"E4 Squad, prepare to assist!"
Just as the words left her mouth, a beam of light surged into the battlefield, accompanied by the anguished screams of dozens of Reunion soldiers.
Something had crashed through them, flinging them into the air.
"That's… Miss Nearl!"
At Amiya's delighted cry, the blinding light softened, revealing the radiant form of the Radiant Knight, standing proud on the battlefield. Her sharp, determined gaze swept across the chaos.
"You all arrived much later than expected. I even had time to evacuate all the civilians in my sector."
The Kuranta girl's face remained impassive, her tone even and calm. But those who knew her understood—this was simply her outwardly cold, inwardly warm personality at work.
"Increase the pressure. Don't give the enemy a chance to regroup!"
Watching the knight confidently lead the charge and command the battlefield, Amiya, Dobermann, and Ace all quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"This operation went much better with you here," Dobermann said sincerely, casting a grateful glance at Nearl. As a fellow combat instructor, she knew exactly how powerful the former Kazimierz knight truly was.
"The flare's location signal worked perfectly. Looks like you all ran into serious trouble."
Nearl shook her head, brushing off the praise. "There's no time to talk. As long as Amiya's safe, we need to retreat—now."
A quick glance revealed the woman sheltering behind Ace.
"So you must be the Doctor. Your presence here means this mission at least achieved its goal. Now we must fight our way out—if we want to survive!"
"—Hold on! What the hell do you think you're doing, woman?!"
Maybe it was the reunion's sense of joy that annoyed him.Maybe it was the fact that he had been completely ignored.
Either way, Mephisto's usual theatrical tone disappeared, replaced by open frustration.
"The Reunion units suppressing the military strongholds in Chernobog are working like clockwork. But the ones you're leading act like deranged lunatics!"
Nearl narrowed her eyes at the rude boy.
"…Your commander likely ordered you to create disruption here. But instead, you've let your own crude tastes run wild."
Mephisto gritted his teeth, eyes locked onto the Radiant Knight.
"—Faust! Shoot her mouth off!"
Clang!
The arrow slammed into Nearl's shield. Though she had braced for the attack after Mephisto's shout, the sheer kinetic force pushed her back a step.
Cracks spread outward from the shield's center like a spiderweb. The embedded arrowhead spun for five full seconds before falling out with a sharp metallic clink.
"Damn! Enemy sniper!"
Dobermann's face turned grim. "With that kind of force... Nearl's shield won't last another hit!"
It was clear—one more blow like that, and her defenses would be gone.
"Nearl, fall back!"
Amiya could no longer afford to be polite.
"If you take another hit, you'll be seriously hurt!"
"No. The power's too great. If it hits the squad behind me…"
Nearl's refusal wasn't stubbornness—it was necessity.
She knew that even without a shield, she could take another hit or two herself.But if that same attack hit the team behind her, the result would be catastrophic.
She couldn't retreat.
"She blocked Faust's shot… with just a shield…?"
Unlike Rhodes Island's panicked reaction, Mephisto didn't look pleased.In fact, his face showed mostly surprise.
"Impossible… Impossible!"
"—Shoot again! Blast her apart!"
The sound came with the next arrow.
(No—it's from the right?!)
Nearl made a fatal misjudgment.She'd assumed the second shot would come from the same direction—But it was the exact opposite.
"—Not on my watch!"
Clang!
A tall figure shielded Nearl's exposed right flank in an instant, intercepting the deadly arrow.
The impact, which nearly destroyed Nearl's shield, only left the faintest scratch on this man's massive tower shield.
The man in sunglasses stood firm at Nearl's side.
It was Ace, Rhodes Island's one and only senior elite Defender—Widely known as "Rhodes Island's toughest man."
"All snipers, target the southern platform—volley fire!"
BOOM!
Shots rang out.The southern platform exploded in a shower of stone and debris.
Through the chaos, a dark silhouette darted between attacks—Fading into the shadows again and again, dodging every shot.
Amiya bit her lip.
"…Did we hit him?"
"No… That just suppresses him, barely."Ace, seasoned in battle, immediately saw the truth.
Their shots couldn't even force the enemy to reveal himself.At best, the volume of fire limited his chances to counterattack.
"Fast, powerful, evasive… The longer we drag this out, the harder it'll be to block his shots!"
Before Dobermann even finished her sentence, Amiya nodded.
"E1 squad snipers—focus fire with me and suppress the Reunion troops! E2 squad, concentrate your firepower and break their line!"
Nearl quickly caught on.
"E4 squad—charge with me and break their formation!"
The Kuranta girl once again became a flash of light.
With incredible speed and power, she plunged into Reunion's line.
Holding position meant nothing anymore.Only a counterattack could carve a path forward—And give Rhodes Island a chance at survival.