Kanata and the others are heading to rescue Major General Hinckley’s 5th Division, but it seems things aren’t going as planned.
The situation changed on the fourth day of the march. Marika had summoned the executives to the operations room. Although Ore and Lilith were not executives, they were summoned, so they headed to the operations room. In the operations room, the earnest Shuri and the fastidious Hotaru were sitting together. This meticulous duo always arrived the earliest, no matter the circumstances. Hotaru made a disgusted face at Ore’s appearance. If she weren’t such a germaphobe, she might have spat on the ground. Shuri shot Hotaru a reproachful look, but Hotaru turned her head away. Seizing the opportunity, Lilith made an obscene gesture towards Hotaru. Ore slowly bent Lilith’s raised finger back into a fist. Ore and Shuri exchanged glances, shared a weak, knowing smile, and then sighed in unison. “Yeah, we have our hands full with this one,” they thought.
While they were engaged in this banter, the executive members began to trickle into the operations room. Marika tried to light a cigarette, but the oil in her lighter had run out, and it wouldn’t light. Marika drew her wakizashi and set the blade ablaze with pyrokinesis to light her cigarette. “So, pyrokinesis can be used to light cigarettes too,” Ore mused. Of course, the small-scale poison manufacturer sitting next to Ore spewed venom. “Convenient, isn’t it? It’d be handy for barbecues,” Lilith said. “Do you want to be burned at the campfire after the barbecue, Lilith?” “It’s a classic for holy women to be burned at the stake. There’s no need to apply that to me.” “Holy woman? You’re more like a ‘lustful’ woman.” “Don’t tell me that, speaking to Marika who has such a sloppy chest.” “Hey! Such blasphemy towards the Milk God!” Before Ore could fulfill his duty as a priest of the Milk God cult, Gen-san, the mediator for the 1st squad, spoke up. “Ho ho ho, let’s put aside these amusing wordplays and get to the main topic, shall we?” “Gen-san, what was amusing about that exchange? Anyway, let’s get to the point. It seems the strategically disadvantaged 5th Division went on the offensive. And currently, they are being turned back.”
The executives, plus two people and one creature, sighed. The creature, naturally, was Yukikaze. Rasen, who appeared to be the hardworking type but was actually the sly one, said smoothly, “They say the most troublesome thing in the world is an incompetent but diligent person.” Gen-san stroked his long white beard and said, “If only they could have waited until we arrived. Young people are so impatient.” Ore’s friend, who was suffering from a headache, pinched his temple and said irritably, “It’s within the plan for Major General Hinckley to retreat, but this is too soon.” Finally, Hotaru said in a voice of absolute calm, “Even with Shiranui’s speed as a land battleship, will it be enough? Frankly, I don’t think we need to take risks to rescue incompetent people.” Marika, wearing a rare, serious, and troubled expression, replied, “We can’t dismiss Hinckley as incompetent just yet. The reason for the 5th Division’s struggles has been identified. It seems the Grim Reaper appeared. As usual, they seem to be acting alone, without coordinating with other units.”
“The Grim Reaper? What’s that?” Ore wondered. It sounded like a dangerous opponent. He decided to ask about it. “What kind of person is this Grim Reaper?” Hotaru replied with a look of exasperation. “You didn’t even know that?” His friend stepped in to help. “Kanata, the Grim Reaper is a mysterious man. Their existence has been confirmed, but nothing else is known about them. We have no idea what they look like or what kind of unit they lead. There’s a strong rumor they might be a Perfect Adapter (Hundred).”
“So, they’re here. The Mechanist Army’s estimated Perfect Adapter! But we have Marika, the genuine Perfect Adapter. I’m not scared. I’m not scared at all.” Lilith asked with a perplexed expression, “Even if they’re a Perfect Adapter, isn’t it strange that nothing is known about them? For starters, we don’t even know if it’s a man or a woman.” Rasen replied with a bitter expression, “Ah, in fact, we don’t even know if they’re male or female. … There’s a clear and simple reason why the Grim Reaper and their unit remain shrouded in mystery. … There are no survivors. Not a single one.” “What? What do you mean?” Gen-san elaborated, “In other words, everyone who engaged the Grim Reaper has died. Some might have been captured, but the fact is, not a single soldier who saw the Grim Reaper and returned alive.”
“Seriously!” “So, anyone who sees them doesn’t return alive? They truly are a Grim Reaper.” “Indeed. That’s why the unit led by the Grim Reaper is called the Annihilation Unit.” Rasen stated with a gloomy expression, “Marika-sama, this does not seem to be going according to our original plan.” “It never does. But, you could say it’s getting more interesting. Perhaps I’ll show my face to the Grim Reaper and take their head while I’m at it.” “Truly dependable. I’ll follow you for the rest of my life.” Marika then spoke to Ore, who was acting like a barnacle. “Kanata, what do you think of this situation? Prove to me that your brain isn’t just filled with breasts.” “Here it comes. Now, it’s thinking time.” “… In the current situation, my answer would be: ‘I want to adopt a policy of expedient measures in response to changing circumstances.'” “Tell me more.” “First, the 5th Division was wiped out earlier than expected. Even if we advance with Shiranui as planned, it won’t yield good results. Therefore, we need to get ahead with fast vehicles. That’s why you gathered us, right?” Marika nodded deeply. “I think that’s fine. Let’s get ahead and prepare for withdrawal support.”
Shuri, the cautious one, spoke up. “We also have the option to withdraw. Is there a need to put our comrades in danger for the sake of the 5th Division?” “There’s no way we’re withdrawing like this. Marika is the ace of the Asura Unit, and the Asura Unit is the face of the Alliance Army. If we turn tail and run without doing anything, it will affect the morale of the entire Alliance Army.” “Kanata, there’s too little information about the Grim Reaper and the Annihilation Unit. Isn’t ‘If you don’t go into the tiger’s den, you won’t catch its cub’ too dangerous?” “I understand Shuri’s concern that we might end up in a graveyard instead of catching a cub. That’s why it’s expedient measures. There are mysteries surrounding the Grim Reaper and the Annihilation Unit.” Hotaru questioned irritably, “We all know there are tons of mysteries and we don’t understand anything!” “No, what I’m trying to say is a different mystery. If the Grim Reaper and the Annihilation Unit are that strong, why isn’t the Mechanist Army using them in a large-scale propaganda strategy? Normally, they would boast about their victories to boost morale.”
Rasen narrowed his already thin eyes further and said, “Perhaps the Last Legion is sufficient for their propaganda strategy.” Ore knew about the Last Legion. In fact, no soldier in the Alliance Army was unaware of the Last Legion. Just as there is Ryu, there is Ken. Just as there is a red fox, there is a green tanuki. Just as there is Balsa, there is Real; fateful rivals always exist. If the Alliance Army has the Asura Unit, then the Mechanist Army has the Last Legion. In short, they are the Mechanist Army’s strongest unit. “It’s possible they’re hyping up an unknown threat separate from the Legion,” Gen-san’s point was valid. But… “I recall the Legion deploying their subordinate units against the Asura Unit. But has the Annihilation Unit ever engaged other units, not just the 1st squad?” Marika replied, “No, the Grim Reaper and the Asura Unit have never engaged.”
“They haven’t engaged the Asura Unit, which the Mechanist Army would most want to crush. They deployed the Last Legion, the Mechanist Army’s elite unit, against us. This means the Annihilation Unit is a unit that has only engaged units it could annihilate. There’s a mystery there. If they were that strong, they could be integrated into the Legion and achieve victories. Even if not total annihilation, defeating someone from the Asura Unit would be far more effective than annihilating a regular unit. And they’ve been acting alone all this time, haven’t they? That’s also a mystery.” Hotaru, who was nervously biting her thumbnail, interjected, “That might be true, but what’s the point of that?” “I don’t know.” “Hmph! Don’t be ridiculous! Not at a time like this!” Lilith, who had been unusually quiet, finally spat venom. “Sergeant isn’t being ridiculous, you doll! He’s asking us to analyze it!” Marika stopped Hotaru with a hand gesture and said, “Is that what you mean, Kanata?” “Yes. While marching ahead, I’d like to analyze data on the Annihilation Unit with Lilith.” “But there’s hardly any data. That’s why it’s a mystery.” “We should know where they appeared and which units they annihilated. In criminal investigations, it’s called geographical profiling.”
“Understood. Give it a try. Everyone, disembark from Shiranui and switch to faster vehicles to go ahead. Gen-san, stay on Shiranui. I’ll entrust this ship to you.” “Leave it to me.” “Shuri, download all files related to the Grim Reaper from Shiranui’s database to the command vehicle. How long will that take?” “Give me 30 minutes.” “Do it in 15. I know you can do it, Shuri. Everyone except Gen-san’s company, get ready and board your vehicles in 10 minutes!” “Yes, Mom!” With that, they were dismissed.
As Ore and Lilith left the operations room, they headed for the hangar. “Lilith, let’s ride in the command vehicle together. I’m counting on your data analysis skills.” “Leave it to me, Honey. I’ll do a great job.” “Who are you calling Honey? But I’m relying on Lilith’s genius intellect for this. Please come through, partner.”
I used to look at the my pages of those who left reviews, but I noticed someone who is at the pinnacle of Nocturne Pyramid, easily surpassing 10,000 bookmarks. I was truly shocked. I think it was the first time in my life I truly said, “Whoa!”
