Chapter Thirty: The War Begins; Everyone Shows Their Skills / Chapter Thirty-One: The Spear of Light and the Wall of Light ...

Yuxian rose from his chair, narrowed his eyes as he swept his gaze around, and declared with firm conviction, "I'll handle it!"

Everyone below the stage looked at one another. What kind of battle plan was that? He would deal with Aldebaran himself?

After speaking, Yuxian stepped down from the platform without wasting any more time. Whether they believed him or not did not matter to him. In the end, even if it was only their group, they could still resolve this. Getting everyone involved would merely make things easier.

After all, he could not guarantee that every Gastrea would be kept from charging into the Monolith barrier. With these civilian security personnel assisting from the side, they could keep the Gastrea outside the battle line to the greatest extent possible.

Before Yuxian had even left the camp, Natsu Yo Senju jogged over alone. She ran up to him and bowed deeply, apologizing for Ikuma Shogen's behavior earlier. "Shogen caused you trouble. Please forgive him for having muscles where his brain should be."

"It must be hard having a partner like that." Yuxian would not get angry at someone without a brain. That would be beneath him.

Natsu Yo Senju blinked. "It's not so bad. That's how my value gets to show. He handles the physical work, and I handle the thinking."

All right, perhaps Yuxian had worried too much. These perfectly complementary partners seemed quite satisfied with each other.

He recalled the silent lip movements Senju had made beneath the stage and asked curiously, "What were you saying down there just now? I couldn't figure it out from your lips."

"I'm hungry..." Natsu Yo Senju wrapped her arms around her stomach. "Bye. I'm going to eat."

So she really had been hungry...

Watching Natsu Yo Senju's retreating figure, Yuxian was left speechless. What a pair of weirdos!

After returning home, Yuxian received a call from Kisaragi Tendo. She explained Seitenshi's specific work progress in detail. She was now the bridge of communication between Seitenshi and Yuxian, and she would be responsible for all coordination.

Yuxian did not actually care much about that. He told Kisaragi Tendo, "About when will the Monolith completely collapse? Just notify me beforehand. I'll arrive on time."

Aldebaran's full-scale assault would inevitably begin after the Monolith fell. There was still some time now, so Yuxian could rest and conserve his strength. Seitenshi would naturally arrange the rest of the work, so there was no need for him to worry.

The Third Kanto Gastrea War had entered its countdown, and Yuxian and the others moved back to the Outer District.

Come to think of it, the house he had rented in the city had really not been worth it. Altogether, he had not even lived there for half the time he had paid for.

The city was now utterly silent, while the Outer District remained filled with laughter and cheer. The children were worried that the Gastrea might break in, but compared to their former miserable lives, they were extremely content with their current lives. Nothing else could affect them.

Children's thoughts were simple. They trusted Atalanta and Chiron, believing that they would surely defeat the Gastrea.

The day of the decisive battle finally arrived. Yuxian readied his gear and led everyone to the front lines.

In truth, Yuxian had nothing much to prepare. He was just a weakling, and the tiny bit of magecraft he had learned was probably only enough to barely protect himself.

Besides, Mash would never allow him to fight personally. She was extremely firm and strict about that.

The civilian security personnel in the camp had all prepared for battle. Yuxian did not know whether anyone had lost their nerve and failed to show up, but judging from the number of people present, most of them had plenty of guts and had not chosen to run away.

The Monolith was already on the verge of collapse. The instant it fell, the Gastrea would launch their all-out attack. Yuxian looked up at the pale Monolith ahead and waited quietly.

A helicopter hovered in the air behind everyone. At Yuxian's request, Seitenshi had dispatched a live broadcast crew from the television station to cover the entire war, allowing everyone in the Tokyo Area to witness the brutal battle firsthand.

The male host aboard the helicopter was bursting with excitement. He had volunteered to host this live broadcast.

For some, it was an incredibly dangerous job that could cost them their lives at any moment. But to him, it was a sacred undertaking. Becoming a war correspondent had been his lifelong dream, and being fortunate enough to witness this Gastrea War firsthand was something he had always dreamed of.

The wind was somewhat strong today, carrying white stone dust through the air. It grew thicker and thicker until even their vision became blurred, as though they were standing in a white fog.

The Monolith before them had finally reached the end of its mission.

Yuxian shouted his command. "Get ready, everyone! It's starting!"

Everyone's faces were grim. This was a war that concerned the survival of the entire Tokyo Area, and they had all prepared themselves to die.

Everyone calmly and orderly began searching for positions suited to their own fighting styles.

"I'm off first! Good luck, everyone!" Tina called out before carrying her equipment case away to find a suitable sniping position.

The survival of the Tokyo Area had originally had nothing to do with her, but over these past few days, she had seemingly become part of life here. She did not want this life to end just like that.

Under the gaze of countless people, Aldebaran let out a high, resounding roar that rolled closer from the distance. The Gastrea army advanced in neat formation toward Yuxian's position, their rustling movements reaching everyone's ears and making them deeply uncomfortable.

The Gastrea army surged forward like a tide, creating an astonishing sight. Everyone present, including all those watching the live broadcast, felt their hearts grow heavy. Could Gastrea on such a massive scale truly be stopped?

The pessimistic had already fallen into despair. This was the true arrival of the end.

At the center of the Gastrea army, Aldebaran sat surrounded like a general. Its enormous body and hideous appearance spoke of its power.

A Stage IV Gastrea was the strongest kind of existence apart from the eleven Stage V Zodiac Gastrea that had existed from the beginning. Aldebaran in particular was exceptionally troublesome because it could command other Gastrea. There was a reason it had survived all this time after Taurus was killed.

Closer, ever closer...

Rat-a-tat-tat!

The Gastrea entered firing range, and those armed with firearms launched the first attack. Varanium bullets poured forward as if they were free, but against such an enormous Gastrea army, such attacks clearly could not kill them all.

They continued surging forward wave after wave. Under Aldebaran's command, these Gastrea seemed to hold no fear of death, trampling over their companions' corpses as they advanced without the slightest pause. That was the terrifying part of this army.

Faced with such an assault, the civilian security corps could only fight while retreating, maintaining a certain distance from their enemy. They absolutely could not allow themselves to be surrounded by the Gastrea horde.

According to the plan Yuxian had discussed with Seitenshi, the Gastrea forces that bypassed the civilian security corps from the flanks would be dealt with by the Self-Defense Forces. That was why he could face Aldebaran head-on without concern.

At Yuxian's side, apart from Mash, who continued quietly guarding him as always, everyone else was attacking with all their strength.

The bowstrings in Chiron and Atalanta's hands trembled at high frequency. Precise arrows shot forth one after another, killing targets that appeared more difficult to handle.

Gastrea were difficult to injure with ordinary weapons. Only varanium weapons could inflict irreparable damage on them, but Chiron and Atalanta's arrows were clearly no ordinary weapons.

Illya flew through the air, drawing immense attention. Her gorgeous Magical Girl outfit and the gleaming wings behind her made her the center of the battlefield, and the cameraman in the helicopter repeatedly turned the lens toward her.

Gretel and Little Jeanne were much more low-key. They did not stray far from Yuxian, and compared with Jack, who was enthusiastically slaughtering enemies in the distance, they looked more like they were slacking off.

"Jack, don't run too far!" Yuxian called out from afar, afraid that if Jack got too far away alone, he would not be able to look after her.

In truth, Yuxian was worrying for nothing. Jack was currently weaving back and forth through the Gastrea horde, the dagger in her hand fluttering like a butterfly. Everywhere she passed, severed limbs and mangled corpses littered the ground behind her. The others instinctively kept away from her, forming a vacuum around her.

However, she was not entirely alone. Hiruko Kohina stayed by her side the whole time, shouting excitedly, "Jack! Jack! Jack!"

She was competing with Jack to see who could kill more and faster. Kohina felt that Jack was one of her kind and loved competing with her. At the Outer District school, Jack was the only one she would speak to. She could not be bothered with anyone else.

Bang!

A Gastrea that had tried to sneak up on Kohina from behind was blown apart by a distant sniper rifle. Tina sighed and muttered softly, "I'm an assassin, so how did I end up helping them kill Gastrea? Why did this happen?"

Unable to figure it out, Tina decided not to think about it. She replaced her magazine and continued searching for new targets.

The battle was incredibly fierce. Less than half an hour after it began, Gastrea corpses already covered the ground ahead, while the civilian security corps had retreated again and again, falling back a considerable distance.

This was only the appetizer. Although they had not yet suffered casualties, if such intense combat continued for long, no one knew whether they could hold out.

Through the live broadcast, everyone in the Tokyo Area saw the scenes of war. The brutal images shook them, and they began silently praying for those fighting on the front lines.

Those people fighting in bloodshed were doing so to protect unarmed people like them.

Yuxian remained calm as he commanded from the center. He was waiting.

Supporting Aldebaran's army from the rear was Pleiades, the "Heart of Taurus." Its powerful Light Spear posed a tremendous threat to the entire civilian security corps. If they were not prepared, it would bring about devastating disaster.

Yuxian had to wait for Pleiades to fire the Light Spear. The Light Spear could not be fired continuously, and its cooldown period would be the best opportunity for a counterattack.

Mash's Noble Phantasm, Lord Camelot, was precisely the main reason Yuxian had the confidence to engage them head-on.

Otherwise, he would definitely have chosen to circle around and deal with Pleiades first before facing Aldebaran.

He had discussed this with Mash long ago and received her approval. Mash had said, "As long as Senpai is by my side, Camelot's walls will never fall!"

Yuxian trusted Mash completely and held no doubt in her whatsoever, so he settled on this battle plan.

After hearing it, Little Jeanne had muttered, "If only I could ask the original me how to use a Noble Phantasm..."

Yuxian smiled at that. If Little Jeanne could really learn Jeanne d'Arc's Noble Phantasm, that would be absolutely wonderful.

He appreciated Little Jeanne's good intentions.

Yuxian kept a close watch on the battle and Aldebaran's movements. It still had not stepped forward to attack, remaining seated deep within the Gastrea army.

Then, countless arrows of light streaked across the distant sky like meteors, raining densely toward Yuxian's position.

Light Spear!

Pleiades had finally acted. Yuxian shouted himself hoarse, "Everyone, fall back behind me! Quickly!"

At the same time, he swiftly used Command Spells to strengthen Mash.

Mash had remained intensely focused the entire time. She transformed at once, grabbed her shield, and charged forward. Chiron and Atalanta escorted her together, and in the blink of an eye, she reached the very front of the security corps.

Everyone sensed that something was wrong. The arrows of light in the sky were already clearly visible, and such an attack filled them with helplessness. What kind of monsters were they fighting?

The male host conducting the live broadcast from the helicopter stood there in stunned silence, unable to find words to describe the approaching rain of light. Death had never been so close to him.

This scene was transmitted exactly as it was to television screens, and everyone fell silent.

Time seemed to stop at that moment. Every sound seemed to vanish, leaving a vacuum-like silence. It was like a soundless image before death, or the suffocating feeling of having one's throat seized.

"That is our homeland, which heals all wounds and all resentment. Manifest!

Lord Camelot!"

A girl's voice shattered the silence. Time began flowing once more, and the noisy sounds returned to their ears, becoming real again.

Camelot's towering walls crossed a thousand years, crossed time and space, and stood at the forefront of this battlefield, protecting everyone behind them.

This sight was like a miracle!

No! It was a miracle!

It was a miracle created by the girl named Mash Kyrielight!

Yuxian felt sincerely proud to have such a junior, and he sighed from the bottom of his heart. "Having a junior like you is wonderful!"

All of Pleiades's Light Spears were blocked outside Camelot's walls. The densely packed arrows of light struck Camelot's ramparts without leaving the slightest mark. It was an impregnable fortress.

The rain of light that had driven everyone into despair seemed as weak and harmless as children playing before Camelot's walls. The towering ramparts shut out every arrow of light, not allowing a single one through.

Everyone present, including the viewers watching the live broadcast on television, was utterly stunned by the sudden appearance of those towering walls. They could not comprehend what was happening before their eyes.

Seitenshi likewise stared at the screen before her in shock. She had been following this war that concerned the life and death of the entire Tokyo Area.

Mash, the girl who never left Yuxian's side, had never attracted much attention. Compared to famous figures known throughout history, such as Chiron and Atalanta, Mash Kyrielight—a girl with a Western-style name but an Eastern face—seemed so ordinary.

But at this moment, Seitenshi had to admit that Mash possessed strength equal to the heroes of myth. The shield in her hands and that fortress as solid as gold all revealed her extraordinary nature.

She instantly understood why Mash had remained at Yuxian's side all this time. She had been silently protecting him.

Lord Camelot... Camelot? The legendary impregnable castle of King Arthur. Anyone with even a little knowledge immediately thought of King Arthur's kingdom, that legendary unbreakable fortress.

Could this girl be related to King Arthur? Yet the name Mash Kyrielight was completely unfamiliar and had never appeared in the legends of King Arthur. What exactly was their relationship? What secrets lay within it?

Those who knew something about Yuxian began reevaluating him. An ordinary-looking girl could manifest the castle of Camelot, so what about the others around him?

Chiron and Atalanta needed no explanation; their names were far too famous. But what about those other children?

Jeanne d'Arc? Was she the Saintess Jeanne d'Arc? Why was she a child?

Jack and Alice were far too common as names, making it impossible to know who they were.

The name Illya was equally unfamiliar, but her performance on the battlefield was so eye-catching that no one could ignore her.

Yuxian was a man of mysteries, surrounded by layers of mist. No one could see his true face clearly, yet no one could overlook him.

The war would not stop because of this. After Mash blocked the Light Spear, the civilian security corps' morale surged to unprecedented heights. Everyone gained confidence. They saw the dawn of victory, and their attacks became sharper. Aldebaran no longer seemed so terrifying. It was not invincible.

Pleiades's Light Spear entered its cooldown period, and Yuxian prepared to launch a counterattack during this opening.

He was just about to call out, telling everyone to seize the opportunity and attack with all their strength, striving to expand their gains during this time.