Aerial battles, ground battles

 
 
 ☆
 
 
 Passing through the skies above the city walls, I geared down and looked over my shoulder.
 
 Tatatatatatatatata!
 Dadadada! Dadadada!
 Bang!! ——— Bang!!
 
 《Gyaaaah》
 
 The several hundred crows that had been chasing me plunged into the multi-layered storm of a bullet 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 that was setup, knocking them down like a black waterfall.
 
 But more than half of them evaded the net of the barrage, continuing to chase me.
 
 (One time really wasn’t enough. ——— then, let’s go again!!)
 
 I took a right turn, nearly grazing the city’s clocktower.
 
 『Letty, gear up!』
 
 I flew about in a figure 8 as Coco’s voice echoed to go up a gear.
 
 Then, when I turned twice and thrice, I checked on the multiple acceleration magic circles above the city.
 
 “Then, let’s go a second time!”
 
 This time, we’ll dive into the barrage from the west side.
 
 Chasing me as they let out caws of anger over their friends being killed, I pulled the crows along with me, diving once again into the storm of bullets and magic.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 And so I repeated the same thing three times.
 
 “———?! They’re not coming???”
 
 I checked behind me and reflexively shouted out.
 
 The crows, which had been reduced to about a hundred by repeatedly plunging into barrages, had finally stopped chasing me and began to spread out while keeping their distance.
 
 “… that’s as much as I could get it, huh.”
 
 I had expected this.
 Crows have a high intelligence among birds.
 It was obvious to see that I couldn’t use the same method forever.
 
 In addition, the enemies on the ground were about to close in.
 
 A disgusting monster horde that blanketed the earth.
 
 We must prepare.
 For the ground battle.
 
 
 
 I set the left selector to 『3』 and aimed the magic rifle to the sky.
 
 Tang!
 ——— Pang!!
 
 The fired bullet exploded in the sky above, eventually emitting a continuous dazzling light.
 
 In short, it’s a flare.
 
 And this time, it was the signal of the end of the surface-to-air for the ground side.
 
 “Now then. From here on, this is the end of the sky battle.”
 
 It happened right as I muttered that.
 
 『Letty! Behind you!!』
 
 “!!”
 
 Coco yelled.
 An approaching magic power reaction.
 On the spur of the moment, I evaded to the left.
 
 ———Gyaah! Gyaah!!
 
 The crows, who approached from the skies behind me before I realised, grazed me and flew away below me.
 
 “That was clos-”
 
 『Left!!』
 
 “-!!”
 
 The crows kept attacking me from all directions.
 By using magic power detection, I just barely dodged them.
 
 “If this keeps up ———, this’ll get me nowhere!!”
 
 Though I may have Auto Defense, even that uses a corresponding amount of magic power.
 
 If I were to keep taking these attacks without dodging, I’d get magic power sickness immediately and become dizzy.
 
 The crows formed groups of two to three to attack in waves, and made use of a higher elevation in order to build up speed.
 
 If I leave it like this, things will gradually get worse and worse.
 
 “In that case———”
 
 Taking advantage of a momentary gap,
 “Ascend!!”
 I concentrated magic power in my flying boots.
 Rising suddenly, I evaded further 『up』 from the crows.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 “Letty!!”
 
 “Ojou-sama!!”
 
 As I was evading the crows who were launching attacks from below and holding them off, Otou-sama and Anna rose up.
 
 “Sorry. It took a while to hand over to Graham.”
 
 I shook my head at Otou-sama’s apology.
 
 “I’m fine. Since these formations and encampments are impromptu, I guess this isn’t what they’re used to, even for Onii-sama. Let’s quickly clear up the 『sky』, then we’ll go and support the ground!”
 
 “Right.”
 
 Nodding to one another, we looked down at the crows dancing below.
 
 “I’ll keep the crows company with my buckshot, so Otou-sama and Anna should deploy 『Follow 《Traheliol》』 and protect my back please.”
 
 “Understood.” “Okay!”
 
 Along with their responses, the two instructed their teddies to invoke spells.
 
 The buckshot I mentioned just now… the only rifle that can use 『Magic Power Convergence Bullet Scatter Fire Mode』 right now is mine.
 
 Otou-sama’s gun has physical bullets and ordinary Magic Power Convergence bullets.
 Anna’s gun only has physical bullets.
 
 Even if they were to fire recklessly, the crows flying around in the sky probably wouldn’t get hit.
 
 Therefore, I was in charge of attacking, while the two of them would cover my blindspot.
 
 “Well then, let’s go!”
 
 I readied my magic rifle, aimed at the nearest group of crows and pulled the trigger.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 Bang!
 ———Bang bang!!
 
 The crows burst, and fell.
 
 Occasionally, a group would dive into my blindspot, which Otou-sama and Anna would deal with it.
 
 Thus, we shaved them down to a few dozen, when it happened.
 
 “-! Ojou-sama, the crows———!!”
 
 “Seems they’ve begun running away.”
 
 Hearing what Anna said, my hand pulling the trigger stopped and I stared at the crows.
 
 The monsters had turned their backs to me, dispersin gas they began escaping.
 
 I took aim at one part, and fired.
 
 Bang!
 ———Bang!!
 
 The monster shot down was a single one.
 Like this, even hitting them would likely be difficult.
 
 Looking at that, Otou-sama squinted his eyes.
 
 “… it’s no good. There’s no point to the three of us sticking together.”
 
 “Shall we spread out and fight?”
 
 When I asked that, Otou-sama shook his head.
 
 “That’d be dangerous. Your back would become unguarded while you shoot.”
 
 “Then, what’ll we do???”
 
 Otou-sama looked at me with a slight smile.
 
 “I’m saying that the aerial battle ends here. Next we’ll have to go to the ground, and crush them individually as they come to attack.”
 
 “But… no, that’s right. Rather than being obsessed with the aerial battle, we’ll keep watch and shoot them down whenever they attack, but maybe it’d also be a good idea to participate in the ground battle.”
 
 Honestly, I was also thinking 『even though we’re so close』.
 
 But restraining precious military strength to a small number of enemies, so thinking of the entire battlefield, it’d be a negative.
 
 I lowered my gaze toward the ground.
 
 The monster troops blanketing the earth were approaching my city like a black wave, and the two heavy machine guns finally began firing.
 
 The enemy’s forefront had already breached the 1.5km line.
 
 “Understood. Let’s return to the others.”
 
 We nodded to one another, then headed down to the northern city walls.