Chapter 100

Kaita, while dodging and sniping with calculated precision, was in stark contrast to Shōko, who could barely manage to move around recklessly.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Shōko opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

(Grunt!)

The shock of landing shook her body each time.

The G-force pressed down on her with each leap.

Her machine's balance was thrown off with each attack.

Her spine froze each time the monster's counterattack grazed her.

(He's doing this kind of thing!)

Kaita, in addition to performing calculated sniping and dodging, had the luxury to do so, but Shōko had no such leeway. She could barely manage to move around recklessly.

Indeed, her unpredictable movements caused the monster's counterattacks to falter, which was not entirely bad. However, the act of attacking and leaping recklessly was taking a significant toll on Shōko's mental state.

(How much time has passed? Where are the reinforcements!?)

About nine minutes after the instructional battalion, led by Shizuka who had become like a hunting dog, had exterminated over a thousand monsters and manipulated twice as many, Shōko began to feel something amiss with the legs of the prototype No. 3 she was riding. Finally, they arrived.

"You've held on well!"

"Leave the rest to us!"

"They're here!"

The reinforcements Shizuka had been waiting for were not long-range shooters but rather the agile Yashiro Type and nearly a hundred close support troops riding them. The close support troops were equipped with the top-of-the-line heavy exoskeletons, the Kuroten, manufactured by Saikō Heavy Industries.

Each Kuroten could mount 12.7mm heavy machine guns on both arms and side arms—Saikō Heavy Industries had wanted to equip them with rapid-fire heavy machine guns and two anti-material rifles, but the recoil of the anti-material rifles was too strong for anyone but a few special individuals to handle, so they could only equip two.

Thus, the first wave of reinforcements consisted of a hundred individuals, each capable of firing four heavy machine guns.

In a sense, this was a unit that embodied Saikō Heavy Industries' concept of "overwhelming firepower," and the heavy machine gun units, capable of damaging even medium-sized monsters, had proven highly effective in defensive battles.

The monsters, now being raked by machine gun fire from behind, were in no position to endure.

"Fire, fire, fire, fire, fire!!"

"Roar...!!"

"Crack... Ahh!"

The medium-sized monsters, which should have served as shields, were mostly eliminated by the bombardment, and those that survived were injured, making them easy targets. The small monsters were turned into even worse meat chunks before they could even approach.

"Here! Don't think about what comes next! Give it all you've got!"

"Understood!!"

Of course, the instructional battalion was careful not to involve the reinforcements in their bombardment and shooting.

The monsters were being reduced by tens per second.

Ultimately, the monsters that formed the kill zone's center were completely annihilated about twenty minutes after Shizuka and her team began the battle, and about ten minutes after the reinforcements arrived.

---

"Colonel, thank you for the reinforcements."

"Of course. After all, this is the Fourth Division's battlefield. We should be the ones to thank you for fighting so hard despite not needing to."

"Your words are appreciated."

(Though I told them not to think about what comes next, I can't afford to do that.)

"...But the battle is not over yet."

While exchanging words with Aya Seya, the regimental commander of the close support troops, Shizuka pondered the next move.

It had been nearly thirty minutes since the battle began and the reinforcements joined, but the enemy reinforcements had not yet arrived. This meant Kaita was still fighting.

They needed to resupply as quickly as possible and advance further north, which required the cooperation of the troops led by Seya and the mech pilots still gathering.

If Seya were to say, "We can't move any further," it would mean that Shizuka and her team's efforts to save Kaita would be in vain.

However, the battle against the demons was a matter of life and death.

From the Fourth Division's perspective, the most secure and casualty-free choice would be to prepare fully and engage the enemy.

As a commander, that would be the correct decision. Knowing this, Shizuka observed Seya's reaction with some tension, but her tension turned out to be unfounded.

"Yes. I've heard the situation. We will resupply immediately and head to the battlefield where Major Kawakami is fighting!"

Seya nodded in agreement without hesitation, saying, "No need to ask!"

Of course, this was not a personal decision but a collective one made by the Fourth Division.

As Seya had mentioned, this was their battlefield.

This time, it was a coincidence that the First Division was inspecting, and the instructional battalion, carrying the rumored new weapon, happened to be accompanying them. The Vietnamese army, emboldened by the successful Grifon extermination, had expanded the front lines—though the Vietnamese army's actions were influenced by the Chinese Federation's machinations, the command recognized that the expansion was merely accelerated.

Still, this was their battlefield.

Other divisions, especially children, were fighting in their territory, and thanks to them, the Fourth Division had achieved victory.

The Fourth Division was not so corrupt as to abandon a young boy still fighting in such a situation.

Moreover, there were practical reasons.

If the demons were left unchecked, the Fourth Division would be at great risk.

Currently, Kaita was the only one in the National Defense Army with combat experience against the demons.

If Kaita were to be toyed with and killed by three demons, the National Defense Army would be at a disadvantage in future battles against the demons.

Therefore, the National Defense Army could not afford to lose Kaita, who had combat experience and was currently holding off three demons—least of all, they needed to recover his combat records.

If Kaita were to die here, the Fourth Division would be labeled as having won by using a hero as bait, which would undermine their victory over the large number of monsters. This would be a significant problem for the Fourth Division.

Given these circumstances, the Fourth Division was in a position where they had to support Kaita.

Thus, Seya felt relieved that Shizuka had asked for their help, and Shizuka was grateful for their quick agreement.

However, they had forgotten—or rather, unconsciously tried not to think about—how much time had already passed and how much more time it would take to resupply and move.

During this time, there was a possibility that Kaita could be defeated.

However, reality is often cruel and unpredictable.

"Huh?"

As Shizuka was about to inform the girls that they were heading to Major's aid, a loud boom echoed in her ears.

The sound came from the north, the direction where Kaita was still fighting the demons.

(Could it be...?)

Suppressing her anxiety, Shizuka looked in that direction and saw a mushroom cloud rising from the place they were about to head to.

If that was the result of a demon's attack, the likelihood of Kaita, who was at the impact point, being unharmed was extremely low.

But if it was the result of Kaita's attack, would that be any better? Of course not.

(Mikage doesn't have the armament to produce something like that... no, there is one!)

The armament Shizuka thought of was the self-destruct mechanism.

By detonating all the ammunition carried by the 50-ton machine, it was not impossible to produce an explosion of that scale.

However, if that was used, it meant...

"Major is... dead?"

"What!?"

"...No way."

"Such a thing..."

"Can't be true."

The girls, who had finally reached the same conclusion as Shizuka, stared in shock at the mushroom cloud that was still growing.

Thank you for reading.