As a general of the Empire, Esdeath had dominated battlefields for years.
She had encountered countless powerful enemies, even danger beasts and northern barbarians were nothing to her.
But she had never faced anything as absurd as this.
In almost an instant, that bizarre starship had wiped out her 50,000-strong army.
The loyal troops who had followed her through countless campaigns and victories didn't even have time to react before being completely annihilated.
BOOM—
After the super-graviton cannon swept across the ground, it left a trench stretching beyond sight in the snowy terrain.
Even the surrounding snow for several kilometers melted from the residual heat.
Esdeath quickly turned her head to assess the situation.
Casualties among the regular soldiers were devastating—nearly total annihilation. The siege weapons and supply wagons had also been vaporized.
Only a few scattered survivors were fleeing in chaos.
The strike had come too fast. In the blink of an eye, comrades who had just been laughing moments ago were now smoke and ash.
After the brief shock came overwhelming panic.
In the face of an enemy that could wipe out tens of thousands in a single blow, even the bravest soldier would feel fear.
"Run!!"
"Run, now!!!"
The few surviving soldiers spurred their horses and fled toward the woods.
Most of the accompanying Teigu users had died or been gravely injured. Only a handful with exceptional skills remained.
Kurome lay flat in the grass, gripping the hilt of her longsword, lips tightly pressed as she fought to suppress the turmoil in her heart.
She had killed many before.
But to destroy an entire army with a single strike—this, in her eyes, was a power on par with Esdeath.
This was the strength of a world-class powerhouse!
Facing an opponent of that caliber, Kurome wasn't even sure she had the right to fight.
"Tch—"
Esdeath glanced at the fleeing soldiers and scoffed with disdain. She didn't pursue the deserters.
Instead, it only reinforced her life creed:
The strong devour the weak. That is the natural law.
She felt a pang of sorrow over the fallen soldiers and comrades—but only a pang.
Born in the northern frontier, she had grown from a small girl into the Empire's most formidable general, crushing countless enemies and losing many allies along the way.
Life and death were matters she had long since grown indifferent to.
For the weak to be crushed and dominated by the strong—that was how the world worked.
Her fallen subordinates died because they weren't strong enough.
As for the cowards who ran? Let them run. The weak had no place by her side.
Raising her head, Esdeath stared at the Eternal Swnofall in the sky.
It hovered thousands of meters above the ground, and yet its towering hull was still imposing.
It looked like a floating fortress.
"So the capital is dealing with enemies like this? Tch."
Her long years of warfare had trained her to remain calm and analyze under pressure.
Esdeath's mind raced through tactics, thinking how she might deal with that massive object in the sky.
It would be difficult.
The strategies she usually relied on to crush her enemies were useless against a starship.
For primitive natives facing space-faring civilizations, the most painful shortcomings were range and detection capability.
Even with their incredibly powerful supernatural abilities—enough to destroy cities or nations on the ground—it made no difference.
Starships could hover thousands or tens of thousands of meters in the sky, even maneuver near lightspeed outside the atmosphere. Ground-based forces had virtually no means of retaliation.
Even the Fleet of Fog, with its absurd technological might, had no answer to orbital bombardment.
As for Chaldea's Heroic Spirits and the Spirits—they didn't believe for a second that they could duel a starship from the ground.
Detection alone was a major hurdle. And even if they could lock on to the ship, whether their Noble Phantasms could reach beyond the atmosphere was another matter entirely.
Zzzz—
Pop!
After thinking for a moment, Esdeath decided to probe her opponent.
Esdeath extended her hand and conjured two massive ice spears several meters long, hurling them toward the starship.
Whoosh—CRACK—
The ice spears struck the ship's shield, shattered into glittering frost, and caused not even a ripple.
"Tch, what is this thing? Annoying..."
Esdeath frowned, her cold and elegant face now showing a touch of seriousness.
She increased her power and threw more ice spears.
Without exception, every single one was intercepted by the Klein field a kilometer away from the ship.
...
Meanwhile—
Inside the ship, Setsuna and the others were watching Esdeath's attempt to pierce the starship with spears like some sort of primitive brute.
That level of attack wasn't even worth activating the close-range point defense systems.
In fact, if the Eternal Snowfall's point defense modules had activated, the Firestorm autocannons would've shredded Esdeath on the spot.
Setsuna simply didn't want to do that.
"So—who wants to go a few rounds with her? Bring Esdeath up here. Alive."
He glanced around the control room at the shipgirls, Heroic Spirits, and Spirits.
As a Commander, he didn't need to personally handle everything. Sending subordinates was part of the fun.
Not only did it show that he valued them, but battling strong foes was a great training opportunity.
[Paradise of Samsara - Ain Soph]
Mio spread her hands, just about ready to go wild—only for Setsuna to smile and gently push her down.
"You sit this one out. You've had more than enough spotlight in the last few worlds. Give someone else a chance, alright?"
"...Hmph..."
Mio pouted in frustration and snuggled into Setsuna with a reluctant whine.
"As you say, darling."
Kanae and the others looked at each other, quietly comparing their power levels—and decided it was better not to embarrass themselves.
Even with the Commander watching and no risk of death, losing would still be humiliating.
Akame looked eager, though.
"Me! Master, I did sign a military pledge—it's only right that I go."
Jeanne Alter stepped forward with a cold, resolute voice.
She had changed into her black armor, with black stockings encasing her legs, and a cape flowing behind her.
Just like when they first met her in the singularity.
Pfft—
Setsuna chuckled. That pledge had been a prank by Gudako, but Jeanne Alter had taken it seriously.
She was unexpectedly earnest in some ways.
As a Chaotic Evil Heroic Spirit, she was a bit combative—but that was also her awkward way of showing care for her Master.
She wanted to clear away all obstacles for him.
"Hmm..."
Setsuna thought for a moment. He couldn't send Jeanne Alter alone to get wrecked, so he signaled to Tohru.
"You two go together."
"A chaotic evil dragon and a witch of dragons—you're a perfect match, right?"
"Eh?"
Both dragon girl and Jeanne Alter were surprised.
But their outlooks and values aligned surprisingly well, and they quickly reached a mutual understanding.
They responded in unison:
"Commander/Master, rest assured—we'll bring back Esdeath's head—er, no, capture her alive!"
...
Click—
The underside hatch of the starship opened, and a dark silhouette shot out.
Esdeath initially thought it was some kind of strange weapon.
She struck a combat stance, ready to counter at any moment.
"Hm?!"
When she got a clear look, even the battle-hardened general was stunned.
It was a massive deep-green dragon, hundreds of meters long—far larger than any danger beast she had ever seen.
Riding on its back was a silver-haired, golden-eyed girl in short black armor.
She held a black dragon flag in one hand and a longsword in the other.
The banner flapped in the wind—majestic and intimidating.
"Oh, we're surprisingly compatible, Miss Evil Dragon."
Jeanne Alter patted Tohru's scales, sensing that her inherent skill, [Dragon Witch], had activated.
She had draconic blood herself, and fighting alongside Tohru made her feel even stronger.
"Only because the Commander didn't trust you to go alone. I'm here to keep an eye on you."
Tohru muttered bluntly.
"A dragon rider?!"
Esdeath's frown deepened.
She had seen and slain many danger beasts that resembled dragons.
But this creature—there was no mistaking it. This was a real dragon.
While she was still in a brief daze, Jeanne Alter spun her dragon banner once in her hand.
Then she raised her longsword and activated her Noble Phantasm.
"This is the roar of a soul forged in hatred..."
"La Grondement Du Haine"
BOOM!!!
Spiritual energy erupted into blazing flames, surging toward Esdeath like a fire dragon.
"A fire-type Teigu? No... it's not?!"
Esdeath instinctively summoned an ice wall for defense.
But the flame's power was overwhelming—within moments, it had burned a gaping hole through the several-meter-thick wall of ice.
The Dragon Witch's flames spread wildly, setting the surrounding kilometers ablaze.
Unfazed, Esdeath countered with slashes of her blade and sharp ice spikes.
She darted between icy pillars and shattered shards, closing the distance with Jeanne Alter and engaging her in mid-air close combat.
After a few exchanges, Esdeath realized this strange girl was incredibly skilled.
In terms of raw physical strength, she was on par with Esdeath herself.
Which clashed dramatically with her otherwise petite frame.
"Jeanne Alter's Strength stat is A, after all. And with fire against ice... tsk, if it's a pure blade clash, this might actually go the distance."
Back aboard the Eternal Snowfall, Setsuna and the shipgirls were watching the fight unfold.
Taihou-chan was clutching a bag of popcorn, munching away and sipping soda.
The Night Raid team, however, was sweating bullets.
A battle between a dragon rider and Esdeath—it was a dreamlike showdown none of them would've even dared imagine.
Even the aftershocks of the duel were reshaping the surrounding environment.
Ice and fire intertwined—blue and red, frost and flame—it was a spectacular sight.
"You're all not even worried about your allies down there? Esdeath hasn't even gone all out yet..."
"Shouldn't we go support them...?"
Najenda looked in disbelief at Setsuna and the others. In her mind, fighting Esdeath meant risking your life with a single misstep.
Yet these people were just watching like it was a show.
"What's there to worry about."
Setsuna pressed the eager Night Raid members back into their seats.
He pointed toward Tohru.
"See that dragon? She's just toying with Esdeath."
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