"That damned old monster, will it actually die if it stops causing trouble for once!?"
Standing atop the Ig-Alima, Shirou pulled the communicator away from his ear and only brought it back after the person on the other end had finished venting.
After learning that the Black Snake seemed to be alive yet again, Talulah had unleashed a string of curses at it.
She was not the only one.
Amiya and the others below had reacted much the same way. Blaze had gone so far as to remove her communicator entirely and was currently sitting below with Rosmontis, tending a campfire while remaining on standby.
Only Nearl kept her communicator on throughout the entire exchange, appearing completely unaffected while continuing her patrols around the area.
Shirou could not help but admire her for that.
Besides them, the members of their respective squads were also waiting below.
What had been a relatively open area had suddenly become rather crowded.
"Anyway, stay alert on your end as well. About one-third of them are still over there reorganizing their equipment. I cannot tell whether they intend to continue advancing."
Seizing an opening in the conversation, Shirou quickly reported the situation he had observed.
Originally, he had only wanted to warn everyone that the Black Snake might still be alive and ask Talulah for some insight.
Instead, the entire discussion had somehow turned into a cultural exchange of Ursus profanity.
Earlier, Shirou had managed to convey a few important points, but during the "learning exchange," the enemy had made new movements.
"One-third, huh...? Then Big Bob, Mudrock Squad, and I will handle them. With numbers like that, we should be able to manage."
Upon hearing the report, Talulah immediately shifted into a serious mode and volunteered to deal with the remaining enemy forces.
Moments ago, she had been venting her frustrations because most of the pressing matters had already been resolved.
Now that there was work to be done again, she naturally returned to business.
As for the contrast in behavior...
Shirou could only attribute it to the immense pressure she had been carrying all this time.
"Then I will leave it to you. Shirou, continue observing from your position. Intervene when necessary, but conserve as much strength as possible for whatever comes later."
Doctor only had a rough understanding of Reunion's overall combat capabilities.
She was not particularly familiar with Big Bob or the Mudrock Squad, but Talulah's strength alone should have been more than sufficient to handle the task.
Among the remaining third of the enemy forces, there were undoubtedly wounded soldiers.
Combined with the constant pressure of potentially being sniped at any moment, they would never be able to fight at full effectiveness.
That was why Doctor felt comfortable assigning the matter to Talulah's group and allowing Shirou and the others to preserve their stamina.
The appetizers were over.
The main course was about to begin.
"Understood. By the way, what are Texas and the others doing?"
Shirou did not have much to say regarding the battle arrangements.
Large-scale tactical planning was best left to people who actually specialized in it.
At the moment, he was more curious about the whereabouts of the four members of Penguin Logistics.
He had glanced downward several times earlier and had not seen any sign of them.
Perhaps Doctor had assigned them other tasks around the camp.
She had likely realized that their preferred combat styles were not particularly suited to the current battlefield.
Still, he felt obligated to ask.
Otherwise, they would probably complain afterward that he never cared about how they were doing.
The frustration of looking after a group of children...
It was surprisingly exhausting.
Especially when those "children" were all older than he was.
What a headache.
"They are delivering supplies. I heard Texas is an excellent driver, so I asked them to pick people up. Once the other elite operators arrive, the burden on all of you should become a little lighter."
Doctor briefly explained their assignment while also taking the opportunity to offer some encouragement.
Whether it actually helped or not was beside the point.
At the very least, hearing some good news might keep everyone from becoming overly tense.
"Got it."
Everything matched Shirou's expectations.
After receiving confirmation from Doctor, he felt reassured.
As for the reinforcements, he did not place too much importance on them.
Compared to Ursus, Rhodes Island simply could not field that many personnel.
Once the conversation ended, Shirou watched Talulah leading her people toward the enemy's position.
Only then did he finally gain a moment to breathe.
A brief period where he could completely relax.
Short as it was, it was still better than nothing, his mind needed a chance to clear itself.
Standing atop the hilt of the Ig-Alima, Shirou looked down at the activity below.
Blaze, who had been sitting around the campfire moments ago, had already been dragged away by Amiya and was now organizing her equipment.
Surprisingly, she looked quite professional while doing it.
The fact that she carried a portable defibrillator with her at all times was something Shirou genuinely admired.
If only she would stop getting drunk and causing trouble.
As for her usual lack of seriousness...
Shirou had long since gotten used to it.
In fact, if he encountered someone who was always completely serious nowadays, he would probably feel uncomfortable instead.
Habits were a frightening thing.
Shifting his gaze again, he spotted Rosmontis.
After escaping Blaze's clutches, she had settled down beside the campfire with her tactical equipment.
The reason Shirou noticed her was not just because of her conspicuous white hair.
It was because she had been staring in his direction the entire time.
To be more precise, Shirou had the distinct feeling that she was not looking at him at all.
She was looking at the Ig-Alima.
Who would have thought that Rosmontis liked this type of Noble Phantasm?
Shifting his gaze, Shirou could see Scout's squad already lying in ambush around the area.
As for Scout himself... Shirou could not spot him. In a forest environment like this, combined with Scout's exceptionally strong stealth-type Originium Arts, finding him would only be possible if Shirou deliberately searched for him or if Scout kept his eyes fixed on him for an extended period.
The reason Shirou had been able to notice him back in Lungmen was because the environment there was not well suited for concealment, and Scout had been aiming at him through a sniper scope.
Right now, Shirou was still in the phase of emptying his mind, so he did not pay much attention to where Scout was.
"Let me take a look at the state of the battlefield..."
Straightening up, Shirou shifted his attention back toward the distance.
The massive force had already been reduced to roughly one-third of its original size, and among them were many who had already lost their ability to fight.
At this point, merely clashing with the two squads led by Talulah was already proving difficult for them.
Part of that was due to Talulah's own overwhelming strength. Even from this distance, the flames created by her Originium Arts were bright enough to illuminate this area.
The glare of the fire made Shirou's eyes uncomfortable, forcing him to focus on other people instead.
If he remembered correctly, the two commanders accompanying Talulah were Big Bob and Mudrock.
He did not have much impression of the former, but the latter's Originium Arts, which allowed her to shape stone statues with her bare hands, had left a deep impression on him.
There was one thing he really wanted to complain about, though.
Both of them wore heavy armor, and every attack they launched practically erased people from existence.
Not only were their personal fighting styles like that, but the members of their respective squads were much the same.
It could only be said that, Talulah included, this entire force was operating with the objective of completely annihilating the enemy.
"Each one hits harder than the last!"
Muttering his complaint to himself, Shirou projected the most basic arrow and fired it.
The arrow sank into the head of a caster who had been preparing a spell. With its controller suddenly dead, the half-completed spell spiraled out of control and exploded on the spot.
The massive explosion caught nearby casters in the blast, triggering a chain reaction of Originium Arts detonations.
Although it could not compare to the visual spectacle of Shirou's earlier Broken Phantasm, it was far more tormenting on a psychological level.
After all, nobody knew whether an arrow might suddenly travel several kilometers in the next moment and arrive directly at their forehead.
For the enemy, it was torture.
For allies, it was a calming reassurance.
Those who were not from the Ursus might not understand, but the members of Reunion certainly did.
Having someone in the rear providing precise long-range support while they focused entirely on the enemies in front of them felt incredible.
The Reunion fighters became increasingly ferocious. Their weapons moved faster, their spellcasting accelerated, and even the flames in Talulah's hands seemed to burn brighter.
Watching this, Shirou was left full of confusion, completely unable to understand why these people had suddenly become so brave.
After some thought, he abandoned the idea of continuing to shoot.
The battlefield's formations had become too chaotic, and he was worried about accidentally hitting his own side and the Reunion fighters were charging forward with increasing ferocity. Shirou feared that one slip of the hand might result in friendly fire.
Reunion's material conditions were poor. Unlike Rhodes Island, they did not have standardized operator jackets, making it somewhat difficult for outsiders to distinguish friend from foe.
"Scout, have you found anything around us?"
After dealing with the problems on the front line, Shirou did not remain idle. He immediately used the communicator to ask Scout about the surrounding situation.
He was not worried about disturbing him. If conditions did not permit a response, Scout simply would not answer.
"We have found some traces, but they are hiding very well."
Several seconds later, Scout's voice came through the communicator.
His voice was quieter than usual, but that was not a problem for Shirou.
"Hm... understood. I will try a little harder on my side."
Hearing that, Shirou knew those people were still lurking nearby, waiting for him to reveal an opening.
And by "trying harder," he meant trying harder to expose a weakness and lure them out.
So far, the bait plan he and Doctor had devised was proceeding quite smoothly. The only thing that worried him was that earlier gaze, the one that seemed to belong to the Black Snake. He wondered whether it might lead to some unforeseen complication.
Thinking of the Black Snake, Shirou unconsciously rested a hand on Chixiao.
If he encountered that thing again, he would send it on its way once more with Chixiao.
Then, after returning to Lungmen, he could tell Wei Yenwu that he had used Chixiao to kill the Black Snake twice.
Happiness was something meant to be shared. Joy shared by many was better than joy enjoyed alone.
At first, he had not understood why Wei Yenwu hated the Black Snake so intensely.
Now, however, he was beginning to understand.
First came doubt.
Then came understanding.
These thoughts did not linger in Shirou's mind for long. The moment he took his hand away from Chixiao, they faded away.
Compared to the Black Snake, whose status was unknown, the Emperor Blades were the greater threat.
Even after the remaining Legion forces had been beaten back step by step by Talulah and the others, Shirou could still feel those gazes upon him.
There were not many of them, but each gaze was like a blade pointed directly at him, making him distinctly uncomfortable.
As Shirou pretended to grow weaker from excessive exhaustion, deliberately taking longer and longer to project each arrow, he could feel those blades drawing ever closer.
"..."
To say that he was not nervous would have been a lie.
A single mistake could easily reduce all of their previous efforts to nothing and cost many people their lives.
It was precisely because Doctor and everyone else trusted him that they were willing to carry out this plan.
Strictly speaking, most of the operators below were there to protect Amiya.
And most Rhodes Island operators would never allow Amiya to approach the battlefield alone. As for Alina, that was even less possible, considering she lacked the ability to protect herself.
As a result, most of the operators in the camp with any meaningful combat ability had gathered here.
Besides protecting Amiya, their presence also helped create the impression that Shirou was the central pillar of this battle and was being heavily guarded.
After all, if he had been standing there alone, the enemy would almost certainly have suspected a trap and split up their forces.
But once the area became crowded with people, the situation appeared much more convincing.
They had arranged things this way because Doctor understood that those people had tremendous confidence in their own abilities.
They knew how powerful Shirou was, so they would naturally unite to eliminate him.
As for everyone else, in their eyes, they were hardly worth mentioning.
Basically, aside from Talulah and Patriot, nearly everyone in the camp was insignificant from their perspective.
Simply put, the Rhodes Island operators were not there to make the Emperor Blades hesitate.
They were there to serve as convincing evidence that Shirou's condition had genuinely deteriorated.
"Shirou, pay attention. There is movement—"
After quite some time, the fish seemed unable to resist any longer and were finally preparing to bite.
Having detected the disturbance, Scout issued a warning.
"—Targets: Ursus Emperor Blades. Enemy count, one... two... three... four..."
As he continued counting, something in Scout's voice began to sound wrong.
From Scout's own vantage point, he had only spotted a single Emperor Blade.
However, after his teammates began reporting what they were seeing, he quickly realized just how bad the situation was.
At least five Emperor Blades were now rushing toward Shirou's position.