The extreme desertification of the Abydos Autonomous District has supposedly been resolved, but it wasn’t as if the vast sands of the desert just disappeared.
And today, the sands of the Abydos desert were seen swirling high in the sky from a distance.
The shockwaves from the bombardment not only produced smoke but also countless clouds of dust. The ‘base’ of the Kaiser Corporation, located in the middle of the desert, was being transformed into ruins before the firepower of the SRT Special Academy.
Yes, the base.
What should have just been the excavation site of the Kaiser Corporation has since amassed troops and scale sufficient to be called a base, but the massive bombardment was more than enough to turn it to nearly nothing.
Fortunately for them, the point of impact was carefully calibrated to avoid affecting the excavation site of the ancient super weapon they had desperately sought out.
Unfortunately for them, it seems that the ancient super weapon they painstakingly excavated is now crumbling miserably without even having been used properly.
Somewhere out there, whether it be Kaiser General, Director Park Min-cheol, or the President… or perhaps the entire team. Regardless of who the person in charge is, the Kaiser side must be busy bellowing and trying to assess the situation by now.
If they are completely out of the loop due to the direct impact of the bombardment, then that wouldn’t be so bad either.
Hehehe. So pretty… Hey, can’t you just pour a little more?
“Please hold on, Mohe…”
Tch… We’ll begin in 30 seconds, so everyone stand by.
I heard Mohe’s sulking voice through the communication. Of course, considering it’s Mohe, she was probably saying, “a little more…” while watching the merciless bombing site live. Impressive, really, impressive.
I could feel the teacher next to me shooting me a look as if to say, “Why did you get stuck with those kids?” but… naturally, I ignored it.
In the first place, there’s no way the teacher would genuinely shoot me that kind of glance. Their earnest care for their students is absolutely real.
Well, if anything, shouldn’t they be thanking me instead?
I’ve made it so those kids can’t say, “Teacher, we don’t like adults like you.” Wouldn’t that be worthy of a thank-you bow?
“…”
Next to me, Saori silently raised her firearm. Azusa across from her did the same.
Ten seconds until we begin!
Today’s ‘Shalle’ troop is just the three of us. However, just because we are merely three people doesn’t mean we can be considered a negligible force.
In my assessment, Saori and Azusa—ah, sure. If Wakamo joined us, they could just about take me down.
Of course, it doesn’t guarantee victory, as the term “capital” has been used. But the mere existence of that possibility proves that our strength isn’t something that can be dismissed so easily.
“Teacher, are you really alright?”
“Ah, well. This much is manageable…”
“Um… I meant, is there really any need to enter that dangerous place?”
“It’s fine since I’m familiar with it. Thank you for your concern, Saori.”
“…Familiar?”
The teacher was clearly the type who could end up on the brink of death with just a single bullet. The idea of someone like that weaving through a battlefield where bombing is ongoing and a gunfight is about to break out seems… odd.
Hmm.
I can only imagine how off-putting it must look to Saori.
But the teacher is truly amazing; they run around hazardous places as if they have no fear. They must have done so even in places I don’t know.
That’s why it makes me jealous without even realizing it. Their skill and boldness come from a different realm altogether, something I can’t even aspire to, rooted as I am in Misa’s original body.
The reason I can push myself into danger without thinking much is that I am sure I will make it out. It’s always been like that.
I wouldn’t say there were never any close calls, but my body’s incredible durability, thanks to Shinpi’s existence, has always lived up to my expectations.
If my body were a regular human one… well, I wouldn’t have had the guts to enter a dangerous battlefield like now. I almost certainly would have been paralyzed by a vague thought that Arona would somehow protect me, since I’m just that much of a coward.
This is RABBIT 1. All members of the RABBIT Squad have successfully landed. We are now moving to Point Alpha.
FOX 1. Point Fox… are we ready to fight?
Calm down, our little fox senior. Hehehe.
…Aside from that, it was neatly done. No, rather, watching the teacher land with a picturesque rope descent made me feel no jealousy at all. They are truly a flawless superhuman. There’s just nothing they can’t do.
If anything went awry, Nana or Saori might have caught them, but with worries like that fading away, it left me feeling oddly empty.
“This is Shalle. I’ll now move to Point Echo.”
Wow~ Everyone’s really trying hard. Thanks to that, I can take it easy.
BOOM—!!!
In fact, just the FOX Squad, RABBIT Squad, and Wakamo diving in tandem would have been more than enough to wipe out Kaiser. Just by sheer strength, it’s basically three top-tier squads from the SRT being deployed.
However, along with Shalle, an additional troop equivalent to 2.5 Arius squads, commanded by the teacher, was also descending.
Lastly, even the Abydos Countermeasure Committee, which Saori recognized to have considerable power, was being sent in.
Whatever Kaiser had prepared, the outcome of this battle had already been decided from the start. They even distributed gas masks to all members for emergencies due to the biological and chemical weapons they were studying.
Ahaha☆
Flee! Aaaah!!
“…Phew.”
And more than anything, I had the most reliable throwing weapon in the world at my disposal.
Seeing the automatons fall like bowling pins ahead proves that there’s no throwing weapon anywhere that can possibly compare to the Body Bunker. AHAHA.
Leading the way with the Body Bunker, I pierced through the front while Saori and Azusa cleared the sides, watching our backs. We dashed through the thick, ominous dust clouds with a simple yet horrifyingly effective method.
As we quickly moved to Point Echo, where the executives of the Kaiser Corporation might be lurking, a sound rang out.
Bang—!
“Hmm?”
“A sniper… wait, I’ll handle this.”
The moment I halted, a bullet whizzed past me. It was an eerie marksmanship, but if that were all there was, it wouldn’t have caught my attention. Just getting hit would only hurt for a moment.
What grabbed my attention was particularly Saori’s words as if she knew something, and simultaneously, I heard the teacher mumble behind me.
“Aru…?”
Was she able to see something amidst the dust clouds that I couldn’t? The teacher spoke a name that seemed familiar but also out of place.
So, the one who shot that was Aru? Rikuhachima Aru from Heungsinso 68?
…Why on earth is she here?
While I thought that, I spotted a figure up ahead aiming an assault rifle at us.
“Teacher, behind me!”
I slammed the Body Bunker roughly down to the ground. Since the teacher was pressing a bit too closely behind me, I felt a primal urge to reject it, but still, it’s better than the teacher becoming a pin cushion.
However, even though it felt like several seconds had passed, there was still no sound of gunfire from the front.
From the left rear, which Azusa was in charge of, I heard shotgun blasts accompanied by screams of “Die for me!!!”
Still, there were no gunshots from the front. Thinking about it, that might have been obvious.
With a soft footstep approaching, a girl came up and lightly tapped the Body Bunker, bursting into laughter.
“Kyah! Hi! It’s been so long, Angel-chan! And you too, Teacher!”
“…Mitsuki.”
If what the teacher said holds true, then it’s strange not to see any members of Heungsinso here. So, the one fighting with Azusa in the back must be Haruka. The sniper that Saori recognized must truly be Aru.
So, the girl who came right up to us… Mitsuki didn’t pull the trigger for a simple reason.
That is, there’s no way a student would be so deranged as to open fire on the teacher. At least not in Kivotos. Someone somewhere might fire a pistol, but here, that’s simply nonexistent.
“By the way, Angel-chan, you’re carrying something that totally doesn’t suit you today?”
“…Not suitable for me?”
“Ku-huhu, I’m saying this from an aesthetic perspective~ But anyway, Teacher, you shouldn’t just wander around such dangerous places. If I had actually shot, it would have been terrible… Ah, but since Angel-chan is by your side, it should’ve been fine~”
…Watching Mitsuki, who spoke with a grin, sent a wave of cognitive dissonance through me.
Just moments ago, we were executing a seriously grim operation, but what is this?
“I’ll kill you, Rikuhachima Aru!!!”
“Why?!”
Please, Saori. I don’t know what kind of bond you two have, but… can you please just hold back on that background music…
