Night Knight.

To build their camp, the Holy State Army had cut down a large number of trees on the spot. Around the camp stretched a wide ring of stumps and dead branches. The reinforcements of the 136th Division, two battalions in strength, spread out from east to west along the edge of the forest, facing the southern gate of the camp.

As always, the magic barrier blocked their advance, and all they could do was call for artillery support—though everyone already knew what the outcome would be.

Inside the barrier, the Holy State Army had long since taken up their positions—infantry massed at the gate, archers on the towers, and red-robes deployed all along the defensive line. Division Commander Lukon himself stood in the tower above the main gate. He gazed at the pitch-black forest ahead, fully aware that many enemies were concealed within it. He had faith that the Gus Sacred Pillar would hold against any assault. Their deployment here was only a precaution.

Before the earthquake, neither side took the initiative. The reinforcements of the 136th were waiting for the Night Knights to achieve a breakthrough. Without the Lendstein miraculously showing up here, no one could do anything to that barrier. As for the Holy State Army, they had no reason at all to sally forth. However backward their technology, their commanders were not foolish enough to send men charging into an enemy's field of fire. In past battles both sides had learned and adapted to each other.

"The earthquake's over, Inaya. You can come down now…"

Every officer and soldier present, along with Hielaina and Shatiel standing under a tree, all turned their eyes toward the slim figure clinging upside down to a branch above.

Earthquakes were rare across most of the continent, let alone one of such extreme intensity. No one could remain calm in the face of such raw natural fury. The officers themselves needed a moment to steady their nerves before duty drove them to calm their soldiers. And since there were no secondary disasters caused by the quake, the task wasn't too hard—the soldiers soon recovered and returned to their posts, awaiting further orders. All except the cat-eared "Night Knight."

"Are cats all that timid?"

"Probably like people. Each has a different temperament. The 'Duke of Nokhan' was pretty bold, wasn't he?"

"Mm, true. Then do you think she turned from a cat into a human, or from a human into a cat?"

"Why would a cat turn into a human?"

"What's impossible in the North?"

"Fair point…"

Still clinging to the tree in silence, Inaya gave no reply. Hielaina and Shatiel carried on chatting as if she weren't there at all, with no regard for the cat's feelings.

"Well, I still think Inaya was originally a human who became a cat. A cat turning into a human just doesn't make sense."

"Who knows?"

The conversation ended there. The two of them continued staring up at Inaya, as if watching a balloon that had floated into the branches. In the end, Shatiel was the one to leap lightly onto the branch, free Inaya's hands and feet, and bring her down.

"Check your weapons. Be ready."

An officer moved among the soldiers, making final inspections. Hearing the commotion, Hielaina turned her head. Something was about to happen.

"It's over…?"

By now, Inaya's whole body was limp, and she could barely stand with Shatiel supporting her. Clearly the quake had shaken her badly.

"It's over. You all right?"

"I'm fine…"

She tried walking a few steps, but no sooner had Shatiel let go than she stumbled and fell.

"Maybe you should sit down for a while?"

Hielaina suggested, seeing how shaken Inaya still looked. But Inaya's actions made clear she had no intention of resting.

She shook her head, as if that might drive out the lingering echoes of the quake in her mind, then stood again. This time she was steadier.

"Really all right?"

Hielaina asked again, unconvinced. Inaya only shook her head silently, looking absent and distracted.

Meanwhile, the soldiers had reassembled and were ready to charge. Soon after, a sharp whistle pierced the night air from the woods not far away. At once several machine guns opened up, their tracers carving bright red streaks across the dark. The other soldiers surged out of the forest under cover of the guns, meeting no fire from the walls. Perhaps the defenders had not yet recovered from the quake? Many thought so, but there was no time to dwell on it.

"That quake was strange…"

At last, Inaya spoke again. Hielaina turned at once, while Shatiel kept her eyes on the fight.

"What do you mean? You think the earthquake was some kind of magic?"

"Not sure. But after it ended, the magic vanished."

"The magic vanished?"

Hielaina stared at Inaya in confusion—she herself couldn't sense anything anyway. Shatiel, however, overheard and tried casting the lightning spell she had recently learned. It failed.

"To be precise, it was an unusual surge—like the sea drawing back before a tsunami. Just now there was a tide of magic, and that barrier probably overloaded because of it. But afterward, the magic disappeared."

"Is that so?"

"Enemy contact!"

By the time Hielaina reacted, Shatiel was already in motion. Two crimson lines streaked through the air at impossible speed, twisting in sudden sharp angles that defied physics as they arrowed toward the three of them. The two red-robes had counted on this for a surprise attack—but Shatiel's blade cut both lines apart in an instant.

Explosions tore through the night where the lines were severed, sending dust and branches flying. Hielaina threw up an arm to shield her eyes.

"Didn't you say the magic was gone?"

As the fireball faded, Hielaina lowered her arm, relieved to see Shatiel unharmed. But the charging soldiers had suffered heavy losses from the ambush, and more red-robes were rushing toward the trees.

"It really is gone."

Inaya herself was surprised to see the red-robes still casting. She stilled her mind, tried again to sense magic, and found nothing at all.

"Forget it. Now's not the time to worry about that."

With the situation turning suddenly worse, Hielaina grabbed up her submachine gun. Even a half-trained Night Knight was more capable than an ordinary soldier—holding off one or two red-robes should be possible.

"Left! On the left!"

Without her magic, Inaya could only jump in frustration at the sight of danger. She had keenly spotted another crimson line slithering silently toward them and shouted to warn Hielaina. But before they could react further, a shadow flashed across the line, and another explosion shook the ground.

Wind roared, dust rose. As expected, it was Shatiel who emerged from the chaos.

"You're sure you want in?"

"I'm sure."

Hielaina nodded, her eyes firm, without a trace of hesitation.

Shatiel knew that if she tried to leave Hielaina behind at this point, Hielaina wouldn't listen—this was something she had learned in countless previous situations. Moreover, the red-robed enemies were not particularly dangerous; even Hielaina, as long as she had been injected with Serum No. 3, could at least dodge their attacks. So Shatiel didn't stop her.

"I'll cover the left. You take the right. We go together."

"Got it."

From their positions, there were far more enemies on the left than on the right, a fact Hielaina also recognized. But she was equally aware of her own abilities, and this arrangement was the most reasonable.

"Let's go."

At Shatiel's signal, the two of them charged into the battlefield.

Shatiel, on her own, tangled with four or five red-robed figures. Her longsword swung continuously, cleaving through the magical barrier and killing one enemy. This quickly drew the attention of the other red-robes toward her. On Hielaina's side, only two red-robes faced her, which was roughly the limit of her combat capacity.

Bullets from Hielaina's submachine gun fell on the red-robes' magical shields like raindrops, powerless to penetrate. Conversely, the red-robes' attacks could be dodged by her. Their situation mirrored the initial circumstances Otto and the others had faced—neither side could gain a decisive advantage.

Whizz—whizz—

Shrill whistles cut through the night, adding to the chaos.

The artillery struck again, this time unimpeded by magical barriers. A series of shells landed on the Holy Guard Army's defensive lines at the southern gate of the camp, leaving bodies strewn everywhere and screams filling the air. Observers in the forward artillery positions on the mountain could see everything below clearly. Such dense formations were the perfect target for bombardment.

"No wonder infantry hold artillery in such high regard. The title 'ruler of the battlefield' is well deserved."

The six retreating Night Knight platoons passing through the wreckage were equally awed. Night Knights usually took the initiative in combat and rarely experienced being shelled in trenches. The only time they engaged with artillery was during direct assaults on enemy defenses, so they did not hold the same deep respect for it as infantry did. Seeing the horrifying power of artillery so vividly before their eyes, they finally understood the soldiers' perspective.

"Those on the other side—are they friendly?"

Even before the bombardment, the Night Knights had heard gunfire at the camp's southern gate and guessed that it was their own troops engaging the enemy. As noted earlier, the plan had not included these follow-up forces, so seeing them in action now served as confirmation.

"Looks like they're pinned by the red-robes."

"Damn… Hiela… Sennia is on the battlefield too!"

At this exclamation, everyone became unsettled. A closer look confirmed it: Hielaina was indeed fighting the red-robes, yet she did not seem to be at a disadvantage.

"Prepare to strike!"

At the order, the Night Knights launched another assault. Tonight's operation was finally approaching its conclusion.