Editing Chronicle Legion:Volume 1 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

The sudden siren sounded throughout the Suruga tutelary fort.

Fujinomiya Shiori immediately left the reception room and exited the building. Taking Tachibana Hatsune and her new subordinate, Tachibana Masatsugu, she led the way.

"Where are we going, Princess?"

"The nation-protecting keep. It is where information is pooled. We will head there to find out exactly what happened," replied Shiori to Hatsune following behind her.

"But will they be willing to tell outsiders like us...?"

"Worry not. Such matters are easy to resolve by relying on my clout&mdash;No, I will assuredly resolve it."

"As expected of the princess. A cheerful smile paired with villainous lines, it's absolutely lovely."

Shiori's words and behavior did not seem like a sheltered princess'.

Already used to it, Hatsune joked around to liven up the mood, following Shiori dutifully.

In contrast, Tachibana Masatsugu followed last, apparently not too fazed. Shiori's sudden demonstration of initiative did not raise his doubts much either.

No one knew if it was because he had a calm personality or he simply did things at his own pace. Or perhaps elements of both?

The previous scene had shown that he was no ordinary person, but that was not enough. He must awaken into one of the greatest heroes to grace the annals of history for all time.

This was also the Shiori's intent in summoning him to the tutelary fort on purpose.

To let him breathe air related to the battlefield. Perhaps it would offer him some sort of stimulation, triggering a new change within Tachibana Masatsugu&mdash;

Shiori had done this with such hopes.

In any case, Shiori led them briskly and arrived at the heart of the tutelary fort after five minutes. This was the red-brick tower standing in the center of the premises, the nation-protecting keep.

A tower roughly forty meters tall with a gigantic fengshui wheel installed at the top.

The facility itself had been built a few decades ago and was quite old in style. Shiori stepped into the ground floor hall boldly.

The multiple entrances were all open, providing free access to the ground floor.

There were fourteen or fifteen soldiers of the Tōkaidō provincial army in the hall. Noticing the platinum blonde princess, half of the soldiers saluted and cast gazes of surprise at her one after another.

Shiori originally wanted to ask for one of the officers but then it occurred to her that there should be someone higher ranked at the scene.

"Chevalier Kamamoto, may I trouble you for a moment?"

"Certainly, Princess, I am at your service."

The elderly Chevalier serving as the ''temporary'' castellan was surrounded by several of his subordinates.

These subordinates stepped back to provide a path for Shiori as soon as they saw her approach, allowing her party to reach the old man in the black officer's uniform.

"What caused the earlier siren? Please explain to me as much as is permissible."

"Pirates... apparently. The dragons at Suruga Bay are currently handling them."

"In other words, armed ships are approaching Suruga City?"

"There are no confirmed reports of ships yet, but it is very likely."

Shiori had already contacted the old man a few hours earlier to borrow a room in the tutelary fort.

As part of the privileged class, Chevaliers often turned into stubborn and arrogant old men in their advanced age. However, Old Man Kamamoto was a good-natured old man.

The elderly man's tone was cordial, probably in an attempt to reassure Princess Shiori.

"Please rest assured. I do not believe this would develop into a major incident. Please feel free to return safely to the city, Princess."

Three days earlier, the Suruga tutelary fort had lost the official serving as its castellan. The previous castellan had been arrested on charges of corruption and was currently detained at the military police headquarters in the countryside.

Taking over his duties was Chevalier Kamamoto who had retired for seven years and more.

Unless there was a shortage of personnel, the castellan of a tutelary fort must be a Chevalier&mdash;Due to this unwritten rule, a retired old man had to be recalled to take on the role for the time being.

"Pirates, is that it...?" murmured Shiori to herself.

Ten years ago, when Imperial Japan became the Eastern Rome's tributary ally...

Some soldiers had deserted the army, determined to oppose Rome to the bitter end. There were also radicals who launched terror attacks, rallying to drive Rome's advance detachment out of Japan. These people would engage in piracy on occasion when they faced shortages in funding.

Pirate ships of this sort would all be equipped with firearms and ammunition&mdash;

The coast guard deployed sea dragon ''retainer beasts'' in nearby waters to detect the smell of gunpowder as early as possible. Did a sea dragon raise the alarm this time too?

However, were the enemies really pirates? Just as Shiori pondered...

A sound resembling bells echoed in midair.

The mystic power producing this sound was not great. Shiori witnessed a white fox, roughly palm-size, on Old Man Kamamoto's shoulder.

This was the pipe fox, a small retainer beast used by the Imperial Army.

"Oh."

Old Man Kamamoto widened his eyes and the pipe fox jumped off his shoulder.

The pipe fox ran adorably to the wall where there was an unoccupied rocking chair.

Then after the pipe fox ran under the chair, a girl appeared out of thin air and onto the chair.

Dressed as a shrine maiden, the girl had bangs reaching her eyebrows and black, shoulder-length hair. Very adorable, the girl resembled a Ichimatsu doll and seemed to be eight or nine years old.

"Sakuya, do you have something to tell me?"

Old Man Kamamoto asked and the girl named Sakuya turned her head towards him.

The girl's slender figure and the outline of her shrine maiden garments were slightly blurred. Rather than a real human, she was an image projected by a spirit, a means to substitute for possessing a simulacrum.

She was probably the genie protecting the Suruga tutelary fort.

"Invading... Le... gions... Enemy, alert..."

Sakuya reported the battle situation choppily and transmitted noetic waves.

The view projected by noetic waves covered the ceiling of the nation-protecting keep's ground floor hall. It was like a giant screen at a cinema.

...The overhead view showed the situation on the sea.

There were three bodies floating on the sea surface, resembling ten-meter-long sea serpents. However, the dead bodies had golden scales, which meant they were the sea dragon used by the coast guard. All three were decapitated, possibly shot dead by the enemy.

...The screen switched to a new view.

This was the surface of the distant sea, several kilometers away from the coast. There were seven or eight heads bobbing up and down, swimming towards the beach while treading water.

However, these "humanoid" entities were not humans.

Standing eight meters tall, their silhouettes greatly resembled Legions.

Furthermore, their bodies were releasing black haze, preventing a clear view to confirm their appearance...

"Right now, multiple Legions have killed three sea dragons... and are advancing towards the Suruga tutelary fort. The enemy has stealth noetic camouflage applied, type and affiliation unidentified. Also, this video was obtained through noetic techniques... from one of the coast guard's wyverns, which had witnessed the scene..."

Sakuya's image sat on the rocking chair while giving her report.

Her voice was extremely quiet and low, rather difficult to understand due to its choppiness. To Shiori's ears, it sounded like the grim reaper paying an ominous visit.


Fortification walls and moats were unable to stop flying Legions.

However, tutelary forts had modern defensive barriers to do the job instead. Like pipe foxes, these were spirits bestowed by Lord Tenryuu, and high-ranking beings at that.

"Ifrit, Seiryuu..."

When Sakuya's image spoke this name, a gigantic magic circle appeared in the sky.

A circle of blue light, seventy meters in diameter, manifested in the air over the tutelary fort. There were complicated patterns and Sanskrit characters inside it.

Behind the magic circle, an equally gigantic dragon took form.

More precisely, it was the "image of a giant dragon."

The slender and serpentine body was covered with sapphire-blue scales.

The giant dragon also had two antlers and four short limbs&mdash;The majesty of its sacred and solemn form undoubted belonged to the oriental symbol of the king, the holy beast known as the "dragon." The translucent body indicated it was a projected image.

The Suruga tutelary fort was not at a high elevation, but it was situated on a mountain peak at least.

The surrounding urban areas could see Seiryuu's image too. Urban areas neighboring the tutelary fort were already sounding the alarm to proclaim martial law.

"Legions of unidentified affiliation are advancing on the tutelary fort? Who exactly are pretending to be pirates...?" Suruga's temporary castellan, Chevalier Kamamoto, quietly muttered.

Currently, he was riding a blue wyvern and flying over the tutelary fort. The wyvern was identical to a lizard in appearance except with wings sprouting from the shoulders instead of forelimbs.

The wyvern's was more than twice as big as a purebred horse, a mid-sized retainer beast roughly four meters in length.

Mounted on the saddle, Chevalier Kamamoto said, "In the name of Zuihou, the Appellation bestowed upon us warriors of Imperial Japan&mdash;Assemble."

A round mirror appeared in the elderly knight's right hand.

The plain round mirror seemed to be polished copper and was the size of a palm. This was Zuihou, a Chevalier seal for summoning Imperial Japan's Legion, the Kamuy, as well as a glorious badge of valor.

Soaring while mounted on his wyvern, the old man released a large amount of noesis.

The noesis immediately materialized, turning into a flying army of Legions.

A total of twenty-seven Kamuys, equipped with armor and uniforms colored with the world-famous "samurai blue." All armed with the standard issue bayonet rifle, the Legions followed Old Man Kamamoto into battle.

The old Chevalier noticed the enemy approaching from the south&mdash;Suruga Bay.

"Incoming?"

The view was quite expansive from the Suruga tutelary fort on the plateau.

Suruga Bay was to the south, Shimizu Harbor was to the east while the northeast offered a magnificent view of the sacred peak, Mount Fuji. Unlike ordinary towns or locations surrounded by mountains, the geography here was very diverse.

Within this top-class view, signs of the unknown enemy army were lurking.

There were about thirty "human figures" flying in from over Suruga Bay, the enemy army hidden behind stealth noetic techniques. After being discovered by sea dragons, they had flown into the air directly.

Without organizing themselves, the "human figures" were flying in a scattered formation.

Suruga's sea and cityscape were gradually dyed red by the setting sun. It was almost sundown.

A more careful count yielded thirty-four enemies. Chevalier Kamamoto had twenty-seven Kamuys under his command. The enemy held numerical superiority but the defenders had support from the ifrit, Seiryuu.

The image of a gigantic azure dragon, with a magic circle behind its back, occupied the air over the tutelary fort.

To the south, Chevalier Kamamoto led twenty-seven Kamuys, standing by in the air.

A minute or two later, the enemy "human figures" reached the shore. Only several kilometers stood between them at the Suruga tutelary fort. At this time, Seiryuu made a move.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Seiryuu emitted a sonorous roar from its gigantic jaws.

Then the sky turned dark with a gathering of storm clouds. Lightning began to descend from above.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

The dark clouds kept releasing lightning nonstop. Seiryuu had invoked a meteorological decree&mdash;This was a spiritual power to control weather phenomena, bestowed by Lord Tenryuu the sacred beast.

Struck by lightning, a certain "human figure" was blown away greatly.

However, the giant shrouded in haze did not take too much damage. Mere lightning was not enough to neutralize Legions.

The lightning turned into a continuous barrage to impede the enemy's advance. This was the purpose of the meteorological decree as a weapon.

Amid the sky filled with descending lightning, a lone "human figure" howled.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

This was probably some kind of command.

The thirty-odd "human figures" began accelerate, moving apart from one another. Maintaining a scattered formation, they charged at high speed.

Unerringly, the enemy rushed at the Kamuy army led by Chevalier Kamamoto.

"Hmm!?"

Chevalier Kamamoto was taken by surprise. The instant they accelerated, the enemy abandoned their camouflage. Flying swiftly without fear of the lightning barrage, they were no longer an army of "human figures."

"Crusades..!"

The Crusades were larger in build than the Kamuys.

They also wore thicker armor. A refreshing white in overall coloring, they were adorned by red lines at various positions. This appearance belonged to the Crusade, the mainstay Legion of the British Imperial Forces.

"So a British knight has come to invade!?"

This was actually understandable. Imperial Japan was allied with Eastern Rome. If anyone would dare attack a Japanese tutelary fort, "the other empire" in Asia was the only logical candidate.

That being said, Chevalier Kamamoto clicked his tongue.

"The tutelary fort has yet to deploy a noesis barrier...? Right, Sakuya had mentioned her poor condition."

The enemy had launched a fierce assault in an attempt to conquer the Suruga tutelary fort.

As they called it in the olden days, a "siege battle" was about to begin. In charge of defense, the ifrit Seiryuu continued to rain down lightning in resistance, equivalent to the likes of arrows and cannons as "anti-air fire."

The problem was that without "walls," there would be no ''castle''&mdash;

Meanwhile, the Crusades continued to fly swiftly, unfazed by the lightning strikes from the sky.

They soldiered on relentlessly even when their comrades were struck directly. Advancing in a straight line, the British Legions began to use their bayonet rifles for suppressive fire. Rather than bullets, heat beams were fired from the barrels.

Dozens of flashes flew through the air as magic arrows, approaching Imperial Japan's twenty-seven Kamuys.

"Activate barriers!"

The Kamuys swiftly executed Chevalier Kamamoto's command.

Tiny lights fluttered like particulate matter, suspended in the air around the twenty-seven Kamuys.

This type of light had the effect of weakening enemy gunfire. As a result, despite sustaining some damage, Kamamoto's Kamuys were able to meet the thirty-four charging Crusades without any loss in numbers.

A melee battle unfolded in the air.

The rifle bayonets used by both sides functioned as "spears," clashing in combat through thrusts and slashes.

Like humans, the heads, chests and abdomens of Legions were vital parts. Legions injured in these areas would lose the ability to fly and crash down.

"The tide is... against my side huh?"

The Crusade was superior to the Kamuy in both physical build and strength.

The only way for Kamuys to oppose Crusades was to make use of their agility in hit-and-run tactics. But once both sides engaged in close combat with soldiers mixed together chaotically, the side with superior strength would hold absolute advantage.

No sooner had the old Chevalier spoken than a Crusade stabbed a Kamuy in the face with its bayonet and pulled the trigger directly.
[[image:ChronicleLegion 01 BW05.jpg|thumb]]

The rifle bayonet was a weapon consisting of a military rifle with a blade fitted on its front end of its barrel.

Naturally, the beam fired from the muzzle caused the Kamuy's head to explode.

Furthermore, the beam continued in a straight line, piercing a new target. Unfortunately, Chevalier Kamamoto's wyvern mount was shot.

"Ohhhhhh!?"

The beam blew away one of the wyvern's wings.

Losing the ability to fly, the wyvern fell, taking its rider along with it. The height of the fall was roughly sixty or seventy meters.

Chevalier Kamamoto crashed into a green hill. Fortunately, the wyvern's giant body helped to cushion the fall, so he survived with only a few fractures and bruises.

However&mdash;

A giant descended before Chevalier Kamamoto the survivor.

It was a Crusade, intending to assassinate Chevalier Kamamoto. The British Legion's landing caused the ground to shake and rumble. Up close, it looked as big as a three or four-story building.

The rifle bayonet in the giant's hand was roughly four meters long.

More than twice the old man's height.

Either the bayonet fitted on the gun or the beam from the muzzle could easily smash Chevalier Kamamoto to pieces. Upholding his pride as a soldier of the Imperial Army, Old Man Kamamoto spurred his injured body to stand up as quickly as possible. At the same time, he drew the 9mm semi-automatic pistol from the holster at his waist.

However, this sort of thing could not stop a gigantic Legion.

Without even using its bayonet rifle, the Crusade swung its left leg as though kicking a pebble.

This small movement struck Chevalier Kamamoto hard, kicking him into the air. Just as he was about to lose consciousness, he desperately ordered the Kamuys under his command.

He commanded the Kamuys to defend the tutelary fort to the bitter end on his behalf. This thought became the old man's final will and testament.