Using the crumbling castle walls as a shield, we confronted the enemy. They swarmed up the hill toward the castle in droves.

Echigo is equipped with six powerful cannons built with the technology of the Musou Iron Cavalry Corps. A single hit can take down a mass-produced Magicraft, but there are simply too many to handle.

“Ignore the bombardment! Focus on the approaching Magicrafts!”

The enemy’s naval bombardment mercilessly rained down on us. Although Echigo’s armor is thick and solid, it’s not invincible. Eventually, the armor will be breached, so it’s impossible to completely ignore the enemy’s naval bombardment. However, it was a correct decision to focus on the more dangerous close-range attacks of the approaching Magicrafts.

We only had five Magicrafts, but Echigo had seven small ride hover cannon vehicles equipped with artillery weapons. These artillery weapons were originally developed as magic light bullet weapons for Magicrafts, but the project was abandoned because they couldn’t be miniaturized enough for Magicrafts to carry them. However, Emou’s forces made them practical by mounting them on ride hovers.

The magic light bullet weapons, using technology provided by the Musou Iron Cavalry Corps, were powerful enough to damage mass-produced Magicrafts. From the cannon vehicles positioned on top of and within the castle walls, these weapons were fired at the enemy Magicrafts with a rapid-fire rate of five shots per second.

The enemy’s advance seemed to slow down in the face of our unexpectedly fierce counterattack. The few enemy Magicrafts that managed to avoid the barrage of cannon fire and artillery vehicles were swiftly eliminated by our five allied units. For a brief moment, the sweet thought that we might be able to withstand this crept into my mind. But, as expected, we couldn’t resist the overwhelming numbers. The tide turned when one of Echigo’s cannons was destroyed by enemy naval bombardment.

One of the enemy Magicrafts that broke through the barrage destroyed one of our cannon vehicles. Though the allied Magicraft that rushed to its aid impaled the enemy Magicraft with a spear, three more enemy units that survived the barrage were closing in fast.

Noticing the approaching enemy, the allied Magicraft readied its spear to intercept them. The enemy Magicraft, wielding a sword, charged at the spear-wielding ally. Parrying the sword with the spear, the allied Magicraft quickly recovered and took down the attacking enemy with a single thrust.

However, in the moment it took to pull the spear out of the enemy’s body, the remaining two enemy Magicrafts attacked mercilessly with their swords, and the allied unit was ruthlessly destroyed.

Another of Echigo’s cannons was destroyed as well. The castle walls we had been using for defense were crumbling, and Echigo’s armor was being battered by the enemy’s fierce assault. At this rate, it wouldn’t just be the cannons—Echigo itself would soon be destroyed.

With fewer cannons remaining, more enemy Magicrafts managed to evade the barrage and close in on us. Several more cannon vehicles were destroyed, and we lost another Magicraft. And then, the final blow came with the grim news:

“Confirmed enemy approach from the northwest! It seems that dozens of Magicrafts have already scaled the cliff!”

The northwest was a steep cliff, so our defenses had been weak in that area. The enemy exploited that vulnerability and infiltrated. With so many of them this close, there was nothing more we could do. All that was left was to look to the heavens and pray.