Shana and Sinon were a blur of mechanical precision, desperate to whittle down the enemy's numbers while they were still at a distance. Since they knew the enemy count beforehand and had hauled every crate of ammunition they owned, their rifles—the M82 and the Hecate II—never fell silent. As long as the targets stayed in the specialized range only these two monsters could reach, they had more than enough lead to go around.
"Quite the variety pack they sent us," Shana remarked between shots.
"At least none of them are particularly fast," Sinon noted. "We're lucky there."
"You've really sharpened your eye, Sinon. Your lead is perfect."
"I put in the work."
"I can tell. Good girl."
Even as they spoke, their hands never stopped. They weren't maintaining a perfect record—nothing was a guaranteed hit at this range—but both were boasting an accuracy rate well above ninety-five percent.
"The rest are getting close," Shana said, glancing down. "Time for the others to join the party."
True to his word, the sound of gunfire from the lower levels began to swell. So far, not a single mob had touched the fortress's outer wall, but the first few were only seconds away from reaching the gate.
"The M82 is semi-auto, so the reload is easy enough," Shana muttered, "but that Hecate II is a bolt-action nightmare for a siege like this. You hanging in there?"
"I'm a little jealous of your fire rate, honestly," Sinon admitted. "Do you think Ikoma-kun could mod the Hecate for something smoother?"
"Doesn't hurt to ask. I'm not sure if he can overhaul the core mechanics of a legendary-tier rifle, but it's worth a shot."
"I won't hold my breath, but I'll ask."
Shana peered over the edge of the parapet. "I've cleared twelve. What's your tally?"
"Eight confirmed kills. I've wounded dozens more, but these mobs are surprisingly meaty. If you aren't hitting a critical point, they just keep coming."
"Machine guns are struggling too," Shana observed. "Takes half a belt just to drop one."
"It's the mechanical ones," Sinon added. "The biological mobs have clear weak points, but the drones and tanks... you have to dismantle them piece by piece."
"How much ammo you have left?"
"Ten rounds. I'm about to switch to my sidearm."
"If you're out, take this. I've still got twenty in the mag." Shana held out the heavy M82.
Sinon blinked. "You sure? What are you going to use?"
"I'm heading down to the front. Time for some close-quarters work."
"Right. The AR and AL blades."
"Yamikaze is about to charge out the front door," Shana said with a smirk. "I figured I should probably go make sure he doesn't get himself killed."
About half the enemy force remained. Because the majority of the squad was firing from the upper balconies or the hotel rooms, the range penalties were starting to take a toll on their damage output. The extermination speed was dragging.
"Alright, I'm off."
"I'm never worried about you," Sinon said, her voice softening, "but keep your head down."
"Copy that."
Shana pulled a coil of rope from his storage and lashed it to a sturdy branch of the World Tree protruding near the balcony.
"Wait, you're just going to drop from here?"
"Standard procedure. You should learn to rappel like this, Sinon. It'll save your life one day."
In a display of fluid athleticism, Shana executed a combat rappel, dropping two stories in a heartbeat. He kicked off the bark, vaulted through the air, and landed with a silent thud directly in front of Yamikaze just as the latter burst through the gate.
"Whoa!"
Yamikaze nearly squeezed the trigger of his submachine gun in a reflex of pure panic. He stopped just in time.
"Dammit, Shana! What kind of surprise is that? I almost ventilated you!"
"You wouldn't have," Shana said coolly. "I would have severed your wrists before your finger could finish the pull."
Yamikaze let out a loud, nervous laugh. "Hahaha! Nice joke! I love that kind of dark humor!"
"...Right. A joke."
Yamikaze stopped laughing, a look of suspicion creeping over his face. "Shana?"
"...Yeah?"
"Why won't you look me in the eye? Why are you staring at the ground?"
"You're imagining things."
"Okay, okay. Anyway—when did you even draw those photon blades? I didn't see you move."
"Your imagination again."
"Your Japanese is getting weird! They're literally in your hands right now! My eyes aren't that bad—I saw you draw them the millisecond your boots hit the dirt."
"Imagination."
"Oh, really...?" Yamikaze slowly, playfully leveled his gun toward Shana.
In a flash, Shana's blade whirled in a downward arc, stopping a hair's breadth from Yamikaze's wrist.
"What was that?!" Yamikaze yelped. "What just happened?!"
"A reflex," Shana said, his voice flat. "You know how your hand jumps when you get a sudden needle prick? Same thing."
"Oh, sure! Perfectly natural! Just a reflex to—Wait a minute! You were absolutely going to cut my hands off, weren't you?!"
Shana ignored his reddening face and pointed toward the horizon. "Incoming. Focus, Yami-yami."
"Don't you 'Yami-yami' me! Don't change the subject!"
"Rosalia is watching," Shana added.
Yamikaze instantly stiffened, his posture becoming heroic. "Right! Let's go, Shana! Watch closely! I'm going to show you the true, elegant dance of the Gale!"
Yamikaze charged headlong into the approaching mobs.
"Too easy," Shana muttered. He moved in a blur of black, positioning himself at Yamikaze's six. As the Gale spun and fired, Shana acted as his shield, his black blades intercepting anything that tried to flank the speedster.
"Whoa, those things have some bite," Yamikaze shouted over the din. "I bet you really could take a man's hands off with those."
"Will you let it go? Just keep shooting."
"You got it! Oh, look! Rosalia-chan really is watching! Time to turn up the heat!"
(In reality, Rosalia's eyes were fixed solely on Shana's silhouette.)
The two worked in perfect tandem. No matter how many mobs threw themselves at the gate, they couldn't break the line. Eventually, the last of the three hundred fell.
"Phew. Not bad for a first run," Shana said, wiping a bit of digital dust from his sleeve.
"That was a cakewalk!" Yamikaze boasted.
"Wait... Floria hasn't given the clear announcement yet."
"Did we miss one?"
"Let's head back inside and check."
As they stepped back into the lobby, they found Floria looking uncharacteristically flustered.
『Master, I apologize. An unforeseen anomaly has occurred.』
"What's wrong?"
『The probability was near zero, so I didn't include it in the initial briefing, but... a rare trigger has been activated. A Boss-class entity has appeared.』
"You've got to be kidding," Shana muttered.
"Whoa! A bonus boss?!" Yamikaze cheered.
The group scrambled to the observation deck. The rest of the squad joined them, scanning the horizon.
"Where is it? Floria, do you have a lock?"
『I am sorry, Master. Because this is a rare event mob, I cannot track its exact coordinates until it enters our immediate sensory range.』
"Fine. We'll do it the old-fashioned way. It's an open plain; it can't hide for long."
Sinon found it first. "Shana! Twelve o'clock!"
"I see it... What the hell is that?"
Looming in the distance was a massive, mechanical lion. Twin heavy cannons protruded from its shoulders, tracking the fortress.
"That looks... expensive," Yamikaze whispered.
"Look at the size of that thing," someone added.
"It looks fast," Shana noted. "Sniping from up here might not be enough if it starts zig-zagging. We might need a wall of lead to stop it."
Shana turned to the group, but Tarako stepped forward, looking grim. "Shana, we've got a problem. We're almost out of ammo."
"I might have gone a little overboard on the first wave..." someone admitted sheepishly.
"If only we had a shop in this place," another added.
Shana turned to Floria. "Floria, if the required credits are invested, can the shop be completed instantly?"
『Yes, Master. The construction is handled by the system's backend. It would be instantaneous.』
"Fine. I'm covering the costs. Floria, open the shop. Now."
『Understood.』
A chime echoed through the fortress. 『Facility Upgrade: Supply Depot is now online.』
"Whoa! Floria-chan is a godsend!"
"Move it! Restock, now!"
The squad sprinted to the second floor, crowding around the new vending consoles.
"The selection is limited," Tarako noted. "Some of us can't get our specific calibers here."
『If you register your weapon with the shop NPC, it will add the appropriate ammunition to the lineup,』 Floria explained.
"We don't have time for that," Shana cut in. "Shizuka, Kei, Pito—you're on melee standby. Everyone else, pool your credits and swap gear if you have to. Floria, I'm using my Master Authority. Grant me a full requisition of Hecate II ammunition. Everything the daily limit allows."
『As you wish.』
A crate of heavy, high-velocity rounds materialized. Shana shoved it toward Sinon. "Get back to the roof. Start the engagement now."
"On it!"
"Shizuka and I will take point outside to draw its fire. Pito, Kei—wait inside the lobby. Watch the flow of the battle. If it looks like we're losing momentum, join us. If we have it pinned, stay back and cover the flank."
"Got it! Be careful, you two," Pitohui said.
"I'm sure Onii-chan and Onee-sama will be fine, but if it gets hairy, I'm jumping in!" Kei added.
Shana and Shizuka stepped out into the open air.
"It's been a while since it was just the two of us, hasn't it?" Shizuka said softly.
"Yeah... Oh, look. Sinon's started her run."
They looked up. A thunderous roar echoed from the rooftop as a massive tracer streak tore through the sky.
"I've never seen a sniper shot from this angle," Shizuka said in awe.
"Looks more like an orbital strike," Shana agreed.
On the horizon, the Boss finally came into full view.
"Still looks small, but it's closing fast," Shana said.
"It's incredible how much ground it covers in a single leap," Shizuka noted.
"Get ready."
A comms burst came in from Sinon. 『Sorry, guys! I've landed a few hits, but the thing is too twitchy. I can't get a lock on the shoulder cannons.』
"Are the cannons fixed or turreted?" Shana asked.
『They look fixed, but I haven't seen them fire yet, so—Wait! Duck!』
The warning was all they needed. Shana and Shizuka dove in opposite directions as a pair of massive shells tore through the air, impacting exactly where they had been standing. The explosion sent a plume of dirt and debris skyward.
"Phew. That would have hurt," Shana muttered.
"That's some serious firepower," Shizuka added.
Sinon's voice crackled back in. 『Confirmed: the guns are fixed-position. But they're mounted high. If you're at ground level, it's going to be hard to hit them. You need to get above it.』
"Above it, huh?" Shana looked up the trunk of the tree. "Maybe I should climb and drop on its back?"
"No need, Shana," Shizuka smiled. "Kei knows how to rappel now."
"Right. Boot camp training," Shana remembered. "Pito, can you handle a high-altitude drop?"
Pitohui's voice drifted down from a third-story window. "I'm in, Shana! I've been dying for some excitement!"
"Perfect. You and Kei wait for the signal. When I pin it down, drop and take out those cannons."
""Roger!""
"Shana, watch out!" Sinon screamed.
Another volley. Shana rolled through the dust, the heat of the passing shell singeing his hair.
"Alright. It's time."
"Yeah."
Shana drew his twin black blades—the AR and AL. Beside him, Shizuka ignited her Kikou-ken. The photon blade flared to life, glowing with a vibrant, ethereal pink.
Shana glanced at her weapon. "Oh, you went with that color? Did you pick a name for it?"
"Yeah," Shizuka smiled, the pink light reflecting in her eyes. "I'm calling it Yozakura—the Night Sakura."
"Fits you perfectly. Red and white make pink, after all."
"Hehe, I guess you're right."
"Here it comes!"
The mechanical lion let out a digitized roar as it skidded to a halt before them. The two siblings lowered their centers of gravity, their blades humming in the sudden silence as they faced the beast.
-------------------------------
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