by Sato Tsutomu
They weren't plainclothes soldiers. Although they wore no identifying emblems to identify their nationality, they all wore uniform combat fatigues.
This must be their amphibious force.
The squad took aim at the vehicle Katsuto was in and fired four guided anti-tank missiles.
This was practically point blank range.
Even though they were guided missiles with slower initial speed, there was no way the all terrain vehicle was going to dodge them.
However, Corporal Otowa handling the wheel never wavered and Sergeant Tateoka put down the windshield on the passenger's side and propped up an automatic rifle.
The guided missiles detonated in the air five meters in front of the vehicle.
The flames from the explosion enveloped the hemisphere barrier that surrounded the vehicle.
Bullets were fired from within to hit the enemy troops.
Attacks from the outside were unable to penetrate the interior, but attacks from within were unimpeded.
Needless to say, that directed transparent barrier was the result of Katsuto's area magic.
Setting himself as the center of the hemisphere's space, he altered the fabric of the hemisphere to reject heat beyond a certain level and any molecule greater than oxygen.
Even while on board a vehicle moving along at high speed, Katsuto's barrier magic never faltered.
During this short journey, Fujibayashi's subordinates personally experienced what it meant to be called an "Iron Wall".
◊ ◊ ◊
While the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was designated as a "battalion", their numbers were on the scale of two companies.
Initially for this mission — which was originally to test magitech weapons — they only mobilized 50 men. The two large armored trailers coincidentally carried the perfect number of new equipment.
"—How is it, Special Lieutenant?"
"Just as I expected of you. Quite impressive."
Standing before the racks filled with protective gear that would not look out of place on a knight, Sanada couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
"The measurements should be perfect. Change quickly."
Sanada urged Tatsuya to strip off all the clothes he was wearing. Although there were female soldiers in the trailer, neither of them paid any attention to that.
On some level, all the soldiers in the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion were seen as lab rats, so full body examinations weren't anything out of the ordinary. Not only would male soldiers see female soldiers in the nude, the reverse also happened. There was no way someone who was ashamed of something like that would be able to last in this outfit.
Tatsuya deftly put on the special underclothes and immediately put on the black outfit — the Mobile suit.
After tying the broad belt, he snapped every button in place.
Setting the CAD in one of the leather holsters on the belt, he finally put on the mask-like helmet.
"Doesn't appear to be any problems."
"Indeed, all errors are within the acceptable boundaries."
Tatsuya's voice came through the speakers equipped in the trailer's interior. Detecting that the automatic transmission activated, Tatsuya manipulated the helmet and popped the mask.
"Bulletproof, heat resistant, shock resistant, and also resistant to biological and chemical weapons and a simple motion supplement system was added into the design as requested. Of course, the Flying Device was also attached to the belt. When coupled with the shock resistant function, you can completely nullify the recoil when firing, so you can also fire in the air."
"Perfect. Its performance far exceeds my design."
"No, I also enjoyed myself to my heart's content."
Sanada and Tatsuya shook hands. While this was happening, Kazama finally arrived leading two more soldiers.
"Sanada, are you finished?"
Staring wordlessly at the subordinate who saluted in response, Kazama shifted his gaze to Tatsuya.
"Then, effective immediately, the Special Lieutenant is to rendezvous with Yanagi's unit. Yanagi's unit is currently sniping the enemy unit that is approaching the connection bridge to the Mizuho Wharf."
"Captain Yanagi's location is displayed on the protective visor."
"Understood."
Putting the visor back on, Tatsuya verified the location for Yanagi's unit and stepped out of the trailer.
Without using the ramp, Tatsuya jumped off the trailer and hit the button on his waist before his downward acceleration disappeared. That was the power switch for the CAD equipped with Flying-Type Magic.
Lightly tapping off the ground, Tatsuya soared through the sky.
◊ ◊ ◊
The unidentified invaders composed of the mechanized unit that landed at the Hillside Wharf split into two groups.
One advanced towards the Magic Association located near the bay.
The other marched along the coast.
The group headed north did not plan to rendezvous with the irregulars locked in combat with Third High, but went in the opposite direction and were preparing to pursue and capture the civilians attempting to flee by sea.
The Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion already controlled that direction.
This was an attacking unit that heavily emphasized mobility with 6 APCs.
Standing before the two lines of APCs that charged straight for the bridge, Captain Yanagi sneered beneath his visor.
He was the archetype anti-personnel combat Magician.
He excelled in reading the enemy's movement pattern, mixing physical skills and magic to lure, amplify or reverse enemy attacks in close combat. There was practically nothing he could do against this armored column — until he joined the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.
Since the CO of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion was an Ancient Magic user, the majority of the troops in the 101st were also Ancient Magic users, with Yanagi being one of the model Ancient Magic users.
Yanagi, who was able to use magic while in the middle of hacking and slashing, had received a technique that used his body's motions and "shape" to replace a binding seal and was feared because he never left an opening even when operating a CAD.
Still, even he was forced to admit the low practicality of large scale magic on a Specialized CAD that could flip a heavy object which weighed in the dozens of tons.
If he used a seal to replace the ritual needed to activate magic of this scale, the minimum requirement was at least five seconds. That was frankly impossible with the enemy already bearing down on him.
(How unpleasant.)
Although he was complaining mentally, his mouth still wore that wry smile.
Smirking malevolently beneath his visor, Yanagi leaped out from behind cover directly in front of the column of APCs.
Pitch black armor.
One man stood there.
Maybe because they hesitated at the sight of this unexpected enemy, the APC's turret didn't immediately spit fire.
Since there was only one soldier, it might have been that they planned to simply grind the man down beneath their wheels.
The difference in defensive power between an APC and the armor was simply too great.
Yanagi never planned to sit in front of the enemy's cannon for too long.
Clutching the rifle with the bayonet attached — the trigger of the CAD, he verified that the magic was activated before ducking back behind cover.
Suddenly, blocks of earth flew through the air along a straight line as if someone cut a straight line through the ground.
Along this line, the wheels of the APCs left the ground.
The shaking earth gave off a series of groans that told Yanagi the magic's results.
The APC that was tilted off balance crashed into the vehicle alongside it.
Careful scrutiny revealed that all the vehicles on the east flipped over to crush the ones on the west.
Gravity-Type Magic "Thousand Tatami".
By cutt
ing off the Earth's gravity along the north-south axis, this caused the object to tilt from east to west because of the Earth's revolution.
The bottoms of the APCs, the "belly", were facing upwards and were struck by a hail of bullets.
Practically at the same time that Yanagi activated his magic, the squad flying in the sky opened fire.
The Weaponized Integrated CADs in the shape of rifles shot out a stream of bullets with increased penetration that easily drilled holes through the underbelly of the APCs covered in armor designed to withstand mines.
Once the fuel was hit, flames erupted from the underside of the vehicle.
The western group of what appeared to be a routed armored column remained unscathed.
The enemy must have Magicians who excel in "Counter" magic on board the APCs for extra defense.
With the ability to create a barrier strong enough to hold back an object that was dozens of tons, impact from normal weapons would be completely nullified.
Either there was an incredibly strong Magician on board, or they were using some sort of magic booster.
Bullets rained down from the sky again.
The interference strength from the strengthened shots and bullet repulsion magics canceled out one another, causing both magics to fizzle.
The anti-armor bullets hit the APC, but weren't able to completely penetrate through.
The autocannon turret on the APC sprayed the air with large caliber rounds.
Two soldiers were hit and fell to the earth.
Thanks to the armor's bulletproof properties, at least their physical bodies didn't suffer terrible injuries.
Taking stock of the situation from cover, Yanagi once more flew in front of the enemy and continuously hit the trigger three times.
Yanagi's "Thousand Tatami" was a magic that cut off the Earth's gravity and was not something that directly altered the target's Eidos. Thus, the gravity nullifying magic completely ignored the enemy's defensive magic around the vehicle as it activated.
The enemy APC started tilting over.
The shock of the rotation caused the magic barrier surrounding the APC to buckle. After the penetrating rounds fired from the sky hit the armor on the bottom, the remaining three APCs were also devoured by fireballs.
◊ ◊ ◊
The speed for Flying-Type Magic depended on the Magician's familiarity and training with this magic. Tatsuya, who designed the magic, probably understood it better than anyone alive. Based on his current flight speed, he would be able to traverse the distance between the trailer that served as a mobile base and Yanagi's unit in a short period of time.
The scenery flew by. While Tatsuya did his utmost to train his eyesight on the move during combat training, trying to do so while flying was never something a human being was supposed to be able to accomplish. Under these conditions, he couldn't overestimate his own physical capabilities. Thus, along with the naked eye, he was using Elemental Sight as a radar to search for obstacles in the air with his consciousness.
He was entirely reliant on that to find those particular things.
The small flying object that only measured 1 meter in length. The pitch black, bird-like flying machine was undoubtedly the low altitude unmanned observation drone. It was currently at the target area — where Yanagi's unit was in combat — and circling overhead. In order to avoid being detected by the drone's magic sensors, Tatsuya flew far above the drone, pulled out a CAD with his right hand, and disengaged the Flying-Type Magic.
Just like that, he plummeted downwards. Just before he made contact with the unmanned drone, Tatsuya activated Decomposition Magic "Mist Dispersal".
The unmanned drone instantly disintegrated into dust and blew away in the air.
Once more activating Flying-Type Magic, Tatsuya prepared to land.
◊ ◊ ◊
The sudden loss of the images from the unmanned drone plunged the invasion command center into chaos.
Although the machine that stopped transmitting was not one of a kind, these highly expensive drones did not come with spares. Undoubtedly, they had lost their precious "eyes".
While they appeared to have launched a successful surprise attack on an enemy nation, the reverse was true in that they were also isolated deep within enemy territory. Losing one of the methods to verify the battlefield conditions exerted considerable pressure on them.
◊ ◊ ◊
By the time Tatsuya met up with Yanagi, the initial fighting had already died down and Yanagi was in the process of providing medical treatment for the wounded.
"Special Lieutenant, excellent timing."
Before Tatsuya could speak, Yanagi identified his figure and immediately called him over.
After saluting Yanagi smartly, Tatsuya swept a gaze over the wounded whose armor had already been removed.
"We've already removed the bullets. The rest is up to you."
His helm off, Yanagi's exposed face didn't betray any expression, but his eyes betrayed his emotions.
"Understood."
Tatsuya gave a decisive answer that rejected Yanagi's guilt as unnecessary while pulling out the silver CAD from his left waist.
The groans from the wounded ceased immediately. In place of that, Yanagi could hear Tatsuya clenching his teeth behind his closed lips.
◊ ◊ ◊
After obtaining an overview of the enemy forces thanks to Honoka's magic, Suzune felt that there were less invading troops than she expected.
"—Don't you think the battle line is too stretched out."
"Now, what was once known as a battle line has ceased to exist."
Suzune answered Mari's question without any hesitation.
"Conflicts are still breaking out throughout the inland areas. Using infiltrated guerrillas to take out transportation and communications while the amphibious forces make a beeline for the suppression targets...... I think that is the basic plan for the invading army."
"If Rin-chan says so, then that must be it...... Then, what is the enemy's objective?"
Not only did Mayumi tilt her head in consideration, even Suzune ruminated on this as well.
"......As Mayumi predicted, one of them must be the Kantou branch for the Magic Association, that much is certain. Another objective is probably aimed at the civilians attempting to flee by sea, probably with taking hostages in mind."
"Hostages?"
"I doubt they are trying to massacre civilians. If that was the case, they would have sent a missile boat rather than a landing vessel. Hostage exchange, ransom...... The final objective remains unclear."
"So that means there is less danger of being suddenly bombarded by cannon fire or guided missiles, correct?"
Suzune mentioned this aloud as she watched the large crowds of civilians gathered near the lobby near the station's ticket stands.
"Earlier, Kyouko said that reinforcements from Tsurumi are almost here. Taking the route into consideration, we should protect the civilians near Mizuho Wharf and then throw any remaining forces into sweeping out the enemy."
"Agreed. I think so too."
Suzune nodded her head at Mayumi's prediction.
"If the enemy's intent is to take hostages, they will definitely come here, where the defenses are weaker...... I will — actually, let's go help Kanon's side first."
"Indeed..... Although their numbers are few, the other side has Miyuki with them."
Mayumi expressed her agreement to Mari's plan of deployment.
"Ah~, that girl's Freezing Magic probably qualifies for combat level."
Mayumi and Mari exchanged wry smiles. They were probably contemplating "those siblings......"
"......Still, Mari, don't push yourself too hard. It's not a good thing for you to face off against mechanized troops."
"I got it."
Watching Mari's figure as she trotted away, the previously silent Honoka who was standing nearby fearfully struck up a conversation with Mayumi.
"Uh, should I join the defenders? If
not the front line, I can still offer support from the back."
Honoka must have gathered all of her courage to say that. Mayumi smiled and shook her head from side to side.
"Mitsui needs to be here to help when the helicopters arrive. Also, Miyuki-chan and Kanon-chan's mission is not to defend but to be on guard. We are not professional combat Magicians, so there's no need to run the risk of combat or seek combat at all. Instead, we should be considering how to escape."
Mayumi warned her in a slightly mischievous tone.
But half of Honoka was certain that Miyuki and Erika would never flee from battle.
She turned an uneasy gaze on Shizuku only to find the same look mirrored in her dear friend's eyes.
The "guard team" Mayumi spoke of — which was really the "defense team" — had split into two groups to defend the two access routes just as Suzune predicted. Just when they were about to reach the point of no return, Kirihara suddenly turned to Sayaka and opened his mouth.
"Mibu...... I think you should head to the rear."
Kirihara's words prompted Sayaka to turn a surprised look on him that practically screamed "Why are you saying this now?"
"Kirihara-kun, I am also a swordsman. I have the resolution to stand on the battlefield."
"Don't go any further!"
At this, Kirihara finally exploded. That was enough to cause Sayaka to just stand there with widened eyes.
"Do not speak of 'resolution' so frivolously!"
"......Kirihara-kun?"
"Kirihara-senpai...... Why are you so angry?"
Sayaka and Erika, who was watching this scene with some amazement, both asked at the same time. After venting, Kirihara relaxed somewhat.
"I...... don't want Mibu's sword to be stained by blood."
Even though she was astonished by these unexpected words, Sayaka couldn't help but form her own rebuttal.