Beheading the Giant Aindium
White Fang accelerated away from the enemy after severing the giant Aindium’s head and slicing off the arm that held its weapon. 「We’ve achieved partial neutralization, but it’s still dangerous. We should finish the operation quickly and withdraw.」
Just as Rendel said, the enemy machine—now missing its head and one arm—went berserk, swinging its shield wildly. Then it must have caught us on its auxiliary camera, because it corrected its course and began closing in.
“Let’s get out of here fast. If we detonate the charges while escaping, that unit won’t stand a chance.”
「Understood. Let’s head for the exit.」
We hugged the hangar walls to avoid stray attacks. Two Aindiums worked together to open the hangar exit while the squad leader’s unit and White Fang toppled several machines leaning against the wall, creating obstacles. While the enemy unit, with its narrow field of vision, was blocked by the debris, the hangar doors slid open. Raindrops drove in from outside, darkening the floor.
「I’ll take point.」
The barrier Aindium, its systems restored, moved ahead, and we followed. If we had any breathing room, destroying the docks and transport ships on the way out would be perfect.
「Beta One. Execute.」
「Roger. Detonating.」
The moment the power-armor squad leader pressed the button, a massive explosion roared in the distance. KWAANG—! The sound of every window in the buildings shattering at once rang out as flames surged beyond the fortress walls. The fuel depot in particular blew its entire high roof clean off.
But a problem appeared.
「Anomaly detected near the hangar.」
The hangar we had just left hadn’t exploded. We had taken out the fuel storage and armory, so maybe the hangar wasn’t critical.
“It’s a shame, but we don’t have time. Let’s withdraw.”
「Please go first, Your Highness.」
“What?”
「We will complete the mission and escape afterward.」
Why were these stubborn old soldiers acting like this?
“The fuel depot and armory were the primary targets. The hangar is secondary.”
「However, it is still an objective we must destroy. The hangar isn’t mere storage—it’s a facility that takes a long time to restore. In the long run, it may be even more important.」
The squad leader’s reasoning was sound. Still, I couldn’t abandon my comrades.
“If you don’t come with me, you won’t be able to escape.”
「We can return via the infiltration route. Our units are equipped for underwater operation. While the enemy is distracted with cleanup, we can slip into the sea.」
“……”
I couldn’t help but hesitate. If they were my own subordinates, I would have dragged them along by force, but these men followed Line. I was only a foreign volunteer. Even invoking my authority as the second princess and Line’s younger sister, forcing them would be difficult. And if the civil war dragged on longer than expected, I might regret leaving a hangar that handled Aindium storage, maintenance, and repairs intact.
「Enemies approaching.」
Rendel’s calm voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Which direction, senior?”
「Transport ship direction. Roughly ten units.」
Since this was an open channel, Rendel spoke politely as he drew his sword and glanced my way. 「Your Highness, please escape immediately!」
Any more delay would be fatal. I made my decision.
“I’ll withdraw via Route A with Alpha Two, Alpha Four, and the injured Beta Three.”
Limpid Fairy could carry at most two Aindiums while flying. Any more would exceed weight limits and prevent us from gaining altitude.
「Understood.」
“Anyone from Beta Team want to come with us?”
「We’re fine. We will complete the mission and return.」
These stubborn men really did value their lives too lightly. I let out a long sigh and pressed the pedal.
“You must return alive. That is a royal command.”
「As Your Highness orders.」
With those final words, the two Aindiums and four power-armor soldiers turned back into the hangar. Watching the squad leader’s machine suppress the shield-bearing enemy, we left the hangar behind and advanced into the dark exterior.
**
The escape was anything but smooth. The Aindiums that had sortied from the transport ships immediately headed for the hangar and ran straight into us. White Fang’s ambush and my sniping managed to thin their numbers, but Alpha Four reported that Beta Three’s condition was steadily deteriorating.
The overland escape route required passing directly in front of the dock outside the hangar, so the enemy had set up a formation there. Fortunately our path lay elsewhere, so it didn’t matter much.
While we prepared to withdraw, a private channel opened from Rendel.
「Luna. Will this be all right?」
“Huh? What do you mean?”
「I’m wondering if it’s okay to let the ‘enemy’ see that the Limpid Fairy can fly.」
From his tone, the ‘enemy’ didn’t refer to the Rubens faction. He meant the true enemy—the ones who had deployed the zombie Aindiums.
“Hiding it would be best, but we don’t have much choice right now.”
「There’s a gap beside that dock. If we slip through it and head for the sea, it should be fine.」
The spot Rendel indicated was a cluster of large warehouses near the dock. Between two of them was a narrow passage just wide enough for a single Aindium. Beyond lay the rain-lashed sea with its tall waves. Once we moved even a short distance out, the enemy would lose our trail.
We had originally planned to fly over the wall opposite the dock, but concealing Limpid’s capabilities took priority.
“Then let’s go that way. There are more enemies than expected—we might get attacked while clearing the wall.”
Reinforcements were pouring from the transport ships. The ones we had destroyed were merely the vanguard; dozens more were now converging on our position.
「Alpha Four. Prepare for flight with Alpha One. I’ll cover the rear.」
「Understood.」
After slipping into the gap between the warehouses, I detached the anchor and handed it over.
“Attach it to Alpha Two.”
「Yes!」
While Alpha Four secured the anchor to White Fang’s shoulder mount, I ran through flight preparations.
“Output stable?”
[Output is fine.]
[Left arm and left leg shields restored. They should hold against additional attacks.]
With the fairies’ support, I finished preparing for rainy-weather flight. White Fang, having ambushed and destroyed two enemy machines loitering in front of the dark warehouse, sent a signal.
「No eyes on us here.」
“Confirmed. Taking off.”
I pressed the flight button. The Limpid Fairy, carrying two Aindiums, cleared the low fence and rose into the dark sky above the sea.
KOOONG—!
An explosion roared from far behind us. They had succeeded in destroying the hangar.
“Alpha Three! Do you read?”
「Crackle…」
The detonation had succeeded, but we had lost contact with the team inside. I was anxiously tapping the comms equipment when Rendel’s sharp voice cut through.
「Luna! Below!」
A dull impact struck the barrier, shaking the entire craft. I gripped the controls, stabilized, and swung the main camera to track our attacker.
[It’s the sea!]
Several vessels floating on the dark water were firing machine guns. Under normal conditions the damage would have been negligible, but our current situation made even light fire dangerous. We were flying, so we had to maintain balance against every hit below the barrier threshold. We were already carrying two Aindiums, and we had an injured passenger on top of that.
「To think they’d deploy ships in this terrible weather.」
Rendel sounded frustrated that his plan had been thwarted. Alpha Four seemed completely focused on monitoring Beta Three’s condition in the cockpit.
We could try to endure it, but if the anchor line snapped, it was over. I drew the sniper rifle. Aindium rounds were massive; armor-piercing shells could easily sink small vessels. The problem was visibility, the rain, and the fact that I was carrying two machines on an anchor.
I had no choice but to try.
BANG—!
My shot went wide and disappeared beneath the waves. The fairies were fully occupied maintaining flight and the barrier, and I had never fired a rifle under these shaking, rainy conditions. It was only natural.
Thunk. Thunk.
The continuous impacts made balance nearly impossible. The incoming tracer rounds lighting up the darkness were genuinely frightening.
「Luna. Drop me.」
“What? What are you planning?”
I had never heard that White Fang had underwater capabilities.
「I’ll fight by jumping between ships.」
“Don’t say ridiculous things.”
Since even the bulletin board agreed it was nonsense, stopping him was definitely the correct choice. I focused my mind and poured mana into the engine. The fairies sensed my intent, increased output, and raised our altitude.
“Hold on tight.”
「Yes!」
“Senior, do not think about going down.”
「Got it.」
I had managed to talk Rendel down, but the enemy fire showed no sign of stopping.
「Barrier at critical levels. Deploying full field.」
We were reaching a dangerous stage. If that barrier collapsed, Alpha Four would struggle to endure. What now? At this rate…
That was when it happened.
One enemy vessel sank without warning, vanishing into the sea. Then another, and another—as if holes had been punched through their hulls, they were all sucked beneath the waves. In seconds, not a single ship remained to attack us.
A few moments later, a communication came through.
「Ah, testing. Can you hear me? This is Peacekeeping Force operative Y. Is anyone on this frequency?」
「Y-yes, we read you. Is this Senior Yvette?」
「Oh my. That voice—is it Rendel?」
“Ah!”
I never imagined reinforcements would arrive, let alone a character from the original animation.
「And that’s Rendel’s White… Black Fang? The color scheme is certainly fresh. In any case, the one flying while carrying it must be Miss Luna.」
“Yes, yes!”
Relief and joy raised my voice. A clear, bright laugh answered from the other side.
「It’s good to hear you’re energetic. Nice to meet you. I’m Iveticia, third-year cadet at Alitus Aindium Military Academy. For now, let’s move to a safe location.」
“Yes, ma’am!”
Rendel’s senior, Iveticia Layrans, nicknamed the Water Ghost. The CT Club’s OG who had left such a strong impression early in the animation had come to our aid.