NIKKE, When the Milky Way Blossoms

Phoenix: 425↑

As the score changed, the entire stands fell silent.

Even Perd, who was usually loud and boisterous, stared blankly at the projected image after witnessing someone's unrestrained fighting style, just like the other nobles, his mouth slightly agape, unsure of what to say.

Snapped!

Inside a VIP box, Ampa, the deputy head of the intelligence department, could not contain his excitement and slammed his hand on the table.

……

……

"Due west, everyone, assemble at the base of that spiral tower!"

Seeing the dense red dots approaching from the northeast, east, and southeast, and considering the mental pressure on Diesel and the others, Phoenix decided not to blindly choose a flanking maneuver.

He decided to temporarily change his strategy, bypassing Lechner from the opposite direction of the subway tracks, to take a short break before planning his next move.

Without the tracking and positioning provided by the erosion, Phoenix felt almost no pressure in the face of the headless Lecher swarm.

Latchers, lacking intelligence and the ability to think in a hive of hives, are actually less terrifying than human infantry-tank combined arms operations when left unattended.

Thinking about it this way...

A century ago, these machines slaughtered so many humans that only tens of millions remained. This world-ending war was probably not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

"commander!"

At the foot of the Spire, Marianne, who had arrived first, rushed over to Phoenix, who was covered in wall dust, and anxiously asked:

"Are you injured?!"

"I'm OK."

Once in combat mode, the commander, whose emotional intelligence immediately dropped to zero, nodded to Marian.

Then, disregarding the girl's feelings, and prompted by Anik, he suddenly ran straight into the tower and sprinted upstairs.

"Tswai! Where are you? You're too far away from us!"

"Instructor! The road here has collapsed!"

"It collapsed?"

"The subway tunnel, the whole road has collapsed into the tunnel, if it really doesn't work... if it really doesn't work, I, I..."

"You are not allowed to go through the tunnel."

Without Tswaido's explanation, Phoenix knew what the students were thinking.

In terrain like a subway tunnel where you can see straight through, if even a Lecher were to follow you down, there probably wouldn't be anywhere to hide.

"Now change the plan. Tswai will slow down and continue westward. If Lecher is spotted, prioritize finding cover to avoid him."

The rest of you, change course and head southwest until you see the collapsed road, then report back to me.

After giving the order, Phoenix didn't bother with any formalities with Marian. He picked up his rifle, turned around, and ran south.

"Tswai".

"...Yes, instructor."

"Don't be afraid, the instructor is coming to get you right now."

……

……

"...The instructor is coming to pick you up now."

The moment the noble ladies heard someone's gentle, husky voice ring in their ears.

Let alone a young girl in the throes of first love, even a successful businesswoman like Cornyne Lawrence couldn't help but have a strange glint in her eyes after hearing the man's reassuring words.

"Decker."

"Huh?" Decker Lawrence, still thankful that he hadn't acted rashly, instinctively responded upon hearing his older sister's call:

"What's wrong, sister?"

"I heard that the Casey flagship store you manage was once visited by Commander Phoenix?"

"Uh……"

Did you leave your contact information?

"what?"

Hearing her younger brother's confused answer, Corminus Lawrence, who knew the answer, was dissatisfied but not angry. She simply added calmly.

"After the exhibition match, try to get my hands on the Phoenix commander's contact information."

"……ah???"

The mediocre rich kid was about to say something, but after seeing his sister glance at him sideways, he immediately lost his will to speak and nodded vigorously in agreement:

"No problem, absolutely no problem, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

Chapter 89 Who could resist this kind of man?

How does he compare to you back then?

"...Very strong."

"Oh."

Hearing that Anderson did not readily admit who was stronger, Ingrid, standing in the command room, lowered her eyes silently, not exposing the deputy commander's last bit of stubbornness.

Men are rarely willing to admit that others are stronger than them in terms of physical strength.

Can understand.

"If you ask me, this guy is just too petty. He's just a piece of scrap metal. If he's scrapped, he's scrapped. What's the point of saving him?"

Inside the command center, Shuen, sitting in an armchair with his legs crossed, pursed his lips and listlessly played with a strand of hair at his temple, saying:

"You really should broaden his horizons. Stop treating those one or two Nikkis under your command like treasures, not even willing to waste a few pieces of scrap metal. How will he accomplish anything great in the future?"

"Oh~ Such a reassuring boy~ He's practically the perfect choice for Arknights girls to fall in love~"

In response to Shuen's assessment, Mastinder flicked his effeminate fingers, seemingly smooth but actually sarcastic, and retorted with a sarcastic remark.

"I wonder if Ms. Shuen ever fantasized about having such a warrior she could entrust her life to~"

Unfortunately, the little devil's emotional intelligence wasn't enough to help her understand the hidden meaning in Mastin's words, but thankfully, at least she could understand the surface meaning.

Then, the ill-tempered girl sneered and retorted sarcastically:

"Stop joking. As for men, can you rely on my Laplace?"

"Oh, sorry, I forgot you don't have a Niki as powerful as Laplace under your command, so it's understandable that you can't grasp how I feel."

The three adults, including Mastin, were not angered by Shuen's words. Instead, they tacitly chose to ignore the kid's sarcastic remarks and focused all their attention on the broadcast.

……

……

sight,

Back near the collapsed subway tracks.

"Everyone throw smoke grenades, then prepare to move out according to plan!"

"Understood, Commander!"

Heading west to meet up with Tswai, Phoenix, who had already considered tactical plans along the way, quickly outlined the general operational strategy for everyone.

Immediately afterwards, a series of white smoke walls successfully blocked the view of several important roads, providing Tswai, who was climbing up the rope, with ample time to operate safely.

Lecher's guns began firing indiscriminately due to obstructed vision, but unfortunately, there was no target behind the smoke.

After all, there is no regulation requiring that there must be personnel hiding behind a smoke grenade.

"Everyone, get ready."

Lying prone on the ground, Phoenix looked at Tswai in the mind map, watching her grip the rope tightly and climb step by step to the edge of the tunnel, before softly calling out:

"action!"

boom--! ! !

No sooner had he finished speaking than several gunshots came from the north of the Lecher group, instantly obliterating the two Lechers that were completely exposed to the sun.

"Tswai, go."

"Roger that!"

Amidst the intense gunfire, Tswai, who was fully prepared, grabbed a piece of steel rebar from the road with one hand and scrambled up from the tunnel.

"Instructor!"