Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Please take good care of me..." Wu Ke managed to squeeze out these words with great difficulty.

"...Yes, please take care of me."

After Easter awkwardly repeated Wu Ke's words, the conversation fell into an awkward silence again. Easter couldn't stand it any longer and thought of finding Li to understand the situation and ease the awkwardness, but for some reason, Li wasn't there.

"Huh?" East asked the two of them, "Did you see anything reasonable just now?"

"Isn't the truth right here...? Where are they?!"

Seria started speaking as if it were perfectly reasonable, only to realize halfway through that she had lost her way.

"Hmm? As for Li, she went to the Demon King's side first, and will come back to pick you up in a while."

Negi answered their questions casually, and then took the adjusted Black Knight α and urged Ister to equip it.

"Well, everything's fine now. As for you two... I have a bold idea."

"Put away your bold ideas! I have a bad feeling about this!"

What ideas did Nekiyu, as a craftsman, have and what did she want to put into practice? Hopefully, it wouldn't be anything strange.

Chapter 4 Entrusting Each Other

Li passed through the portal and arrived directly at the main defensive position outside the city. The humans and demons gathered there were making tense preparations for battle. The atmosphere inside the main position was so tense that Li could hardly breathe.

She didn't linger in one place for long. After confirming her location, she headed towards her final destination: the Demon King's tent.

"You're here..." Xuanze sat in the head seat. "Just find a place to sit, there's nothing to worry about..."

Those gathered here included elites from both the demon and human races. Besides people like Sevi and Markiri whom Li knew, there were also some strangers. Edman from the Holy Kingdom was also present; he smiled at Li before returning to his serious expression.

"Well... there's nothing more to say..." Xuanze looked at everyone present. "We've confirmed that the kingdom's warships are heading this way. This time it's not the perfunctory sweeping battle we had before. Both the offensive and the intensity are far greater than before. I believe you all know what to do. This is a defensive battle. Our advantages in this battle have been largely crushed by the 'Holy Sword' wielded by the enemy. But don't back down now. We still have a backup plan."

Xuanze's gaze shifted to Li, and everyone present followed suit. These were gazes filled with expectation and trust; they all believed Li could create that miracle.

Li already has the 'key' in his hand, and he's just a little bit away from completing it... He can already see that future.

"Everyone," Li said solemnly, "you should have already heard about me from the Demon King, but I will do my best to change your understanding. The completion of the Mecha Dragon is not far off. Until then, please hold this place. I will also bring my people to help with the defense of the city."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that." Xuanze smiled with satisfaction. "This is our hope. Now let's assign tasks."

Led by Xuanze and Saiwei, they began to assign tasks.

The main focus of this battle is the defense of the city. It is necessary to make full defensive preparations here, as her powers can help the allied forces withstand most of the warships' attacks.

But even reason has its limits, and there are shortcomings...

"Let us fill in the gaps."

"Ah, President?! When did you get here?"

"Hehehe, I had long anticipated this day would come, so I made all the necessary preparations."

Koster, the guild leader of the Adventurers' Guild, is an old man he met in the kingdom and is also one of those who oppose the kingdom's actions.

After parting ways with the others that day, he immediately issued instructions from headquarters to branches around the world to evacuate their respective countries and go to safe havens, waiting for an opportunity to join forces with the resistance.

Fortunately, fate was kind to him, and he finally encountered the besieged group of Sevi. He immediately led the adventurers to help Sevi break through the encirclement. As a result, the Adventurers' Guild has now successfully joined forces with the Allied Forces and become a powerful ally.

"Haha, I still have quite a few followers." Koster chuckled, took out a pipe from somewhere, took a puff, and slowly exhaled smoke. He said, "I'll have them go into the city to help with the defenses later. Our guild has quite a few warlocks and mages who are good at barriers, so they won't hold you back."

Then there's the matter of offense. The rear defenses are basically solid, but that's not enough. They need to be wary not only of the airships, but also of the Ghost Forces and their elite fighters wielding the Holy Sword.

Only one of Xuanze and Savi could go; the Allied Forces' main force couldn't be left undefended, and entrusting it to Markiri was a good option, but he also wanted to fight. After final discussion, Xuanze volunteered to stay behind, handing over command of the frontline battle to Savi.

"Don't get sick on the front lines, I don't have the habit of picking up corpses."

"You don't have to worry about that."

The two exchanged a glance, entrusting their fates to each other. Xuanze would guard the main camp, while Saiwei would command the battle at the front. Upon discovering the ghosts wielding the Holy Sword, the main force was to rush there as quickly as possible to contain them and prevent them from advancing into the battle lines.

Another issue is the petrol bomb problem. Xuanze already has a solution to this problem, but he didn't reveal what it is, only giving a mysterious smile and keeping it a secret.

“Demon King,” Aye said solemnly as she entered the tent, “we have arrived at the kingdom.”

"...That was fast."

For the first time, Demon King Xuanze showed a somewhat surprised expression, but he quickly followed up with an arrogant smile, looking at everyone present.

"Everyone, struggle to survive."

"Quick! Hurry! Push that thing over here!"

"Hey! Is there anyone skilled in earth magic?! Come help reinforce it!"

"Gather! Gather! Prepare for battle!"

The tense shouts of soldiers could be heard outside. They were making final preparations, checking and reinforcing the makeshift fortifications, and gathering people in various places to prepare for battle against the dark mass of the kingdom's army in the sky.

One, two, three... I've lost count. The sheer number makes it impossible to keep counting. Aside from the advance team at the very front, there's a long line behind them. Counting them out is pointless; surviving is the most important thing right now.

Li immediately opened a portal and sent everyone back to their work stations. He then went through the portal himself and returned to the Three Ancient Workshop. At that moment, Seria and the others were getting used to the new weapons and equipment.

When they saw that Li had returned, they all stopped what they were doing.

"The time has come," Li said succinctly. "The kingdom has arrived... Are you ready?"

The kingdom had arrived. Li explained the situation in one sentence and cast a questioning glance at the three. The three looked at each other and smiled in unison. Seria stepped forward on their behalf.

“Of course I’m ready,” Celia tossed the dagger in her hand. “I’m in perfect condition. What should we do now?”

“Go to the front lines,” Li said, handing them the feather ornaments that served as proof of their Allied status. “Take this to Savi; he’ll tell you what to do. And these…”

While handing them the feather ornaments, Li also gave each of the three of them a prism-shaped chip. The chip was shimmering with silver light. This was... the reverse scale... the reverse scale of the Time-Space Dragon King.

“I don’t know what they can do…” Li held Celia’s hand anxiously, “but… I hope they can protect you in a critical moment.”

During the labyrinth, Rielfa had given her own reverse scale to Li, who vaguely remembered it being to protect it in a critical moment. These were the three reverse scales she had acquired during her time in the Duchy, and now she was giving them to them in the hope that they would be able to protect her.

Seria gripped the Reverse Scale tightly in her hand, and her nose started to sting with tears.

"……Thanks."

Chapter 5 War begins

Savi looked at the airships flying in the sky in the distance. These warships were fully armed and their numbers were so great that it was despairing. It seemed that the kingdom had sent half of its fighting force here this time.

They really think highly of us...

Savi withdrew his gaze from the unsettling scene and turned to look at the Allied soldiers. Everyone's face was tense; not a single person showed any sign of wavering or fear.

Because they all understand what they are facing, what they are protecting, and what they want to live to see... So here, in order to see that future, they absolutely cannot waver.

Savi felt he should say something to them before the battle, so he stood on a high spot where everyone could see him clearly. He cleared his throat and shouted.

"I think you all now know what kind of monster we are about to face, right? But remember, we are not without a chance of winning! Listen up! Here we are demons, humans, and demi-humans! We are gathered here for a common cause! Now, as long as we are united, we are stronger than any army! Fight! And survive! Survive to the end! Victory belongs to us!"

"Victory belongs to us—!!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, their morale exceptionally high. Savi could feel their strong will to survive. That was good. They had done everything they could. Let them go without regrets.

"Are you ready?" Sai asked the three people who had come to help temporarily.

"Yes, it's been prepared for a long time."

"Waaah, please don't look at me..."

“If I’m too shy, I can hide behind me.”

These three were friends who usually stayed by Li's side: Seria, Wu Ke, and the Black Knight. However, when the Black Knight appeared in this form, it caused a sensation in the Allied Forces. Even Savi couldn't connect this beautiful girl with the tall Black Knight.

Right now, Ister is troubled by being stared at by so many people, and his teary-eyed expression is really adorable... But is this really okay...? Suddenly he went from being a heavily armored knight to looking like this...

Wu Ke hid East behind his back; East himself was also visibly nervous, clutching the new weapon he'd obtained from the Black Dragon King—a massive anchor. It was quite a unique weapon.

Seria seemed no different from usual, but among the people here, she appeared to be the only one who remained remarkably calm.

These three would be good help in clearing out the grunts... at least they can't beat the ghosts right now.

Savi had already assigned them the task of clearing out the grunts. With their strength, clearing out the grunts quickly was no problem, which would greatly weaken the offensive. And that...

“…! Is that the guy?!” Savi saw it.

Boom-!

With a deafening roar, a beam of transparent golden light emanated from an airship, enveloping all the nearby warships. Standing at the bow of that warship was a man holding a flag; Savi recognized him—it was the same guy who had ambushed him last time.

That person was Zanoba, whom Ri had also met before.

After Zanobah appeared at the bow of the ship, numerous kingdom soldiers emerged from the edges of several warships, and led by Zanobah, they began freefalling from the vessels. For an ordinary person, freefalling from such a height would be certain death, but they were different…!

"All troops—charge!"

At Savi's command, the allied forces launched their assault, soldiers charging past our first line of defense towards the enemy. Ister activated the Black Knight α's magic reactor, setting it in motion and using its thrusters to propel himself high into the air.

"Ister! Take care of them before they land!" Sevi ordered her.

"clear--!"

After donning the mask, Esther's personality changed drastically. Regaining the rhythm of the Black Knight, she increased the power of her thrusters and charged toward the falling kingdom soldiers.

Boom boom boom——!

The aerial warships unleashed their cannons, sweeping through the allied forces. Mages following behind deployed barriers to intercept the destructive, raging magic. Ister swiftly evaded the magical projectiles, rapidly crushing the kingdom's soldiers trapped in mid-air, unable to retaliate.

"Feel sorry!"

Ister sprinted at supersonic speed, using a magical barrier to deflect the wind pressure and crash into those people, but after defeating an unknown number of them, some people began to snipe at her.

boom--!

The golden magic bullet left a straight streak of light as it broke through the barrier. Although the magic bullet did not advance any further, it was enough to alert Ister.

Someone is targeting me—

Hey, hey, hey.

Three shots in quick succession.

Upon hearing the gunshot, East chose to dodge, avoiding the first shot. The newly reconstructed barrier blocked the second, and the third—

boom--!

"Wow!?"

The third magic bullet exploded as it approached Ister, and Ister, caught in the blast, was blasted away by the impact.

Is it the Holy Sword?!

The attacker is unknown, and given such shooting skills and unusual shooting power, it can only be a ghost carrying a holy sword, right?

Having made her decision, Ister re-energized her armor and flew back to the main force; she wouldn't be able to play her role if she continued to be sniped. At the very least, she needed to find out where that person was.

With this in mind, Ister unleashed his magic to its maximum, transforming into a blur as he traversed the sky.

After the attack by Ist ended, no one interfered with the landing of these royal soldiers. After they adjusted their posture in mid-air and landed steadily, they drew their weapons and began to attack. Under such circumstances, the kingdom could not possibly use incendiary bombs again, right?

"Wu Ke! Come with me!"

Saiwei charged at the forefront of the army. He called out to Wu Ke behind him, and Wu Ke nodded and followed closely behind him.

They were the first to engage the Kingdom's army. Saiwei charged into the crowd, dodging enemy attacks and advancing deep into the enemy ranks. Wu Ke used his greatest strength to knock away those who blocked his way. The two of them quickly broke into the enemy's heartland.

"Oh la la la—!"

The spearman burst out from the crowd, brandishing his flagpole and slamming it down on Savi. Savi parried the heavy blow with his sword held horizontally; the force of the impact was so great that the ground beneath him sank several centimeters.

A strange force traveled from the flagpole to the sword, forcefully knocking it away. This shockwave struck Sevi, disrupting his stance and rhythm, and the surrounding kingdom soldiers seized the opportunity to attack.

"Drink ah ah ah!"

Wu Ke leaped with all his might, swinging the anchor from mid-air and crashing it into the center. The water column blasted away the soldiers from the point of impact, forcing the gunner to abandon the pursuit and push him out of the water column's range. Wu Ke successfully freed Saiwei from the predicament.

Chapter 6 Containment

"Your Highness, don't rush ahead alone!" Wu Ke warned Saiwei as he retrieved the anchor.

“Ah, but we have to deal with this guy immediately.” Savi rested his sword and stared at the gunner. “Don’t you think so, Zanoba?”

"...That's strange, how did you know my name?"

Zanobba, the spearman, scratched his head in bewilderment. He carried the seemingly very heavy flag spear without feeling any strain. That flag spear was the holy sword he wielded.

"Ah, never mind, you guys go and take that place quickly," Zanoba ordered his men.

The kingdom soldiers who had been surrounding the two left them in an orderly fashion and obediently headed towards their target. The high level of discipline of this group made them seem like cold, magical puppets.

"What do you mean by this?" Wu Ke asked, holding up the anchor.