"No..."
Shana looked around. No one was fighting. Comike's team joined them shortly after, looking perfectly calm. Then, Rosalia's voice came through again.
"Are you still in combat? It just dropped to 51."
"No, the battle's over here... Ah. I see. It's him."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing. Mystery solved. We're heading back to the Yggdrasil Fortress. Zero casualties on our end. Another total victory."
"Unbelievable. You're on a legendary winning streak."
"It almost feels too easy, but I guess I shouldn't complain."
"Just take the win and be happy about it!"
"Right."
Shana closed the channel and turned to his comrades. "The ratio is officially 8 to 51."
"Tch. I thought we'd whittle them down more than that," someone grumbled.
"Just bad luck."
"Look, 51 squadrons means maybe 450 players at full capacity," Shana calculated. "But most of those aren't at full strength. They probably have 300 people left, tops."
"Oh, right!"
"A six-to-one disadvantage for the final day, and we're the ones defending? We've already won this."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Shana cautioned. "Stay sharp."
On the drive back to the fortress, Shana sat in the Humvee with Comike.
"You really are something else, Comike-san."
"Haha, I appreciate it, but honestly? It was an easy job compared to what I expected."
"I thought at least a few squads would try to climb over the rubble to escape," Shana said.
"Only one vehicle made it out. I wanted to chase them, but I had to hold the line for the rest of the team."
"It's fine. Tomorrow should be a relatively quiet fight. Today was the real climax for your group, wasn't it?"
"Yeah. It was short, but I had a blast. I hope we run into each other again somewhere."
Shana gave a dry smirk. "Actually, I have a feeling we might see each other at Comiket."
"Oh? You're into that scene, Shana?"
"Not exactly. But an acquaintance of mine is active in that world. To be honest, it's a genre I'd prefer to stay far away from."
"Wait... you don't mean..."
"The circle name is... 'The Princess of the Corrupted Sea,' I think."
Comike froze. Shana assumed it was because he recognized the "Fujoshi" nature of the name, but Comike's shock was more personal.
"Th-that... that's the name of the circle my ex-wife just joined..."
"...Seriously?"
"Y-yeah. There's no mistaking a name like that. It's definitely her."
"The world is a very small place," Shana sighed.
"Tell me about it... I guess this meeting was fate."
They looked at each other and shared a laugh.
"Well then, I'll look forward to seeing you there."
"Should we decide on a code word?" Comike asked.
"How about this? I'll bring a can of that canned coffee that only people from Chiba actually drink."
"The MAX coffee? Perfect. I'll do the same."
"I'm looking forward to it."
The two laughed like old friends. Nyangoro, Sinon, and Tommy watched them with varying degrees of exasperation.
"What kind of conversation is this?" Nyangoro muttered. "Though I suppose you two would get along in real life."
"Quiet, Senpai. Since it's come to this, I'm dragging you to the summer convention with me."
"N-no! Stay away! I'm terrible with that sort of thing!"
"Is it because they made you learn all those 'degenerate' terms the other day?"
"'Corrupted'... you mean the fujoshi stuff?" Sinon asked. "Shizuka, you're going too."
"Hey! I have absolutely no interest in that stuff!" Sinon protested.
"Too late. We're going with the flow now."
"Captain, please have some self-restraint!" Tommy pleaded.
Because of this exchange, Shana and Comike would indeed reunite six months later at the Summer Comiket. And, naturally, several others were dragged along for the ride.
Elsewhere, Musketeer X had used her own sources to track the Heike Army's movements. She had been certain they would try to flee.
"For Shana-sama's sake... I'll take the head of their commander."
She waited patiently. Because so many players had fled at once, she hadn't found a clean opening. But as the crowd thinned, she saw a lone flag-bearer running.
"An opportunity. I can erase one more squadron."
She accelerated on her Airy Board and executed the player with clinical efficiency.
"A shame it wasn't a bigger target, but I'll settle for this... wait. Who's that?"
She spotted another flag-bearer walking—not running—further back.
"Is that... Shishi-oh Richie?"
Richie was slow because he was carrying the Vickers Heavy Machine Gun. To make running easier, he had holstered his primary weapons, leaving him effectively defenseless. It was a fatal mistake.
"The best things come to those who wait," Musketeer X whispered.
She raised her gun and kicked the Airy Board into high gear. Thanks to her relentless practice, she could now maneuver the hoverboard with surgical precision while maintaining perfect aim.
"Wh-what is that? Musketeer X?! She's with the Genji?!"
Richie saw her approaching from a distance. He saw the flag over her head and frantically tried to deploy his Vickers, but her speed was beyond his comprehension.
"Wait—so... fast..."
As she swept past him, she placed a single bullet perfectly through his heart.
"D-dammit... what is that vehicle...? Why are you... on Shana's side...?" Richie wheezed, clutching his chest as she looped back toward him.
"This is the wing given to me by Ikoma-sama," she said coldly. "And Shana-sama is my God."
"You've fallen for him too...? Dammit... first Misaki-san, now you... why him...?"
"Misaki? Is that your reason for fighting?"
"Yeah, so what? You got a problem with that?"
"Believe what you like," she replied. "As for 'falling' for him... everything I am belongs to Shana-sama for all eternity. The only question is when he will finally acknowledge me."
"You haven't even met him and you're like this...? Women are terrifying..."
With those final words, Shishi-oh Richie dissolved into light.
On this day, the Heike Army lost two of the three commanders who were considered their backbone. Only XeXeeD remained.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 70 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
Here's the link:
[patreon.com/Greyhounds]
Thank you so much for your support!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"