Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 42 - Chapter 5

Ralgwin’s Battle

Wednesday, October 26th

Koutarou’s inspection of the new Blue Knight was going well so far. After touring the head, he’d visited the right and left arms the following two days. It was now the fourth day of his inspection tour, and he and the girls were visiting the right leg. They were currently at the control center of the dock building the leg, getting an overview of the ship from an engineer.

“...Which roughly translates to propulsion and propellant, with the surplus going to storage and the hangar?” Koutarou asked in summation.

“That understanding is mostly correct,” the engineer replied hesitantly. “The Blue Knight is, erm... Well, it has a very unusual structure, so—”

“Hahaha, it’s okay. You can say it’s ridiculous. I think the same thing.”

“Much obliged, Your Excellency. Now, in order to overcome the disadvantages of the Blue Knight’s unique structure, the legs are equipped with large propulsion units. But this means that moving Blue Knight’s legs can reorient propulsion for the entire ship, which allows it to change directions at speeds unthinkable for a ship its size.”

“So the humanoid design has some advantages,” remarked Koutarou.

“Yes. Granted, it shouldn’t be used often for the sake of structural integrity, but I’m convinced that the new Blue Knight is as mobile as the old one—if not more so.”

“It’s just as mobile despite its size? Sounds like you’ve really put a lot of work into this. I’ll be mindful of the ship’s durability. Thank you.”

“It’s an honor, Your Excellency!”

Clan wasn’t with Koutarou today, so the on-site engineer was doing all of the explaining. Koutarou made sure to keep his replies polite and businesslike. He was trying to be respectful in Clan’s absence, for she was absent to take care of an important job only she could handle.

After the overview from the engineer, Koutarou, Shizuka, Harumi, Maki, Nana, and their escort moved to another location. Clan greeted them there.

“Hello, Veltlion.”

“Hey, Clan. How’s it looking?”

“I finally found some bugs and explosives—hard evidence of a plot.”

Clan’s job for the day was finding evidence that Ralgwin’s forces were planning to attack. She made an excellent sweeper in that regard, so everyone had left her to her own devices.

“They weren’t there yesterday, mind you,” she continued, “so they must have been planted last night. They were installed rather sloppily, however. Maybe the enemy is bumbling in a rush after hearing about your sudden inspection. Since the ship is still under construction with plenty of eyes everywhere, the bugs and explosives are concentrated at the main dock. Based on that, I’d say they’re planning on attacking when you enter.”

“Can you tell what their main target is?” Koutarou asked.

“Judging by the number and distribution of the explosives, the torso is their most likely target.”

“Figures... So, what do we do now?”

“If we charge in and defuse the explosives, I suspect the enemy will withdraw. So instead, we’ll continue to monitor the explosives and all communications channels. Pardomshiha’s already working on it.”

“You can count on me, Master,” Ruth chimed in. “I will do my utmost to protect both you and the Blue Knight.”

With the discovery of the explosives, Koutarou and the girls considered an enemy assault all but confirmed. Clan and Ruth would continue to gather information without revealing that they were onto the scheme. The plan was for Koutarou and the others to intercept the enemy when they attacked and capture Ralgwin. Koutarou and Theia needed to continue their inspections in order to keep Ralgwin from getting suspicious, however, so other members of their groups were occasionally splitting off to handle various jobs. Preparations for battle were underway in the shadows.

Fasta looked displeased when she saw the footage and information regarding the planted explosives. Shizuka was the first to notice and decided to ask her about it.

“Is there something bothering you, Fasta-san? Are you thinking maybe this wasn’t Ralgwin-san’s doing?”

“No, not that. I have no doubt this was Ralgwin-sama’s plan, but the execution is just so sloppy. My squad would never botch work like this.”

Fasta didn’t like how the devices had been planted. Such a covert job should have fallen to her squad, but the standard of the work she was seeing was far below her expectations. The devices weren’t camouflaged properly and the wiring was bad, leaving them easy to find and at risk of premature detonation with the slightest mishap.

“It’s likely an adverse effect of the enemy’s return to Forthorthe. The homecoming dramatically expanded their area of operation, so I imagine they were forced to rely on local troops for this over Fasta’s elite unit,” said Maki. As a longtime member of a military organization, she understood why Fasta was upset. She’d encountered the same problem herself now and again.

Ralgwin had been on the defensive on Earth, but now that he’d returned home, he was shifting gears and going on the offensive. He still only had a finite number of elite soldiers, however. Depending on the operation, he would inevitably end up with less-experienced troops on the job. There were many factors that could lead to a disadvantage in battle, and in this case, the size of the theater—an entire galaxy—was working against him. Even with a carefully constructed plan, Ralgwin had struggled to mobilize a highly skilled unit to handle the job. As a result, critical preparations had been lackluster.

It’s true the increased area of operations poses an issue. But this is... The situation seems bad.

Fasta knew Maki was right—at least in part. She thought there was more to it. Ralgwin’s preparations had proceeded without a hitch so far, so why would he compromise when it came to the execution? She found it hard to believe he hadn’t foreseen the sloppy work. Knowing Ralgwin’s personality, she was confident he would have reviewed every last detail of the plan. That was just the kind of commander he was. And yet he’d pushed forward with this plan, meaning he was aware of its flaws and had proceeded regardless. Fasta couldn’t imagine any good reason for that. She figured that Grevanas and the Gray Knight were moving so fast that Ralgwin had felt his hand forced. Fasta could tell the grave danger her commander was in just by glimpsing the sloppy explosives—a testament to how long she’d been with the organization.

If he’s determined to attack, this will be my first and only chance to save Ralgwin-sama. I have to succeed here...

Fasta had left Ralgwin as she felt the walls closing in around the rebel army, and their situation would only worsen as time wore on. The only trump card she had was insider knowledge, and that grew more and more outdated by the day. She wasn’t green enough to believe she’d get more than one good shot at saving her commander. This would be it. She had to pull herself together.

Five days after Koutarou inspected the head, on the sixth and final day of his Blue Knight tour, he was scheduled to visit the torso at the main dock.

“The question’s how they’re going to come after us...” Koutarou mused as he looked out of the transport vehicle window.

The shipyard was coming closer into view. It produced spacecraft over a kilometer in length, so the facility was even bigger than that. Even with floating or flying machines, a tremendous amount of space was required for construction—and the new Blue Knight’s torso was especially large. It was being built at one of the largest facilities on the planet.

“You sure seem composed, Kou. I can’t stop myself from shaking,” said Kenji, who was riding alongside Koutarou in the transport vehicle. In demonstration, he held his right hand up, and just like he’d said, it was trembling a little.

Koutarou smiled at him. “It’s always like that for new recruits.”

Koutarou was no stranger to battle. He was all too familiar with the nerves a freshly trained soldier had to fight before taking the battlefield for the first time. In fact, compared to most, Kenji was handling himself quite well.

“So you do this kind of thing all the time, huh?” Kenji asked hesitantly.

“I’m a bit of a special case,” Koutarou replied. “I wasn’t thrown into battle with my life on the line at first. I started with smaller skirmishes.”

Koutarou’s first fight had been with the invaders of room 106. Following that, he’d assisted each of them in their own personal fights, which had escalated into real battle. Eventually, it had all climaxed into full-blown war. Unlike Kenji and most new recruits, he hadn’t been introduced to life-or-death combat from the get-go. He’d had the luxury of acclimating to the idea over time.

“You’ll get used to it eventually too, but scary things will always be scary,” he assured Kenji.

“Do you still get scared, Kou?”

“Yeah. Imagine Kin-chan and a dozen of your closest classmates fighting with guns.”

Koutarou’s loved ones were joining him in battle. Some might be injured. Some might even lose their lives. And it would all be under his command. He would be the deciding factor in whether the people serving under him lived or died. It was a responsibility he would never get used to. Fighting on the front line as a rank-and-file soldier was less scary in his eyes.

“You really are something, Kou... I don’t think I could do this.”

“That’s fine. This isn’t your battle. We’ll protect everyone, so you just need to follow instructions and escape somewhere safe.”

Kenji continued to travel with Koutarou so as not to arouse enemy suspicion. He’d been with the tour group from the start, so it would raise attention for him to disappear suddenly. Thankfully, Nalfa and Kotori had stopped coming after the second day, so only Kenji’s presence was required. Still, Koutarou had no intention of making him fight. The plan was for Kenji to make his exit before battle broke out.

“I’m counting on you guys, Kou! You had better protect me! If I have to fight, I’d at least want some training first!”

“Dude, I don’t know if you’re brave or a coward...”

For a moment, Koutarou thought that Kenji might be more suited for battle than he was—but he quickly reconsidered. Kenji’s courage was likely for his sister, Kotori, who was in the same situation. So it wasn’t that Kenji was particularly cut out for war. He was just desperate to protect his sister.

All of a sudden, Shizuka, who was attuned to the unique energies of the battlefield, perked up. “Satomi-kun, I’m starting to feel a stirring...” she warned. Specifically, Alunaya’s bestial instincts were speaking to her. She couldn’t see them, but the enemy was close.

“Satomi-san, let’s allow Matsudaira-san to escape now,” said Nana. Genius though she was, her spiritual perception was that of a normal human. She couldn’t yet detect the enemy herself, but if Shizuka said they were coming, Nana believed her. She was ready to evacuate Kenji, who wasn’t just a civilian—he was Koutarou’s best friend.

“Hold off,” replied Koutarou. “it doesn’t feel like they’re going to attack just yet. Besides, the timing would be too obvious. We’ll let him off at the checkpoint up ahead.”

Koutarou was endowed with spiritual energy perception from Sanae, so he had a more detailed grasp of the situation than Shizuka. He could sense the enemy too, as well as their mood. Right now, they were mostly just excited and tense. There was no mounting bloodlust, as would be natural right before an assault kicked off. If Koutarou made the wrong move now, it might spur the enemy and put Kenji in even greater danger. The safest move would be to help Kenji make his escape at the shipyard.

“You probably don’t need to hear this from me, Kou... but be careful.”

“That’s not true. Thanks for worrying about me.”

Kenji had now played his part. The enemy was preparing to attack, oblivious to the interception that awaited them. From here on out, the rest was up to Koutarou and the girls, who would step in to engage and capture Ralgwin. A decisive battle was nigh.

Since the shipyard produced battleships, it had all the security of a military facility, including multiple checkpoints upon entry. Koutarou’s plan was to let Kenji off at the final checkpoint, which was the largest of all. The vehicle they were traveling in could pull into the station, completely concealed from outside view. That made it the optimal place for Kenji to disembark.

“Take care of Mackenzie,” Koutarou said somberly.

“We will guard him with our lives!” a security officer replied dutifully.

“You don’t have to make that big of a deal out of it...” Kenji grumbled.

“Quit yammering and get going, Mackenzie!”

“Yeah! See you later!”

“Right this way, Matsudaira-san!”

“Thanks!”

The shipyard used spatial distortion technology to move people and supplies via gates that resembled a larger version of the one Theia used to travel to room 106. The escape plan was for Kenji to use the gates to get as far away from the shipyard as possible before battle broke out, or to take refuge in one of many emergency shelters at the yard if he couldn’t make it in time. Once he was on a course for safety, the transport vehicle pulled out from the final checkpoint with Koutarou looking relieved.

“Aha, so Matsudaira-san really is special to you,” said Nana as she shuffled over next to Koutarou.

When Nana switched seats, she switched appearances too. She now looked like Kenji via the power of Maki’s magic. Similarly, Maki—who was sitting across from them—transformed herself into Nana. This switcheroo was a precaution against alerting the enemy of Kenji’s departure once the group disembarked.

“I can’t deny there’s some truth in that,” Koutarou replied.

“Hmm... I guess Shizuka-san and Maki-san have their work cut out for them,” said Nana in Kenji’s voice as she smiled and leaned on Koutarou’s shoulder. Maki’s transformation was so flawless that Nana both looked and sounded exactly like Koutarou’s best friend.

“You doing that in his form is giving me the creeps, so please spare me.”

“Ah, so boys get close in a much different way.” Nana readily pulled away. She was only teasing Koutarou, and this was an emergency situation. She was discerning enough to know the teasing could wait.

“I suppose so,” Koutarou said, looking far less tense. Nana teasing him in Kenji’s guise really was bad for his heart.

“Well, there you have it, Maki-san, Shizuka-san,” said Nana. “You probably won’t be able to get between them through physical contact. So you’ll have to think up a different plan.”

“Duly noted,” Maki replied seriously with a firm nod. She was keen to learn how to get closer to Koutarou, so she considered this information critical intel.

“Boys are so hard to understand,” Shizuka said bitterly. Kotori had told her that Koutarou trusted the girls and Kenji the same way, but she had her doubts after what she’d seen. Her feelings were complicated.

But that was the conclusion of all carefree conversation in the car, for the doll-size Alunaya in Shizuka’s lap suddenly perked up.

“Shizuka, they’re coming.”

Hearing this, Shizuka and the rest of the group shifted their attention to the situation at hand. As for Alunaya, he seemed to disappear as he made his own preparations for battle. In reality, he’d simply ceased projecting himself in stuffed animal form.

“Seems they’re making their move now,” Shizuka confirmed. She could detect exactly what Alunaya had—a prickling in the air that made her skin tingle. It was unmistakably the sensation of a fight on the horizon.

Koutarou picked up on it too and immediately opened a comms channel. “This is the Blue Knight! All units prepare for battle! Engage at your commander’s discretion! Stay vigilant! The enemy is upon us!”

While Koutarou was leading the operation, he trusted the expertise and knowledge of the Forthorthian army when it came to modern warfare. He readily deferred field command of the soldiers on the ground to their unit commander, Nefilforan.

“You heard him, everyone! Safeties off! Stick to the plan!” she ordered.

“Raaaahhh!” her troops rallied.

Koutarou’s decision to put command control in Nefilforan’s hands was wise. It allowed her unit to function per usual, which skyrocketed morale. Every soldier present was grateful to have the Blue Knight as their commander-in-chief.

It wasn’t long before a resounding explosion rang out. Ralgwin’s primary target in the assault was Koutarou. The new Blue Knight was an important objective too, but a secondary one nonetheless. Ralgwin had to make a move on Koutarou before he entered the shipyard facility or risk losing him entirely, so the initial onslaught was concentrated on him—including the explosion. Ralgwin wasn’t after the ship just yet.

“Situation report!” Ralgwin demanded.

“The generators have stopped! The distortion field is down!” an officer informed him.

The first explosion had actually been two simultaneous blasts. Modern warfare in Forthorthe was all about how to break through an enemy’s barrier. The strategy in a normal battle was whittling down an enemy’s defenses with firepower, but breaching a base was a different story. Stationary strongholds housed sturdy distortion field devices with massive generators to support them, and the shipyard was as well defended as any military facility. Getting inside either meant relying on high-caliber siege weapons or strategic reliance on infiltration and sabotage beforehand, and Ralgwin had chosen the latter to spread as much fear and panic as possible in the shipyard. The plan was to blow out the barrier, charge in, and eliminate Koutarou in the chaos. If they could take out the new Blue Knight in the process, that would be icing on the cake. Either way, the first step was now complete.

“Send out the squads according to plan! Don’t give them any time to recover!” Ralgwin ordered.

“Understood!” the officer replied. “Attention all units taking part in this operation! Abandon cloaking and begin assault plan 6-A! I repeat—”

As the officer passed on his orders, Ralgwin continued to monitor a hologram displaying his troops surrounding the shipyard and gradually closing their encirclement. Ralgwin had had them use a combination of spiritual energy tech and traditional camouflage to get as close to the facility as possible without being discovered. The initial explosions were the signal to begin the strike in earnest.

Things are going well so far. If we can infiltrate before the next round of explosions, we can reach our target!

If Ralgwin’s only goal had been to destroy the shipyard, he could have detonated all of his planted explosives at the same time, causing maximum chaos for the Imperial Army in one fell swoop. But in this case where Ralgwin had two intended targets—Koutarou and the new Blue Knight—drawing the confusion out over a longer period of time was to his benefit. For that reason, he’d intentionally staggered the detonations in waves. With foreknowledge of when and where they would go off, Ralgwin’s troops could easily maneuver around them while the Imperial Army flailed.

Moreover, Ralgwin knew that the Forthorthian army would focus on protecting Koutarou above all else. The opening strike of this assault was the most critical, and in spite of Ralgwin’s meticulous plan, there was still plenty of opportunity for something to go awry. There was always a chance the army would do something unexpected in their panic following the first round of explosions, and any unexpected diversion might thwart the assassination squad closing in on Koutarou. There was even a chance the Imperial Army would be unfazed by the blasts, leading to greater resistance than expected. That could jeopardize the entire operation. Knowing all this, Ralgwin couldn’t help wanting to pray. There was nothing else he could do now.

“Your Excellency, the Imperial Army is reorganizing their formation! Troops located at points C, D, and F are moving to point A!” Ralgwin’s officer informed him.

“So they’re abandoning the head and arms, are they? Their commander is as bold as ever,” Ralgwin mused.

The Imperial Army was swiftly reorganizing after the explosions. Point C represented the dock where the head was being built, and points D and F represented the docks for the left and right arms. The Imperial Army seemed to be funneling forces from all three points to point A, the dock where the torso was being constructed. Sacrificing the arms and head to protect the most important part of the ship was a daring strategy, but for Ralgwin, who had hoped to keep the enemy from converging, it was a painful move.

“Still, they’re undoubtedly moving to protect the Blue Knight himself too,” surmised Ralgwin. “In that case... proceed to the next phase as planned. Detonate the explosives at choke points C, D, and F.”

If the Imperial Army had only been moving to protect the ship’s torso, their daring strategy would have worked. But in truth, they were primarily concerned with protecting Koutarou. They were acting without due consideration for the situation at hand, leaving themselves vulnerable as they unwittingly jumped into Ralgwin’s trap.

A second explosive roar erupted from the shipyard.

“Detonation of wave 2 explosives confirmed, Your Excellency,” Ralgwin’s officer reported. “The enemy has taken heavy losses, but they’ve now activated a sub-generator and deployed a reserve distortion field.”

The second round of the assault had inflicted mass casualties on the Imperial Army, but it wasn’t all good news for Ralgwin. The army was quickly pulling itself together. They’d already raised a secondary barrier and they were beginning to mount other defenses concentrated around point A—the dock with the torso and Koutarou. Nevertheless, Ralgwin remained confident.

“They’re ten seconds too late! It’s already over for them!” he cried.

If the army had erected their barrier before the second round of explosions, it would have spelled a protracted battle for both sides. But they weren’t quick enough. They’d taken the secondary blasts at full strength, which had devastated both their troops and their defensive equipment. Ralgwin’s men would have no trouble reestablishing the upper hand. The shipyard’s sub-generator was in plain view, and it would only be a matter of time before they took that out too.

I’ve done it! I won this gambit, Uncle!

Ralgwin’s forces had begun their assault not knowing where the sub-generator would be. If they’d been unable to locate it after it came on line, they could have been in serious trouble, but their brazen gamble had paid off. The sub-generator was practically right in front of them, so it seemed the battle was all but clinched now.

“The heavens are on our side! Don’t let up on the attack!” Ralgwin bellowed.

To cement his victory, he spurred his men to action. Now that success was finally within his grasp, he was growing restless.

If the situation had been entirely as Ralgwin perceived it, he might have actually stood a chance of assassinating Koutarou. His plan was meticulous and luck was on his side. But, unfortunately for Ralgwin, the results he was seeing were just an illusion.

“Kiriha-sama, the enemy forces have reached the retreat limit line,” Ruth calmly reported.

Kiriha was currently seated in the commander’s chair of the temporary command center they’d set up in the shipyard. She was overseeing the Imperial Army’s operation with the help of both Ruth and Clan. The retreat limit line Ruth had just mentioned was a virtual line Kiriha had drawn on a map of the shipyard representing the battlefield. After hearing the enemy had reached it, Kiriha made her move.

“Good,” she said. “Instruct all forces to begin the counterattack.”

“At once, Kiriha-sama!”

The Imperial Army was set to stage a large-scale counteroffensive once the enemy hit the virtual line. If they’d struck before then, there was too high a chance that Ralgwin would withdraw. That was why Kiriha had devised what she called the retreat limit line and waited until the enemy troops crossed it before acting.

I was nervous for a while, but it seems there was no need for that. Thank goodness...

While Kiriha kept calm in front of the soldiers, she was intensely relieved. Ralgwin had deployed his men just as Fasta predicted, but there was no guarantee everything would go to plan. With the lives of so many troops in her hands, Kiriha had to remain wary of even the slightest possibility of a trap. Fortunately, the pressing danger had now passed. Fasta’s information had proven good—although that didn’t yet prove Fasta was an ally.

“Now, Ralgwin, the ball is in your court. The outcome of this battle depends on what kind of person you are,” Kiriha murmured.

Koutarou and the girls wanted to avoid casualties, even on the enemy side. Fasta felt the same way, especially since she was going up against people she knew personally. But not even the wise Kiriha knew how things would play out.

When the first round of explosions had gone off, Fasta was able to remain calm—primarily because there was something else occupying her mind. She was fixated on what she could see through the scope of her sniper rifle.

“To think I would end up shooting my allies...”

Fasta hadn’t wanted this. Ralgwin wasn’t the only person she cared about. The information she leaked had put people she knew in danger—people she would ordinarily be protecting. But if Fasta looked the other way now, she would only be enabling Grevanas and the Gray Knight. At their hands, her former allies would be lucky if they were only conscripted or killed. Grevanas could use his magic to subjugate an ancient dragon, so stealing the souls of humans was undoubtedly a trifling matter. The lich might well be on his way to building an army under his control, or worse, under the resurrected Maxfern’s control. Fasta had to tell herself that intervening now was the best way to spare her friends from the worst possible fate.

“Don’t worry. You’re not wrong. The scary magician and that gray guy are the real bad guys here,” said Sanae, who’d been stationed with the snipers and other long-range attackers to serve as their eyes.

“I know that, but accepting the situation is still difficult. What would they think if they knew I was on the enemy side...?” Fasta replied darkly. Sanae’s comforting wasn’t enough to lift her spirits.

Sanae looked around and answered in a clear voice, “Well, they don’t seem very angry.” Her expression said that everything was all right—that Fasta had nothing to worry about.

“What?” Fasta replied, dumbfounded.

“I’m talking about your friends,” Sanae explained. “They’re not angry at all.”

Fasta still couldn’t get her head around what Sanae was telling her. It just sounded like a cruel joke. “What are you talking about? Are you making fun of me?”

“I’m not making fun of you.” Sanae shook her head. Naturally, she had no such intentions. “You probably can’t tell, but there are a lot of spirits around you, like Bandana Spanner-kun and Metallic Sunglasses-neesan. At the very least, they’re not angry, so you’re probably fine.”

Sanae wasn’t talking about Fasta’s friends that remained on the battlefield, but rather her friends who were watching over her from somewhere else. She could sense the spirits around Fasta, and she could tell they weren’t hostile. If anything, they seemed to be protecting her.

“Medhein and Gilfara...?!” Fasta gasped, her eyes wide with shock.

Medhein was an engineer who’d joined up around the same time Fasta had, and Gilfara was the squad leader who’d taken Fasta under her wing during her first battle. They were part of the reason Fasta was so attached to the rebel army. Both had fallen in the line of duty. Fasta would never forget them, but there was no way Sanae would know about them—which convinced Fasta that she was telling the truth.

“And the most raring to go of all is this old guy with a scar on his forehead, thin hair, and a shaggy beard,” continued Sanae.

“You can’t mean my d—”

“They all want you to win. I think they know that this is a very important battle. So... I think even if you shoot without really aiming, you’re going to hit everything you want.”

Spirits normally had minimal impact on reality, but in moments of spiritual intensity, they could increase their influence. That meant Fasta would be especially susceptible to it while sniping, an exercise that required the utmost focus and concentration. The assistance of spiritual energy in that state would make a considerable difference in her performance, and the fact that the spirits around her were willing to help was further proof Sanae was telling the truth. They weren’t angry.

“Believe in yourself and your allies, my disciple,” said Sanae.

She was reciting a line from an anime, but she meant every word of it. Fasta’s comrades believed in her, and Fasta should believe in them in return. It would surely bring forth a better outcome.

“A year ago, I would have questioned what kind of foolish nonsense you’re spouting... but now I want to believe you,” said Fasta. She’d been stirred to action because of an evil magician, so the existence of protective spirits wasn’t that much of a stretch. Fasta had already witnessed all kinds of miracles, so she was ready to believe Sanae.

“You should have faith in us too, my disciple. The bullets we gave you are sure to defeat your comrades without hurting them.”

Fasta was currently shooting with special bullets made with spiritual energy technology that, upon contact, would disrupt a target’s spiritual energy and knock them unconscious. With these, Fasta didn’t have to worry about killing her friends.

“Trust me, my disciple,” Sanae repeated.

Thanks to Sanae, the burden weighing on Fasta’s heart was a little lighter. She now had no reason to hold back.

“But you know, be careful not to hit anyone in the head. The bullets still move fast, so that’d definitely hurt.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure my comrades will be sure to avoid any headshots.”

“That’s the spirit, my disciple.”

Sanae flashed a smile. With her psychic powers, she could tell that Fasta had cheered up a little. She was thoroughly satisfied that her psychic powers were helping someone.

It wasn’t long afterward that they received Kiriha’s order to begin the counterattack.

Apart from Koutarou, who was acting as a decoy, Shizuka, Nefilforan, and the elite troops with the two of them were taking on the most dangerous role. The Imperial Army was tactically withdrawing to force Ralgwin’s men across Kiriha’s retreat limit line. Simply put, they were luring the enemy to a more advantageous battle location. It was a risky job, and Shizuka and Nefilforan were leading the maneuver.

The dock where the new Blue Knight’s torso was being built lay on the east side of the shipyard, and it was the closest point to the facility’s outer perimeter. Ralgwin had a large unit there to try to siege and destroy it, so the east side was seeing the fiercest fighting. Supporting the front line in such a situation was a complex and delicate operation. Staying abreast of the heated battlefield took a well-rounded fighter with many long years of experience under their belt.

“If I’d known I’d wind up in fights like this, I would’ve trained harder in marksmanship...” Nefilforan grumbled as she fired her rifle with a bitter grin.

Nefilforan hailed from the Glendad family, famous for its long history of military service and accomplishment. She was thoroughly trained in martial arts and technology, and while she was primarily a close-quarters fighter, she wasn’t a bad shooter either. With careful aim, she was as accurate as Theia off the cuff. And after she defeated the umpteenth soldier...

“Commander, we are reaching our limit. Let’s retreat and reorganize,” suggested Diahale, a middle-aged man with a beard. He was a seasoned officer who’d trained and fought alongside elite soldiers, and he was acting as Nefilforan’s second-in-command while Nana was protecting Koutarou.

“It looks like we still have some leeway,” Nefilforan argued.

Diahale had suggested retreat several times already, but Nefilforan didn’t yet see the need. Ralgwin’s forces had seized the buildings on the perimeter of the shipyard and were using them to set up makeshift bases. The enemy assault was gaining momentum as they gradually advanced toward the dock building the torso—where Koutarou was. But Nefilforan’s unit had known what they’d be up against and suffered minimal losses so far. There had been structural collapses here and there courtesy of Ralgwin’s troops, although Nefilforan had mostly evacuated the area beforehand. They were also using mobile weapons to draw enemy fire, so only a few people had been injured as of twenty minutes into the battle. It was an impressive holdout.

“Yeeeeeeeek! They’re throwing even more bombs now!” Shizuka cried out.

“Calm down, Shizuka. Those little things wouldn’t even put a scratch on you,” Alunaya reminded her.

“Say what you will, but I almost got buried alive!”

Despite their brave stand, the situation remained dangerous. Shizuka had just gone to help soldiers who were slow to escape, and the building they were in had collapsed on top of them. Luckily, Shizuka was strong enough to force her way out and save several other people in the process.

“I understand what it looks like, Commander,” Diahale said. “But a clever opponent will intentionally make things appear less dangerous than they truly are. You do it yourself when you adjust the timing of your attacks. Just think of this as taking that to the extreme.”

“I see... I trust your judgment, Diahale. Fall back,” Nefilforan acquiesced.

“Understood!”

Nefilforan had reached the rank of regiment commander at a young age, and she more than lived up to the name of Arda Sine—“the piercing spear”—in her focus on offensive maneuvers. Defensive battles and withdrawals like this were nearly foreign to her. She understood them theoretically, but there was practical knowledge one could only gain by experience, so she ultimately chose to trust in her second-in-command and give the order.

“This is Nefilforan!” she began over the comms line. “The eastern line is pulling back! Any forces with power to spare, bombard the enemy’s rear line! Slow their advance! Additionally, use antiair weaponry—”

Nefilforan had a company of 160 men under her direct command, and safely relocating them would take extraordinary effort. There was also the risk of being attacked on the move. She needed to be especially wary of incoming artillery fire and air strikes.

“Shizuka-san, we’ll be counting on you again!” Nefilforan called.

“You got it! I’ll be right there!” Shizuka replied.

Shizuka, with the help of Nefilforan’s shock troops, would take up the extremely dangerous job of rear guard as the company fell back. They were uniquely suited for it. Shizuka was virtually a walking tank, and Nefilforan’s troops were specially trained by the veteran Glendad family. No one else was as equipped for the arduous task ahead of them.

But as soon as Nefilforan made her decision, a high-priority message came in over her comms application. After confirming the caller and other details, the AI opened the line automatically.

“Attention all forces! The enemy has crossed the retreat limit line! Follow the plan and move to counterattack! I repeat, the enemy has—” Ruth’s voice rang out.

This was what Nefilforan had eagerly been awaiting, and she wasted no time passing it along. “You heard her, men! Cancel the retreat! We’ve done well to hold out this long—now it’s time to fight back!”

“Raaaaaaaahhh!”

With that, morale skyrocketed. The soldiers had dug their heels in to endure their stand all this time, so Ruth’s message was a huge relief to them. Naturally, it was for Nefilforan as well. But Ruth’s message wouldn’t be the only boon they received... for a five-meter-tall giant then appeared before them. It was a vivid blue and carrying a backpack with a red stripe.

“You don’t mind if I join in, do you, Princess Nefilforan?” said Koutarou from inside.

“Your Excellency?!” Nefilforan gasped.

“I’m here too!” cried Theia. “I’ve been on edge this whole time, so I’m going to go wild!”

The giant was Warlord III-Revised equipped with the Red Line backpack. In other words, Koutarou had arrived with Theia to back up Nefilforan’s unit.

Sending the Blue Knight himself to the front lines... Ah, so that’s what this is!

Nefilforan was taken aback by the enemy’s prime target willingly putting himself out there, but she soon realized what was going on. If Kiriha had given him permission to sortie, it was a good sign that either the eastern front would be the site of the decisive battle or there was uncertainty about the enemy’s next move. The Blue Knight’s presence was a measure to be prepared for whatever may come.

“Raise the flag!” Theia shouted.

The top of Warlord’s backpack then deployed a beam shooting straight upward. It didn’t have much power, but it wasn’t meant to be used to attack. When it reached its apex, it traced a pattern in the sky—an emblem of a knight fighting a dragon. This large beam-based banner was a signal to all that the Blue Knight had deployed.

Once the beam was visible overhead, the shipyard came alive with the rallying cry of the Imperial Army soldiers who saw it. Their voices came together in a low rumble that shook the very ground. They were even more excited than when Nefilforan had passed on the order to counterattack. Morale was through the roof now.

Something very similar was happening on Ralgwin’s side, although the reaction was quite different.

“Damn... It’s the Blue Knight! They’re sending out the Blue Knight!”

“This is our chance! If we kill him, the reward will be enough for us to live in luxury the rest of our lives!”

There were those who turned pale at Koutarou’s appearance and those who rejoiced. The former simply feared him—a perfectly natural reaction to going up against a legendary hero in battle. The latter were eager to slay him and claim their share of fame and riches.

“Kiriha, the other side is getting worked up now too. According to our Global Sanae Channel, they’re split evenly into Little Scardies and Big Meanies,” Sanae reported.

“I see,” replied Kiriha. “You heard her, Koutarou. The enemy is focused on you, so your location will become the heart of the battle.”

Hearing the enemy’s reaction dispelled Kiriha’s worries about the situation. If there was simply going to be a fierce battle ahead, then high morale was exactly what they needed and it made sense for Koutarou to show his strength on the front line. The enemy’s next move depended on Koutarou, so by deploying him before they could act, she’d effectively forced their hand and determined the location of their decisive clash.

Even when he saw the beam banner of a knight and dragon, Ralgwin’s expression remained unchanged. He was commanding the battle from a warship in the rear and observed the development calmly. Only the other crew members aboard were freaking out.

“So you’ve come out, have you, Blue Knight? Let’s see how this goes...”

Ralgwin was able to keep his cool because he’d expected that Koutarou would take the field personally. In preparation for this assault, Ralgwin had brought a force twice the size of the Imperial Army outfit stationed at the shipyard. With his superior numbers, he’d surrounded the facility and jammed the transfer gate with gravitational waves. Unless the Imperial Army managed to break through his siege, their defeat was only a matter of time. They were effectively cornered, leaving them with few options. There were countless variations of plans they might come up with, but in broad strokes, their goal would have to be the same—either breaking through the encirclement or using a decoy to escape. And given the way the Blue Knight had fought in their battles before now, Ralgwin was convinced it’d be the former. He couldn’t imagine Koutarou running away. In fact, raising the flag was proof he wouldn’t. It would go against Forthorthian chivalry for him to use his knightly banner to deceive an enemy, and the Blue Knight was a model knight.

“If this is your choice, so be it. Everyone on the rear line, advance! Let’s join the party!”

Ralgwin was personally intrigued by Koutarou’s decision to take part in the battle himself, but there was only one way for Ralgwin to respond—funneling his troops to Koutarou’s location. Meanwhile, Ralgwin and his unit would increase surveillance and reconnaissance to monitor for anything unexpected. That way, even in the unlikely event that Koutarou was using a decoy, they’d be poised for anything. At least, that’s what Ralgwin thought, but the situation took a turn he never expected.

“Your Excellency!” his officer called. “I have an urgent report!”

“What’s all the fuss about?” Ralgwin asked.

“The enemy’s main generators have restarted and their primary distortion field is back on line! Our forces are now trapped between the two fields and are unable to retreat!”

“What?!”

Ralgwin’s first move had been to blow up the shipyard’s generator, thereby disabling its distortion field, and then using that opportunity to attack. The Imperial Army had been fending him off this entire time with the help of a reserve generator. But as soon as the Blue Knight took the field, the main generator and distortion field had powered up again. The output of the backup generator had increased too, effectively sandwiching Ralgwin’s forces between the main and backup fields.

Ralgwin immediately barked his orders. “If we don’t do something, we’ll be ripped to shreds! Have our tanks and artillery take out that distortion field! And have the advancing reinforcements hurry up!”

The Imperial Army could now selectively lower their barrier to open fire on Ralgwin’s stranded troops, mowing them down in orderly fashion. The only way to prevent that was to bust through the outermost barrier to save them. And the only way to do that was to unload their firepower on it.

Still... how were they able to get a step ahead of us so decisively? There’s no way they planned that on the spot!

Even Ralgwin was beginning to panic now. The Imperial Army had played him all too perfectly. They must have noticed the explosives and responded accordingly, although that wouldn’t have been easy to pull off. Destroying the enemy’s main generator was a standard opening move, but given how quickly the Imperial Army had responded to the planted explosives... Something was wrong. They must have found the bombs ahead of time. Ralgwin now had to reckon with the possibility they’d already dealt with all the explosives he’d planted.

“Detonate all remaining explosives that don’t have any of our units in range!” he ordered on the spot.

“Understood!” his offer replied. “Sending the detonation signal!”

Ralgwin could no longer afford to be particular about his methods. He was now aiming to confuse the enemy and minimize his losses. There were also Imperial Army soldiers trapped between the two barriers, so it should have been easy enough, but...

“The bombs aren’t activating!” the officer reported. “There’s been no blast!”

The planted explosives remained inert. Nothing happened, and the battle proceeded without change.

“They’ve already dismantled them?!” Ralgwin asked in shock.

“No, we’re still getting a signal saying they’ve been detonated. The enemy probably just disconnected the bombs themselves.”

A bomb consisted of an explosive and an electronic detonation device, and Ralgwin’s officer suspected all the Imperial Army had done was decouple them. The detonation devices were still sending and receiving signals, but they were completely harmless now. And no one had been any the wiser until the explosions didn’t go off.

“So they were a step ahead of us on that too. I see our foe is as clever as ever. Perhaps this was even Empress Elfaria’s doing... Damn it!”

Ralgwin slammed his fist down on his armrest in frustration. Either the opponent had outwitted him, or he’d made a blunder. Whichever the case, Ralgwin felt cornered and had nothing else to take his anger out on.

Still, it would have been unfair to pin the failure on Ralgwin. He didn’t know that Fasta had betrayed him, and the only reason his enemy had outmaneuvered him was thanks to the information she’d leaked. Objectively speaking, he’d done nothing wrong. Grevanas and the Gray Knight had also forced his hand with regard to the timing of his attack. His one arguable slipup had been trusting the rigging of the explosives to operatives less skilled than Fasta’s elite unit. But even so, they’d had all the standard experience and training expected of them.

“What shall we do, Your Excellency?” Ralgwin’s officer asked.

They could no longer blow up the new Blue Knight, and their forces were caught in a distortion field cage. At this rate, disaster was inevitable. Ralgwin knew that as well as everyone else on the bridge.

“Concentrate all the firepower we have on the outer distortion field. Once it’s breached, all forces are to retreat! We’ll move in as well, but don’t go too far! We’ll be protecting the escape route!”

Ralgwin had decided to save his men. It was the same decision he always made, yet the soldiers on the bridge breathed a small sigh of relief. To soldiers stranded on the battlefield, their commander’s word was a matter of life or death. If they knew help was on the way, they could dig in and fight back even in the face of grave danger. With that hope rekindled, the crew aboard Ralgwin’s ship quickly pulled themselves together and got to work.

Kiriha had first come up with the idea of trapping Ralgwin’s men between barriers when she’d learned from Fasta that he would try to siege the shipyard with an encirclement. The plan was to trick Ralgwin into advancing by making him think the main barrier had been destroyed, and then stop them with the secondary barrier before closing them in by reactivating the main barrier behind them. That would keep Koutarou safe while making it easy to pick off the enemy, but Kiriha also had another objective in mind.

“We’ve detected an enemy strike ship approaching at maximum speed,” an Imperial Army soldier reported.

A hologram of the ever-changing battlefield was on display in the command center. A new red dot had just appeared on it like a shooting star. Kiriha’s eyes sparkled when she saw it.

“So you’ve come, Ralgwin...” she muttered.

Ralgwin was a tricky foe—always present but always hidden. To siege a shipyard of this size, it would ordinarily take two battalions, or twelve hundred men. That meant there had to be a ship capable of carrying that many men hiding somewhere nearby. Strike ships were fast and stealthy by definition, meaning it would be virtually impossible to find as long as it stayed hidden. But now Kiriha had successfully drawn it out.

“You truly are an excellent commander,” Kiriha observed.

She watched as the strike ship streaked toward the location Fasta had predicted—the enemy’s extraction point. Ralgwin was closing in to protect his retreating soldiers while also offering up his ship’s attack power in the assault on the shipyard barrier. Commanders who cared for their forces made for tough opponents. Kiriha had only been able to outsmart Ralgwin with Fasta’s help. If not for that, there would have been far more casualties on both sides. Kiriha knew that, so she wasn’t willing to let her guard down for so much as a split second, even with the upper hand.

“Koutarou, Ralgwin is inbound,” she reported. “How are things on the front line?”

“Not bad. Thanks to Theia, not a single missile or shell has hit us. But—”

“I can’t do anything about the beams!” Theia interjected. “Do something, Koutarou!”

“All right already!”

The newly arrived strike ship had joined the enemy ground forces in bombarding the shipyard barrier in an attempt to wear it down from both sides. Thankfully, the Imperial Army’s antiair weaponry was intercepting most of the incoming fire. Theia in particular was performing remarkably well from Warlord. Warlord’s Red Line backpack was stocked with long-range weapons just for her, including antiair options. She was personally gunning down anything that made it past the shipyard’s automatic defenses. The only exceptions were energy-based attacks like lasers and beams, which were much trickier to deal with, but a distortion field would be enough to block them while Theia eliminated the missiles and mortars. The shipyard’s barrier was robust too, so the Imperial Army side hadn’t yet taken any considerable damage.

“Just how many shots are they going to fire?!” Theia exclaimed.

“Welp, as you can hear, we’ve got our hands full,” Koutarou explained.

Even over the comms, Kiriha could indeed tell that Koutarou and Theia were busy. But after a quick glance at the command center hologram, she said something that would add even more to their plate...

“Sorry, but could you go out and stop the enemy reinforcements?”

In order to liberate his trapped men, Ralgwin was moving all of his available units—including his own strike ship—in to break the shipyard barrier. Kiriha wanted Koutarou and Theia to stop their advance, but that wouldn’t be easy. They, too, were currently hemmed in by the donut-shaped ring created by the two barriers.

“If we leave, our antiair defenses here will be weaker,” Koutarou warned.

“If you leave, it’ll weaken the enemy’s bombardment,” Kiriha countered.

Ralgwin’s troops outside the barrier had the most firepower and the greatest chance of breaching the barrier. Not only did they have heavy artillery set up, but they now also had whatever weapons were aboard Ralgwin’s strike ship. Meanwhile, the infantry inside the barrier donut were only outfitted to combat vehicles and other infantry. So if Koutarou and Theia went outside in Warlord, they would undoubtedly draw the heaviest enemy fire to them and away from the shipyard’s distortion field.

“Okay, but how are we going to get through?” Theia asked. “Even though we’ve trapped the enemy, we’re stuck behind them.”

“Just leave.”

“Huh?!” Theia blurted out unwittingly. She even stopped shooting for a moment. She was that taken aback by Kiriha’s answer.

“You said it yourself, Theia-dono—the enemy is boxed in. Just follow the distortion field up and over them to escape.”

The enemy was sandwiched between two layers of barrier that joined at the top in a rounded dome. This was an important feature, for without an effective lid on the barrier, enemy units would be able to escape via flight. And since it was capped, Koutarou and Theia could safely walk right over the top of it. It was more than strong enough to support Warlord.

“You always think up crazy things... Wait, were you planning this from the start?!” Theia was surprised at first, but she soon saw the full picture. Kiriha never had any intention of fighting the first wave of enemies! The plan was to seal them in and lure out the reinforcements—including Ralgwin! Making it look like we were going to annihilate the first wave was just to force him out of hiding!

Kiriha had laid this trap using Ralgwin’s personality and tactics against him. Theia’s jaw hit the floor when she realized the extent of Kiriha’s strategy.

“That’s right,” Kiriha replied, nodding calmly. “Things went better than I expected, all thanks to Fasta-dono.”

Not even Kiriha could have laid such a delicate trap without inside information, which she’d gotten from Fasta. The grand plan had stemmed from a sincere understanding of who Ralgwin was, both as a person and a commander. But that wasn’t all she’d considered.

“I thank you, Kiriha-dono,” said Fasta.

“For what?” she replied.

“Never mind... It’s nothing.”

The real beauty of Kiriha’s plan was that Fasta would only have to fight a limited number of her former comrades. Fasta was extremely grateful, but Kiriha feigned ignorance. She wanted nothing from an ally who would, unfortunately, soon become a foe again. Getting too close now would only make things harder for both of them down the line. Fasta knew that as well, so she settled for quietly thanking Kiriha in her heart.

When Koutarou and Theia ignored the first wave of soldiers to come out and engage him, Ralgwin realized what a massive trap he’d fallen into.

This is what their commander was after from the start. By capturing the first wave, they forced me to decide between running away and coming to help. Either way, I’d have to come out of hiding. Which naturally means their next move would be...

“Your Excellency, we’re reading an energy reaction behind our ship! It’s an ambush!” his officer cried.

“I knew it.”

From a strategic point of view, Ralgwin was simply part of the reinforcements and would be easy enough to defeat—but he could always turn tail and flee. That necessitated a pincer attack of some kind to keep him from escaping, and it seemed the Imperial Army had planned for just that. Even Ralgwin was impressed.

“But it does me no good to praise my foe...”

Though omens of his defeat were mounting, Ralgwin refused to throw in the towel. He might yet be able to rescue his forces and retreat. He had one recourse left.

“It looks like I was right to bring you with me.”

And that recourse went by the name of the Gray Knight. He’d silently been watching over the battle so far, only speaking up now that Ralgwin turned to him.

“I won’t refuse to help you, but there’s a limit to what I can offer,” he said. “What do you want me to do?”

The enemy was both before and behind them. Meanwhile, their allies were trapped in a circular barrier prison. Not even the Gray Knight was powerful enough to swoop in and save the day in a situation so dire.

“I want you to do exactly what you did before—allow my cornered men to escape,” Ralgwin asserted. The last time Koutarou and the girls had cornered Ralgwin’s men, the Gray Knight had used the whirlpool of chaos to evacuate them. Ralgwin sought the same aid now.

“You don’t want me to kill the Blue Knight?” the Gray Knight questioned.

“No. I wouldn’t be able to save my stranded troops that way.”

If Ralgwin tried to rescue his forces himself, it would mean pooling his reinforcements, and the Imperial Army would naturally move to stop them. But with the Gray Knight’s assistance, he could sortie on his own to distract them. Ralgwin was convinced his mysterious ally was the man for the job.

“It won’t be easy for you to hold back the Blue Knight,” the Gray Knight warned.

“Even so, this is my chance to help save my men,” Ralgwin replied.

Ralgwin was certain of his decision, but his plan would mean he was responsible for holding off the Blue Knight until the Gray Knight completed the rescue operation. It wouldn’t be easy, but he believed it’d be his greatest shot at success.

“I see...” the Gray Knight muttered and began speculating.

The Blue Knight isn’t the only one we’re up against. The real problem is the Sanaes. Their psychic powers are superior to mine even individually, so engaging both of them at the same time will be problematic... It would be a different story if Grevanas was done with what I asked for, but I’ll go along with Ralgwin’s little plan for now.

In the end, the Gray Knight decided to help Ralgwin. Ralgwin still had his uses, after all. His galactic connections and his army were both attractive prospects to the Gray Knight.

“All right, I’ll give it a shot,” he said with a nod.

“Can I count on you?” Ralgwin asked.

“Yeah,” the Gray Knight replied, then quickly turned to leave.

Ralgwin called out as he went, “This is a big job. Once it’s over, I’ll buy you a drink.”

“I don’t know if I can get drunk in this body... but I’ll look forward to it.”

Ralgwin wasn’t looking at the Gray Knight, nor was the Gray Knight looking at him. They knew that they didn’t have much time, and so they parted ways to begin their respective battles.

Theia, Maki, and Shizuka were fighting alongside Koutarou. Kiriha and Ruth were stationed in the command center. The remaining girls—Harumi, Sanae, Yurika, and Clan—were with Fasta as part of the ambush party behind Ralgwin.

“Harumi-sama, the enemy will be in range soon!” a soldier informed her.

“We will attack together with Layous-sama. Leave the timing to them,” she instructed.

“Understood, Harumi-sama!”

Since Nefilforan couldn’t lead the ambush party herself, she’d temporarily placed Harumi in charge of it. Harumi was the oldest of all the girls and the most emotionally mature, so she was best suited to taking command. But even so, Harumi was worried about whether she’d be able to do a good job. She didn’t want to barge in on an established team and take charge, nor did she think she was fit to lead.

“Pardon, but could I ask you to stop calling me ‘Harumi-sama’?” she politely requested.

“I’m afraid I cannot do that,” the soldier replied. “You are a member of His Excellency’s band of knights and must be treated with the utmost respect. It is an honor to have you lead our forces!”

Despite Harumi’s concerns, Nefilforan’s unit was in unusually high spirits. No one was disgruntled over her command, much less her presence. She was holding her own, and the troops heartily welcomed her—especially when her hair started glowing silver as she prepared for battle. Everyone was stealing glances at her from time to time.

“Say, Harumi, are you sure you don’t want to come?” Sanae-nee asked.

“It’s fine. I’ll know when Lay—er, when Satomi-kun uses the sword. I can control it from here.”

“That’s why I said this arrangement would be fine,” chimed in Clan.

“Maybe so, but I thought Harumi would still want to see Koutarou too. Anyways, I’m off now!” Sanae-nee exclaimed.

“It’s our time to shine, ho!”

“Now we will join the fight, ho!”

“Please be careful, everyone!” Harumi called.

With that, Sanae-nee and Clan took off aboard Ohime, the high-mobility combat module for the haniwas. They joined the Imperial Army’s fighter squadron standing by in the air to form the aerial force that would attack Ralgwin’s ship.

“Why don’t we get a move on too?” said Harumi.

“Yeah,” replied Yurika.

Rather than joining up with the aerial squad, Harumi and Yurika would be rendezvousing with the ground troops. Instead of attacking Ralgwin’s ship directly, they were responsible for defeating the reinforcements Ralgwin deployed.

“Harumi-sama, before we deploy, please address the soldiers,” requested the soldier serving as Harumi’s aide. The squad had already synchronized with Koutarou, and the countdown to the start of the battle was ticking.

“Again?” she asked timidly.

“If you would, please.”

Harumi wore a troubled expression. She’d been asked to address the soldiers once before and wasn’t sure she was the right person for the job. Still, with everyone putting their lives on the line, she’d been willing to do it on the remote chance it might help. The same was true now, and with barely any time remaining, she swiftly used a computer to connect with all the soldiers under her command.

“To all units hearing this message!” she began in a powerful tone, although the words were not her own. She was drawing on Alaia’s memories of addressing troops as a reference. “Though we put down Vandarion’s coup over half a year ago, the remnants of his faction have continued to sow havoc! That ends today! We shall claim victory here and put a stop to the rebellion once and for all!”

Right now, Harumi had no issue acting like Alaia. Koutarou had once been in the same situation with the Blue Knight, feeling he was only playing the part. But because the heart he’d put into his role was real, he’d slowly begun to inhabit it and eventually became the real thing. There was no guarantee the same trick would work for Harumi, but it was enough to give her hope that her actions weren’t in vain.

“Layous-sama stands on the other side of the enemy! Let us seize glory and greet him proudly! Stand tall! Protect the citizens of our country!”

Hearing Harumi’s words, her aide thought, As I suspected, she’s no ordinary girl. She holds an incredible power within her. Maybe she’s even the empress’s...

It wasn’t just her aide either. All of the soldiers thought the same thing. So when Harumi pronounced the start of the battle...

“Follow my flag! Let the battle begin!”

The soldiers cheered as loudly as they had for Koutarou, and the shouts weren’t coming only from over the comms. Everyone around Harumi was swept up in her speech. Just like last time, she’d rallied the army with great success.

Sanae quickly learned Koutarou and Harumi were attacking, but not from a comms line or message. The explosive increase in spiritual energy over the battlefield told her everything she needed to know. It was a telltale sign.

“It’s started, Fasta,” she said.

“So it seems. I can see them too,” Fasta replied. She could now see the enemy—her former allies—through her scope, though she didn’t let it shake her. Still, to think I really can snipe from this location...

Fasta had taken up her current position at Kiriha’s request. Since the front line would move back and forth over the course of the battle, Fasta needed a specific location to account for that. She’d been doubtful Kiriha could predict the ideal spot, even with the detailed intel she’d handed over. Surely, Fasta had thought, there was no way Kiriha would be able to anticipate Ralgwin’s movements to such a degree.

No wonder we could never win... The bigger the scale of the battle, the more profound the influence her monstrous brain has on the outcome.

Fasta had seen Kiriha’s tactical prowess firsthand during their clashes on Earth, but never had she witnessed anything so impressive as this—primarily because Kiriha had only just recently gotten the full picture of Ralgwin’s forces and their encounters before now had been on a much smaller scale. But now Ralgwin had reunited with his entire faction and allied with other anti-government factions to create a much larger army, which was much easier to predict. Fasta made a mental note to report as much back to Ralgwin later.

“All right, spotter! Get going!” Sanae-chan ordered.

“Why me...?” Sanae-san whined.

“You’re scared of Fasta, right? Or would you rather trade places with me?”

“Okay, I’m going!”

An astral projection of Sanae-san flew up and away from her body. Sanae-chan looked a little jealous, but her expression quickly turned serious again. She knew this wasn’t the time to play around.

“Here they come! Let’s do this, Fasta!”

“I’m ready anytime.”

“Special attack, Local Area Sanae-channel!”

Sanae spread a vast amount of spiritual energy over her surroundings. Sanae’s job was to become Fasta’s and the others’ eyes. The Imperial Army had other snipers and long-range attackers hidden in the area. Sanae-san up above them all would use her spirit sight to collect information and relay it back to Sanae-chan, who would pass it along to the others to orchestrate swift and coordinated bombardments.

“How is it?” Sanae-chan asked Fasta.

“Great. This helps me narrow down my targets,” she replied as she opened fire. Fasta used different guns depending on the situation, and she was using an anti-materiel rifle at present that had the power to pierce armor from several kilometers away. Her shots went straight through the antiaircraft artillery shelling the area.

“Direct hit! The guy using it is running away, so I don’t think it works anymore,” Sanae-chan reported.

“Next target,” Fasta requested.

“Wait, someone noticed your sniping. This person.”

Fasta had put an antiair cannon out of commission, but an enemy soldier had noticed the incoming shot. They whipped around and turned their gun in Fasta’s general direction. Sanae had sensed their hostility and warned Fasta accordingly.

“Do you want to move?” she asked.

Sniping and other stealth attacks relied on keeping one’s position hidden from the enemy. The safest way to ensure that was to relocate after every shot.

“No, I’ll take them out before they can notify anyone,” Fasta replied, switching rifles and looking through her scope.

Targeting a single person on a chaotic battlefield was difficult, but Fasta soon took aim with the help of some psychic assistance courtesy of Sanae. She then exhaled and squeezed the trigger. The gunshot was quieter than before, as Fasta had swapped to a silenced antipersonnel weapon that packed less power and therefore produced less of a flash when firing. It was perfect for not drawing too much attention.

“Direct hit. Target took the shot straight to the chest and is now passed out,” Sanae-chan reported.

“Next one, then,” said Fasta.

Fasta was using special bullets that could be stopped physically by simple distortion fields, but the spiritual energy contained within them would bypass such barriers to render a target unconscious. They could still be lethal if the shooter wasn’t careful—which was no concern with Fasta’s incredible skill.

“Um, go for that cannon over there next.”

“Roger that.” Fasta switched back to her anti-materiel rifle and took aim at the new target.

“Wait a minute,” said Sanae-chan. “Cancel that.”

“What is it?”

“Our cannon team says they can take that location.”

Immediately after that, Fasta could see a flurry of shells rain down through her scope. Sanae then sensed the life in the area fade. Fasta felt it too.

“I’m sorry, Fasta...”

“This is war.”

“Yeah...”

Fasta had been given nonlethal bullets as a kindness so she wouldn’t have to kill her own men herself, but the rest of the Imperial Army was armed with deadly force. In a battle of such scale, lives would inevitably be lost in the fray. The Imperial Army didn’t have enough nonlethal equipment to pursue any other option. Anyone under Koutarou’s command subscribed to Alaia’s ideal of killing no more than absolutely necessary, but war still demanded sacrifice.

“Let’s hope it comes to an end soon,” said Sanae-chan.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t hope for that,” replied Fasta.

Fasta then took aim again without hesitation. She understood that this was a fight that her people had started, and she averted her eyes from her sin to focus on repaying a favor.

There was no need for Shizuka to transform against infantrymen. She could handle them just by wielding Alunaya’s mana. But it was a different story against tanks or mobile weapons, which were a virtual hybrid of a tank and a helicopter. She’d accordingly turned into her half-dragon form to draw on even more of her power.

“It appears there are no people inside these contraptions,” observed Alunaya.

“This is a lot more fun when we’re just going up against heaps of metal!” Shizuka shouted as she pummeled mobile weapons.

Her humanoid appearance belied her power, for she tore through the machines like they were paper. With her immense strength, it would be all too easy to accidentally kill a target. So because it was hard for her to hold back, she was primarily being used against larger and automated weapons. Of course, that was exactly what she wanted.

“Landlord-san, you’re getting a little too far ahead,” Koutarou called.

“Sorry. I’ll be more careful,” Shizuka called back.

Koutarou and Theia were following Shizuka in Warlord III-Rev, gunning down incoming artillery rounds as they went and providing covering fire to the troops behind them. With Signaltin, Koutarou could even deal with enemy infantry too. His versatility made him ideal for supporting frontline fighters like Shizuka and Theia. He was playing a role not too dissimilar from that of a tank.

“You’re getting too far forward too, Satomi-san!” Nana interjected.

“Really?”

“Really! Talk about keeping me busy!”

Unfortunately, however, Koutarou’s tanklike role meant he had many of the same weaknesses a tank did. Unlike Shizuka in her humanoid draconic form, Warlord III-Rev was a five-meter giant. The massive machine had several blind spots that enemies loved to target. It was Nana’s job to cover them. She was jumping all around, protecting Koutarou from a plethora of incoming attacks with her specialized pistols, Over the Rainbow.

“I wouldn’t mind a little thanks!” Nana shouted, gunning down two soldiers in the process. There were all too many men who hoped to make a name for themselves by killing Koutarou, resulting in an unbelievably high number of suicide attacks.

“Thanks, Nana-san,” said Koutarou.

“How dare you speak to Lord Veltlion that way...” Nefilforan followed up in a low voice.

“Commander!” Nana yelped.

Nefilforan was leading the ground troops behind Koutarou and the girls, following the path they were forging toward the enemy. The farther they pushed the front line, the more they pushed Ralgwin’s troops to reposition artillery and other equipment not suited for close-range combat. The arrival of Nefilforan and her troops further reduced the strain on Nana too.

“The commander is unhappy because speaking so harshly to the Blue Knight is bad for appearances,” one soldier explained.

“If that’s the case, then you can all lend a hand! The enemy is swarming us because Satomi-san went and raised his banner!” Nana continued to yell.

“There you go again...” Nefilforan sighed.

With their commander at her wits’ end, Nefilforan’s troops swiftly eliminated the attacking enemies. Thanks to them, Nana was able to catch her breath. And after the immediate threat was neutralized, they were able to move up their distortion fields and other equipment meant to protect the entire unit. Slowly advancing in this fashion was the name of the game.

“Say, Satomi-kun, how—”

“Shizuka!”

Shizuka was about to ask something when she took a direct hit from a surprise shell from out of nowhere.

“Kyaaaaah!”

It had been fired from a mobile weapon, but it didn’t contain enough power to injure Shizuka in her current form. Still, the explosion obscured her field of vision, and it wasn’t like she was immune to the pain or impact. Following the hit, she collapsed to the ground and didn’t move.

“Landlord-san! Damn it!”

Koutarou dashed out in Warlord to cover Shizuka, but a second and third shell reached her before he could. With each hit, Shizuka screamed.

“Theia, can’t you intercept them?!”

Even though she wasn’t seriously hurt, Koutarou hated seeing Shizuka get attacked repeatedly. He knew she wasn’t enjoying it either. He was desperate to do something to protect her.

“Their shells are too small! It’s impossible to intercept antipersonnel weapons from this distance!”

“Can’t you aim for whoever’s shooting, then?!”

“Not from this angle! They’re on the other side of that building!”

Theia had no visual on the attackers from their current position, but she was picking up heat signatures from the far side of a still-standing building. The structure made it impossible to retaliate.

“So we need to go and— Oh?”

Theia was about to suggest in frustration that she and Koutarou advance when... Kaboom! There was an explosion from the other side of the building in question. Within seconds, the heat signatures had disappeared. The mobile weapon attacking Shizuka had exploded.

“What just happened?” Koutarou asked.

“I don’t know, but it seems our foe is no more,” Theia replied.

“I-It was Sanae-chan and Fasta-san. They were helping me out,” Shizuka declared between coughs. The exact cause of the explosion was a precision shot from Fasta. Sanae had realized Shizuka was in danger and directed Fasta’s attack accordingly.

“Are you okay, Landlord-san?!” Koutarou cried, running over and using Warlord’s shield to protect her.

“Ugh, that was rough... but I’m okay. I’ll have to thank them later.”

“Really, phew...” Relief washed over Koutarou when he saw Shizuka smile. Even though he’d known she’d pull through, it was a horrific sight to witness.

“That’s why I told you to devote more mana to defense,” Alunaya scolded her.

“The bare minimum is fine! I didn’t get hurt anyway!” Shizuka snapped back.

Thankfully, she had indeed escaped injury. She flexed and moved to make sure everything was still in working order, and once Koutarou was sure she was safe, he turned back toward the building and looked up at the high ground far beyond it.

“What a shot...” Koutarou sighed, half in admiration and half in terror.

Fasta was positioned over two kilometers away. Even with a Forthorthian long-range rifle and Sanae’s psychic help, being able to destroy a mobile weapon from that distance was incredible.

“Hmph, I could’ve done that,” Theia insisted.

“What are you getting upset for?” Koutarou questioned.

“I’m not, you fool!” she shouted, firing off a shot. Even though she was in a foul temper, she didn’t forget her job. She was supposed to be gunning down aircrafts with her laser cannon. However... “Huh?”

“What is it?” Koutarou asked.

“I let one get away.”

“I thought you could do long shots.”

“This is different! They’re pretty skilled!”

Theia’s volley had missed the final craft in the enemy’s formation. It proceeded to use an unmanned drone as a shield to advance, making it impossible to shoot down.

“I’m sorry, Theia,” Koutarou said suddenly.

“Huh?” Theia went wide-eyed when she heard him apologize.

“You’re right,” Koutarou said further with a stern expression. He’d sensed a familiar presence, and he now understood why Theia hadn’t been able to take out the final craft. “Ralgwin’s here.”

“What?!”

“Indeed! It’s been too long, Blue Knight! Princess Theiamillis!” called Ralgwin’s voice over the comms. It was now clear that he was aboard the final craft, just as Koutarou had suspected. “Today is the day I avenge my uncle, Blue Knight!”

“That’s not going to happen! We’re going to defeat you and put a stop to all this fighting!” Koutarou glared at the incoming aircraft as he readied Warlord III-Rev’s sword and shield.

Ralgwin appearing now either meant he was exceedingly confident or he was up to something. Perhaps even both. He was not a foe to be underestimated.

Right around the time Koutarou noticed Ralgwin, Sanae-nee with the aerial force also picked up on an extraordinary presence. When she did, she poured a large amount of spiritual energy into Ohime to make a sharp turn.

“What are you doing all of a sudden?!” Clan demanded from the gunner’s seat. The abrupt maneuver had caught her off guard, causing her to lose track of the enemy they were attacking. She quickly ordered the drones under her control to give chase.

“He’s here! The Gray Knight! It will be a disaster if we don’t do anything!”

Sanae-nee had set a course for the most dangerous foe of all. Clan immediately understood her urgency when she heard his name.

“So it’s him!” she cried. “Where is he?!”

“Over here! By the donut!”

According to Sanae-nee, the Gray Knight was near the distortion field trapping Ralgwin’s main force. At some point, a small unit of humanoid mobile weapons had appeared there—and carried with it the power of the whirlpool of chaos.

“Veltlion, the Gray Knight has appeared!” Clan informed Koutarou over the comms as she deployed more drones.

The Gray Knight was far too dangerous for her and Sanae-nee to engage alone. She knew that much, but she never expected the reply she received...

“Sorry, Clan! We’ve got Ralgwin over here!”

“Then they’re going all out! Ralgwin is probably a diversion! Their real goal must be to save the trapped troops!” Clan surmised.

“I bet! But since Ralgwin’s gone out of his way to show himself, he’s bound to be after my head! Especially since I’ve got Theia on board!”

Ralgwin had been quick to talk of revenge, but Koutarou and the girls suspected that wasn’t his primary motive. He was most likely serving as a diversion while the Gray Knight saved his men. In other words, just like Koutarou, he was playing decoy. The harsh reality was that Koutarou didn’t have enough manpower to send after the Gray Knight too.

“We’d like to intercept with Ohime,” said Clan. “What do you think, Kii?”

Once the Gray Knight freed Ralgwin’s men from the donut field, Ralgwin would have no reason to stay on the battlefield. He wasn’t the type of gambling man to risk it all when the odds weren’t in his favor. That was why Clan wanted to take Ohime and focus on the Gray Knight instead.

“Indeed, we cannot sit idly by as he acts,” replied Kiriha. “But remember who you’re going up against. Don’t try to defeat him. Just cooperate with Harumi and the others on the ground to buy time,” Kiriha replied. Considering the unique threat the Gray Knight posed, she knew sending Clan and Sanae-nee alone was too dangerous. She thought it would be better to have them coordinate with additional forces to stall him.

“And we will use the time you buy us to capture Ralgwin,” added Koutarou.

“That’d be great!” said Clan.

If Koutarou could catch Ralgwin, it wouldn’t matter if the Gray Knight freed his men. The entire point of this battle was to detain the rebel commander. If anything, they might even be able to use his remaining forces to turn on the Gray Knight. Either way, Koutarou and Theia knew that how swiftly they could accomplish their goal would be the deciding factor in the outcome of this battle.

Though Ralgwin had now revealed himself, he didn’t try to close the distance. It was clear enough what Koutarou was thinking, so he descended to the surface and hid.

“I thought he was piloting an aircraft, but it looks like that thing can handle itself on land too,” Theia groaned.

Warlord III-Rev had been modified into a two-seater, but the cockpit was cramped. Koutarou was close enough to her that he could easily see the upset look on her face.

“Does he think he can beat us?” Koutarou asked.

“He probably had that thing made specifically to fight us. What a pesky foe.”

Theia was well versed in warfare, and she had a pretty good idea of how strong Ralgwin’s craft was. He’d known in advance that he’d need to be able to handle both aerial and land-based combat to go toe-to-toe with Theia and Koutarou. It was clear he’d considered what he’d be going up against with them, leaving them to assume he’d similarly prepared measures to engage with any of the other girls too.

“Sanae, where is he now?” Koutarou asked.

“I don’t know. His aura disappeared.”

“It’s most likely a spiritual energy stealth module,” Fasta explained. “Ralgwin-sama was having research done on it.”

Because of said module, not even Sanae could find him. He’d virtually disappeared after making his presence known. The stealth module wasn’t perfect, but it was enough to make him indistinguishable from other soldiers. It likely had similar countermeasures against magical detection.

“He’s not the type to act without a plan...” Koutarou murmured.

Ralgwin was cautious, even in his current situation. He was playing his cards just right to put Koutarou and the girls in a tight spot—time was against them with the Gray Knight also on the field.

To think he’d show up now too of all times...

Koutarou was honestly surprised. He hadn’t fully believed in the alliance between Ralgwin, the Gray Knight, and Grevanas. Yet here the Gray Knight was.

Not knowing what he’s really after is an issue... Never mind that! I need to focus on Ralgwin for now!

Koutarou was unsettled by the Gray Knight’s actions, but he shook his head rapidly to regain his focus. If he didn’t hurry up and find Ralgwin, the Gray Knight would break out the trapped soldiers.

“Theia, what would you do if you were in Ralgwin’s situation?”

“I would hide and wait for the enemy to get impatient.”

“Not try to go after me or you?”

“That would only be a secondary goal. Ralgwin isn’t the type to get his priorities mixed up.”

“Then we’ll just have to find him.”

“We’ll have to pin our hopes on Ruth.”

At present, it was impossible for Koutarou and Theia to take out all the enemies ahead of them while searching for Ralgwin. But there was yet hope. Following the battle against the blink beast, Ruth had devised a swarm of microdrones capable of searching out invisible foes. And right now, they were spread far and wide in search of Ralgwin. Koutarou knew Clan, Sanae-nee, and Harumi were in danger, but for the time being, all he could do was wait.

The girls’ battle against the Gray Knight was the inverse of Koutarou’s against Ralgwin. The Gray Knight was the one working against the clock to free the trapped soldiers. Until he was done, Ralgwin would be unable to retreat. Clan and Sanae-nee were therefore aiming to draw things out as long as possible.

“Say, Glasses, should we really be attacking this ridiculously?!”

“To be honest, no! But it’s the best plan we’ve got right now!”

Their current strategy was to lean into an all-out attack. Getting too close to the enemy was dangerous, however, so they stuck to firing at range. Between Sanae-nee’s incredible psychic power, the haniwas, and its spiritual energy generator, Ohime had enough power to attack from incredible distances. Clan had also moved her drones in, making it difficult for the Gray Knight to dodge. But their strategy wasn’t flawless. Haphazard attacks wouldn’t be enough to pin the Gray Knight down, and they knew that. They were trying to make up for it by attacking with everything they had, but at this rate, they wouldn’t last long.

The Gray Knight clicked his tongue.

“A spiritual energy cannon and drones... That must be Sanae and Clan! And considering the firepower they’re using, they must be trying to buy time for someone else to make it here!”

It was evident that Clan and Sanae-nee were stalling as they awaited an ally’s arrival. There was no other reason they’d so readily spend all of their unmanned crafts and ammunition. Once the slower ground forces they were waiting for hit the scene, they could safely fall back on lasers or other attacks.

This is where losing out in spiritual energy hurts...

The Gray Knight had been worried about having to fight two Sanaes, but having to fight one aboard Ohime with a spiritual energy generator and the haniwas to amplify her powers was just as bad. He’d already asked Grevanas for a countermeasure to make up for his lack of spiritual energy, but a future boon wouldn’t save him now.

I could use the power of chaos to force my way through, but that would leave me with no way to rescue the soldiers... What to do?

The Gray Knight would have to rely on the power of chaos to rescue the soldiers trapped in the donut-shaped distortion field. It was the only way to rescue so many people at once and allow them to get away. There were close to a thousand trapped soldiers, and Ralgwin had two hundred more men with him. Safely whisking that many people away would take a tremendous amount of energy, meaning it was too risky for the Gray Knight to tap into it so soon. If he exceeded his limits, there was no guarantee he’d be able to maintain his own existence.

“I’ll just have to do what I can. Sorry, Ralgwin, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to help you out after all.”

The Gray Knight made up his mind. He abandoned the naive notion of trying to fulfill every ideal and instead began plotting how to achieve the best possible outcome.

Indeed, isn’t this why I obtained the power of chaos?

The Gray Knight drew the sword of the humanoid mobile weapon he was piloting. When he grasped it with both hands, there was no hesitation in his heart.

Unsurprisingly, it was soldiers from Nefilforan’s unit who discovered Ralgwin’s craft. The discovery, however, was a complete coincidence. Ralgwin had moved away from his original descent location, and the soldiers happened upon him while searching the rubble of a collapsed building. They immediately notified their superior officer, and the report quickly made its way up the chain.

“Lord Veltlion! Soldiers under my command have found Ralgwin!” Nefilforan reported after word reached her.

“Where is he?!” Koutarou asked.

“I’m sending the location to you now!”

Warlord III-Rev had a live map of the battlefield displayed in the cockpit, and with Nefilforan’s report, a new red dot appeared on it. The dot was just outside the area where Ruth had deployed her microdrones.

“What is he doing there? Is that even really him?” Koutarou asked skeptically.

“I don’t know,” said Theia. “Maybe he’s just buying time, or maybe it’s a trap and he’s going for an ambush on our flank when we least expect it. Either way, we’ll just have to go check it out.”

Had Nefilforan’s men merely discovered a decoy fighter or balloon in disguise? Both Koutarou and Theia suspected trickery, but they had no time to investigate. They rushed straight to the site with their guard up.

“I’ve got new information, Lord Veltlion. There’s no energy reaction from the craft. It appears to be completely shut down,” Nefilforan reported as Koutarou and Theia neared the location in question.

“Is he trying to shake us?” Koutarou muttered. Generators produced heat and other signatures, even when a ship was idle and perfectly still. So cutting all power to a craft was an easy way to avoid detection. “This is getting suspicious...”

The more Koutarou learned, the more his doubts grew. Wary of an ambush, he and Theia stayed on the move as they approached the landing site. When they reached it...

“Koutarou!” Kiriha cried over the comms. She was always calm, but right now she sounded panicked. “I know what he’s after! It’s the underground tunnels!”

“The underground tunnels?!” Koutarou repeated.

“They’re right below his craft! He means to intercept you from below!”

Just then, Nefilforan’s troops wrenched open the cockpit of Ralgwin’s custom fighter... and found no one inside. The craft was deserted.

“You mean he abandoned his new toy?!” Even seeing the empty cockpit, Koutarou couldn’t believe it.

“But it does make sense. He managed to fool us this way,” Theia replied, having parsed Ralgwin’s ploy.

Most of Ralgwin’s remaining troops were engaged with Nefilforan and Harumi’s ground forces. He had scant remaining manpower at his disposal, making it dangerous to go toe to toe with Koutarou and Theia. If Ralgwin held the power to turn the tides of battle himself, he would have done so from the beginning. The best he could manage with his craft alone was killing Koutarou, albeit at great cost. A suicide attack was hardly the mark of a great commander. He had to keep the greater operation in mind, meaning he needed to buy time, kill Koutarou if he could, and retreat successfully.

Thus Ralgwin had set his sights on the tunnels running beneath the shipyard. The narrow passageways made it impossible for too many people to fight at one time, lessening the risks of being outnumbered. More importantly, the tunnels were a quick escape route. They connected to all manner of places across the facility—including the interior of the donut-shaped distortion field.

Ralgwin had sacrificed his custom fighter to fool Koutarou and the others. He’d shown himself to make it look like he was ready to fight, then used the craft to send Koutarou on a wild-goose chase while he descended into the tunnels. He meant to fight—and kill—Koutarou underground before rescuing his trapped troops. Even if his odds of succeeding were low, it was the best plan he could manage alone.

“She’s right, Blue Knight! I had you completely fooled!” the enemy general taunted.

“Ralgwin?!” Koutarou gasped.

“Will you come after me? Or will you go after the Gray Knight? I don’t mind either way—I’ve stalled you plenty already!”

Ralgwin was right. His going into hiding had already forced Koutarou and the others to spread out and waste time searching. And it would take more time still for them to regroup and pursue the Gray Knight. The risk of Ralgwin’s plan succeeding was increasing by the minute.

“What are we going to do, Koutarou?” Theia asked.

“We’re going after Ralgwin. I hate to say it, but at the very least, we have to capture him.”

Koutarou felt he had no choice but to play along now. But in truth, Koutarou had been dancing to Ralgwin’s tune this entire time.

Not long after entering the tunnels, Koutarou found Ralgwin. He was waiting with a dozen or so soldiers by his side.

“Welcome, Blue Knight.”

“I’m here to fall in your trap, Ralgwin.”

After a prolonged conflict, Koutarou and Ralgwin were finally face-to-face. Neither had any large weapons. Underground, they were limited to both smaller arms and smaller teams. Ralgwin had chosen to make his stand at a parts depot, which would only facilitate a proper fight between twenty men at most. In other words, the decisive duel would be settled in close combat—the opposite of how their battle had begun.

“My trap? Hahaha, you overestimate me, Blue Knight. I don’t have that many tricks up my sleeve. This is as far as I go,” Ralgwin declared with a bitter smile.

He had lured Koutarou into the underground, but that was as far as his ruse went. He was now prepared to fight, but he had little in the way of men or weapons. He needed to draw things out as long as possible for the Gray Knight to rescue the rest of his troops, but the longer the fight took, the greater his risk of defeat. It was a do-or-die situation that demanded he steel his resolve.

“Same here. So I have a suggestion,” said Koutarou.

“And what is that?”

“Surrender, Ralgwin.”

“I’m afraid that’s not an option. I come from a family of warriors, after all. I can’t give up without a fight. Besides, I need to avenge my uncle.”

With a click, Ralgwin released the safety on the gun he was holding. As the descendant of knights, he would have preferred to fight with a sword, but he knew drawing one against the Blue Knight was a fool’s errand. He’d accordingly chosen a firearm instead.

“There’ll be fewer casualties that way, Ralgwin. I know you hate seeing your men die,” Koutarou insisted. He’d yet to draw his own weapon, but Shizuka, Nana, Theia, and Maki standing behind him were all primed for battle.

“Even so, this is the way it must be.”

“I see...”

With that, Koutarou grabbed the hilt of his sword. Ralgwin’s soldiers all knew the elegant silver-white blade, and they gasped at the sight of it—the sword of kingship, Signaltin, greatest treasure of Forthorthe’s royal families. In a majestic display, Koutarou drew the legendary blade on Ralgwin’s guards. They knew how foolish it would be to challenge the Blue Knight with that sword, but they held fast... all because their commander had chosen to fight.

It would be a waste to lose this man... He’s not like Vandarion.

Koutarou rued the situation as he watched the soldiers readying their weapons. Ralgwin had done terrible things he’d never be able to take back, but he was clearly different from Vandarion. Vandarion’s men had followed him out of fear, but Ralgwin’s men were choosing to stand by him. Seeing this, Koutarou understood why Fasta had wanted to save him.

“I shall take the Blue Knight,” Ralgwin announced to his men. “I want the rest of you to take the other four.”

“Good luck, Your Excellency...”

“You too.”

Ralgwin took a step toward Koutarou. His soldiers moved behind stacks of boxes to take aim at the girls.

“I never imagined you’d take the front,” Koutarou said, moving forward as well, sword in hand. One more step, and their duel would begin.

“It was a simple matter of how to kill you—this is the only way.”

“You don’t have to go along with this,” Maki urged from beside Koutarou. She’d already transformed her staff into a greatsword and was ready to attack. Ralgwin had said there weren’t any, but she was prepared for a trap or two. She wanted to settle things before Ralgwin had a chance to use them.

“I accept, Ralgwin,” said Koutarou.

“Satomi-kun?!” Maki gasped.

“Aika-san, you support the others.”

“I understand how you feel,” Theia assured her. “But this is how knights do things. It’s an important part of what makes Koutarou who he is. We need to respect that.”

Maki stopped to think about what Theia said for a second before returning her staff to normal. She’d decided that magic would be better for supporting Koutarou and dealing with the attacking soldiers.

“I thank you, Blue Knight. I may yet be able to avenge my uncle this way.”

“I’ve decided to stop caring about your real intentions.”

“How harsh,” Ralgwin replied with a bitter smile.

It was true that he was facing Koutarou himself on Vandarion’s behalf—but that wasn’t the only reason. He’d judged that the Blue Knight would respond in kind and be willing to face him in single combat. And knowing Koutarou had figured that out, Ralgwin couldn’t help chuckling.

“Staying true to chivalry in this day and age is hard, Ralgwin.”

“I agree with you there. Being born to a family of knights is quite a burden.” With that, Ralgwin turned his muzzle on Koutarou and took aim at his torso. “Now then, let’s get to it, Blue Knight!”

“It’s on, Ralgwin!”

Ralgwin fired the instant Koutarou finished his sentence. The shot scratched the surface of Koutarou’s armor. It didn’t do much damage, but it had pierced his distortion field.

“Satomi-kun!” Maki shouted. Not a moment later, Koutarou’s sword was aglow with magic. She’d enhanced it to increase its attack power.

Koutarou quickly exhaled and took a swing. His blade connected with the barrier produced by Ralgwin’s armor but did not penetrate it. Koutarou hadn’t had enough momentum, and the barrier was too powerful.

“What power at this range... How terrifying.”

Ralgwin had escaped a direct hit from Koutarou, but the power behind the blow was still unsettling. He’d equipped a sturdier distortion field than normal, yet one hit had drained most of its energy.

“I could say the same. You weren’t kidding around.” Koutarou was also surprised by the frightening power of Ralgwin’s attack. It might be best to listen to Aika-san after all...

Ralgwin had studied Koutarou’s fighting style and challenged him with countermeasures in hand, including magic and spiritual energy technology. For example, the shot he’d just fired was powered with spiritual energy and designed to pass through distortion fields. It was also scattershot, covering an area and making it harder for Koutarou to dodge completely. The shotgun had also been modified with magic and spiritual tech, giving it unreal speed and accuracy. On top of that, the tunnels were narrow with a low ceiling, meaning Koutarou couldn’t move as nimbly as normal. If he’d been careless, Ralgwin’s first shot could have peppered him and taken him out immediately.

It looks like he’s still got something else up his sleeve... I’ll need to be more careful!

It was now painfully clear that Ralgwin hadn’t been bluffing when he’d announced his intent to take on Koutarou himself. Koutarou adjusted his grip on his sword as he reassessed just how tricky of an opponent Ralgwin was proving.

Although he was unharmed, Koutarou being struck by a bullet shocked Theia and the others terribly. Ralgwin was the first foe since Elexis to give Koutarou such a run for his money. The girls were truly taken aback.

“So his confidence wasn’t unfounded...” Theia muttered as she used her computer terminal to check Koutarou’s vitals and confirm he was unharmed. She wasn’t wearing her Combat Dress, which would have only held her back in such narrow quarters, but she was using Command Green’s main assault rifle.

“He isn’t the only one we need to worry about. We’ve got those guys on our hands too,” said Nana with a stern glance at Ralgwin’s ten guards. She sensed as much danger from them as she did from Ralgwin.

“They look like they’ve got solid defenses,” Theia admitted. “But that’s nothing we can’t solve by setting Shizuka loose on them.”

“Should I go for it?” asked Shizuka.

Theia felt Nana was overly concerned given the power of the Fire Dragon Emperor they had on their side. Shizuka was optimistic as well. She no longer had to worry about getting shelled underground.

“No,” cautioned Maki. “It looks like there are several traps around.”

The former Dark Navy had picked up on the danger that Nana was sensing. The enemy already knew about Shizuka’s strength, so surely they had countermeasures in place. They were currently lurking behind cover and showing no signs of coming out. Maki suspected that meant they had something to prevent Shizuka from rushing them, and when she looked around, she confirmed her suspicions.

“What kind of traps?” Theia asked.

“I’m detecting mind manipulation and denaturation mana... so illusions and gas. I can also vaguely sense necromancy, so there are probably also spiritual energy traps too.”

“Noooooooooo!” Shizuka screamed involuntarily. Thanks to Alunaya’s power, it would take large-caliber weapons to stop her by force—but illusions and mind manipulation were a different story. And after seeing some of Yurika’s exploits firsthand, she knew just how dangerous magic could be.

“That said, we can’t defeat them if we can’t get closer. This is a problem,” said Maki.

Ralgwin had decided the battlefield and set up the best defenses he could, including a distortion field generator and laser point defenses to shoot down incoming missiles and grenades automatically. Ralgwin’s men were keeping their distance and staying behind them, so as of yet, neither side had inflicted any damage on the other. Koutarou couldn’t let his guard down either. They’d need to get through the enemy’s defenses somehow.

“Hey, maybe I can use Uncle’s fire to... No, I guess that won’t work here,” Shizuka muttered.

“A breath of my flames would end this in a single blow, but that would include everyone here.”

“And if we hold back to prevent that, they’ll just block it.”

Wide-area attacks were impractical in the constricted tunnels. Alunaya’s flames were a good example. If he used them, he would fry the enemy—and the girls right along with them. And even if he didn’t, he would use up the oxygen in no time.

“It’s a clever strategy. The enemy has really studied you,” said Nana. Wait...

Something suddenly occurred to her. The enemy had clearly studied up on Koutarou and the nine girls. Potentially even Nefilforan, as she was a famous commander.

But what about me?

Nana thought back on her encounters with Ralgwin’s forces. She’d fought against them, certainly, but she had no recollection of going all out. In other words...

“Let me give this a shot,” Nana said with a slight smile as she tapped her computer.

“Do you have an idea, Nana-san?” Maki asked.

“Maki-san, I’ll be counting on your backup... Releasing final safety device!”

“Release code required to execute the input order,” the AI informed her.

“Radiant Angel Magical Girl Rainbow Nana!”

“Code accepted. Releasing final safety.”

After Nana recited the release code, her body began glowing the colors of the rainbow. Valves opened on her limbs, releasing air. The rainbow light was a sign her prosthetics were operating at full power, and the exhaust was the result of the massive amount of heat that generated. Both the light and exhaust continued to grow stronger.

“You guys haven’t seen this yet!”

In truth, Nana didn’t care for the way she looked without her limiters. She disliked the inhuman silhouette and strength—but she knew it was necessary right now. She also knew the girls wouldn’t treat her any differently for it, so she’d activated it without hesitation.

“I’m going all out, Maki-san.”

“I’ll do my best to keep up. Greater Protection from Soul Energy!”

Maki had a sinking feeling about this as she cast her spell. As a former foe of Rainbow Nana’s, she knew it was bad news when she went all out. Maki knew exactly how busy she was about to get.

At the same time, Clan also had a terrible feeling, albeit for a more urgent reason. Ohime was running out of ammunition.

“Clan-chan, Sanae-chan! We have less than a tenth of our ammo remaining, ho! We’ll be down to the spiritual energy cannon in thirty seconds, ho!”

“The drones are running low on power too, ho! They’ll be nothing more than floating boxes before long, ho!”

“This is bad! This firepower is what’s holding everything together!”

Ohime was all that was holding back the Gray Knight in his five-meter-tall humanoid mobile weapon and the soldiers under him. Clan was throwing everything she had at them in order to keep them in check. She fired missiles with reckless abandon and deployed her drones in an all-out attack. She was also making good use of the heavy combat module for Ohime. If she’d had allied forces with them, she wouldn’t have had to fight so hard, but right now, she was trying her best to hold out until Nefilforan and Harumi arrived. She was also up against the Gray Knight. She couldn’t risk anything less than a full tour de force against him... but now that she was nearing her limit, she was beginning to panic.

“Attacking like this is quite unlike you, but it seems you’re almost spent now, Princess Clariossa,” said the Gray Knight. He could sense Clan’s agitation. While his psychic powers were nothing like Sanae’s, he could still read her growing fear.

“You are awfully talkative today,” she replied. “Perhaps you’re the one getting nervous.”

“You’re right. So allow me to finish this quickly!”

The Gray Knight was in a hurry himself. He still needed to rescue over a thousand soldiers, so he couldn’t use too much of the power of chaos in the battle. He couldn’t very well leave Ralgwin’s men trapped after defeating Clan and Sanae, so he was forced to bide his time and power. And now that Ohime’s attacks were finally waning, he had his chance.

“Here he comes! Sanae, just focus fire on him!” Clan called.

“What about the others?!” she replied. “You don’t have any more ammo, right?!”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it! I’ll stop them by ramming them with my drones if I have to!”

“Got iiiiit!”

Pumping herself up, Sanae-nee repeatedly fired the spiritual energy cannon. At present, spiritual energy attacks were virtually the Gray Knight’s only weakness. And with Sanae bearing down on him at full power, he was forced on the defensive.

Her attacks fly as true as ever...

The beams from Ohime’s cannon came right for the Gray Knight. While Sanae-nee could guide them with her psychic powers to chase targets, they typically flew in straight lines. So though the attacks kept him occupied, he could avoid them with relative ease.

Ohime’s spiritual energy cannon was just a stream of beams that passed through distortion fields. They could only be blocked by something draped in spiritual energy. For this, the Gray Knight used his shield. He was piloting a humanoid mobile weapon, and he was channeling his own spiritual energy to the machine’s shield to make it stronger. He blocked two beams with it and lithely dodged the rest.

“Now it’s my turn!”

The Gray Knight brandished the sword in his mobile weapon’s other hand. He’d been on the defensive so far, but now he could get in a counterattack.

“Glasses! He’s coming!”

“Amplify the spiritual energy and distortion fields to max!”

“Understood, ho!”

“On it, ho!”

When the Gray Knight brought down his giant sword, lightning magic sparked from its blade. Lightning moves at speeds over a hundred thousand kilometers per second, meaning that it’s already struck by the time the brain has processed seeing it. It assailed Ohime at terrifying speed, shaking the jet violently. Its spiritual energy field excelled in absorbing elemental attacks, but it couldn’t fully negate the blast.

“A direct hit, ho! It’s a miracle we didn’t drop out of the sky, ho!”

“Switching the navigation to subsystems, ho, but we’ve lost 30 percent of our mobility! The spiritual energy field has stopped functioning and it will take sixteen seconds to recover! We won’t be able to take another hit, ho!”

Ohime was badly damaged. Fires were erupting here and there, and a plethora of parts were malfunctioning. Thankfully, however, the ship was still airborne.

“I knew you’d be fragile once you were out of ammo,” the Gray Knight observed.

Clan had known that would be the case too. Her all-out assault had been the only thing keeping her and Sanae-nee safe so far. The Gray Knight couldn’t keep up with Ohime at full power, but now he’d managed to snare the ship while it was flagging. The tables had turned.

“Tch! Sanae, take evasive measures!”

“You won’t be able to dodge me in that state! Sorry, but I’ll be finishing this now!” The Gray Knight brandished his sword once more, and just like before, it began to spark with lightning. “With this, it’s over—”

“Gather, spirits of water! Dance, spirits of wind! Combine your pillars of power and appear, spirits of lightning! Thunder God who rules the sky, pass judgment on my foe!”

“The Silver Princess?! Shit!”

“Appear, Lightning Sword of the Thunder God!”

In a miraculous turn of events, it was the Gray Knight who was struck by lightning. Pure white light smote his mobile weapon, and he instinctively shifted the mana he’d gathered to defend himself. Still, it wasn’t enough to ward off Harumi’s spell.

“Aaaaaaaaagh!”

The brilliant bolt blew off the mobile weapon’s left arm, which the Gray Knight had thrown up in front of him as a sacrifice, and pierced the cockpit.

“Nice timing, Harumi!” cried Sanae-nee.

“Sorry for being late! Are you okay?!” she replied.

“We’re fine!” called Clan. “You did good to make it!”

With Harumi’s arrival, the tables had once more turned in the girls’ favor. Harumi had half her men with her—she’d left the other half with Nefilforan—but they still outnumbered the Gray Knight and his soldiers.

“So it’s come to this, has it? I can no longer afford to be picky about my methods,” the Gray Knight muttered.

“Everyone, be careful! That strange whirly power is increasing!” Sanae-nee called.

When he saw Harumi, the Gray Knight made up his mind. A complete victory was now out of the picture, so he needed to prioritize. And he did so calmly.

“He’s attacking— Wait, no, he’s not! What is this?!” Sanae-nee exclaimed.

The Gray Knight suddenly vanished, leaving the soldiers with him behind.

“He disappeared?! Why now?!” said Clan.

“Everyone, over there! He’s after the trapped soldiers!” Harumi indicated.

She’d followed the flow of mana and spotted the Gray Knight reappearing within the donut. He’d left the two hundred or so reinforcements under his command as fodder to save the trapped soldiers. Now that he was moving solo, slipping inside the barrier was easy for him. After taking cold stock of the situation, his decision was clear. He’d chosen to sacrifice two hundred men to save a thousand.

Aglow with the colors of the rainbow, Nana was unbelievably fast. She moved at inhuman speeds with her generator at full power. She was even faster than the last time she’d released her safety. So fast, in fact, that she wouldn’t have been able to control herself if Maki hadn’t enhanced her cerebral nerves with magic.

“All I can see is a rainbow...” Maki sighed. She had great vision, but not even her eyes could keep up with Nana. All she could see was the trail of a rainbow Nana left behind her, so she aimed her support magic just ahead of the blur, and she had her hands full trying to keep Nana safe at the speeds she was moving.

“Even I can barely follow her,” remarked Alunaya.

“She’s even kicking off the walls and ceiling... I could never do that,” Shizuka muttered.

“I can’t believe it,” said Theia. “She’s already gone by the time the traps she steps on activate.”

With her safety released, Nana had made the decision to advance. She ran right through traps and incoming fire alike as if they weren’t even there. She kicked off the walls and ceiling to change direction as needed in a flash. In no time at all, she’d breached the enemy line and was swiftly approaching their defensive equipment.

“I’ll leave the rest to you, everyone,” she casually reported back to the other girls while opening fire.

Her guns, Over the Rainbow, were outfitted to use both mana and spiritual energy ammunition. By firing them alternately, she obliterated the defensive equipment Ralgwin’s guards had set up. The guards—who had no idea who Nana was—simply watched in awe.

“Okay! Just get back!” Theia called.

“I think I’ll do just that!” Nana replied.

Nana could move with superhuman agility, but she couldn’t do it for long. Her artificial limbs were reaching their limit. Black smoke was now pouring out of her vents with the exhaust, and the rainbow-colored light was fading. She was already spent. She’d broken the girls out of their stalemate, but fighting was out of the question now.

Meanwhile, Koutarou was still locked in a difficult battle. Ralgwin had painstakingly collected data on his fighting style, and his countermeasures were just as thorough.

“I can do this! I’m fighting the Blue Knight!” Ralgwin shouted.

His eyes were locked onto Koutarou’s every move. He couldn’t keep up with Koutarou’s spirit sight, but he’d come close with the power of stimulants and other drugs administered via his armor. He was confident he could make up the remaining difference with power. He was using weapons Koutarou had never seen before, allowing him to get the better of the Blue Knight here and there—like now, when he fired an unexpected rocket from a hidden launcher between his left arm and shield.

He has a rocket launcher in there?!

Koutarou sensed it just before Ralgwin let it rip, but it caught him totally off guard. The best he could do to defend himself was brace for impact and count on his distortion field and Signaltin to do the rest. Yet just before it reached him... the rocket exploded. A direct hit would have done more damage, but the wide area of the early explosion made it impossible for Koutarou to avoid it. Because Ralgwin had fired with his nondominant arm, he wasn’t willing to take any chances. The blast rocked Koutarou and obscured his vision.

“Ugh, you’re pretty good, Ralgwin!” Koutarou shouted, reflexively raising his sword. He knew Ralgwin had more up his sleeve.

“I used to despair at the overwhelming difference between us, but now you’re within my grasp, Blue Knight!”

Not an instant later, Ralgwin’s axe met Koutarou’s sword. He’d jumped in to strike while Koutarou was still blinded from the explosion—a quick attack only made possible by not having to switch weapons. The weight of the axe in Ralgwin’s right hand had crushed Koutarou’s already weakened barriers. If Koutarou hadn’t raised his sword ahead of time, that might have been the end of him.

So he survived by a hair’s breadth yet again... Legendary heroes truly are the highest heights!

After incredible time and effort, Ralgwin was finally within reach of the summit he’d tried so hard to conquer, yet it eluded his grasp even now. But even so, he did not lose heart. He’d known this was how things would turn out.

If only I’d a little more time... No, there’s no point complaining! I must seize victory here once and for all! That’s what my uncle would tell me!

Ralgwin had lost the race, but not against Koutarou and the others. He’d lost to Grevanas and the Gray Knight. It was entirely possible Ralgwin could have beaten Koutarou with time and the right resources, but before he could achieve that, Grevanas had begun making his move. That forced Ralgwin to make a play too—he either needed to defeat the Blue Knight or destroy his battleship. He’d joined forces with Grevanas and the Gray Knight to defeat Koutarou in the first place, so he’d have no reason to continue working with them if he could take out Koutarou here and now. So he was staking everything on this duel, even knowing he was at a disadvantage.

As Ralgwin steeled his nerve, his AI began displaying information to him even though he was in the middle of battle. It was that important.

The Gray Knight has rescued the trapped soldiers? Good work!

It was just the message Ralgwin had been waiting on. Though he knew he and the Gray Knight would eventually be enemies, in the moment, he felt nothing but gratitude for the mysterious hooded knight. It passed quickly, however. He soon pulled himself together and shot a sharp glare at Koutarou.

“Let’s settle this, Blue Knight!”

“Yeah... It’s about time.”

Koutarou had just received the same information. Up until this point, Ralgwin had had a reason to drag out the fight, but the situation had now changed. Ralgwin needed to end things swiftly in order to retreat. Koutarou could already sense he was preparing to make his final attack.

How are you going to come at me, Ralgwin...? No, I should be the one to make a move.

Koutarou rapidly closed the distance between them. Ralgwin was thoroughly prepared to fight Koutarou. If Koutarou gave him the privilege of attacking first, Ralgwin would undoubtedly use it to its fullest advantage. So by taking the offensive first, Koutarou was limiting Ralgwin’s possible moves.

“Here I come, Ralgwin!”

“Have at you, Blue Knight!”

As Koutarou rushed forward, Ralgwin quickly swapped from his axe to a gun. He could tell based on Koutarou’s charge that he meant to attack with Signaltin. If he engaged Koutarou fair and square in melee combat with his axe, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance. By switching to a gun, he could at least keep Koutarou at range. It was the right call—but it was exactly what Koutarou had planned for.

“Heads up, Ralgwiiiiiiiin!”

Koutarou attacked in a most unusual fashion. He grasped Signaltin with one hand and swung it as if to slash... then released the blade.

“What?! The Blue Knight threw Signaltin?!”

Ralgwin never would have predicted that. Koutarou was a legendary hero and a paragon of knighthood. A knight’s sword was their soul. He couldn’t even imagine the Blue Knight—of all people—doing something so uncouth. The whole of Forthorthe would have been shocked. And since Ralgwin’s AI had never seen such an attack before, the best defense it could muster was blocking a thrown weapon.

“Now, Sakuraba-senpai!” Koutarou shouted.

“Gust, spirits of wind! Whirl, spirits of water! Glad in the pillars of these two powers, come, glacial empress! Meld ice and snow together into a frozen lance...”

“Remote casting through Signaltin?!” Ralgwin exclaimed.

“Pierce, Silver Ice Spear!”

Just throwing Signaltin may have disgraced Forthorthian chivalry and Alaia’s memory... but Signaltin’s contractor could freely control the blade. Harumi channeled her magic into it as soon as it left Koutarou’s hand, transforming it into a powerful bolt of ice. It was a devastating attack combining the powers of a knight and his princess.

“Noooooooo!”

Ralgwin couldn’t dodge it. His armor tried to shoot it down with lasers, but the icy spear just kept coming. It pierced through all of Ralgwin’s shields before finally burying itself in his shoulder. The momentum sent him flying backward into a wall before they both came to a stop.

“O-Of course... Signaltin is a magic blade...” Ralgwin slowly rose to his feet, supporting himself against the wall. Signaltin was still protruding from his shoulder. He looked pained.

“Sorry, Ralgwin. I know this was supposed to be one-on-one,” Koutarou said as he extended his hand.

With that, Signaltin returned to its owner. It left a tremendous gash in Ralgwin’s shoulder, but the wound wasn’t bleeding. Harumi’s spell had frozen it over such that not a single drop of blood was spilled.

“The Silver Princess is just another one of your powers, Blue Knight. Don’t worry about it. Besides, not even I could pull off my grand finale alone...”

“Your grand finale—? Wait!”

Koutarou now spotted the small device in Ralgwin’s hand, and his armor’s AI immediately identified it. It was a remote detonator with a simple switch.

“I was going to use this as a defensive measure when we retreated,” said Ralgwin, “but I think I’ll use it as an attack now instead. If I collapse the tunnel, it’s bound to kill even you.”

“If you do that, you and your men are goners too,” Koutarou quickly countered.

“Don’t worry. Your side is the only one rigged to collapse. Well, more accurately, there wasn’t enough time to cover everything... but that’s ended up working out in my favor.”

Ralgwin’s grand finale was to cave in the tunnel. He couldn’t have risked setting off the explosives when he was closer to Koutarou, but Koutarou had just knocked him far enough away that there was a safe distance between them. Now he could both crush his enemy and escape, and there was nothing Koutarou could do about it.

“You’re really something, Ralgwin. No one else has ever gone this far. I truly am sorry it has to be like this,” said Koutarou.

“I am too,” Ralgwin replied. “Farewell, Blue Knight. Know you were the strongest opponent I’ve ever fought.”

Without that short goodbye, Ralgwin moved his finger to the switch. There was no time to chat. Koutarou and Theia both were both strong enough to turn the tables in a heartbeat if given the chance. Ralgwin knew that better than anyone. Thus he flipped the switch without hesitation, but...

“It’s not detonating? Oh dear...”

Though he’d activated the detonator, the explosives hadn’t gone off. The tunnel was still standing, and Koutarou and the girls were unharmed. They’d considered the possibility of a tunnel collapse from the start and taken proper precautions against it.

“So in the end, you were always one step ahead of me... You got me, Blue Knight.” With a bitter smile, Ralgwin tossed away the detonator. At this point, accepting his fate was all he could do.

“No, I didn’t,” said Koutarou.

“What?” Resigned to defeat, Ralgwin had closed his eyes as his strength left him, but Koutarou’s words snapped his eyes open again.

“I didn’t beat you,” Koutarou continued. “She saved you.”

“What are you talking about? Who is ‘she’?”

“...I am sorry, Ralgwin-sama.”

“Fasta?! What are you—”

The moment Ralgwin caught sight of the figure behind Koutarou, he understood everything. Why his plan had failed. How Koutarou had gotten ahead of him. Even how his grand finale explosives had been discovered and defused. It was all because Fasta had taken their side.

“So that’s what it is. Phew... Who knew you’d side with the Blue Knight, Fasta? No wonder I couldn’t win. Still, to think my lack of charisma would be my downfall... I made the same mistake my uncle did.”

Several factors had contributed to Vandarion’s ultimate defeat, but the biggest was his lack of public support. Ralgwin felt he’d met a similar end after losing Fasta’s support. It was ironic. He couldn’t help wondering if it ran in the family.

“It’s the other way around,” Koutarou insisted. “Like I said, you didn’t lose. She saved you.”

“She saved me...?”

“I’m sure you’re not totally in the dark. Especially considering how you rushed into this fight.”

“Yes...”

Ralgwin now saw why Fasta had betrayed him. After all, he’d worried about the same thing.

Thinking about it, Fasta was the only one to suggest that I cut ties with Grevanas and the Gray Knight...

In truth, Fasta hadn’t betrayed him at all. If anything, she was his greatest ally. She’d even braved a temporary alliance with the enemy to tear Ralgwin away from Grevanas and the Gray Knight. As someone who’d shared her impending sense of danger and similarly felt compelled to action, Ralgwin understood Fasta.

“Just wait a little longer, Ralgwin-sama. I swear I’ll rescue you,” Fasta called to him.

“I’ll wait, but know I expect nothing. I’ll gladly take this chance to finally rest...” Ralgwin replied as he closed his eyes again.

It had now been a year since Vandarion had left Ralgwin behind and he’d gotten stuck on Earth alone. And at long last, the curtains fell on both his fight and his isolation.

At the time Ralgwin was defeated, his remaining forces were still fighting. They were down to the roughly two hundred men who’d been sent as reinforcements. Once they learned their commander had been captured, however, they surrendered. They were willing to dig in for him—a sign of his great leadership—but even they knew the battle was over now.

As for Ralgwin, he was seriously injured by Koutarou’s final attack. Koutarou accordingly carried him to the hospital aboard the Hazy Moon, where he underwent surgery. Fixing up his shoulder was no easy feat. Fasta intently watched the operation through a glass observation window.

“Are you sure you’re okay with this, Fasta-san?” asked Koutarou.

He, Shizuka, and Sanae were escorting Fasta, as she was still considered to be in custody. They trusted her at this point, but not everyone would accept her so easily. She’d killed a great many Imperial Army soldiers. To their surviving allies, she would always be a loathsome foe.

“There was no other way. This will protect Ralgwin-sama from those two for a while,” she replied.

Without intervention, Ralgwin would have undoubtedly succumbed to Grevanas or the Gray Knight. But now that he’d been arrested, neither one of them could touch him. He would inevitably be sentenced to death for treason, but his sentence wouldn’t be carried out anytime within the next year. He wouldn’t be executed until the army was satisfied they’d learned everything there was to know about Vandarion’s faction from him. Then there would be his trial. It would all take time—and during that time, Fasta planned to help him escape. But until then, the Imperial Army would keep him safe.

“I’ll come and get you,” she quietly muttered while looking through the glass before turning around and leaving.

Sanae could sense her intentions. “Are you leaving, Fasta?”

“Yes, this is goodbye, Sanae. Shizuka.” Fasta nodded. She needed to go make her preparations to free Ralgwin.

With a worried expression Shizuka walked over to her. “I take it I can’t stop you...?”

“Yes. His soul is safe for now. Next, I need to save his life,” Fasta replied as she glanced back at Ralgwin. Leaving him was hard, but she had a job to do. She couldn’t just abandon him to the death penalty. She’d have to risk everything again to break him out of Imperial Army custody.

“Fasta-san, when you leave, we’ll wait one hour before sounding the alarm. Pursuers will be right on your tail... I’m sorry,” said Koutarou. He found the whole situation unfortunate. He’d gotten to know Fasta and Ralgwin, and he could no longer think of them as just enemies.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Blue Knight. This was our deal from the start,” she said in turn. She seemed unaffected, but in truth, she felt the same way about Koutarou and the girls. Over the past few days, she’d come to understand what they were fighting against. She was no longer sure she could turn her gun on Shizuka or Sanae.

“I shouldn’t really be saying this, but... do your best, Fasta,” said Sanae, squeezing her hand. Her words were few, but the feeling behind them was immense.

“I intend to,” Fasta replied with a small smile, squeezing her hand back. She tried to be tough, but she couldn’t hide her emotions.

Shizuka put her own atop both of theirs. “Fasta-san, try not to do anything bad if you can, okay?”

She no longer saw Fasta as an enemy either. She was just another girl now, and that meant the world to Fasta.

“I can’t promise anything,” she said. “I will eventually instigate a prison break, after all.”

“Dummy! That doesn’t count!”

After lingering a little longer, Fasta departed. Koutarou, Sanae, and Shizuka watched her go, but she never once looked back. She walked forward with resolve. Her very silhouette said she knew what she must do—right up until it disappeared from sight.

Upon returning with the thousand soldiers he’d freed, the Gray Knight informed Grevanas of what had transpired. The lich was surprisingly outraged.

“Why did you rush to attack, Ralgwin?! Now it’s all gone to waste!”

The resurrected Grevanas had a far fierier personality than when he had lived—the result of his resurrector’s mistaken perception of him. He was still calm and rational under most circumstances, but right now, his naked rage couldn’t have been more palpable.

“It looks like he fell for those vixens’ trap,” said the Gray Knight, who was unaware of Fasta’s betrayal. He presumed Ralgwin had fallen for some ruse of Elfaria’s or Kiriha’s. “It was an elaborate one.”

“Damned fool! How am I supposed to resurrect Maxfern-sama with him captured?!”

Ralgwin’s full name was Ralgwin Vester Vandarion. He was the nephew of Marswell Daora Vandarion, a descendant of Maxfern. Grevanas had intended to make use of that blood tie and sacrifice Ralgwin in order to resurrect Maxfern—a plan that was now ruined. That was the reason Grevanas was so furious.

I don’t think he was a fool for rushing. Rather, I suspect he realized Grevanas’s motive. He likely sensed something around me too...

The Gray Knight had realized Ralgwin’s haste wasn’t the result of a short temper. He’d been in a hurry, yes, but Ralgwin had remained calm from start to finish.

“So, what are you going to do now?” the Gray Knight asked, putting aside his thoughts and turning his mind to the future.

With Ralgwin captured, Grevanas and the Gray Knight would quickly lose their hold over the remnants of Vandarion’s faction. There would soon be an internal power struggle over the next leader, and Grevanas and the Gray Knight were mere outsiders in the matter. If they intended to act, now was the time.

“I’m going to retrieve him, of course! His body is going to be Maxfern’s vessel!” Grevanas shouted.

Ralgwin was the only remaining adult male of the Vandarion bloodline. He was therefore the ideal host for the resurrected Maxfern. Vandarion would have been a better candidate because of his temperament if he were still alive, but Ralgwin was the next best thing. Grevanas wasn’t about to lose him.

“Be it execution or sacrifice, all that awaits is death... I pity you, Ralgwin.”

If left imprisoned, Ralgwin would face capital punishment. If Grevanas rescued him, he would be murdered. Either way, Ralgwin was doomed. Even the Gray Knight felt sorry for him.

“But there’s no need for sorrow. All will return to primordial chaos eventually. Life and death, love and hate...”

In spite of his pity, the Gray Knight had no intention to interfere with Grevanas’s plan. He had his own agenda, and Ralgwin’s ultimate fate made no difference to him.

Fasta had stayed on the Hazy Moon for five short days in a spare room in the residential block. It was unoccupied again now that she was gone, and Shizuka had volunteered to clean it. She had time to kill and she was used to the job as a landlord, but there was more to it than that. She missed Fasta.

“Thanks for helping, you two,” she said.

“It’s cool. We’re free anyway, right, Koutarou?” replied Sanae.

“Not that I can really brag about it,” retorted Koutarou.

“Yeah, the commander-in-chief sure seems to have a lot of time on his hands.” Sanae snickered.

Shizuka laughed too. Sanae and Koutarou had offered to help her clean Fasta’s room. They, too, had developed a fondness for her, and with the three of them, the work went by quickly. Sanae used the vacuum while Shizuka cleaned the nooks and crannies of the room. Koutarou got all the high places. The job was nearly done inside of half an hour. Fasta had cleaned up before she left too, so it was an easy task. But toward the end, Koutarou noticed that Shizuka had stopped working. She was just standing there looking wistful.

“Is something the matter, Landlord-san?”

“Satomi-kun...” Shizuka momentarily went wide-eyed, but soon revealed what was on her mind. “Do you think Fasta-san will be able to rescue Ralgwin-san?”

Shizuka was concerned for Fasta’s future. She’d taken off right after Ralgwin was detained, and once his injuries had healed, she’d be back to rescue him. Shizuka didn’t know what to think of how it would all go down. She was worried.

“I’m sure it’ll be difficult. He’s a dangerous criminal, so the Imperial Army will make sure he’s locked up tight,” said Koutarou.

He couldn’t imagine Fasta succeeding. As the leader of a rebel army, Ralgwin would be under maximum security, including strict surveillance to keep him from committing suicide and becoming a martyr for his cause. It would be an extreme challenge for Fasta to rescue him solo. She’d need an army of her own.

“Yeah... I know that, but I think she’ll still try.”

There was no way that Fasta could sneak into a maximum security Imperial Army facility. As capable as she was, it would be a gravely dangerous mission. That’s what Shizuka was worried about.

“That’s how she looked to me too,” said Sanae. She was worried too.

Though neither of them would say it out loud, the girls understood that Fasta might very well lose her life. Yet even so, they couldn’t help her. Ralgwin had committed unforgivable crimes. Conflicting emotions roiled inside them.

“Fasta said Ralgwin was her savior. That’s why she’s going to save him now,” said Shizuka.

“Her savior, huh?” remarked Koutarou.

Even evil people weren’t evil toward everyone. Fasta was one such exception to Ralgwin. That’s why Fasta would go save Ralgwin. Koutarou could understand that, but that’s why he felt sad.

“Landlord-san, Sanae... As commander-in-chief, I need you to keep this a secret, but I honestly hope she stays safe in the future, no matter what happens.”

“Me too.”

“Yeah.”

The three shared the same fleeting hope that Fasta’s future would be a safe and happy one, whether she rescued Ralgwin or not. They cared enough for her to wish for that much. They weren’t heartless.

Shizuka suddenly let out a giggle, which seemed rather contrary to the conversation. Koutarou looked at her in puzzlement and saw she was slowly walking over to the table in the room.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“See this vase?” Shizuka asked, turning back to Koutarou with a smile and pointing to the vase on the table.

“Yeah. Sanae almost knocked it over earlier.”

“Boo, that doesn’t matter now!” Sanae cried.

“I put the flowers I brought Fasta in this,” Shizuka explained.

“Maybe they got thrown out—or maybe not. It hasn’t been long enough for them to wither.”

Cut flowers typically lasted a week, but with Forthorthian nutritional supplements, they easily lasted twice that. Yet Fasta’s flowers were gone now. It hadn’t been long enough for them to wither, so it was unlikely anyone had tossed them out, but everyone had noticed the vase was empty when Sanae had nearly toppled it while they were cleaning.

“I’m sure Fasta-san took them with her.” Shizuka was convinced Fasta had taken them with her as a keepsake, so she smiled to see the empty vase.

“I think so too,” said Koutarou.

“Yeah!” cheered Sanae. “That has to be it!”

No one knew what would happen next. They had no way of telling whether Fasta would accomplish her goal or make it out in one piece. But the connection they’d shared was real, and that brought Koutarou, Shizuka, Sanae, and likely even Fasta some small joy... like finding a tiny flower on the side of a road to an unknown destination.