Alice in the Land of Steam

"!?"

On the walls of Blackfire Fortress, Cheryl, the leader of the Holy War Army, gripped the trembling fairy sword Hydras at her waist and looked up at the distant horizon. But the wind and dust obscured her vision, and in the world stained red by the blood-red setting sun, she could see nothing but a dim twilight.

"What's wrong, Miss Cheryl?" Alice asked curiously from the side.

“It’s nothing.” Cheryl withdrew her gaze and said calmly, “It’s probably because it sensed the presence of an old friend and got a little excited.”

"An old friend?" Alice froze, about to say that a sword couldn't possibly have an old friend, when suddenly she realized something and her eyes widened abruptly: "Wait, you don't mean—"

"Shh." Cheryl put a finger to her lips, signaling Alice to be quiet so that others wouldn't hear and shake morale.

There were more than just the two of them on the city wall; high-ranking officers and logistics personnel of the Holy War Army were also there, busily making final preparations for the battle. A covert force would depart in an hour and a half to launch a surprise attack on the Imperial Blackblade Legion stationed in Black Iron Town, aiming to weaken the enemy's main force before it arrived and create space for subsequent battles. Among them, a mobile force responsible for intelligence gathering and clearing obstacles would depart half an hour earlier, and Alice was the commander of this force.

You might find it hard to associate Alice with the word "commander," but this time, the genius player is truly unparalleled. No one else is suitable to be the commander of this mobile force, because she is the pilot of the Celestial, and the entire mobile force is composed of new-type mechs. Rorona ultimately did not adopt Alice's suggestion, but instead named the magical armor she created "new-type mech," a very simple and straightforward name. Although Alice privately complained that it was similar to the construct mechs of the Witch Society, most people quickly accepted the name and were even happy with its similarity, thinking that since the names were so similar, the mechs' performance should be similar as well.

Although deeply resenting the Axis powers' acts of aggression, most rational people in the Eastern Continent acknowledged the Western Continent's superiority in systems and magical technology; otherwise, the Yalas United Empire wouldn't have undertaken any magical reforms internally. In this era, the Axis powers' magical technology represented the cutting edge of warfare, so similarities were not seen as imitation or plagiarism by the soldiers, but rather brought a stronger sense of security.

After confirming the upcoming raid plan with the Holy War Army, Rorona worked almost day and night, rarely leaving her alchemy workshop except for three meals a day. She managed to create enough new mechs to barely arm a mobile force before the plan began. Alice, the only veteran with piloting experience (claiming it herself), was thrown into the role of instructor, participating in the unit's organization. Fortunately, the soldiers Cheryl had drawn from various Holy War Army units to serve as pilots were elite and quick learners; even under Alice's rote instruction, they quickly mastered the piloting skills of the new mechs.

At this moment, 120 new mechs are ready for deployment on the training grounds of Blackfire Fortress, imbued with a heavy sense of anticipation and expectation under the repeated scrutiny of onlookers. In half an hour, they will usher in the war. As the executors of this mission, what are the emotions in the hearts of these soldiers? Some are resting with their eyes closed, some are praying softly, and others are wiping the flawless surfaces of the mechs again and again, as if they can still feel the call from the depths of the Feather Mine from the cold, hard surface of the mechs—to create these mechs, the rare mineral reserves of the mine over the years have been almost completely depleted. The ores and metals most familiar to the Holy War Army have now been integrated into these mechs, making them feel that they are not actually going on a long journey, but are still fighting in their homeland.

This sense of belonging might slightly alleviate the burden before the battle?

“They are all the bravest warriors.” Cheryl gazed at the soldiers in the square. She knew the names of many of them, their origins, and why they had joined the Holy War. Because of this, her feelings towards them were often not the coldness and decisiveness that a qualified leader should possess, but only guilt and self-reproach: “Please let them have their wish fulfilled, Alice. I believe that if they could fight alongside such brave people as you, they would be very happy.”

A long-cherished wish fulfilled... What does it mean for a soldier to have his long-cherished wish fulfilled?

Will they return in glory? Or... die on the battlefield?
Alice pursed her lips: "I will do my best."

In truth, she wasn't sure if she could be a good commander. After all, she had no experience in this area, and real-world warfare was vastly different from video games. She couldn't simply have a god-like perspective, overseeing the entire situation and then ordering the units to obey her commands. Hesitation, fear, indecision, and retreat were all possibilities, but Alice didn't refuse Cheryl's invitation because she didn't want to disappoint the young man and everyone else's expectations.

More than herself, she was worried about her companions far away in the Dark Cloud Abyss, especially Cheryl's seemingly pointed remark, which made her particularly concerned.

"Ling Ge and the others, will they be alright...?" She glanced worriedly at the horizon.

"Don't worry." Cheryl smiled slightly. "I believe they will return safely more than anyone else. Besides, even if the legendary evil dragon Nidhogg is resurrected, I still have the fairy sword Sidras in my hand."

"That's right."

Whether Cheryl's words were sincere or just meant to comfort, Alice was at least somewhat relieved. She let out a soft breath, deciding she couldn't let her mind wander any longer; it was better to distract herself. She waved goodbye to Cheryl, turned, and walked down the city wall to find her companions. Ietta and Medion would also participate in today's raid, but they wouldn't go as deep as Alice. Ietta would mainly be responsible for piloting the Cloud Whale Sky Island to suppress the enemy's air power; while Medion would provide wartime medical assistance on the Sky Island, which was relatively safer for her.

Silently watching her retreating figure, Cheryl's smile gradually faded. Her hand remained on the hilt of the fairy sword Hydras, tightening and loosening repeatedly, her heart filled with turmoil, yet she could not make up her mind.

Then a calm voice sounded from behind: "Are you still hesitating, Miss Cheryl?"

“No, Miss Hino.” Cheryl knew who the newcomer was without turning around, and murmured to herself, “I haven’t hesitated since I made up my mind. I’m just a little… worried.”

"worry about what?"

"An unsettling premonition is stirring." "Is it for the Nibelungen?"

Cheryl smiled wryly upon hearing this: "If only that were true."

Hino fell silent, gazing in the direction of the Dark Cloud Abyss. There, in the dim twilight, swam a broken yet powerful soul. Why it had returned, and when it would depart, no one knew for sure, and it was also unrelated to the current battle.

We can only pin our hopes on him.

Or perhaps… what about her? For some reason, Xinuo recalled Ovira, who had suddenly insisted on staying behind before the others split up in the Dark Cloud Abyss. The calmness and determination on her face at that time seemed to remain unforgettable even now. Is it possible for a person to undergo such a drastic change overnight? Generally speaking, it's impossible, but the theories of mortals don't apply to the power of the young queens. Their souls, through countless reincarnations, will always awaken or gain enlightenment at some point.

The knights of the Gostaff family stood silently atop the city wall, their backs as slender as statues.

Half an hour later, the steel mechs filed out from under the gates of Blackfire Fortress, soaring like flocks of birds across the deep, inky twilight, heading towards their target. They would cross the desolate border of the Feather Mine and arrive at Black Iron Town, where the Blackblade Legion was temporarily stationed, just as night fell—the perfect time of day for a surprise attack.

……

Meanwhile, in the Dark Cloud Abyss.

As it raised its wings, the sky began to roar, and a visible gale swept across, engulfing the entire world from above. Smoke and dust blotted out the sun, and the enormous dragon appeared even taller than the surrounding mountains in the gloom. Its pale, skeletal wings, when fully unfurled, formed only an empty shadow that surged across the land like a tide, making one wonder if it could even encircle the entire abyss.

The resurrected dragon took a step forward, causing a deafening roar to erupt from the ground. A terrifying earthquake tore open cracks, swallowing all dust and minerals into darkness, leaving the scene blank. It was hard to believe that such a commotion could have been caused by a single step. Nidhogg, the instigator of it all, remained oblivious, staring blankly in the direction of Mount Platinum. The next moment, his bone wings suddenly flapped, instantly appearing as if two mountain ranges had descended from the heavens, violently pounding the void, compressing the remaining space, twisting and shattering it, emitting creaking, unbearable groans.

The storm whipped up by the dragon's wings howled and echoed violently between the canyons and the abyss. Every mountain peak visible to the naked eye trembled, every rift tore open, and even every wasteland seemed on the verge of being swallowed up. This catastrophic scene not only shattered the eerie tranquility that had accumulated over the long years in the Dark Cloud Abyss, but also instilled a sense of oppression in the travelers within Nibelungen, as if they were once again being invaded by the memories of the evil dragon. However, compared to the memories, the oppressive feeling of the evil dragon's skeleton in reality was even greater. No one could remain calm amidst its silent roars and furious howls, and even the weakest among them, Selena, was deathly pale, blood beginning to spill from her lips and nose.

"This guy—" The little bat covered its ears tightly, as if that would block out the voices echoing directly in its mind, and gritted its teeth to persist: "What does he want?"

“Revenge?” Neville’s first reaction was based on legend, which was also the most reasonable speculation: “Its predecessor died at the hands of the owner of the fairy sword Sidras. Since it is an evil dragon, what it craves most after being resurrected is nothing more than revenge?”

Although the original owner of Sidras has died, her heir is still alive.

If the evil dragon's target is indeed the Feather Mine and Cheryl, it would undoubtedly be adding insult to injury for the Holy War Army, which is already under pressure from both the Imperial Army and the Axis powers.

"wrong."

Ling spoke up, and strangely enough, he was clearly just an ordinary person, or rather, a Sequence 9 mage whose physique was not much better than that of an ordinary person, yet he was more composed than the werewolf girl Selena and even the little bat Leticia. He was only a little pale, and seemed unaffected by the evil dragon's rage: "He is not heading towards the Feather Mine, but in the opposite direction."

"On the contrary? Then where exactly is he going, and what does he want to do?" The Countess didn't connect it to Mount Platinum at all. After all, she was from the Western Continent, and her knowledge of the Eastern Continent's geographical coordinates was limited to knowing that such a place existed, but not necessarily knowing its exact location. Moreover, in the legends of the evil dragon Nidhogg, the fairy sword Hydras, and Nibelungen, the dragon race and their inhabitant Mount Platinum seemed to be invisible, never appearing, and never expressing any attitude towards this history. There were even rumors that Nidhogg had been expelled from the dragon race; otherwise, how could a proud and arrogant dragon allow its kin to be judged by mortals? Even if he had committed heinous crimes, only the guardian of the dragon race, the king of thousands of dragons, the infinite dragon god Bahamut, was qualified to unleash his severe punishment upon him.

“No matter where he goes or what he wants to do, our only task now is to stop him, or at least delay him, until Ovira awakens and takes control of Nibelungen.” Ling had never doubted Princess Beman’s ability to win the battle against the evil dragon’s will; it was as if it were a foregone conclusion. But if the dragon’s remains were allowed to continue running rampant, Nibelungen’s power might be completely depleted before Ovira awakens, and even those of them within Nibelungen would be in danger. Therefore, they had to stop this dragon.

“Stop him? Easier said than done. Ling, do you have any ideas…”

The countess was speaking when she noticed the young man staring at her silently. Not only him, but her beloved granddaughter Leticia and the werewolf girl Selena were also giving her the same look. Her lips twitched involuntarily. "You're not counting on me, are you?"

I'm fighting Nidhogg? Really?
Leticia said very seriously, "Grandma, with great power comes great responsibility."

The most powerful person present was naturally the Countess, who possessed demigod-like strength… (End of Chapter)