Looking at the trapezoidal vehicle that resembled something more suited for the 42nd millennium rather than the 25th century, heavily armored with what seemed like an excessive amount of weaponry packed onto it, I couldn’t help but think it was just some random goodie I tossed in.
Thud, thud!
Were these beasts really going to use anti-armor shells? It’s not like they were calling for artillery or air strikes; why such thick armor?
Back then, I was like, “Wow! Heavy armor! Wow! Super tank!” Just like some board game from an island country in Europe, designing all kinds of big vehicles with heavy weaponry. But now that I think back, it was probably just modern troop transport vehicles or tanks, or fighter jets.
Well, it’s a world where modern military equipment is just lying around, but soldiers armed with holy swords and morning stars are mixing in like it’s the most natural thing.
…Still, at least the transport helicopters looked fairly normal. Come to think of it, there were also just ordinary modern-looking tanks at the camp.
…Although, they did seem a bit excessive with their thicker frontal armor, which made the main gun look shorter, topped with reactive armor kits.
As areas I hadn’t set up were filled in with their own logic, perhaps the people in this world were also experimenting with various shapes to find effective designs. Who knows, the troop transport vehicle I was riding might be a bit outdated compared to its looks.
Andrea also said the frontline here was less attacked than other places.
It was strange that since my arrival had been decided, the fighting had been escalating little by little. Did they even know I was here?
Maybe so. Because they have Lina on their side.
I trusted Lina, but the demons sent to the urban area weren’t only there for her. Perhaps another demon was tailing Lina, keeping an eye on her. I charged in to persuade Lina without thinking, but now that I think about it, that was a hell of a dangerous move for both Lina and me.
Thud, thud… The echoing sounds from afar started to fade.
“Five minutes to departure.”
Nothing was visible here. The heavily armored vehicle had no windows to see outside. Even the driver’s seat window had an incredibly narrow field of view. I couldn’t even tell if it was dark or light outside.
“Reporting unusual events. The complete flattening operation has failed. Approximately 300 meters north of the I-01 gate, a portion of the forest within a 10-meter radius. Something within is intercepting incoming shells.”
…?
Intercepting?
A system to intercept incoming shells existed even in my world, but it was ridiculously expensive and required extraordinarily high technology. The demons from my setup should make that impossible.
No, it should have been impossible. That way, human society could fight on equal footing with demon society.
“Direct advance is impossible. We will make a detour with about 100 meters distance. The side will be covered by the converging knights. Since we are only 150 meters away from the magic point, we need to be cautious of the rear during the elimination operation.”
What in the world, and how, could something like intercept incoming shells from that distance?
The purpose wasn’t simply to hit a target, but to completely obliterate parts of the terrain, meaning dense trees and bumpy irregularities with indiscriminate shelling. All shells were heavy-caliber high-explosive rounds.
Can anything down below survive after intercepting that?
Chills ran down my spine.
There was something seriously powerful over there. Something I didn’t know.
“Has this kind of situation been witnessed before?”
“…At least not in my knowledge.”
In response to the officer’s questions from the passenger seat, the soldier in the driver’s seat, listening to the radio and briefing, replied.
Everyone fell silent.
“Are we continuing operations in a first-time scenario?”
“Well, that’s just how the military is.”
This time, the people let out small laughs.
“Don’t worry.”
The young soldier sitting in front of me said,
“It’s our job to protect you. Just focus on your mission.”
Since coming to this base, this was the first soldier to call me “sister” instead of “nun.”
“Are you a believer?”
After asking, I noticed the cross mark on his left chest pocket and smiled bashfully.
In this world, very few people doubt the existence of gods, and many have their own beliefs, but not many are like in the medieval days, baptized at birth and faithfully attending the cathedral. This person was likely one of that rare bunch.
Now that I noticed, he seemed to have been praying with his arms crossed over his knees.
“Yes, I’ve gone to the cathedral since I was in my mother’s womb.”
Before I could even respond,
“One minute to departure.”
The driver’s announcement rang out.
“Sister! Please say a prayer to the goddess!”
The officer in the passenger seat turned around quickly, his face wearing a tense smile.
“Sure.”
I closed my eyes, clasped my hands, and sincerely said,
“May the goddess’s blessing be upon you all!”
“Amen!”
““““Amen!”””””
The responses of a hymn, still used 500 years later, resonated and echoed inside the thick vehicle, striking my ears, making me chuckle involuntarily.
Rumble, rumble, the ground trembled.
It wasn’t because of the shells falling. It was the sound of something heavy dragging its body across the ground.
“Truly impressive,” a knight said, and Andrea responded with a bitter smile.
In the distance, twelve enormous olive-drab vehicles moved in formation.
They seemed like tilted boxes, spiked with all sorts of weapons jutting out like porcupine quills, and three armored troop transports piled high with reactive armor like some ancient knight’s chainmail.
On top of those armored vehicles were three massive rotating turrets.
There were four without turrets, featuring only the bare minimum of machine guns.
And then, two tanks even larger than those enormous armored vehicles, their bodies much flatter but sporting turrets even bigger than those on the armored transports.
At least the tanks looked like modern models.
Even as they ran, the tanks aimed their cannons at parts of the intact forest. The turret accurately targeted the woods, even while the body had to turn a fair distance around.
It probably wasn’t their actual intent to have the barrel aim at the knights between the forest and the tank.
“Chilling,”
“Yes, indeed.”
But it was unreasonable not to feel any kind of emotion. I had seen modern tanks fire a round right through the center of a swarm of beasts.
The scene was so vividly etched in my mind that it reminded me of some miracle written in the old scriptures.
When infantry carry individual rifles, they take turns loading special rounds designed to inflict additional damage upon beasts with regular ammunition, but those tanks didn’t need such bothersome practices. Their pure firepower was sufficient to deal the necessary blows.
“Let’s go. We’ll run behind the tanks, keeping our distance.”
“Understood!”
When civilization is shattered by sudden violence, and the government crumbles, leaving humanity in chaos, only the holy sword remains as a ray of hope.
The holy knights, wielding the finely crafted holy swords they’d spent years creating, faced off against the beasts and demons, bringing them to light.
As time passed, the people from humanity and other realms came together, calming the chaos, recovering lost wisdom, and instilling a new order. They began producing disposable holy and overwhelmingly powerful weaponry that could easily pierce beast skin, and the hope shifted away from holy knights and swords, to gunpowder, oil, uranium, and hydrogen.
In such a changed battlefield, should I be relieved that cold weapons are still effective, or feel bitter about it?
Andrea looked at the tank ahead, spewing thick black smoke and charging forward, smiling wryly.
Less than a kilometer was a strangely short distance to cover by vehicle. If the sole purpose was transportation, maybe it would be more efficient for infantry to simply walk.
But aiming for locations near a magic point is a whole different story.
At a magic point, beasts erupt from the ground. While it’s not impossible to handle beasts with infantry weapons, if infantry and a similar number of beasts were to face off, the soldiers would likely lose.
You can’t expect fire support either. No matter how precise the bombardment, pouring firepower onto an enemy just in front of your own forces is practically self-destructive.
Besides, it doesn’t mean beasts won’t be coming out. A magic point can’t be physically destroyed.
So the army opted—not to shoot from afar, but to deliver sufficient firepower directly to forces dealing with the beasts.
They equipped vehicles laden with powerful direct-fire weapons, as well as self-propelled mortars for potentially striking more distant targets, pummeling the vicinity with preliminary bombardment to eliminate nearby beasts as much as possible before rushing in to wipe out the magic point quickly.
Sometimes, constant and precise fire support from gunships or attack helicopters was available, but those systems come at an outrageous cost. Naturally, most of them are concentrated on the front lines.
Fortunately, with the trees splintering from bombardment, visibility was improved, so we could at least receive support from the snipers stationed on the wall. While lacking nearby fire support, the self-propelled mortars and artillery beyond the wall that had stopped there in advance would be resuming fire on the beasts far from us the moment we halted.
Even if trees fell and paths opened, momentary artillery strikes couldn’t completely clear the obstacles. There would still be places where trees were partially down, and the path to the targets would undoubtedly be rough.
The moving route depended on the infiltrating forces, so if they rained down indiscriminate artillery fire, the soldiers rushing in could end up caught in that downpour of fire and perish in vain.
The decision not to use napalm, white phosphorus, or biological weapons was meant to protect any invested troop from taking damage.
So, in a sense, it could be called a reverse landing operation.
…Honestly, it’s kind of terrifying that this setup I created, intending just to see the holy knights battling demons and modern soldiers, has escalated to this level. And being in the vehicle racing full speed toward that magic point, I could feel that stark reality chilling me to the bone.
“I can see the magic point! We’ll come to a halt shortly!”
With the driver’s shout, clank, clank, the sound of weapons being drawn and bolts being pulled back echoed.
A sigh escaped someone, and then—
“We’re stopping!”
My body lurched to the left. The vehicle suddenly slammed to a stop, forcing the soldiers inside to shift forward. I was the only one who really stumbled, but soon enough, the soldier next to me steadied me by grabbing my arm, sparing me from a catastrophic fall onto the adjacent soldier’s knee.
Usually, that would have been incredibly embarrassing, but my heart was pounding, and adrenaline coursed through my veins, leaving no room for such thoughts.
Boom! The rear door of the vehicle swung open.
“Disembark! Disembark!”
The officer shouted, and we all jumped to our feet, including myself. Not considering the vehicle’s height, I stood up too quickly and nearly bumped my head, but someone holding my neck yanked me down, saving me from a concussion.
Following the backs of the departing soldiers, I rushed outside.
The sun had not yet set. It was still April, but nearing May, creating enough brightness at six in the evening to see far into the distance.
“Right! To the right!”
Startled by the shout, I bolted to the right without any ability to think. I followed only the backs of soldiers. Before turning right, I glanced left and spotted a few intact trees in the distance. Whatever was over there could potentially be a monster I had never seen before.
It was close.
Though distant, it felt near.
As I turned to the left side thanks to the soldiers leading me, that place vanished from sight.
As the soldiers dropped down onto their bellies, I hastily followed suit.
“Beast ahead!”
With that urgent shout, I promptly set up a bipod that I’d somehow unfurled, and unleashing a torrent of fire. The bullets, leaving faint golden trails typical of special rounds, flew so quickly they looked like lasers.
Simultaneously, a sound that could drown the louder noise erupted from above. The heavy machine guns protruding from atop the troop transport vehicle began to fire. A barrage of bullets raining down from above crushed the beasts ahead. Perhaps that’s what happened; where I’d crouched, nestled against a slope, I couldn’t see much of what lay in front.
A soldier squeezed in between me and the machine gunner. It was the designated shooter.
That soldier climbed the slope while sticking only his head and rifle above it to squint through the scope.
“Sister!”
It was the soldier who said he’d go to the cathedral. He had to nearly shout so his voice wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the firing guns.
Don’t space out. Focus. Get your mind together.
I slapped my cheeks, then scrambled upwards alongside the soldier. He quickly wrapped his arms around my back and tugged me closer. I had no choice but to follow along.
“Over there!”
The soldier’s voice barely broke through the gunfire, but I heard it clearly since he was so close.
“Look!”
He nudged the rifle toward me. It was a bit longer than a normal rifle, with a scope mounted on top.
In games, the scope would focus neatly on the target, but what I saw through that scope wasn’t the clear crosshair, but something more akin to a horned moon, a semi-circle cut off on the sides.
Pressing my eye against the scope, I finally saw the entire circle properly.
The soldier gently adjusted the barrel, and there, floating in midair, was a black dot.
The magic point.
“The distance is about 50 meters!”
Fifty meters.
In my setup, the kill range of magical rounds was usually stated to be between 100 to 150 meters. Most casualties from long-range attacks usually resulted from beasts or demons firing sharp magic rounds.
At fifty meters, it was sufficient for a lethal radius. It was also a pretty precarious distance to pour in magic or holy power.
But that was likely as close as they could get, with beasts pouring in all around.
“I’ll take it!”
“Yes!”
No need to ask further; I immediately responded.
Keeping my gaze locked toward that area, I handed the rifle to the soldier. When my eyes left the scope, the once sizable view of the magic point shrank to a tiny pea.
But there was no choice but to try.
I stretched my arms straight ahead while lying prone. My legs were fully extended behind me to prevent slipping off the slope, which, to anyone watching, likely looked quite ridiculous.
But who cares in a situation like this?
Realizing I was even thinking about that might indicate I wasn’t as tense as I should be—
Boom! A thunderous roar shattered the air as the tanks released their firepower, ripping apart the beasts spewing from the magic point diagonally.
Correction. I was just really tense about that.
But at least I didn’t have any other thoughts.
I projected all the holy power I could muster.
The remaining beasts that hadn’t been engulfed by the tanks’ onslaught were caught in my flooding holy energy.
“Kieeeek!!”
The horrible cries of beasts melted away as they burned.
I did my best to ignore the sound. I focused instead on the sounds of gunfire and explosive shells.
The screeches gradually subsided. They didn’t merely drown out; they vanished entirely.
Then, the holy power made contact with something. It was a bizarre sensation, like feeling around in an invisible box.
“I made contact! It’s a success!”
The soldier observing through the scope cheered beside me.
Ah, this is what it feels like.
So I extended my reach further, the sensation in my fingertips solidifying. My fingers grazed something. It felt like the end of a smooth handle—
As I reached out further with my fingers, sending my holy power to grasp it—
[Ah, but you can’t do that.]
An echoing voice resonated through the connection of holy power. And then,
[Screeeeam!]
Somehow, a piercing shriek jolted through my head.
I hadn’t anticipated it at all, causing my holy power to dissipate momentarily. Soon enough, beasts began to pour out from the magic point again. No!
I didn’t know what that sound resonating in my head was, but instead of dwelling on it, I tried to refocus.
“What?”
The soldier at the scope muttered.
“…A person?”
“Eh?”
At that moment, I almost couldn’t process the words when from the magic point, something emerged.
Something so massive it was hard to fathom coming from such a tiny dot.
-A person?
Like the soldier had said, it certainly looked like one. But its size was far too great for such a designation.
Even from fifty meters, its sheer size could easily be identified. What led me to identify it as a “person” was the elaborately adorned pink suit it wore. Far too elegant and pristine for the center of a battlefield.
And then,
With its right hand extended as if holding a shield, it waved something resembling a pink object into the air.
A man leisurely strolled from the magic point, waving that thing high above the skies.
It arched through the air in a parabolic arc before falling directly down toward me.
“Sister!”
Recognizing something dangerous flying in, the soldier beside me dove atop my body to shield me. But amidst that, I remained fixed on what was descending toward me.
That thing that was falling—
It dropped close to the very spot I had been lying.
It landed sideways, an arm twisted at a bizarre angle. One leg too looked injured. Its face bore the marks of being punched into a pulp.
But I knew who it was.
“…Lina…?”
As I raised my body, the soldier who’d covered me lifted himself up.
“Sister!”
“Lina…?”
My brain felt frozen. The minimal thoughts I had before came to a complete halt.
“Sister! Damn it, my power…!”
Lina turned her face toward me, tears flowing from her eyes. Was it from pain? Or sadness? I couldn’t tell.
“…It’s dangerous… high-ranking… runaway…”
Lina struggled to convey something to me.
I didn’t understand.
“Sister! Someone help! I can’t do this alone!”
I heard footsteps approaching quickly. One shot rang out, and more beasts were advancing. The man was walking toward us slowly, grinning.
He was smiling.
I didn’t get it.
“Nun!”
One ran over, pressed against me and the soldier. My body was thrown forward.
“Lina? Lina? …Lina!”
In a daze, I kept repeating that name, flailing to get closer.
“Sister! Sister! Stay composed!”
“Hey! Someone get that girl out of there! Bring her over however you can!”
I could hear the shouts.
Why did it end up like this?
I could hear more footsteps approaching again. Another shot silence fell. The number of advancing beasts grew.
The man was still smiling as he walked toward me.
“What the hell?”
As those words escaped my lips, the soldiers recoiled in surprise.
Taking advantage of that gap, I rose with all my might.
“Uh, what!?”
“What the hell!”
The soldiers staggered backward, utterly dumbfounded.
Still, that man was smiling at me.
I clutched the holy power tightly within my hands. Purely concentrated violent power itself. I hurled it toward the man.
Boom! The beasts exploded, reduced to ash as they burned away.
But that man remained unscathed. He merely brushed the beast ashes from his clothing as though dusting off.
…What?
Suddenly, I felt something lightly bump against my leg.
Looking down, I found Lina, being dragged over by a soldier. She was grabbing hold of my leg with her uninjured hand.
“Don’t… run away…”
“Sister!”
Meanwhile, another soldier hugged my waist and pulled back. In my unguarded state, I fell back.
Right before I fell,
That high-ranking demon leaped towards me.
Soaring through the air, the high-ranking demon—
It collided with something that had come flying from the side and crashed to the ground.
“…Huh?”
Just before I tumbled back, I let out such a ridiculous word.
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