I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - Chapter 16 - Banfield Family Territorial Defense Part 11

-Near the Banfield Family’s home planet-

Assuming command aboard the Fortress-class battleship, Cleo received news of Cosmo’s capture.

“At the end of the day, pirates will only amount to so much,” she remarked, showing little concern for Cosmo’s safety.

However, it was problematic that Liam had stolen their supply base

Although they had established alternate bases, the supplies destined for those locations had been offloaded on the planet Liam had taken over.

With Liam controlling the stronghold, the subjugation force found itself in a serious bind.

Cleo swiftly came to a decision.

“We’re left with no other choice. It’s time we reveal our trump card. With Liam in the rear, we don’t have to worry about Avid showing up.”

A military officer stationed nearby expressed disapproval of her decision.

“But Your Highness, that is pretty much a one-off weapon. The spatial magic will only activate once, and bringing it back with us will come at a great cost.”

“And what of it?”

“Even if we were to win, it would be no different from having suffered heavy losses. How will we explain this to His Majesty?”

Unlike Liam, the Empire wasn’t equipped with the facilities necessary to maintain a beast like Griffin.

They hadn’t bothered to create such facilities since the military had no intention of using them in the future.

This meant the fakes could only be operated once, resulting in extreme losses.

Cleo was naturally aware of this, and she didn’t want to sacrifice such a valuable asset against someone other than Liam, but now that they had lost their supply base, she was out of options.

“What’s the point of having a weapon if we don’t use it? Besides, the enemies seem to have revealed their trump cards already.”

The fleets that had been ordered to charge were in shambles, having been struck by what appeared to be a strategic weapon. Their formations had crumbled, and the massive beams fired at them had left the fleets in a state of disarray.

The military officer thought about it for a few seconds before eventually nodding.

“Understood. I will have my men prepare the huge mobile knight for sortie.”

“Should’ve done so when I first told you to. Besides, if we don’t win here, all hope would be lost.”

With her arms crossed, Cleo behaved arrogantly towards those around her, her attitude showing a close resemblance to Liam’s.

She hated Liam to to core and wished to surpass him, yet her attitude was the same as his.

◇

Meanwhile, the Guide was clinging onto the blade antenna of one of Griffin’s fake copies.

The fake had been deployed for combat, and the Guide intended to assist the subjugation force.

“We’re almost there! Just a little more, and we’ll be able to destroy Liam’s home planet! Getting rid of his family members will surely leave a deep scar in his heart…Ugh, for some reason, my stomach hurts.”

Despite feeling an unpleasant pain in his stomach, he was still determined to eliminate Liam’s family.

He wasn’t too pleased about Liam wandering off by himself and striking the supply base, but the idea of targetting his family members, Rosetta and Edward, appealed to him.

“Who cares about a measly stomachache. Liam comes first. If we can take down his home planet, the war would be as good as won.”

The Guide loved watching wars being waged, but he had never concerned himself with which side emerged victorious.

However, it was different this time, and he knew that the situation would tilt in his favor if the subjugation force conquered Liam’s planet.

His planet was probably stocked full of supplies, buying Cleo’s fleet enough time to devise a solution to their problem.

Furthermore, the Banfield Family would crumble once the Empire took ownership of their main planet.

Black smoke emerged from the Guide’s body, enveloping the fake Griffin.

“First, I shall have Klaus removed from the picture!”

Klaus was protecting Liam’s home planet from a massive fleet composed of millions of ships. Not only was he the Head Knight of the Banfield Family, but he also held the highest military position in the family.

If Klaus were to lose and have the planet taken from him, the Banfield Family would suffer an irreparable blow, and recovering from such a loss was nigh impossible.

“You’re the only thing that stands between me and victory!! Yasushi will be next. If that bastard had not raised Liam, none of this would have happened. I’ll make sure to kill him as well!”

The Guide knew where Yasushi was, but since the man in question was on Liam’s home planet, he hadn’t been able to take any action until now.

He began absorbing the negative emotions permeating the battlefield, harnessing the lingering grudges of fallen soldiers.

As he did, his power gradually returned back to its peak.

“THIS IS IT!!!”

The twin eyes of the fake Griffin glowed, and as it prepared to fire its main cannon, the golden hue surrounding Liam’s home planet shone with even greater brilliance.

“W-what’s happening!?”

Peering into the light, the Guide discerned what appeared to be Griffin.

He began to tremble in fear.

“Liam’s back!? But how!? He should be at the supply base!!”

Still clung to the blade antenna, the Guide shook his head vigorously in an attempt to dispel his fear.

He took a closer look at the newly emerged mobile knight, and while it did closely resemble Liam’s Griffin, there were some differences in the design.

Above all, the number “2” was written on its shoulder.

“Fuhihi! Not gonna lie, you had me for a second there. Liam must’ve prepared this in anticipation of the war. But as long as it’s not him controlling the aircraft, there’s nothing to — huh?”

He had just recovered from the shock of seeing a Griffin replica, but he soon noticed something amiss.

The gold particles overflowing from the Banfield Family’s home planet were streaming into the Griffin replica.

“It matters not how much you try to imitate Liam. No one will be able to beat me as I am now! Go! Smash the replica and destroy Liam’s planet!”

The fake that the Guide was clinging to swiftly approached the replica, and as it did so, Fuuka’s voice was relayed to them.

‘Nice, it’s a big game! I’m sure Master and Senior Brother would praise me if I take it down!’

The person piloting the replica was a disciple of the School of One Flash.

The Guide had a bad feeling about this.

“Is she one of the kids that Yasushi brought up!?”

Years back, Liam had defeated the Guide who was in his prime.

Liam had been much weaker back then, and even though his army was formidable, it wasn’t nearly as big as it was today.

Fuuka, who was piloting the replicas of Avid and Griffin, was undoubtedly stronger than Liam back then, which made her a formidable foe.

With the help of the Guide, the fake Griffin fired its main cannon, unleashing a beam many times stronger than usual.

Fuuka responded in kind, intercepting the beam by shooting the replica’s main cannon.

As the beams collided, they began to vie for dominance.

“I can’t afford to lose here, not in a place like this!!”

The Guide infused even more negative energy into the fake Griffin, increasing its output. His efforts proved effective and pushed the replica back.

“I’ll use this momentum to crush her!”

◇

Inside the replica’s cockpit, cold sweat was trickling down Fuuka’s forehead.

“Damn it! Why is it being pushed back against a fake!? Did they make a defective product?”

The replicas had been hastily built by the folks at the Seventh Weapons Factory, and Fuuka suspected they might have cut some corners.

“It’s not even a sword fight, so I don’t mind running away, but if I do…”

Behind her was the Banfield Family’s home planet.

It was being protected by numerous lines of defense, and even now, their soldiers were fighting with their lives on the line.

“If I flee now, I won’t be able to protect Master or Yasuyuki. I’d be breaking my promise with Senior Brother, and I’ll be mocked by Rinho as well.”

Listing the reasons why she couldn’t retreat, she tightened her grip on the control stick.

“I guess I can serve as a meat shield if worse comes to worst. –But then again, as a swordswoman, I don’t want to die in a place like this. I won’t be able to face Master in the afterlife.”

For a fleeting moment, she thought of using the replica as a shield to protect the planet, but as a disciple of One Flash, she deemed it inappropriate to die this way.

“I’d much rather meet my end while engaged in a serious fight against a fellow disciple.”

Being defeated by a member of a different school was out of the question.

However, she yearned for a serious battle. Hence, she believed that the best way to go would be in a serious fight against another disciple.

Letting go of the control stick, she straightened her back.

“Senior Brother did say it’s alright if the aircraft gets destroyed. In that case, Imma go all out! Don’t you dare hold me back!”

Just as the replica’s engines roared, its main cannon exploded, having reached its limit.

However, Fuuka had no plans to flee.

“Don’t go breaking down on me, you piece of junk!”

She had the replica cross its arms, blocking the fake Griffin’s main cannon and preventing the beam from reaching the home planet.

Although the replica had been crafted with rare metals, it too soon reached its limit and began melting.

Explosions occurred in various places, and alerts continued to blare in the cockpit.

Fortunately, the enemy aircraft wasn’t faring any better.

After firing its main cannon with excessive force, flames erupted in several locations.

Compared to its size, the damage appeared rather insignificant, but the fake Griffin was similarly at its limit.

“I guess being patient paid off.”

Fuuka stepped hard on the foot pedal, propelling the replica right into the enemy aircraft.

Using both hands from the replica as a makeshift sword, she pierced through the fake.

Both aircraft were in tatters at this point, but Fuuka had more plans in mind.

“It’s not over just yet!”

The replica accelerated even further, charging toward an enemy fleet.

This fleet was part of the main force led by Cleo, and though they were taken aback by the sudden attack, they responded quickly to the situation, organizing their formation and initiating their attack on the replica.

A beam that was thousands of kilometers in length extended out of the replica’s hands, forming a blade, prompting Fuuka to unleash a flurry of attacks on the surrounding fleet, tearing apart the fake Griffin in the process.

“If it’s going to be destroyed, might as well go out with a bang!”

The replica then proceeded to go on a rampage, accumulating damage as it did.

The surrounding ships were engulfed in an endless series of explosions caused by the replica’s blade.

It didn’t take long for the replica to be on its last legs, and soon, Amaryllis, Fuuka’s mobile knight, was ejected from the replica’s cockpit located on its head.

The escape sequence had worked its magic.

“Welp, that’s that.”

She attempted to make a getaway, but mobile knights began pouring out of nearby ships.

There were already hundreds of them present, and the numbers kept increasing.

Among them, one of the mobile knights appeared to belong to a high-ranking officer, as its color differed from the rest of the mass-produced models.

It was probably custom-made.

‘Don’t even think of escaping!’

Fuuka merely grinned in response.

“I guess I can play with you for a bit longer.”

When she drew both her swords, the mobile knights around her started exploding one after another.

◇

The Guide was floating about in space, hugging his knees as he cried.

“Curses, Yasushi. Look at what you’ve done. You’ve mass-produced monsters like Liam.”

He watched from a distance as Amaryllis, the white replica of Avid piloted by Fuuka, engaged in battle.

The mobile knights that closed in on her were swiftly destroyed, and Amaryllis’s energy field effectively deflected all bombardments from nearby ships.

At times, even battleships fell victim to Amaryllis’s strikes, and despite fighting alone, she appeared composed and relaxed.

The Guide felt ill at ease and decided to observe the other battlefields.

“There should be other disciples of the School of One Flash. Where are they, and what could they be doing? –Huh!?”

Scenes from other battlefields appeared before him when he stretched his arms out, and what he saw made his jaws drop.

There hadn’t been any major movement on Marie’s side, but the same couldn’t be said about Tia’s.

The fake Griffin sent out by Hampson was being slapped around by a replica with the number “3” written on its shoulder.

“L-Liam’s disciple!?”

◇

Meanwhile…

Hampson was left stunned by the sight unfolding before him.

“Why would a feudal lord decide to mass-produce these ridiculous weapons? Is Banfield out of his mind!?”

A gigantic mobile knight.

He had to admit that the notion was quite alluring, but as a lord, he wouldn’t approve of constructing one, let alone mass-producing them.

Liam’s decision was incomprehensible to Hampson.

However, he was shocked by the replica’s strength.

They had made some changes to the data they had obtained from the Seventh Weapons Factory about Griffin and constructed their aircraft based on these revisions.

In theory, they should’ve boasted greater performance than the original, yet the fake Griffin was being pummeled by a replica.

The figure of the enemy pilot was projected on the giant monitor.

‘I didn’t think the Empire would come up with the same strategy as us.’

The pilot seemed surprised, but not as much as Hampson.

“Ellen Tyler? Banfield’s disciple!?”

The red-haired female knight on the monitor narrowed her eyes, as if she felt uncomfortable being called out.

‘–I have unfortunate news for you.’

Resisting the urge to frown, Hampson feigned confidence so as to not make his subordinates anxious.

The damage had already been done at this point, but if he were to behave in an unbecoming manner, he’d drop his army’s morale even further.

“Is this about how Banfield has managed to capture our supply base? Well, we’ve prepared more than one such base. Our army can still fight.”

Only the first half of his statement was true.

They had built numerous bases, but the planet that Liam had attacked was where all the resources were stored.

Hampson could already see themselves stranded in enemy territory without any supplies left to fight.

Ellen revealed a smile before saying something unexpected.

‘Number Four should be going around crushing those bases as we speak, but that’s not what I’m here to tell you. We’ve received a message from my Master, Liam Sera Banfield. He has ordered us to ‘annihilate the enemies’.’

An order to annihilate the subjugation force that invaded his territory. Liam was making it clear that he wouldn’t be accepting any surrender.

Hampson, however, remained unperturbed.

“He appears to be as arrogant as the rumors say. You might be unaware of this, but the Empire will soon send reinforcements along with mountains of supplies. Our victory is only a matter of time. You guys should be the ones begging for mercy.”

He believed that help would arrive once the Empire learned of their current predicament.

Narrowing her eyes, Ellen mocked Hampson for his naivety.

‘Oh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that. The Kingdom of Dominion has begun its invasion near the border. The same could be said about the United Kingdoms and the Integrated Government. The Empire might be powerful, but sending reinforcements right now might be a tad difficult, don’t you think?’

Hampson’s eyes widened in surprise upon hearing this.

“How come!? The Kingdom of Dominion should’ve submitted to the Empire!”

They had already foreseen the United Kingdoms and the Integrated Government making a move.

Since there was a commotion within the Empire, they would definitely try to take advantage of the situation and start an invasion.

However, that shouldn’t have been the case for the Kingdom of Dominion, and Hampson was caught completely off guard by it.

‘They obey orders from the strong. In other words, their allegiance is to my Master, not the Empire.’

Another person appeared on the giant monitor just as the crew members on the bridge were getting restless.

It was Tia, and she was glaring at them with one eyebrow raised, evidently harboring pent-up anger toward Hampson.

‘It’s nice to finally see you, Marquis Hampson.’

“And you must be Christina.”

‘You’ve caused us a lot of trouble. Now, it’s our turn.’

Tia’s expression became blank before delivering an ultimatum.

‘It’s time for a hunt. Make sure to run around and entertain us.’

The communication was promptly cut off, and Hampson swung his fist on his armrest.

————————————————————————————————————–

Brian (´・ω・｀): “…I have a lot to say, but promoting the novel comes first.”

Wakagi-chan ( ゜∀゜): “Volume 5 of ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!” is now on sale, and it comes with a new heroine! Volume 2 of the manga is also out, so please check that out as well!”

Brian (´・ω・): “Oh, and also, some viewers are under the impression that the anime for ‘The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs’ ends on episode 5, but rest assured, for there is more to come!”