The Landliona's armor had been crumpled due to the full-speed ramming attack it performed to prevent a suicide bombing by a Gan Lu piloted by a Refrain addict. The final battle against the Japanese Liberation Front, the Battle of Narita Mountains, was just around the corner, and I couldn't use it as it was… or so I thought, until Lloyd contacted me, offering to repair it.
To hear him out, I was currently at the university adjacent to Ashford Academy, where the Special Dispatch Corps was temporarily based.
"Is the repair even possible?"
"Of course! Besides, it would be a waste to let such an interesting unit simply rust away."
Lloyd, in his usual lab coat, looked genuinely delighted. Beside him, even Cécile, usually Lloyd's handler, seemed curiously interested.
"How long will it take?"
"Let's see. Even if I rush, it'll probably be after Narita."
"So, I won't be able to use it at Narita, then."
"Too baaad for you! No matter how much of a genius I am, there are things I can and cannot do."
Well then, what should I do about the Battle of Narita Mountains? In the original story, Suzaku arrived in time to save Cornelia from her predicament, but after several interventions, there was a chance that might change. On the other hand, I didn't have any ground combat units with greater mobility than the Landliona. So, should I finally bring out a unit equipped with a Tesla Drive? No, considering the time until the Kyuushuu campaign, a flying unit might be too premature.
It's no use brooding over it. I'll just have to go with the flow. If Lancelot deploys, I'll leave it to them. If not, since it's also a Lancelot-type unit, I'll use something like a Guren. But in that case, I'll have to make sure Cornelia doesn't question me about the unit.
"So, can I leave the unit's repair to you?"
"Yes, please do. It's okay if it's not ready for Narita, but please ensure the repairs are done properly."
"Congratula-tions! You can leave it to me!"
"…Just don't make any strange modifications."
I made sure to emphasize that. After all, the Lloyd and Cécile duo had a track record of hobbyist modifications, transforming the Guren Mk-II into the Guren Seiten Eight Elements. If the Landliona Seiten Eight Elements came out, it wouldn't be a joke.
"Ehh…"
"Shall I just cancel it after all?"
"Mr. Lloyd! I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Axel. I'll keep a close eye on him!"
Cécile forced Lloyd's head down and tried to smooth things over.
Even though she was Lloyd's caretaker, she was still an engineer. She was undoubtedly very interested in the Landliona.
Come to think of it, the Guren Seiten Eight Elements' Energy Wing was developed by Cécile, so there's no doubt she's a highly capable engineer.
"Alright, then I'll leave it to you. Please don't forget that this unit is a test model. And seriously, don't forget that if you make any strange modifications, Cornelia will be the one complaining."
"Yes! Please rest assured, I won't take my eyes off Mr. Lloyd!"
Hearing Cécile's words, I judged that it would be safe to leave Lloyd's management to her for now. Even if Lloyd tried to do something unnecessary, Cécile would stop him with her iron fist.
A few days after entrusting the Landliona to the Special Dispatch Corps, I was on the G-1 Base bridge.
Currently, the G-1 Base was advancing into the Narita Mountains, the Japanese Liberation Front's stronghold.
"It is certain that the Japanese Liberation Front's headquarters are in this region. We have already divided four battalions into seven units and have them concealed. Now we just await the Viceroy's signal to tighten the encirclement… and annihilate them at once."
On the bridge, Dalton displayed a tactical map of the Narita Mountains on the monitor and announced this.
It was Euphemia who spoke up.
"Is there no possibility of the enemy appearing from outside the encirclement?"
Just as in the original story, Euphemia was also participating in this operation. Cornelia spoke with a troubled expression.
"Zero, perhaps?"
"Rest assured. Simultaneously with the start of the operation, we will seal off all surrounding roads and mountain paths."
"We also have allied forces. If he were to show himself carelessly, that would be Zero's end."
Cornelia's mention of Zero caused a brief stir on the bridge, but Dalton immediately refuted the possibility. Cornelia's words concluded the briefing, and everyone then began preparations for the operation.
"Axel, I'm entrusting you with the defense of this G-1 Base. As I just told Euphe, the possibility of Zero appearing is infinitesimally small. However, we cannot rule out the chance that he might target this G-1 Base."
"Alright. You be careful too."
Yes, Zero… the Black Knights weren't targeting this G-1 Base, but Cornelia, who they believed knew the cause of his mother Marianne's death.
…Although, Cornelia herself didn't know, so it was pointless.
"Hmph, don't worry about me. I have Guilford, Dalton. And Alex is here too."
Alex… I hadn't spoken to him much, but as a general, he seemed to be a reasonably capable military man. However, he was a typical Britannian nationalist, apparently finding it disagreeable that I, a newcomer, was close to Cornelia, and sometimes glared at me with hostility.
My personal impression of him would be a degraded version of Orange.
"Well then, I'm deploying too. I'm leaving things here to you."
Watching Cornelia's retreating figure as she left the bridge, only I, Euphemia, a few staff officers, and the operators remained.
Amidst this, Euphemia, looking at the monitor, spoke.
"What is that unit in the rear?"
A single unit marker was displayed far behind the G-1 Base.
One of the staff officers answered her question.
"Those are allied forces with Eleven pilots."
"Huh? Lancelot?"
"For a Number to pilot a KMF is normally an unforgivable act. However, that unit is a pet project of His Imperial Highness the Second Prince. Our personnel authority does not extend to them. However, they requested as many opportunities for real combat as possible…"
A different staff officer, not the one who answered Euphemia's initial question, said this while glancing at me. Even if it wasn't a KMF, it seemed he disliked that I, not a Britannian, was using the unique Landliona, but since I was directly under Cornelia, he apparently couldn't voice his thinly veiled sarcasm directly.
The bridge fell into a somewhat awkward atmosphere, but time passed, and the operation's start time arrived.
"Viceroy, it's time."
Dalton, in his Gloucester, communicated with Cornelia.
"Alright. Operation start!"
At Cornelia's command, numerous KMFs launched from the G-1 Base. Simultaneously, units positioned to encircle the Narita Mountains began their actions. Furthermore, dozens of KMFVTOL T4s, used for airlifting KMFs, flew over the Narita Mountains, descending Sutherlands to the ground.
The number of KMFs deployed in this operation easily exceeded 100.
Watching these developments, Euphemia was briefed on the operation by the staff officers.
"The enemy's stronghold should be in the mountains, but we haven't pinpointed its exact location. However, to acquire a list of cooperative members, we cannot simply destroy the stronghold with an air raid. …Though, if only destruction were the goal, a large-scale air raid would be easy."
"The enemy will likely attempt a partial breakthrough against our encirclement, but that would play right into our hands, allowing us to deduce the stronghold's location from there."
"Our main frontal forces are three: General Dalton's unit, General Alex's unit, and Viceroy Cornelia's unit."
A staff officer pointed to the right flank, center, and left flank on the monitor with a pointer.
"As for our flanking forces…"
Just as one of the staff officers continued speaking, the monitor display suddenly became distorted. The Japanese Liberation Front had likely deployed ECM.
This marked the beginning of combat for all units. Just as in the original story, the Japanese Liberation Front had fortified the mountain; Burais—units copied from the Glasgow—launched from the mountainside and engaged the Britannian forces, but were almost unilaterally destroyed. This was likely due to the Japanese Liberation Front pilots' lack of skill, but even more so because the Britannian forces… especially Cornelia's unit, were elites.
"As expected of Britannia's Witch, huh," I muttered unconsciously. Britannia's Witch. It was Cornelia's moniker, earned from her ferocity, KMF piloting skill, high command ability, and her presence at the forefront of battle, driving her Gloucester. And now, Cornelia was unilaterally crushing the Japanese Liberation Front as if by magic, living up to her nickname.
"Hmm? …Her Highness Euphemia, it seems General Dalton has found the entrance to the Japanese Liberation Front's headquarters."
One of the staff officers spoke joyfully, looking at a signal flare that had risen into the sky.
Cornelia, too, must have seen the signal flare, as she stopped her advance and held her position. This was likely so she could move immediately if anything happened.
And by Cornelia's order, reserve units began to deploy towards Dalton's unit.
Bolstered by the reserve forces, Dalton's unit intensified its momentum, expanding the area under its control.
His commanding presence in this situation was truly befitting a seasoned general.
…But a formidable enemy, unrecognized by Dalton, Guilford, or even Cornelia, still remained on this battlefield. Yes, the formidable enemy that was the Black Knights, led by Zero.
The fact that Dalton had found the entrance to the Japanese Liberation Front's headquarters meant they would likely begin their move soon.
It happened somewhat later than I expected, but it was still a perfectly timed strike.
The mountain trembled as if a localized earthquake had struck, and the G-1 Base at its foot was violently shaken. The next moment, a torrent of earth and debris poured down from the mountaintop, sweeping away all of the Britannian KMFs that had been deployed towards the Japanese Liberation Front's stronghold. …Yes, along with the Burais of the Japanese Liberation Front, who were still resisting.
The flow of mud swallowed almost all of Alex's unit, and more than half of Dalton's unit. It then continued to engulf the town at the foot of the mountain with earth and debris.
More than half of the KMF markers displayed on the monitor vanished. And then—
"Report from the Karuyashi unit! New enemy KMF units confirmed from the mountaintop! They have engaged in combat!"
So, they've arrived.
"No, this is…"
"What is it?!" one of the staff officers shouted at the operator, who was hesitating.
"This is… not the Japanese Liberation Front! The enemy appears to be, the Black Knights!"
The Black Knights. That name echoed through the G-1 Base bridge, followed by a few seconds of silence.
"Impossible! The Black Knights!?"
"Yes! And besides KMFs, there also seems to be a unit engaging in guerrilla warfare on foot, and several tanks have already been destroyed!"
Thus, the battle in the Narita Mountains entered a new phase.
Character Status (for context, not part of the narrative)
Name: Axel Almar
LV: 34
PP: 165
Melee: 242
Ranged: 260
Skill: 252
Defense: 249
Evasion: 277
Accuracy: 299
SP: 414
Ace Bonus: SP Boost (Consumes SP to enhance Slime performance)
Growth Type: All-Rounder, Special
Air: S
Land: S
Sea: B
Space: S
Spirit Commands:
Accelerate: 4 SP
Effort: 8 SP
Concentrate: 16 SP
Direct Hit: 20 SP
Awaken: 32 SP
Love: 48 SP
Skills:
EXP Up
SP Boost (SP Up Lv.9 & SP Recovery & Concentration)
Psychokinesis Lv.10
Attacker
Gunfight Lv.9
Infight Lv.9
Morale Limit Break
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Kills: 192
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