"I can't go on like this any longer," Lilith moaned, collapsing onto Stella's chest. "Kill me now so I don't have to suffer. Even if we bring Konny home tomorrow, it's still so far away."
"What're you talking about?" Gabrielle scoffed. "We said five days—and that was only yesterday."
"Whaaa—no. At least three days ago," she pouted, stomping the ground.
But that stupid Blondie had to open her mouth, too.
"A little over thirty hours ago, My Lady."
Tsk. A good pillow should have remained silent.
How could she keep track of the time anyway?
Every day was the same. They'd run all over the place to close any portals Lucifer's minions might have opened. If they were a minute late, they had to fight back the vanguard, too, and—
"Aah, I can't take it anymore," the demoness claimed once again.
That said—hmm. For someone so rough-cut, tomboyish, and plain—
Weren't Stella's breasts nice and big and soft?
She had decided.
Until she couldn't get her fill with Konrad, she'd use the Church girl as her personal pillow.
"Stop acting so spoiled, and don't harass Stella Nord," that stupid archangel demanded. "She dealt with two portals today, all by herself. Meanwhile, you? Not even half of all we detected."
"Excuse you?!" Lilith scoffed, sinking deeper between those breasts. "But I, but I—"
"I-it's all right, Lady Gabrielle," the blonde girl stuttered. "I'm sure you all worked hard, and this isn't a bother at all. I'm glad to be of service and help Duke Halstadt's wives in any way I can."
Hah. Yes. Now that's how a good pillow should have behaved.
No matter how much that angel had rolled her eyes. In fact, next time she'd have some extra fun with Konrad, she'd bring this blondie instead of the rigid second wife.
"Ugh, I wish I didn't catch that," Gabrielle said, rubbing her temples.
But serves her right for trying to read her mind.
Lilith was too tired to care about shielding her thoughts. But as long as it annoyed her like this—
"Good work today," Eyna entered with refreshers and a polished smile. "Please, drink your fill and take it easy. You should all rest up for the day so that you can do your best tomorrow."
Yeah. Tomorrow. Another day without Konrad, and—
More time they'd spend fighting.
Oh, what a good girl Eyna was, too. No wonder her husband started to develop feelings for her.
It made Lilith quite jealous, but fine.
If Konrad did a good job back on Earth, Eyna could join them in bed as well.
"No, no, stop," the angel demanded, and—
Was she blushing?!
Good. It was about time she dialed it up.
"Stop what?" Yuki-chan asked with an innocent smile, bringing the rest of the refreshers.
She was her early memory copy, right? They even looked similar.
Okay, okay, she might as well keep a slot empty for Yuki, too.
So? Was that arrogant heavenspawn still reading her mind? How did she react?
Before she could tell, the office's door flew open again, and—
"Anyone have recovery potions?" Meow Midori asked, looking dirty and tired, dragging an unconscious Zoltan behind him. "This idiot. Used up all his mana and passed out."
"Will he be all right?" Yuki yelped, running to help, but—
"He's not dead; he's resting," Lilith noted. "No potions, but how about a mana crystal?"
The Demon Lord shook his head.
"Too potent. I don't want him to overdose," he grunted—as much as it counted as a grunt in his schoolboy form. "His mana pool is still too small for what you have. But he's shaping up well."
Everyone was, to be fair.
Considering the huge pressure and Konrad's absence, they were holding out so far.
But for how long? And what if her husband failed in securing Strelok?
"This is why we have to wait," Gabrielle claimed. "Even if the deadline is close and the pressure is high—we have to trust him and hold out. Him failing is no longer an option."
So she did, in fact, read her mind.
"Then let me go and help him," Lilith demanded, sitting up and crossing her arms. "I don't know what keeps him so long, but I bet I could speed things up. We'd be back by tomorrow."
"Yeah. And by then, my brother would overrun this planet."
Wasn't that angel a bit too defeatist?!
"No, but we need everyone to do their best, wherever they are," Gabrielle claimed. "This is our only chance—or do you not trust your husband enough?!"
Ugh. That was playing dirty.
"I do, but I miss him," she moaned. "Fine. I'll wait another day, before—"
"Three," Gabrielle reminded. That little—
She was about to lose her mind.
***
"Which way would be best?" Alex asked, eager to move out.
But those two veterans would only scratch their heads.
"Nobody explored the Zone this deep since the Second Incident," Sokolov pondered. "And I haven't seen this many Monolith this well armed in the same place, either."
"What? We dealt with them at the Duga, too. Apart from that T-72M—"
"Nah, those were their rookies and cannon fodder," the Corporal claimed. "These have the best gear, Exoskeletons, and as you say, a tank as well. Besides, we had eight against thirty. Here—"
"Let's say they have fifty," Yuri joined in, too. "And that was me, rounding them down."
"It should be doable," the Major said. "Hit-and-run tactics. Double-envelop them. We don't have to win. Only distract them until someone checks that wreck, and sees if the crew is still there?"
"That's a lot of optimism from someone with your rank," Sokolov scoffed.
That tiny veteran shook his head as well.
"If we knew the area, and didn't have to worry about running into an anomaly in the dark. But right now, the only weapon we have that could even penetrate an Exoskeleton is out of ammo."
Ugh. Was he actually too eager?
But they were so close and yet so far.
In normal circumstances, he wouldn't hesitate this much before an infiltration mission.
But they were right. This was the Zone.
The rules were different. The enemy didn't play fair, and—
"Wait, what weapon are you talking about?" Alex asked after a little delay.
"Huh? The Gepard, of course," Yuri noted. "Not even my shotgun slug could make a dent in that thing. Or rather, going close enough for it to be effective would be suicidal."
"You guys brought the Gepard?!" the Major scoffed, watching in horror as Sokolov pulled it out.
"I mean, it's a solid weapon, and costs more than the Artifacts we have found so far. As soon as we have the ammo for it, we could try something funky with those guys. But until then—"
"They have Dushkas," Alex noted. "But to get to their ammo, we still have to attack."
Which would have been fine with him, as long as they inspected that wreck in the meantime.
But all he got was more head shaking.
"I bet they have night vision, or something nasty," the Corporal claimed. "Remember how well they armed even their non-combat personnel? Those guys there are the cream of the crop."
Sigh. It was already past midnight, but they still couldn't reach an agreement.
Every plan he suggested went right out the window.
And yes, he was aware that these local experts must have known better—
But damn it, he was starting to lose his mind.
"Give me something. Anything, so I can finally get closer to my men."