Editing Chronicle Legion:Volume 3 Chapter 6 (section)

===Part 3===

Concentrating troops in one location would raise their offensive power there.

Ultimately, this was the key principle of the oblique order. What would elite troops with superb offensive power do after killing the enemies before them? Simple, move on to the next.

For example, they could move to other enemies and ambush them from the back or the flank.

Then what about the other part of the army with "low offensive power"?

There was no need for ordinary troops to be excessively aggressive. They should delay participating in battle as much as possible while keeping up just enough to avoid getting left behind. The underlying condition was that they must stay within a certain distance of the rest of the army to prevent the enemy from isolating them.

Once they clashed with the enemy in melee, there was no need to worry about defeating the enemy either.

Maintaining stalemate was the key point. Ensuring their own safety and survival was the top priority. While this was happening, the "elite unit with superior offensive power" would defeat the initial enemies in front of them before turning to the rest of the enemies stalled by their "less powerful allies."

Then afterwards, the ordinary troops would attack aggressively, to surround and destroy the enemy army in concert with the elite unit...


This was the most ideal and offensive use of the "oblique order."

However, there were different applications depending on the battlefield and the commander. On this occasion, Tachibana Masatsugu had used his "elite unit of six hundred Kanesadas" cleverly as bait.

The enemy consisted of Prince Edward and the Knights of the Garter.

What if even the oblique order's concentration of force failed to break through the ranks of the black knights?

Tachibana Masatsugu had considered this pessimistic outcome and it was not paranoia.

After using the trump cards of katana-drawing and Tennen Rishin Style swordsmanship, the Kanesadas under his command still could not overcome the longbows and the shields of the Garter Knights so easily.

While they were locked in a struggle, the enemy even launched a cavalry charge&mdash;

"Centuriae, switch the targets of your rifles for the time being."

"Do not worry about harming the Kanesadas... Rather, shoot them along with the enemy. It is imperative that you eliminate the Knights of the Garter that are fighting the Kanesadas!"

Wei Qing and Akigase Rikka issued their respective orders.

Earlier, they had received a messenger pipe fox sent by the top commander, Tachibana Masatsugu, asking them to proceed according to the original plan.

Their current forces were respectively four hundred Centuriae and a hundred and twenty Kamuys.

Just now, they had followed the forefront unit of Kanesadas to advance slowly towards the enemy while firing along the way.

Not too long ago, their rate of fire had dropped slightly.

The coalition army had suddenly changed course and accelerated during the minute or two when the enemy commander's attention was focused on the "Kanesadas of which every last one had drawn their katana," thus allowing them to move unimpeded&mdash;

The mixed force of Centuriae and Kamuys rushed ahead to the left, accelerating all at once.

While the Garter Knights and the Kanesadas were locked in a fierce struggle, this force successfully took the position on their right flank, resulting in a formation in the shape of a diagonal slash.

Once in position, the coalition force opened fire continually.

Their target was the zone containing the shield-bearing black knights, the knights that had charge from above, and the Kanesadas that were chopping away, a very chaotic situation.

The Garter Knights in that zone were no longer in an orderly formation.

Without a packed formation, their protective barriers failed to provide much of an effect. The coalition force's attack from an unexpected angle dealt a severe and unprecedented blow to the black knights. Many Garter Knights crashed into the peaks of Hakone's mountains.

The Kanesadas were also shot down in the process.

With a drastic decrease in numbers on both sides, the two armies continued in a truly fierce melee battle&mdash;


"Let the status quo continue for now..."

Wei Qing murmured to himself. Riding a silver wyvern, he was soaring the sky over the battlefield. Silver-white Roman Legions could be seen fighting bravely everywhere.

The Eastern Roman Empire's mainstay Legion was called the Centuria.

Like the Japanese Kamuy, the Centuria was a Legion type of smaller build.

In contrast, the Garter Knight, based on the Crusade, was a size larger than the silver-white Roman troops. However, unlike the blue samurai, the Centuriae did not rely on agility to compensate for their size disadvantage.

Each Centuria was equipped with a huge square shield.

They defended against the black knights' shots and blades using their raised shields and would counterattack whenever the enemy tired&mdash;

Rather than charge and attack aggressively, they would often defeat enemies by waiting for them to make the first move.

Despite their smaller build, Centuriae were extremely tough and resilient in mind, body, and shield. The fangs of their counterattacks were also extremely sharp. Such were the characteristics of the Centuria Legion.

The Centuriae specialized in defensive battles in secure and orderly formations without pushing forward too aggressively.

Relying on these traits, Wei Qing continued the protracted battle.

He said, "Tachibana-dono's destiny does not end here&mdash;Then there will be a chance for a reversal without requiring me to give fortune a ''spin''..."

Surrounded only by Legions locked in fierce combat, there was not a soul around him.

Hence, no one heard his murmurs.


"At this rate... The battle favors us, the British. That is what I think."

A girl's adorable voice spoke next to Edward's ear.

The genie Morrigan was sitting on his shoulder. The capable adjutant looked like she was about to offer advice&mdash;But no, despite using a small doll dozens of centimeters tall, she somehow managed to shrug.

"Prince, you see things differently, yes?"

"So you see it too? Impressive. A mere spirit knows how to read my face, huh?"

"Your mental state is easily written in your facial musculature. Guessing is not difficult."

Even in the midst of a fierce battle, she still did not keep her harsh tongue in check.

Edward smiled wryly and focused his mind on sensing the battlefield. He was carefully counting how many Legions were fighting in the sky over Mount Souun in the heart of Hakone.

First of all, there were roughly eight hundred Garter Knights on the British side.

Of the Tōkaidō-Roman coalition, a hundred and sixty of the red-purple Kamuy variant, three hundred and forty of the Centuriae, and a hundred of the standard blue Kamuys remained&mdash;A total of six hundred or so.

The "red-purples" were not the only ones tired.

It was the same for the Centuriae because they had spent a long time at Seiryuu Gate to keep Edward occupied.

This numerical gap of two hundred would only increase over time. However, Edward was still fired up for battle. Ambition and competitiveness made him cheerful.

He was deeply convinced that the opponent who had won his approval still had more tricks to play!


Back to Tachibana Masatsugu&mdash;

Currently, he was a slight distance from the battlefield where Legions of three nations were fighting intensely.

He rode his wyvern near the ground, flying along the ridge of Mount Souun. The remains of Legions killed in aerial combat were strewn all over the place.

This included Kanesadas, Centuriae, Kamuys, and Garter Knights.

In terms of proportion, the colors of red-purple and black dominated. This meant that the fighting between the red-purples and the Garter Knights was the most intense. Of all casualties, the Kanesadas were the most numerous.

As one would expect, Masatsugu's troops were mostly afflicted with arrow wounds.

The arrows of light shot by the Garter Knights did not disappear.

The arrows of light were still embedded in the Kanesadas. Some of the Kanesadas were shot in the head, chest, or neck, killing them. There were others who had arrows in their thigh, foot, or waist, immobilizing them. There were also many cases of flesh wounds in shoulders, arms, or surface damage to armor.

The majority of the Kanesadas were lying on the ground, unable to fight anymore.

Some were sitting collapsed on the ground limply, unable to even lift their head.

Having consumed vast amounts of ectoplasmic fluid, they were depleted in strength. Just as Masatsugu was satisfied with the current situation, he sensed bloodlust so he pulled the wyvern's reins lightly.

Wyverns were intelligent retainer beasts. His flying mount noticed Masatsugu's intent and changed course to the right.

Several seconds later, something descended through Masatsugu and his wyvern's former position.

A beam and the noise of gunfire.

A Garter Knight approached, its bayonet rifle pointed at Masatsugu.

This black knight was not heavily injured. It was flying at low altitude only because the shock of a collision during battle had sent it down. The two eyes beneath the mask had evidently captured Masatsugu's figure.

The enemy realized that the noesis emanating from Masatsugu was commanding a great army.

Discerning that this human was the commander, the Garter Knight was planning to take out the army's head!

"Fine, I guess I'll have to deal with it."

Masatsugu was about to raise his personal sword to take care of the attacking enemy.

Just as he gripped the hilt of Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada, he heard an ally's voice.

"My Appellation of Onikiri Yasutsuna... O trenchant blade of universal renown!"

Spurring her wyvern to fly at full speed, Akigase Rikka charged at the British Legion.

She drew the treasured blade of Genji pedigree at her waist and recited the mantra of the Feat of Arms. Rikka also intended to slay the enemy soldier with her own hand.

A slightly wavy temper-line was visible on the two-feet-seven-inch blade.

In terms of dignified appearance, Onikiri Yasutsuna was superior to the Izumi-no-Kami Kanesada held by Masatsugu.

"Demonstrate to the world the martial feat of oni slaying once more!"

The peerless treasured blade, Onikiri Yasutsuna, was precisely the Appellation inherited by Rikka.

The targeted Garter Knight was swinging its bayonet rifle at Masatsugu and Rikka as though trying to swat two flying bugs.

...The British Legion's attack worked. The gigantic blade sliced through a blue wyvern's body.

The wyvern was bifurcated in one stroke, but the rider was no longer in the saddle. Exhibiting amazing jumping power, Rikka flew into the air, swinging her treasured sword of Genji pedigree.

"Yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Rikka rushed at the Garter Knight's black mask and the treasured blade easily sliced through the enemy's face.

This strike combined a spectacular jump with excellent swordsmanship and physical prowess.

Mortally injured, the black knight's gigantic body began to fall, crashing violently into Mout Souun's surface. The Feat of Arms held by "the famous blade that had slain Shuten-dōji, the oni of Ooe-yama," was mystical swordsmanship allowing a human being to slay Legions personally.

However, having jumped into the air, Rikka would inevitably fall.

"Rikka-sama!"

"Counting on you, Masatsugu-dono!"

The two of them did not engage in redundant conversation. Masatsugu kicked the side of his wyvern.

The wyvern accelerated towards where Rikka was going to fall. Seeing that, the famous swordswoman and Governor General slowly sheathed her sword.

Smiling, she was calm and confident.

Two seconds later, Masatsugu released the reins in his hands and caught Rikka with both arms.

In other words, a "princess carry." Still smiling, Rikka wrapped her arms around the back of Masatsugu's neck.

Overcoming their crisis magnificently, the two of them felt compelled to praise themselves.

"It appears that... I must thank you properly, Masatsugu-dono."

"No, that won't be necessary. I'm the one who should thank you."

Exchanging pleasantries, they gazed into each other's eyes.

Masatsugu seated Rikka in front of him, instantly turning their physical contact into a hug. The noble daughter of the ruling house sat sideways on the saddle, leaning against Masatsugu's chest.

"Masatsugu-dono&mdash;"

Rikka was pressed intimately against Masatsugu's body.

Through the military uniform, Masatsugu could feel her softness and warmth.

It was early winter and the midslope region of Mount Souun in Hakone was at a fairly high altitude. Also, it was not sunny today and the two of them were flying in the air, riding a wyvern.

Naturally, the air and the wind were quite chilly.

Masatsugu's hypothermic body became even colder.

On the other hand, Rikka's body was quite warm. Simply hugging her felt very comfortable.

The physical bodies of Chevaliers were all like this. Strengthened by ectoplasmic fluid on a daily basis, their bodies were extremely healthy. There was no worry of hypothermia even under adverse conditions of this sort. Rikka herself was wearing just her usual military uniform without any winter clothing.

When resupplying ectoplasmic fluid through an embrace, the other party was obliged to undress.

However, even through the military uniform, Masatsugu was able to obtain substantial warmth today.

"Oh&mdash;E-Excuse me."

Rikka came to her senses and hastily unfastened her top buttons.

"What's the matter, Rikka-dono?"

"Pray forgive my negligence. In this situation, etiquette would dictate that I do this, wouldn't it?"

Rikka was probably trying to expose more of her skin.

She undid approximately half of the buttons of her uniform jacket and blouse. Of course, this was meaningless unless the parts in direct contact were fully disrobed.

Nevertheless, Masatsugu smiled. He was able to admire the exposed cleavage.

"I-Is this insufficient?"

"No, for me, this is truly wonderful."

"I am so glad..!"

Rikka smiled from the heart and hugged Masatsugu's neck tightly.

Her gorgeous black hair was giving off a fragrant scent. Sitting on the saddle together, whispering in each other's ear, this was a pleasure of a different sort.

Through their mutual embrace, Masatsugu was filled with ectoplasmic fluid inside.

This was all thanks to Rikka sharing her warmth with him.

"Let's go, my men."

Soon after, Masatsugu issued a command.

He was ordering the Kanesadas fighting desperately in the sky over Mount Souun, dragging their fatigued bodies to face off against the Knights of the Garter.
[[image:ChronicleLegion 03 BW07.jpg|thumb]]

In addition, this included the Kanesadas that had ''pretended'' to crash and fled into the mountains&mdash;

They had been struck by English arrows, but not to the point of critical injury. Some of these wounds did not affect combat. There were over two hundred Kanesadas in this category. Sitting or lying down, they had been resting on Mount Souun.

&mdash;One purpose of doing this was to return to the battlefield once Masatsugu resupplied in ectoplasmic fluid.

&mdash;The second purpose was to make the British misjudge "their upper hand" as being better than the true situation, luring them into advancing recklessly, so as to strike back at them at an opportune moment.

Masatsugu and Rikka's wyvern was flying in the midslope section of Mount Souuun.

Everywhere they went, red-purple Legions were using their swords as crutches to get up. The eyes behind their masks were burning with fighting spirit and bloodlust. Of the ones that had crashed into the mountain, more than half were simply "playing dead."

This method was a bit underhanded, more or less, but fair play was a luxury during wartime. Masatsugu smiled quietly.

After all, his army had spent a lot of energy moving the ''Tintagel'' before the battle.

"My men, the first ten minutes of the counterattack are the most crucial. There is no need to fight with reckless abandon. Instead, I want each of you to kill more than one black knight."

Masatsugu sounded more like a criminal leader inciting rioters than a general lecturing his troops. These calmly delivered words set the Kanesadas ablaze with fighting spirit.

"Fight for ten minutes with the surefire intent to kill&mdash;The battle will definitely turn in our favor. Go."


Back to the sky over Mount Souun.

Until a couple minutes ago, the red-purple Legions were all exhausted.

In a state of depleted strength, the Kanesadas were barely keeping up with the Garter Knights in a chaotic battle. However, they were now gradually gaining strength.

Swinging their Japanese swords, their movements across the battlefield had recovered their original acuity.

Moreover&mdash;Their numbers were clearly bolstered.

Less than a hundred and fifty red-purple Kamuys remained just a while ago. Now, the Black Prince and Morrigan counted again using noetic waves.

"Prince, the enemy had reinforcements. Currently, the red-purples number three hundred and one."

"Rather than reinforcements, they were simply playing dead earlier. Their goal was to lure us into advancing recklessly, so as to deliver a vicious counterattack for a more potent comeback," Edward explained to Morrigan.

The red-purple Legion reinforcements were flying from Mount Souun to join the aerial battle as though nothing had happened.

These reinforcements were not an ambush force placed in advance.

Rather, they were Legions that had been too tired to fight, crashed into the mountains, before "resurrecting" once more.

Otherwise, Edward's discerning eye would have seen through their deliberate act of "playing dead."

"Sure enough... Tachibana-dono has used some kind of method to replenish his Legions' ectoplasmic fluid during battle. I believe this must be an effect of his Feat of Arms."

"No need to return, to a water shrine?"

"I guessed this was a possibility when I watched his battle against my uncle. Now there seems to be no doubt. He dares to push his troops to the limit only because he possesses such a Feat of Arms. Even to the point of using exhausted soldiers as bait, so as to naturally lure the enemy into carelessness or misjudgment..."

Sitting on Edward's shoulder, the Morrigan doll was speechless in surprise.

However, she was the finest spirit of the British Empire, after all. Morrigan immediately brought her mind under control and asked Edward, "So, Prince... What countermeasures, shall we take?"

"No need for special countermeasures. All we need to do is keep fighting."

Edward asserted quietly.

"Do not forget that the Knights of the Garter are the elite of the elite. It would not be an exaggeration to call them Britain's strongest army. Have faith in them."

Edward clenched his fist as though trying to stop himself from getting agitated.

"Indeed, the tides have turned during these ten minutes. The enemy currently holds the upper hand. We must exercise self-restraint for now, then counterattack at an opportune moment&mdash;Victory is destined to be ours."

The thirty-centimeter-tall Morrigan was very surprised.

Edward said to her, "Truthfully... I actually have a trump card too, capable of firing up exhausted troops."

"Trump... card?"

"Indeed, it is almost time to invoke it&mdash;Listen to me, black lions of England's pride, I hereby order you to contravene knightly ideals."

Reciting an ominous mantra, the Black Prince unleashed the power of a taboo Feat of Arms.

His tone was solemn, like that of a devout man of the cloth.

"The road to the kingdom of God only opens to those who cast aside their human identity and return to being beasts. Knights of the Garter, I hereby authorize you all to unleash your hidden faces."