Caesar crouched beside the fuel tanker, quietly observing the officers nearby. Every one of them treated the burly middle-aged man with extreme deference, not daring to show the slightest hint of disrespect.
All at once, Caesar struck her fist into her palm, realization flashing across her face.
So that's it—he must be the military commander of the Rebel Ninth Division!
"Who's there?!"
The sharp sound of her palm strike had been too loud, immediately alerting those nearby.
The Ninth Division's military commander turned his head, his gaze sweeping across his subordinates. The rebels stiffened, barely daring to breathe. Judging from their panicked expressions, the noise clearly hadn't come from them.
Slowly, the commander's line of sight shifted—until it locked onto the fuel tanker.
Footsteps rang out. His broad feet pressed into the loose sand, producing a faint, rustling crunch.
Like a scene straight out of a shoujo manga, the sound tugged at Caesar's heart. With every step that drew closer, her pulse accelerated.
The brave warrior from Calydon hid behind the tanker's massive tire, fingers clenched tightly around the hilt of her short sword, waiting for the moment the commander approached.
She knew this went against Lucy's plan. Picking a fight with the military commander in the middle of an enemy camp was incredibly risky.
But Caesar really, really wanted to fight.
A powerful enemy was right in front of her, yet she was forced to hide. How was that any different from having a stack of shoujo manga laid out on the table, only for Lucy to declare them "nutritionally void," tie Caesar up, and make her read something like The Three Little Pigs instead.
So come on!
As soon as you notice me, I can throw away all that "external brain" thinking and just stab you!
Caesar tilted her head, listening closely to the footsteps, eyes fixed on the shadow stretching longer beneath the moonlight. Her breathing grew heavier without her noticing, her cheeks flushing as her grip tightened until the short sword creaked softly.
Step… step…
Closer—closer still!
She held her breath, her face growing redder by the second. When her line of sight slipped past the small gap beneath the windshield and she caught her first glimpse of the commander's hair, Caesar couldn't hold it in any longer. It felt as though her blood itself was cheering.
She stepped forward and lunged out.
At that exact moment, however, the military commander—who had been suspiciously searching near the tanker—suddenly stopped.
His hand moved to the earpiece at his side. He turned away and leaned against the tanker, bracing himself with his back to the cab and casually propping himself up with his hip.
That left Caesar in an awkward spot.
She had already charged out and slashed.
But the man hadn't come any closer at all.
Her sword cut cleanly through empty air.
Thankfully, no one saw. Caesar immediately scrambled back behind the tire.
The commander sensed something off again, but when he glanced over, there was nothing there. Assuming it was just his imagination, he dismissed it and continued his call.
His expression turned cold as he spoke sharply into the earpiece:
"Cross-rank reporting? Hmph. Summarize the situation in as few words as possible."
"Ah—huff! Ah—huff! Aiya—wah—!"
The next second, a string of bizarre screams erupted from the other end, faint gunshots mixed in.
The military commander's expression darkened. He straightened at once, face grim, and barked into the earpiece:
"Soldier! Answer me! What's your situation right now?!"
Only distorted screams answered him, with the occasional broken phrase slipping through.
"C-Commander—waaah! We… ugh—ran into… no, don't—wait, wait! I sur—"
The connection cut out.
Having listened intently yet learned nothing useful, the military commander was so angry he nearly smashed the earpiece in his hand.
Then he remembered how expensive it was.
"…Hmph. Forget it."
He took a deep breath, steadied himself, and put the earpiece back on. Turning toward Blazewood, he stared at the sky above it, awash in colorful lights.
At this point, how could he not understand?
That so-called carnival tonight had been nothing but a smokescreen. They had discovered his presence long ago and merely pretended otherwise, waiting for him to let his guard down.
Then they would strike with everything they had.
How utterly… audacious.
Bang!
A thunderous impact made the surrounding rebels flinch. All eyes turned to the commander.
They watched as his fist smashed into the tanker's roof, caving it in with a deep, resounding dent.
Lowering his arm, the commander swept his gaze across the camp. Any rebel who met his eyes immediately dropped their head, too frightened to hold his stare.
He snorted coldly.
"Hmph. I thought the Sons of Calydon, having risen to power, were at least capable of reading the situation. A bit of plundering, some forced conscription, and we could've wrapped things up today."
"But I didn't expect them to show us no respect at all. In that case, they've only got themselves to blame. Pass the order—armored mobile units, prepare for assault. We're taking Blazewood by force and reclaiming—"
Mid-sentence, his nose twitched.
There was a strange scent in the air.
The commander frowned. It felt… familiar.
Like… fuel.
…Damn it!
His eyes flew wide open as the realization hit him. The warning burst from his mouth almost instinctively:
"Down!"
The rebels stared in disbelief as the commander, utterly unconcerned with appearances, dove headfirst into the sand. In an instant, the armor bound to his left arm burst apart and reassembled, folding over him like a coffin.
The rebels recognized it immediately—this was the military commander's strongest defensive form. In moments of extreme danger, the armor on his left arm could transform into a coffin-like shell that fully enclosed his body, offering terrifying defensive power.
It was this very ability that had allowed him to survive wave after wave of artillery bombardment from the New Eridu forces—and ultimately rise to the rank of military commander.
That said, the technique looked undeniably ridiculous, and since assuming command, he had rarely used it.
Who would've thought that some mysterious odor drifting through the air would scare the commander into deploying his "turtle shell" defense?
Really… huh?
The rebels suddenly froze. They blinked, eyes widening as a strangely childlike spark of understanding appeared.
…Well, if even the prideful commander is turtling up to save himself, then we should—
They looked at one another, exchanged grins, and raised their thumbs. Smiling broadly, they spoke in unison:
"Send it."
BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the night as dozens of fuel tankers positioned around the rebel camp detonated simultaneously.
Flames roared skyward, turning night into blazing daylight.
The surging shockwaves swallowed everyone who hadn't fled in time. Sand was hurled into the air, screaming upward before crashing back down like ocean waves. Those caught within were almost entirely wiped out.
Inside Blazewood, Lucy observed the scene through binoculars. Lowering them, she curled her lips faintly and unconsciously pulled Corin closer into her arms.
Corin blushed, gently pushing at Lucy's shoulder.
"Lucy…"
Only then did Lucy realize what she was doing. Her face flushed as she cleared her throat, pretending nothing had happened and hurriedly changing the subject.
"Ahem! Anyway! Caesar isn't completely brainless. Now—it's time for our counterattack!"
"Corin. Proxy. You're coming to the front lines with me."
Corin nodded slightly. "No problem."
Belle scratched her head, looking embarrassed.
"I'll pass this time… but don't worry! I caught everything on camera just now. Remember to stop by our video store to pick it up!"
Corin's face went pale. "W–Wait, Miss Proxy, how could you—mmph!"
"Let's go, Corin. No time to argue."
Before Corin could say another word, Lucy had already dragged her away.
And where Corin couldn't see, Lucy quietly gave Belle a thumbs-up.
…
Rebel Camp
Amid the scorched wasteland, Caesar—her entire body wreathed in golden light—slowly walked toward a lone "coffin" standing in the endless desert.
Surrounded by blackened, vitrified sand, its presence was jarringly conspicuous.
Just as Caesar drew close enough, the coffin suddenly trembled.
She stopped where she was, planting her hands on her hips, a puzzled look crossing her face.
"Hey, Old man. You weren't planning to wait until I got close and then jump me, were you? That's a pretty lousy ambush, you know."
The moment her words fell, the coffin lid froze mid-shudder, going completely stiff.
The next second, a massive body burst out of the sand. Even just the upper half stood as tall as Perlman, and a single forearm was thicker than Perlman's thigh.
That arm was charred black, covered in severe burns. Despite the damage, there was barely any blood on the surface.
The military commander clenched his teeth, glaring at Caesar like a feral beast, forcing each word out through gritted teeth.
"Who the hell said I was ambushing you?!"
"The coffin lid didn't seal properly. The blast shockwave got inside! My entire right arm got burned to a crisp—damn it!"
His face twisted violently as he spoke, features contorting as cold sweat streamed from his brow down to his chin. The pain was clearly unbearable.
Seeing this, Caesar immediately understood.
"Ohhh, so it's not that your hiding skills suck—it's just that it hurts too much, right?"
She sighed and slumped her shoulders.
"But that won't do. I've been buried in the sand since this afternoon, crawling forward the whole time. Every time I wanted to give up, I kept going by telling myself there'd be a big fight waiting for me."
She looked at him again, crestfallen.
"But now you look half-dead. I can't bring myself to hit you like this."
Caesar drooped visibly, full of regret.
In this world, there were only two things that must never be betrayed: shoujo manga and a good fight.
Today should've been perfect—lying in bed, reading manga in peace.
Then suddenly came news that the Rebel Ninth Division might raid the area. Her precious reading time was ruined, and Lucy ordered her to carry out a decapitation strike.
Fine.
If she couldn't read manga, then beating up the enemy leader would have to do.
After all, both made the heart race.
No real difference!
But now, with this rebel old man looking like he was one foot in the grave, fighting him just felt like bullying the weak.
"Ugh…"
Caesar sighed deeply, disappointment filling her eyes as she looked at the military commander.
"Old man, how can you already be like this? It was just one explosion! For fairness' sake, I tanked it head-on too, you know."
She scratched her glowing golden hair irritably, her fingers brushing across the small round shield strapped to her left arm.
"Enough! Don't look at me like I'm some pitiful—ptui, ptui!"
The military commander slammed the ground in fury, only to fling a mouthful of sand straight into his own face.
The vitrified sand tasted… unique. At the very least, it ground against his teeth hard enough to make them ache. He spat repeatedly, his anger flaring even hotter, then yanked his entire body free from the coffin.
His pitch-black frame blocked out the moon, casting a towering shadow over two meters tall that swallowed Caesar completely.
Grabbing the coffin lid, the commander swung it down at her with full force, roaring:
"Today I'll teach you what it means to respect your elders, you little brat!"
A vicious gale rushed toward her.
Caesar didn't flinch in the slightest. On the contrary, she looked thrilled.
She raised her small round shield and blocked the blow head-on. Being forced back a single step only made her eyes light up with excitement.
"Oh! I didn't expect you still had this much strength, Old man! That means it's not bullying the weak, right?"
She grinned.
"Then I can go all out on you, yeah?!"
With that, Caesar surged forward again, weaving sideways to evade the crashing coffin lid while gripping her short sword tightly, searching for the perfect spot to stab.
The military commander felt utterly belittled.
His rage exploded.
In an instant, the coffin lid disassembled, reverting back into the armor on his left arm. He swung it like a sledgehammer—one hit would easily shatter bones and drop an ordinary person on the spot.
"Die!"
Caesar raised her shield to block and was forced back two steps, her feet sinking slightly into the soft sand as she coiled herself to spring forward at any moment.
"I'm not done yet!"
The commander roared hoarsely and smashed his fist into the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the armor on his left arm transformed again, unfolding like petals to reveal a dark, yawning gun barrel within.
The next instant—
Muzzle flash erupted.
In just a few seconds, hundreds of bullets poured out. Disposable casings fell soundlessly into the sand. In the flickering firelight, a savage grin spread across the commander's thick, scarred face.
"Hahaha! Come hit me! Weren't you tough just now? Didn't you say you tanked the explosion?!"
"Well then—come on, you little brat!"
"Oh! If you say so, Old man—then I'm coming!"
A bright, cheerful voice suddenly rang out right in front of him.
The military commander's expression changed instantly.
His eyes widened in horror.
The hell—when did you activate that?!
Caesar was already right in front of him.
Bathed in golden light, she ignored the bullets completely, charging straight through them and slashing at him.
The commander tried to dodge, but the flat of the blade slammed into his neck, nearly knocking him unconscious.
Caesar pressed the attack relentlessly, laughing as she sliced apart the armor on his left arm, then drove a vicious kick into his abdomen.
"Old man, you've got a pretty high rank—don't surrender now!"
"Get lost! Surrender is a rebel's right! You can't take away my dream of prisoner life! I'm done—I surrender!"
That kick nearly made him vomit everything he'd eaten the night before. Knowing he was completely outmatched, the military commander immediately gave up.
"Huh? Leaders can surrender too? That's lame."
Caesar deflated instantly, disappointment filling her eyes.
But then—her battle-loving, shoujo-manga-fueled brain sparked with a sudden realization.
Wait.
I'm not the Overlord.
I'm just the leader of the Sons of Calydon under Overlord Lucy.
I don't even have the authority to accept a surrender!
…Damn it.
Just thinking about it made her hands itch.
Her heart raced. The hands gripping her small shield and short sword trembled as her bright green eyes locked onto the military commander, brimming with anticipation.
The commander panicked.
With no weapons left, he shrank back, blustering in fear.
"W–Wait! What are you doing?! I've already surrendered! You have to follow the rules—no abusing prisoners!"
Caesar didn't retreat.
She simply smiled.
"Old man—welcome to the Outer Ring."
"Wait—no—don't—AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"