Kanata joins the Hinkley Division to fight. It seems the war situation has changed…
Brigadier General Hinkley, having just repelled the enemy’s initial charge, personally led the pursuit, forcing the enemy division to retreat.
However, they encountered a new defensive line and attempted another breakthrough. But then another new defensive line appeared… This cycle repeated several times.
The Brigadier General halted their advance for a short break and was reviewing footage from a reconnaissance drone on his tablet.
“Depth defense, huh. That’s so Medem. Always by the book, no matter what.”
Depth defense is a major tactic highly effective at slowing enemy advances.
“It’s an effective strategy, isn’t it? The Medem Division needs to buy time.”
“Whoa, a scab is already forming over the General’s scratch! Is this the real super-regeneration?”
“It’s Medem’s version of depth defense.”
“Is it different from normal depth defense?”
“Yeah, they sacrifice the soldiers deployed in the fortifications. They’re deploying them piece by piece, in small batches.”
“Won’t that spread their forces thin, making them vulnerable to individual destruction?”
“Exactly. That’s precisely what we’re doing now… though it’s taking us some time.”
“You’re not saying they’re sending their own soldiers to their deaths just to buy time to retreat, are you!”
“What else could it be? Medem’s desperate retreat is entirely due to the Kenrou’s boss. They broke through the flank defenses with incredible speed, which completely spooked Medem. They’re not just planning to rebuild the front line by retreating; they’re probably planning to flee entirely.”
“What do we do?”
“The safe option is to attack isolated positions from a distance… but let’s go with an unorthodox tactic, Asura Style. We’ll break through with just the heavily armored Land Battleships, ignoring the defensive lines. We’ll bite onto Medem’s tail.”
“I’m not keen on biting a man’s tail.”
“Then kick his tail! Emerson! Put elites in the Land Battleships! It’s time for some rough stuff.”
Major Emerson shrugged, wiping blood off his handkerchief.
“As if until now wasn’t rough stuff. Lieutenant Amak alone has slain three dozen!”
The Wolf Eye is an Evil Eye suited for mass slaughter. And Major Emerson, you yourself have personally taken down over two dozen enemy soldiers, haven’t you?”
“We’ll pursue with just the Land Battleships. The rear units will follow behind, clearing out the scattered defensive positions. I’ll leave the command to you.”
“Understood. Is the Brigadier General participating in a footrace?”
“It’s not a footrace, it’s an obstacle course. We’ll see who gets to Medem’s flank first, the Scarlet Eye or us biting their tail.”
Brigadier General Hinkley, having declared this brutal sports day, began boarding elites of the ground forces onto the Land Battleships, preparing for a forced breakthrough.
The fleet of Land Battleships from the Hinkley Division, entirely ignoring the sporadic attacks from the defensive lines, began their relentless pursuit.
The Brigadier General, a blood-stained battle axe propped beside his command seat, took a drag from his cigarette and gazed at the screen.
“Kenrou, you’re betting on us, obviously?”
“I’m betting on them. For my future standing.”
“You’re surprisingly adept at navigating social hierarchies. Still, don’t hold back, alright?”
“There’s no holding back, and nothing I *can* do. We just have to rely on the crew of this ship.”
“He says. Pursue Medem to the ends of the earth!”
“Yes, boss!”
The Bridge Crew responded with vigor to the Brigadier General’s command.
“You don’t even need to push hard; catching up is a given. Marika-san has sent Todd-san ahead to the Medem’s retreat route to lay a trap.”
“How do you know?”
“If it were me, that’s what I’d do.”
“Your Excellency! We have a communication from Shiranui!”
“Connect it.”
Marika-san’s face appeared on the large screen. Is that Lilith with the silver hair flickering at the edge of the screen?
She seems to be being held back by Marika-san, who is being pushed around while trying to jump onto the screen.
“Brigadier General, what about the mopping up of the remaining enemy forces?”
“I left that to Emerson. I just felt like having an obstacle course for a change.”
“I can see my victory, you know. I’ve set up a trap on Medem’s retreat route, so their pace will slow down on its own. I’ll send you the point where they’ll get stuck, so keep an eye on it.”
“Just as Kenrou said.”
“Looks like my fledgling wolf proved useful.”
“Kenrou is a fledgling? What kind of brutal fledgling is this? They’ve taken down nearly forty enemy soldiers on their own.”
They’re just cannon fodder meant to even the numbers. Those with less combat experience than ordinary soldiers are easy prey for the Wolf Eye.
“Well, if it was useful, all the better. Here you go, Lilith. You can stop now.”
The little girl with silver hair, magnified to fill the screen, began spewing venom the moment she opened her mouth.
“How dare you leave me behind! You’ll pay when we get back!”
I knew she’d complain, so I sent Lilith on the errand without telling her.
“It was a messenger mission. Don’t be so angry.”
“Don’t get cocky just because you accomplished a little! You’re not thinking about how the female soldiers of the Hinkley Division might fall for you, are you!”
If such a wonderful event were to happen… No, the possibility might not be zero!
Whoops, it’s dangerous to show that on my face.
“Not thinking about that, not thinking about that.”
“Hmph! You’ve got a face that says otherwise. Let me tell you! If Lieutenant Amak becomes popular, I’ll tear him down so hard his stock will crash! I’ve got plenty of blackmail material!”
“What’s in it for you?”
“Don’t you know the rules of capitalism? If everyone sells off Lieutenant Amak’s stock, I’ll become the sole shareholder.”
“You’d go that far! That’s terrifying!”
“If there were a button to exterminate all humans except myself and Lieutenant Amak, I wouldn’t hesitate to press it.”
“Don’t press it! Absolutely do not press it!!”
“You might find this surprising, but… I don’t care about the means when it comes to getting what I want.”
“It’s not surprising at all! That’s exactly what you’re like!”
I looked around for help, but the Bridge Crew were all laughing hysterically and were useless.
The worst was the Brigadier General, who had slid off his command seat and was rolling on the floor, laughing uncontrollably.
“…Brigadier General, did you enjoy yourself?”
“Hee hee hee, magnificent. I never thought the ‘Devil Child’ would be this entertaining. This is the first time in my life I’ve laughed this hard at a husband-and-wife comedy act.”
…I’m glad you enjoyed it.
“Baselessly! We’ll be biting into Medem’s flank in 30 minutes, so you make sure to sink your teeth into that dirty backside of theirs! Communication ends!”
My partner, having said everything she wanted to say, huffed and cut the communication.
“Pfft. Heh heh heh. Alright everyone, stop laughing and get back to work. …Kenrou, I wish I had a daughter like that. Don’t you know any?”
No, no. Another Lilith would be terrifying.
“One Lilith might be okay, but two is too many. Three of them could destroy the world.”
Natsume’s comment was spot on. One Lilith is enough, and she should be by my side.
The obstacle course ended in a victory for the Asura Unit. They had already begun shelling from the Medem Division’s 3 o’clock direction.
The reinforcements from the Hinkley Division began shelling the Medem Division’s battle line from behind, where they had formed a dense formation and were desperately defending their flagship.
Major General Medem’s flagship’s treads had been destroyed. I don’t know how they did it, but they managed it. That’s Marika-san for you.
“We were beaten to it. Kenrou, do you think Medem will surrender?”
“They’ll probably try to escape first. They might switch to another faster ship.”
“I see. Is that ship docking alongside Medem’s flagship the one?”
“I think so. They should just disembark and walk across instead of docking through the corridor.”
“That’s the sad part about people of status. They’ll put on their socks before leaving their bedroom, even in a fire.”
Back in my original world, I heard that real British gentlemen don’t take off their socks outside of the bedroom, but I wonder if it’s true?
Considering Harrods, a long-established department store, strictly prohibits shorts, it might actually be true.
The Hinkley Division’s arrival allowed the Asura detachment to shift from a feint to annihilation.
The Hinkley Division, responding to this move, advanced rapidly before the enemy fleet could turn.
They intended to charge regardless of the enemy fleet’s maneuver to use heavy cruisers as a shield!
“Imminent engine overload! Everyone, brace for impact!”
I grabbed the handrail of the stairs, preparing for the impact.
With a roar and the screech of metal, the Hinkley fleet succeeded in cutting into the enemy fleet’s line!
The Brigadier General stood up, gripping his battle axe.
“From here on, it’s close combat! All hands, take up arms! We’re going to harvest the Mechanism Army’s weaklings!”
“Hooah!!”
Whoa, even the Bridge Crew are taking up arms and deploying?
This is why the Hinkley Division is called the ‘Pirates of the Land.’
It’s not the time to be impressed. I’m a member of the Alliance’s ace unit, the Crystal Widow.
Whether they’re pirates or bandits, I can’t afford to fall behind!
