Seeing the girl standing on the distant branch, the officer felt a twinge of foreboding.
She'd arrived silently, at this hour—it couldn't mean anything but an enemy.
His brow twitched. He took a slight step back, ready to position the others in front of him.
But the moment he moved, an intense sense of crisis screamed inside him.
The officer threw himself to the ground, rolling aside.
Boom—
He looked back. A giant knife had slammed into the spot where he'd just been standing.
At the same time, wretched screams erupted around him.
He snapped his head up—most of the soldiers he'd brought already had their heads smashed in by tableware.
A few who'd reacted slightly faster weren't dead yet, but their bodies had been sliced clean in half, howling in agony on the ground.
Wreckage of countless dolls littered the earth, the heads of mechanical dolls lying severed.
Their grotesque eyes were fixed on him.
A feeling of powerlessness washed over the officer.
These were their most elite mechanical soldiers!
He steadied his mind and kept dodging.
Behind him, the few surviving soldiers finally reacted, pouring mana into their dolls.
"Rise…!" one soldier yelled, lifting both hands.
Before the words even left his mouth, two little pigs—one black, one white—came hopping cheerfully toward him.
"We won't fail this time!"
"Don't wanna eat petals and feathers again~"
The pigs opened their mouths wide, each chomping down on a soldier.
The soldiers' stunned expressions were still frozen on their faces when—
Crunch—
Amid the crisp sound of breaking bone, their heads burst apart. Human skulls couldn't last even a second against those little pigs.
Chewing the scraps of flesh in their mouths, the pigs giggled and opened their jaws again.
"Woo-hoo~"
"Win-win-win!"
The clear sound of chains rattled as clip-like appendages shot from the pigs' mouths, linked by chains, snapping toward other soldiers.
Thwack.
The clips dug deep into flesh.
One soldier, enduring the pain of the clip embedded in his body, tried to keep controlling his doll.
Just a little pain—he could still fight.
Huh?
But then he realized—he couldn't move a muscle.
His fingers wouldn't budge; he couldn't channel any mana.
Mana… I can't use my mana!!!
Excruciating pain struck again as the chains slowly tightened.
The clip tore through his flesh, dragging him closer to the adorable pig.
Staring at the pig now right in front of him, he couldn't even close his eyelids.
All he could do was watch his own head slowly enter the pig's mouth, screaming silently inside.
No! No! No!
Crunch.
The soldier's hands and feet went limp.
Behind him, countless chess pieces were running rampant across the battlefield.
Thud, thud, thud.
Whether soldier or doll, under their trampling, everything was crushed flat without exception.
What are these things?!
Could one person control so many dolls? Or did she have accomplices?
The officer twisted and dodged among the dolls, then seized an opening and clenched his right hand.
Bzzz—
A roar of mana filled the air.
A chess piece that had been crashing toward him froze in midair.
So heavy!!!
The mana consumed by Oborofuji's gravity manipulation was tied to the target's weight.
His mana couldn't sustain holding the piece for long.
Scrambling out from under it, the officer stared uncertainly at the scene around him.
The little pigs were reeling in soldiers like fish on a line, pulling them bit by bit into their mouths.
Watching the soldiers who went rigid at the slightest touch, he guessed:
Must be some kind of control ability—can't let those pig dolls touch you. But why isn't she attacking the strongest one, Oborofuji, first? Why take out the soldiers?
Frustrated, he scanned the area—and the next moment, the chess pieces deliberately avoiding Oborofuji gave him the answer.
Her target is Oborofuji!
If she just wanted to sabotage their cooperation with Britain, attacking during tomorrow's exchange would be the best move.
Coming now… could only mean one thing: she was here for Oborofuji!
"Oborofuji, ascend!"
He clenched both fists, and an invisible lifting force wrapped around him, carrying him skyward.
In that case, he absolutely couldn't let her succeed.
As Oborofuji and the officer rose away from the battlefield, the chess pieces didn't pursue, continuing to crush the dolls and soldiers below.
The officer let out a long breath and glanced back. The black-haired girl was still standing quietly in place, seemingly indifferent to his escape.
No anti-air capabilities?
Hah! If he were commanding, he'd have an ambushing aerial unit—then even if they weren't captured, their losses would be heavy.
As if victory were already in his grasp, the officer grinned excitedly amid the scattered limbs and flesh. Slowly, he drew a flare gun.
As long as he got backup, victory would be his. The caliber of artillery would decide everything.
In the distance, Alice half-closed her eyelids, fingers twitching slightly.
She was concentrating on holding back a certain starving child from coming over. If he showed up, this battle would end in an instant.
But then Oborofuji and its Magic Circuit wouldn't survive his attack either.
That wouldn't do.
She lifted her gaze slowly, glanced at the officer flying upward, and willed a change.
The thick fog shrouding the coastline began to move, drifting slowly toward the warships at sea.
The massive warships looked like tiny toys before the grandeur of the mist.
Then, a pale giant hand with sharp red nails materialized suddenly.
It slammed down onto a warship, fingers tightening slowly.
Screech—
The piercing noise of twisting metal reverberated around the island.
It sounded like some enormous metal construct being crumpled by brute force.
The noise, audible for miles, drew the officer's attention.
At the same time, a whooshing sound grew rapidly closer.
What's that?
He looked up. A huge shadow blotted out the moonlight.
It was a shape he knew very well—what was flying right over his head… if not the very warship he'd traveled on today?
The warship descended toward him like a beautiful wife eager to embrace her husband.
Watching it come, he forced a weak, pale smile.
Mana surged out of him, but the moment he poured it in, it was instantly drained.
He didn't have nearly enough power for Oborofuji to lift such a colossal warship.
Still, just before kissing the warship, he managed to pull the flare gun's trigger.
Boom—
The sound of the flare launching merged with the noise of the warship crashing to the ground.
Gush—
Blood spurted from the officer's mouth.
He struggled to open his eyes, looking down at himself.
His once powerful lower body was gone. Thanks to Oborofuji, at least half of him remained.
He was done for…
Gasping, he lifted his head toward the beach.
If only… if only backup would come…
The flare's light gradually illuminated the sand. A hopeful smile touched his lips.
If help arrived, everything would still be alright.
But the next moment, his eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets.
"My… my soldiers?!" he roared at the empty beach.
The once bustling shore was now completely deserted.
He scanned the area frantically, but not a single soul was in sight.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a dark shape.
He smiled instantly—there was still hope!
The light slowly fell on the shape. He opened his mouth to shout—
But then he froze.
He stared fixedly at what the light revealed, blood vessels flooding his eyes.
A solitary hand lay on the sand, the severed wound seeming to declare their utter helplessness.
The officer's smile stiffened instantly, like a corpse long dead.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.