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“…Tch. Roger that.”

Much like how its bases were made from standardized shelter modules, the Federacy military used dedicated trailers coupled together for its frontline command posts to enable swift construction, dismantling, and movement. Also, in order to smooth operations, the three tactical commanders aside from Lena had access to their armored command vehicles, while Vika and Zashya had their command-configuration Barushka Matushkas.

The command post, surrounded by steel and bluish-white shadows, was manned by the brigade commander Grethe, as well as the Strike Package’s commanders, staff officers, and control personnel.

Marcel, who sat in one part of it, inside a control trailer with one of its flank panels deployed, nodded in acknowledgment. Glancing to the side, he confirmed the same information had reached his superior officers and switched his Para-RAID target.

The division HQ’s command post had a communication network in place, so information was shared almost instantaneously. However, the combat units on the front lines outside the command post were obstructed by Eintagsfliege jamming, meaning they didn’t receive information as quickly.

“Læraðr HQ to Undertaker. Positions of Waltraute Two (leviathan youngling) and Waltraute One (Fisara) confirmed. Waltraute Two is one kilometer east of the Karakuna dam. Waltraute One is upstream of the Karakuna dam, at a spot twelve kilometers away. It’s proceeding east along the Karakuna River to recover Waltraute Two.”

At the end of autumn, the treetops at the peaks of the Shihano mountains were colored a burning red, and even in the darkness before dawn, the place was relatively bright. The Spearhead squadron, led by Undertaker, sped through a magnificent grove of maple trees. As they raced under their canopy, starlight shone through the red foliage above them in a crimson glow, the same color as the leaves carpeting the ground beneath.

The maple leaves in this area edged past red and crimson, and had a somewhat violet hue. The starlight against the crimson-purple leaves looked like something out of a dream as it cast uneven patterns along their path. Their current route looked up to the Kadunan floodway; they were traversing a forest road that hadn’t seen human traffic in ages.

The Lady Bluebird Regiment, who were going about their operation in tandem, broke off at the forest zone near the bottom of the mountain and made their way to the other artificial river, the new Tataswa floodway.

Though relieved that the radioactive matter hadn’t affected them, Shin narrowed his eyes grimly all the same.

“Do we have an estimated time for when Waltraute One will reach the dam?”

Marcel fell silent for a moment.

“It’s 0530. Almost exactly the same time you’re set to arrive.”

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Of course, the Legion were also aware of the Leuca’s screech and the Fisara’s movements. Having readjusted their unit’s operation plan, the commander unit spoke, its mechanical voice traveling across the battlefield.

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A large unit they’d deployed to the operation area hadn’t evacuated and remained there. The commander unit paused for thought. The unit in question was a type with exceedingly slow movement speed. Now thatthe schedule of their operation against the second northern front had been moved up, it likely wouldn’t be able to retreat in time.

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It was neither the howling of a wolf nor the cry of a bird or a deer. Neither was it the calling of the Legion, with their silent footsteps. It was a more intense cry than anything he had ever heard, but somehow, the young soldier was able to maintain his composure and peer outside their pillbox’s eyelet to inspect what was happening. He heard the constant roaring of large volumes of water from the nearby dam, and the echoing of the screeching from earlier.

What in the world was that? Did some kind of fairy-tale dragon drop out of the sky? Some burning star or the blue steed of the gods? He looked around the pillbox, and thankfully, nothing was out of the ordinary—

No. From the corner of the cascading waters of the dam gate, he caught sight of a group of metallic forms blending into the trees. They were moving along the trail used for the dam’s construction, now mostly faded. Feeling something was off, he turned back to the trees, and then all his hair stood on end.

—The company commander never mentioned anything like that!

It was clear from a single glance—this thing was dangerous. Unlike the terrifying but harmless howl from afar, this was a much greater, more immediate threat to this pillbox and its inhabitants.

Some time ago, they were given manuals for handling enemies like these—but just remembering that was painful. Those raised in the territories’ villages never learned to read and write, and though he had sincelearned, he and his friend had trouble with long texts; they had to have their company commander explain them to them. Their usually stern sergeant would write them down for them in simpler terms, so they could check them whenever they needed, but that sergeant was gone now. He died a month ago, on the night burning stars fell from the heavens.

Before he knew it, a small child came over and peered up at him. The soldier hurriedly wiped his tears away. If he was surprised, such a small child must have been even more frightened.

“Don’t worry. The monster that made that howl won’t come here. Go back and hide inside with everyone else.”

He had to prepare for battle like always. And he had to check with everyone to make sure they remembered how to handle that Legion he’d seen just a moment ago. Without realizing it, his finger tightened on the grip of the assault rifle he hadn’t let go of for this entire month.

These are the terms for my surrender, Ninha asserted, and the Lady Bluebird Regiment agreed to let her join them without too much fuss. Of course, she wasn’t allowed to carry a weapon. As she sat in the corner of the infantry combat car, which was packed with armored infantry and reeked of dirt and blood, Ninha whispered to herself.

“Just you wait, Noele. I’ll be sure to give you what you truly want.”

The starting point of the Kadunan floodway, the dam that held back the flow of the Roginia River, was under the control of the second northern front. But seizing all the dams north of the Roginia dam was the Strike Package’s role. The 4th Battalion, which had Saki serving as acting battalion commander; Mitsuda’s 5th Battalion, Rito’s 2nd Battalion, and Kunoe’s 6th Battalion were all charged with securing their way back.

Seizing the seven dams on their way to their destination fell to Michihi’s 3rd Battalion and Locan’s 7th Battalion. This left only five squadrons from the 1st Battalion, starting with the Scythe squadron.

Shin’s unit was to seize the 1st Armored Division’s final target, theKarakuna dam. His unit was made up of three squadrons: Spearhead and Nordlicht, in addition to the Brísingamen squadron.

“Læraðr HQ, the 1st Battalion’s team one has arrived at the Karakuna dam.”

The Legion likely knew their destination, but the soldiers still tried to pass through spots with thick foliage and dense treetops so as to avoid the Rabe’s watchful eye. With that foliage as their cover, Shin brought Undertaker and the units following him to a halt. Farther north were Siri’s 2nd Armored Division and Canaan’s 3rd Armored Division, but they had to stay behind while Shin’s group entered the woods.

All the units hid in the shadow of the foliage as they peered at their target, the Karakuna dam, on the other side of the trees. The Karakuna River flowed between two mountains, but it was blocked by a concrete fortification. From the dry side of the river, the dam stood several dozen meters tall, but the thin arch-shaped structure was built so as to dig into the two mountains’ slopes, filling the canyon with water.

The dam’s gate was carved into the mountains’ ridges to redirect the flow of the water north of the basin and was on the other side of the dam. There were five catwalks set up, running side by side for construction and maintenance. On the other side of this towering structure, along the northern and southern slopes to either side of the dam, they could see them.

—They’re here.

Shin could hear the wailing of countless Legion. And since these were woods, where it was easy to lie in ambush, there were probably more of them in shutdown mode so as to fool him.

“If the Hail Mary Regiment didn’t cause all this pointless trouble, maybe the fighting would have been a bit easier,”Raiden scoffed.

Originally, the plan was to conceal the Strike Package’s presence in the area until the operation started. If that had succeeded, the Legion likely wouldn’t have hidden enemies for the explicit purpose of fooling Shin’s ability. They wouldn’t have been careless regardless, but the fact remained that the Legion had taken measures to react specifically to his presence.

“No point saying that now. The enemy’s on the move on the other side of the dam. I’ll confirm what type they are.”

“That’s a lake on the other side, right? It looks like a pretty big type…”

A shadow descended on them. It seemed almost surreal, looming over the near-vertical arch dam, faint light shining over it. It rose from within the reservoir on the other side of the dam, its large body surpassing the structure’s highest point. Hanging from its long neck was a hook, a pair of what looked like pliers, and a pair of wings.

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It was the metallic sheen of the Legion, but it was unlike any Legion he’d ever seen before—like the skeleton of some sort of winged beast. As the agonized cries of the dead boomed from it, it faced them from the other side of the arch dam.