Time: 20:24
Location: Grand Knight Territory.
"What's going on? Who activated the emergency isolation mechanism!?"
[Report to the Knight Commander! The entire city is without power, and the blockchain connection point has been attacked!]
"Where's the Silverlance Squad?! Contact Cyril for me!"
[Sorry! All units have lost contact; communications are suspected to be disrupted.]
"Then use the walkie-talkie! Immediately notify the Engineering Department to carry out emergency repairs!"
[... Tsk... This is Cyril, are you alright?]
Hearing the familiar voice, Russell's tense mood eased slightly.
"It's alright, how are things on your end?"
[No damage. What happened on your end?]
"This is terrible!"
Russell gritted his teeth and quickly gave a brief summary of the situation.
Power outages, impending block separation, communication disruptions --
Each of these events would have been enough to paralyze the city, and they all happened at the same time.
[Does the Business Federation want to take everyone down with them?]
"No... they couldn't possibly do that."
After Cyril's suggestion, Russell also realized the loophole.
The Business Federation isn't so loyal as to sacrifice its own businesses; they must have made arrangements for their escape.
"Send two teams back to the prison!" Russell decided. "Make sure to confirm the location of Czarny and the others."
The situation did not improve after the team left.
Through the activated walkie-talkies, battle reports from various units continued to come intermittently, but the situation was deteriorating.
[East District Report! Increased firepower in the commercial street direction! Enemy reinforcements have arrived, seemingly a regular army unit! Requesting support!]
[Damn it! Where did they get those Silverlance! Wait... is it just standard armor?]
[Step aside, let Silverlance handle the imposter.]
[Riot escalates in Block C6! Clashes break out between civilians and unidentified armed groups, resulting in casualties!]
[E5 Block... Report! A large number of people are pouring out of the Lower City and are attacking the city defense line!]
[The Engineering Department responded! Repairs will take at least forty minutes! Power cannot be restored until then!]
Forty minutes.
Russell's fingers tightened sharply. A city out of control—forty minutes was enough for it to veer off course.
"Russell."
Cyril's voice came through the headset, still calm and unhurried.
"Have the other troops leave; I'll take over the commercial district."
"But--"
"Believe me."
The silence lasted only a moment.
"... good."
Russell closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, only determination remained.
"The Silverlance Squad will move to support the eastern district, while the Third Squad will remain at command. The remaining troops will proceed as planned, prioritizing the evacuation of civilians and suppressing the riot."
[Receive!]
Battle reports came one after another. Russell's fingers swiped rapidly across the terminal, bringing up a list of all available forces within the city.
Racing knight.
She recalled those figures on the field; although she didn't expect them to be as well-trained as the Campaign Knight, they could at least fill the gaps in the defense.
"Connect me to the Knights' Arena."
After a brief silence, new voices joined the communication.
[Grand Knight Commander? That's great! We're here...]
"I am Russell, and I hereby summon all combat-ready gladiators to proceed immediately to each district to assist the city defense forces in maintaining order."
There was a moment of silence on the other end.
[...]I can't do it.
"What?"
[The game has just ended, and most of the knights are unable to continue due to injuries!]
[And just now, the Corrupted Knight suddenly stormed into the medical bay, causing numerous casualties, and has now fled into the city!]
Russell's hand trembled slightly as he held the terminal.
So that's how it is; they weren't the only ones who timed their move perfectly.
Residents in the city...
No! There are more important things to do now!
Russell gritted his teeth, forcing himself to ignore the casualties.
The most important thing right now is to get the city back under control; all other goals must take a backseat to that!
Sorry, Cyril.
Russell picked up the walkie-talkie again.
I'm definitely not suited to be a knight.
"To all units..."
Before the prepared transfer order could be issued, the golden sun rose in the night.
It was a long spear radiating light, which flew out from the direction of the commercial street, illuminating the entire night.
Even now, though the four cities have been separated, people still see the brilliance that symbolizes an era.
[Cleaning complete.]
Cyril's weary voice came through the walkie-talkie.
Commercial Street
The wide main road looked as if it had been plowed by a giant iron plow, leaving a smooth surface riddled with gullies.
In the middle of the road, an old man in worn-out armor rubbed his back and tossed aside the rebel soldiers he was carrying.
[You can't deny getting old... These young people these days are terrifying; my old bones are almost falling apart.]
As if to mark the beginning, a series of good news followed.
Block C6 --
"Why! The same armor! Why were you able to pierce through it!"
The private soldiers of the Business Federation lay prostrate on the ground, glaring resentfully at the Silverlance before them.
They are the "aces" trained by the Business Federation according to the Silverlance Pegasi standard, from personnel selection and training methods to the Ceramic-Titanium Composite Armor they are equipped with.
Everything they possessed was equivalent to, or even superior to, the Silverlance!
But why!
The man looked around; his companions, several times larger than Silverlance, were scattered everywhere.
The Pegasus simply charged forward, and their ace, which was meant to rival them, was easily overwhelmed.
The Silverlances remained silent.
Against an opponent of this caliber, you can't feel any joy in winning.
Seemingly annoyed by the defeated's wailing, the captain of the Silverlances coldly replied:
Have you ever clashed head-on with a moving warship?
"Ah?"
Ignoring the loser's confusion, Silverlance replied in the channel:
[The imposters have been eliminated; a bunch of inferior products who couldn't even perform a combo attack, wasting such excellent armor.]
Knights' Arena--
"Damn bastard! Why did he have to come at my match of all times?!"
With a grim face, Jeston brandished his arms, and with his movements, scattered weapons rained down on his enemies like killer bees.
The crossbow bolts fired into the swarm of bees, and the knights who tried to get close were crushed by their own armor.
With a single punch, Saria embedded the attacking knight into the wall, and warned him:
"Be mindful of your resources; the enemy numbers are far greater than this."
"Tch, I got it!"
Jeston briefly snapped out of his reverie amid the cheers of the audience, only to be quickly swept up in a wave of praise.
Even after the attack, the crowd, who seemed to enjoy watching the spectacle, sat down again after Jeston unleashed his weaponry and wreaked havoc.
Jeston, being quite accommodating, finished off his opponent on the court.
Thinking of the efficiency-driven people of Columbia, Jeston, who had always craved attention, felt an unprecedented sense of kinship with the people of Kazimierz.
"That's it! Cheers for my power!"
"Oh!" xN
Watching Jeston wreak havoc, the newly arrived squad responded speechlessly:
[With support from Rhine Lab Defense Division, the arena has returned to normal.]
E4 block --
Originium dust rose slowly amidst the flames, and obscure Spellvoice drifted on the wind.
[Ancient Teekaz]
Amidst the shocked gazes of the cleaning crew, the thick smoke and dust seemed to possess a mind of their own, flowing into the hands of the person in front of them.
"Don't be so surprised, sound is the best medium for spells."
"Thank you so much! Is there anything you need? The Adeptus Sprawiedliwy do its best to meet your needs."
Do you have money?
"Um, you are...?"
Controlling the spell's output with one hand and pulling the Shapeshifter back with the other, the Tin Man said helplessly:
"Those who haven't done any work shouldn't have the audacity to ask for payment."
[Originium dust has been contained; cleanup teams can now proceed to other areas to provide support!]
Other neighborhoods--
As the light shone, the knights spontaneously began to heal the people.
"Damn it! This armor is completely useless!"
The equestrian knights who left the field first to remove the ornate armor provided by their sponsors and devote themselves to the rescue of the civilians.
"Get ready! Come out quickly while I move the rocks!"
"You are... the Wave Knight!? I'm your fan!"
"[Kazimierz curse!] Get out of here and get to the shelter already, I don't have time to sign autographs for you!"
The carefully crafted persona of a noble young master has shattered, yet the Wave Knight feels an unprecedented sense of relief.
Meeting the gaze of the regular knights who had just arrived, he, who had always felt inferior because of his status, confidently straightened his chest.
"Snort."
The arriving knight snorted coldly and walked past him.
Ancient family knights and competitive knights have always been at odds, let alone the two of them being the best among them.
But...
"Now that you've taken off that armor, you look like a true knight."
"Shut your mouth. Instead of wasting time talking nonsense, you should save more lives."
"..."
Without a word, the knights went into battle.
"The knights are coming!"
"Help me, my child is trapped underneath!"
"Thank you, thank you so much!"
Gradually, some members of the public also joined in the rescue efforts.
"Here, let's lift the stone together!"
"Get out of the way! I'm a bricklayer, I'm strong!"
The burly Kuranta pushed aside the people around him and looked at the white-collar worker opposite him, questioning:
"What energy do you office workers have? Don't cause trouble."
"... That's hard to say."
The white-collar elite's arms bulged with veins, and the burly Kuranta also exerted his strength.
The two men tossed the huge boulder aside, and the burly Kuranta patted the white-collar elite on the shoulder.
"I didn't expect that someone as thin and frail as you would have such strength."
"Who are you underestimating? Do you know how many files I move every day?!"
The two glared at each other angrily, then laughed and patted each other on the shoulder.
"Finished? Want to grab a drink?"
"You can't leave until you're drunk!"
In the city plunged into darkness, the lives of countless people have been disrupted.
This is why people who should be working together can cooperate with each other, and those who have no connection can form friendships.
This city, which held the hopes of countless knights and also disappointed countless knights...
Countless knights are rising again.
Contrary to the chaos the Business Federation had anticipated, the Grand Knight Territory had been taken over by another order.
What is a knight?
Another tremor, the poorly constructed high-rise collapsed, and huge stones teetered on the brink of collapse.
"Quickly! Get out of here!"
"Don't give up! You guys go first!"
Those who were able to move quickly carried the wounded away, and the knights spontaneously formed a human wall.
The boulder cast a shadow, stirring up a sense of fear in the darkness.
Then...
"Oh, Sun..."
The dazzling light pierced the darkness; it was much smaller than the previous sun, but just as warm.
Please nod for me!
The tender sunlight shone on this neighborhood, not enough for the whole city to see, but enough to protect those in the shadows.
With the girl's cry, the boulder was shattered by the javelin.
"Margaret Nearl..."
The knight who followed closely behind caught the falling lance and swept the fragments into dust.
"Collected."
[It's the Radiant Knight! The Radiant Knight have entered the battlefield!]
As he listened to the continuous stream of good news, Russell's eyes welled up with tears.
Having grown accustomed to facing the mire, she realized for the first time that she was never alone.
As the sun rises, the stars disappear.
But just as they belong to the same sky, when night falls, the latter never hesitates to share its light.
Just like Kazimierz at this moment--
A constellation of stars.