Although it was the group who had made their own decision, Shirou simply wanted to act this way.
That was all.
With Shirou forcefully clearing the path ahead, the Rhodes Island members only needed to follow.
"Whoa… that is way too brutal, is it not?"
Looking at the wreckage of drones scattered around, Blaze stuck out her tongue and said.
"You have seen worse than this. What are you talking about?"
From the communicator, Scout's voice came through.
He had been observing their movements, especially Shirou at the front who was constantly throwing the twin blades in his hands.
The suddenly appearing weapons, and the way he treated them as disposable…
All these similarities reminded Scout of someone.
Although that person had burned himself out more than half a year ago, Shirou's current fighting style still brought that figure to mind.
Someone who had always stayed by Amiya's side, ready to act decisively whenever Rhodes Island or Amiya needed it.
That person had been excellent in every way except that he acted too decisively.
So decisively that many feared him.
Compared to that, Shirou's current display could only be considered relatively ordinary.
"Enough of that. Focus on the operation. Even with Shirou clearing the way, do not lower your guard. Blaze, move to the rear. I will lead from the front."
Ace spoke up, cutting off their chatter.
Even if the combat intensity was not high, this was not the time for casual conversation.
Shirou was up ahead, fully focused on eliminating every threat for them and they were commenting on his fighting style?
If he overheard, those black-and-white blades might come flying at their faces next.
"Got it."
Hearing Ace's orders, Blaze immediately quieted down and slowed her pace, moving behind Amiya and Rosmontis.
The formation was straightforward:
Shirou cleared threats at the front.
Ace guarded Amiya and Rosmontis in the middle.
Blaze covered the rear, watching for threats from behind.
As for Scout, he provided long-range support nothing more needed to be said.
Meanwhile, the Blacksteel personnel stationed at Lungmen were already on their way. Including Shirou's group of three, they would soon have twelve people in total.
It was enough to handle most situations.
"…What is this?"
At the very front, Shirou suddenly sensed something wrong.
He could not quite explain it but there was danger ahead.
How should he put it… that area was too clean.
Far too clean for a street in the slums.
"Is there something ahead?"
Seeing Shirou stop, Amiya and the others halted as well.
"There might be an ambush or a trap."
Shirou voiced his suspicion, pointing toward the suspicious area.
"That section is too clean. It is like something is hidden there."
"…Should we take a detour?"
Even with Shirou's explanation, the Rhodes Island members were unfamiliar with the slums and could not easily notice such details.
But since Shirou had pointed it out, and given their safety-first approach, avoiding it seemed reasonable.
"No. Let us trigger it directly."
After briefly considering a detour, Shirou decided it would take too much time.
If it was a trigger-based trap, he had plenty of ways to deal with it.
If it was just an ambush, then it would be even simpler.
But before triggering it, there was one thing he needed to do.
"Trace on—"
Lowering himself, Shirou placed a hand on the ground and spoke softly.
Blue circuit-like patterns spread across the ground, extending forward.
"…!"
Hearing those words, Ace, Blaze, Amiya, and Rosmontis exchanged glances.
"It is a standard trigger-type landmine…"
Just as Shirou expected, several mines were buried beneath that unusually clean area.
But they were only mines and they were not nearly as dangerous as even the lowest-grade Originium explosives.
As long as one kept some distance, they were little more than loud noise.
Several blue projections of swords appeared.
Two of them extended into long streaks of light, shooting toward separate points—
Boom—! Boom—!
Two loud explosions rang out, and thick smoke quickly engulfed the road ahead.
Click—
A faint clicking sound came from above. Without hesitation, Shirou raised his right hand and said:
"Rho Aias!"
Brilliant blue magical circuits crackled with sharp electric noise, and a massive, translucent purple shield shaped like layered petals unfolded above everyone.
Through the transparent barrier, they could see several floating caster drones overhead, along with a group of enemies aiming crossbows at them.
A barrage of bolts and drone attacks rained down, striking the purple petals.
Not a single crack appeared and Shirou himself looked completely at ease.
"That is… seriously impressive."
Watching the sturdy shield, Ace could not help but marvel.
There were a lot of attacks hitting it. Even though Amiya could create a barrier of similar size, she would not be able to withstand such dense fire so effortlessly.
"There are seven of them, requesting permission to engage."
Even now, Shirou still had the composure to count the enemies above and ask Chen for authorization.
The difference in combat strength was overwhelming.
"You are under attack? Permission granted."
Hearing Shirou's request, Chen immediately approved.
In truth, Shirou could have acted without asking. This was not exactly a formal operation.
From the moment caster drones appeared, Chen already knew it would be impossible to subdue the enemy without injuries.
By "without injuries," she meant that the enemy would not come out unscathed.
After all, with Shirou acting as a tactical endgame unit, there was not much to worry about. Weaker enemies could simply be suppressed outright.
But caster drones… those were essentially flying casters. Every time Chen encountered them, she found them troublesome.
Even Hoshiguma could not always handle them reliably.
"Understood!"
Upon receiving Chen's approval, all the swords behind Shirou shot upward at once.
Their purpose was to prevent any follow-up attacks. If no one tried to strike again, he could simply dismiss them.
But now, it seemed those swords would serve their original purpose.
"Ahhh—!"
Cries rang out one after another. Shirou did not go for lethal blows and he merely pierced through their hands, disabling them.
"You are not finishing them off?"
Standing nearby, Ace watched as Shirou handled all the enemies alone. The speed was so fast that, strictly speaking, only Scout had contributed by taking down a single drone.
He did not ask because he wanted them dead.
He was trying to confirm a suspicion.
"Huh? Finish them off? Do you usually do that?"
Now it was Shirou's turn to be confused.
He already thought these people were basically mercenaries disguised as a pharmaceutical company recruiting child labor.
That was one thing but finishing off already defeated enemies?
That was harsh.
"Ahem… nothing. It is just that someone I used to know always chose to do that."
Seeing Shirou look at him strangely and even take a step back, Ace quickly explained.
"…There is no need for that. It is enough to render them unable to fight. Unless absolutely necessary, I do not want to take lives. Besides, there are children here. It would not be good if things got too bloody."
As long as their hands could not move, they could not attack.
That was Shirou's reasoning.
Unless necessary, he did not want to kill even if the target was a criminal.
Once one's hands were stained with blood, the burden carried afterward would be far too heavy.
And there were children present.
If things became too violent and gruesome, that would not be appropriate.
Though, admittedly, it was not exactly clean already.
After all, punching holes through people's bodies was hardly a good example.
"I see… that is good. Keep it that way."
Looking at Shirou and hearing his words, Ace had already reached his conclusion.
"???"
Shirou only felt confused.
Why did everyone on this land seem to speak in riddles?
If Chen had not been asking about their situation through the communicator, he might have shouted at Ace to stop being cryptic.
"Shirou, what is your status? Is everything alright on your end?"
After receiving no response for a while, Chen began to worry that something had gone wrong.
"Bzzz… on my side—bzzz—no problem."
Shirou reported his situation, but to Chen it came through in broken fragments.
"I cannot hear you clearly. Say it again."
Pressing her communicator, Chen spoke.
"Bzzz… like this… bzzz…"
While repeating himself as instructed, Shirou also used analysis magecraft to check the device.
It seemed the microphone was damaged.
He guessed that something from the earlier explosion had caused a short circuit.
However, it could still receive Chen's voice, so it was not a major issue.
It just meant Chen would have to command without feedback from his side.
Or simply grant him full authority to act independently.
"Looks like your communicator is malfunctioning. You should still be able to hear me, right? Then… once you reach the designated point, wait for my signal and launch your assault. If anything happens, try speaking into the communicator or just send a signal into the air."
After a brief pause, Chen added:
"Keep it small this time. Do not make it as big as last time."
"Bzzz… got it… bzzz…"
After responding, Shirou turned off his communicator's transmission function, leaving only reception active.
It was a pity they had not brought walkie-talkies. Otherwise, they could have coordinated with Rhodes Island more easily.
"The communicator is broken?"
Amiya stepped forward and asked.
"Yeah. From here on, we will have to rely on our own judgment…"
Turning around, Shirou first saw… a pair of rabbit ears.
Lowering his gaze, he finally saw Amiya.
Rabbit. Rabbit. Cautus. Cautus…
Realizing inappropriate thoughts had briefly crossed his mind, Shirou silently reflected on himself.
"Hmm? Is there something on my face?"
Noticing Shirou staring blankly at her, Amiya rubbed her face and asked.
"No, nothing. I will slow down from here. Stay close to me as much as possible. That way, if anything happens, I can support you immediately."
After regaining focus, Shirou spoke.
He had to admit he was not good at coming up with tactics. It was faster to just point him at a target and let him handle it.
"Understood… by the way, would there be time later for us to talk?"
Amiya nodded, then asked.
"If there is time afterward, of course. Let us deal with this first."
Shirou did not refuse, but reminded her to focus on the current situation.
After all, she had mentioned this before, and "Minmin" seemed to have plans as well.
And judging by Minmins's enthusiasm for Amiya, if he refused Amiya or worse, made her cry…
He might end up being chased across the entire Rhodes Island ship.
"Of course. This matter takes priority."
After receiving his answer, Amiya's rabbit ears twitched lightly as she agreed.
While they spoke, Blaze had already climbed onto the rooftop and skillfully tied up all the enemies with rope.
After a quick regroup, Shirou returned command of the Rhodes Island team to Amiya.
After all, he was not suited for command, and Chen could not monitor their exact movements.
It was better to let them handle themselves.
Besides, he could not carry the whole team anyway.
With their own commander back in charge, Rhodes Island's efficiency improved noticeably.
As for Shirou, he continued acting independently. More often, it was the Rhodes Island members adapting to his movements.
What surprised him most was that the strongest destructive force in the team was not Ace despite his tough image and "ace" title but Rosmontis.
He watched as she lifted discarded construction materials and signboards into the air and hurled them at enemies.
Though he could not see it clearly, Shirou could vaguely sense something invisible grabbing those objects and throwing them with force.
The destructive power was immense but so was the strain on her.
He wanted to tell her not to push herself, but considering her role, he chose to respect her decision.
With Rhodes Island working together, even as traps and drones increased, Shirou felt no pressure.
In fact, after seeing them act several times, he no longer needed to worry about them.
All he had to do was trust that Ace could withstand incoming attacks, and that Scout would provide precise covering fire.