+++ Lieutenant Hans Hoffman +++

"They're attacking…" Adelyn muttered, shocked at the display. "But why, their weapons and spells aren't updated for anti-demon use."

"They're going on a suicide mission," Hans' mech revved forward. "But it should be able to distract the demons nicely."

"What do you mean? We're surrounding them?"

"I think that's the plan of the Empress' commanders. Trap the demons between us and them."

"That's dangerous. We should be giving these monsters at least a retreat route, else, we'll run out of munitions to deal with them."

"Well then, we'll deal with them better!" Hans closed in the distance one of the demons. "Support me. Lend me your firepower, we'll take down this one!"

Hearing Adelyn's annoyed grunt, most likely because he once again charged ahead of her, Hans' machine guns ripped through the body of a humanoid demon that was slicing through a group of musketeers.

Its attention was immediately turned to Hans, but he quickly suppressed and disoriented it from sending any counterattack at him. Then, Adelyn pierced its body with a well-placed plasma shot, followed by a well-synchronized APFSDS from Hans' mech.

Then, he engaged his razors and sliced through the demon, dropping it to the ground. Behind, Adele finished the job by firing a cryofreeze round at it, killing it, and allowing Hans to focus on the next demon.

This is way too risky…but, this is how it's done when it happens.

You either falter, or you double down—that was the situation here. And faltering wasn't an option. They couldn't coordinate sending a message to the Empress' forces that they should exercise caution. No, in fact, they sent a clear message to Hans' team.

No caution.

Attack and attack.

The only acceptable response from Hans and the Ygeian Expeditionary Corps therefore was to double down.

"All units!" Hans shouted using his speakers, his voice reverberating throughout the battlefield. "Advance! The Empress is over there! Link up to them and destroy the demons, at once!"

Like an avalanche, the rest of the relief force charged forward. Spells, musketry, and artillery thundered as it met the demons head-on, many of whom were already disoriented as their attention was fully divided by the two crashing walls of human troops.

Hans and Adelyn fully exploited the situation, their mechs targeting any demon unfortunate enough to be wounded and surrounded. Hans would charge in, rattle them with his machine guns, Adelyn would fire a shot or two to heavily damage said demon, then Hans would tackle them to the ground for the final kill shot.

Again and again, Hans repeated it, until his machine guns began running low, including his magazines, but by then, his mech, covered in the demon's entrails, guts, and blood, drifted to stop in front of a group of Imperial Knights who were fighting one of the demons earlier.

[4 DEMONS LIQUIDATED!]

[LEVEL UP! NOW LVL. 35!]

[PROGRESS TO LVL.36: 4%]

[AVAILABLE AP: 6800/200 PTS]

Hans took a deep breath as he read through those notifications, internally grinning as he thought about whatever cool attribute he would have later, but for now.

He pressed the button for his external speakers.

"Where's the Empress?" Hans asked. "If you can hand her over to me now, I can get her to safety."

One of the knights' faces paled.

"Major Hoffman!" the knight called out. "The Empress…she's refusing to leave the fort until all demons are driven out. She's at the fortress, and it's under attack!"

Hans looked at the distant fort. Indeed, its defenses were now lightened, judging by the number of musketeers firing from its walls and spells coming from it. There were still two lesser demons attacking one of the entrances, both of them killing many soldiers who were trying to hold them off.

So she ordered an attack and decided to stay back at the fort?

He was expecting her to lead it head-on, so that she'd be first to arrive on the relief forces' lines, but, based on how she acted earlier now, Hans' suspicions were starting to be confirmed.

She seems like the type who wants to prioritize saving her men first. She wouldn't get out of there until literally everyone escaped.

Now, that was a difficult leader to deal with. That was probably someone too emotional to lead a nation through a crisis, but those thoughts were for later.

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"Adelyn!" Hans called out on the radio. "We have to punch deeper into their lines and kill those two demons."

"I know, I've heard," Adelyn's mech suddenly zipped in front of Hans's, causing his eyes to widen. "Follow me. Let me try being in the thick of combat for once!"

"W-wait, there's a draconic demon in front of you!" Hans warned, charging close behind Adelyn. "Don't be too reckless!"

Hans couldn't believe it. Was she trying to turn the tables on him? How petty. She knew her mech was never designed for short-ranged breakneck—

Hans held his train of thought. Who was it who told him again that a Wanderfalke was designed for whatever he was doing? Yes, the Lotharingian Confederation designed the Wanderfalke for anti-tank warfare, but its mobility was used for a different reason. It was only used to allow Wanderfalkes to zip and reposition fast.

It wasn't charging forward like a maniac.

Ah. Being a hypocrite sure is backfiring hard. Hans however had no more chance to think about that. Whatever. I still can't let her face this alone!

The demon in front of them spread its wings, firing a blaze of fire in front of Adelyn as she pulled her mech into a hard brake. Then, she began opening fire with her main gun, pummeling through the demon's scales with grave efficiency.

On the side, Hans circled and zipped through the right flank of the demon, his machine guns rattling the monster's eyes to distract it.

"Come on, big guy!" Hans shouted. "Don't look at her, look at me!"

"H-hey, this is supposed to be my test. I need some close combat experience!"

"If you want to learn that, stop looking at me and dodge those claws!"

One of the dragon's hands nearly struck Adelyn, but she pulled back just in time to dodge it. Right then, Hans' mech screeched underneath the demon, before firing a round straight at its arse.

The demon roared, fire coming out of its mouth, before Adelyn sent a plasma round straight to its head, piercing from its mouth then out of its skull.

The monstrous creature, who could have killed at least a hundred or so more men had it not been dispatched, collapsed on the ground.

Hans and Adelyn caught up with each other, both speeding toward the fort at great speeds.

"That…that was awesome!" Adelyn shakily said.

"I almost had a heart attack," Hans coldly chastised. "That claw was way too close for comfort. Be more careful!"

"Well, now you know how I feel!"

"I…"

Hans' tongue tangled itself. He was unable to retort.

"What, cat's got your tongue?"

"Focus on the battle," Hans said. "They still have two demons over there trying to get the Miss Empress girl. I don't want this mission to be a fumble after our effort."

"I'm obviously the same. But I also need to teach your stubborn skull not to act suicidal, so can you really blame me?"

"You care for me too much—"

"Because I love you. Haven't I made that clear?"

That finally fully shut Hans down. He felt his cheeks reddening a bit, remembering how she constantly tried hard to catch up to him and cover his ass whenever he charged forward.

The fact that she wanted him to stay safer, because she loved him, was getting through to him again.

"...I understand," Hans said. "Thanks, Adelyn."

Suddenly, his mech, faster and lighter, sped forward ahead of her, and Adelyn shrieked.

"Hey, did you not listen to anything I said? I swear, you stubborn guy!"

+++

Elisa watched from one of the sections of the wall as the demons slowly inched forward, slaughtering the motley defense unit she had placed over there.

It seemed that the situation, as she anticipated, had finally turned for the worse. The thing was, she knew this. She knew that sending many of her soldiers to charge forward would mean that they would all prioritize trying to break through and link up with the relief force.

After all, they were the ones who would save them. Any soldier, or, well, person even, would choose to abandon even their leader in times like these. Meeting a demon was a traumatic event. Meeting so many of them at once…now that was a true nightmare.

She wouldn't blame her poor sods for running away. That was why she sent them over there anyway. Not just so they would fight hard to run away, but so that many of them would escape.

Now was the last phase of her gambit. She wanted to test these newcomers, at once.

The limited elite guard she kept for herself held on for a while, but now, they were falling in spades. Even the knights capable of powerful sword arts and magic were falling at the wayside, as two humanoid demons cut through them with ease.

Elisa still only watched. She had to. She wasn't someone who could fight, yes, but these were her men whom she was spending to save her skin. The least she could do was watch them fall for, to give them the honor of knowing that the Empress watched as they laid down their lives for her.

She looked up again.

I see…

Those two were rushing toward the fortress. They were fully ahead of the relief force, and they seemed extremely determined to reach her. The blistering speeds that their machines showed as they travelled through the battlefield were eye-catching.

She briefly wondered what this could mean for her Empire. Such technology was unheard of, after all. But the fact that they could slaughter so many demons with such ease was something she was noting enthusiastically in her mind.

If I can somehow get my nation to make them, so many lives could be saved…

Maybe, this entire demonic infestation wouldn't even last a year if she had those things. They'd plow through them and wipe them out fast, no doubt. But she knew that she would never be able to produce something like those things in her lifetime.

These two were what she'd have to rely on. An angel like her riding a metal steed, and a knight beside her. The way they rode forward was mesmerizing.

They…really are the heroes of this land.

As one of them moved into what appeared to be a firing position, she made a vow to herself.

I need to treat them well, and get them to fight for all of us till the bitter end!

A shot from one of them struck one of the two demons in front of her.

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