Assault Lily: The Liberation of Niigata: Chapter 9
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Chapter Nine
The Battle of Sado
The Gunship Naglfar soared high above the sea of clouds, all of which converged in a massive vortex, the spitting image of a typhoon, that loomed over the entirety of Sado Island.
The Gigantic Nest where the Fafnir resided was located in the island’s southwestern portion, and it had been nicknamed “The Dragon’s Den”. It generated a special zone about ten kilometers across, inside of which intense lighting and other abnormal weather phenomena were frequent. Because of this, the Gunship was unable to approach this area. Furthermore, visible at Sado’s shore was a massive gathering of Huge, currently preparing for their eventual invasion of Niigata. As such, the Gunship could not land there either, at the risk of being immediately surrounded.
Those factors had led Soraha and her team to devise a landing strategy, which would have the Naglfar make a near-vertical descent to Sado, breaking right through the covering of clouds.
“Let’s do this, everyone!”
At Soraha’s command, the Naglfar began its drop through the dense cloud layer. The Álfheimr members and Ryuto’s special battalion all fastened themselves tightly to their seats, so that they would not be ragdolled across the ship’s fuselage by the intense turbulence.
Once the Gunship emerged underneath the clouds, the plains of Sado’s center region soon came into view. The ship continued its descent until it had sufficiently approached the surface, at which point it suddenly stopped mid-air and opened its exit hatch, without touching down on the island. Then, with Soraha in lead, the Lilies took their CHARMs in hand and began jumping out of the ship in quick succession, and once all of them made landfall, the Naglfar safely ascended to the skies once more.
After ascertaining there had been no issues with their arrival, Ena called out to her teammates:
“Is everyone here?”
The complete recklessness of their landing strategy had left Misora and Tsukushi barely able to stand on their feet from dizziness. Meanwhile, Fubuki laughed as she straightened her hair:
“I guess it’s only right that a raid operation is to be this audacious from the start.”
Letting out a small sigh, Yuuna turned to Soraha and spoke:
“Most of the Huge present in Sado have begun moving towards mainland Niigata. We need to finish this quickly before they succeed in crossing the sea.”
As all Lilies turned to face the Island’s southwest, their eyes had little trouble finding the Fafnir’s colossal silhouette. After all, it was of a size that not even Sado’s mountains were enough to conceal.
Though it had received its name, taken from the fearsome dragon found in Norse mythology, due to its unparalleled ferociousness, the Fafnir’s actual form much more resembled the hero who slayed its namesake. Its upper half appeared as a bastardization of a classical armor-wearing knight, while its lower body imitated a person on horseback, giving it four legs in total.
Seeking to properly absorb and retain the Magie that flowed out of its Nest, the massive beast stood completely immobile. Seen covering its entire body was a faint, golden glow, and the sight of it was reflected in Soraha’s eyes as she fiercely stared it down. Then, she declared:
“Now, let our operation begin!”
At her command, all the Lilies began to make haste towards the giant.
...
Deep into the forests, still away from the Dragon’s Den, Álfheimr and Ryuto’s special battalion headed straight to the Nest where the Fafnir resided. However, the Huge in the vicinity had all been awakened by the presence of the Lilies’ Magie, and launched an ambush on their group.
“Welcome. Now, which one of you little lambs would like to die first?”
“We’re gonna get the path clear for the rest of you~! Don’t even worry about it!”
“I will not allow you to lay a finger on my sisters until we reach the Fafnir!”
The vanguard of their party had been entrusted to Álfheimr’s Reincarnators, Okada Kisara, Mozuna Noa and Maki Wakana.
The only way an Ultra-class Huge can be defeated is through the Neunwelt Tactic, and for the Lilies to perform it, it was imperative that they conserved as much of their Magie as possible until they reached the Fafnir. In spite of this, however, the enemies seemed to only increase in number the closer they got to the giant.
Slashing down a Mid-class, Fubuki yelled to the others:
“Ignore them! We aren’t to engage in needless fighting before reaching the Fafnir!”
Though the team did attempt to continue their advance, the Huge’s armies eventually formed into an impenetrable wall, which began to push them back in their tracks.
“Grr! Damn pests!” uttered Komomo, as despite her very best efforts to cut their path open, any Huge she’d defeat would be soon replenished in multiples. “You’re no enemy of mine! That title belongs to the big arrogant bastard standing over there!”
Komomo continued to smite down all the Small-class Huge that lunged at her. Watching her, Miki yelled:
“Komomo! You need to conserve your Magie until we make it to the Fafnir!”
“Don’t talk as if I don’t know that! But we won’t be getting there at all if we don’t get rid of these ones first!”
Shooting down yet another Small-class, Komomo then turned to the Fafnir with a scornful gaze
(That thing is the stain on my sister’s, on Dúfa’s memory...!)
Even a whole year later, the sight of it was one she could not possibly forget. This was an enemy that bore the resentment of all Lilies from the previous generation of Legion Dúfa: of Yaya, the sister that Komomo loved so much, and of all of Dúfa’s members, who cared for her as if she were a little sister of their own.
(If I can kill that thing myself, then everyone will...!)
All the fury that Komomo had kept concealed for an entire year burst out of her.
If only the Fafnir had never stepped foot in Sado, then Yaya and all of her friends in Dúfa would still be carrying on with their lives right now, in the very land where she stood.
To Komomo, the Fafnir was the very scum of the earth, the one that dared to steal away her sister’s future.
“I’ll kill you.... I swear to God I’ll kill you!”
Once again, Komomo attempted to slash open her way through the enemies. But as soon as she began moving, a fireball emerged from between the trees, and detonated right in front of her.
“Gyaah!”
Komomo was violently repelled by the blast, and tumbled down on the ground.
What then emerged from between the woods was the Irregular Huge known as “Lindwurm”. This Huge, who had been named after a famed flightless dragon, took the form of a lizard, and upon laying eyes on Komomo, it narrowed its eyelids in excitement.
“Stay out of my way!” though alone, Komomo still stood in defiance to the Lindwurm.
Meanwhile, Miki, seeing Komomo on the verge of fully losing control, attempted to call out to the junior.
“Komomo! Calm yourself down! You’ll die in no time if you continue as you are!”
However, Miki’s words completely missed Komomo’s ears. Her rational side was fully aware of that fact, but it had been unfortunately muffled shut by the sheer anger and frustration that she felt at the moment.
(It doesn’t matter if my own life is the cost, the Fafnir will die by my hands! That is the resolve that a true hero must possess!)
Pouring all of her strength into her attacks, Komomo was eventually able to overpower the Lindwurm.
“This is the end for you!” declared Komomo as she swung her CHARM at the Huge. But just as she did, the Lindwurm used its tail to attack from her flank.
“Nngh!!”
The hit sent Komomo flying, and she now found herself separated from her CHARM. The Lindwurm then lunged towards the now defenseless Komomo, holding its sharp claws forward, and all that Komomo could do was watch.
“Komomo!!”
Suddenly, Komomo was launched away, and when looking to her side, she saw that Miki had been the one to throw her out of the spot she was in. And in the following instant, the Lindwurm’s claws ripped through Miki’s right leg.
“Aaaaghhh!!” Miki fell to the ground, screaming in agony.
With Miki now unable to move, the Lindwurm turned its attention to her, marking her as its new prey. Widening its jaw, it prepared to shoot another fireball towards the Lily.
And yet, Miki turned to face Komomo with a smile.
“.... Komomo, please survive.”
The full extent of Miki's feelings was laid bare in the look she had in her eyes, and the sight of it caused a flood of Komomo’s memories with Miki to break out in her mind.
She had always been there, by her side, ever since they were little, always with that smile that was bright as the sun. Komomo cherished her as her older sister just as much as she did Yaya.
Komomo knew that Miki was not at fault for what happened during the Sado Evacuation. She knew that Miki grieved Yaya’s loss just as much as she did. She understood all of that, and yet, she still turned her own grief at her sister’s loss into a weapon to hurt Miki.
And yet, even in the face of that, Miki still stayed by her side for the entire year since, no matter how venomous the words Komomo assaulted her with, Miki still did not abandon her even a single time.
(I didn’t apologize.... I didn’t even try to make things right...!)
It would happen again.
She would lose the sister she cherished yet again.
(No! I’m sick of this already....!)
Komomo recalled the words Yaya had left her with on her final day on this Earth. You’ll surely grow to be a formidable hero, Komomo, she’d said, with a smile on her face.
And at that moment, Komomo’s body began to move on its own.
“Miki-nee!!”
Rushing towards Miki, Komomo leaped. And then, the fireball detonated just where Miki was.
With her mind still completely jumbled, Miki opened her eyes.
She could not recall what had just transpired. The only thing she remembered is that, after moving Komomo out of the way, the Lindwurm was about to shoot its fireball at her. Anything else that happened after fully eluded her.
“.... Are you alright, Miki-nee?”
Miki then noticed that Komomo was looking at her from above.
“....Komomo?”
Scanning her surroundings, Miki saw a column of smoke rising from the hill above them. By the looks of it, they had tumbled down the slope and fallen atop a stack of dried foliage.
Everything seemed to point at Komomo having saved her life.
“Why.... did you save me?” Miki asked, and with tears flooding out of her eyes, Komomo responded:
“I’m sick of losing people... I don’t want you to leave me behind too...!”
Komomo held tightly onto Miki as she cried, the way a child would.
“I’m so sorry...! All I’ve done was insult you...!”
“It’s okay. I understand...” responded Miki as she enveloped Komomo in a gentle embrace.
Miki had been by Komomo’s side ever since they were kids, she was familiar with Komomo’s temper more than anyone else.
“Come on now, we should hurry back to the others...” Miki spoke with a comforting tone to her voice, and wiping her tears away, Komomo answered with a single “yeah” as they stood back on their feet.
But their path was immediately sealed shut by a massive silhouette. The Lindwurm had followed after the pair, and neither of them had their CHARMs in hand.
“Hmph, as if I’ll allow myself to die here after finally making peace with Miki-nee.”
“Well said. The two of us will survive, no matter what.”
Just then, a pair of CHARMs fell before the two of them, and as the pair turned their gaze uphill, there stood none other than Endo Araya.
“I’d really appreciate it if you both would stop making me look after you this much.”
The smirk Araya had on her face prompted Komomo to grunt in response. Then, she took her CHARM in hands, and raised it towards the Lindwurm.
“Are you up for this, Miki-nee?”
“Always.”
Letting out a furious shriek, the Lindwurm began dashing towards the pair. Miki, however, masterfully predicted the Huge’s trajectory, and retaliated by slashing off its legs. “Komomo!” she shouted, and the junior attended by landing a powerful blow directly upon the Lindwurm’s head.
“This is where you die!!”
With its head mangled to pieces by Komomo’s attack, the Lindwurm fell flat on the ground.
Miki and Komomo turned to face the other, and shared a small chuckle between themselves, their cheeks ever so slightly flushed. Seeing this, Araya walked down the hill and approached the two:
“Oh dear, I suppose this is what they mean by tough times building even tougher relationships.” she said, still with a teasing smile.
“Shut up! No one’s asking you anything!” retorted Komomo, her face now fully reddened. Then, with a meeker voice, she added: “.... but thank you. We owe you this one.”
“You’re always very welcome” Araya responded, now chuckling.
The three Lilies then moved to regroup with the others. Upon their return, Miki and Komomo had their injuries treated by Amatsu Marei, who had joined Ryuto’s special battalion as their support. Marei’s Rare Skill was “Z”, which allows the user to rewind time within a small area, equivalent to what both of their hands are able to cover. As such, Miki’s leg had now healed completely.
Komomo, meanwhile, was now once again capable of fighting with a level head after reconciling with Miki, and thanks to this, the Lilies could now make progress in breaking through the dense crowd of Huge, and continue their advance towards the Fafnir.
With a few kilometers still remaining until they could reach the Dragon’s Den, Soraha kept her gaze upon the Fafnir as it stood motionless in the distance.
“..... We’ll get there in no time.”
The southwestern portion of Sado Island was once home to a now abandoned GEHENA research facility. Now, however, the place had been fully overrun by the gigantic Nest, with the Fafnir’s monumental figure now taking the very center of the rift between the mountains.
With a grim look on her eyes, Ichi stared the Fafnir down.
“Ultra-class Huge are truly colossal beings, aren’t they....”
Though Soraha and Ena had experience with taking down an Ultra-class Huge from the Odaiba Counteroffensive, this was a first-time encounter for Ichi and the other first years among the Lilies’ group. Though Gigant-class Huge are immense in their own right, Ultra-class are exponentially larger than even they are. The total size of their bodies averages in the several hundreds of meters, and fighting them could be more accurately compared with battling a gigantic warship.
It is next to impossible to defeat an Ultra-class by simply fighting it conventionally. Thankfully, the Fafnir still showed no signs of movement.
Standing next to Soraha, Yuuna suggested:
“We should rush towards it at once and take it down before it begins to move again.”
Their strategy consisted on Álfheimr and Ryuto’s special battalion each conducting a Neunwelt Tactic in order to destroy each of the Fafnir’s arms, which were its weak spots. Then, they would finish it off by firing a second Neunwelt against its main body.
“Before we do that, let’s go over everything one more time.” called out Marei to Soraha and the others. “From here onwards, we’ll be under the Fafnir’s domain. The attacks that it expels from its mouth have the ability to throw our Magie Crystal Cores out of order, so the moment it begins charging its breath, everyone should immediately clear out of the area.”
Marei then turned to Imaizumi Rion, who continued:
“When we fought against it in Joetsu, my CHARM experienced adverse effects whenever it fired its breath. And most importantly, we were unable to properly charge the Magisphere when performing the Neunwelt.”
“I suppose it’d be wise for us to fire our finishing shots from a distance, then.” concluded Byakuren, but Akane frowned at this.
“But to take down an Ultra-class, we must remain close, otherwise the Magie Intensity will become weaker. I’m not too sure that’ll prove enough to take down the Fafnir...”
“Magie Intensity” refers to the concentration of surrounding ambient Magie. When faced with Gigants, Ultras or Irregular-type Huge, it is possible to take advantage of their local Magie Intensity by making the Neunwelt’s passes in close proximity to them, which results in an even more powerful Magisphere.
“Not a problem. After all, once its arms are destroy’d, it won’t be able to use its breath again, correct?” Fubuki said while turning to Nanoha, who confirmed:
“Quite right, Onee-sama. Those glowing spots it has on both of its arms are what it uses to receive the Magie influx. If we can successfully tear those away, then it will not be able to use its breath again, as doing so consumes large quantities of its Magie.”
As Nanoha’s Aberration allowed her to learn the unique behavioral patterns of the Huge, she was able to narrow down the exact area of the Fafnir’s arms that gave it its vulnerability.
Ena, who was their chief commander, then spoke to all Lilies:
“In that case, we shall now split our teams and head in different directions, just as our strategy called. Should we succeed in our simultaneous ambush against the Fafnir, then the danger posed by its breath will be nullified”
In agreement, Soraha then addressed the Lilies herself:
“We’ll move out as soon as we replenish our Magie. Noa, if you would.”
“Alrighty, I’ll begin recharging all of you now~”
Mozuna Noa’s Rare Skill was Charisma. This allowed her to take hold of the Magie that permeated their surroundings and use it to replenish her allies’ reserves. The moment she began doing so, however, Kusumi received a premonition through her own Rare Skill, Phantasm, and shouted out to her teammates:
“The Fafnir is about to use its breath!”
The Lilies immediately turned to face the Fafnir, and they saw gathering in its mouth a stream of golden light that grew increasingly brighter. The Lilies immediately leaped away from its line of fire, and as soon as they did, a gigantic beam of light shot out from the Fafnir’s mouth. The scalding heat from the light beam created a trail of fire that ran across the several kilometers of forest that separated the Fafnir from Soraha and the others.
From up in the air, Ena watched the devastated area, which had been completely flattened by the flames, and yelled:
“This can’t be right...! I was certain that we were still out of its range of fire!!”
The abnormalities did not stop there, however.
All of the Lilies’ CHARMs suddenly had their Crystal Cores blink erratically, and after they ceased doing so, the light emitted by them began dimming rapidly. Seeing this, Misora and Tatsuki, Álfheimr’s Arsenals, shouted:
“We’ve been got! We’re still super far away, but our CHARMs are still being affected!”
“Now our CHARMs can only operate at half capacity!”
While the Lilies all verified the state of their CHARMs, Kusumi warned a second time:
“The breath is coming again!”
Yet again, the Fafnir’s face was lit by the charging Magie, and without notice, it shot out a beam of light from its mouth. “Move!” shouted Fubuki, and soon after the Lilies cleared out of the way, the beam burned a second trail of fire across the forest.
Watanabe Akane could only watch in utter disbelief as the fire fully consumed the trees.
“It used this much Magie, and yet it took almost no time to recharge its attack. The Fafnir is much stronger than we predicted it to be!”
Keeping her eyes on the Fafnir, Nanoha responded.
“Its breath is fired in bursts of two. That means if we can successfully avoid both shots, then it’ll take a while before it can charge the next pair.”
“So long as we have Nanoha’s eyes and Kusumi’s Phantasm to rely on, it shouldn’t be too tough getting close to it while still avoiding its breath...” concluded Asuka. But turning to face the ruined forest, she could see that a large swarm of Huge advanced towards them from behind the trees.
“Woaahh! There’s a whole bunch of them!” pointed out Tsukushi, and breathing a sigh, Hanako declared:
“Advancing towards the Fafnir while avoiding its breath and fighting off the Huge’s armies certainly works to up the ante.”
“And on top of that, our CHARMs are no longer in prime condition either.” added Rion, smiling wryly as she stared at her own CHARM.
Meanwhile, Komomo and Miki shared a look between themselves, and raised their CHARMs towards the oncoming enemies.
“This is only what a proper challenge should be like. My sister had no trouble at all holding off against those things.”
“Indeed, there is nothing that together we cannot accomplish.”
With her eyes still fixated on the Fafnir, Soraha brought her Fragarach to bear, and declared:
“We will conquer the Fafnir today! That I assure you!”
The Lilies then readied their CHARMs, ready to intercept the horde of Huge that approached them.
To be continued