Through their binoculars, everyone could clearly see the chaos caused by the avalanche below—but oddly enough, wasn't the panic far less severe than expected?
Yes. Definitely less severe. Though confusion had initially gripped the tribespeople, they quickly regained control.
What the hell is going on?
Even as Lancer puzzled over this, Najenda had already set [Pumpkin] into position.
[Pumpkin] was a peculiar weapon—its destructive force scaled with the user's emotional intensity. And though she knew intellectually that their position was safe, the thunderous rumble of the avalanche still rattled her nerves, pushing her mental focus to the limit. Consequently, [Pumpkin]'s energy levels surged higher and higher.
Only when snowflakes whipped past her face in the avalanche's wake did Najenda squeeze the trigger.
BOOM!
With a deafening blast, a blazing beam streaked down toward the massive tree below!
Caught completely off guard, the tribespeople froze in shock. But then—
"What?!"
A huge barrier of shimmering light enveloped the Teigu. Najenda's attack struck violently against its surface, sending ripples cascading outward—but the shield held firm. Moments later, the avalanche slammed into it, shaking the barrier with even greater force, yet still failing to break through.
"Guess I have no choice but to spend big after all," Lancer muttered to himself. Rising to his feet, he gripped the lance tightly.
[WEAPON OVERLOAD]
The vicious-looking bone lance in Lancer's hand abruptly ignited with a faint crimson glow. Najenda and the others initially thought it a trick of the eyes, but as the air around them grew palpably hotter, they realized this was no illusion—it was real!
Lancer had no intention of explaining anything right now, as he struggled to maintain control over the lance. He'd tested a weaker prototype of this [Burst Lance] before, achieving impressive results in both explosive yield and focused destruction. However, he hadn't anticipated that scaling up the payload would also exponentially increase its instability. Although the lance hadn't reached its limit yet, he could feel it teetering on the brink of a catastrophic explosion.
I can't hold it any longer!
He adjusted his grip, twisted his torso, and threw every ounce of strength from his muscles into his wrist—
"Haaaa!"
With a fierce shout, the lance launched from his hand, hurtling through the sky like a blazing meteor toward the shimmering barrier.
He held his breath, fearing it might explode prematurely mid-flight—
BOOOOM!!
A towering mushroom cloud erupted as the barrier finally shattered under the monstrous blast. In an instant, the avalanche overwhelmed what remained, burying everything beneath its relentless surge of snow.
Watching his system points tick upward, Lancer finally released a long-held breath.
Mission accomplished.
"We're done here. Let's head back."
With the enemy's supply base now buried beneath the snow, their "decapitation" mission was complete. There wasn't much left for them to do. If that Teigu was destroyed outright, this would mark the end. If not… then capturing it would become the northern fortress's next objective.
...
Yet it seemed Lancer had underestimated the situation. As the squad returned to the fortress, they found it already under siege. The Empire forces still held the defensive advantage, but the sight of corpses littering the battlefield sent chills down everyone's spines.
"Have these tribes gone insane?" muttered the trap-type Teigu user, barely concealing his horror.
Lancer shook his head grimly. "You haven't spent enough time on the frontier to see their true madness. No doubt they've received news of their supply base's destruction. Either they're trying one last suicidal attack before morale completely collapses, or…"
He paused, eyes hardening.
"…Or they're intentionally thinning their population."
"Thinning their population?!" The young soldier gasped in disbelief. Like Lancer, he'd been recruited directly into the Imperial Guard, spending barely a month on the frontier. Such logic was utterly alien to him.
"That's right," Lancer replied flatly. "Ever wonder why the Empire never wiped out these tribes entirely? Simple. The losses wouldn't be worth it. As long as they retreat into their snowy mountains and live like savages, the Empire can't afford to mount large-scale expeditions. Non-combat casualties alone would bleed us dry." Lancer stood up, gripping another bone lance fashioned from Danger Beast remains. "Enough talk. Let's finish this."
It seemed absurd that a squad of four would dare flank an entire enemy army, but such things could happen when the difference in combat power was overwhelming.
Elite fighters on a battlefield typically had two roles—to raise morale and eliminate key enemy figures.
And now, Lancer's group would execute the latter—another decapitation strike.
From his command post, Liver instantly grasped the situation. The moment he saw the tribes recklessly assaulting the fortress, he knew Lancer's team had succeeded. This furious attack was nothing more than a final, desperate charge.
When he glimpsed the red cape billowing in the distance, his eyes lit up.
"Bulat! Take the assault team and prepare to charge out!"
Originally, Bulat was slated for the earlier raid, but they'd ultimately decided the fortress needed a Teigu user on defense. Now, upon hearing Liver's orders, Bulat enthusiastically raised his shortsword.
"Leave it to me!"
He spotted Lancer in the distance, carving a bloody path straight through enemy lines.
"What a beast! Damn, I want to spar with him!"
"You'll get your chance," Liver chuckled. "He's a battle freak, just like you. I bet you two will get along famously."
"Haha! Glad to hear it! Captain, I'm going on ahead!"
Bulat leaped down from the ramparts, rallying his waiting strike force with a battle cry. Cheers erupted from inside the fortress.
Soldiers only sortied under two circumstances: either to make a last desperate stand or to seize certain victory. Clearly, this was the latter.
Lancer might not excel as a commander, but as a dependable ally, he was peerless. Liver had given the order without hesitation precisely because he trusted that even if Lancer couldn't completely break the enemy lines, he'd still apply overwhelming pressure.
And with Bulat's strike force charging into that gap, even if they couldn't rout the tribes completely, they'd at least ensure their opponents wouldn't recover anytime soon.
---
T/N: if ur confused liver IS a general, but he's also a captain of the squad hes leading rn blah blah
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