The bridgehead on the East Continent.
“So? Where are the guards here?”
“Th-that… grrr.”
The messenger sent to Sharie’s place returned.
Alone.
Excuses are irrelevant.
Sharie… for a junior, to defy orders. Or should I praise her for not ignoring them?
“Ah?”
Oh no. The messenger is already foaming at the mouth.
“My hands are dirty!”
*Thud*
“Isaac! Isaac!”
I inform them that my army is now the only defense force here.
“Understood. By the way, what about this man?”
“Ah, clean him up.”
“Yes.”
Isaac grabbed the messenger by the leg and disposed of him. A while later, the fires in the burned port town died down. A report comes in that enemies who were safe in the basement or shelter have emerged from the flames.
“This is exactly why I wanted more combat power.”
Well, can my army not handle it? No, it can. It’s just troublesome. It’s a waste to stop every step of rebuilding the bridgehead into a solid rear base. If the absent combat power had gone to intercept, it would have been easier for us.
“Honestly, that junior (Sharie)…”
If I ask Suurl, I can already picture him sortieing before the messenger even arrives. And I sent a messenger precisely to avoid such waste. Honestly.
“Shall I go take out my frustrations?”
I board a machine modified from a mass-production model. Gira engages the remnants in the port town.
“General Gira? Why are you here…”
“What? What do you mean? Is Isaac also present?”
The commander of the remnant hunt is flustered by the General’s appearance. They think it’s just remnants, so why would a General appear?
“Assign some guards here. I’m sortieing in my unit (modified mass-production machine) as well.”
“Yes.”
Bridgehead
Fire Fire Shield□ ×
Enemy Enemy→ ←□ Shield□ ↖ ×
Fire ←□ □←□□
Wreckage Enemy→←□Gira←□□Reinforcement Unit
Fire Shield□ ←□□
Fire Shield□ ↙ ×
Shield□ ×
If anything were to happen to General Gira, the unit would be sent on the stud course. The commander, though too soon, deploys the reinforcement unit. Taking command, they rush to a position where they can assist General Gira.
〈General Gira!〉
〈Hm. Oh, you’re commanding the rear operations.〉
〈Yes. I am humbled by General Gira’s presence…〉
〈Not at all. This is me taking out my frustrations.〉
〈Y-yes…〉
It’s because I came here. The commander who I put in charge of the reinforcement unit approaches. Well, let’s finish hunting down these remnants quickly. After I finish building the rear base, I have something I want to say directly to that junior.
Gira, together with the remnant hunting unit, fires without regard for ammunition or magic power. They shoot and blow up the remnants. Isaac’s skill duplication. If you have one source, you can increase it infinitely. Real bullets. Exchangeable magic packs and injectable magic liquids. They are constantly exchanged and replenished by friendly units behind us. The vanguard turns into high-powered turrets.
*Ratatatatatta!!*
An unbroken barrage, concentrated fire. Concentrated fire that tracks until it hits. Enemy soldiers who performed suicidal attacks are shot and turned into gruesome flesh fragments.
“No way, agh!”
“What the h—ll is that!”
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!
Behind the suicide attacks, the objective was also to create an escape route for non-combatants. But Gira’s army’s attack did not cease or slacken. The non-combatants could not escape. Those in the basement engulfed by flames, surviving with water and air made from minimal magic power, wondered:
“When will the escape signal sound?”
They stared at the entrance on the first floor. If they could completely extinguish the flames, they wouldn’t need to use water. But if they did, the enemy (Gira’s army) would confirm the basement and find them. So, enduring the pain, burns, and lack of oxygen, they had no choice but to wait for the escape signal.
*Boom!* *Boom!*
Trembling from the impact of real bullets and magic bullets, they activate applications of Life Magic and Wind Magic to sustain themselves each time their magic power recovers, so as not to miss the signal.
“Search! Search the burning buildings thoroughly!”
“We’ve found enemies!”
*Thump. Thump.*
From the voices coming from the external generators of the enemy units (Golem) and enemy machines, they surmised what happened to the suicide squad that was supposed to create an escape route.
“I-I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die…”
They pray to the god they believe in. They beg and wish for the King’s help. They wish for friendly forces to come to their rescue. And then they are discovered.
“S-stop.”
*Tatata! Tatata! Tatata!*
They are shot and killed by enemy infantry units descending into the basement, extinguishing the fires. According to the enemy country’s laws, killing a woman is a great sin. They believed that. Yet, despite surrendering, they were shot dead.
“—-Huh?”
“Why?” they think as they fall onto the still-hot floor. The soldiers behind them, who were about to try and kill the enemy soldiers, when they pulled the trigger, thinking they could strike a blow back, found the enemy soldiers protected by their shields.
“—-Shit.”
*Tatata! Tatata! Tatata!*
“Sweep complete.”
“Alright, next building.”
“Understood.”
No bullets left in the magazines. They don’t stop firing until they’re empty. Even if they are recognizable as fallen corpses. They riddle them with bullets. And before moving to the next, they replace the magazines with new ones and reload. Thanks to Isaac. Skill duplication. Terrifying.
“General Gira.”
“Finished?”
“Yes. Remnant hunt complete.”
“Good. Let’s build the rear base.”
“Yes.”
The remnant hunt commander, having cleared the remnants without incident, breathes a sigh of relief as General Gira returns to his provisional general’s tent on the upper echelon.
“Haaah, thank goodness. Truly, thank goodness…”
Having escaped the stud course, they are freed from their weighty duty and sit down on the dirty ground.
