In the wee hours past midnight, we gathered once more near the ruins located on the estate of Saint Nephthys, ready to kick off the operation over the sand dunes.

The fierce sandstorm was getting boring as it became too familiar, yet that didn’t mean the storm would stop. Wearing gas masks, I couldn’t help but sigh at the thought of my hair being a sandy mess after the mission.

…Well, that was only if the operation ended successfully.

We started the preemptive strike with mortars, followed by flares, and then launched anti-tank missiles at the tanks.

After that, as promised, Serika, Hoshino, and I led the charge from the front line.

In fact, I had forgotten this detail, but Serika was a tenacious one who could take hits from a Flak 41 anti-aircraft gun and still make it back in one piece after the battle.

I wonder if we should really be calling this the Abydos Response Committee? If we’re talking sheer firepower, we could easily hold our own against a decent armed group from any academy.

“Hehe… The operation support setup is all done, Teacher. Ahh~ I’m already feeling tingly with excitement…!”

“Well done, Mohe. After firing the flares, make sure to retreat to the agreed point.”

Everyone focused intently on the teacher’s words with their determined expressions.

“You all must have braced yourselves mentally on the way here, so I won’t say much. Let’s successfully carry out this operation without anyone getting badly hurt, and rest afterward.”

Considering that if someone did end up getting hurt, I have a feeling it wouldn’t be us, but with the box from Shittim, we shouldn’t have any major issues.

The teacher nodded firmly after making eye contact with everyone present and opened her mouth.

“Then… we will commence the Abydos Recovery Operation. Mohe, begin.”

“Kuhihihi…! Everyone, prepare, fire…!!!”

As the teacher’s command fell, Mohe let out a voice filled with delight. Simultaneously, the kids waiting in line pushed the shells into the mortar, which then fired off in unison.

Three mortars firing four shells each. I felt we didn’t need to pour any more firepower than that, so that was the agreed number.

As the shells soared high, the flares followed closely behind.

In the second line, Saki, Shiroko, and Miyako moved to grab their anti-tank missiles and waited for the follow-up strike.

They likely knew our presence thanks to the noise from the firing, but given it was night and there was a sandstorm, they probably couldn’t pinpoint our exact location.

BANG!!! BANG!!!

As we moved up the hill, the rain of shells began to fall one after another.

Twelve shells plunged into the stronghold of Saint Nephthys, throwing it into chaos, just as the flares exploded. Most of the bombardment targeted the heart of the enemy camp, so the outer tanks remained relatively intact.

Then, the second wave of anti-tank missiles hit Saint Nephthys’ stronghold.

While it had minimal effect on Vina, the main idea of the anti-tank missile was to obliterate the tanks.

“Kuh… Kuhihihi…! Ahhh… There’s nothing like an explosion! Always fresh and exhilarating!”

Amidst the enemy tanks blowing up, Mohe’s voice rang out… Let’s not dwell on that.

“First line, please advance right now.”

“Well, it’s work, so let’s gear up and go~.”

With the operation focused on resolving the situation in Abydos, Hoshino was unusually full of enthusiasm.

Given how important it was, it’s understandable she’d be full of eagerness. However, it didn’t seem like this was only for Abydos.

I might have to have a talk with Hoshino after this is over. Given that Hoshino has a notably strong mental fortitude, I believe she could tough it out, but if her current enthusiasm is somehow connected to Yume, the resulting mental strain could be tremendous.

I began moving behind Hoshino, who was leading with her shield. Following us at a distance was the second line, with the third line even further behind, all throwing themselves into the battlefield.

Even though it was night, the flares brightening the enemy camp served as landmarks for us, but the enemy seemed unable to utilize them properly due to the sandstorm obstructing their sight.

“It doesn’t seem like there are any hidden mines.”

“Haha, I guess they never thought they’d be ambushed here?”

“Who cares? Hey, can you run a bit faster, Senpai?”

“Hehe~ How cruel to say that to a sad old man with short legs. You’re breaking my heart, Kuromi Serika.”

“Ah, no! Saying that makes it sound like I said something unforgivable…!”

Just as we closed the distance to the enemy, gunfire erupted for the first time targeting us. To be honest, they missed miserably, but since our location was now exposed, those enemies would definitely focus on us.

With a flick of our fingers, blooming flowers of star-like projectiles flew towards the direction of the incoming bullets. With the sound of explosions following, the gunfire ceased, showing it had hit its mark.

Once we neared the destroyed tanks, the real firefight began. Taking cover, we advanced while taking down enemy troops one by one.

Before we knew it, the drones sent out by Miyako and Shiroko in the second line started to support us. And somehow, from the very back, Miyu was also steadily reducing enemy numbers with her sniping.

As for the troops on Saint Nephthys’ side, they were just forces established after absorbing Kaiser Corporation. Therefore, most of their troops were merely automaton types, and they would have been utterly crushed had they faced off against the students currently operating under Shalle and the Response Committee.

After all, there were just three students notably famous for their strength from Kivotos present right now.

In the midst of that chaos, given the massive losses from our preemptive strike, expecting a decent counter from them would be a laughable notion.

To be honest, I felt a bit overly prepared upon observing the scale of their stronghold. I mean, how well did they hide such a substantial fortification from satellites?

While traversing through the ruins left in tatters by the mortars, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

“Hey, doesn’t this basically render our plan of throwing Vina over there moot?”

If we don’t have someone to deal with Vina for a while, who knows what she might do when we enter the ruins. If the ruins collapsed because of her, that would be a disaster in itself.

[To begin with, whether Vina would actually come or not was already an uncertain factor. Given the situation, it might be better to hope she doesn’t show up.]

As the teacher said, we assessed that the likelihood of Vina coming was high during the planning phase, but we hadn’t solidified it as a definitive factor. While the chances of her not coming in such a ruckus seem low…

“Understood, Teacher. But if she does happen to show up… just a simple extermination on the spot is—”

[Excuse me for interrupting, but we have support troops coming from inside the entrance towards the ruins!]

Huh.

I was wondering if phase one would end too blandly, just for additional troops to pop up unexpectedly.

And to top it off…

RUMBLE—

The tremors starting to be felt vaguely signaled the appearance of Vina just as the teacher predicted.

But the issue with this situation was that the troops from Saint Nephthys who were supposed to face Vina had taken positions near the entrance to the ruins while we were currently moving through the center of their stronghold.

In other words…

“Ahaha, Teacher? Instead of throwing Vina at them, it looks like we’re going to have to face both sides ourselves.”

This immediately meant we were in a disadvantageous position.

[Let’s move immediately to the closest edge of the stronghold to the entrance of the ruins. We must avoid being caught in the crossfire. We’ll think of the following plans after that… Mohe, have you completed the retreat to safety?]

[Teacher, there are various taboos in this world. And one of them is leaving functional weaponry unattended, you see. Kuhihih.]

For a moment, Mohe’s response led to an awkward silence, but given the situation, everyone followed the teacher’s instructions and continued to move.

SQUIK—

Then, Vina burst onto the scene from the center of the stronghold, howling loudly while wreaking havoc around her. It was a relief that the stronghold wasn’t directly atop the ruins.

If we hadn’t followed the teacher’s orders, we would’ve ended up caught between Vina and the troops from Saint Nephthys, but fortunately, we managed to avoid that positioning just in time.

Now the problem was how to navigate this situation. If worse comes to worst, Miyu could just snipe her away, so that aspect didn’t seem to pose a significant issue.

[Kuhihihi. Since the situation has turned out this way, I’ll resume operational support. By the way, I’ve always been curious how effective mortars would be against that thing~?]

…Isn’t that a bit dangerous for us too if we miss? The chances seem low since we’re on the edges.

Hearing Mohe’s words, the teacher shook her head. She didn’t seem to see the need to engage in such a bizarre three-way battle.

[Hina, Izayoi, and Saki, you three hold off Saint Nephthys. Miyu, can you chase Vina away right now?]

[I… I’ll try…!]

A little while after Miyu responded with a trembling voice, a gunshot rang out. Due to the sandstorm, things were hard to see, but…

SQUIK—

[Teacher… I’m sure I hit her directly…!]

According to Miyu’s words and Vina’s howls, it seemed she had landed a perfect shot.

Now, if Vina retreats, we can sweep away the supporting troops and enter the ruins—

[Uh… It doesn’t seem like she’s planning to retreat…]

…Today’s lesson. Life is not meant to go smoothly from A to Z.