I became a heart-stealing thief in Azure Files

However... Hiyori did not continue her attack.

For a former sniper, now a marksman... the first reaction after narrowly missing a target is not to seek effective cover, but to peek out and observe the situation... it's simply... a bit hard to understand.

Hiyori could reveal her fangs again at any moment and instantly defeat Marina, who is unaware that the viper is still lurking in the shadows.

But she couldn't do that.

After all... the purpose this time is not to 'stop' the target, but to promote it.

They spread the message that she was in danger.

Having achieved her objective, Hiyori removed the snow camouflage she had been using for disguise, draped it over herself again as a cloak, then slung her precision rifle over her shoulder, took out her pistol [The Last Legacy], and went downstairs through the rooftop door to begin a silent relocation.

As a sniper with limited professional knowledge, before entering Xia Lai, Hiyori's understanding of knowledge such as "after deterring the target, if suspected of being exposed, you should immediately change positions" was quite superficial.

Why has she developed this kind of awareness?

It's all because Yuriko taught her so well.

In the regular training battles that Arius's squad would have with Yuriko whenever they had a spare moment, as a sniper and a marksman... if Hiyori didn't learn to conceal herself and make decisive tactical shifts when necessary, then Yuriko would definitely give her a long and reasoned lecture during the debriefing session after the training battle.

As for the special care of marking the target immediately after exposure in battle and then focusing fire on them with drones or other tactical equipment... let's not even mention that.

—A lesson can be learned in one go.

The same principle applies.

It may sound cruel, but it's true. Once you've been hit and felt the pain, you'll know what to do next.

Marina, completely unaware that she had narrowly escaped being knocked down on the spot, then noticed Cerino, Ba, Amamiya, and Shigure in the square.

In the open space of the street, a temporary stage, probably for mobilization, has been set up.

Cerino held the microphone in one hand and the speech manuscript in the other, his brows slightly furrowed as he looked at the manuscript with a smattering of understanding.

After thinking for a moment, she coughed a few times into the microphone to test her voice.

"...Ahem."

"I am the Director of the Secretariat of the Red Winter Federation Academy, and also the President of the Student Council!"

"Today... I have some heartfelt words I want to say to you..."

He paused every now and then, glanced at his prepared speech, and continued, "I sincerely hope..."

"A spirit of enthusiasm must never be extinguished."

"Students of the Crimson Winter Federation Academy, unite to help and care for the weak."

"At the same time... you should also make friends with students from other schools."

"Misunderstandings and even disagreements may arise between friends both on and off campus, but these are insignificant."

"As the future of the academy... none of us should give up this friendship."

"Even though this passionate heart has been betrayed a thousand times."

Gradually, Cerino, who was himself 'moved' by these words, began to take them seriously and even became a little involved.

Finally, she added spontaneously, "This is my unwavering wish as the student council president of the Crimson Winter Federation Academy."

"But... this wish has now been taken away by Marina, who launched a rebellion and ousted me from power!"

"Therefore, I hereby declare to Marina... that I will take back everything that Marina has taken from me!"

When Marina's gaze met that of Cerino, who had just raised his head, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Such a righteous and impassioned speech... President Cerino is so cool...

Oh no!

How did I get caught up in my old thought patterns... Now I'm the student council president!

Hmph... No matter how easy you make it sound, it's nothing but empty words!

Do you think the students of Akatsuki will easily believe your nonsense...?

Just these few...

Surrounded by my hundreds of personal guards, Marina can take it down with ease!

With a confident, backward laugh, Marina pressed the special summoning bell on the student council president's desk, a bell that was previously used to summon Ba.

Accompanied by the crisp sound of an electronic bell, two more military guards, standing at attention, pushed open the door and entered.

"President Marina, is there anything I can help you with?"

"By the way, President Marina, what about the scar on your cheek..."

"Yes, something's up."

Feeling confident of victory, Marina nodded calmly.

Marina gave the guard who claimed to be injured a stern look and calmly said, as if nothing had happened, "Go and assemble all the guards."

"We've discovered the whereabouts of the former president, Cerino. Now we must take them down in one fell swoop."

"……Yes."

Stand at attention, chest out, salute.

Then, fearing they would be 'purged', the two bodyguards quickly left.

Marina began pacing back and forth in the president's office, trying to bolster her confidence by thinking about the plan.

"Calm down... Even with Sensei's support, Chairman Cerino only has a handful of people at his disposal."

"With a difference in numbers of several hundred times, they should have no chance of winning..."

"in addition……"

……

At this moment, just as at that moment.

At that moment, after finishing his 'speech', Cerino, holding the hastily written 'speech', ran to Amamiya with a mixture of admiration and trepidation.

"Comrade... can this kind of 'speech' really help us?"

Amamiya nodded confidently.

Students at the Red Winter Federal Academy are naturally easily swayed and most susceptible to this kind of rhetoric.

Let alone speeches that can truly bewitch the mind and confuse people to the point of disbelief...

Simply copy a few inspiring lines from a tokusatsu show, modify them slightly to suit a speech format, and you'll have a huge audience.

Next, the true strength of Arius's squad in direct confrontation with the enemy was demonstrated...

As Cerino said before.

Having undergone the 'tuning' of Yuriko's training battle... the members of Arios's squad should see a significant improvement in their frontal combat capabilities.

Come on, let me see where your limits are.

Chapter Thirty-Four: Four against four hundred! The advantage is on my side!

As the sun rose over the 'Red Winter Federation Academy,' Marina gave the order, and the Secretariat began to gather 'a vast army.'

Of course... this "thousands of troops" is relative.

Due to time constraints, Marina could only manage to deploy a few hundred students at a time.

As for tactical equipment such as tactical vehicles, light and heavy tanks... that's obviously unlikely.

Amamiya, who had melted into the shadows of the building, took out the Shiting Box and observed the four members of Arios's squad facing the entire Red Winter Affairs Bureau's 'army' through the perspective provided by the Shiting Box.

"Charge! Tactical assault!"

"Our goal is to take down the former student council president!"

Sitting on an equipment crate, where a makeshift shelter had already been set up, Saori, having confirmed the surrounding buildings, let out a soft, ambiguous nasal sound.

"start to act."

A frontal assault, is that it?

I'm sorry... Arius's squad is best known for its frontal assaults.

As the team leader, Saori was acutely aware of her team's current strengths and weaknesses.

Comparing the two teams that Xia Lai is currently recruiting or will recruit in the future—the Rabbit team from SRT and the Fox team…

If the three squads symbolize different types of cold weapons, then...

The Rabbit Squad's last "newly forged" relic dagger was forged by the legendary blacksmith (the guild leader) using a lost technique (Srt is now an abandoned school).

The Fox team, without a doubt, is a masterpiece made by the same blacksmith. A legendary rapier that has been through countless battles yet remains pristine, elegant and steady, its sharpness only increasing with use.

What about Arius's squad?

It was a bloodstained, scabbed sword. So sharp it could cut a hair in two.

Admittedly, this two-handed broadsword cannot be hidden in one's bosom like a dagger, waiting to be drawn and used to deliver a stealthy blow to the target.

Unlike a rapier, which is dangerous yet can be used as a ceremonial weapon and worn in appropriate and elegant occasions, it is not.

The only thing a two-handed broadsword has is sharpness, and that is all.

The most suitable domain for the broadsword is... the chaotic battlefield.

Why did Arius's squad gradually gain the nickname "Shalai's Edge" after joining Shalai?

That's because Arius's team might not be professional enough to mediate verbal disputes and other strange matters.

But if we're talking about efficient cleanup, 'de-harming' those malicious threats... their efficiency is unparalleled.

‘Zheng——’

As the members of Arius's squad simultaneously entered battle mode, Cerino, protected by Ba, seemed to hear an invisible clang, like the sound of a blade being drawn.

Then... Saori, Misaki, and Akiko charged straight at the Red Winter Affairs Bureau guards, who outnumbered them by hundreds.

But this is not a reckless reunion where one abandons their employer.

What kind of situation is the most despairing?

Of course, it's when you're 'infinitely close to the goal, but just a tiny bit short and you can't reach it, no matter how hard you try, you can't make an inch of progress'.

Charge forward, abruptly stop, alternating cover fire, tactical shifts, using the "M320 grenade launcher" to fire multi-functional grenades to disrupt and hinder the Red Winter Affairs Bureau's advance...

Flowing clouds and running water?

No.

Exquisite royal art!

The Arios branch campus was separated from the Trinity region. Previously, when it was cruelly controlled by Beatrice, a significant portion of its students were alumni of Trinity.

Especially Akiko, who carries the 'royal blood' of the former student council president of the Arius branch school.

Saori is the tactical leader of this squad... Akiko is the soul of this squad.

Even from the perspective of someone who only has a superficial understanding of the situation and command... Cerino could sense a significant gap.

The seamless coordination and unified actions of Arius's squad, seemingly engaged in direct gunfights but actually displaying a measured approach, embodied an 'elegance' that the Red Winter Affairs Bureau's guards could see but not touch...

The secret service guards, under Marina's command, were utterly incompetent.

It's like a simple AI that only requires you to hold down W to run forward, then you have to shoot when you see a target, and reload on the spot after you run out of bullets.

...No, it might not even be as good as a simple human-machine interface.

Sometimes, AI teammates can be quite reliable.

You might question their marksmanship, bizarre pathfinding, and combat logic...

But you should never doubt their seamless cooperation with each other.

And what about the secret service guards?

It can only be said that although they have the title of guards, their coordination is only slightly better than that of an average student team.

Compared to Ario's squad, led by Saori, there was a precipitous gap between them.

"Ah...no good!"