Bang—!!!
As soon as the signal was given, the tanks that had been waiting on the beach began to advance.
The Trinity tanks moved forward at a greater speed than Gehenna's. This was because, even if they were destroyed by the enemy's main cannons, it was crucial for them to become cover as close to the enemy line as possible.
With both sides advancing, the distance between them quickly shrank to less than a kilometer, and at this point, the Gehenna tanks halted and prepared to fire.
"Main cannons, fire!"
BOOM!!!
The cannons of the Tiger tanks roared in unison. For the relatively fragile Crusader tanks, each and every shell was a threat. True enough, one Crusader was immediately destroyed by the first volley and ground to a halt.
Regardless, to provide their infantry with a closer starting point, the Trinity tanks continued to advance. Even if they failed to destroy a single enemy tank, that was a problem that could be solved by the students following behind them.
As the Trinity formation continued to close the distance, the Gehenna students emerged from behind their own Tiger tanks, which had moved a shorter distance. They were already prepared to fire their anti-tank rockets.
"Kikikik. Did you think we would fall for such an obvious trick? Marvel at the power of Gehenna, commanded by the great Makoto herself!"
The Crusader tanks managed to close the distance to about 300 meters from the Gehenna line. Only one tank survived to that point. The final tank stopped and fired its main cannon, but the shell unfortunately ricocheted off the Tiger's armor. With that, the last Crusader was destroyed.
They had failed to reach their initial objective of the 200-meter line, which meant that stopping the Tiger tanks' cannons from continuously pounding the Trinity formation had just become one step more difficult.
However, even with their plan slightly askew, the Trinity side showed no signs of panic.
Using the destroyed Crusader tanks as cover, the advancing Arius students fired a number of anti-tank rockets while simultaneously preparing to attack the Gehenna infantry waiting behind the tanks.
"Misaki."
"Right."
The rocket fired from Misaki's launcher reached the sky above the Tiger tank on Gehenna's right flank, at which point it released its submunitions.
The scattered incendiary bombs turned the area behind the Tiger tank into a sea of fire, partially breaking their front line.
Arius's anti-tank rockets continued to pound the Tigers, and some were aimed at the tanks positioned in the center.
"Arius's armaments are certainly a class of their own. To think that such a force is now, for all intents and purposes, Mika-san's private army…"
"Well, it's not like they don't overlap with the JTF, which is directly under Tea Party. But Mika-senpai isn't the type to use military force for personal reasons, is she?"
"That's true. It's just that… I'm a little worried about what will happen to Arius after Mika-san graduates."
Hasumi, turning her gaze from the left flank where they had begun to push the enemy back, gave an order over the radio.
"Tsurugi. I need you to push the right flank. I will do my best to maintain the line in the center."
[Got it, Hasumi. It won't take long.]
After hearing Tsurugi's reply, Hasumi sent another message to Saori, requesting support.
"Saori-san, I need you to provide additional fire on the center line with Arius's anti-tank rockets."
[Acknowledged. We will fire one more volley of rockets before advancing our troops to the center.]
Saori, receiving the message, pulled up her mask and ordered another volley.
"We are now infiltrating the enemy formation. Artillery will support the center. Anyone who falls behind will be left behind."
After confirming the series of explosions, Saori, her Trinity-marked Arius coat billowing behind her, began to lead the charge toward the Gehenna line. The only things that identified her as a former member of the Arius Branch School and a current member of the Arius faction were the leader's armband and the insignia on her belt.
"Since when did Trinity's Justice Task Force have this kind of firepower?! The front line is collapsing at twice the speed I anticipated! A-at this rate, the slander against the Prefect Team in the President's absence will be unbearable! Iori, I will provide support, so you must lead these problem children and stop them here! For President Hina!"
"Uh, yeah. Right. Whether those brats will actually follow orders is another question, though."
As Ako spoke, Iori, her own rifle slung over her shoulder, was sweating nervously. Behind her, a pillar of fire shot up into the sky.
"Yoo-hoo~! Did someone call for us? Don't you worry~ We'll do our best to rescue our future club president Kasumi from the clutches of the Prefect Team President!"
The Hot Springs Development Club's Shimokura Megu dramatically pulled down the goggles that had been resting on her head…
"Ouch!"
"Wh-what are you doing?!"
…and promptly smacked herself in the nose, causing her to drop her flamethrower. A small jet of flame shot out and licked at Iori's feet, making her jump in terror.
"They cause headaches when they're our enemies, and they cause headaches in a completely different way when they're our allies. Why is it that between these problem children and Pandemonium Society, I don't have a single reliable ally?!"
"Well~ isn't that true for the Prefect Team without its president, too?"
"Wh-what did you say?! Are you finished talking?"
"Ehh, but it's true. Well, whatever! Let's go, everyone! For our future president Kasumi!"
"""Waaaaaah!!!"""
"…"
Hina's plan to lure in the Hot Springs Development Club—who would have otherwise sat out this event—by personally locking Kinugawa Kasumi in the Prefect Team's prison was a strategy worthy of praise.
However, the fact that it had only resulted in a massive headache for her was a source of endless gloom for Ako.
"Let's burn 'em all to the ground~!"
Watching the Hot Springs Development Club charge forward to support the front line without any regard for orders, Ako thought that, damn it all, they were actually reliable, and drew her own cherished pistol.
"Fufu. Don't worry so much, members of the Prefect Team. We of the Gourmet Research Society will be sure to provide you with support."
"All three of you."
"To evaluate combat strength by numbers when your own president is Sorasaki-san, a woman whose strength is rumored to be on par with Mika-san's… Senior Administrator, are you…?"
"Th-that's…! How can you compare problem children like you to President Hina!"
As Ako recoiled in disgust, Haruna, with natural grace, aimed her sniper rifle at the enemy line and pulled the trigger.
The bullet flew across the battlefield and struck an Arius student who was moving toward the center line with an anti-tank rocket, dropping her to the ground. Haruna casually brushed her hair back and gave Ako a gentle smile.
"Of course we cannot be compared… but when it comes to the desire for victory, I can assure you that we are all just as, if not more, passionate than you."
"Ufufu… a card that can be used at any restaurant in the Gehenna district twice a month with no spending limit? How could we possibly resist? This is a chance to taste the sweetness of victory to our hearts' content!"
"I don't know the details, but I heard that food tastes best after you've accomplished something. So let's finish this quickly and go eat!"
"As you can see, our members are also highly motivated."
"Honestly. Fine, what more can I say? If it's for President Hina's sake, I suppose I have no choice but to join hands with problem children like you."
Forcing herself to ignore her throbbing headache, Ako repeated the words she had already recited over thirty-seven times in the past five minutes.
'President, why did it have to be that person?'
By now, the Hot Springs Development Club had engaged the Arius students. A grenade flew from behind them and landed among the Arius troops, scattering them.
"As expected, everything is best when it's piping hot~"
"Ahahahahat! I know that feeling well!"
Megu's flamethrower spewed a torrent of fire, reinforcing the front line that had been pushed back behind the Tiger tank.
The standoff that had formed around the disabled Tiger was broken by a single gunshot. A sniper round from behind a Crusader tank struck Akari squarely.
"Huh?"
"Ugh, see, you're completely useless!"
Ako's shriek echoed across the battlefield.
Unlike the central front, which had devolved into a stalemate around the Gehenna Tiger tank, and the chaotic left flank, the last remaining front was painting a very different picture.
"Kihihihihihehet—!! Kiiyaaaaaah!!"
Tsurugi, letting out an inhuman screech, blew the hatch off a Tiger tank with her two shotguns and peered inside.
"Found you."
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiik!!!"
The tank crew member, who had been cowering inside the modified one-man Tiger and watching the situation outside, took one look at Tsurugi's face, let out a bloodcurdling scream, and promptly passed out.
"…"
Tsurugi, who could only confirm the crew member had fainted by the disappearance of her halo, felt a deep scar being carved into her tender heart.
In any case, now that she had captured an intact enemy tank, she had to make use of it. Effortlessly, she turned the turret toward the central front and fired a single shot at a Gehenna Tiger, then climbed on top of the tank to look down at the Gehenna students.
"Kihit."
Due to the wound her heart had just sustained, Tsurugi's hand was now fated to be even more ruthless. A young girl's heart is a fragile thing, after all.
Pshew—! Ratatatatatat!!!
If someone hadn't been there to stop her, the front line would have collapsed under the might of the single asymmetrical force that was Tsurugi.
The only one who could stop her was an asymmetrical force of equal power.
And Gehenna, too, had such a force.
"Khh."
"I see. So this is the famed durability of the Justice Task Force's president."
The one who had single-handedly held the title of Gehenna's ultimate weapon, the entire Prefect Team combined: Sorasaki Hina. Tsurugi, who had stood her ground and taken everything Hina could throw at her until she had expended an entire belt of ammunition, let a grotesque smile spread across her face.
"All Prefect Team members, fall back and intercept Trinity's forces. I will handle this."
Hina, coolly reloading her weapon with her foot, once again aimed her machine gun at Tsurugi.
She could endure her gunfire with her own body?
Then all she had to do was keep hitting her until she broke.
"Ehehehehehe…! That tickles!!!"
And so, at that moment, when the two students whose strength could not be easily compared began to clash head-on…
Mika, who had been deprived of the chance to witness this fierce battle live and was currently in a strategy meeting with the FOX Squad aboard the Odyseia school ship, would later be forced to watch the replay and shed tears of regret.