Assault Lily: The Liberation of Niigata: Chapter 1
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Chapter One
The Aberration by the Frontal Japanese Coast
That day, Sengo Yuuna and Amatsu Marei of Ryuto Girls’ Academy found themselves visiting Yurigaoka Girls’ Academy.
“I beg you! Lend us the strength of Yurigaoka and of Álfheimr so we may save Niigata!”. Yuuna uttered soon after entering the Student Council’s room, bowing her head down.
The pair had been welcomed by the Three Valkyries of the Garden’s Student Council, said to hold all of Yurigaoka together. The Garden’s Chairwoman, Takamatsu Shiera, had entrusted the trio with handling this matter.
And standing beside them was one more figure, the captain of Legion Álfheimr, Amano Soraha.
Yuuna looks so shriveled, thought Soraha as she laid eyes on her comrade for the first time after a whole year.
Niigata’s situation had been constantly weighing on Soraha’s mind.
Fafnir had made its Nest on Sado not long after the Odaiba Counteroffensive, and this had been an event that impacted all of Japan. Soraha had learned that, presently, the Ryuto Legion responsible for the defense of Sado had a single surviving member, but thanks to Miyairi Fubuki’s command, the Huge’s invasion had been kept under control.
However, Yuuna’s words told a story far more hopeless than Soraha had imagined.
“The Huge’s occupation has been growing worse with each passing day. Even in our latest battle, many of our own were lost. If we’re not provided reinforcements, it will not be long before Niigata is completely overtaken.”
“.............”
Soraha had hoped to go to Yuuna’s rescue much sooner. However, Yurigaoka’s Lilies are not permitted to sortie without the Garden’s express approval. Furthermore, the Legion she led, Álfheimr, had grown to become a flagship not only of Yurigaoka’s, but of all of Japan. As it is believed that Yurigaoka, together with the entirety of Kamakura, should concentrate their efforts on the recapture of Koshu, Soraha’s sentiments alone were of little use.
(I want to help you, Yuuna, believe me. But...)
Soraha turned to the three Lilies sitting on the sofa, and saw in each of their faces an equally stern expression.
All three of them understood that, should Álfheimr be absent on Expedition at that point in time, the fall of Niigata would become unavoidable. But if that is the situation they faced, then their efforts shouldn’t be focused on aiding Niigata, but rather, in reinforcing defenses within their own Prefecture of Kamakura.
(But then, Ryuto’s Lilies will...)
Yet again, they’d be abandoning lives they might have been able to save.
Just as it was during the Koshu Withdrawal...
Soraha bit her lip, and the moment after, her attention was called by a cheerful voice:
“No need to make a face like that, Sora. Did you really think we’d just ask for help without any plan in our hands?”
“.... Huh?”
Soraha’s eyes turned to see Marei, her lips in a confident smirk as she operated a tablet.
“Ladies, if you could turn your attention to this.”
Displayed on a large projector was a map of the outskirts of Niigata, and denoted by a flickering light was one particular region of Sado Island.
“We were finally able to pinpoint the exact position of the Nest’s core, together with the Fafnir’s precise location. This Nest is producing a vast amount of Huge as we speak, and therefore, I see only one way to fully combat that.”
Not unlike a queen bee, an Ultra-class Huge is capable of commanding the large swaths of Huge that reside in its Nest, as well as constantly birthing new fleets from within the Nest’s enclosure. To bring that to a stop would entail...
“Taking down Fafnir itself”. Soraha whispered, and Marei grinned at her remark.
“Full points. Yuuna and I both believe this is the one way Niigata can still be saved. And we also believe that Álfheimr’s might would ensure the success of this strategy.”
Though Marei’s declaration was straightforward, all Lilies present understood the sheer risk that such an operation would pose. Defeating an Ultra-class was already an incredibly difficult feat to accomplish, and the one they were faced with was one of the Seven Greats...
“Do you truly believe that Álfheimr’s power would allow for your success?” Inquired Izue Shinobu, one of the Three Valkyries. And though hesitant, Yuuna responded:
“Undertaking this strategy is currently an impossibility for Ryuto’s manpower alone, and though there are those who believe it would only lead to more needless loss of life, I’d like to state that I too, do not wish for anyone else to die. However, I truly believe this is our last chance to save Niigata...!”
Yuuna approached Soraha, and held both of her hands in her own with all her strength.
“I beg of you, Soraha! Please help us protect our sisters, our homeland! You’re the only ones who can save us right now...!”
“.... Yuuna.”
Soraha could not choose the words to respond. Truly, how Yuuna must have suffered in the one year since they last met, how frustrating it must have been, being unable to defeat the Fafnir despite their fervent desire to do so.
But if Álfheimr lent them their aid right now, maybe Ryuto Girls’ Academy and Niigata itself could still be saved.
Upon that thought, the memory of the events that transpired two years ago were revived in Soraha’s mind.
(This is exactly the same as it was back then...!)
Two years prior, during the Koshu Withdrawal, Soraha was one of the members of the First Generation Álfheimr. In order to secure the civilians’ evacuation, they had been tasked with holding off the Huge’s advance. Once evacuations had finally concluded, it was now possible for them to head directly towards the core of the Nest consuming Koshu, but at that moment, their Legion was divided on whether they should proceed or retreat.
Ultimately, they ascertained that continuing forward would prove too difficult, and as such, they chose to retreat. But in analyzing the progress of the battle after the fact, they discovered that had they proceeded, they likely would have been able to reclaim at least half of Koshu’s territory. If only they had destroyed the Nest then, the people of Koshu wouldn’t have needed to abandon their hometown.
The regret of it had lived with Soraha in the two whole years since that battle. She could not bear to go through that a second time, which meant...
(I won’t make the wrong choice again. I promise I’ll save everyone this time!)
Settling on her decision, Soraha smiled at Yuuna as she wiped the tears off her face.
“Yuuna, everything will be alright, I'll make sure of it.”
Seeing the resolution on her eyes, Shinobu uttered:
“.... I suppose she has made her decision.”
“I have!” Soraha declared with a vigorous nod as she turned to the Valkyries. “As the captain of Legion Álfheimr, I’d like to formally submit to you an Expedition request to Niigata!”
Shinobu turned to face the Lilies sat by each of her sides, Hata Matsuri and Uchida Mayuri, and after both of them nodded in confirmation, she stood up.
“... Request acknowledged. In order to decide on whether this request will be approved, we shall hold a conference in conjunction with all of the Student Council’s Thirteen Legion Committee!”
And so, the possibility of Álfheimr’s Expedition to Niigata was left to be evaluated by the Three Valkyries, together with the representatives of the Thirteen Legion Committee in Yurigaoka’s Student Council.
To be continued.