Side: Yuki
"Listen, Steve—don't you dare die out there!! Make sure you come back alive!! If you do, I'll even help you find a girlfriend!!"
"Hey, isn't that a total death flag!?"
Right now, we are executing our operation to stop—and ultimately defeat—Ground Zero.
Not knowing when the enemy might move, we wrapped up our war council in about two hours to strike first. Fortunately, Steve and his crew had already finished their preparations, so we were ready to deploy immediately for both direct action and reconnaissance.
However, launching a full-scale assault right away would be reckless. We need to gauge the enemy's strength and eliminate as many unknown variables as possible. Thus, Steve and the goblin squad had been assigned to disguise themselves as wild monsters, launch a light direct attack, and determine just how tough the enemy was.
"I don't care if it's a death flag, just come back alive!! If you get taken out, Steve, it puts us at a massive disadvantage! For my husband's sake, you must return alive! I'll even look for a woman for you myself!"
"Woah!? That sounds so cheap-ssu!! Isn't my life being treated as equivalent to a woman introduction!?"
Seraria was desperately trying to encourage him so that I wouldn't have to go to the front lines, but just as Steve said, it sounded pretty cheap.
Well, in my case, I was saying it partly as a joke, but since Seraria was dead serious, it somehow sounded even worse.
"Alright. Then from me too. I'll make you my special salad and have it waiting for you."
John, acting as overall commander in Steve's absence, so naturally he could not accompany the reconnaissance team.
But that line...
"Shut up!! Your salad is gonna be covered in cucumbers anyway!! And the character who got told that line died, didn't he!? And you're gonna get killed by shrapnel too!!"
Steve hit the nail on the head. That character was captured by the enemy, dragged into a manipulator... and to make matters worse, the guy who said he'd wait with a salad was killed by battlefield debris.
Yep. An absolute textbook death flag.
Still, both the guy who was taken out by the enemy and the guy who made the salad were ace-pilot-level members who formed the core of their respective units, as well as a super-mechanic, so I was genuinely saddened by their deaths.
"Nahaha! If you've got the energy to talk that much trash, you'll be fine. I definitely don't want to manage your unit on top of mine, so just come back alive."
"Seriously? That's what you're worried about? Well, fine. I don't want to die either. I haven't even told Princess Aslin anything yet."
"Yeah. Make sure you return safely so you don't make the Princess cry."
"Got it."
That's right—Aslin and Filia know absolutely nothing about this operation. In fact, they should still be fast asleep right now.
We deliberately chose not to wake them. Leaving Filia aside, if Aslin knew, she would insist that there's room to negotiate with a tamer and a massive dragon. And sure, maybe there is a chance to talk.
But if negotiations fail, an all-out battle would erupt on the spot—a scenario where we would be at a overwhelming disadvantage. Not to mention, the surrounding collateral damage would be catastrophic.
Therefore, even if we were to negotiate, we couldn't do so until we bound the enemy's movements. In this context, "binding" meant we had to beat down Ground Zero enough to teach Alfin that she stands zero chance in a fight. If she feels she still has room to maneuver, she'll just assume we came to talk because we ran out of options. We have to push her to the absolute brink of death first.
This reality would be far too cruel for Aslin to handle. So ideally, she would remain completely unaware of it. We even left a note asking her to come to the conference room whenever she woke up.
On the flip side, the idea of conducting a surgical strike to take down Alfin—the holy sword wielder acting as the tamer—was also brought up. However, that plan was rejected due to the risk of Ground Zero going completely out of control once freed from its tamer's command. Honestly, if something happened to Aslin, the monsters under her command would go so insanely wild that only I could stop them.
In a way, it was a terrifyingly brilliant choice of monster on their part. If they had deployed a swarm of monsters we could easily suppress, we could simply take control of them via dungeonification or annihilate them inside the dungeon. Alfin herself would also be easily subdued.
However, even if we tried to steal control of Ground Zero, doing so here would cost us about 20 times the DP—and then double that. Trying to hijack a monster worth over a hundred million DP multiplied by 20 and doubled again is, frankly, impossible.
Well, it's not entirely impossible if we pushed ourselves to the absolute limit. According to Eris and Lutz's calculations, we could barely pull it off if we temporarily shut down part of Weed's operations and cut off all trade supply lines. If this were taking place on the continent where Weed is located, we could have taken that option right away. But this is the New Continent; that measure had to remain a absolute last resort. Explaining that kind of shutdown to the stakeholders over there would be a nightmare anyway...
Running a nation is never easy, regardless of where you are.
And as expected of the Holy Sword Wielders, they certainly didn't spend 400 years gathering forces for nothing. This setup directly ties into Alfin's personal safety—without her, there is no one left alive who can control Ground Zero. Sure, Aslin might be able to control it, but we can't gamble on a mere "maybe" while ignoring the danger to Aslin herself and the risk of massive collateral damage.
...In warfare and negotiations alike, the most crucial thing is to anticipate the worst-case scenario and prepare for it. Right now, the absolute worst-case scenario is that the team sent to stop the Holy Sword Wielder and Ground Zero only succeeds in provoking them, resulting in our total annihilation.
Because of this, our plan is to send Steve's team on a reconnaissance mission first, while using my dungeon skill to drop the enemy into a pitfall disguised as a natural underground waterway to gauge their reaction.
"Steve. As planned, your deployment point is 10 kilometers away from Ground Zero. Mana, skills, and radio communications are functional for now, but be prepared for the possibility of them cutting out."
"Got it-ssu. And the extraction point is a different location, right?"
"Correct. We will erase the deployment point afterward. We don't want them suspecting we came out of a dungeon. Once you finish gathering intelligence, use a dungeon core to construct a new dungeon and retreat."
"So we just shut down the transfer gate function and leave the rest as is?"
"Yeah. We'll leave the core placed there in an active state. If we play our cards right, we can use it for a surprise attack later."
Taiki-kun and I agree that unless we are willing to exploit every single asset at our disposal, we stand no chance of taking down that monster. To be honest, I'm at the point where I catch myself wishing a giant of light or the kaiju king that stumped the JSDF would just show up and beat Ground Zero for us. Though, even if those two did appear, we'd still have to account for the destruction they'd leave behind, so frankly, I'd rather they stay away too.
A happy ending where everyone smiles only exists on a screen. Those stories completely ignore the post-disaster reconstruction—and rebuilding after that level of destruction is a stomach-ulcer-inducing nightmare.
So, unless we aim for a complete, flawless victory, our long-term plans for the New Continent are going to be severely compromised. The only acceptable damage is the area stretching from the Lancer Magic Academy to the forests and plains near the Kingdom of August. If it goes wild anywhere else, the destruction will be catastrophic, rendering all the relationships and mana network connections we've built up entirely meaningless.
"It's about time. Steve, we're counting on you."
"Roger that-ssu. Recon squad, moving out!"
Steve and his subordinates gave a crisp, textbook salute. However, the rest of us watching couldn't help but pull awkward faces.
I mean...
"Pfft! A salute doesn't look cool at all when you're wearing nothing but a loincloth!"
John burst out laughing.
Right. Since Steve and his crew are posing as wild goblins, their current appearance consists solely of loincloths paired with rusted swords and wooden clubs.
"Shut up!! Damn it!! Goblins wear clothes too!! Come on, you guys!! Let's go!! If we stay here, all they're gonna do is laugh at us!!"
It was an incredibly undignified departure, but honestly, that's how things have always been with us from the very beginning.
"What's wrong, Yuki? Was Steve really that funny?"
"Nah. I just remembered that's pretty much how Steve looked when I first met him."
A goblin who knew nothing about traps, tactics, or how to properly use a weapon has really grown into someone reliable.
Hmm? Even reminiscing like this feels like it could be a flag.
...Nah, it'll be fine. Steve has the God of Gags on his side. Even if he takes a direct hit from a thermal beam, at worst his hair will just turn into an afro.
...Wait, Steve doesn't even have hair, right?
『This is Steve. All unit members are outside. Requesting closure of the entrance.』 A transmission came through the transceiver.
"Acknowledged."
As I responded, I stared at Steve's head on the screen, but yeah—definitely no hair.
...Are all goblins naturally bald?
『Proceeding as planned toward the 3-kilometer mark.』
"Copy. Avoid any non-emergency communications until you reach the point."
『Understood. Initiating movement.』
The call disconnected, and a timer started running on screen. Through the shared vision of our reconnaissance birds, we could monitor Steve's team's progress.
"Well, it's officially begun. It's 10:00 AM sharp. At Steve's pace, they'll reach the destination in under ten minutes. So, any movement from the Holy Sword Wielder?"
Ratz voiced her doubt while monitoring the screens following Seraria's prompt. "There's no notable movement so far. But why hasn't she pushed her forces toward the academy immediately?"
"That's simple," I replied. "Just like us, she's keeping her cards hidden until the right moment. It's basic strategy."
"Hidden cards? But Ground Zero's presence is already exposed, isn't it?"
"It's not just about Ground Zero's physical appearance. Lying in wait for us is the real tactic. After all, if something that massive starts advancing, everyone will notice it instantly, right?"
"Yes, obviously."
"If that happens, ordinary people will just run away. And those with a bit of capability will prioritize evacuation and gathering intelligence over blindly fighting back. They won't engage in mindless resistance; they'll hold back until they can guarantee victory."
"Ah, I see! If Ground Zero actually marched on the city, we would be able to observe its movement speed, attack range, and abilities."
"Exactly. Right now, Ground Zero hasn't budged an inch. We have zero idea how fast it is or how much attack power it possesses. And given its colossal size, nobody in their right mind would poke a sleeping bear without a plan. Even if someone tried, Alfin could easily handle them... Except for us, that is."
Right. We are the wildcards in this equation—the rule-breakers.
The biggest miscalculation made by the Holy Sword Wielders was flagging us as their enemy. If they had simply left us alone and pursued their own goals, we would have been placed in a very tough spot. But after the Enaria incident, they marked us as their top-priority target to eliminate, which triggered their downfall.
I can respect their decision not to send their forces piecemeal like some shonen manga villains, but rather gather everyone to crush us in one swoop. But that "praiseworthy" plan only works if they actually manage to defeat us. If they fail, it just turns into a swift, total defeat for their entire force.
"...It really is a battle of deception."
"So in the end, the Holy Sword Wielders prioritized eliminating us above all else?"
"Yeah. It worked out great for us, though. If they realized they couldn't win and scattered across the continent, dealing with them would've been an absolute nightmare."
Even in the modern world, controlling decentralized guerrilla operations is a headache that keeps every government up at night.
"Ah, so dropping Ground Zero into a pitfall is also meant to gauge its capabilities? I thought Steve's team was doing the investigating, but you're also using it to observe how Ground Zero itself moves?"
Ratz realized there was more to the pitfall than just restricting its movement.
"Spot on. Though what we're doing isn't really any different from the sign we used when we hid Rurua."
"Eh? You're comparing that sign to our current situation!?"
Rurua, who suffered the most back then, blurted out in surprise.
Ratz, on the other hand, nodded in realization. "Ah, I see. In a way, it really is the same principle."
"Um, what do you mean?"
"Remember how I explained it back then?" I said. "We intentionally put up that bizarre sign just to see how the enemy would react."
"Right. Ah... I get it now! The pitfall serves the same purpose: observing their reaction and assessing their abilities."
"Exactly. We'll see how Ground Zero gets out of the pit and what it does to escape. Just that alone will give us incredibly valuable information."
As Ratz said, the difference was that the sign couldn't tell us anything about Ground Zero's abilities, so we were using the pit to investigate them.
The crucial detail here is that the pitfall needs to look like a natural terrain collapse. Since the enemy is quietly waiting for us, they won't make a flashy move to escape. They'll try to extricate themselves as quietly and quickly as possible, because making loud noises would ruin their ambush.
Honestly, it'd be great if it just died from the fall damage... but I doubt we'll get that lucky.
For living creatures on Earth, the maximum size limit for land animals was an elephant, or historically, dinosaurs. Anything larger would collapse and die under its own self-weight unless it lived underwater. But then again, we're dealing with giant dragons flying around in complete defiance of aerodynamics, so the chances of self-crushing are practically zero.
I just hope it crawls out like a normal beast... Please don't fly. Better yet, if it could just get stuck and freeze up, that'd be fantastic.
"...So while Ground Zero is escaping from the pit, you'll have Steve and the others gather various kinds of information?"
"Yeah. We can only obtain information indirectly through the images from the animals, but Steve and the others are different."
"They'll actually be taking action against Ground Zero."
"Exactly. First, we'll see whether their swords and clubs work. After that, small arms. And, if we're lucky, even an RPG."
"...Is that even safe?"
"Honestly, RPGs might be pushing it. Rifles are probably the limit before Alfin notices."
That was why they were disguised as wild goblins.
If the enemy let its guard down, Steve and the others would be able to retreat immediately.
Then a message came in from Steve.
『This is Steve. Reached the 3-kilometer point. Target confirmed from the treetop. Everyone is in position. Observation setup complete.』
Everyone in the command room fixed their eyes on the monitors. Each member of Steve's squad had a reconnaissance animal stationed nearby.
"Copy that. We have confirmed your positions on our end. Initiating Phase 2. In 5 minutes, a natural terrain collapse will be triggered directly beneath the target. Prepare for impact."
『Acknowledged. All units, Phase 2 launching in 5 minutes. Prepare for impact.』
『『『Roger!』』』
During those five minutes, I configured the pitfall disguised as a subterranean water channel directly beneath Ground Zero. Fortunately, the enemy hasn't noticed that the surrounding area is turning into a dungeon, allowing us to execute this stealthily.
Still, these five minutes feel agonizingly long. The setup itself was done in seconds—all that's left is for me to hit "Confirm" and "Deploy."
Inside the conference room, no one uttered a single word. Everyone quietly waited for the moment.
...It's not going to blast a thermal beam and obliterate the terrain the second it falls, right? I deliberately avoided placing Steve's team in the direction the monster's head is facing, but nothing is absolute. What if the beam's range is way longer than we thought and it strikes the academy directly? What if the fall damage accidentally kills Alfin, leaving behind an uncontrollable god of destruction?
Damn it, nothing but bad omens are floating through my head.
『1 minute remaining.』
Yet, the moment approaches relentlessly.
"30 seconds."
We've done everything we can.
『20 seconds.』
We discussed every detail together as a team.
"10 seconds."
...Then I just have to trust in it.
『5, 4, 3...』
I have to trust myself, and my companions.
"2, 1, 0... Executing Phase 2."
I press the button.
Through the monitor, the ground fractures open, and Ground Zero sinks into the earth... A massive cloud of dust billows into the air.
"01, report. 01, report!" I immediately call Steve using his code name.
『...This is 01. No casualties on our end. Commencing status check on all personnel.』
"Copy. In the meantime, we will verify the condition of the Holy Sword Wielder."
『Roger-ssu.』
I scan the monitors.
Where is she? She should have been somewhere near the back of the dragon...
"Yuki-san! Screen #3, top left!"
Following Riel's shout, I immediately lock onto monitor #3.
...There she is.
...She's not moving.
"...She's not dead, right?"
Riel asks softly, but no one answers.
From what we can see, there's no visible bleeding or physical trauma. But a bad landing can instantly kill any living creature, especially when caught completely off guard.
...She looks so peaceful, like a certain anime protagonist's younger twin brother. It wouldn't even be surprising if someone pointed at her and said, "Looks like she's just sleeping, right? Well, she's actually dead."
Since we're inside the dungeon area, using Appraisal isn't impossible. However, if Alfin possesses any perception abilities, attempting to Appraise her might be detected as a hostile action, which would complicate things. So all we can do is watch.
『This is 01. All personnel accounted for with zero injuries. Please update us on the target's status.』
Steve's voice comes through the receiver.
"This is Command. Target successfully dropped into the pitfall. However, the Holy Sword Wielder is unmoving due to the impact—status unknown. We have visual contact, but no movement. Maintain your current positions and begin observation, but be ready to retreat at a moment's notice."
『Copy that. Maintaining current position and commencing observation.』
...Is she alive?
...How long should we wait?
If Ground Zero suddenly goes wild, Steve and his team might lose their chance to escape. Should I call for an immediate recall?
Countless choices race through my head.
...Damn it, please just wake up!
As if answering my prayer, Alfin slowly pushes herself up and shakes her head to clear the dizziness.
"""Phew..."""
Everyone in the war room lets out a collective sigh of relief.
As expected of a high-level fighter. Since she isn't showing signs of severe pain, she was likely just knocked unconscious briefly.
"This is Command. Confirmed Holy Sword Wielder is alive. Expecting the target to make a move soon. Exercise extreme caution and continue monitoring."
『Roger. All units, target's tamer is confirmed alive. Target movement imminent—stay sharp.』
Now then, if nothing happens after an hour of observation, should we proceed with sending them closer as planned?
Honestly, this period of waiting is the most nerve-wracking moment we've experienced so far. Nobody speaks, nobody leaves their seat, and everyone remains glued to the monitors.
Ground Zero itself shows no major movement. In fact, it's barely moving at all. Since it moved slightly earlier, it's definitely alive, but it's far quieter than expected. What is going on?
Well, it hasn't even been 30 minutes since we started observing. If a giant creature like that managed to escape in such a short window, that would be a whole different problem in itself.
...Am I rushing things too much?
Just as I reach for my cup of tea to calm my nerves, Labyris—sitting on my lap—suddenly gasps.
"...! No way!?"
"What's wrong?"
"Aslin and Filia are on Monitor #12!"
"""WHAT?!"""
Everyone yells in unison, their eyes locking onto monitor #12.
Sure enough, though partially hidden by the trees, the two kids sprinting through the forest at that speed could only be Aslin and Filia!
"Steve!! Aslin and Filia are heading your way from your 3 o'clock direction!! Intercept and secure them immediately!!"
『HUH?! R-Roger that-ssu!!』
Steve immediately mobilizes his squad.
...Can they make it in time!?
More importantly, why on earth are Aslin and Filia out there right now!?
* * *
