Think of something, think of something! Why is it always me who has to come up with the plan?! Don't tell me I'm some unofficial member of your Cunning Hares!
Eous rubbed her head hard, thinking and thinking, yet still couldn't figure out what to do.
"I have a proposal, Master Proxy."
Just as Eous was sinking into despair, a voice suddenly shone into her heart like holy light.
She looked up at Lycaon's tall, straight back. He lowered his head slightly, checking his pocket watch, and in Eous's eyes, he seemed to glow with golden radiance.
"Lycaon..." she murmured.
But Lycaon appeared lost in his own thoughts. Touching his chin, he said:
"Since your friend said the airship's autopilot was hacked, we can manually steer it back onto its normal route. The only obstacle then is getting to the airship..."
"Wait!"
Eous jolted in shock, slapping her cheeks with her little stubby hands. The crisp sting and sharp pain left no doubt—this was real.
"Lycaon!" Eous exclaimed. "You mean... you can pilot an airship?"
"Nothing worth being surprised about," Lycaon replied calmly. "It's merely basic knowledge any domestic worker should have."
Is... that true?
Eous tilted her head, a giant question mark flashing across her display screen.
But before she could say more, Rina cut in.
"Alright, you two. We don't have time for chatter. The airship's already boosting its speed as it approaches the Hollow!"
Corin tightened her grip on her chainsaw, trembling.
"B-but how are we supposed to break through the rebels' defenses so fast? And if they hurt Miss Rain— Ah!!!"
BOOM!
Just as Corin spoke, a deafening sound tore through the air.
When the dust settled and everyone turned toward it, they saw the wall had been kicked open into a massive hole, the bright moon hanging high beyond it.
Phaga stood at the opening, wings slowly spreading as if ready to unfurl at any second. He turned back. The night breeze lifted the hair on his forehead, moonlight glinting coldly off his monocle.
"Perhaps... we can try a different angle. Manager, do you have any carrots from around the Ballet Tower?"
...
"Useless! Useless! A whole bunch of worthless trash!"
After waiting more than ten minutes, the rebel battalion commander still hadn't heard back from the squad captain or his deputy. And it wasn't just them—their men hadn't returned either. Based on past experience, that usually meant they'd been wiped out.
"Fine. Everyone, listen up!"
The commander slapped the table and stood, giving his orders.
They might be rebels, but basic discipline still existed. Within five seconds, everyone tossed aside their playing cards and walkmans, scrambling to their feet. Their posture was sloppy—most craned their necks, trying to see what nonsense the commander was about to pull.
Some discipline—but not much. Still, it was enough. They were rebels, after all, just trying to scrape together a living. They had no energy to deal with the nitpicky standards of a real army.
The commander didn't bother scolding them.
"All of you, guard every checkpoint. Don't let those housekeepers get up here!"
He turned to leave.
But one of the squad leaders couldn't suppress his curiosity.
"Commander, where are you going?"
"To deal with the woman who dragged trouble here. She's useless now."
Leaving those words behind, the commander marched off.
The squad leader flipped him a friendly gesture from his hometown's Outer Ring and grumbled to himself—this idiot was shirking responsibility again, dumping all the work back on him. Damn it. If we win, the commander takes the credit. If we lose, I take the blame. Fantastic.
But what could he do? Life went on.
He looked over the rebels, scanning for some promising young recruit to dump responsibility onto.
"Uh... you there. You look like you have potential. I'll give you a path upward. I have an important task to assign—"
"Report!!! Bad news! Really bad!!"
The squad leader's eyes darted around as he searched for someone easy to throw the burden onto. But before he could point, a soldier came running in, his panicked, high-pitched voice grabbing the entire room's attention.
He stumbled forward, hands on his knees, gasping for breath as he pointed outside.
"They... they... they broke in!"
"What?!"
The squad leader shouted in shock, then quickly recovered.
"Everyone! Grab your weapons! Move!"
A sharp shriek split the air. Everyone snapped awake and rushed to get their gear. No one even considered defending the lower floors—they prepared to hold the line right here.
Bang!
The main doors were kicked open, and a Shark Girl strode in with swagger.
"Fire!"
The squad leader screamed the order.
A hundred guns erupted at once. In moments, hundreds of bullets rained down like a storm, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder.
"Tsk."
Ellen only let out a disdainful scoff. Her steps fluttered like lotus petals—her speed so fast she left only fading afterimages as she slipped to the side.
Clang! Clang! Clang...
Her giant scissors spun like a shield, creating a seamless wall that blocked every bullet.
"Bring up the rockets!"
Seeing Ellen's overwhelming strength, the squad leader's heart pounded. If this continued, she'd reach them in seconds. No more hesitation—rockets now!
Ten rebels pushed forward with rocket launchers, kneeling in formation.
Aim. Fire!
BOOM!
Ten rockets shot out one after another, aimed along Ellen's predicted path.
A jolt of danger shot through Ellen. She saw a rocket descending toward her, abruptly stopped, and swung her blade in a single sweeping strike.
Vmmm!
A cold, slicing arc flashed like a waterfall.
Three rockets were cut clean in half mid-air, exploding behind her.
Flames lit up her proud face through the rising smoke. She stared ahead indifferently, as if unfazed by the rebels' counterattack.
No... that can't be right!
The squad leader swallowed hard. Ten rockets—three destroyed, seven still coming. How could she possibly stay so calm?
He got his answer immediately.
Crack—BOOM!
The windows on both sides shattered. A ghost in a long dress and a vampire with dark crimson wings burst through.
The ghost intercepted the remaining seven rockets, lightning swirling in her hands. The rockets lost their trajectory and exploded everywhere.
The vampire was even more violent—charging straight through the storm of bullets, killing one rebel with brute force alone.
Then, for some reason, hundreds of droplets of blood floated into the air. Suddenly, they shot off in all directions, each finding its destined target.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Silence fell.
Click.
Phaga snapped his fingers and turned toward Lycaon and Corin, who had just arrived and hadn't even lifted a hand yet. He gave a light, satisfied laugh:
"Settled!"