Just a little thought would make it clear, but right now we were in a rather bad situation.

Based on what happened a moment ago, it’s evident that Vina is definitely connected to this ruin in some way. Even though her actions are different from the patterns we assumed or the engagement records we referred to, it does back up my hypothesis.

Of course, there remains a question of why this outpost has remained intact until now… But we could take it to mean that Saint Nephthys’ firepower is formidable enough. Kaiser has a record of successfully repelling Vina even under not-so-great conditions, so it doesn’t seem impossible.

The reinforcements from Saint Nephthys, who held the entrance of the ruin, can be considered safe as long as Vina is assumed to be the guardian of the ruins.

Though we were somewhat exposed to Vina’s attacks after moving slightly outside the outpost, it’s not quite the same position for us, which naturally creates an image of us getting hit from both sides.

And at the critical moment, the Teacher quickly finished her judgment. She swiftly gave instructions before Vina could counterattack after recovering from Miyu’s sniping.

[Mika, Hoshino, and Shiroko will handle Vina. Miyu and Mohe will support this side, while the remaining members will head towards the ruin to deal with the enemy forces as quickly as possible. Ayane, try to manage the overall situation as best as you can.]

“Does that mean we break through the entrance while Vina is stalling for time?”

[It’s similar but different, Mika. If there’s even a slight chance that Vina is not the guardian of this ruin, we cannot rule out the possibility of her causing chaos and collapsing the entrance. Once the entrance collapses, an irreversible situation will occur.]

“…Got it, Teacher.”

I guess I was relying too much on the information left by the former Student Council President of Abydos. Realizing this helped me understand the flow of the Teacher’s thoughts.

The size of the Saint Nephthys outpost might be to prevent Vina from disrupting the exploration of the ruins while, at the same time, protecting the ruins from Vina.

Even assuming the Nameless Priests created Vina, there’s no guarantee that the now-influenced Vina by the Decagramaton is the same as before. In other words, the Student Council President’s information may have been accurate back then but could be wrong now. That interpretation is also possible.

[Vina’s team will either hold out until Saint Nephthys sends additional reinforcements or, if none arrive, the team exploring the ruins will join in to subjugate Vina. That’s the immediate plan. It all depends on Hoshino, Mika, and Shiroko, but… can I trust you?]

“Ugh. Teacher, what are you going to do if this man works himself to death like this? Well, I guess it’s not really a problem.”

[Yes. I’m already familiar with facing this twice. I’ll move right away.]

I saw Shiroko running over here, having retrieved the drones. In the meantime, there was silence on the communication line.

I wondered why everything suddenly went silent… but I realized it was my turn to chime in. Everyone was waiting for my response while I was lost in thoughts like, ‘Hmm, suddenly why is the communication so quiet?’ So embarrassing.

“I told you, Teacher! I’m pretty strong. You can count on me☆”

[Okay, then I’ll trust you. Everyone, be careful not to get hurt.]

I exchanged glances with Hoshino and Shiroko. Vina’s head, towering from a distance, was probably heading towards where Miyu would be. It seemed I had to go out a bit to greet her.

I caught the Teacher’s voice giving instructions to the team exploring the ruins over the communication line. Hoshino, who made a similar judgment as I did, quickly stepped forward with her shield. Shiroko, sending out a drone, seemed to plan to use it to draw Vina’s attention.

As we faced Vina amid the outpost devastated by our preemptive strike, the boom of Mohe firing mortars began to echo.

I wondered whether they were calculating Vina’s position correctly or if we were just going to get dragged into it… but it’s still SRT. Their abilities were beyond doubt. Although they weren’t fully blossomed yet, it wouldn’t be strange if they erupted at any moment; that’s RABBIT Squad for you.

And soon after, Mohe betrayed that trust.

“Wow~ Choosing flare shells was definitely a genius move.”

“Ahaha, right?”

I started shooting toward Vina’s head, barely visible through the sandstorm. Unless the armor on other parts was damaged, there was really only one place to aim for: the head.

Agreeing with my thoughts, Miyu’s shot hit Vina’s head from a distance. It didn’t seem like she aimed for the eyes, but since we chose to engage, she appeared to be trying to refrain from attacks that might allow that thing to escape.

[Vina’s laser attack! Hurry and dodge!]

As we continued shooting for a moment, we lost a bit of time dodging a missile launched from behind Vina. At that moment, energy began to collect in Vina’s mouth.

No, Ayane. Just because you heard to dodge doesn’t mean you can just dodge without a plan.

In an instant, the heat beam scorched where Shiroko had been. The nearby sand, not to mention part of the tracks, melted away under the enormous power and sent a shiver down my spine.

…Can we dodge? I thought we wouldn’t make it due to the wide range, but Shiroko swiftly escaped the area and resumed firing.

As the heat beam passed and temporarily cleared our vision, I aimed to shoot Vina’s head again when the artillery began.

Boom!!!

The first shot landed between Vina and Hoshino. Although it was relatively closer to Vina, I thought…

“Wha?! That was super dangerous just now! You planning to kill this guy with mortars?!”

[Ugh. The first shot had some deviation. It’s good as long as no one got hurt.]

“No, not at all…!”

The subsequent barrage bombarded Vina’s massive form and the surrounding area. Mortars that directly fell on her back or nearby surely dealt her damage.

In reality, we could see Vina’s armor starting to break.

[Check how effective the attack is on the damaged areas of the armor.]

“Okay, I’ll do that.”

Responding to the Teacher’s communication, Shiroko maneuvered her drone to shoot at the battered areas of Vina’s back. Immediately, as if it felt pain, Vina let out a monstrous scream that echoed throughout the outpost.

As the thunderous roar filled the area, I calmly began shooting at her mouth. Though the veil of sand due to the heat had attempted to obscure Vina’s form once again, the recoil from my weapon was so minimal that as long as I locked on, it would hit unless she actively tried to evade.

As the bullets I fired struck the opened mouth of Vina, the regular sound of sniping continued. It seemed escaping from my target was not in Miyu’s playbook.

[Another high-energy reaction!]

Once again, Vina aimed to fire a heat ray, this time towards Hoshino. Seeing this, Hoshino calmly raised her shield to cover herself as Vina suddenly turned her head.

“…Wait, that direction is!”

I realized too late that Vina was not targeting me or Shiroko, but a target even further behind.

[Miyu?!]

The laser swept through the location where Miyu’s sniper was.

“Miyu! Are you okay over there?”

Forget codenames; the situation was urgent, so my name popped out first. However, there was no response from Miyu. She must have been taken out in one shot.

I briefly wondered if she could withstand such an attack… but I ended up proving that she couldn’t in a way I hadn’t wanted.

Honestly, even if she could withstand it, I wouldn’t want to take it head-on.

[Miyako, fall back for a moment and check Miyu’s status!]

[Understood, Teacher. RABBIT 1, retreating from the front.]

[And Hina, can you do that again?]

[Ah, of course, no problem, Teacher.]

Thank goodness they seemed to have ample resources to pull back. Considering the firepower of Hina, Nonomi, and Saki wasn’t enough to handle the automatons, this might be a reasonable outcome.

Especially Hina. I know how painfully that Isboset hits. Provided the right conditions for her to lay into the enemy, her firepower is absolute against multiple targets.

“Focus, Misa-chan! It’s coming!”

“Whoa—oh…”

As soon as I heard Hoshino’s warning, I hurriedly dashed to the side. The massive form of Vina, with her head lowered, was trudging towards us, crushing the outpost.

Even though I wasn’t taking it head-on, I couldn’t help but admire how Hoshino could endure the physical force coming from that massive form relying on just one shield.

Although I moved to dodge the direct hit, I aimed for the exposed flank and started firing enchanted bullets.

…I wish we could see the enemy’s health like in a game; it would be nice, but since that’s not the case, I just hoped our attacks were effective. I was only able to judge that by her reactions and occasional screams.

[Haa. Haa… It’s a delightful fireworks time!]

As I heard the communication amid the chaos caused by Vina, I glanced around anxiously. I worried if I’d get caught up in an explosion.

And thankfully, the anti-tank missile aimed at a point somewhat far from me hit right past Vina’s shattered armor.