There was everything in this vast rainforest—except for any trace of Inaya or the five Night Knights assigned to guard her. Platoon Four had followed the signs of cut shrubbery until they arrived at what appeared to be a temporary camp where Inaya and the others might have stayed.
"Looks like they left of their own accord," Otto observed, scanning the surroundings for any useful clues. But aside from a few stones gathered together and some bushes cut down and set aside, there was no other sign of human activity—not even a campfire.
"Maybe they moved out before lighting a fire?" Edwin suggested.
"Think about it—there was no need. First, to avoid detection. Second, they had enough canned rations and didn't need fire for cooking. And given the temperature and the lack of beast threats, they wouldn't need it for warmth or defense either."
Otto's reasoning made Edwin rethink his earlier guess.
"Hey! I found blood!" Sennia, who had been aimlessly poking around, actually discovered something.
"Looks like it was from a scratch by a leaf," Nordhausen said, examining the blood smeared on a sharp-edged leaf. That species of plant was known for its blade-like leaves, and it wasn't unusual to get cut by them if one moved too fast or wasn't careful. While not a major discovery, it was still a clue—and enough to provide a direction for the search.
"Let's follow this direction and see if we find anything else."
The blood wasn't far from the camp. The platoon fanned out and began exploring the area.
"Over here!"
Edwin responded to a signal from one of the soldiers and found another faint drop of blood. Following that trail, they also spotted signs of crushed vegetation and trampled undergrowth. The path seemed promising. The group kept at it until dusk, covering nearly four kilometers—until they stumbled onto a battlefield that was almost impossible to believe.
"Inaya did all this by herself?"
Sennia stared in awe at the wreckage before her—trees scorched and twisted by fire, others cleanly sliced, stumps still smoking, and the vegetation mangled and disarrayed. Even Otto and the others were visibly shaken.
After the initial shock, they slowly moved into the battlefield, spreading out to investigate. Nordhausen, walking alone off to one side, suddenly halted.
"Over here! Something's up!"
The others gathered at his call—and what they found only deepened their concern.
It was a corpse, hacked almost cleanly in half. A single cleaving strike had run from the left shoulder down to the lower right abdomen. The right arm was also severed and lay not far from the rest of the body. Though the man was dressed like a civilian, scattered nearby were military gear and the broken remains of a standard-issue submachine gun—clear signs that the deceased was a Night Knight.
"What do you make of this?" Otto asked grimly, eyes fixed on the brutal, precise slash.
"Could Inaya really do something like this?"
Edwin was no less shocked. What kind of weapon or strength could cleave a man like that?
"If she had that kind of power, we never would've captured her in the first place," Otto said. "Still, it's possible her magical abilities have grown. I remember her saying some of her spells didn't work in the South."
That was what Inaya had confessed the night she infiltrated Platoon Four's safehouse in Hekar and got captured. With Nordhausen's reminder, the others recalled it as well.
"Still, there might be someone else involved. We can't afford to let our guard down."
Otto turned to the rest of the platoon, and they understood: the situation was more complicated than they'd thought.
A soldier ran up and saluted Otto—he had something to report. Without speaking, the soldier pointed toward a large tree overgrown with bushes. When they followed him, the group found another body.
"Who's this?"
Unlike the brutalized Night Knight, this corpse was intact, save for a clean wound across the throat. His eyes were wide open in panic—killed instantly. He wore a white robe and a metal necklace.
"Third party involvement?" Sennia muttered.
She crouched down with Nordhausen to examine the oddly dressed corpse. Robes like that were rarely seen outside of tradition-bound or religious groups.
"Wait a second..." Nordhausen pulled the necklace from beneath the robe, and everyone instantly recognized the emblem.
"What is it?" Edwin asked, the only one not recognizing the symbol.
"That sun emblem—it's from the Holy Church," Sennia answered.
"The Holy Church?!"
Edwin's reaction was understandable. The Church had little to do with the southern nations, and even the newspapers barely mentioned it.
"Looks like they've made their move too..." Otto said.
First came Inaya, proving magic was somehow usable again in the South. Now Church agents had appeared with no warning. Clearly, something was brewing beneath the surface of this war—something unseen.
"What about Inaya?"
"Keep searching. They shouldn't have gotten far in just half a day."
While the battlefield hinted at a clash between the Church and Inaya's group, much about the confrontation remained unclear. Most importantly, Inaya's whereabouts were still unknown.
"Looks like they left through here," someone pointed out.
Outside the main battleground, shrubs were broken by something moving fast. There were footprints on tree bark, and most telling of all, scorched black traces left behind by fire. The battle hadn't ended there—a chase had continued.
The platoon followed these signs for another kilometer before the trail abruptly vanished.
"Stay sharp. Keep your eyes and ears open."
Getting closer to Inaya also meant drawing closer to the Church. No one dared to relax, especially after seeing what those robed warriors were capable of. With no more signs ahead, the platoon widened its search, hoping for another clue.
Boom!
A muffled explosion thundered in the distance. Birds scattered from the canopy in a flurry.
"Regroup!"
The platoon, previously spread out, quickly formed up and advanced toward the source. From above, one could see dark shapes cutting through the underbrush, converging toward a blazing battlefield just ahead.
"Hold position!"
Otto raised his hand to halt the advance. The scene ahead came into full view.
Five robed figures—three with long blades locked in melee with Night Knights, while two others in the back supported them, dragging a strange spherical device. Flames swirled around them, summoned into fireballs that rained down on the Knights. The blade-wielders coordinated with their rear support, slashing through the fireballs to redirect them toward dodging enemies.
"Target the two in the back. Ready... fire!!"
At Otto's command, a dozen submachine guns roared, and two 20mm autocannons joined in, raining bullets and explosives in a deafening storm. Caught off guard, the two in the rear were instantly shredded.
"Cease fire!"
Not knowing how best to fight such opponents, Otto had gone all in—and perhaps had overdone it.
"Charge!"
Twenty-one Night Knights fixed bayonets to their guns and charged. In close quarters, the Night Knights were deadly. The three remaining swordsmen immediately re-formed their stance to face this new threat without hesitation.
Sennia almost got cleaved in two when one of them exploited her sloppy defense. Luckily, Shatiel reached her just in time.
"Check on Inaya. We'll handle this."
Nordhausen fired a burst to distract the swordsman, then dragged Sennia to safety and took her place in the formation.
Sennia quickly realized she was no help in this fight and followed Nordhausen's instructions. She looked around and finally spotted Inaya.
"You okay?!"
Sennia sprinted over. Inaya's body was scorched, eyes glazed, cat ears drooping. She leaned weakly against a tree.
"I'll live... just not dying yet..."
Her hand glowed golden—same as when she had healed Arcia.
"Anything I can do?"
Sennia's Night Knight-grade meds might not help Inaya, but she asked anyway.
"I'm fine..." Inaya shook her head.
"Really?"
"..."
Sennia thought she might be holding something back, but Inaya insisted with another shake of her head. Sennia quietly stayed by her side.
On the battlefield, one of the sword-wielders finally faltered under the combined assault from Shatiel, Nordhausen, and three other Knights. He dodged thrusts, blocked slashes, even evaded gunfire at blinding speeds—but Shatiel managed to sever his sword arm, and Nordhausen drove a bayonet through his jaw, ending it cleanly.
The last two warriors hesitated. Otto seized a 20mm autocannon from a fallen Knight and turned it on one of them, reducing him to ash. The other stabbed Arcia in the stomach—but she locked his arm, preventing further attacks. He activated the runes on his sword, trying to blast her away, but Arcia stood firm, eyes locked on his. Just then, Shatiel arrived, slashing clean through his wrist and dulling the sword embedded in Arcia. A second strike severed his other hand.
"It's over..." Edwin exhaled.
Shatiel planted the blade in the ground beside Otto and rejoined the other surviving second-generation Knights.
"Tie him up!" Otto ordered.
"Get away from him!!" Sennia suddenly screamed.
Everyone froze, then backed off just in time. The last swordsman exploded in a massive fireball, scorching everything in a five-meter radius. Only Sennia's warning had saved them.
"Those bastards..." Edwin groaned, climbing to his feet. Even outside the blast radius, the heat had been brutal.
"Check the wounded!" Otto barked. They needed to relocate in case more enemies were nearby.
"Didn't expect this much action from a deep strike op..." Edwin muttered with a bitter smile as he joined the medics.