The Imperial guards were now in full panic.
The starships hovering in the sky didn't immediately attack them. Instead, their hatches opened—and down came a bizarre bunch of people.
Boom—
Dozens of meteor-like figures fell from the starships and landed in the open fields outside the capital.
"Chaldea Heroic Spirit squad, in position."
"Spirit squad, in position."
Clack—
Ritsuka Fujimaru stretched inside the cockpit of Barbatos.
After undergoing genetic ascension and transforming into a Spirit, she felt her piloting skills had improved several levels.
This Gundam had also benefited from Fleet of Fog technology. The beam rifle was replaced with a compact super-graviton cannon, the rocket launcher with corrosive missiles.
It was even equipped with a compact Klein Field—its durability far surpassed its former self.
Behind her stood a group of Chaldea's Heroic Spirits.
"I've always wondered—why is your art style totally different from the rest of us, even though we're all from Chaldea?"
Jeanne d'Arc looked Fujimaru up and down. Among the cold-weapon-wielding Heroic Spirits, Gudako stood out like a sore thumb.
"Don't worry about it. If it works, it works."
Gudako raised her spear-hammer and swung it forward.
"Chaldea—attack the city!!!"
The Gundam launched forward, charging toward the city walls.
"???"
The locals, stuck in the cold weapon era, might not recognize missiles or super-graviton cannons—
but they sure knew it was terrifying when a 20-meter-tall mech wielding a massive hammer came charging at them.
Many dropped their weapons and ran.
Some of the braver ones fired back using wall-mounted ballistae, trebuchets, and other siege weapons.
"Loose arrows!"
Swish swish swish—
A volley of arrows struck the Gundam.
"Tch. You guys? If you want Archers, get Chaldea's Archer. You guys are weak sauce."
Gudako quipped a bad joke.
She raised her hammer and BOOM—smashed a section of the city wall to rubble.
"Who's the strongest fighter in the capital?!"
"Where are the Teigu users? Are they all dead? Come out and show me what you've got!"
The Gundam stood tall on the battlefield.
Gudako crossed her arms and shouted, her voice thundering across the field.
"Let's see whose weapon is stronger—your Teigu or our Noble Phantasms?!"
Out here on campaign, she was suddenly overcome with a sense of team pride—she had to perform well for Chaldea's honor.
Behind her, the Heroic Spirits were itching to go.
They were eager to find worthy opponents and test their strength.
"This is a rare chance to impress our Master. Each of us should take down a few Teigu users. Losers commit seppuku in shame."
Stheno twirled her hair as she spoke.
Their Noble Phantasms were manifestations of their legendary feats—far more prestigious than man-made Teigu.
Still, the intel said some of the stronger Teigu users had city- or army-level power, which made the Heroic Spirits want to go all out.
"Is that so? I will give it my all."
Artoria drew her holy sword with a serious expression.
"There's an emperor here? Interesting. I'll go meet him."
Jing Ke cloaked herself and vanished into the night.
"Master, do you want them alive or dead?..."
Soon, the Heroic Spirits dispersed, each searching for worthy targets.
Gudako, still piloting Barbatos, blocked the city gate and taunted loudly.
"Come on! Where are the Teigu and Shingu users? I'll take imperial martial monks too! Four Rakshasa Demons? Who dares fight me for 300 rounds?!"
"You bunch of weaklings and bandits—anyone got guts to fight?!"
"???"
Gudako's trash talk left Setsuna and the shipgirls speechless.
The nobles and ministers in the palace, seeing the Gundam challenging them outside, were nearly scared out of their minds.
"What is that thing?! She says it's called a Gundam?"
Honest stared out the window, lips twitching.
They didn't understand what a Gundam was and thought Gudako was just introducing herself as someone named "Gundam."
To the natives, a towering mech was far more visually intimidating than even a shipgirl's rigging.
"No need to panic, ministers. We have the Jaeger unit—they can slay this 'Gundam.'"
A noble stepped forward with a formal bow, bringing in several uniformed men and women.
They were a special unit created to combat the Revolutionary Army and Night Raid—powerful Teigu users, second only to Esdeath.
"Transformation-type Teigu, huh? I'd like to try a few moves with that."
A young man cracked his knuckles. His Teigu was also a suit-of-armor type.
"Wave, Seryu—you go first."
Honest made the decision immediately.
Ten minutes later—
A man and woman stood before Barbatos.
"Yo? You two Teigu users?"
Gudako looked down and examined them.
"Teigu: Carnage Incarnate—Grand Chariot!"
Wave clapped his hands together, activating his Teigu.
Whoosh—
His entire body became encased in black armor, looking like a metal-plated Batman.
His speed and strength surged severalfold.
With a light stomp, he left a deep crater several meters wide in the ground.
"Size doesn't matter. The bigger they are, the easier they fall."
Wave looked up at Barbatos. Though the size difference was massive, he showed no fear.
The strength boost from his Teigu filled him with confidence.
BOOM—
A sonic boom erupted.
Encased in black armor, he charged toward Gudako at near-supersonic speed, kicking up dust clouds like a black bullet.
Then—
Gudako clicked her tongue, raised her hammer—
WHAM!!!
Like a round of golf, she swatted him sky-high in a graceful arc—straight into the palace.
The Gundam, enhanced by multiple layers of sci-fi tech, far outclassed Teigu in both size and strength.
"Next."
Gudako said with a blank expression.
"Magical Beast Transformation—Hekatonkheires!"
Seeing Wave defeated, Seryu used her secret technique, instantly berserking the monster summoned by her Teigu.
A ten-meter-tall red creature with a kobold's head and humanoid body appeared.
In this state, the Hundred-Armed Giant—Hekatonkheires could overpower multiple Teigu users at once, though the price was months of recovery afterward.
"Oh? A summon, huh?"
Gudako remained unfazed and swung her hammer again.
WHAM!—WHAM!!
Two arcs flew through the air. Both the kobold monster and Seryu were sent flying into the palace, smashing through a corner of the building.
"Anyone else worth fighting?!"
"You guys can't even handle my first phase. Boring."
Barbatos slammed the hammer into the ground, causing a tremor.
"I'm technically a mage too, but it seems you're not even worthy of seeing my magic?"
"???"
The capital's guards were trembling.
"First phase? What does that mean? She's just been toying with us?!"
Even the shipgirls watching from above were baffled.
"Wait, your first phase is the Gundam?! Is Barbatos your real body or what?!"
Meanwhile—
While Gudako was playing golf with Teigu users at the gates,
the Heroic Spirits and Spirits were seeking out their own opponents.
Swish swish swish—
Several Jaegers, backed by imperial soldiers, surrounded a red-armored, blonde-haired, green-eyed Heroic Spirit with an ahoge.
Leading them was a young man in a white coat and a soldier wearing a strange mask.
"Stylish and Bols, huh?"
"I hear you're into fashion too—but your creations are hideous. Just one look makes me sick."
Nero drew her sword and raised an eyebrow.
Dr. Stylish—the mad scientist of the Jaeger unit—had long conducted human experiments.
Around him were several grotesque private soldiers, which he proudly called his "Team Stylish."
"Heh... If I could remodel you into part of my Fashion Unit, you'd be my finest specimen."
Dr. Stylish's eyes gleamed greedily as he examined the blonde girl in shining armor.
The beauty of a Heroic Spirit far surpassed any human he had ever seen—even the Empire's top courtesans were incomparable.
Judging by the sword in her hand, she was clearly a swordswoman.
"Two against one, huh..."
Bols drew his Teigu, his gaze lingering.
"Even if you flatter My radiance, it does nothing for me."
Nero clicked her tongue, glancing at the Teigu in their hands.
"Come, let your Teigu clash with My Noble Phantasm!"
She tossed a rose into the air.
"Behold my glory..."
"Hear the thunderous applause..."
"Sit down and praise... My Golden Theater!"
Shuu—
In an instant, the scenery changed to a lavish golden theater.
"???"
The Jaeger unit and imperial soldiers looked around in utter confusion.
Where were they?
A golden grand theater? Weren't they just in the capital?!
This large-scale environment-altering Noble Phantasm was completely beyond their understanding.
BOOM—
A powerful pressure swept through, forcing everyone to their knees.
Within the Golden Theater, Nero could suppress all who entered using its inherent rules.
"Marvel at My brilliance! Cheer like thunder! Then praise—praise this Golden Theater! The resplendent imperial glory sung by maidens!"
"I am Nero Claudius, Emperor of Rome! My Empire is a hundredfold stronger than yours—submit now!"
Nero looked down at the Jaegers, immobilized under the theater's pressure.
It gave her the same sense of triumph as conquering barbarians in the past.
So this is how fun it is to beat up natives? She'd have to ask Master to bring her along more often.
That was what Nero thought to herself.
"What is this... a Teigu? There's no record of it anywhere..."
Even in death, Dr. Stylish never figured out what this bizarre Noble Phantasm truly was.
Elsewhere, other Teigu users in the capital met a similar fate.
"Little girl, you're pretty cute... If you surrender, I might consider—"
A few unknown Teigu users leered at Kurumi Tokisaki.
"Is that so? I'd be happy if darling said that—but you lot? No thanks."
Kurumi licked her lips.
"Manifest—Zafkiel!!!"
Click—
Time froze in an instant.
Bang bang bang bang—
Gunshots rang out. Shadows on the ground silently dragged the men away into darkness.
"A little girl? You really need us monks from the Imperial Fist Temple for this? What a waste..."
Kalbi and Shihandai stepped in front of Artoria.
"Are you Teigu users?"
The King of Knights asked earnestly.
"Teigu users? Without their gear, they're trash. I could crush them barehanded."
The towering berserker-like man answered proudly, adopting a combat stance.
"Is that so? Then... I won't hold back."
Recognizing a strong opponent, Artoria stopped restraining herself.
She raised her holy sword, its golden glow dazzling.
"Ex... Calibur!!"
A golden cross of energy soared skyward, obliterating an entire imperial army unit.
"!!!"
From the highest tower of the Imperial Palace, the little emperor, Honest, and the ministers stared wide-eyed at the overwhelming golden flashes and bizarre Noble Phantasms.
"Noble Phantasms?! What the hell are those?!"
"Are they some new weapons beyond Teigu and Shingu?!"
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