Rin would rather have Hanabi kill her than let that happen. The Warrior Princess could play the role of seppuku assistant. This was a silly thought, and even as she thought it, another part of her mind was thinking about the boy who’d stolen her friend’s heart. If he’d been here, this would be so much easier.
The Lunatic Order hurried toward the Gate, where their compatriots were trapped with no escape route.
The survivors of the main force began withdrawing, thanks to the efforts of the Fuji Squad and their reinforcements, but those were only the survivors furthest from the Gate. In the war zone near the Gate, there were still several squads putting up a desperate resistance against the Jave. The Fuji Squad wanted to go save the rest, but it was all they could do just to save those close at hand. If they took any risks, they’d end up waiting for salvation themselves.
An hour after the operation had begun, the battlefield remained under the Jave’s control. The Fuji Squad was surrounded by enemies on all sides, struggling to save as many Cavalleria as they could. “We’re out of time,” Fuji said. “If we stay any longer, the ships that are here for us will leave. Let’s go.”
No one argued; they all thought it was a wise decision. All members of the three squads temporarily under Fuji’s control assented, except for one.
“You go on ahead,” Suzuka Hanabi said. “I’m gonna cut my way closer to the Gate.”
There was a stunned silence. Did she want to die here?
“You can’t!” Rin screamed like the demons had a hold of her.
But Hanabi just shook her head. “Sorry. I have to do this. Let me go.”
“I said you can’t! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Make yourself into a hero that way?!”
“No, Rin. I’m not.”
“Kyuu-kun said you admire the Hero so much he’s afraid you’ve got a death wish! This is exactly what he meant!” Rin cried. “What’s wrong with you?! I thought you’d learned better than to just charge in!”
“If the Hero hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t even be here.”
“So what?!”
“I was right under the Gate. That area was abandoned. There was no one coming to save me, but he came. He didn’t abandon me.” Hanabi smiled. “I can still fight. I’m Division 5. I’m a Maneuver Cavalleria. I don’t want to abandon anyone like me.”
They’d known each other long enough for Rin to realize there was nothing she could say to change Hanabi’s mind, but she tried anyway. She had to. “Don’t you want to see Kyuu-kun again?!” she pleaded, tears running down her face.
“I…” Hanabi didn’t have an answer for that one. If she said anything, it would weaken her resolve.
“Then I’m coming with you! If you try and stop me, I’ll just follow you anyway!” Rin said, wiping her tears. “If you don’t want that, then don’t go!”
“Rin…really…?” Hanabi looked at Fuji for help.
But Fuji had no intention of helping. “Sorry, everyone,” he said. “I’m disbanding the provisional squad. Sagara Squad, Mitsuhashi Squad, head for the ship.”
“Fuji-kun, you can’t mean—”
“I’m coming with you, Suzuka-kun,” Fuji snorted. “If you don’t want that, then don’t go.”
“Argh!” Hanabi let out, clutching her head. She was at a total loss. “You’re both idiots.”
“Says who?!” both Squad Leader and Subleader said as one.
So many times he’d thought he was done for.
The Cavalleria had descended as part of the main Lunar Defense Force, part of a squad ordered to destroy the four flesh pillars placed near the Gate. There weren’t that many Jave around that area just then. Immediately after dropping in, they’d proceeded as planned, easily eliminating the flesh pillars believed to control the Gate. That much was successful.
But a moment later, the Gate opened and an insane number of Jave came flying out. The timing was so precise that an awful thought struck the Cavalleria.
That wasn’t a control device…it was a switch.
A switch which triggered if anyone tried harming the Gate. Instead of an alarm, it summoned dark red fleshy monsters. In the blink of an eye, his fellow squad members were nearly all shot, eaten, or otherwise dead, and only then did the Cavalleria make his frozen body flee for his life. He didn’t know which way he was going; he just flew away until his magic ran out and he crashed. The road he landed on was so covered in blood and flesh you couldn’t even see the asphalt under it, the gore so mangled he couldn’t tell if it was human or Jave.
He looked up to find three mantas headed straight for him. They couldn’t even be bothered to fire light bullets. They must be real gourmets. Better to eat a human alive then use a projectile to kill them first.
This is it.
He had enough magic for a single rifle shot. He stuck it in his own mouth. Dying was better than getting eaten alive. Before he could fire, a wave of light enveloped the mantas, exterminating them.
“Are you okay?”
A goddess spoke to him, a beauty the likes of which he’d never seen landing right before him. Her DM sported massive wings and a gigantic rifle, far beyond what a Division 3 like him could ever wield.
“You’re the last one,” the goddess said, shaking her ponytail. “If you can still move, you should run. I’ll buy you time.”
Another DM landed beside her. A boy with the look of an officer tossed him a capsule. “Orders are to retreat,” said the boy. “Fly north, then turn east at Kanda. If you head straight out to sea you should find the escape fleet.”
“Wh-what will you do…?”
“Hold the enemy off. If we go with you, they’ll follow after.”
“Oh…thanks…”
He swallowed the capsule and began flying north, as he was told. There were so few enemies. They must have cut a path for him. Only then did he realize who those Cavalleria were.
The Lunatic Order. Students.
They should have been on standby at the rear, yet here they were on the front lines, covering his retreat. They even gave him their precious recovery capsules.
Please don’t die.
All he could do was pray for them. The last survivor of the main force flew off toward the escape fleet so the students’ mission could succeed.
“Whew,” Rin said. She landed listlessly on the ground, clearly thoroughly exhausted. She was completely out of magic recovery capsules. She’d used all of hers ages back, and Fuji had given his last to that Cavalleria. Fuji was on the ground next to her, catching his breath. Maintaining flight had become actively painful.
There were no enemies nearby, but Rin, Fuji, and Hanabi all knew better. They were surrounded, with nowhere to run. The enemy might not be in view, but their radar told a different story. It showed a ring of Jave surrounding them.
They were moving in. The circle was getting smaller.
So this is finally it. No sooner had this thought crossed Rin’s mind than a transmission came in from over ten thousand kilometers above. It was from the Fuji Squad’s newest member, who’d ditched his ultimate arts training, punched through the Jave swarm, and was about to begin the re-entry process.