Chapter 16

Chapter 1 Sigrdrifa Reborn 1 Cutting through the white clouds, the crimson Deus ex Machina stuck close to the enemy’s back. “” Before her instruments could even alert her that the target was in her sights, her instincts told her to fire, and so she pulled the trigger. The machine guns on her wings emitted a roar as a stream of lead careened into the enemy. It had hardened defenses that wouldn’t be dented by conventional weapons of any kind, but thanks to the Deus ex Machina, the divine blessing bestowed upon the Valkyrie piloting the plane was extended to the ammunition as well, and they pierced right through the enemy’s shell like it was glass. There was a high-pitched shattering sound, too, followed by an explosion of light, proof of the enemy’s destruction. “—Splash one tertiary pillar.” The remnants of the enemy transformed into particles of light, a visual confirmation of its defeat, just as the report came over the radio. The sharp, cool voice announcing the result over the radio was calm. There was no excitement or emotion at shooting down an enemy. To some, her voice might have been disappointing, but to the pilot of the Deus ex Machina, it was just right. She preferred to save all unnecessary excitement and high spirits for after combat was concluded. More importantly, getting excited about shooting down a single enemy would be a terrible misunderstanding of the current state of the battle. “Remaining enemies?” “One hundred forty-one hostile contacts.” An emotionless count was the response, but she didn’t loosen her grip on the control stick. In the past, she had felt her spirit break at the sheer number of enemies and cursed her fate. But now she didn’t have to confront her own weakness like that anymore. “—Alma! Now!” “…You’re too loud, Natalie.” Over the radio, an excited voice and a calmer one shared a quick exchange. The next moment, a massive explosion bloomed in the skies. “” The clear-blue expanse was swallowed up by a tremendous flame and a wave of destruction, and for just a second, it felt like the world might be ending. Just as she registered that surreal scene, her eardrums were pummeled by the delayed sound of the explosion. It was a tremendous blast that seemed to shake everything, including the sky outside her cockpit, as dozens of enemies were enveloped by the blast and consumed. It was a Grand Slam dropped by Alma Conturo’s Deus ex Machina, a Lancaster bomber. The most powerful single attack humanity could bring to bear against the pillars. It scorched the enemies mercilessly through their protective shells, completely annihilating them. It was powerful enough that it could even take down a larger secondary with a single strike in the right circumstances, but it was not a weapon of finesse, and positioning was crucial to avoid causing friendly fire with its blast radius. Because it was so difficult to be sure of that, for a time Alma had been left behind by other Valkyries. But now— “What do you mean?! I’m merely providing adequate support!” “I can see that. Your voice is still too loud, though.” Despite those great results, an argument quickly filled the communication channel, pushing satisfaction at the result of the strike to the background for later. Natalie Chase, a Valkyrie in Alma’s squadron, was getting into it with her after that powerful attack so dramatically changed the tide of the battle.