Wings Over the Wall
Receiving the soldiers’ salutes—simple gestures of courtesy between forces from different nations—I made my way to the mess hall, returned my tray, and was heading back when warning sirens suddenly blared from every direction.
Wee-ee-ee-ee!
“Combat stations! Combat stations!”
“Move to your assigned positions!”
The soldiers who had been lounging with the dolls moments earlier turned pale and sprinted at full speed. Wondering what was happening, I received a visual feed from an android stationed on the ramparts. The shared view showed the sky beyond the walls swarming with countless black specks flying in formation.
Flying-type monsters? They were creatures never seen in human settlements. This was my first time witnessing them in person.
While checking the feeds pouring in from other androids, I quickened my pace.
“Elisha!”
“Zadin!”
We nearly collided in front of our quarters as Zadin came running.
“I heard something about a monster attack on the way here. Can they even reach a fortress like this?”
“Flying types. The fortress has solid anti-air defenses, though, so it shouldn’t be too bad. Look.”
He pulled out a portable projector from his pocket and linked it to the shared feed. The image that had been floating in my vision now projected onto the wall.
“Where’s this coming from?”
“Androids on the walls. Not many, but a few were already up there.”
“Why would they be… Never mind. Good timing, at least.”
On the screen, soldiers in combat gear were already checking the anti-air cannons mounted along the battlements. They moved in perfect unison, swinging the barrels toward the approaching monsters and waiting tensely for the order to fire.
“There are plenty of cannons, but we should prepare as well, just in case.”
“But Elisha, we don’t have proper anti-air weapons like those cannons.”
“Leave the sky to them. Our job is to protect the cannons and the soldiers. With that many monsters, we need to be ready for anything that slips through.”
“We have no obligation to take unnecessary losses, but if that’s what you want, I’ll follow.”
Zadin nodded and dashed off to inform the fortress commander. I headed straight for the nearest section of the wall and ordered the combat dolls to arm themselves and move up.
Climbing the steep stairs at a run, I reached the ramparts just as the monster flock drew close enough to see clearly with the naked eye. The air was thick with tension.
-Elisha, I’ve spoken with the commander. He’s given us permission to engage the monsters freely.
-Understood.
-I’ll wait here and relay any updates.
-Thanks.
While I received Zadin’s report, the armed androids climbed onto the wall and took positions between the cannons. The soldiers’ faces visibly relaxed when they saw the androids equipped with machine guns and grenade launchers—far more effective against ordinary monsters than the small-arms fire the dolls usually ignored.
The moment the monsters entered the cannons’ range, a thunderous shout echoed across the battlements.
“Anti-air cannons, fire!”
“Fire!”
BOOM-BOOM-BOOM!
The roar of the heavy cannons tore through the air, sending trails of flame into the sky. Countless large-caliber rounds ripped into the dense flock. Monsters burst into showers of blood and plummeted like rain. Their corpses fell onto the ground-bound creatures below, becoming food, but the sheer number of incoming monsters meant they kept closing in despite the barrage.
“Prepare for close combat! Prepare for close combat!”
“Combat ready!”
Through the thunder of the cannons, the sergeants’ voices rang out. Soldiers gathered in the trenches around the guns and raised their muzzles skyward. As the armed dolls took up positions around them per my orders and disengaged their safeties, the command to fire came.
“Open fire!”
A new layer of gunfire joined the cannons’ roar. The winged monsters—easily twice the size of a human—dived with razor beaks and talons, but the soldiers’ steady, aimed shots brought them down one by one in sprays of blood.
Hmm… They really are well prepared. The slack-jawed faces that had been playing with the dolls were gone; every soldier now wore a grim, determined expression.
Bang! Boom!
One monster diving toward me exploded midair after taking a grenade. Two dolls behind me were firing their grenade launchers in rapid succession. I couldn’t move from my spot while directing thousands of dolls in real time, but the integrated management system let me coordinate their attacks without overlap, and the results were immediate.
Eden-made grenades were especially effective. Their special fuses let me set the detonation timing so they could reach clusters of monsters before exploding.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Wherever the machine guns herded the monsters together, grenades followed and detonated, sending bodies tumbling from the sky. The soldiers’ morale visibly rose as they watched the dolls’ efficient slaughter.
Even so, the sheer volume of monsters created small gaps, and injuries were inevitable.
“Aaaagh!”
“Kill it! Bring it down!”
Kieeeek! Tat-tat-tat! Dudududu!
When a soldier was snatched up with his arm in a monster’s jaws, I immediately took control of a nearby doll and blew the creature’s head off with a machine gun. It was too late—his arm had already been severed, and he was screaming as blood sprayed.
“Medic! Where’s the medic!”
“C-coming!”
More and more soldiers were being wounded in real time. I had no attention to spare while directing the battle.
I was sifting through the flood of shared visual data when a high, piercing shriek cut through the air.
Kiiieeeek! Kieeeek!
The sound was so sharp it would have overloaded auditory sensors, but it was at a frequency humans couldn’t hear. The soldiers continued fighting without noticing. The moment the cry rang out, the monsters began turning and fleeing.
So there’s a leader giving orders.
“They’re running!”
“Cease fire! Cease fire!”
“Waaaaah!”
Cheers erupted through the haze of gunpowder smoke. Soldiers embraced one another or traded curses, their joy at victory almost childlike. I found it a little strange—they must have fought monsters often, yet this seemed to mean a great deal.
-Battle’s over.
-I got the report here too. Good work, Elisha.
-I just stood there giving orders.
-Still, our side took no losses. How about yours?
-Reports are still coming in, but so far only injuries, no fatalities.
-That’s a relief.
When I turned to have the dolls begin cleanup, I found soldiers who had gathered around them, throwing arms over the dolls’ shoulders and dancing in celebration. The dolls, their AIs restricted for combat efficiency, showed no reaction, but the men didn’t seem to care.
I ordered the dolls to humor the soldiers a little to help them relieve stress, then left the wall first, stepping over monster corpses. I handed my blood- and powder-stained clothes to a following doll, washed quickly, changed, and left the women’s shower area for our quarters.
There, the Xenuma commander who had come in person thanked me. He bowed repeatedly, promising that every achievement of the Eden support unit would be recorded without omission.
“I heard it was an unusually large flock of flying monsters. We were prepared for heavy casualties, but thanks to your unit we suffered none. We’re truly grateful.”
“They were lucky. The attack happened to coincide with the arrival of an android unit confident in its firepower.”
Our unit, composed of androids armed with heavy weapons that most humans could barely lift, might be small in number, but I was confident no other unit could match our firepower.
“It’s not just the weapons. The way they fight is unreal. What army in the world moves in perfect formation with zero gaps and executes the most efficient attacks possible? At least, no human army can.”
“We were made for exactly that kind of combat. More importantly, this unexpected battle has delayed our departure tomorrow. What do we do?”
“We’ll have to force a path through. Any more delay and the other units will be in trouble.”
Hmm. Is there a good way to break through the monsters blocking the road? We need to reduce explosive consumption…
While I was pondering countermeasures, a small window suddenly appeared before me, showing Elsa’s face. It seemed to be the signal she used before initiating a conversation.
‘Elsa? What is it?’
‘Sister, why don’t we try using fire?’
‘Fire?’
‘According to my analysis, the monsters are weak to high heat. Whether it’s a biological limitation or not, those caught in the flames of explosions couldn’t regenerate and burned to death.’
‘A biological limitation…’
Of course any living creature would die if engulfed in intense flames. The problem was their regeneration was so strong that only a truly massive blaze would guarantee death.
‘But what matters to us is clearing a path. If we use fire at the front, we can break through.’
‘Exactly. It’s rewarding to see your thinking improve after the AI upgrade.’
‘Is that so? I hadn’t noticed.’
‘It’s fine if you haven’t. In fact, developing without realizing it is better for AI research.’
‘Now that you mention it, am I actually helping with your research?’
‘You’re providing invaluable data on organic information processing in biological responses. Your structure is so simple and well-organized that it’s easy to categorize and analyze.’
‘I’m glad I’m useful.’
Elsa continued praising my value as an AI to Eden’s research efforts before returning to the mental space.
After she left, Zadin and I refined a breakthrough plan using the monsters’ weakness to fire. The biggest issue was how to keep the lead vehicle burning.
I suggested using flamethrowers, but the idea was rejected due to mounting difficulties and fuel consumption. Instead, Zadin proposed cutting down the large trees from the surrounding mountains, strapping them to the front of the armored vehicles, setting them alight, and charging through the horde.
“The vehicles are military-grade, so they’re durable, but I’m not sure how long they’ll last with a burning mass strapped to the front.”
“It’s just burning logs. As long as we’re only breaking through, it should be fine, right? At least safer than ramming straight into the monsters with no preparation.”
“Hmm… Let’s go with your idea, Zadin.”
“Great! I’ll get permission to use the trees. You start preparing the armored vehicles to mount them.”
“Okay. By the way, why do you always handle meetings with the local commander? Wouldn’t it be more appropriate for me to go?”
Ever since our first day here, Zadin had taken it upon himself to relay all communications to the battalion commander. He crossed his arms and tilted his head at my question.
“That’s not it. You’re the commander of the Eden support unit and a high-ranking representative, even if the unit is small. There’s no need for you to deal directly with someone of battalion-commander rank.”
“Being high-status really is more trouble than it’s worth.”
“It’s the fate of those in high positions. I actually feel more at ease since coming to Eden.”
“Heh~ I’m jealous, Your Highness.”
“Enough with that title. I left half my status behind when I left Daviwana. Anyway, I’ll be back.”
“Mm. Take care.”
Zadin left to meet the battalion commander while I headed for the central clearing where our unit was stationed. The path was completely empty; I was the only one moving. Through the doll network I could see that all the combat dolls had finished maintenance and were waiting aboard the transport vehicles, while the sex dolls were busy servicing the soldiers who had become aroused after the battle. Everyone else was holed up in their quarters, deep in the act, leaving the base deserted.
“Huh? Ah, Commander. What brings you here?”
A soldier I encountered in the corridor looked startled when he saw me. When he asked what I needed, I glanced around and noticed several shirtless soldiers staring at me, just like the one who had spoken.
Ah. This is in front of the men’s showers. No wonder they looked surprised—women never came here.
“I’m on my way to the central clearing. Don’t mind me, carry on.”
“Understood. And, belatedly, thank you so much for coming as support!”
“Thank you!”
The moment he spoke, the surrounding soldiers all saluted and offered their thanks. Their eyes held gratitude, relief, and the relaxed contentment of men who had fully vented their desires. They looked nothing like the men who had fought a bloody battle against monsters only half a day earlier. Once again, I was reminded that nothing relieved male stress quite like a woman.
Leaving the soldiers’ warm thanks behind, I arrived at the central clearing. As I had ordered through the network in advance, the sturdiest armored vehicles had been pulled out and lined up. The dolls stood at attention, waiting.