In the end, <Froze> of the <Fenrir> species had returned to the <Demon Forest>, but reconnaissance reports indicated that the <Fenrir> family’s territory had become unusually active.
The dense overgrowth made direct visual confirmation impossible, yet there were unmistakable signs of something large rampaging within it, and in some places the trees had even been knocked flat.
Because they had switched the reconnaissance satellites to tighter imaging coverage, they were able to monitor those conditions in near real time.
“Big Sister, this is probably that, you know. Hunting to heal its injuries or something along those lines.”
“Hunting to heal its injuries...?”
According to Asahi, it was probably eating meat to replenish nutrients.
Eve thought that if it were injured, it ought to be staying quiet instead, but she did not say so out loud. Anything anyone said at this point would be nothing more than guesswork.
“Well, it should have had burns over a pretty wide area, and its internal organs should have been damaged too, but it was still perfectly lively. And besides, there isn’t just <Froze>. There’s also the other one, <Yarn>. Judging by the scale of the disturbance, I’d say the two of them are moving together.”
“In fantasy, it’s standard for threat organisms to heal quickly, but I wonder what that actually looks like in reality.”
“At the very least, threat organisms are known to have wounds close within a matter of days even after biological activity has ceased. If they are in a state where life support is not an issue, they should be assumed to be even more robust.”
The corpse of <Rain Croin> still retained its form even now.
In other words, its wounds would heal even if left alone. If actual biological life activity were added on top of that, then it would hardly be strange for injuries to repair themselves in an extremely short time.
Though that was setting aside the fact that its very existence was strange to begin with.
“In any case, we tighten our watch, hurry the reinforcement and expansion of our forces... and that’s about it. We reclaimed our side of the territory, but if we don’t push them back to the <Demon Forest> soon, they might come back out again.”
“Building a wall is another option. It might let us define the territory clearly and show that we have no intention of advancing any farther.”
For the moment, they had no intention of pushing into the territory held by the mated pair <Froze> and <Yarn> on the <Demon Forest> side. Once the surrounding area had been fully developed, they might make a move, but for now vast stretches of land still remained around them.
They did not need to clash with overwhelmingly powerful threat organisms yet.
The ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) point when they would truly begin trying to crush one another would likely come only after the resources had been exhausted.
Until then, it would help if both sides could continue this mutual nonaggression.
For the record, Eve fully understood that this was an extremely selfish wish. This world was one of the strong devouring the weak.
“Well then... our forces will be assembled two days from now. I wonder if we can finish the buffer zone and defensive line in time.”
◇◇◇◇
Six days passed after the first clash.
During that time, <The Tree> moved its forces into the region designated as the defensive line and continued making preparations for defense.
From the first battle against <Froze>, they had learned that they needed a way to deal with objects moving at supersonic speed. For that reason, they had already planted large numbers of sensors in the areas expected to become the front line.
They had also prepared decoy land battleships.
These had been hurriedly put together, but six of them were deployed to the front line without the most expensive component of all—the fusion reactor—and had been converted to external power instead.
The hull and armament were the same. The only difference was that an energy line for power supply extended from the rear and connected to standard-spec Jotuns positioned several kilometers behind them.
If that line was severed, they could switch to microwave power supply instead, but the available power would be insufficient, so even combined with onboard capacitors they would only be able to operate for around fifteen minutes.
Even so, since the previous battle had lasted less than ten minutes, this had been judged acceptable.
At worst, if some onboard functions were shut down, minimal operation would still be possible.
And then, just as <The Tree> side steadily completed its preparations, the <Fenrir> family finally made a move.
<Froze> slowly emerged from the <Demon Forest>. Since precise measurements had already been completed, identification of the individual was finished instantly.
Then, keeping some distance from it, another <Fenrir> appeared.
Since the two seemed to be moving in coordination, this was presumed to be the female parent, <Yarn>. <Yarn> rarely came out into the open, which was why they had not been able to identify it before.
“Big Sister. <Froze> and <Yarn> have been sighted. Assessed as preparing for battle.”
<Iris> delivered the report to Eve, who had been relaxing in the cafeteria.
“Oh?” Eve rose and turned toward the projected display.
“It’s unusual for you to contact me directly. Thank you. Understood. I’m heading over now, but the operation is still in effect. You may proceed without waiting for my instructions.”
As she replied, Eve poked the display with one finger. <Iris>’s emotion graph went violently haywire, but Eve had already started walking and did not notice.
“Well then, what’s the situation?”
Taking her seat in the command chair, Eve asked <Ringo>, who was briskly straightening her clothes for her.
“Yes yes, Commander Ma’am. The two bodies, <Froze> and <Yarn>, have emerged from the <Demon Forest>. They are currently facing our side with the five-kilometer zone designated as the buffer area between us. <Iris> has instructed that combat begin at a range of one kilometer.”
“Big Sister. I’m scanning <Froze>, but I can’t find any injured areas. Every wound inflicted in the previous battle has healed.”
At Akane’s report, Eve looked up at the main monitor with a startled expression.
There, on the screen, was <Froze>, which should have been burned raw across a wide area. But sure enough, there was no trace of damage left on its body.
“Ugh... so it really does heal...”
For a normal organism, severe burns across the body surface could be fatal. Yet in just six days, they had healed completely, and even the fur had returned. If that was the case, merely inflicting grave injuries would never be enough to exterminate it. They would have to confirm the kill every single time.
“It appears that <Froze>’s physique has changed slightly compared to the previous battle. Assessment: high probability that muscle mass has increased by roughly twenty percent.”
“You’ve got to be kidding... If we don’t finish it off, it comes back stronger...?”
Apparently, it was built more solidly than before. If it possessed some mysterious function by which its body structure strengthened when it sensed danger, that would be extraordinarily troublesome.
“What do we even make of this...? Maybe Asahi and the others underestimated threat organisms...”
Even Asahi sounded bewildered by this result.
Whatever the case, they were still far too short on information. Whether they won or lost, this battle was shaping up to be an extremely important one.
“In any case, what we have to do hasn’t changed. Iris, I’m counting on you to carry out the plan.”
“Yes, Big Sister. Operation Walking the Dog, second phase commencing.”
While <The Tree> side waited in perfect readiness, the two bodies, <Froze> and <Yarn>, advanced at a slow walk. They seemed to be in a highly combative state, and the multifunction sensors scattered throughout the area were picking up the growls of both bodies.
“...That’s terrifying.”
The words slipped from Eve’s mouth without thinking. Even if it was only telescopic footage, the main display was filled with close-ups of two wolves wearing vicious expressions, and even the growling captured by the sensors was being played back.
For Eve, who was basically just a shut-in, it might as well have been a horror video.
“My apologies, Commander Ma’am. I was not sufficiently considerate.”
Noticing that, <Ringo> hurriedly switched the image to a long shot.
So the command room of <The Tree> was, in its own way, lacking a little tension.
At the actual front, however, the atmosphere was taut.
Ever since they first appeared, the two had continued walking slowly while keeping several hundred meters between them. They seemed to be cautiously closing the distance.
Incidentally, they only looked as though they were walking slowly. With each step they were covering nearly ten meters, so in reality they were approaching at a considerable speed.
At this pace, they would enter attack range in less than ten minutes.
