use a real grenade here. Lady Tygashion’s line of thinking wasn’t totally wrong. A stun grenade was a standard tactic when breaking into a room like this.

Pssssshhh…

But the lemon-shaped device wasn’t emitting light or loud noise. Instead, it released high- temperature smoke at an alarming rate. It wasn’t a stun grenade, but a thermal smoke grenade.

“Preposterous! Who would use something like that in a place like this?! Now none of us can see!”

Strategically, it was an unthinkable move. As the name suggested, it polluted the room with a hot smokescreen. Not only did the smoke obscure vision, the heat prevented the use of thermal sensors, and the metal particles released with the smoke made radar unusable. It was a powerful enough tool that using it in a confined area before entering would indeed mean that neither side would be able to see what was going on. It seemed like a losing game for everyone, and Lady Tygashion couldn’t get her head around what her opponent was thinking. She was more taken aback by that than by being blinded with smoke.

“This is what happens when you only rely on just your eyes. There’s still sounds, smells, and vibrations. Master martial artists even have a sixths sense for the presence of others. But the bottom line is that you were unprepared.”

“Who’s there?!”

“Careful. You shouldn’t move any more than that. If you take another step forward, you’ll cut your own throat and die.”

“What?!”

Lord Tygashion almost instinctively moved forward, but the sensation of something cold on her throat stopped her in her tracks. The next moment, the room’s ventilation system kicked in and the grenade stopped putting out smoke. The room seemed to clear up almost instantly.

“H-How could this…”

As the smoke dissipated, a surprising sight revealed itself. Apart from Lady Tygashion, all of the Imperial Army soldiers were collapsed on the floor. Standing over them were a knight in blue armor, a girl with silver hair, and Reborn Forthorthian Army soldiers with strange devices on their heads.

At first, Koutarou had been planning on breaching the headquarters using the same method as always. He hadn’t had any problems with it so far, so there didn’t seem to be a reason to change it. That is, there wouldn’t have been if Harumi hadn’t spoken up.

“We’ll go in the same we have―”

“Please wait, Satomi-kun. I think we should change our tactics for this last time.”

“What do you mean?”

“If we were going up against Kiriha-san, I think she would let us attack as we pleased to get us to lower our guard while she prepared a trap at the very end. This would definitely be the place for that trap.”

Harumi believed that if there were any traps, they would be at the headquarters. Since there were multiple routes there, trying to lay them along the way would be ineffective. Instead, it would make more sense to set a trap at their ultimate destination. And while they weren’t going up against Kiriha, it wasn’t unreasonable to assume an experienced enemy commander might think the same way.

“Hmm, I see. You might be right.”

“Even if I’m not, I don’t think there’s anything to lose by switching things up.”

“Then let’s do it. Thank you, Sakuraba-senpai.”

After thinking about it, Koutarou realized she was right and agreed to go along with a new plan. They’d try a different approach and go with a thermal smoke grenade. Koutarou would be able to see with his spirit sight, and the soldiers were equipped with goggles that came with spiritual energy sensors. They could blind their opponents while keeping the upper hand.

And this was the result. All of the soldiers in the headquarters had been defeated, and only Lady Tygashion was left standing. While there had been some danger along the way, Koutarou and the others had successfully accomplished their objective.

Koutarou’s last objective in Fort Charldrissa was settling things with the base commander, Lady Tygashion. He lowered his sword and decided to try talking with her.

“Could you just surrender, Lady Tygashion?”

“Threats won’t work on me. I know you won’t kill anyone. And even if you did, you’d never find out the codes for the military satellites that way.”

Lady Tygashion was a tough opponent not just in battle, but in negotiations as well. She knew what Koutarou was really there for, as well as the limitations being part of the Reborn Forthorthian Army placed on him. It didn’t look like she would convinced to lay down her arms so easily. But Koutarou had his reasons for asking her to surrender anyway, and it just so happened that one of those reasons made itself apparent in that moment.

Beep!

It was a message from Maki in the underground tunnel.

“Sorry for the delay, Satomi-kun. We just finished the work on our end. We’re opening the front gate right now.”

“Good timing. Thank you, Aika-san.”

While Maki and her squad had been slowed down by the encounter with Crimson, they still managed to complete their objective within the specified timeframe. It was a solid job well done, just as expected from Maki.

“Well, now we don’t need the codes anymore,” Koutarou said, turning to Lady Tygashion.

“Tch…”

She didn’t know how they had pulled it off, but Lady Tygashion knew what it they meant that the front gate was open. The base’s systems had been hijacked by the Reborn Forthorthian Army.

“The rest is up to you. With your headquarters lost, your chain of command crippled, your defensive equipment and facilities out of use, and your men unable to fight, are you still going to challenge the undefeated Mastir family to battle?”

“That’s…”

Lady Tygashion’s mask of confidence began crumbling. With the systems in enemy hands, she knew she had already lost strategically. It gave the Reborn Forthorthian too much of an upper hand. She knew that. All that was left for them to decide was what to do with the Imperial Army forces stationed at the base.

“It’ll be impossible, even for us, to avoid casualties in a clash like this. Will you still not back down?”

Koutarou tried his best to embody the ideals of Alaia and Theia, but he knew there were times a more realistic approach would have to be taken. Just the same as what had happened two thousand years ago, there were some sacrifices that couldn’t be avoided. That was the kind of situation they were in now. If Lady Tygashion wouldn’t yield, this would turn into a bloodbath. There would be no avoiding it. That’s why Koutarou was earnestly trying to convince her not to walk that gory road.

“I understand the situation,” she conceded. “But even so, I cannot surrender.”

Despite Koutarou’s attempts to dissuade her, Lady Tygashion wouldn’t stand down. But there was something strange about her declaration. There was no confidence in her words and no hope in her eyes as she stood her ground. Rather, there was an air of despair about her. The look on her face only conveyed sadness and resignation.

“Are you insane?!” Koutarou shouted. “You’ll all be wiped out!”

“Anyone ranked battalion commander or higher has had their family taken hostage. We’ve received strict orders to fight until the last man. For the sake of our families, there is no backing down for us!”

It wasn’t that Lady Tygashion wanted to fight. She simply had no choice in the matter. With her family being used against her, her hands were tied. The same was true for the battalion commanders. They had to fight, even if it cost them their lives, in order to protect their families. If they surrendered here, word would get back to Vandarion and the lives of their families would be forfeit.

“Curse you, Vandarion! How despicable can you be?!”

“You… No, I should call you Blue Knight-dono! Kill us and move on! Don’t let someone like that do as he pleases with this country!”

Lady Tygashion had steeled herself for this. She knew they couldn’t win, but she also knew they couldn’t surrender. The battle wouldn’t be over until all of the battalion commanders were dead. Sacrificing themselves in a head-on clash would be the quickest way to end it.

“Don’t give up like that! Nothing is certain yet!”

But Koutarou didn’t see it that way. He hadn’t given up yet.

“But―”

Lady Tygashion was about to deny it. What he was saying seemed impossible, but when she saw the burning look of determination in Koutarou’s eyes, words failed her.

“What if the battalion commanders were unable to take command?” he asked.

“The company commanders would take charge… I see! The company commanders haven’t had their family members taken hostage, so they could make the decision to retreat!”

“That’s right! Hey, my dear servant, can you hear me?” Koutarou activated his armor’s comms and called for Clan, who was standing by in the Cradle.

“What now all of a sudden?”

“Can you determine where all the soldiers ranked battalion commander and higher are?”

“If I knew what they looked like, sure. But why would you need to know something like that?”

“Just shut up and get on it! I’ll get on my knees and beg or whatever you want later! Just hurry up!”

“Whatever it takes, huh?”

“Once you identify them, let me, Landlord-san, Sanae, and Yurika know! We need to incapacitate them as quickly as possible!”

“I understand. Just wait a minute.”

The base had right around three thousand troops divided into one regiment of ground forces and one battalion of air forces. A regiment comprised four battalions, each led by their own commander. Combined with Lady Tygashion and the air force commander, that meant there was a total of six people in Fort Charldrissa with the rank of battalion commander or higher. Koutarou believed the battle could be brought to a safe end if those six people were incapacitated.

With supporters of Vandarion working as moles in the Imperial Army, if Lady Tygashion or any of the battalion commanders called for a retreat, their families would be killed. But the situation would be different if someone else—someone whose family wasn’t being threatened—took charge. If the chain of command fell apart after the battalion commanders had been lost, a retreat would naturally be called for in order to regroup.

But the conditions in order to achieve that scenario were extremely tricky. They would need to determine the precise location of the remaining five battalion commanders, and then attack them in a way that didn’t make it look like they were aiming for the commanders. Considering the task at hand, Koutarou had called on Clan for help, even though he knew she needed to be involved in this as little as possible in order to keep her presence hidden.

If Veltlion is that desperate, something serious must have happened. I don’t know who it is, but whoever’s behind this is risking getting blown to the other side of spacetime…

At the time, Clan didn’t understand why she was being asked to do such a thing, but realizing the seriousness of the situation, she gladly complied. No one understood Koutarou on the battlefield better than Clan. She trusted in him and responded without hesitation. Thanks to the connection Maki and her squad had opened, Clan was able to use the base’s systems to begin searching for the battalion commanders.

“Blue Knight-dono… I don’t know what to say…”

“You don’t have to say anything. Vandarion’s the one at fault here.”

“Even then… I’m sorry. I cannot blame you for hating me after kowtowing to evil and raising my sword against you, but I just can’t abandon my family.”

Lady Tygashion’s only daughter and her sickly husband had been taken hostage by Vandarion. They both meant more to her than her own life, so calling for a retreat was out of the question, no matter how many soldiers it might cost. Tears overflowed from Lady Tygashion’s eyes as she gritted her teeth in disgust at her own powerlessness. She was at the mercy of that villain’s orders.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let Vandarion have his way. If things go well, we might even be able to stop this before a full-scale battle breaks out here.”

The situation was bad. At this rate, the blood of many would be shed in vain. But if all of the battalion commanders could be captured, they could put an end to the battle before things really went south. Not all hope was lost.

Rrrrrumble…

But Koutarou and the others hadn’t yet met Vandarion’s next scheme. Just before the two armies were about to clash, Vandarion’s trump card caused the very foundation of Fort Charldrissa to shake.

“What’s that shaking?! What’s going on?!”

“I don’t know! But I’m sure it’s coming from the underground hangar on the other side of the runway! That’s the only place out of my jurisdiction! Top brass has been doing something there!”

Following up on what Lady Tygashion had said, the Reborn Forthorthian Army soldier sitting in the operator’s seat began working away at the control panel. A hologram taken from a surveillance camera to the south popped up.

“What is that?!”

Everyone who looked at the hologram instinctively held their breath, but no one was more alarmed than Koutarou. It was a perfectly natural reaction, however. In real time, the hologram revealed what looked like a giant, red dragon crawling out from the underground hangar.

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