Chapter 48

Monthly overall 6th place, thank you... 6th place!?

"Monsters have landed!"

"How many!?"

"Eleven large, over two hundred medium, and over eight hundred small!"

"Damn! Is our firepower really not enough!?"

Sato Taihei, a major in the Second Division leading the mech corps, couldn't help but curse when he heard the number of monsters that had landed.

It wasn't a good attitude to show in front of his subordinates. Sato knew how much effort Shizuno and others had put into preparing for this battle. He understood in his head that he shouldn't complain.

Nevertheless, the complaint slipped out.

But it was understandable, considering that despite constant bombardment from a distance of over 10 kilometers, they hadn't achieved the expected results.

"First artillery squad, fire in sequence!"

The voice of Shizuno from the command post had lost its usual calmness.

Incidentally, the artillery units formed for this interception battle consisted of five squads. Each squad had two mass-produced mechs and thirty artillery soldiers, arranged in a semi-encircling formation around the landing site.

To be more specific, the mass-produced mechs of the first, second, and third squads were from the Third Division, the fourth squad had one from the Second Division and one from the Sixth Division, and the fifth squad had one from the Second Division and one from the Eighth Division. The artillery soldiers were distributed as evenly as possible, and those not included in the artillery squads were positioned to fire from near the mech corps.

This formation was designed to balance the forces and prepare for the enemy's counterattack.

Now, back to the story.

Of course, as a commander, Sato should have avoided losing his composure, but he could painfully understand Shizuno's thoughts, so he didn't mention it to the command post.

After all, Sato, who was about to engage in battle with the monsters, could understand the fear his colleagues were feeling.

(I can't afford to lose my composure here. Now is the time to follow the teachings of the warrior and discard all distractions!)

The stage for thinking has passed. From now on, momentum is key. Without momentum, even what could be won will not be won.

(What is needed is pure fighting spirit!)

Maintaining a minimum level of composure, he became a warrior.

(The hardest part of being a commander is having to balance the safety of subordinates and the annihilation of the enemy.)

Muttering to himself, Sato heightened his fighting spirit and the desire to kill the monsters.

Under normal circumstances, it would be extremely difficult to purely heighten both. But now, only now, there was no trouble with that. Because even now, allies were being slain by the monsters.

"Counterattack from the monsters!"

The counterattack against the allies' artillery fire was a simultaneous bombardment by over ten large and over two hundred medium monsters.

The intensity and power were fierce.

"First artillery squad, annihilated!"

A squad consisting of two mass-produced mechs and thirty artillery soldiers was wiped out in one blow. The shields made from the armor of the large monsters were no match for the power.

"…What about the results?"

But their deaths were not in vain.

"One 30-meter monster and one 25-meter monster have been silenced!"

"…I see."

They must have targeted the largest surviving monster. Their attack had indeed reached the monsters.

"Stand firm! Second artillery squad, fire in sequence!"

And the instructions from the command post were excellent.

"Confirmed impact! One 25-meter monster and two 20-meter monsters have been silenced!"

Monsters, due to their nature, counterattack almost reflexively. Therefore, there is data suggesting that the counterattack is most likely to come to the first unit that fired.

"Counterattack incoming!"

Knowing this, it is possible to control the location and timing of the counterattack to some extent. And Shizuno, the overall commander, naturally knew this.

"Second artillery squad, annihilated!"

(The first and second artillery squads are mainly from the Third Division. In other words, the command post decided to use the least experienced and most unstable group first, to save the determined mechs and hope for continuous results. …Major Shizuno has also become a warrior.)

If you have to consume, start with the inexperienced. This is a common judgment in games, but there are very few commanders who can make such a decision in real combat.

Of course, this judgment also has a touch of retribution against the Third Division, which had done something unnecessary. But it's not just them who will die. The order in which they receive the counterattack may change slightly, but everyone will eventually be hit.

"Third artillery squad and below, fire in sequence! Got it! Aim for the big ones! Even if the targets overlap, it's fine!"

(All at once? Ah, of course, the surviving third artillery squad must have realized that the unit that attacks first will receive the counterattack. The command post is probably trying to prevent them from refusing orders. But that means the counterattack will affect everyone... Hmm, the barrage is thin?)

Without the first and second squads, it's natural for the barrage to be thinner than before. Moreover, since artillery fire is also coming from outside the squads, it's impossible to grasp the details.

Sato tried to think it was just his imagination, but the discomfort he felt didn't go away.

And the answer to the discomfort Sato felt soon arrived.

"Confirmed impact! One 25-meter monster and one 15-meter monster have been silenced!"

(That makes seven silenced. Four remain. Depending on the survivors, it might be possible. But...)

"Counterattack! Fourth artillery squad annihilated, fifth artillery squad, one mass-produced mech and five artillery soldiers remaining, annihilated! Third artillery squad... huh?"

"What's wrong!"

"S-Sorry. No damage to the third artillery squad!"

"…What?"

Despite the severe damage to other squads, there was no damage at all.

If it was the result of avoiding the enemy's attack, that would be good.

After all, mass-produced mechs were designed to be used in such a way, and Sato would praise a mech pilot who successfully avoided an enemy attack, not frown.

But it wasn't just the mass-produced mechs that survived; the squad itself was unscathed, meaning the artillery soldiers were also safe.

It's not that he wanted the artillery soldiers to die. It's just that the fact that the entire squad was unscathed was strange.

The only answer that could be derived from this was one.

(The third artillery squad didn't receive a counterattack. That's the only possibility.)

Then why didn't the third artillery squad receive a counterattack?

(There are two possibilities. They attacked later than the other squads, or they didn't fire at all.)

Under normal circumstances, the former would be the case. The Third Division, being in the process of rebuilding, has soldiers who lack the necessary training.

Sato was aware of this. Therefore, it was natural for there to be a difference compared to the other squads, which included the elite Second Division.

Moreover, the Third Division had indeed done something unnecessary, which led to the removal of the key combat force, Kawaue Keita, from the battlefield. But the people here were not political schemers; they were comrades who, like Sato, risked their lives for national defense.

They wouldn't betray their comrades out of self-preservation.

(That's right. It's impossible that they avoided the counterattack by not firing!)

Sato thought this, but the communication from the command post negated his thoughts.

"Third artillery squad! ...The delay in firing due to the jam is forgiven! Start firing immediately!"

(Ah, of course.)

It was impossible for the entire squad to experience a jam.

(It seems they are trying to handle it as an accident on the battlefield...)

They might be trying to be considerate, but the communication, which didn't hide the anger, told the whole story.

"Ah, the fifth artillery squad, further attack! One 20-meter monster has been silenced! Counterattack... Oh! The mass-produced mech avoided the counterattack! That's Lieutenant Kakiyama! The artillery soldiers have been annihilated, but Lieutenant Kakiyama is pursuing... Ah!"

While Lieutenant Kakiyama's attack finished off the injured large monster, a counterattack from the surviving monsters was launched.

The result was obvious.

"15-meter monster, silenced. But Lieutenant Kakiyama..."

"Brilliant."

Until the very end, Lieutenant Kakiyama fought the monsters and achieved a great feat by taking down two large monsters alone.

Of course, it wasn't his achievement alone. The monsters had taken considerable damage from the repeated artillery fire, but Sato didn't hesitate to praise Lieutenant Kakiyama, who risked his life to finish them off.

However, on the one hand, he felt anger that while he had a subordinate who fought to the end, there were still those who continued to show their cowardice on the same battlefield.

"So, what about the third artillery squad?"

"...No movement."

"I see."

(They're pathetic.)

They must have lost heart. The third artillery squad was no longer usable. Sato decided to accept this.

"...Mech corps, prepare for battle."

And it wasn't just Sato; the command post felt the same way.

While they temporarily left the situation as it was, considering the post-battle consequences, it was clear from the tone of voice that they intended to deal with it severely after the battle.

(After the battle, huh. If Special Lieutenant Kawaue were here, such damage... No, that's not the point now.)

"Let's go. Artillery soldiers and the Yashima squad, target the remaining large monsters! The enemy is not unscathed. We can win! But make sure to adjust so that the attacks go to the Yashima type as much as possible!"

"“Yes, sir!”"

It's not that the Yashima type can die. The instruction is to concentrate attacks on the highly mobile and evasive Yashima type to prevent attacks from reaching the artillery soldiers.

"Kusanagi type, prepare for close combat!"

"“Yes, sir!”"

If the mass-produced mechs had survived, they would have used incendiary grenades for area attacks to damage the small and medium monsters, but all the combat-capable units were annihilated.

If that's the case, the only option is to engage the almost unscathed monsters with the Kusanagi type.

(The 200 medium monsters waiting for us, who specialize in close combat, will receive little support. It will be difficult to close the distance.)

It's a situation that paints a picture of despair, but there was no trace of despair on Sato's face as he faced the monsters.

(The damage will be considerable. In fact, a significant number of casualties have already occurred. It will certainly affect future defense efforts. But!)

"Even if there are 200 monsters, we won't face all of them at once! Moreover, they are beasts that cannot coordinate! Remember, we will always face them three to one!"

"“Yes, sir!”"

"We carry the nation on our backs! This country has nothing to give to the monsters!"

"“Yes, sir!”"

"All units, draw your swords!"

"“Yes, sir!”"

"Deploy! The Second Division will take the lead. The other divisions will expand the gap we create!"

"“Yes, sir!”"

The elite unit of the Second Division stepped forward.

"Roar!"

Battle aura. That's what it might be called. The monsters, sensing the aura they emitted, directed their magical artillery fire at Sato and his team, bypassing the Yashima type and the artillery soldiers who were still firing.

If this were any other division, or if anyone other than Sato were leading this group, they would have tried to defend with shields made from the armor of the large monsters.

But Sato was a warrior leading the elite of the elite, an ace mech pilot who had cut down over ten medium monsters with his skills.

(Mind, sword, destroy, repel!)

"Cheiaaaa!"

The artillery fire from the monsters dissipated in front of Sato's eyes. No, this description is not accurate.

"Roar?"

"Using magic for attacks is not exclusive to special lieutenants!"

Sato, with the sword in his hand, cut through the magical artillery fire aimed at him.

Of course, this was not a fluke.

It was the inevitable result of Sato's outstanding martial arts skills and the magic he had cultivated over time.

"Did you see that? I will cut a path! Follow me, all units!"

"“Oooooo!”"

—Later, when the other divisions saw the combat data, they understood why the Second Division was called the elite and showered the survivors with praise.

However, it is not clear whether the praised individuals genuinely rejoiced.

There was no such thing as a surrounding annihilation formation.

Thank you for reading.