The Xenuma Border Crisis
I sat examining the information floating before my eyes when the conference room door burst open. Kyubey’s secretary rushed in with a grim expression and whispered something into her ear. Kyubey’s face, which had been puzzled at first, gradually hardened. With a serious expression, she asked the secretary, “Is that true? Xenuma’s eastern border has collapsed?”
“Yes. Xenuma has officially requested large-scale reinforcements.”
“That’s not a country that would fall so easily. What on earth happened?”
“An unidentified monster appeared near the eastern border and melted the walls. The details are here…”
Kyubey snatched the document the secretary offered and read it quickly, her eyes moving rapidly. Once she finished, she handed it to Maria beside her and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Haa… This is more serious than I expected. The number of those monsters is alarming. They say over two hundred thousand have invaded the eastern border.”
“That’s enormous.”
Simply put, that was roughly six times Eden’s population. The fact that over two hundred thousand could be confirmed in the limited area of the eastern border meant at least three times that number—around six hundred thousand—were likely present.
“They say their forces are scattered trying to stop the orcs from breaching the walls, so there’s no way to hold them back. Xenuma has already urgently requested support from Ryuzan and asked Kensers for troops as well.”
“We’ll need to increase the scale of the android forces we were planning to send.”
“But is what’s written here really true? That the monsters swallow orcs and humans alike, then split and multiply?”
“If not, that number would be hard to explain. Anyway, things have gotten serious. Deploy every android unit without holding back.”
“I’ll also mobilize the weapons that were being tested.”
Eden currently had 13,400 combat androids on standby. Of those, around 400 were assigned to dimensional gate defense, and 1,000 were on standby for guarding key facilities. That meant the remaining 12,000 would all be dispatched to Xenuma.
“So I’ll have to command all twelve thousand?”
“Will it be too much for you alone?”
“With Elisha’s processing capacity, it should be possible.”
Hmm… Uriel was confident it was doable, but could I really command twelve thousand androids simultaneously by myself?
‘With your specs, you could probably handle thirty thousand at once.’
‘My specs are that good?’
‘It’s a test model optimized for performance from the start, and it’s undergone consistent performance upgrades. The AI using that body is just too simple-minded to utilize it properly, but the hardware itself is exceptional.’
‘Heh~ Then I guess I don’t have to worry.’
‘I’ll modify and install the command-unit program I made for fun before.’
‘Thanks, Elsa.’
Whenever I needed something, Elisa or Elsa would whip it up like magic. The situation was so urgent that Elisa’s transfer was moved up. Though her growth wasn’t fully complete, the bioroid modification proceeded, followed by the transfer. Just like when Kyubey and Uriel had left before, I felt a corner of my mind go empty as Elisa departed for another body.
“How’s the new body, Elisa?”
“Better than I expected. Especially how clearly my mind works.”
Elisa’s body, with neatly combed brown hair, had the appearance of someone who had just reached adulthood. There was some resemblance from sharing my genes, but many differences as well.
“Of course it does, since we prioritized intelligence in the combination. Still, seeing a body I gave birth to feels a bit strange.”
“Even knowing it’s me, you feel maternal affection, don’t you?”
“Maternal affection? Hmm… I suppose so.”
“When we built the mother-body system, we made sure anyone who directly gave birth would feel unconditional maternal love. So even though you know it’s me, you still feel it.”
“Can’t we remove that? It feels incredibly awkward thinking of you as my child.”
“Hehe, call me ‘Mom’ then?”
“Ugh, no thanks.”
From the way she brushed it off playfully, I could tell she had no intention of granting my request. So I had no choice but to get used to this bizarre feeling of knowing she was my master yet still sensing her as my own child.
Now that Elisa had left my body and gained complete freedom, she threw herself into her work with enthusiasm. She poured out all the programs, systems, and research results she had been working on, astonishing Eden’s researchers and quickly securing a solid position. Meanwhile, I stayed busy preparing the android unit deployment while Elisa settled into Eden.
I registered as the command entity for the androids and practiced controlling them through wireless connections. On the plain outside Eden’s high walls, facing Xenuma, I watched the androids move in perfect unison under my command. The emotionless mechanical troops advanced across the plain without a single moment of hesitation or wasted movement, following my orders precisely.
‘The command program is intuitive and convenient.’
‘Since you’re an AI with a human base, I thought visual representation would suit you best. I’m glad it’s comfortable.’
‘It’s nice how they carry out even simple instructions on their own. Installing the AI Elisa developed into the androids seems to have had a big effect.’
‘Of course. Thanks to the experience Mother gained modifying you, her understanding of AI is on a completely different level from Eden’s scientists. The speed and flexibility of thought processing have increased by at least twenty-four percent compared to before.’
‘Elisa really is amazing.’
I spoke while adjusting the androids’ formation against the virtual orcs. I pulled back the androids positioned in the path of the melee-focused orc warriors—who made up the largest proportion—and redirected the ones on either side to attack from the flanks. At the same time, I reinforced the thinned wall of androids by pulling units from elsewhere.
‘If outsiders saw this training, it would look pretty funny. Just androids moving back and forth across an empty field.’
‘Kyubey, who was watching from the wall, is laughing so hard she’s about to collapse.’
‘What?’
I stopped moving in sync with the androids and looked up at the wall. Through my magnified vision, I saw Kyubey with tears in her eyes, laughing while slapping Havid’s arm beside her.
‘Why is a busy person like her coming all the way out here to watch? Honestly.’
‘Didn’t you know? This deployment is so large-scale that the training footage is being broadcast not just in Eden but in other countries as well. See the cameras over there?’
‘Ugh, it’s even being broadcast?’
‘Each android’s combat power exceeds at least five human soldiers. Twelve thousand of them is equivalent to deploying sixty thousand troops. That’s no small number.’
That was the minimum estimate—five per unit. Combat androids were slaughter machines that could withstand bullets and blades, far beyond ordinary soldiers.
‘And with all the latest weapons and equipment attached, they’re even more formidable. If things go well, they might drive out not just the orcs but the monsters too.’
‘The flight gear is certainly impressive.’
I turned my eyes to the sky around me and saw androids flying swiftly. Flames from the wings and boosters on their backs propelled them as they fired guns and missiles toward the ground. Of course, since this was virtual training, that was only how it appeared to me—in reality, they were just performing the movements.
While chatting with Elsa, I continued directing the androids toward the goal of annihilating the orcs and eventually secured victory. I guided the androids, moving in perfect formation under my commands, back through Eden’s gates, then flew up and landed on the wall.
“That was amazing! Well done, Elisha! Puhaha!”
“Don’t laugh so much, Sister.”
“I can’t help it—the way you were flailing around at nothing was too funny. Ahahaha!”
“Really…”
Kyubey, who had been laughing while relentlessly slapping Havid’s thick forearm as he frowned in exasperation, finally calmed down and said, “Ahem, don’t worry—the broadcast will show the virtual training footage anyway. So, how was it? Think you can handle it?”
“Yes. Thanks to the thought division from becoming a doll, I can command while moving without any issues.”
This was an unexpected side effect that neither Elisa nor Elsa had predicted. The thought division, implemented to separate reason and emotion, had synergized with the command system and produced excellent results.
Kyubey said that was good, then looked me over carefully and asked, “That armor—you said you bought it on Earth, right? Wouldn’t it be better to wear the combat suits Eden makes for androids?”
“I prefer this armor.”
The armor I was wearing now was the one my family had recommended and liked. While its overall functionality was slightly inferior to the android combat suits, it was enchanted, so its durability and strength were comparable.
Kyubey ran her hands over my exposed back, armpits, and neck, then touched the panty-like section covering my groin and said, “I don’t know who made this armor, but isn’t it incredibly lewd? It covers everything else but deliberately exposes the crotch. And it’s so tight it shows off your whole figure.”
“Well… compared to you, Sister, this is modest.”
The outfit Kyubey was wearing could barely be called clothing. It was a sheer mesh garment that only just covered her breasts and groin, revealing her skin in a provocative way. At my words and gaze, she laughed and pushed her breasts together with both arms to emphasize them.
“I wear clothes like this to show them off in the first place.”
“It’s my preference. Hehe.”
Havid, who had been standing beside her, pulled Kyubey into his arms and spoke. As if showing off, he groped her breasts and said to me, “It’s been a while, Elisha. Weren’t you disappointed you didn’t come visit?”
“You have Sister with you.”
“Of course Kyubey is my woman. But you were my woman too, weren’t you? Don’t you miss this cock?”
He tapped his massive member, which couldn’t be hidden even by his pants. It was certainly impressive enough for him to be confident about. Still, couldn’t he see Kyubey watching with sharp eyes from beside him?
“Satisfy Sister first. She’s always frustrated.”
“No, I do try, but Kyubey’s libido is just…”
“What? Are you done talking? You’re the one who always passes out first and falls asleep!”
“Aack! I’m sorry!”
He had said the wrong thing and was now suffering as Kyubey grabbed his cock. The sight of the much larger Blackman writhing while his member was seized was almost pitiful. I wondered if any man could handle a true succubus and nymphomaniac like her, but since he was the master who had imprinted her with pheromones and her husband, he had an obligation to satisfy her desires.
“More importantly, Sister, is this equipment safe? It’s convenient because it moves as I think, but if I make a mistake, I’ll just dive straight into the ground, won’t I?”
I asked while pointing at the flight device attached to my waist and back. It was currently folded, but when flying, wings with engines on both sides would deploy. It was larger and more sophisticated than the flight devices of other flying androids—a special-purpose, custom specification that I was personally test-operating.
“I don’t know either. Ask something complicated like that to the smart ones—Elisa or Isabel.”
“Okay.”
“Ah, you’ve built up quite a bit too, haven’t you? Before you go to Xenuma, come to my place and let it out.”
“I have to be careful with Blackmen, you know? I’ll just go to a brothel like before and do some prostitution.”
“No. As a member of Eden’s ruling class, how could you sell your body in Eden? I’ve prepared some usable Blackmen, so listen to your sister.”
“Ugh… My face is pretty well-known now, isn’t it?”
“You were just on broadcast. You’ll be known worldwide soon.”
Then I’d have to give up selling my body in the Eden dimension so as not to cause trouble for my sisters. Sigh, I’d have to do prostitution in the Earth dimension instead.
“Fine. Thanks to the doll Elisa made me, it’s easy to hold back my sexual urges anyway.”
“You’re not lacking in essence, are you? You need to eat properly.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
I answered her casually, then jumped off the wall while activating the flight device, soaring into the sky. The powerful thrust from the jet engines on both wings sent me rocketing upward in an instant. It was much faster than self-powered flight, which I could manage at considerable speed, but the device wrapped around my neck connected to my implant, allowing me to control it easily through the flight simulator.
‘Wow~ It’s really fast!’
‘It’s even faster now because the armaments have been removed. Its original purpose was a long-range bombing jet suit.’
‘Can I fire missiles or something too?’
‘Not missiles. What’s mounted on the EF-G1 you’re wearing are ground-bombing bombs.’
‘I wanted to try firing a missile too. That’s a shame.’
While chatting with Elsa, I flew over the wide plains outside Eden, feeling refreshed. The season was particularly bright and clear, and the fluffy clouds high above combined with the clean air made the view crisp and vast, allowing me to see far into the distance.
When I climbed higher and stopped at an altitude where my head nearly brushed the clouds, I looked down to see a rural landscape centered around Eden, with glimpses of each country’s characteristics. Ryuzan, with its strong religious architectural style and village forms from the Sun God faith; Tarykin, maintaining its ancient architectural style into the modern era with a distinct character; Kensers, where various small nations had united, allowing diverse buildings to showcase their individuality in a free national atmosphere; Xenuma, with its consistent architectural style pursuing extreme practicality befitting a military state. And at the center of the four nations was Eden, the most advanced city-state blending styles from each country, spread out below me.
“Oh! There’s Uriel over there. She must be deploying.”
I could see Uriel in her combat maid uniform, along with the archangels I hadn’t seen in a while and the androids in uniforms indicating they belonged to the dimensional gate processing unit, lined up in formation at the dedicated station on Eden’s outskirts, waiting for a train. In front of them stood the man who had been a god, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time as well. Still with his abundant golden hair flowing and wearing a cloak that covered his large frame, he suddenly raised his head and looked up. He stared at me so precisely that it seemed he had noticed my gaze. When I waved, he smirked and waved back.