As Yurika's battle on the right flank began, Kiriha and the others in the center spotted the enemy. Since Kiriha and the others were hiding in trenches like Yurika was, the enemy soldiers didn't advance right away, but began concentrating their forces behind trees and rocks.
“Kiriha, they're about to start shooting”
With the soldiers closing in, though still a fair distance away, the effect from the forest's aura lessened and Sanae was able to sense the enemy's intention to attack.
“...So it begins, huh. Maki, detonate the first through fifth”
“Roger that. Transmitting to the first through fifth detonator cords”
Maki repeated what she had been told and concentrated on her cane. This caused several of the bombs connected to the cane to detonate.
The muffled sound Maki could hear let her know that five bombs had exploded at the same time. The explosives that were detonated this time weren't very lethal. Kiriha figured that since her opponents were pros, they would find any other bombs placed to harm them even without a means to detect them. That's why Kiriha used these explosives to destroy the trees and rocks the soldiers were using as cover. With that, the chances of the explosives being found were low and the amount of explosives needed wouldn't stand out.
Having suddenly lost their cover, the soldiers stood in place with a blank look of surprise. And the lighting that had been placed beforehand lit their appearance up. With the enemy being exposed, lit up and blinded by the light, Kiriha didn't miss her chance to attack.
“Begin the attack! Fire!”
“Sanae-chan God Arrow!”
“Multiple Mind Blast – Target Option Sidewinder!”
“Spiritual energy armament safety released, target acquired Ho-!”
“Commencing fire Ho-!”
Under Kiriha's command, all of those in charge of ranged attacks opened fire as one.
Sanae was using a bow and arrow created from her own spiritual energy, Maki used magic to attack, and the haniwas and underground people used spiritual energy weapons. All of the attacks used spiritual energy. Since Forthorthe's scientific advancements were protecting the enemy soldiers, simple physical attacks wouldn't have much of an effect. At the same time, they couldn't block attacks using spiritual energy. That's why this choice was inevitable.
As a result, all of the weapons were nonlethal. Attacks using spiritual energy had almost no effect on the body. So having attacks that would instead attack the soul directly and remove their opponents freedom was something both the girls of room 106 and Kiriha's subordinates from the conservative faction were grateful for.
Knowing that their opponents wouldn't die when shot, everyone could open fire without any hesitation. With almost no mental strain attached, the preemptive strike worked as planned.
“Uwaa?!”
“Aghh!!”
The coup d'état soldiers collapsed one after another. Including Kiriha, about a dozen people were attacking from a distance. And from this attack, seven of the coup d'état soldiers collapsed to the ground. Kiriha estimated there to be 14 soldiers in the front. Which meant that this one attack had cut the enemy force in half.
“Don't cower, fire back! Destroy the lights!”
Seeing their companions collapse, the coup d'état soldiers took action. As expected from professionals, they quickly lowered their posture to make themselves harder to hit and returned fire. Their first target were the searchlights blinding them.
The coup d'état army were using rifles that shot out beams. Their accuracy was spot on and their power was high. The lights were destroyed in an instant. With that, the surroundings turned dark again, making it harder for Kiriha and the others to aim.
“Now it's my turn!”
In the moment that the lights were destroyed, Shizuka jumped into the midst of the enemy. While the soldiers were blinded by the light, she had snuck up on them and waited for her time to strike. She swung her arms and legs around, sweeping her enemies away like a small tornado.