Chương 172: Chapter 52: “Elntia Independence War 2”

Lilna addressed everyone present. Unlike the politician-like speech Theo had given, hers was devoid of any superfluous words—concise and powerful.

"Our objective is the protection of Natura from the Prelions, and the subjugation of the Scorched-Earth Strategic Destruction Weapon: Geal-Fendas-Baragion." The tension rose as everyone realized the time had finally come. Lilna continued in a clear voice.

"I will divide the force into four units."

"First, a Combat Unit of 700 soldiers. Split into squads of seven. Cooperate fully within your squads to engage the Prelions. They are strong. Do not attempt to fight them alone."

"Second, a Rescue Unit of 300 soldiers. Three members will attach to each combat squad. Prioritize the protection of Natura. The Combat and Rescue Units must maintain constant coordination. Do not fixate on your roles; adapt to the situation flexibly."

"I entrust the command of these two units to Lasla."

"Understood." Beside Lilna, Lasla saluted with a tightened expression. Lilna nodded to her, then turned back to face everyone again.

"Next, regarding the remaining two units."

"Third, a Seizure Unit of 200 soldiers. Quickly secure the Dieclan Headquarters and recover useful equipment. Specifically, gather anti-large weapon vehicles and the mobile weapon Digridder. This is preparation to intercept the Baragion."

"Fourth, a Suppression Unit of 300 soldiers. Quickly secure the Central Factory and the Central Processing Plant. Rescue the Natura taken to the processing plant and cut off the source of the slaughter."

"I will take command of these two units myself." A ripple of quiet admiration, "Ohh," leaked from the troops. The day when she would lead Humites... No one could have ever imagined such a thing would come to pass.

"I leave all command of the underground to Kudin. Send reinforcements from the underground forces to the Central District and have them merge with the Third and Fourth Units. Also, all progress updates will be consolidated by Remi; she will transmit them to everyone as appropriate."

"Understood." She paused for a moment, looking over everyone once more. A tense, silent air brushed against my cheeks. With a solemn expression, she opened her mouth.

"I thank you from the bottom of my heart for gathering here, risking your lives. Until now, we knew nothing, hurt each other, and lost far too much. I myself have committed unforgivable sins." She cut her words there for a moment. She seemed to be chewing on the past, savoring her regret in her own way.

"Perhaps someone like me has no right to say anything. But... even so, I dare to say this. On behalf of this gathering, let me speak." Her eyes filled with resolution. As if pleading with each and every person, her dignified voice resonated.

"Let's stop losing things. Let's end it here. This history stained with lies. So... don't die. Don't give your lives to a war like this anymore." Then, she raised her voice even more powerfully.

"Live! Live and grasp the future!" In response, a roar of war cries went up. Lilna is amazing. With frank thoughts and honest words, she united the Humites, who were once enemies, into one. Well, I had somewhat expected this to happen. I'm glad I cast that soundproofing magic beforehand. I moved into the shadows, secretly transformed into a man, and prepared for battle. If it comes to fighting, that's my domain. Looking around at the many warriors, I felt very reassured.

It's been since the time with Sacris that we've gathered like this, but as expected, my chest burns with excitement. Naturally, with such a large number of people, we couldn't move out immediately. Deciding on squad leaders and detailed orders took a little more time. It was frustrating to think that victims were increasing during that time, but it couldn't be helped. Lilna, with a face completely in combat mode, approached me.

Compared to when she was hostile towards me, her expression was somewhat softer, simply lacking the hatred in her eyes.

"The Third and Fourth Units will move together until the Central District, but we plan to split from there. Yu. Where will you attach?"

"I'll join the Fourth Unit. Those two locations likely have a particularly large concentration of Prelions, so 300 people makes me a bit uneasy."

"Hmph. I thought you would say that. Saving people suits your nature better. Then I will move with the Third Unit. Headquarters is like my home, after all." Just then, Asty, carrying her usual assault rifle on her back, walked up with a bright, beaming smile. She wrapped her arms around my right arm and gave me a playful wink. As always, her physical contact is a bit too aggressive. This girl.

"I'm going with the Fourth Unit too~! I'll support Yu-kun perfectly, okay? ♪" At that moment, there was movement in the World of Heart as well.

"Me" wrapped her arms around my neck from behind, hugging me clingingly. If it was just this, well, it's something she does relatively often. But then she brought her face close from the side and even winked. It was too obvious.

'Of course, I'll support you firmly from the shadows too, okay?'

'Are you competing, by any chance?'

"Me" smiled just like Asty, completely ignoring my words. Lilna looked alternately at Asty, who was frolicking in a carefree manner at a time like this, and me. Perhaps she was exasperated? She frowned in a strangely displeased manner, then cleared her throat with an exaggerated ahem and spoke.

"Asty. I'm counting on you for Yu."

"Roger!" When Asty clung even more tightly to my arm, Lilna turned her face away abruptly and went off to give instructions elsewhere. As for Asty next to me, she wore a strangely amused, little-devilish smile.

"Why do you look so amused?"

"Hmm. I just thought, 'So that's how it is'."

"What is?" She directed a strangely warm gaze at me.

"Yu-kun. Hang in there."

"Yeah. You too, Asty." I didn't quite understand her intent, so thinking about the battle ahead, I just replied like that. She giggled at me. It seemed Lorenz decided to join the Combat Unit and support Lasla. Behind us, a total of 500 soldiers from the Third and Fourth Units formed orderly ranks. In front of them, Lilna and I stood side by side, and Asty could be seen glancing back from the very front row. When she spotted me, she waved energetically. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road.

Report any occurrences. Lilna was naturally in front, but everyone must be wondering who the guy standing next to her was. I was a woman when I used the teleportation magic, after all. I sighed at the suspicious gazes I felt intensely from behind, knowing it couldn't be helped. She did explain that I was a strong helper, but everyone is on edge. It's natural for them to wonder who this mysterious guy acting big is. Alright. I have to show some results here and put them at ease. Eventually, Lilna gave the order.

"Let's go!""" Oooooh!"" Ahead of the First and Second Units, the joint force of the Third and Fourth Units began their advance toward the Central District. Ideally, it would have been faster to go directly to the Central Factory with teleportation magic, but... The place marked simultaneously when using teleportation was the underground, so unfortunately, it was crushed. Unlike the cheat warp used by other FabLs, I can't just fly anywhere I like.

If the locations are too close, they get overwritten, so the specification doesn't allow marking multiple places. That backfired on us here. As we passed the range of the soundproofing magic, Prelions who noticed us came swarming out. Showing up already, huh? Lilna glanced at me and said.

"We'll carve open a path."

"Okay." Lilna drew her twin swords, 《Inclear》. The light-blue blades emitted a translucent shine. I also activated 《Mind Burst》, readied a pure white Qi sword in my right hand, and dashed out alongside her. Seeing through the rain of arrow-like beams fired from the enemy's beam rifles, I parried, dodged with minimal movement, and charged forward almost in a straight line. We reached the enemy's front line simultaneously, flashing an overhead slash.

The pitiful first victim had its head sliced off cleanly and ceased functioning completely. Just like that, we cut down a second, then a third in the blink of an eye. The Qi sword, its power guaranteed by 《Mind Burst》, sliced through mechanical bodies as easily as paper. Lilna wasn't losing either, cutting down enemies at the same pace. No, with twin swords allowing for more moves, her pace might be slightly faster. A loud cheer erupted from the rear. It seemed to have a sufficient effect in raising morale.

The warriors following behind, armed with Slaiths, flooded into the path we created. It gradually turned into a melee. The primary objective here was strictly advancement. While cutting down enemies blocking the way, we steadily moved forward, striking the gaps where reinforcements broke off. No matter how much we said "don't die," reality wasn't that sweet. Several Humites had already fallen. Even knowing sacrifice is inherent to war, I couldn't suppress the rising anger and frustration.

I knew it, but this is a tough fight. Even one-on-one, Prelions are basically stronger, and with these numbers...! Making matters worse was their flight capability. They leisurely sniped at us from the sky, out of our reach. Thanks to that, we had to pay attention to both the ground and the sky, forcing considerable mental exhaustion on us. Although snipers equipped with rifles were dealing with them, it wasn't easy to shoot them down as they flew around freely at high speeds. Needless to say, I was struggling too.

Damn. My sword can't reach. I could shoot them down if I used magic to target their wings, but... Since I used large-scale magic multiple times, my mana is considerably low. If I don't think about where to use it, it'll be bad if I can't use it when I really need to. But will this gun be effective? As I lowered my gaze to the unreliable handgun at my waist, a beam suddenly flew out from my blind spot. Whoa! I moved my head just in the nick of time to dodge. Phew. That was close.

Just as I was about to counterattack. A perfectly aimed bullet pierced the enemy's power reactor. Looking back, Asty was flashing a triumphant peace sign. Holding her beloved assault rifle in front of her body, she ran up to me.

"Getting a little tired?"

"I can still keep going. Are you okay?"

"I'm still good too. I've been training!" Danger approached as she puffed out her chest proudly. From behind her, a beam flew on a trajectory that could be fatal if it hit. Instantly, I swung my Qi sword and deflected it away. I smiled at Asty, whose eyes were wide open.

"That was close. Seems you are tired after all."

"... It's frustrating, but looks like it. Well then, shall we support each other?"

"Let's do that." We decided that I would handle the enemies on the ground, and Asty would handle the air. By focusing on our respective roles, the burden was significantly reduced. Since we're partners who have trained together countless times, our breathing was perfectly in sync. Glancing over, Lilna, boasting absolute defense, was dealing with enemies with composure, without a single scratch. She was maneuvering to protect our wounded comrades.

"Cover your ears! Firing a 《Tail Bomb》!" I barely distinguished a man's voice shouting that from somewhere. Doing as told, a massive explosion erupted ahead immediately after. Dozens of Prelions were shattered into pieces without a trace all at once. The enemy encirclement broke there, leaving the path ahead clear without blind spots.

"Now's our chance! Move forward!" Someone shouted again. It was another opportunity for a major advance. Though our numbers had decreased somewhat, the unit moved forward, breaking formation significantly but never forgetting coordination. The Central District was getting close. We could tell as the dome-shaped Central Factory gradually increased in size. But, just as we reached the main street, a few blocks away from the Central District— A massive battalion of Prelions was waiting for us.

Just by a rough estimate, there were over several hundred. They were all pointing their beam rifles at us in perfect order, without a single disturbance. And—this was the terrifying part of mechanical weapons controlled by a system. Without any signal, they fired a simultaneous volley! Bad! At this rate, there will be a terrible number of casualties—!

'It's okay! I won't let them!' It seems"Me" had already prepared the magic. That saved us.

'Counting on you!' We switch, and I come out. This is the time to use it. Without sparing mana consumption, I release the light magic that combines offense and defense. The Reflector taught directly by Argus Ozbane. Bounce it back. 《Arlrect》 I deploy a wall of light in a horizontal line. The 《Arlrect》 he specialized in can reflect magic and non-physical attribute attacks that hit it head-on with their original power, although there is an upper limit depending on the mana poured in.

Against those beams, the effect should be immediate. It was exactly as planned. The massive number of beams that were supposed to deal a heavy blow to us were all deflected back, baring their fangs at the enemy instead. The Slaughter Angels, now riddled with holes as if plunged into a mountain of needles, mostly turned into immobile scrap metal. It's terrifying to think that one wrong move and that could have been us. But. Well, for now.

'Okay. One down.'

'You did well to fire that off so instantly.'

'Of course. I'm fighting together with you, after all.'

'Really saved me. I'm counting on you again if something happens.'

'Yeah.' We high-fived in the World of Heart, and I returned control to Him (me). It seemed the enemy attacks stopped for a while after that. Not a shadow or shape of the enemy could be seen. We managed to clean up the enemies on the way quite a bit, so maybe the pursuers are okay for a bit? The march proceeded without delay, and we arrived at the intersection in front of the Central District, Third Block, First Lot. Here, a quick headcount was conducted to divide the unit into two as planned.

To reallocate in the planned ratio. The unit that had 500 people had been reduced to 378. One could say that despite receiving such a fierce attack, only a little over a hundred casualties occurred, but... For me, it felt like we had let over a hundred people be sacrificed. Thinking of those who died made my heart ache. Lilna, who came next to me, showed no clear physical damage, but mental fatigue was evident.

"We finally made it here. That counterattack like a wall earlier surprised me."

"It worked out somehow." She looked around and tilted her head.

"There haven't been any enemies for a while now. I wonder what that means."

"Who knows. Maybe they're hiding somewhere." But disappearing so suddenly is definitely strange. Something feels off. Aren't we overlooking something important? As I pondered, that something flashed across my mind. It was at that moment. A sporadic stir arose from the unit. Immediately, it turned into screams. The cause was instantly apparent. Suddenly, a massive number of Prelions appeared all at once. White slaughter dolls positioned without gaps to the front, back, left, and right. No escape route existed.

Damn it! We've been had! The enemy uses teleportation too. I should have thought of that possibility sooner! Without a Trive Gate, mass teleportation isn't possible. Somewhere in my mind, I had underestimated them. But it's not guaranteed that there isn't someone like Trinity among them! I was careless! I have to do something! The enemies were already readying their beam rifles all at once, just like before. Even if it was a failed tactic once, there is absolutely no hesitation.

For them, failure or fear of death is impossible. They think that even if some of them are taken down, it's fine as long as the attack succeeds from even just one direction. There's no time to hold hands now. Teleportation magic won't make it in time. Use 《Arlrect》 again—No! Defending all four directions simultaneously won't make it in time! But I have to do what I can! At least protect one direction! I transform into a woman and put up a light wall in front. —There's no time to cast magic anymore.

I transform back into a man and harden my defense with Qi. Next move! But not a moment of grace remained. It's no good! at this rate, only Lilna and I will make it—! Lilna, with a desperate expression, was trying to unleash 《Selphanon》. But while that technique has high power, charging it takes time. She won't make it. Just as the enemy's fierce fire was about to descend to annihilate us— A familiar heat ray melted down the entire left flank at once.

Simultaneously, something like an impact sound exploded, obliterating the right flank. In the rear, enemies fell silently, one after another without a sound. And when we recognized the shadows of those who appeared from three directions. Lilna's eyes opened wide in shock. Dyed in terrible surprise—and in the next moment, she looked like she was about to burst into tears.

"Yo! Didn't I tell you!? Reinforcements are coming from underground!"

"Well, in short, that's what it means."

"I suppose this is what they call a touching reunion." At the perfect timing, a radio communication came in.

'How is it? Are they reliable helpers?' I stroked my chest in relief. If I let my guard down, I felt like I would collapse right there. Haha. Kudin. You really know how to do things in style. So this is what Ryuto meant when he said it was 'really tough.'" Steargol! Zeed! Brinda! You guys...!" No one blamed Lilna as she forgot herself and flew into the arms of the three.