Editing Ultimate Antihero:Volume 1 Chapter 4 (section)

===Part 3===

He detected the allies’ danger from afar and went ahead solo.

Homura let flew a magic power slash and broke baphomet’s Gravity Bind.

From behind him, the panicked Sumika let out the maximum output of <Air Raid> in pursuit.

“Ho, Homura-san―! Please don’t fly ahead by yourself so suddenly!”

“My bad my bad. It looked like it would be bad if I don’t interfere a little faster there.”

“If that’s so please say a word first. Certainly Homura-san is strong, but while <Aureole> is working you cannot use your full power right!? What are you going to do if something happens while you rush ahead by yourself! The right to command for this reinforcement is entrusted to me, so I won’t tolerate anymore rash actions!”

“Got it got it. So don’t yell at me with your face that close. I’ll kiss you y’know.”

“Hahii-!? Wh, whwhwhwh what are you saying in this time of crisis!”

Sumika’s face blushed bright red and she *pyun!* cut through the air and took a distance from Homura.

In the view of that Sumika and Homura, Hassad’s face was displayed.

It was general communication in an open channel.

{Oo, you are <Evil God User> if I remember right! Seems like the rumor of your return here is true! Sheesh, you really saved us there! Like this it’s the second time I got my life saved by you.}

“Old man Hassad huh. It’s been five years since I saw you. How much damage at your side?”

{Thanks to you there is no one dead, but there are a lot heavily injured. I want to pull back the defensive line temporarily and rally back our formation. Lend us your hand!}

“That’s how it is leader.”

“Do, don’t call me leader just when it’s convenient for you.”

Suddenly having the attention directed at her, Sumika cut in between Homura and Hassad a little sullenly.

“You are lieutenant general Hassad of the seventh division isn’t it? This is the 101st trainee platoon leader・Hoshikawa Sumika that is entrusted with the right of command of the reinforcement troops.”

{Hoh, then you are the rumored S-rank magician. It’s my honor to meet you.}

“Thank you very much. ―I have understood the situation of your side. From here on we are going to move to reinforce so please prepare to retreat.”

{Got it. I’ll leave it to you!}

Having said that, Hassad cut the communication.

Surely he was preparing the retreat operation.

Sumika who confirmed that the transmission with Hassad had been cut then sent a transmission towards all platoons that were flying behind her.

“It’s exactly as we heard. From here on we will reinforce the preceding troops. All the trainee platoons, don’t face the <Knight class> independently by all means. Please fight them with units of platoon!”

{ { {Roger—} } }

High-spirited reply came back from the transmission.

In this aspect, it was just as expected from platoons with evaluation points more than 70. The height of their morale was different.

“Oi. Are we gonna move in platoons too?”

Suddenly Homura asked Sumika directly from the side.

The ability of  the 101st’s member was fairly high.

Rather than gathering together, the members should be used by scattering them for search-and-kill missions, that was his opinion.

Of course Sumika was also of the same opinion as that.

“Indeed. The 101st will spread out with their own individual duty. Shiori-san, I’ll leave you to control the situation of the battle from a separate location. Please perfectly fulfill your role that is demanded of you from all the units just as usual.”

Sumika first gave instructions to Shiori.

Shiori smiled wryly a little inside her heart from the content of that instruction.

(My my. You unexpectedly said that cleverly, leader.)

Shiori usually did only the minimum work as an <Operator> in her duty at the 101st platoon.

In other words she cut corners.

But, she fulfilled the minimum required work perfectly.

Using that habit back against Shiori herself, Sumika reminded Shiori that [I’m thinking that you are someone that perfectly fulfilled your duty as <Operator> in proportion with the situation you know].

“In other words you are telling me to not cut any corners right? I understand already.”

Sumika nodded in satisfaction from Shiori’s reply.

“I’m counting on you. Chikori-san please move independently following Shiori-san’s instruction and rescue the allied platoon. Can you do that?”

“Absolutely noo― problemm―”

Chikori hit the front of her breast *gatsun!* that was too big for her small stature with her gauntlet.

Magic power that couldn’t be suppressed anymore surged out from her whole body, she was completely prepared for battle.

If it was the current her, she surely wouldn’t fall behind even against <Knight class>.

Then the thing that could become a problem was only the <General class> baphomet floating in the air, but―

“As for me naturally that goat face is my opponent then.”

At their side there was Homura, so this was also not a problem.

Although <Aureole> was applied on him, Homura’s power was above S-rank.

It was a power that was more than enough to contest baphomet.

For that reason Homura thought it was only natural for himself to face baphomet.

However, Sumika who was the commander in this place shook her head side to side against this proposal.

“No. Homura-san will rescue the allied platoons like Chikori-san. I will be the baphomet’s opponent.”

“―Hoshikawa, you?”

Hearing that Homura was going to warn off Sumika with a grim expression, but

“Please don’t look down on me too much. Even like this, I am a S-rank magician. I will make it somehow against just a single baphomet. Besides, there are heavily injured people in the preceding troop. Then Homura-san that can skillfully use healing sorcery is more suitable for rescuing duty. I’m not too skilled at healing sorcery. Dead humans cannot go home. [To live] [to keep alive] ―those are the policy of how I operate my unit. You are going to obey aren’t you? After all Homura-san is my subordinate.”

Homura was countered back in return.

Sumika wasn’t trying to take up the baphomet as her opponent because of her vanity as a S-rank.

[To live] [to keep alive]

She didn’t change from when she was little. It was the right person in the right place under the girl’s policy.

Against that, Homura couldn’t talk back at all.

[To live] [to keep alive]. After all Homura also had the same ideal.

“…Okay. But I’m gonna cut in if the situation goes bad.”

Sumika nodded back towards Homura’s reminder―

“Then―, all members, mission start–!!!!”

She gave the signal for the operation’s commencement.