Assault Lily: The Liberation of Niigata: Chapter 3
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Chapter Three
Arsenals
Three days remained until Álfheimr’s departure.
"C’mon now, hurry. We’re not gonna make the deadline if you keep lazing around.”
Mashima Moyu’s voice echoed across the entire Arsenal Workshop. With the whole department under Moyu’s command, the Arsenals present hastily moved around the room.
“Arsenals” are student-engineers who specialize in the development and servicing of CHARMs and other equipment, such as counter-Huge armor. And right now, they were tasked with the preparations for Álfheimr’s upcoming Expedition.
Soon after the approval of Álfheimr’s mission to Niigata, the entirety of Yurigaoka had been mobilized. First, the Garden’s Special Forces Legion, Sigrdrífa, was dispatched to Niigata a few days prior. They are a Legion that specializes on heavy-duty reconnaissance missions, and their task was to amass data on location details and the progress of battle in the area.
“We’ll certainly bring you every bit of information you’ll need, so I hope you look forward to our return, ehehe” Were the words that Sigrdrífa’s captain, Toono Natsuki, directed to Soraha in a wide smile before their departure to Niigata.
It had been agreed that once Sigrdrífa returned and presented the information they collected to Yurigaoka, Álfheimr would be deployed in their Expedition as soon as possible. Until then, it was the Arsenals’ job to provide them with the necessary equipment and conduct proper maintenance on their CHARMs.
“Once you’re done with inspecting the CHARMs, start getting the Armor ready. Oh, and don’t forget to check the Magie Crystal Cores too.”
Moyu, who was elected to supervise the equipment provisions, had enlisted the help of every single Arsenal available to ensure that Álfheimr could depart in the best possible conditions. Because of this, the entire department had been tirelessly at work ever since.
Amatsu Marei had also remained in Yurigaoka in order to aid Moyu and the other Arsenals with preparing for Álfheimr’s eventual deployment.
“Moyu, is this enough for the Marmyadose’s inspection?”
“Hmm, I’d tell you to really double check the intensity level of the B-Type Equipment on it. Y’see, Araya-san likes to go really hard when she uses it.”
“Roger that. How about the Laevateinn that came in yesterday?”
“Looks good. Yggdrasil never disappoints.”
Even as they spoke, Moyu and Marei carried on with their maintenance work. Equally regarded as their generation’s most exceptional Arsenals, both of them carried the experience of working on many of the most formidable pieces of weaponry ever produced. Their work was exemplary of how the Lilies’ ability to continue their fight is owed to the great efforts by Arsenals and CHARM manufacturers to develop and maintain their weapons.
Proceeding with servicing the Marmyadose, Marei spoke:
“We’ll be leaving the final inspection to those Álfheimr girls, right?”
“Yeah, Misora-chan and Tatsuki-chan will take care of it.” Moyu answered, as she continued commanding the other Arsenals.
“They’re both first-years, aren’t they? How do they fare?”
“Oh, they’re really prodigies. I mean, they are Arsenals for the Álfheimr, after all. I’m confident they’ll do a stellar job.”
Moyu let out a chuckle as she answered. Marei responded with a “Hmm” as she turned to watch the pair at the rearmost side of the workshop.
“Haah, this just doesn’t end...” complained Kanabako Misora, letting her body loose as she turned to face the ceiling. Piled on the rack before her was a mountain’s worth of CHARMs.
Lilies will not bring a single CHARM to Expeditions, rather, they are provided with multiple spares. And for Álfheimr’s upcoming Expedition, each member would receive three extra CHARMs in addition to their unique models. And so, to Kanabako Misora and Mori Tatsuki fell the task of performing the final round of inspections on each of these CHARMs. Both of them were among Álfheimr’s headliners, and were also their Legion’s dedicated Arsenals.
“Tatsuki, you shouldn’t be working just on your CHARMs!” Misora scolded Tatsuki, who stood just to her side.
“But I don’t really wanna take care of other people’s CHARMs...” Responded Tatsuki, begrudgingly starting work on the other CHARMs.
As Soraha and all the others were exceptional Lilies, they demanded that their CHARMs undergo an equally exceptional level of quality control. Because of this, performing maintenance on their CHARMs was a remarkably arduous task to undertake, even more so when handling their Unique models.
A Unique CHARM is a model especially built to suit the needs of a particular Lily. Soraha’s was the Fragarach, Kusumi’s was the Laevateinn, Ichi’s was the Aroundight, Araya’s was the Marmyadose, and so on... Each of these are one-of-a-kind CHARMs, built with utmost care and the highest quality materials in order to suit the peerless Lilies that wield them.
Because of this, all of them possess unique specifications down to their most intricate components, and unsurprisingly, conducting maintenance on them was leagues more difficult than maintaining a regular CHARM.
“Aaargh! I just can’t! I can’t do this anymore!” Misora said, throwing away the tool on her hand and sitting down on her chair.
“So you’re just gonna leave it in the hands of Moyu-sama and her group, then?” Tatsuki retorted in a devilish tone.
Yurigaoka’s Arsenal Department enjoyed worldwide renown for the many Arsenals of peerless talent the likes of Mashima Moyu that it employed. Furthermore, they now counted on the aid of the equally prodigious Amatsu Marei. Their combined work could, without a doubt, bring any CHARM in existence to its most perfect condition.
However, Misora’s pride as Álfheimr’s dedicated Arsenal would never allow that to happen.
“I’m just joking, of course, this is my job.” Misora responded, once again standing up as she resumed her maintenance work.
Currently, there were many within Yurigaoka that predicted Álfheimr’s Niigata Expedition would turn out a failure. Others also believed that their Expedition request was approved as a mere formality, and that they would be soon ordered to return to the Garden. Though it was true that Álfheimr had succeeded in liberating many other regions until that point, the notion that this Expedition was assumed a failure before it even started irritated Misora to no end.
“They’ll see. We’re absolutely gonna save Niigata.”
“Ooh, it’s rare seeing you this motivated, Misora.”
“Shut it! Get your own hands moving already.” Misora turned her face away in a snap upon hearing Tatsuki’s mocking words.
“Good work out here~!”
Soraha entered the room, followed by the other Álfheimr members.
While Misora and Tatsuki had been busy preparing their equipment, the remaining members of Álfheimr were in training, foreseeing the battlefield they’d encounter in Niigata. In fact, even before their Expedition was approved, they were already engrossed in practising their arrangement of the Neunwelt Tactic with multiple rotations of their members.
As soon as they entered the room, Araya and Ichi began to make requests:
“Misora, can something be done to increase the power of the hits on this Tyrfing?”
“Tatsuki, the handle on this Asterion makes it hard to wield effectively. Could you switch it for a better one, please?”
Immediately after, Soraha and Kusumi brought them requests of their own:
“It’d be great if you could make the Fragarach feel a little lighter.”
“Umm, I’d like it if you could make the transformation quicker, if at all possible...”
Completely oblivious to their struggle, their Legion mates would continue to request that Misora and Tatsuki deliver them even higher and higher quality work no matter how much maintenance the pair conducted. This cycle would never end, regardless of what they delivered.
“Aaaaargghh!! We’re not gonna make the deadline like this!” Misora shouted, her patience disappearing by the second.
“Ughh, and all I wanted was to look after my own stuff...” whined Tatsuki.
“My goodness, Sora-chan, you mustn’t make such indulgent requests, you know? The two of them are working as hard as they can.”
Interjecting was Maki Wakana, who stroked Misora and Tatsuki’s heads as she stood between them. This was Soraha’s very own Schutzengel.
“Um, I guess you’re right, Onee-sama.”
Humbling herself before Wakana, Soraha then apologized to the pair:
“I’m sorry, to both of you. I really don’t want you to overwork yourselves.”
Retrieving her CHARM, Misora answered:
“Don’t worry about it, we’ll make sure you have the most perfect CHARMs you could ever ask for. The last thing I want to hear is people saying that our recapture failed because your CHARMs weren’t right...”
“Yeah, yeah, the two of us got this.”
Though with a wry smile on each of their faces, the Álfheimr members decided to trust the pair’s work, and promptly left the room.
It would be through the CHARMs they’ve prepared that Niigata would be reclaimed.
With such determination in their hearts, Misora and Tatsuki once again poured themselves over their work.
...
The very next day, Legion Sigrdrífa returned from Niigata, bringing with them a variety of reports, such as the situation in Sado, where the Nest was located, and in Sanjo, which currently was the primary battleground of the conflict. They were also able to collect information on the present state of Ryuto Girls’ Academy, and all of their discoveries were soon presented to Yurigaoka’s Student Council.
Toono Natsuki personally summoned Soraha to the Garden’s lounge in order to tell her of what she’d witnessed.
“Niigata’s predicament is so much more severe than we could’ve imagined. You couldn’t take a single step without encountering an Irregular Gigant-type, and every inch of Sado is covered by the Huge. Getting close to the Fafnir was little more than wishful thinking for us.”
“......”
Soraha furrowed her brow as she continued to read through the reports. Not only would they have their hands full with fighting the Fafnir and the swaths of Huge that surrounded it, but now they would need to contend with the several Irregular Gigants in the area as well.
And yet, the primary cause of her concern was something else entirely...
“I had no idea Ryuto’s situation was this grim...” Soraha whispered, and Natsuki nodded in agreement.
“Indeed, Fafnir is hardly the only tribulation they’re faced with.”
What Soraha had learned from Natsuki about the conditions at Ryuto Girls’ Academy painted an even bleaker image than what Yuuna and Marei’s words had conveyed. According to the details on the report, it was near unthinkable they’d be able to provide any sort of meaningful resistance. Now, she could understand Yurigaoka’s standing that their aid was still highly unlikely to lead to a successful recapture of Niigata.
“They were right. By the looks of it, we’re in no shape to win this battle as it is.”
“I’m guessing your escort Legions were not approved to accompany you?” Inquired Natsuki, and Soraha nodded in response.
In Expeditions to notoriously fierce battlegrounds such as this one, it is very common for the spearheading Legion to be accompanied by other Legions with which they have formal alliances with. However, not only was Álfhemir not allowed to bring any support in this Expedition, but their escort Legions were explicitly ordered to provide them with nothing more than logistical support.
The explanation provided by Yurigaoka’s upper echelon was that with the Nests in Yuigahama, Oiso and Koshu still active, it’d be unwise to further spread their manpower thin for the benefit of Niigata alone. However, it was clear as day that this ruling was so that Álfheimr would be forced to return as quickly as possible.
What, then, did they hope to achieve by approving the Expedition at all?
“If we had only two more Legions with us, then we...”
“Well, no need to worry about it, then.” Marei appeared out of nowhere, approaching the pair together with Moyu. “If you need reinforcements, then I’ll make sure to bring them to you.”
“.... You will? But from where?”
Soraha couldn’t help but be befuddled at Marei’s unexpected remark. Yurigaoka had no intention of dispatching any more troops to Niigata, and Ryuto Girls’ Academy had no neighbouring Gardens that could provide them with troops. It was hard to think where she’d find Lilies willing to join them...
“Just leave that part to me, though I can’t guarantee that it’ll work out.” Marei said with a confident smirk, causing Moyu to chuckle.
“That aside, those two over there said they have news they want to report.”
Just as Moyu turned to face the door...
“Soraha-sama~! We’re done~!”
Misora and Tatsuki rushed into the room, both with the widest smiles on their faces.
“The CHARMs’ inspection is all done~!”
“Ooohh!!” Said all of Álfheimr’s members in unison, their voices filling the entire workshop.
Inside, all of their fully serviced CHARMs were displayed in a neatly arranged row, and with each subjected to a thorough polishing, every single one of them sparkled as if they were brand new. The Unique models in particular had a light and presence befitting of actual pieces of art.
The Álfheimr members wasted no time taking their respective CHARMs in hand.
“Impressive! I can already feel that it handles much differently than before!”
“Yeah! I can’t wait to get these boys swinging!”
Watanabe Akane and Takasuga Tsukushi waved their CHARMs around with little issue.
“Hehe, you really did your very best this time, didn’t you, girls?”
“You have my sincere gratitude for bringing their strength to even further heights.”
Mozuna Noa and Okada Kisara professed their appreciation for their Arsenals. Likewise, every one of their members held their respective CHARMs with a look of satisfaction on their eyes.
“With these, we’ll certainly make it through this. You’ve both done a splendid job.” Commended Ena, promptly inducing a haughty smile on Misora.
“Heh, I mean, this much is really just piece of cake for me.”
“Man, I’m beat~” Said Tatsuki soon after, her eyes weighed down by drowsiness.
Soraha looked at the pair with a warm smile. However, her words caught them by surprise:
“Alright, everyone, now that our CHARMs got their makeover, we’ll do a final practice run for our Neunwelt Tactic arrangement!” She declared, clapping her hands as she urged her Legion mates.
“Whaaat!?” Both Misora and Tatsuki exclaimed in unison.
“Soraha-sama, we’ve been up all night long, you know?”
“Pleeease, let me sleeeep”
“No can do~. You can sleep all you want after we’re done with practice, so c’mon, let’s go!”
Soraha’s response was met with a “Hweeh!?” by both Misora and Tatsuki. Looking at the pair, the other members couldn’t help but chuckle between themselves.
...
And so came the day of deployment.
All of the Second Generation Álfheimr had assembled at Yurigaoka’s launching pad. Their uniforms were complemented by a black mantle that hung around each of their shoulders, a memento from the Legion’s First Generation. Furthermore, their arms and legs were covered by plates of anti-Huge Armor.
Their destination was the Naglfar, Álfheimr’s very own exclusive Gunship.
Bearing the name of a legendary warship in Norse mythology, the Gunship stood magnificently as it awaited its twelve members to board it, a sight worthy of its namesake, which was said to carry within it those who stood in challenge to the very gods. All the equipment Álfheimr would utilize in this mission had already been loaded into the Naglfar, and inside it awaited Amatsu Marei, who would be returning to Niigata together with Soraha and the others.
“Is everyone ready?” Soraha asked, and in response, all the other members nodded positively.
“I’m always at your command.”
“Let us not waste any more time, Soraha-sama!”
Araya and Ichi replied in full vigor. Having employed their Unique CHARMs in a battle against a Gigant-class a few days prior, they were able to ascertain their performance had been tuned to their tastes. With the amount of training each of them underwent in preparation for the Niigata Expedition, coupled with the CHARMs the Arsenals devoted themselves to perfecting, Álfheimr’s hold over their powers was at its greatest.
(But even this much just won’t be enough...)
Soraha, however, remained worried.
Ryuto Girls’ Academy was a step away from total collapse, and Álfheimr would not have any escorting Legions in this mission. It was hard to predict how long they’d last against the Fafnir in such a state…
(Marei said she’d be bringing reinforcements of her own, but..)
Just as those thoughts made their way to Soraha’s mind, the mobile Terminal in Soraha’s pocket began to ring. As she took up the call, she was greeted by a rather unexpected voice.
“Has it not been a while, Soraha-san?”
The voice that whispered in her ear was of a mellow and familiar tone, belonging to none other than the primary representative of the ever famous Odaiba Girls’ School, someone who fought by her side during the Odaiba Counteroffensive.
“Momiji!?”
Speaking to her was Tsukioka Momiji, the captain of Legion Heorot Saints.
...
Ten minutes later, the Naglfar took flight towards Niigata, carrying its legion of Valkyries to that wretched battlefield overrun by the forces of evil. What awaited them was a scenery of nothing but darkness and despair, and yet, Soraha’s gaze as she looked up to the skies was filled with nothing but hope.
To be continued