Torn Asunder by War, A Sword Saint for Tomorrow X The Knight Wizards!! – Chapter 32

Chapter 32
  With the sound of something collapsing as a trigger, the maintenance crew all started moving at once. As they released the devices holding Aynst’s Begalta L-type and the Clawsolas against the wall, Lloyd rushed into the workshop, pulling his younger sister’s hand.
  
  Going back in time a little from this suddenly bustling situation…
  
  Six Nightshade units, newly built in Rigsia territory, burst out of the forest near the town of Dimer in Zephyrus Domain. Making use of their dark green bodies, they blended into the night, heading towards Winzard, the central city where Nina Valer had her castle.
  
  Behind them, bright flames blazed, gradually engulfing the grass, trees, and the animals living there.
  
  『It’s a diversionary tactic, setting it on fire, but…』
  『I don’t feel very good about it, Captain.』
  
  Leonardo, who had closed his eyes at the words of the exclusive knight and mage piloting the leading units, resolved that there was no need to hesitate now and replied with an unpretentious attitude.
  
  『It’s a necessary act for accomplishing our objective. We’ll leave the cleanup of the enemy units that are lured out to them.』
  『『Understood!』』
  
  At this point, it was foolish to indulge in hypocritical sentimentality. He would simply prioritize the mission he had been given, using the few logical points of his lord Heisel’s argument as a shield.
  
  ‘It’s for the development of Rigsia and, by extension, for the sake of the people.’
  
  In the long history, with the imperial family losing power and the land being divided among powerful lords, it was also dangerous for any one territory to become too powerful. Even if they ignored that fact, it was also necessary for their own territory to gain power.
  
  The lords who had sensed Rigsia’s movements were probably thinking of obstructing the White Fox of Zephyrus, who supported the western front… but they were also considering her assassination.
  
  With the rapid technological advancements in the past six months, if that person could be eliminated, Lord Heisel could take her place.
  
  『Lady Fau, who brought innovation here, is also quite the White Fox…』
  『Hmm, I agree.』
  
  Leonardo’s thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the mage Elnea, which reached his ears, and he stopped thinking, continuing westward at a cruising speed of about 50 km/h.
  
  After about an hour, they reached the farmland of the targeted central city. Leonardo unhesitatingly stepped into the fields with his giant knight and gave instructions.
  
  『Reina and Jix, you two will take a detour and attack the west gate after a time delay.』
  『Understood. See you later.』
  『Good luck…』
  
  『The rest of us will break through the east gate and enter the city!』
  『Yes, sir!』
  『『Understood.』』
  
  Soon, they split into two groups as planned. The young officer, who was the commander, captured the new town that extended beyond the walls in the pseudo-eyeball’s field of vision and suddenly accelerated the speed of his giant knight.
  
  Since there were magic lamps in the city, the guards defending the walls finally noticed the presence of the Nightshades. Several of them pulled out their breech-loading signal pistols loaded with night-vision flares and fired them upwards, but… it was too late.
  
  The unidentified giant knights, which had been running through the main street maintained for the giant knights, raised their short war hammers and smashed them into the defensive wall gate, which was slightly shorter than their own height, with full force!
  
  “”Uwaaaaaaaaaaah!””
  “”U wa~a a a~a―――a””
  
  Along with the fragments of the shattered wall, the guards were thrown into the air, falling with expressions of terror on their faces. Most of them died upon impact with buildings or the road.
  
  “Ugh… Ah… Hya, guh!?”
  
  Even those who were lucky enough to fall on top of a tall building and survive were crushed to death by the debris that scattered again when the following enemy knights slammed their maces near the gate.
  
  Naturally, the damage did not stop there. The houses around the east gate were destroyed by the falling wall materials, and the residents who lived there crawled out of their homes.
  
  It was not impossible that some of them were unfortunately hit directly by the flying debris while they were sleeping, and there were probably a considerable number of casualties.
  
  However, the attackers did not relent. The destructive weapons were slammed into the wall gate repeatedly, and it was quickly destroyed. The final blow was a mid-level kick with the weight of the giant knight, which sent the metal plate door flying.
  
  『Alright! Let’s go in!』
  
  『I’ll take the lead.』
  『I’ll leave the rearguard to you!』
  
  First, the two vanguard Nightshade units entered the main street. Taking into account the limited number of magic attacks allowed due to their direct connection to the power source, they moved closer to a distance where they could effectively target the small castle, their objective… but Zephyrus’ giant knights soon appeared on their path.
  
  『Two enemy units sighted! One is the Begalta as reported, the other is unknown!』
  『Captain, permission to use magic attacks!』
  
  『Leo, there’s no point in holding back.』
  『You’re right… Prepare to fire! We’ll take them down in one fell swoop!』
  
  Following the orders given through the telepathy device, the two vanguard units, which had stowed their close-combat weapons, knelt down and took a low stance, holding out both palms. The two rearguard units, including the captain’s unit, also extended both arms over their heads.
  
  Revia, who was watching the scene through the pseudo-eyeballs of her giant knight, Belphegor, let out a scream.
  
  “W-wait a minute! Are you crazy!? Using magic attacks in the middle of the city!?”
  “D*mn it, there’s no way to avoid this!”
  
  I wanted to scream just as much as she did, having been put in a critical situation as soon as we entered the main street, but there was no time to lament.
  
  “I’m going to shout!”
  “What!? You’re kidding, Claude!”
  
  As each enemy unit formed fire and wind bullets between their palms, I protected my upper body with the giant knight’s sturdy left arm, my lower body with the right arm equipped with an arm shield, and activated the back burst mechanism, which I had to use sooner than expected, to jump out!