đđĽ A MASSIVE THANK YOU! đĽđ
đ Special shoutout to these legends! đ
@ColorblindâWELCOME TO THE MEMBER SQUAD! đđĽ Your support means everything, and I'm hyped to have you on this wild ride!
đĄÂ But waitâthere's more! Don't forget to check out my Newest Completed Novel on My P4TR30N
đ¨âđ§Â Title: "Infinite Stratos : World Reorganization (R-21)"
đ˘Â Want to read ahead and unlock all chapters? J
â¨Â Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
â¨Â No waiting for daily updates
⨠Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
đ Skip the wait! Unlock instant access to completed chapters by joining our membership!
Free readers? No worriesâdaily updates will still roll out. But if you're the "I need it NOW" type... you know what to do. đ
đ Check my profile for the Link!!
To the casual readers:Â "Enjoy the slow burn."
To the true binge-readers:Â "Welcome to the party."Â đ
đ Want the full experience? [Join Patreon Now]
đ Check my profile for the Link!!
đ PS: Free readers get crumbsâMEMBER get the FEAST.Â
Don't just watchâDOMINATE THE STORY. đđĽ
==============
Tortus Allied Forces - Command Center
"The enemy's advance isn't stopping!? Numerous casualties!!"
"The front lines are being pushed back in an instant!?"
"First, Second Infantry Divisions retreating!? Fourth Air Division also retreating!? The Second Mobile Unit, annihilated..."
"It's not stopping... At this rate...! At this rate...!?"
"â!!"
Emergency alarms blared in the command center, and the light points indicating units on the display rapidly retreated or disappeared one after another.
Liliana could only clench her teeth and glare at the scene.
The operation had been relatively smooth. Although there were casualties, humanity was still steadily gaining ground. So much so that one might have fantasized about winning just as things were.
That was all overturned by the arrival of just seventeen reinforcements. Their strength was on an entirely different level from the monsters they had faced before.
The magic they unleashed gouged the earth, and the blades they wielded rent the sky.
Their spotless silver armor and the divine aura emanating from their entire bodies made them seem like Valkyries straight out of myth.
'Don't mess with me! Then what was all the fighting for? Were they laughing at us struggling so desperately? Are you saying all our efforts were in vain?!'
"Lady Liliana! What should we do!?"
"...Huh?"
"Please! Give us orders!"
"Lady Liliana!!"
Most of those in the command center turned pleading gazes towards Liliana.
She was in charge here. It wasn't wrong for them to ask for her guidance when confused about what to do. It wasn't wrong, but...
'What am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to fight against monsters like that...?'
"Abandon the First and Second Battle Zones. How about we try to wear them down with long-range bombardment in the Third Battle Zone?"
Amidst the desperate voices, a girl who had mostly remained silentâAltinaâstated her opinion to Liliana.
"The front lines are already annihilated. It's impossible to rebuild from here. If that's the case, then perhapsâ"
"We're not asking for the demi-human's opinion!!"
"That's right! We're asking Lady Liliana!?"
However, the humans in the command center collectively interrupted Altina's opinion. They had originally refrained from openly expressing dissatisfaction due to Liliana's approval of Altina, but in their desperate situation, such considerations had likely vanished from their minds.
Altina, too, had been aware of their feelings, which was why she had avoided standing out, but...
"The demi-humans should just do as they're toldâ"
"SHUT UP!!"
" " "!!" " "
They tried to continue verbally attacking Altina, but everyone in the command center froze at Altina's unexpected roar.
Liliana, in particular, widened her eyes at Altina's appearance, which was unimaginable from her usual impression as a refined lady.
"Even at this very moment, people are dying!! My family! Your families are also in danger!!"
Those who had been verbally abusing Altina turned their gaze to the display behind them at her words, saw another light point disappear, and their expressions twisted.
"You can speak ill of me, I don't care! But I cannot tolerate it if it means abandoning lives that could be saved!!"
At those words, they looked down, biting their lips. It wasn't out of resentment towards Altina, but from remembering their comrades still fighting on the battlefield.
"Altina-san is right. This is no time to argue. Our mission is to share information on the battlefield and make the battle as advantageous as possible. Am I wrong?"
"...You are correct. My apologies."
"You too... I'm sorry."
"N-no, I apologize for overstepping my bounds!"
Liliana breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the tense atmosphere in the command center relax. At the same time, she invigorated herself.
(That's right. Nothing will change by moping around here. I must do what I have to do!)
Liliana slapped her cheek hard to regain her focus, then immediately raised her voice.
"Then, firstâ"
BOOOOOOOM!!
âHowever, "despair" would not wait.
The ceiling of the command center suddenly vanished with a deafening roar, revealing the sky that should not have been visible from inside.
And, against a backdrop of shimmering light, the figure of a knight automaton looked down at them through its helmet.
"No way!? How did they find us!?"
The command center, the heart of the Allied Forces, had been rendered completely invisible by a special artifact, a joint creation of Hajime and Aldias, capable of blocking not only sound and presence but even traces of magical power.
Even if a "telepathic message" was sent from inside, it was impossible to trace it back through the relays placed throughout the area.
Yet, as if knowing all this, the knight automaton attacked the command center.
Regardless of Liliana's surprised cry, the knight automaton raised its sword.
Only the bare minimum of guards were stationed here. No, even if there were, they would have been useless.
"Lord Aldias...!"
As the faces of those in the command center paled, realizing their end, Altina clasped her hands over her chest, unconsciously uttering the name of the person she cared for.
Such a fleeting prayer from a young girl did not reach the knight automaton, and the divine sword, which would easily take their lives, was mercilessly swung down.
â------------
Elsewhere on the Battlefield
"ZEEEEYAHHHH!!"
Gahard brought his greatsword, raised high above his head, down upon the knight automaton.
However, it was easily parried with a dull clang, blocked by the armor it wore.
"Damn it!? You don't even need a shield!?"
He had been showering it with slashes and gunfire from all directions, but not only did it show no sign of flinching, it didn't even make a move to use the shield in its hand. It simply stood there. That alone was pushing the Allied Forces' soldiers to their mental limits.
But while its right-hand shield remained still, the sword in its left hand was constantly swung.
The flamberge in its hand approached Gahard, but an Imperial soldier with a greatshield intervened, stepping in.
"Your Majesty! Get back!!"
"You fool!? Don't block it! Dodge it!!"
Hajime's specially made greatshields had saved their lives countless times in this battle. This time too, their sturdy steel defense... did not protect their lives.
The greatshield was cleanly bisected as if it were butter, and the soldier inside was separated into upper and lower halves.
"Tch! Don't get carried away!!"
How many times now? How many times had he lost a subordinate right before his eyes? How many had died already! Don't mess with me, you bastard! You've got guts to do this right in front of me!
Wreathed in red fighting spirit, Gahard once again charged at the knight automaton, but someone stopped him, putting their body on the line.
"Wait, Your Majesty!!"
"What are you doing!? Let go, Besta!!"
"I won't let go! Please listen to me!!"
One of Gahard's trusted retainers, Besta, stopped Gahard by putting him in a full-nelson.
Taking advantage of this, the surrounding soldiers fired their guns at the knight automaton to divert its attention from Gahard.
While the knight automaton's attention was on the soldiers, Besta tried to drag Gahard away from the spot, even forcibly. At the sight of his usually composed and trusted retainer's unusual demeanor, Gahard seemed to have had a change of heart, regaining his composure, and without taking his eyes off the knight automaton, he asked for the reason.
"Please retreat."
"...Hey, what did you just say?"
Gahard's gaze involuntarily turned to Besta at the unexpected words. His eyes were so sharp they gave the illusion that they could kill a person just by looking.
"We will buy you time. Please retreat."
"You bastard!? Are you telling me to turn my back on the enemy!?"
For Gahard, turning his back on the enemy was an unbearable humiliation. The emperor's seat was for the strongest in the Empire. Retreating because the enemy was strong was the most shameful act. He would rather die than do such a thing. The man in front of him should understand that well enough.
"Yes, please retreat."
"You bastard, don't playâ"
"It's for the future!!"
"!!"
Gahard, rarely one to raise his voice, was caught off guard by Besta's fierce outburst.
"If you die, the unit will surely collapse! It will all end here! However, if you survive, the Empire can rise again countless times! So, please, at least you retreat! For the victory of humanity!!"
"Ugh, ggg..."
Besta's words ignited a strong internal conflict within Gahard. His pride as a warrior versus his responsibility as an emperor. He was torn between the two emotions.
In his anger, his nails dug into his clenched fist, and red fresh blood trickled down Gahard's hand. He then raised that blood-soaked fist...
"Hmph!!"
Still, he was indeed a king worthy of governing a nation. Besta smiled at the sight of Gahard, who had slapped his own cheek hard to clear his head.
Indeed, in the Empire, power was everything. However, Besta highly valued not only Gahard's strength but also his charisma as a leader. Because of its meritocracy, the Empire's history was filled with those, even emperors, who were targeted by subordinates seeking to overthrow them.
But Gahard was different. His overwhelming charisma was such that even the Empire's rough men felt they could follow him. Unlike previous emperors, he possessed a duality, wielding skill not only in combat but also in politics.
Besta declared that, looking back at the Empire's history, no one surpassed this emperor.
That was why he must not be lost. Even if it meant sacrificing himself, he absolutely must...
âSuch loyalty was easily trampled.
"â!? Your Majesty!!"
"What!?"
Suddenly, Besta pushed Gahard away.
Caught off guard and unable to react, Gahard stumbled backward. The moment he was about to exclaim, "What are you doing!?", a flash of light enveloped the space in front of him.
A delayed roar and screams echoed. A cloud of stirred dust filled Gahard's vision.
"Be-Besta!!"
Managing to brace himself against being blown away, Gahard screamed the name of his loyal subordinate.
As the dust cloud stirred by the impact cleared and his vision widened, he saw it.
In the flat land, a bottomless ravine had appeared. And, as if severed by its cliff, Besta's severed right arm lay spilled.
A gigantic shadow loomed over Gahard, who was dumbfounded and speechless.
The knight automaton, having finished slaughtering the soldiers, swung its blood-stained greatsword down, as if performing a mundane task.
"DAMN YOUUUUU!!"
â------------
Another Part of the Battlefield
" " "GROOOOOOOOAR!!" " "
A roar, as if vibrating the very air, echoed across the battlefield.
Simultaneously, various colored flashes assailed the knight automaton on the ground.
A synchronized breath attack from the Dragonkin. Its power, amplified by Hajime's artifacts, was a tyrannical blow that swallowed all things, reducing everything to ashes.
However, it was easily fended off by the knight, who raised its round shield. Its resistance, taking in various attributes without even a scratch, truly befitted a knight governing divine protection.
The Dragonkin stared down with expressions of terror at the knight automaton, which had taken their proud breath attack and remained perfectly fine.
"No way, right? That creepy chimera actually felt it a bit, but...!"
"Is it really difficult from long range?"
"That's partially true, but getting closer is too dangerous."
Tio's eyes widened at the knight automaton showing no damage from the Dragonkin's synchronized breath attack. adul calmly considered close-quarters combat, but Freid hinted at the dangers of approaching.
"Its only means of attack is that sword slash. Its power is terrifying, but it's not impossible to see through if we stay far away."
"However, Lord Freid. Won't this lead nowhere?"
"I understand that, but... hmm? What is it doing?"
Tio and adul also noticed the knight automaton's strange behavior at Freid's murmur.
The knight automaton, which had not flinched from any attack, was bending its body forward.
"What is it doing?"
"Perhaps, our breath attacks actually worked on it?"
"No... there's no way that's true..."
As Freid pondered how to act in this unforeseen situation, he suddenly felt as if their eyes met through the slit of the knight automaton's helmet, which had just raised its head. At that moment, an alarm blared in Freid's mind.
âWHOOSH!
With a sound like a bird flapping its wings, three pairs of six pure white wings appeared on the knight automaton's back.
" " "!!" " "
At this moment, the sky ceased to be the domain of dragons.
The knight automaton's form vanished, and the next instant, it appeared at one corner of the Dragonkin unit.
"Dodge it!!"
adul's cry reached the ears of the Dragonkin in the unit, but before they could understand the meaning of the words, the heads of three dragons were simultaneously severed.
"You bastard!? How dare you!!"
"Wait, Tio Klarus!?"
Enraged by the sight, Tio, ignoring Freid's attempts to stop her, rushed towards the knight automaton.
This was not an opponent one could defeat by blindly charging in. The logical approach would be to regroup and reform their formation.
However, Freid's reason for trying to stop Tio was entirely different.
"There's more than one!!"
"â!? GAAAH!?"
Another knight automaton, approaching from above Tio, swung its flamberge down at Tio.
Though she wasn't bisected like the dragon before, she plummeted to the ground, trailing blood, her transformation canceled. As if to pursue her, one of the knight automatons followed.
"Damn it! What a pain!"
"Tio!?"
Freid cursed and immediately followed. adul also felt an immediate urge to follow, but as the patriarch, he couldn't abandon his command here.
adul was Tio's grandfather, but also the leader carrying the burden of his clan. He couldn't put the entire clan in danger just to save his granddaughter.
He gritted his teeth so hard he thought they would shatter when he heard the word, "Patriarch."
"Leave this to us! Patriarch, go to the princess immediately!"
"Ristus... You all..."
Led by the indigo dragonâRistusâthe other Dragonkin also nodded vigorously. They were certainly not unaware of the difference in power with the enemy. Yet, not a single one felt hesitation about sending him, a crucial fighting force, away.
"âI'll be back soon. Don't you dare die until then!!"
"You too, Patriarch!!"
Turning his back on his comrades, adul began a rapid descent, landing beside Freid, who was riding Uranos.
"Lord Freid, Tio is counting on you! I'll handle this one!!"
"!! Understood! Don't do anything reckless!!"
"Yeah!!"
The rapidly accelerating Uranos and adul quickly caught up to the knight automaton's back.
"GROOOOAAAR!!"
adul sunk his fangs into its wing, grappling with the knight automaton in mid-air. In that opening, Uranos shot past them, following Tio, who was plummeting headfirst to the ground as her "dragonification" dissipated.
"Kuh!?"
"GRAAAH!!"
Managing to slide his body between Tio and the ground at the very last moment, Uranos landed, scraping the ground as he prevented her from slamming into it.
"Hey, are you alright!?"
"L-Lord Freid? I-I'm sorry, I was caught off guard..."
Tio's back was severely lacerated from shoulder to waist, but she had likely used magic or something to defend her back just before the impact. Otherwise, she might have been bisected.
Freid was relieved by this, but then his shoulders shook at the sudden tremor.
adul was lying about 50 meters away from Freid and Tio. One of his wings had been severed, and blood was gushing from his entire body, as if he had been mangled by a sword mountain.
The knight automaton, which had descended later, stepped on his head.
"Grandpa!?"
"Damn it!?"
Immediately, Freid tried to go for aid, but the moment the knight automaton raised its hand towards them, bands of light bound Freid, Uranos, and Tio to the spot.
"What!? Even a chantless spell!?"
"GRAAAAH!"
Freid was astonished that the knight automaton not only possessed flight ability but also used magic.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!!"
Tio, ignoring her aching body, desperately tried to break free from the restraints, but the bands of light didn't budge.
Then, the knight automaton, as if to show Tio, slowly raised the flamberge it held in a reverse grip.
"...Wait, what are you trying to do...? Stop... Please stop!? Grandpa!? Run! Please run!!"
adul desperately tried to move his body, but the foot pressing down on his skull increased its force with a force that threatened to crush it, making him wonder where it found such strength.
"Regret...!"
"STOP ITTTTTT!!"
Cruelly, mercilessly... the blade swung down, intent on piercing his skull.
============
đ Want Full Access & Bonus Content?
"Loving this story so far? You can read ALL chapters RIGHT NOW by joining my Patreon!
â¨Â Unlock instant access to the full completed novel
â¨Â No waiting for daily updates
⨠Support your favorite degenerate author (that's me!)
Only $5.99 for the full experience!
đ Check my profile for the Link!!
Free readers - don't worry, I'll still be posting daily updates here. But Patreon members get the VIP treatment!
Your support helps me create more wild stories like this. See you on the dark side! đ"