This was the moment when the true force of the Dragon Warriors\u2014the most powerful fighting corps in Tempest\u2014came into effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want each of you to take down one airship. Can you do it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201c\u201c\u201cYes, sir!!\u201d\u201d\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGreat! Then get to it\u2026!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At Gabil\u2019s command, Team Hiryu moved in unison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Who were the champions of the skies? The answer to that question was about to be resolved before their eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The members of the Flying Combat Corps, the most valued part of the Armored Division\u2014itself one of the Empire\u2019s three great fighting forces\u2014were no more than pathetic, bleating lambs by now. The reason? Now that the dragonewts had unleashed Dragon Body, the special properties of that intrinsic skill had nullified their magic. Gabil and the other Dragon Warriors were now immune to everything including and up to Megiddo\u2014itself a nature-based magic. Each one had a Multilayer Barrier and a Cancel Natural Elements spell on them, shrugging off all physical attacks and canceling both magical attacks and natural effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These airships mainly attacked with magic, and with the machine guns they had as auxiliary arms, they didn\u2019t have a chance of penetrating the scales of Gabil\u2019s force. Team Hiryu\u2019s fighting skill ranked A-minus to start with, and having that multiplied several times over had put them well past the A wall. Even worse for them, the transformation also gave them healing skills that came scarily close to Ultraspeed Regeneration. They had tapped into enough power to make each one a high-level magic-born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With that, the fate of the now-toothless airships was sealed. And now Gabil was making it official.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time to go! Prepare for my special finisher\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Gabil was stronger than his peers to start with, but in addition to muscle, he also had a special-A level of magicules in his body. It didn\u2019t hold a candle to Shion\u2019s or Benimaru\u2019s, but it made him as <\/a>much of a force as Soei or Geld. Tapping into Dragon Body for himself had made him into a truly remarkable warrior, enough power to even approach the former demon lords Carillon and Frey\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026Vortex Crash!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n A single strike from Gabil sent an airship hurtling toward the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The air currents swirled around him, concentrating the moisture in the atmosphere to a single point and melding it into a maelstrom of magical power. The full brunt of this vortex was released from Gabil\u2019s spear, piercing straight through one of the airships. Its barrier, kept running by a hundred-strong staff in the ship\u2019s defense section, provided zero resistance before shattering. The airship was instantly downed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The rest of the Dragon Warriors quickly followed suit. Although they couldn\u2019t fire pure magic power from their spears like Gabil, each used their enhanced physical abilities to charge at their respective airship. Magic no longer worked on them, and the ships\u2019 barriers provided no protection\u2014and in no time at all, those barriers were breached, allowing them to invade the ships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Five Dragon Warriors swarmed a ship at a time, taking no more than a few minutes to bring one down. At this point, it was only a matter of time before the entire Flying Combat Corps was wiped out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gabil was already getting carried away with it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGwah-ha-ha-ha! Keep it up, Warriors, keep it up! And if any of you can\u2019t take down a single ship, you know what\u2019ll happen to you later, I\u2019m sure!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hearing those words, the Team Hiryu members lagging behind the pack exchanged alarmed glances. There were only a hundred airships\u2014they counted\u2014and if Gabil wasn\u2019t gonna stop attacking, there were precious few left open to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAw, c\u2019mon, Sir Gabil!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSir Gabil\u2019s so moody, isn\u2019t he? And he\u2019s in such a good mood right now, I dunno if he\u2019s gonna leave any prey for us!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKnowing the general, that\u2019s way too possible\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How would Gabil judge airships taken down by teams? Well, <\/a>that was for him to decide. The rest of the force, fully aware of this, rushed to join in the attack. Now the positions of predator and prey were reversed\u2014and so the course of the day in the sky was settled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n Going back in time a little\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n The supply troops assigned to the imperial army\u2019s Magitank Force were about to face the trial of their lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ve done well to keep up with me\u2026but remember, the real battle is about to begin!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n These words were uttered by Hakuro, the man in charge of the Green Numbers. His face was cool, unaffected, but the force of twelve thousand hanging on to his words were gasping for breath. They were, after all, located directly behind the Empire\u2019s tank force, and to get there, they had to march a long, arcing path of some twenty-five miles from the Dwarven Kingdom\u2014all while wearing heavy equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Hakuro the Instructor who allowed this to be possible. He had trained all his Numbers thoroughly, drilling them in the art of Battlewill. Thanks to that, the Numbers had mastered a variety of martial arts\u2014including Instantmove, letting them virtually teleport at will, and Formhide, which prevented their foes from sensing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These Green Numbers had deployed at the same time as Gobta\u2019s force, doing their best to reach this spot without being detected by the enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI would like to commend all of you on your mastery of the Battlewill I taught you<\/em>,\u201d Hakuro said, face as gentle as a doting mother. His troops, seated on the ground as they listened to him, gasped anew at this, afraid of what was coming next. They had known Hakuro for a long time, and they knew if the Instructor was merciless against his allies, he was even more so against the enemy. The order he would give them with this compliment was terrifying to even imagine\u2014and for those who understood it was up to them to execute, it was with a steely resolve that they took the foreboding news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>\u201cOur mission is to cut off the enemy\u2019s supply lines here. It may not mean much in the grand scheme of things, but if we can destroy the enemy\u2019s rear supply units, we can dissuade them from wanting to fight a little. There\u2019s no need to take enemy lives needlessly, but there is also no need to show mercy, either. Besides\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hakuro gave the battlefield a glance and smiled. And then:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGobta has grown to be a fine man. He is currently doing an expert job playing the decoy for us. And I want you all to perform as well as that general is!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hakuro\u2019s voice boomed over the distant sound of explosions. Those with no real combat experience grew more tense by the moment, overwhelmed by the sound of it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll right? While you\u2019re fighting, I don\u2019t want you to think about anything else. Fail to kill the enemy, and you\u2019re the one who dies. Let the enemy go, and friends will die because of it. Those are the ironclad rules of the battlefield.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n His troops were panting for breath a moment ago, but now they were silent, listening to every word from Hakuro. Their leader was imparting knowledge, so those prepared to give their everything would not find themselves mentally lost in battle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAll life does not come equally. There is no need to worry about strangers, when compared to the lives of your loved ones. I will also remind you that these enemies are invaders. They are fools who don\u2019t even deserve the right to live. Do not be shy about cutting them down!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n With those threatening words, Hakuro hoped to quell any feelings of guilt they might have had. It was his way of showing a little kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have trained all of you, and with that training, you can even cut down those piles of iron. Everything thrown out from them seems frozen in the air to you, does it not? Then do not be afraid. There is no one who can stand against our blades!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Nobody could say \u201cEr, no, they don\u2019t seem frozen at all, sir.\u201d There was no way to. If they did, he would say \u201cYou need more training!\u201d and give them an even more harrowing ordeal than any war could give them. But while some had \u201clittle complaints\u201d like that in their minds, no one had any complaint about Hakuro himself. He never <\/a>asked them to do something he wouldn\u2019t. His words may have been extreme at times, but it was all based on his desire as their leader to see his troops reach the same heights as himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now the Green Numbers were watching for their chance\u2014the order from Hakuro to charge. Their boss was acting as a decoy, the most dangerous job of the day\u2014a truly excellent performance, one befitting a member of the Big Four. They had all seen him, thanks to Hakuro\u2019s All-Seeing Eye extra skill, and thanks to Thought Communication, everyone down to the last member was sharing in the same insight. There was fear, yes, but more than that, the members were fascinated by Gobta\u2019s and his Goblin Riders\u2019 courage. It made them realize that now it was their turn to make an effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hakuro felt his anxiety dissipate a little as he sized up his group. Its members had been thoroughly trained to deal with all kinds of situations, but there would still doubtlessly be casualties in their first battle. He did wish, somewhere in his heart, that he could\u2019ve done additional training, but there was nothing more he could do. The enemy wouldn\u2019t wait for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Under Benimaru\u2019s plan, Gobta\u2019s force would stick to their stalemate for as long as possible. It\u2019d be bound to make the enemy impatient, he said; the tanks didn\u2019t have infinite shells, so the rain of bullets had to stop at some point. That\u2019s when Hakuro\u2019s force would come into play. They\u2019d hit the enemy\u2019s supply forces, seize their goods, and make it a cinch to seize these so-called tanks. As a secondary objective, they were tasked with uncovering the hidden leaders, the strongmen among the enemy\u2026but that, they could play by ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hopefully if they exist, they\u2019ll come up to me<\/em>, Hakuro thought, although that, too, was just a matter of luck. This is their first battle. If they\u2019re consumed by fear, they\u2019re bound to die. I wanted to ease those fears as much as possible, but we\u2019ll just have to see\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, all Hakuro could do was pray they succeeded\u2014and that everyone came out of it safe. But those fears turned out to be unnecessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cListen to me!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a>Suddenly, Rimuru channeled an order to the Green Numbers through Hakuro\u2019s skill. Hearing it was all it took for the monsters\u2019 anxieties to be quelled. An inexplicable elation rose up among them; their bodies felt warm, as if they\u2019d catch on fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u2026to eliminate the enemy as quickly as possible.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Now Rimuru\u2019s words\u2014or his orders\u2014would be going into effect. They made Hakuro chuckle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see I\u2019ve worried for nothing. Did you hear that, all of you?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c\u201c\u201cYes, sir!!\u201d\u201d\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThen let\u2019s go! Your patient waiting is over. Go and unleash your full powers!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before Hakuro could finish his words, the monster army rushed off at a furious pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ten or so minutes later, the infantry guarding the Empire\u2019s supply teams were lined in a horizontal formation, ready to intercept the monster army. The sudden surprise attack almost threw them into disorder, but they were the elites of the Empire, and they immediately regained their bearings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some of the platoons used armored vehicles for transport as shields to shoot at the monsters with. At first glance, the imperial forces seemed to have the upper hand, as befitting an army with such a decisive numerical advantage. But the Green Numbers weren\u2019t intimidated. Despite being exposed to gunfire, the Scale Shields provided to the front row proved handy. Unlike a bow, a rifle shot does not travel in an arc; the purpose of small-arms fire is to suppress the enemy at close range, and as long as the front row didn\u2019t take any hits, worthwhile suppression would never happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was<\/em>, after all, still a world of swords and sorcery. With their unthinkably high lethality, guns had the power to change every tactical textbook in the land. But this world had magic, and thus a single bullet wasn\u2019t necessarily enough to neutralize an enemy. For that, slashing attacks with swords and axes were more effective than bullets striking a single tiny point of the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Empire had great pride in all its new weapons, but not even they were enough to institute a paradigm shift, a full change in the <\/a>times. If not, their commander decided, it was time to break out a new weapon. So the next order came down from on high.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDammit! All forces, switch from rifle fire to your spellguns. Maintenance teams, join the main force and bring only the most important supplies with you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The standard rifle, a weapon re-created from knowledge brought from another world, was ineffective against monsters. They did<\/em> have some success in the experimental stages, but that was only against unarmed, essentially naked creatures. But if that was the case, there was always magic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These spellguns, wieldable even by ordinary foot soldiers, had Fire Lance magic engraved on them. That, the commander thought, would be enough to pierce through most monsters and burn them alive. Unfortunately, that supposition was beyond naive. The Green Numbers were equipped with the latest in Unique-class armor; Garm had hammered out the scales of Charybdis to create their Scale Shields, and they could deflect far more than just lead bullets\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cN-no good, sir! The enemy force is immune to magic!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The true value of these Scale Shields was the high resistance to magic they offered. But that wasn\u2019t the only nightmare striking the imperial army. From the skies above flew in the Wyvern Riders\u2014the elites of the Blue Numbers\u2014led by Ultima.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDrop \u2019em all!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that sweetly voiced order, the ground was engulfed in flames. It was a flare bomb\u2013based ranged attack. Not a terribly powerful one, but it had ample killing force against the imperial infantry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But it was the sound, in particular, that sowed confusion across the battlefield. It made the support soldiers not used to fighting\u2014mechanics, medics, and so forth\u2014unable to keep up with the changing situation. Soon, the order to join the main force was no longer being heeded, leading to even more unnecessary casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a relief for Hakuro to see that the battle turned out to be more lopsided than he feared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n