Assault Lily Wunder: Chapter 2

Assault Lily Wunder The Odaiba Counteroffensive

Chapter 2 "We Messed Up..."

Part 1
Alarms were sounding all across Odaiba.

Thick black clouds hid the sky from view, and lightning flashed near the giant Cave that had opened at Wakasu Park.

In the midst of that, the Fifth Division that Noguchi Shinano was the commander of was running in the direction of the Shin-Kiba area. Their mission was to contain the Soldier Ants in the vicinity of Wakasu Park and then defeat the nestless Ultra.

Shin-Kiba, in the northeast of Odaiba, had once been the site of a park named "Yumenoshima" and numerous warehouses, but now all there was left there were some ruined buildings that had been converted into CHARM workshops and shooting ranges. The Arsenal department of Odaiba Girls' School used them for testing CHARMs, and Lilies did live-fire exercises using their magie.

When Shinano and the Fifth Division reached Shin-Kiba Station, they saw panicked civilians boarding the rail cars waiting to evacuate them. Beyond stood Lilies from Odaiba Girls' School and soldiers from the military, guiding the evacuation and getting ready to fight.

"Look over there!" Shinano said to her companions, pointing at the wide avenue that connected Shin-Kiba with Wakasu Park. Tanks and armored vehicles blocked the road, Lilies and soldiers forming a battle line among them. Beyond them, a horde of Soldier Ants was approaching from the direction of Wakasu, their numbers causing the earth to shake.

True to their name, the Soldier Ants looked much like insects, except that each of them was slightly larger than a small car. But as they rushed forward, what the swarm bore the most resemblance to was a tidal wave that had broken through a levee.

The tanks made ready to fire upon them, joined by soldiers aiming their rocket launchers.

"Fire!"

Upon the brigade captain's order, the rocket launchers and tank guns let loose upon the enemy. Their projectiles slammed into the Soldier Ants' front line, making it disappear in a series of explosions.

"Hooray!" cheered the Lilies from Odaiba Girls' School, but moments later, their faces grew pale with fear... for from among the clouds of fire and smoke, the Soldier Ants surged forward, their numbers scarcely diminished.

"Out of the way! I've got this!"

Senda Koume, from the Fifth Division, leapt over one of the tanks blocking the road and charged to meet the Soldier Ants.

"It's time for me, Senda Koume, to make my name here in Odaiba!" she shouted loudly, a CHARM held firm in both of her hands. One of the Soldier Ants rushed at her, and holding nothing back, she hit it so hard that it went flying. The monster slammed into several others of its ilk, knocking them over and halting the advance of the Soldier Ants.

Cheers resounded from the soldiers and the Odaiba Lilies, and Koume grinned proudly upon hearing them. "There isn't a single Lily with Circlet Bless who isn't this strong!" she boasted.

Senda Koume's Rare Skill was Circlet Bless. Normally, Lilies can wield only a single CHARM, but her skill allowed her to wield two of them. In one hand, she held her Ukonvasara; in the other, a Charlemagne. Nakaogushi was renowned as the strongest Garden in Ibaraki, and Koume was one of their finest duelists. Known by the nickname of "The Chariot", she was famous throughout all of Japan.

Upon seeing Koume's display, Kawabata Hotaru and Yoshimura Thi Mai joined her at the front.

"Looks like Nakaogushi's earned its rep!" Mai exclaimed. "Now it's our turn!" Hotaru said as she leapt into battle with her Jötunn-Schwert. Mai followed suit, slashing the Soldier Ants apart with her Thần Kiếm.

Yoshimura Thi Mai was a Lily from Yurigaoka Girls' Academy, and like Takegoshi Chihana and Shirai Yuyu, she was a member of Legion Álfheimr. Kawabata Hotaru, the one fighting by her side, was from Odaiba Girls' School. During junior high school, Hotaru had been a member of the Funada Reserve Team, which had been considered one of the world's most promising reserve teams.

"Hehe. With a team like ours, we'll be able to bring quite the fight to them," remarked Osumi Azuki as she fired upon the Soldier Ants with her CHARM. Like Mai, Azuki was from Yurigaoka, and she bore the nickname of "The Black Dragon of Sigrdrífa." Behind her, Miyamoto Komuku and Nakabayashi Kaina reinforced her fire.

"Let's show them what we can do, shall we?" said Komuku.

"Leave the support to me, Komuku," replied Kaina.

Miyamoto Komuku, from Irma Girls' High School for the Arts, was a famous Lily from a family of strategists. Nakabayashi Kaina was also from Irma, and had been friends with Komuku since their childhood. The two had stood side by side in many battles. It was thus natural for them to be fighting as partners.

"Don't worry about us! Go and help the civilians evacuate!" Shinano shouted to the military soldiers and Odaiba Lilies as she mowed down the Huge with her Risanautr.

"But if they're only small-types, we can help you. There's not enough of you to fight them alone!" the brigade captain responded uncertainly, and Tono Natsuki, from Yurigaoka, was the one to reply. She would later become known as "The White Dragon of Sigrdrífa"—Azuki's counterpart.

"These Soldier Ants are swift," she replied. "It's very possible that they'll attack civilians in the midst of evacuating. Moreover, we are facing an Ultra-type, and there's no telling what may happen. Could we rely on you to make sure that every civilian gets to the other side of the Light Wall as soon as possible?"

The brigade captain was convinced. With a final reply of "Understood. The battlefield's yours!", the soldiers began heading to assist the civilians.

"Please go and help them!" Hotaru called out to the Odaiba Lilies, and with a reply of "Okay!", the young girls also went to assist with the evacuation.

"Yeah, we've got all the firepower we need," muttered Koume under her breath as she watched them depart. "If they tried to join our battle, they'd just get in the way."



"Gosh, Koume. Have you ever had a nice thing to say about anybody?" chided Sasaki Yasuna, one of Koume's fellow Lilies from Nakaogushi.

At that moment, Shinano called out to those in the Fifth Division. "The First Division's advancing towards the giant Cave. Let's do our part as well!" she said.

With a firm nod, the Lilies of the Fifth Division tore into the swarm of Soldier Ants. Danzuka Erisa and Sasaki Yasuna lead the way in crushing them. "Behold the power of Nakaoguchi!" yelled Yasuna.

"Don't lose focus and mess up, Yasuna. Okay?" Erisa warned her.

The two of them were both Lilies from Nakaogushi, like Koume and Shinano were. Yasuna was Koume's close friend and had fought by her side many times. Erisa had also supported Koume and Shinano in a number of battles.

Later, it would be said of the Fifth Division that everyone's Rare Skill was exceptional. Koume, as well as Nakabayashi Kaina and Tono Natsuki, all boasted Circlet Bless. And Sasaki Yasuna had a Rare Skill that was no less deadly—Lunatic Trancer. Theirs was a highly offensive division.

Noguchi Shinano, known for leadership and tactical ability that had seen many battles won under her guidance, had been appointed their commander. It took them scarcely any time to cull the vast numbers of the Soldier Ants.

After she'd killed her tenth ant, Koume exclaimed, "This is nothing! With our strength, we'll put Álfheimr to shame in this battle!"

The Fifth Division advanced forward, and the Soldier Ants took fright, trying to flee into the adjacent streets to avoid the oncoming Lilies. But in doing so, they found themselves faced with the defensive barriers set up between the buildings on both sides. With a hand to her comm device, Kawabata Hotaru smirked at them.

"Now why would we let our prey scuttle away anywhere?" she said. On Hotaru's request, the military had activated the defensive barriers.

Since the whole of Odaiba was now a military base, it had barriers such as these set up in a number of places to block the Huge from moving freely. By making use of them, they could withstand even a substantial onslaught of Huge for some time.

"Course, that leaves nowhere for 'em to go but right towards us," remarked Mai with a troubled grin as she looked out at the bridge that lead toward Wakasu Park. In front of the bridge was a hole in space, from which the Soldier Ants continuously emerged. It was a Cave, one of the extradimensional wormholes which the Huge used as a means of transportation.

In addition to the giant Cave in Wakasu Park, other Caves had opened up in the vicinity, allowing the Soldier Ants to pour forth. Some distance away, illuminated by flashes of lightning, was the monster responsible for this.

"So that's the nestless Ultra..." Shinano muttered as she gazed at the gargantuan creature.

Although it was still quite far away from them, the nestless Ultra was terrifying enough to make everyone tremble. If a monster that gigantic were to go on the rampage, Odaiba would be nothing but a ruin in short order. They had absolutely no choice but to try and kill the Ultra before it began to move.

When Shinano swallowed audibly, Koume, who was next to her, addressed her. "Hey, Shinano," she said cheerfully. "If we smash that Cave, it'll take care of the Soldier Ants, won't it? Let's go do that to thin out the enemy while we're waiting for Chihana and her pals. It'll be a piece of cake for us!"

"Hold on! Our orders were to stay here and hold the Huge at bay until the First Division arrives," Shinano replied urgently, trying to dissuade Koume from her wild scheme.

Takegoshi Chihana's battle plan had been that, until her First Division was in position, the Fifth Division would stop the Huge from advancing beyond Shin-Kiba. Then, once the Second Division had finished evacuating all the civilians nearby, they too would await Chihana's arrival and join the First Division in their assault upon Wakasu Park.

Koume knew this as well, yet she wore a carefree grin.

"These Soldier Ants are no big deal, so if we just get rid of the Cave we'll have a clear shot to Wakasu Park," she said. "We won't need to wait for the First Division. Let's just call the Second in ourselves and take down the Ultra, all easy-peasy!"

"Koume, are you even listening to yourself?" chided Erisa, but Koume was unfazed.

"If we deal with the nestless Ultra as quickly as we can, the other Huge will scatter, and it'll save the First Division and the other Lilies a whole lot of trouble," Koume continued. "Am I wrong?"

"..."

Shinano heard Koume out with a conflicted expression on her face. It was true that if they took the chance to destroy the Cave right away, they'd be able to close the distance to the nestless Ultra. And if they then teamed up with the Second Division to hit the nestless Ultra with the Neunwelt Tactic, they might be able to destroy it before the First Division arrived.

No one had any idea when the Ultra would begin moving, so it was best to take any opportunity to defeat it. If they could deal with the cause of the entire invasion, it would put a stop to the Soldier Ants as well and guarantee that there would be no casualties. Though she still felt a little uncertain, Shinano made her decision.

"You've convinced me," she told Koume. "Let's go, everyone!"

At this, Koume broke into a wide grin. "This is what we have to do. Come on, let's go smash that Cave!" she called out, hefting her CHARMs and charging forward. Shinano and the other Lilies of the Fifth Division followed after her.

But as they neared the Cave, Mai seemed to notice something. "Stop, Koume!" she yelled. "Don't go any further!"

Koume reflexively did as the other Lily had said, and at that moment, the Cave surged with energy. Heat blasted out from something huge that lay within it, scorching the asphalt deeply. "Agh!" Koume yelled, just barely managing to leap backwards before it hit her.

"Koume, are you okay?!" Shinano called to her, but her attention was drawn away to what was before them... for within the cave, a Soldier Ant far more massive than the others was approaching. Koume's eyes widened at the sight of the new enemy. "Is that a gigant-type Soldier Ant?!" she exclaimed.

The Soldier Ant was well over twenty meters long, far larger than the Soldier Ants they'd faced up until this point. It most definitely qualified as a gigant-type, and other Huge that looked to be large-types were making their appearance as well. Shinano, the division's commander, was all but stunned into silence by the sight.

"Gigant-types and large-types... at the same time?"

Though Shinano had fought both of those in the past, it was abnormal for them to emerge from a Cave at the same time. She realized that she'd completely misjudged what the enemy was capable of. The threat was far greater than any of them had anticipated.

When it dawned on her that they were in more danger than ever before, Shinano lifted a hand to the comm device on her ear, trying to call Takegoshi Chihana and the First Division to report the situation. "This is an emergency! First Division, do you copy?" she shouted. But all that she heard in her ear was the hiss of static.

Shinano tried to call the military and Odaiba Girls' School, but wasn't able to reach them either. "The comms aren't working!" she exclaims. "Can anyone get through to any of the other divisions?"

"It's no good!" replied Nakabayashi Kaina. "My Magie Crystal Cores can't connect either!" Upon making the attempt, all the members of the Fifth Division found they were cut off from everyone. "I believe all the negative magie around is interfering with our transmissions," Tono Natsuki suggested with a grim face after confirming it herself.

Comm devices, to put it simply, operate via resonance between Magie Crystal Cores. The use of magie makes them harder to jam than radio communications are, but it seemed that the sheer number of Soldier Ants and other enemies around was filling the atmosphere with ambient negative magie, interrupting this connection.

The Fifth Division was cut off from everyone, and the ten of them now faced, alone, numerous gigant-types and large-types. They were in considerable danger. But Shin-Kiba and the surrounding areas were still in the midst of evacuating. If they were to fall back, more Caves would appear and there would no doubt be many lives lost.

What should we do?...

As Shinano's thoughts ran in circles, Natsuki spoke up in a calm voice.

"Let's start by destroying that gigant-type Soldier Ant at the front. That will demoralize the enemy and slow down those behind it. If we're able to take out the larger enemies, we can still check their advance."

"That's our only option left, at this point," said Kawabata Hotaru. "With the crew we've got here, we can stop 'em!" agreed Yoshimura Thi Mai.

Miyamoto Komuku advanced, with her CHARM, the Canes Venatici, at the ready. "It is finally time to demonstrate Irma's power," she declared. "Was all that which you Nakaogushi Lilies were saying earlier naught but empty words?"

"Komuku, you could have said that more nicely," chided Nakabayashi Kaina. "Please don't let her get to you, everyone." Komuku reacted to Kaina's attempt at mediation with a 'hmph.'

Though Koume and Shinano had almost lost their nerve due to the danger that their error had put the Fifth Division in, the encouragement of their sisters-in-arms from the other Gardens rekindled their fervor. "You want a fight, Komuku? Then you'll get one! Against these creeps!" exclaimed Koume.

"Quite right. Commence the attack!" Shinano ordered. Upon Shinano's command, the members of the Fifth Division simultaneously unleashed a hail of CHARM fire upon the enemy.

The CHARM fire found its mark against the gigantic Soldier Ant, but it had little effect. Over twenty meters tall, the creature caused the earth to quake as it approached, the other Soldier Ants swarming behind it. If they didn't stop the gigant-type soon, the avenue would soon be overrun by the Huge.

"Only a Neunwelt's going to work, Shinano," advised Sasaki Yasuna. "Let's do it and take out that gigant straight away," agreed Danzuka Erisa.

At present, the gigant-type was by far the greatest threat, and gigants like it could only be injured using the Neunwelt Tactic. The Fifth Division needed to defeat it to keep everyone safe.

"Get ready for a Neunwelt, everyone!"

Shinano loaded the special ammunition used for the Neunwelt Tactic into her CHARM and prepared to fire. "Fifth Division!" she shouted. "We will commence the Neunwelt Tactic!" She fired the magiesphere, making the first pass to Danzuka Erisa.

With a shout of "Komuku-san!", Erisa swiftly passed it to Komuku, who in turn passed it to Sasaki Yasuna. "Natsuki-san!" Yasuna shouted as she made her pass. Natsuki passed it to Osumi Azuki, her fellow Lily from Yurigaoka, and Azuki nimbly evaded the Soldier Ants as she passed the magiesphere to Odaiba's Kawabata Hotaru.

"Now this is getting fun! You're up next, Mai!" Hotaru shouted, firing the magiesphere towards Yoshimura Thi Mai with flawless precision. "We're doing pretty good for our first-ever Neunwelt together!" Mai remarked as she intercepted the pass.

Though their division had been cobbled together from Lilies from multiple Gardens, the core from Ibaraki's strongest Garden, Nakaogushi—in addition to Lilies from Yurigaoka, one of the most elite Gardens in the entire world—meant they were perfectly in sync.

"Koume, you do the honors!" Mai said, passing the magiesphere to Koume, the final Lily.

"Leave it to me!" Koume shouted as she dodged the flames the gigant-type was spitting at her, then charged straight forward. When she was at point-blank range, with a shout of "EAT THIIIS!", she unleashed the magiesphere at it—scoring a direct hit upon its head.

The gigantic Soldier Ant's body swelled with light, and then it detonated in a powerful explosion, obliterating quite a few of the smaller Soldier Ants nearby.

"Did you see that? That's the power of Nakaogushi!" Koume boasted loudly as she stood before the smoke and embers of the explosion.

And then, suddenly, a gigantic leg came sweeping out of the thick black smoke. Koume had momentarily let her guard down. Before she could react, the leg hit her and sent her flying.

"AAAAH!!!"

Koume flew some distance before skidding to a stop on the ground. With a shout of "Koume!", Sasaki Yasuna dashed to the girl's side and helped her up.

"Shit! I messed up!"

When Koume tried to stand up, her legs nearly gave out from under her and she had to quickly steady herself with her Charlemagne. Her face came into view, dripping with blood where the large-type had hit her. It was obvious that she'd been badly hurt.



Shinano called out to Mai at once. "Mai-san, get Shinano to safety!" she shouted. "We'll handle things here!" But Koume thrust out her hand, motioning for her to stop.

"What do you take me for, Shinano?" she said. "I'm a Nakaogushi Lily. You know damn well I can still fight."

"But...!" Shinano protested, worry in her voice. Koume grinned fearlessly back at her. "If you're down me, your strongest AZ Lily, you're going to have a hard time. Besides, if Mai and I fall back, you won't be able to do a Neunwelt," she declared. "We fight together until the end. That's the Nakaogushi way!"

Shinano, and the other Lilies, stared at Koume in astonishment—aside from Kawabata Hotaru, who rushed to her side. "That's the spirit!" she exclaimed. "Let's do a little first aid on you and then take all these creeps out!" Wiping the blood from her forehead, Koume grinned again.

"Things may not have gone according to plan, but we shall hold the line here until the other divisions are in place."

Upon hearing those words, Shinano looked at Natsuki in surprise. Natsuki, in turn, glanced down at her watch. "Shin-Kiba should be fully evacuated by now, but the Tatsumi area was expected to take longer. It will be quite some time before the First Division is ready," she explained.

Shinano surveyed the scene ahead of them. More large-types were coming out of the Cave, surrounded by a horde of Soldier Ants. And after having done a Neunwelt, their magie reserves were running low. She knew that they had to hold the Huge back until the evacuation was complete, but with this many large-types incoming, the question was whether they could hold them back.

As Shinano dithered, Koume called out to her. "Hey, Shinano, get it together!" she said. "We're Lilies. It's our duty to keep people safe. If we retreat, it'll lead to a whole lot of death, you know? That's why we have to put up as much of a fight here as we can."

Komuku also spoke up. "I believe the Second and Third Divisions will have noticed the Neunwelt we performed earlier," she said. "They will come to our aid. I trust in my comrades from Irma. Let us await their arrival."

"Koume... Komuku-san..." Shinano exhaled deeply, then managed a slight smile. "If we Lilies don't keep everyone safe, no one's going to," she announced. "We'll hold the enemy here until help arrives!" The Lilies of the Fifth Division nodded in agreement with her fervent declaration.

Kawabata Hotaru grinned at the others present. "Our reinforcements won't mind if we start the job before they get here, will they?" she remarked in a carefree voice.

"Let's show them the power of the Fifth Division!"

The ten members of the Fifth Division positioned themselves on the avenue to intercept the enemy. A large-type that resembled a shark attacked them simultaneously with a horde of Soldier Ants. The Lilies met their charge, preventing them from breaking through.

As she struck down enemy after enemy, Yoshimura Thi Mai spoke up in a nervous voice. "There's too many of 'em! No way we can kill them all!" she said.

"We'll just have to pray the Second and Third Divisions come to back us up!" exclaimed Osumi Azuki as she too sought to thin the enemy. As they awaited the news that the evacuations were complete, the girls of the Fifth fought with all they had, staking it all on the hope that someone had noticed the huge explosion they'd caused with their Neunwelt.

No sooner had they taken down the large-type than the Lilies heard a boom. The Fifth Division turned towards it and saw that another giant shark, with its own escort of Soldier Ants, had broken through one of the defensive walls behind them. If those enemies weren't stopped, they'd find a path to Shin-Kiba.

"After them! Hurry!" Shinano ordered, and the Fifth Division set off in pursuit of the large-type. Yet, smashing through warehouses and ruined buildings, it continued forward with horrifying swiftness.

"It's so fast! We have to stop it!" Yasuna exclaimed, sounding as if she was on the verge of panic. They had to deal with the large-type and return to the road they'd been guarding, or more enemies would come out of the Cave. If the Huge surrounded them and forced them into close combat, that would be the end of them.

Some of the Soldier Ants from the group they were chasing whirled around to face the Fifth Division. "You think you're a match for us, huh?!" Koume yelled. Ignoring her injuries, she barreled into the Soldier Ants and scattered them, showing why she'd earned her nickname of "The Chariot."

"Koume's opened a path for us! Charge!" Erisa shouted, and the Fifth made for the large-type at top speed, mowing down Soldier Ants as they did. Soon, few of the Ants remained, leaving only the large-type itself.

Shinano gave an order to her command: "Open fire!" As one, the Fifth Division blasted the large-type with their CHARMs, causing it to roar in pain. Simultaneously, Mai shouted, "Komuku! Let's put the brakes on that thing!" She activated her Rare Skill, Shukuchi.

Shukuchi allowed a Lily to move so fast that she could vanish from sight. In a single instant, Mai was next to the large-type, severing its legs with the Thần Kiếm. The unsteady monster halted in its tracks.

"I can see why you're part of Álfheimr, Yoshimura Thi Mai. Now let me finish this!" Komuku shouted, closing the distance to the large-type and delivering a crushing deathblow to its head with all her strength. Its life ended, the large-type crashed to the ground, making it quake.

Shinano let out a deep sigh of relief. "We stopped that thing somehow..." she said, then followed Nakabayashi Kaina's gaze over to Wakasu Park. Large-types and Soldier Ants were still emerging from the Cave there at a steady clip. "I can't believe there's still this many Huge..."

"Is there no end to them?" Kawabata Hotaru wondered, with a grim smile.

The Fifth was fighting with everything they had, and yet they hadn't even made a dent in the enemy. The Huge continued to pour out of the Caves and flood into the avenue.

Tono Natsuki, who was serving as advisor, addressed Shinano, the commander. "As it stands, we'll be hard pressed to fight our way to Wakasu Park, much less destroy that Cave. I propose that we retreat until such a time as we're able to join forces with the other divisions," she said.

Shinano was loath to admit it, but she knew that the Fifth Division was so outnumbered that pushing the enemy back would be impossible. They had no hope of doing it until the Second and Third Divisions came to their aid. And at present, those divisions were both meant to be elsewhere, seeing to the evacuation of Odaiba.

With a nod, Shinano called out to the other Lilies. "Attention! We will make a fighting retreat and await backup from the other divisions!" she announced. Upon hearing her decision, the other members of the Fifth Division nodded as well.

Koume sighed deeply as she wiped the blood from her forehead.

"That, back there, was the worst mistake I've ever made," she admitted. "But just you watch. I'll make things right!"

Part 2
At around the time the Fifth Division encountered the gigant-type Soldier Ant...

Kondo Misaka and the Second Division had moved from Aomi to the Ariake area, where their job was to push back the Huge coming out of the water and get the civilians to safety.

Ariake was the part of Odaiba where the Tokyo International Exhibition Center was located. In addition to military structures, it contained some civilian buildings. For some time now, the military had been working with Lilies from Odaiba Girls' School to get the civilians evacuated via the armored monorail and other vehicles as quickly as they could, but even so, far from all of the civilians were safe.

"Hey, what's up with the Fifth? They're probably in combat already, huh?" Misaka asked after ending a small-type's life. Tsukioka Momiji, who was keeping in touch with Odaiba Girls' School, answered her.

"Right now, the Fifth Division is fighting a large number of Soldier Ants. As they do that, the military and Odaiba Girls' School should be on track to have fully evacuated the Shin-Kiba and Tatsumi areas soon. Once all the evacuees are in mainland Tokyo, we'll use the Light Wall System to seal off Kasai and Yumenoshima."

Shin-Kiba and Tatsumi differed from Aomi, Ariake, Toyosu and the other districts close to Odaiba's center. Since they contained a considerable amount of open space and were sparsely populated, they could be evacuated more quickly.

Misaka grinned after hearing Momiji's report. "Ain't that swell," she said. "Since the evacuation's going so smoothly, can't we go ahead and join the Fifth on the front lines? I mean, that's the plan anyway."

Kiko Totori immediately took Misaka to task. "Look around yourself," she chided. "The evacuation's going smoothly in Shin-Kiba and Tatsumi, because there aren't many people there. It's a different story here in Ariake. If the Huge suddenly focus their attack here, trust me, you'll get the fierce battle you want so badly."

"Before it comes to that, I hope we can destroy the nestless Ultra—" Hasebe Touka began to quietly mutter with a grim expression, but she was interrupted by the sound of a large explosion. Everyone's eyes shot over to Wakasu Park, where they saw a vast sphere of flame, followed by black smoke rising into the air.

"Was that... a Neunwelt finish shot?" Amano Soraha said under her breath, her eyes wide open. Tejima Komachi looked at her watch. "It's too early for them to be fighting the nestless Ultra," she replied quietly.

Seto Veronica Ichika peered at the distant flames. "No, wait. That's not Wakasu Park," she said. "It's closer to Wakasu Bridge."

"What does that mean? They used the Neunwelt Tactic against the Soldier Ants?" asked Sengo Yuna. Altea Alessandrini lifted her hand to cover her mouth. "This isn't right," she said. "I can't fathom that they would use the Neunwelt against mere Soldier Ants. They must have encountered something larger."

"Shouldn't we contact the Fifth Division and ask what the situation is over there?"

Before the Lilies of the Second Division could act, Momiji also noticed something amiss. "Odaiba Girls' School, do you copy?" she said into her comm device. "Please respond!"

"What's the matter, Momiji?" asked Amatsu Marei. "I can't reach either Odaiba Girls' School or the military on the comms," Momiji replied, a tense expression on her face. Misaka lifted her hand to her ear to try to listen in herself. She could make out voices, just barely, but they were drowned out by so much noise it was like they were caught in a sandstorm.

"Can anyone get through to the Fifth Division or any of the others?" Amano Soraha asked the other Lilies.

Misaka and the others present all tried to call the other divisions, but they got no response. They found that their Magie Crystal Cores were unable to connect to anyone, whether directly or not. At around the same time, Misaka realized that something was wrong with the Huge Searchers she wore on her head. "Huh? I can't tell where the Huge are any longer, either," she said.

Huge Searchers were devices that many Lilies used to locate the Huge, and abruptly, all of them had stopped working.

Marei inspected her CHARM's Magie Crystal Core. "I believe this is due to negative magie," she said. "Still, if the enemy can interrupt our communications like this, they may have other abilities we haven't anticipated."

Touka furrowed her brow. "Chihana predicted that this might happen..." she murmured.

Takegoshi Chihana's battle plan to take down the nestless Ultra had accounted for the possibility that their comm devices might cease to function. If they were completely cut off from one another, each unit would have to take action on their own initiative. But the battlefield had descended into chaos more quickly than anyone had expected.

"This might be worse than we thought, huh?" Misaka muttered, but just then, she heard a faint voice from the comm device on her ear.

"...This is Banshoya Ena of the Third Division... Second Division, do you copy...?"

The Third Division, which had been overseeing evacuation in the vicinity of Toyosu, had made contact with them. Misaka could make out Ena's voice, but the fierce noise made her difficult to hear. Ariake and Toyosu were relatively close to one another, but at present, they could barely speak to each other even at a distance like this.

"Altea Alessandrini of the Second Division speaking," Altea replied, and they heard Ena's voice amidst the noise again. "...explosion just now... Neunwelt, wasn't it?" Ena said.

"Agreed. Something might've happened to the Fifth Division," Soraha replied. Just then, Momiji, who had reestablished contact with Odaiba Girls' School, spoke up with a look of urgency on her face.

"I have a situation report. Gigant-types and large-types have started to arrive alongside the Soldier Ants," Momiji said. "The Fifth Division used the Neunwelt Tactic to kill one of the gigant-types, but there are still large enemies present, and the number of Soldier Ants has increased greatly as well."

"Gigants and large-types?!" exclaimed Misaka, stunned. "If they're really fighting something other than Soldier Ants, we have to go to the Fifth Division's aid!" Ichika quickly insisted.

"Hold it," Totori informed the other Lilies, just as hurriedly. "If we leave, there won't be anyone defending Ariake. There are still Huge here. And if there are stronger enemies coming, we need to tell the military. We've no choice but to fortify our position here and speed up the evacuation."

This wasn't the first time the Huge had attacked Odaiba. Normally, the military's conventional weapons and Odaiba Girls' School were able to repel those attacks. But because of the presence of the nestless Ultra, Odaiba was facing a far fiercer onslaught than it had in the past.

"...Then what do we do? If we just ignore the Fifth Division, it might be a mistake we can never take back..." said Fujita Asagao over the comms, her tone one of worry. She was clearly concerned for her fellow Odaiba Lily in the Fifth Division, Kawabata Hotaru.

The most important duty of all Lilies was to keep civilians safe. Yet if they failed to aid the Fifth Division in any way, it was possible that their sisters-in-arms would pay the price of that decision with their lives.

Altea calmly addressed her fretting companions. "Calm down, everyone," she said. "Noguchi Shinano is not a Lily to be underestimated. If she believes she is facing impossible odds, she will retreat while slowing the advance of the Huge to whatever degree she can. Our two divisions shall focus on bolstering the defenses in the Toyosu and Shinonome areas, and hastening the evacuation there. Third Division, as soon as you deem the evacuation complete, I request that you immediately go reinforce the Fifth Division."

"Acknowledged," replied Ena over the communicator.

Hasebe Touka, looking in the direction of the Tokyo Gate Bridge that lead to Wakasu Park, suddenly spoke up. "It's possible that the First Division isn't aware of the situation that the Fifth Division is in," she observed. "If they attack Wakasu Park while ignorant of that, Chihana and the others will be in danger."

The First and Fifth Divisions had intended to mount a pincer attack against the nestless Ultra, but the Fifth Division was no longer able to advance, nor were any of them able to communicate with each other.

Altea furrowed her brow. "It's true that since Wakasu Park is now infested with gigant-types and large-types, if the First Division assaults it without any support, it won't end well for them," she said. "We must inform them posthaste."

"But how do we get a message to the First Division when the comms are out?" asked Tejima Komachi, worry in her voice. As the negative magie had rendered their comm devices all but useless, the First and Fourth Divisions were entirely out of contact. They had no way to report the situation of the Fifth Division to them.

Misaka addressed her companions. "I'll take care of that," she declared. As one, the members of the Second Division turned to her with a confused reply of "What?"

With a smile on her face, Misaka puit her hands on her hips. "I'll get a message to the Fourth Division," she told the others. "Homare's over there, you see. They'll be able to contact the First Division in turn. Meanwhile, all of you finish the evacuation here and then go help the Fifth."

"You're planning to go alone? There are Huge everywhere because of the nestless Ultra!" Totori shouted at her, but Misaka only grinned back at her. "I'll be fine. I'm plenty strong, even on my own!" she replied.

"That's not the issue—" Totori started to say, but Misaka thrust her hand out, cutting her off. Her expression grew more serious. "We've already culled the Huge in Aomi, so it shouldn't be dangerous there. Not compared to Shinonome," she reminded the other Lilies. "Nine of you need to stay here, so that you can fire a Neunwelt if you have to."

"......"

Her companions were clearly worried, but Altea, the commander of the division, addressed Misaka. "So be it," she said. "Misaka, I appoint you messenger. Inform the Fourth Division of the situation, then return to us with the utmost haste."

"Got it!" Misaka replied. She then addressed Ena on the comms. "Ena, I want you to tell Koume something for me," she said. "Tell her that she'd better not die until we've settled things between us!"

"...Very well. I'll make sure to tell her," Ena replied. "Let us commence the operation." With that, she cut off the connection.

"Well then, I better get going," said Misaka as she limbered up. Touka called out to her with a worried look on her face. "Will you really be okay on your own, Misaka?" she asked, walking up to the other Lily. Misaka smiled back at her.

"The Fifth Division has Azuki, Natsuki, and Mai in it," Misaka said. "Touka... please. I want you to go help them. I'll meet up with the Fourth and make sure Chihana knows what's going on, and then I'll be right back, okay?"

She gave Touka a reassuring nod... and then, abruptly, Touka wrapped her arms around Misaka. "...Touka?" Misaka said, taken aback as the other Lily embraced her with all her strength.

"Promise me that you'll come back safely," Touka whispered to Misaka in a soft voice.

"You just can't help worrying, can you, Touka?" Misaka said, giving the other Lily a pat on the back as soon as she let go. Then she smiled at the others in the Second Division.

"Alright, I'm off now!"

With those parting words, Misaka began running, alone, to get her message to the Fourth Division.

Shortly after that happened, the Lilies of the Fifth Division had retreated to the vicinity of Shin-Kiba Station.

Shin-Kiba had been completely evacuated and was devoid of people except for them, but the evacuation of the Tatsumi area, further west, was going slower than expected. Because of that, the Fifth Division was holding the Huge at bay here in Shin-Kiba in order to buy time for the evacuation of Tatsumi.

The commander of the division, Noguchi Shinano, was behind the defensive walls of Shin-Kiba station. She was applying a hemostatic dressing to the wound on Senda Koume's head. "How do you feel, Koume?" she asked.

"I'll live," Koume replied. Holding the dressing in place, she looked around them. "More importantly, the enemy's only growing in number. It's not gonna be easy, holding them off here," she remarked.

The teeming hordes of Soldier Ants now had mid-types and large-types mixed with them, and no matter how many of them the Lilies cut down, their numbers never seemed to diminish.

"We've got to go help the others, or they won't be able to hold back the tide," Koume said, and she started to stand up. "Wait!" Shinano said, clapping her hands to either side of Koume's face. Koume's eyes widened in surprise as Shinano turned the girl to face her.

"If I tell you to fall back, Koume, I know you won't listen. So I want you to promise me," Shinano told her.

Koume blinked at her. "Promise you what?" she asked.

"Don't throw away your life. Please," Shinano said. "All of us are going back home to Ibaraki. Together."

Without meaning to do so, Koume smiled. "I can't say no when it's you asking me, Shinano," she said. "I hear you. Though, it's not like I'm going to die 'til I've proved Nakaogushi is the strongest in every way I can."

Shinano let our a sigh. She knew that even though Koume had promised not to die, it wouldn't make her any less reckless. But she was commander, and she would protect her beloved sisters-in-arms, no matter what. She smiled at Koume, her resolve growing firm.

"Let's go, Shinano!" Koume said.

The two of them headed back outside and joined their companions. Koume immediately leapt into the fight, cutting through a swath of soldier ants with her Ukonvasara. "Come at me anytime you like, creeps!" she shouted. "I'll take every last one of you on at once!"

"Koume!" exclaimed Danzuka Erisa and Sasaki Yasuna, her other friends from Nakaogushi. "We've been waiting for you!" said Kawabata Hotaru brightly. "Let's cut these things down together!" shouted Yoshimura Thi Mai.

The Fifth Division were killing as many of the Huge as they could, but there were so many of them it was impossible to keep them all contained. The roundabout in front of the station was filled with them, and they were pouring onto the old Shuto Bayshore Expressway as well. If they were to continue fighting in Shin-Kiba, the enemy would simply swarm past them into the areas where there were still civilians, and they couldn't risk dividing their forces to contain the Huge properly.

For the Fifth Division to continue fighting as one, they had only a single choice: to lure the enemy somewhere else, and fight them there.

Where should we go?

Shinano, the commander, was determined to protect both her companions and every civilian she could. Visualizing a map of Odaiba in her head, she swiftly decided upon the most suitable location. "Natsuki-san, has the Tatsumi area been evacuated?!" she called out.

"The evacuation was set to finish just a moment ago!" Tono Natsuki shouted back, even as she battled against the Huge.

"Then we will fall back! Immediately!" Shinano declared, causing the other Lilies to stare at her. "Just how far are you going to have us retreat?" Natsuki demanded, and Shinano answered her in a grim voice.

"To Shin-Tatsumi Bridge," she stated. "That's where we'll make our last stand."

The rest of the Fifth Division nodded, acknowledging her words.

Shin-Tatsumi Bridge was the bridge that connected the Tatsumi and Shinonome areas. Long ago, the Shuto Bayshore Expressway had run through the center of it with narrower bridges flanking it on either side, but it had later been rebuilt as a single wide bridge. It was the only route via which the Soldier Ants, as well as more formidable enemies like the large-types or gigant-types, could cross over to Shinonome.

The Fifth Division headed to the center of the bridge and stopped there. With a deep sigh, Shinano turned around and awaited the arrival of the Huge.

Beyond Shin-Tatsumi Bridge lay some of the most densely populated parts of Odaiba. The Tokyo International Exhibition Center was there, in addition to many military installations and a few recreational facilities. Alarms continued to resound over the entirety of Odaiba, and they could hear the incessant sound of artillery fire. The evacuation was still ongoing.

If the enemy were permitted to cross this bridge, there would be nothing to stop them from overrunning all of Odaiba.

Shinano turned to her fellow Lilies, addressing them as their commander. "We cannot allow the Huge to pass," she declared. "No matter what."

Danzuka Erisa hefted her CHARM boldly. "Let's show them the power of the Fifth Division!" she declared.

"It's a shame no one else is here to witness our glory," Sasaki Yasuna remarked flippantly, and Miyamoto Komuku let out a laugh. "Such is the fate of all true heroes, is it not?" she said.

Even as they joked amongst themselves, the Lilies of the Fifth were nervous. They knew that if no one came to their aid, this might very well be the place where their lives would end. But at that moment, they heard a voice from their comm devices.

"...Fifth Division, come in... This is Banshoya Ena of the Third Division... do you copy?"

Upon hearing the voice of one of their sisters-in-arms from the Third Division, the Lilies' expressions instantly brightened. Shinano wasted no time answering the voice.

"This is Noguchi Shinano of the Fifth Division. A cave opened at the end of Wakasu Bridge and a large amount of Soldier Ants have come through it. We dealt with one gigant-type, but the amount of enemies has overwhelmed us. We have made a fighting retreat to Shin-Tatsumi Bridge, where we presently are. What's the evacuation status of Shinonome and Toyosu?"

"...Shinonome's evacuation will be finished shortly... There are quite a few Huge everywhere... Can you handle the situation by yourself?..." asked Ena.

At that, Shinano hesitated. She wanted to ask for help, but she couldn't do that if it would mean abandoning civilians to their fate. When she saw Shinano's indecision, Koume answered in her stead.

"We're all still in fighting condition," she said. "We can hold off the Huge, so just get the evacuation done."

"Was that... Koume-san? You sound like you're in pain... Are you really okay?" asked a different voice, filled with concern—that of Hishida Haru of the Third Division. Koume answered her as well.

"It was my fault this battle got so messed up, and I'm going to make it right. So get those people out of here. If anyone else paid the price for my mistake, I'd never forgive myself," she told the Lilies on the comm. Koume's expression was firm with resolve, and when Shinano glanced at the others in the Fifth Division, they nodded to her with resolve that equaled Koume's. Courage welled up in Shinano's heart as well.

"We will keep the Huge from advancing for as long as we can. Finish the evacuation, then come and help us. We of the Fifth Division are in full agreement on that."

"......"

Ena said nothing in reply, and Hishida Haru addressed them in her stead.

"...Acknowledged. We will definitely come for you, so just hold the line until then. Also, we have a message. Koume, Misaka asked us to tell you that 'you'd better not die until we've settled things between—'"

Haru's final words were drowned out by fierce noise, and then the connection went dead. Koume sighed deeply, a smile that was almost a grimace rising to her face. "That girl, she seriously pisses me off," she said. "When this is over, I've got something to tell her right back, that's for damn sure."

With a booming sound, their brief respite came to an end. The Lilies looked ahead of them to see the enemy breaching the defensive barriers. The earth shook beneath their feet as the Huge charged at them. The vanguard was a horde of Soldier Ants, and behind them were a number of mid-types and large-types.

Shinano addressed those in her command. "We will hold this ground until help arrives!" she declared. "Ready and take aim!" The ten Lilies of the Fifth Division transformed their CHARMs into Shooting Mode and aimed them at the enemy.

"Fire!"

The Fifth Division's CHARM fire obliterated the foremost Soldier Ants, but the rank behind them pressed onward. Even the combined force of their repeated volleys weren't enough to keep the enemy from closing the distance.

"Let's go!"

Upon Shinano's order, the Fifth Division charged forth towards the enemy. They cut down dozens of the Soldier Ants in scarcely more than the blink of an eye, yet no matter how many they killed, more pressed forward. As she held their column steady, Shinano kept a close eye on Koume. "Koume, don't go too far ahead!" she shouted.

"I'm fine!" Koume shouted back. "Don't worry yourself over me!" Her brave words were at odds with her appearance. Koume was breathing hard, and her face was deathly pale. Blood had started to leak from beneath the hemostatic dressing on her forehead, dripping down her face. A number of the Huge rushed at her, going for the kill.

"Koume!"

At that moment, Sasaki Yasuna screamed in fury.

"LUNATIC TRANCER!"

Yasuna's eyes glowed red with madness. She charged forward, cutting through the enemies before her and not stopping until she stood before Koume. There, she slaughtered several of the Huge coming for Koume, and cleaved in twain the one leading the closest group of Soldier Ants as well.

Lunatic Trancer is a rare skill that induces madness and causes one's magie to run wild, allowing them to fight with power much like that of the Huge themselves.

"I'll kill you! Try to put a single scratch on Koume and you're dead meat!"

Only a little while earlier, Yasuna had been a cheerful girl, cracking jokes. Now, she had undergone an unimaginable transformation into the embodiment of rage itself. As unstoppable as a demon, she relentlessly cut into the horde of Soldier Ants, forcing them back from the center of the bridge.

"Nice going, Yasuna!" Yoshimura Thi Mai shouted. "You're awesome!" exclaimed Kawabata Hotaru. The Fifth Division was exhausted, but Yasuna's display renewed their will to fight.

No more than a moment later, Shinano saw a large black shape behind the Soldier Ants. The black shape's maw yawned wide, and fire spewed forth from it. "Yasuna, fall back!" she shouted.

Yasuna leapt back just before the fierce flames reached her, incinerating a number of those Soldier Ants that she hadn't already killed. Shinano desperately tried to get a better look at the new enemy that had appeared.

"Don't tell me..."

From amidst the flames emerged the silhouette of a greater large-type. They were comparable to a gigant-type, in both size and threat level. The particular Huge before them was well over twenty meters long. Its bluish-black exterior made it resemble a whale, but quite unlike one of those, it had four legs each ending in sharp talons. It was like a monster that had risen out of the sea.

The greater large-type opened its maw, preparing to spew more flames. Tono Natsuki swiftly turned and called out to Danzuka Erisa. "Erisa-san! Use Heliosphere!" she shouted. "Got it!" Erisa shouted back, and thrust her hands out before her.

"Heliosphere!"

Moments before the flames reached Erisa and her companions, a great shield of light took shape in front of the Fifth Division. Heliosphere is a defensive Rare Skill that allows one to create a barrier with their magie, and it was such a barrier that now protected all of the Fifth Division from the flames.

The bridge itself, however, suffered the full wrath of the fire. As she looked at the damage done to the ground and support pillars, a grim expression settled on Osumi Azuki's face. "I fear that one poses quite a threat," she said.

The Fifth Division simultaneously unleashed a volley of CHARM fire upon the beast, but were able to inflict no meaningful damage. It began lumbering towards them at a steady pace, not dissuaded by their attacks. Upon seeing its advance, Miyamoto Komuku called out to the others. "We must perform a Neunwelt. There's no other way to hurt it!" she said.

"Shinano-san, let's stop that monster together!" said Nakabayashi Kaina, echoing Komuku's proposal.

They had been fighting fiercely for quite some time. The Fifth Division didn't know whether they actually had enough magie left to execute the Neunwelt Tactic. But if they did not, the greater large-type, which was a gigant-type in all the ways that mattered, would simply break through them and head into the populated areas of Odaiba. They could not allow that to happen, no matter what.

"Let's do it! We won't let it pass!" Shinano shouted to the Lilies of the Fifth Division. "Get ready! We will now commence the Neunwelt Tactic!"

Shinano loaded the special Neunwelt bullet into her CHARM, and fired it. Koume was close to her limit due to the injury she'd suffered earlier, so the remaining nine of them would perform the Neunwelt.

Shinano began by passing the magiesphere to Danzuka Erisa, who in turn made a horizontal pass to Miyamoto Komuku. Komuku passed it to Osumi Azuki in the central battlefield, and she flung it to Tono Natsuki. Intercepting the magiesphere in midair, Natsuki passed it to Sasaki Yasuna.

After cleaving through some Soldier Ants, Yasuna shouted "Hotaru!" as she got ready to pass. "I'll put in every last drop of magie I've got!" Hotaru shouted back, catching the magiesphere and charging it. Then, as she got ready to pass the sphere to Kaina, the greater large-type suddenly unleashed its flames again!

"Augh!" yelled Hotaru. Though she was able to avoid the flames, just barely, she lost her balance and fired the magiesphere off towards nothing.

"Now's my time to shine!" Mai shouted.

As the magiesphere soared wildly away, Mai zoomed over to it with her rare skill, Shukuchi, and managed to intercept it. "Kaina!" she shouted, passing it to the other Lily.

Kaina caught the magiesphere, but something was wrong. Nine of them had put all the magie they could into the sphere, but it still wouldn't be enough to finish off the greater large-type. As she hesitated about whether to fire the magiesphere at the enemy as it was, a bold voice called out to her.

"Kaina, pass it to me! I'll fire the finish shot!"

Koume suddenly rushed forward to face the greater large-type head on.

"Don't, Koume! That's dangerous!" Shinano shouted, causing Kaina to hesitate. But seeing Koume risk her own life so fearlessly had given Kaina courage as well. "I'm counting on you, Koume!" she replied, firing the magiesphere decisively towards Koume.

Koume caught the magiesphere with her CHARM in Blade Mode, then charged for the greater large-type as if she were going to ram into it. A "Direct Finish" like this would make sure the enemy received the full force of their magie, but it was a dangerous technique.



"YOU ARE SO DEAD!"

With that as her battle cry, Koume blasted the greater large-type's head point-blank with the magiesphere, then leapt backwards without delay. The gigantic monster, along with the other Huge near it, was consumed by an even more gigantic explosion.

Koume landed back on the ground. "That was our power! The power of the Fifth!" she shouted in triumph. Her friends echoed her with yells of "Yeah!", but moments later, Koume collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"KOUME!" Shinano and Yasuna both shouted.

Two Soldier Ants charged out of the thick smoke ahead, going right for Koume. The fastest of the Lilies to react was Kawabata Hotaru. "I don't think so!" she yelled, leaping in front of Koume and skewering one of the Ants with her Jötunn-Schwert. But the other lashed out at her with its mandibles.

"Shit!"

In desperation, Hotaru grabbed the Charlemagne out of Koume's hand, thrusting it before her and trying to block the attack with the unpowered CHARM—but at that moment, welling with light, the Charlemagne started up again. A shield of light appeared in front of it, causing the second Soldier Ant to bounce harmlessly off. Hotaru immediately cleaved it in two with the Jötunn-Schwert.

"Hah, hah... that was a close one..." Hotaru panted as she picked up Koume and retreated behind the other Lilies, who took up a wide stance to guard the two of them. She laid Koume down on the pavement. "You okay, Koume?" she asked. "Your wounds... well, they aren't gone, that's for sure."

Hotaru's quip seemed to bring Koume back to her senses. "So you've got Circlet Bless too, huh?" the other Lily said.

"Huh? Uh, yeah, maybe I do," Hotaru replied. Somewhat later than the others, she came to the realization that she'd wielded two CHARMs at once—her Odaiba-issued Jötunn-Schwert in one hand, and Koume's Charlemagne in the other.

"Ahaha!" Koume laughed, though it clearly pained her to do so. "You didn't know what your own Rare Skill was?" Indeed, Hotaru had not, but there was only one possibility now. She knew that if one had the ability to wield two CHARMs at once, it meant their Rare Skill was Circlet Bless.

"Hotaru... thanks for saving my life," Koume said. "Pretty sad state I'm in, though... I can't even move..." She'd used every last bit of her strength, and didn't even have enough left in her to stand upright.

"You finished off two of those big ones, Koume. It was incredible," Hotaru told her. "You're an amazing Lily. But now you can leave the rest to me!" As she said those cheerful words, she glanced at the far side of the bridge. A fresh horde of Huge had come into sight and was drawing closer. Her Jötunn-Schwert was in awful shape, and she didn't know how much longer it would last for, but she would retreat no longer. She would do her duty as a Lily.

"...Wait. Hotaru," Koume said. With the last of her strength, she clasped Hotaru's hand in hers. "Your CHARM, it's done for. Take my Ukonvasara and my Charlemagne instead." She pulled the Magie Crystal Core out of her CHARM and handed the frame to Hotaru. "But they're just loaners, got it? So don't die on me, because I'm counting on you to give them back."

Hotaru could feel the trembling of Koume's hand as she placed her own atop it. "Don't you trust me?" she told the other Lily. "When I borrow things, I always return them afterwards."

Upon hearing her words, Koume's expression relaxed. "...You do that, then," she said. "I'm just gonna nap for a bit... then I'll be back up and fighting..." With a peaceful smile on her face, she lost consciousness.

"Sleep well," Hotaru murmured. "You can leave everything to us." She laid Koume's arm back down, then pulled the core out of her Jötunn-Schwert, transferring it to the Ukonvasara.

She looked over at the far side of the bridge. A huge horde of Soldier Ants had gathered there, with many larger shapes among them—some of them undoubtedly gigant-types. It was hard to imagine they were anything other than the enemy's main forces, preparing for an assault.

Even so, in her heart, Hotaru felt strangely at peace.

She let out a deep breath, and looked up at the western sky.

Somewhere beneath that sky was the friend she'd made a promise with. Funada Kiito.

"In one year... yes, when one year has passed, I shall return. Hotaru, when that time comes, may we fight side by side once again."

In the past, during junior high school, Kawabata Hotaru—-along with Tsukioka Momiji, Fujita Asagao, and others who had come to the conference—had belonged to the Funada Reserve Team. It had been a gathering of splendid Lilies, expected to achieve greatness. But those of the Funada Reserve Team had since gone their separate ways, Funada Kiito among them. Along with her twin sister, Funada Ui, she had set off on an overseas journey to find her strength anew. Before Kiito had left, she had promised Hotaru that in one year's time, she would return to Odaiba.

"I'll make sure Kiito has a place to return to," Hotaru vowed, than smiled bitterly. "Though if we can't keep these creeps from breaking through, all I can say is sorry." She joined the rest of the Fifth Division. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the Ukonvasara and the Charlemagne that her friend had let her borrow tight in her hands.

"My sisters-in-arms! If we allow them to cross this bridge, it will be a mark of shame upon us forever. Let us see to it that this horde goes no forther!" she shouted, her voice resounding across the Shin-Tatsumi Bridge—the voice of a proud and courageous warrior of Odaiba Girls' School.

Miyamoto Komuku echoed her sentiment. "There is no finer place for a warrior to die than this," she declared. "We shall fight gloriously until the end!"

Yoshimura Thi Mai grinned boldly. "Hate to say it, y'all, but there's no way I'm dying here!" she said, her voice full of fighting spirit.

Tono Natsuki smiled as well, while Nakabayashi Kaina and Osumi Azuki brandished their CHARMs. The Fifth's commander, Noguchi Shinano, and her fellow Lilies from Nakaogushi, Danzuka Erisa and Sasaki Yasuna, all nodded with smiles upon their faces. As the enemy drew near, causing the ground to quake beneath them, Kawabata Hotaru shouted a final message of defiance.

"Come on! We'll show you bastards what we're made of!"

By now, they knew that this bridge was the place where they would die.

This was no calculated battle where tactics would win the day. They would simply kill, and kill again, until they no longer could. The gigant-types were impossible for them to defeat, and parts of the horde began to slip past them, crossing over the bridge unimpeded. The most that the Fifth Division could hope to do was thin the numbers of the enemy by some small amount. And yet, atop that bridge, they continued to fight.

Kawabata Hotaru stood on the front line, wielding the two CHARMs that Senda Koume had given her. Danzuka Erisa and Sasaki Yasuna fought furiously even as they protected Koume, who was still unconscious. Noguchi Shinano and Miyamoto Komuku shielded their friends with the Rare Skill they both had, Regista, and tried to hold their line of battle firm at all costs. Nakabayashi Kaina supported them all as she fought. Osumi Azuki and Yoshimura Thi Mai were careful to watch out for their allies, while Tono Natsuki crushed the enemy with her prototype Tyrfing Type-R and her Charlemagne, borne in one hand apiece.

At the very moment that Hotaru could no longer raise her arms, and thought the end was finally coming—that was when it happened.



"HOTARU!"

A familiar voice reached her ears.

When Hotaru turned towards it, she saw Lilies approaching from the far side of the bridge—her friends, Fujita Asagao and Hishida Haru, among them. The Third Division had finally come to their aid.

"Asa-chan!" Hotaru called back in a hoarse voice. As she did, several Soldier Ants leapt at her from behind. Asagao had gotten close enough to see the toll the battle had taken upon Hotaru, and her eyes began to burn with rage.

"What do you think you're doing to my friend?!" Asagao screamed, dashing forward at top speed. Using the momentum of her approach, she sliced the foremost rank of Soldier Ants into pieces.

Further ahead of them, a gigant-type armored in black was lumbering closer. Hishida Haru of the Third Division and its commander, Banshoya Ena, both called out to their companions.

"That's a gigant-type up ahead! Let's take it out! Ena, load the bullet!" "Very well! We will commence the Neunwelt Tactic!"

Banshoya Ena supervised the Third Division as they passed the magiesphere between themselves in quick succession. Then, Yokoyama Azusa fired the finish shot at the gigant-type standing as the vanguard of the Huge.

"This is it for you!"

The powerful magiesphere scored a direct hit upon the armored gigant-type. It detonated in a massive explosion, annihilating a considerable number of the Soldier Ants nearby. Without a moment's pause, the Third Division began mopping up the rest of the enemies in the vicinity. It wasn't long before every enemy in sight was dead, and Shin-Tatsumi Bridge was once again quiet and peaceful.

They had proclaimed themselves proud warriors, but by now, the Lilies of the Fifth Division were barely able to stay standing upright.

"Are you okay, Hotaru?" Asagao asked, running over to Hotaru. The last of Hotaru's strength left her, and she collapsed into the other Lily's arms. "Took your time, didn't you?" she muttered. "If you'd been any slower, we'd have killed them all before you got here."

She smirked up at Asagao, but humor aside, there was something she had to know.

"...Did the evacuation finish?" "Yeah. Thanks to your whole division, Hotaru, we got pretty much everyone out of Shinonome safe and sound." "Thank goodness..."

Hotaru let out a deep sigh of relief. She whispered a few more words that only Asagao, her dear friend, could hear.

"I'm sorry. We couldn't hold them all back..."

Despite how fiercely the Fifth Division had fought, the plan to hit the nestless Ultra with a pincer attack had failed. And on top of that, many of the Huge, including large-types and gigant-types, were on the move towards Ariake and the Tokyo International Exhibition Center—areas where the evacuation wasn't complete.

The very heart of Odaiba was about to become a battlefield. Keeping the remaining civilians safe would not be easy.

As Hotaru's shoulders trembled in frustration, Asagao gently hugged the girl to her. "...You've done enough, Hotaru," she said, fixing Hotaru with a serious gaze. "You fought bravely. What you and your companions achieved here shall be the stuff of legends to come. If the Fifth Division had not been here, there would have been far more death and destruction. You can leave the rest to us... because you did all you could. You truly did."

She spoke as one who also knew what it was like to stand upon the battlefield. One who also understood the duty that Lilies took upon themselves. Her praise, that of a sister-in-arms, was the highest praise that anyone could give to a Lily.

"Thank you," Hotaru said quietly to Asagao, as she embraced the other Lily tightly.

Then Asagao called out to her companions in the Third Division.

"Now it's our turn!" she shouted.