The next morning, Yamato came to check in on them. Teleporting into the office half, he opened slowly the hidden door and was surprised to find Yuki and Natsumi curled up together. He did not think it would work out this good, though he assumed it would be a success as most of his ideas were. Almost not wanting to separate the two, he did not have much of a choice as he required Yuki's assistance for all the necessary preparations. As he was about to lightly tap Yuki on the shoulder, she suddenly woke up and immediately pushed Natsumi away from her.
"Urgh… Give them a finger and they take the hand or whatever…"
"Looked like you were hugging her back though."
"It's a reflex! You were supposed to be on that side of the bed!"
"Fair enough. I assume it didn't go too badly?"
"Yeah, yeah, congratulations… But not wanting to sleep next to me was too far!"
"Where did you get that idea from? I missed you lots."
"Duh. You know what I meant."
"Well, let me make it up to you. Please~?"
He offered her his hand, which she took as she stepped off the bed. Her nightgown changed into her usual white robes, and hairstyle fixed itself, concluding her morning routine.
"And how would you do that?"
"I promised you yesterday, did I not?"
"You need to keep that promise anyway. You can't use it to make this good."
"I guess I will have to think of something special for you later then…"
"That's right~ Now, about that other promise…"
They left the bedroom, leaving Natsumi be since she was going to remain inside the Citadel anyway.
"Okay, did you finished that other research yesterday before you went to bed, rigth?"
"Yup! Before we were interrupted by my sister in a rather rude manner, I must add. Regardless, the elven zombies or whatever are not dangerous to other organisms regarding infection or disease, and it can't spread just like that either."
"That's good. That way we can use our troops safely today… Yesterday was a real bummer but if it's just postponed instead of completely canceled it's fine. Let's head into the Pyramid. Everyone's already waiting there."
"Yup!"
The Pyramid was, like most sections of the Absolute Citadel, named by its shape. The top section of the central pillar, which at its tip had a pyramid, was in fact not hollow or without purpose. Besides having a crystal at the very top which helped stabilize the levitation mechanism of the Sphere and Ring, it also housed a military conference room as well as other logistical facilities. Like the Cube, it was divided in horizontal sections, connecting via teleportation circles. Present in the room were Amael, Lucy and surprisingly Aisha.
"Huh, Aisha, you wanna come with too? I thought you'd be one more to relax."
"I play my part. And I think you underestimate me a bit, though I am obviously no match for you, my mistress~"
"Huh… Maybe I am."
"Milady, if I may interject… For God to be present on the battlefield himself, is that not too much of a risk?", Amael asked with genuine concern.
"I will be fine, thank you Amael. Besides, I have all of you to protect me. Or are you saying you'd let harm come to me?"
"Of course not! But even so…"
"Let me put it this way. If he's so much as scratched, you'll really get to know me, understand?"
"Yes, Milady. My worries are eased thanks to you."
"That's… Really not all that interesting to me. Lucy, your moment!"
"Right… We have five primary targets. Musami Ryo, current official elven regent. Three human heroes, recently summoned and acting under elven authority, but have proven themselves to act reckles and selfish on their own if left unchecked. Their abilities vary, and will be explained in detail later on. And last but not least, Cinderella Paula. Part of the seven individuals known as Sin Incarnations, she is the Lust. She is also the unofficial leader behind Musami, and uses him to cotrol the recourses of the Naru Empire most likely since their coup. These individuals must be eliminated for the current elven chain of commands to collaps, and for us to take temporarily take control. If either of them survives, they will most likely go for the throne and have a someone legitimate claim to it. Though the heroes in particular will have little public support, and likely take it by force, and Cinderella will find herself a new puppet, the result is the same. We will have a clash of armies, but that is secondary. Main focus is the elimination or capture of these five individuals. First Cinderella, as previously mentioned, Yuki will take care of her. She will most likely remain behind city walls since she cannot openly appear in front of the elves, but may come out depending on the situation outside. The second group consists of myself, Yamato and Aisha. We will be taking on the three heroes. Most likely in the middle of the battlefield, as it is expected that they will be used as generals by Cinderella. Amael will act as leading general of our own, and assist wherever needed to ensure minimal casualties. I believe that was it, right Yamato?"
"There was someone else, Marneras mentioned fighting him during the battle of Vancia. An elven hero, separate from the human trio. He might also be there, and Marneras described him as stronger than most so be careful of him. Maybe we will bring him along just as a precaution for this guy…"
"I can contact him if you'd like?"
"…Yeah, you do that, Lucy. Get your squad ready too. Treat this as a field test for operation 4-2."
"Understood, I will inform them right away. Everything should be ready in less than an hour."
"E-excuse me…? I have a question… This fourth hero you spoke of, I believe I might be able to stop him from fighting for the elves in this battle… If it's who I think he is…"
Satomi spoke out of the corner of the room. She seemed unfamiliar with military preparations such as these, but she still gathered the courage to speak up, despite fearing that she might be interrupting something.
"What do you mean by that, Satomi?", Yamato asked.
"It's just… I might know him and… I don't want him to get hurt, or hurt anyone if it's avoidable…"
"That seems reasonable… But how would you accomplish that?"
"I-… Well, I was hoping to speak to him directly… If possible…?"
"Finding him before the battle should prove difficult… The only option would be during, but that would be really dangerous."
"Even so… Please allow me to accompany you!"
"…Okay."
"O-okay…?"
"…Yeah, that's totally fine… I will make sure you are relatively safe."
"Thank you so much! I will get ready right away!"
As Satomi left the room, Lucy paused before leaving as well. Yamato did not actually seem to want Satomi there, but why was a mystery to her.
"Hey, Lucy, if you get Marneras… Tell him to come to me right away…"
"Will do…"
Trying to get a read on Yamato had gotten a bit easier for Lucy by now, though she was still mostly guessing about the majority of things. However this time she was certain that Satomi played a more important role than he admitted. But then again, no one recently asked him about it specifically. The hour passed quickly and everyone was soon in position to teleport. It was very likely that they would be expected, so they would have little time to prepare once they arrived. Yuki had alre held another motivation speech similar to the one yesterday, though hopefully the soldiers would not be disappointed again with not being used at all.
By now they had all gathered in front of the Absolute Citadel's entrance, where a teleportation spell was ready to be activated and waiting for the signal, at which all other teleportation circles in the other cities of the Absolute Empire transporting the Absolute Army would activate. Whether or not they deserved this title would show in this battle, which was actually their first, despite the many military victories the Absolute Empire had achieved so far. Yamato looked around one last time, noticing Lucy had not arrived yet. Just as he was about to send someone to get her, she came running out of the Cube followed by ten people in heavy, more modern looking armor, reminding of that military soldiers of today would wear. Though their uniforms seemed heavier, equipped with thick padded chest pieces, as well as lighter thick fabric covered every part of their body. The armor was finished by a helmet with a gas mask visor build in, so nothing was visible from the human beneath. They also had rifles, the black steel could only be divinium. There were however no ammunition magazines, which made them look slightly odd to someone used the the way actual rifles looked. There were also lines of pink crystal threaded through the barrel. Only Lucy had lighter equipment, and no rifle or helmet. Instead she had her large rectangular case strapped around her back, where the others had a backpack. She carried the case with her most of the time when going out, so it was not a rare occurrence, though no one ever got to see what was inside.
"Sir, apologies for the delay, fine tuning of the prototypes took longer than expected. I'm supposed to apologize for Charlie as well, since she insisted that the adjustments were necessary, and hopes you forgive the inconvenience."
"It's fine, at least you are here now. Also, you should unpack that now. Could be difficult on the battlefield."
"You're probably right…"
She put her case down and opened it, and inside were parts of something she quickly began to assemble as if having done it a hundred times already. Once finished, a heavy sniper rifle, with the same design and features of the other rifles was completed.
"I believe that's everything taken care of now… Yuki, start the teleportation."
And with a bright flash, they all left Yukimato behind and entered right into elven territory. Enormous amounts of mana were necessary for such large scale, long distance teleportations, though Yuki's amount was large enough to tank it effortlessly. Standing in deep forest, 100 meters off the city walls, the group stood facing what Yuki estimated to be at least 900.000 elven soldiers spread around the area of the cityX though they would soon face the Absolute Empire's force of a comparatively small force with 500.000 soldiers, which all appeared behind the main group. The calculations for a teleport into a forest with such a large group must are usually impossible, so a regular on foot approach was most likely what the Cinderella expected. Having apparently underestimated Yuki's genius, this was still somewhat of a surprise attack despite Natsumi's announcement. However, before charging in, Yamato realized the tension in the army behind him. Though most of them were not untrained and simply taken over from the Holy Empire, this was still the first battle they fought for the Absolute Empire, so it was only natural to be a bit nervous. But what more could motivate a soldier, if not God himself speaking to them directly. So Yamato turned around, his voice enhanced by Yuki's magic and warm and compassionate.
"It seems some of you feel uneasy… Of course you do, this is a big moment… And despite my presence, I cannot guarantee for everyone's survival in this battle. For that, I am sorry… But I ask you, are we not all part of the Absolute Empire? Are we not destined for greatness, beyond what this world has ever seen? I chose you all, because I see not soldiers doomed to die in a senseless war on a cold battlefield… I chose you because like me, you are absolute. You are Absolute Citizens, part of the Absolute World I will create with your help and faith. And as God, I can promise you that this battle will end in our victory. All who leave their life today to this cause, will be remembered, for their absolute sacrifice, their absolute resolve and their absolute devotion! Not just by future books as numbers, but by your family, your fellow comrades and me! My will is absolute. And my wish today, which you must fulfill, is victory!"
"Ahoo!"
All the soldiers shouted together.
"I can't hear you!"
"Ahoo! Ahoo!"
All the soldiers shouted even louder together. And everyone who did not participate the first time, did so now.
"That's it, my Absolute Soldiers! Show them why our Empire will last forever, and rewrite history as the strongest nation ever! Show me, just how Absolute we all are!"