Upon hearing Flandre Scarlet's words, Remilia couldn't help but feel a massive headache coming on. Although her little sister was no longer lost to her former insanity, her behavioral logic remained completely self-centered, and her way of viewing the world was utterly alien compared to a normal person's. How could such a worldview possibly put Remilia's mind at ease?
However, before she could even open her mouth to continue the lecture, the convoy on the other side was already preparing to set off again. She could only take Flandre by the hand and lead her toward the vehicles. Once inside, she began lecturing her sister again, but Flandre just blinked her eyes, looking utterly clueless. She was like a student sitting in the back row of a classroom—information went in one ear and out the other, leaving absolutely nothing behind. Remilia felt completely helpless against this stubborn innocence.
Since they needed to prepare for the battle that night, the convoy stopped at a very suitable location before five in the afternoon. They immediately began setting up their defensive line. The soldiers placed the least valuable vehicles at the very back as a buffer, laid tripwires in the grass ahead, and quickly dug a trench—half a meter deep and one meter wide—behind the perimeter.
All of this was done in secret. Thanks to the approaching darkness and the fact that they had chosen high ground, the pursuers catching up would be forced to hide in the shadows. They would be unable to conduct any further reconnaissance on the convoy's specific setup. To the mercenaries, this was just an ordinary transport convoy. With their numbers matching the guards and the element of surprise on their side, they didn't believe for a second that the other side could win.
The time reached eleven o'clock. Remilia and her group simultaneously turned their gazes toward the rear of the camp. Seeing their synchronized action, the soldiers instantly tightened their grips on their weapons, their knuckles turning white.
Eirin Yagokoro waved her hand casually. "No need to rush. Although they've arrived, they probably won't make a move so quickly."
The sheer commanding presence Eirin exuded—no less imposing than Old Zhang himself—immediately acted as a sedative, calming the soldiers' nerves. Flandre, standing to the side, peered into the darkness, then looked back at her own group. She counted on her fingers for a long while before saying with a deeply troubled expression, "What should we do!"
Hearing those words, Zhang Wei and Dropper felt a cold sweat run down their backs. They both knew of Flandre's terrifying strength. If even she—with her sister and friends of unknown power—found the situation "troublesome," were the opponents this time truly that difficult?
"Miss Flandre, what's the problem? If it's really too much, we should retreat! I'll lead the men to cover your escape," Zhang Wei said firmly, his hand white-knuckled on his longsword.
"Huh? Why run?" Flandre asked, looking genuinely puzzled.
"Isn't it because the enemy is too powerful and you think we can't win? Isn't that why you're troubled?" Zhang Wei asked, confused.
"How could that be? The trouble I mentioned is that there are too few people on the other side; we don't have enough to go around!" Flandre explained with a conflicted expression.
The camp fell into a brief, stunned silence.
"If you don't have enough, Flandre, I can give you my share," Dropper offered. Through his time with her, he had come to understand exactly what kind of "person" she really was.
"Really?!" Sure enough, Flandre's eyes lit up instantly. The others caught on and also offered to give up their share of the "kills." Suddenly, Flandre had a whole pile of targets to herself.
She looked at her sister and the others. Patchouli sighed, "I'm not really interested in fighting, so I won't be joining." Yukari Yakumo and Eirin Yagokoro also waved their hands dismissively. "We've already collected our materials. The rest is up to you!"
The "materials" they referred to were likely the few unlucky stragglers from the enemy group who were currently imprisoned within a Gap. To be honest, those men probably would have preferred to be killed outright by Flandre than to be trapped in a Gap as tools for Eirin's research. Given Eirin's personality, she wouldn't let them die, but the thought of being kept alive indefinitely for study was a far more terrifying fate.
As for Remilia, she wasn't particularly interested, but since her little sister wanted to "play," she decided to join in. Sakuya Izayoi, as a maid, naturally wouldn't stand by while her mistresses went into action. And Ibuki Suika was already itching for a brawl; she charged to the front lines alongside Flandre.
Just as the group finished dividing the "kills," the enemy began their slow, stealthy approach.
"Planning to launch an attack already, just after arriving? Such impatient youngsters," Eirin Yagokoro said calmly, picking up her black tea and taking a slow sip.
Before the soldiers could even process her words, Flandre, unable to hold back any longer, suddenly charged out. Remilia tried to grab her, but her reaction was a beat too slow. She quickly gave chase. Next was Ibuki Suika, who leaped out the very second after Flandre moved. She didn't plan to use Magic this time, relying instead on her fists, feet, and the three heavy iron chains wrapped around her body.
"Waa-la-la-la-la~~!" Suika shouted, swinging her chains like whips as she crashed into the unprepared crowd. The impact was devastating. Flandre was not to be outdone. With one hand executing Soul-Scattering Iron Claws and the other Flying Blade Blood Claw simultaneously, she fused them into a Frenzied Chaos Claw, swiping through the enemies ahead like a hot knife through butter.
Behind them, seeing she couldn't catch her sister, Remilia stopped. Crimson light manifested in her hands, transforming into a long spear. She positioned herself as a spear-thrower, hurling Gungnir out and calling it back repeatedly, clearing a path for her sister—though Flandre clearly didn't need the help. Sakuya Izayoi stood perfectly still as a guardian for Remilia, her loyalty demanding she prevent even the slightest danger from reaching the Young Mistress.
The enemy mercenaries were in a state of total shock. They had planned to ambush a defenseless convoy, but before they could even enter combat readiness, they were hit by a surprise attack of unimaginable power. In an instant, dozens of their elites were dead.
The Lord of Wolumonde, leading the group, saw a tenth of his force vanish in seconds. His mouth twitched in rage. His Originium Casting Unit glowed faintly, and he fired a dark red Magic beam toward Remilia, the only ranged threat he could see.
The next second, several silver knives intercepted the spell. Though the knives melted under the heat, the spell was nullified. The Lord was shocked—his spell was covert and lethal, yet it had been perfectly blocked. He looked up, his gaze locking onto the maid standing beside the vampire. Sakuya was looking at him with a mocking expression, holding more knives in her hand.
"Damn it!" the Lord roared, his unit glowing again as he fired multiple crimson beams at Remilia and Sakuya.
Remilia's lips curled into a dangerous smile. "Interesting. Instead of running, you dare to attack me!" She swung Gungnir, deflecting the beams with ease, and assumed a throwing stance. "It's only polite to return the favor. Take this spear!"
The crimson spear traversed space and time, pinning the Lord to the ground. Remilia had avoided his vitals; he wasn't dead yet. Flandre, noticing the struggle, flew over instantly. "How dare you attack my sister! Unforgivable! Die!"
Her eyes flashed red. She reached out and made a grasping motion. The Lord and the men around him who were trying to rescue him began to twist and distort. Before they could even scream, they were crushed and fused together into a single, horrifying ball of flesh.
With their leader dead, the remaining subordinates turned red with rage, shouting about avenging their Lord as they charged forward. Remilia looked at the blood-soaked Flandre, who looked like a demon. "Stop playing around, Flandre. Kill them!"
"As you command, sister!"
Flandre appeared high above the crowd, unleashing her unique Danmaku. A massive wave of energy Submerged the entire battlefield.
"Holy shit, Flandre, can't you aim properly?!" Ibuki Suika, who was in the middle of the carnage swinging her chains, had to fly up and retreat frantically to avoid being caught in the range.
Once safe, Suika looked at Remilia as if to say her sister had no respect for the rules. Who opens a Danmaku game with their ultimate move? It should go from simple to complex!
Remilia simply replied that this wasn't Gensokyo, and the rules of Danmaku didn't apply to the outside world. She pointed out that Suika herself had just killed dozens of people without using Danmaku once. Suika huffed, "You're just making excuses for her!"
On the ground, as the ultimate move descended, the surviving soldiers looked up at the sky in absolute despair. They wanted to beg for mercy, but they knew Flandre Scarlet was not in the habit of granting it.