[Blue Archive] I am the Trinity Checkpoint Chief – Chapter 91

—RUMBLE!

A self-propelled gun of unknown model roared out of the warehouse, its engine bellowing. As neatly stacked debris collapsed in a heap, a squad member tripped and thrashed in panic—a desperate struggle for survival.

The vehicle, weighing dozens of tons, left deep tracks in the ground. Its turret spun with a metallic clank.

Caught off guard by this unexpected welcome, the squad members were thrown into chaos. They hadn’t anticipated this level of firepower lying in wait. Armed lightly for a surprise attack, their bullets—and even the M32’s grenades—were useless against an armored vehicle that could only be escaped.

Imashino Misaki was among them. Her battle-honed instincts urged her to flee the scene in an instant.

“Damn it, we’ve been spotted! We need to get out—argh!”

But escaping didn’t eliminate the threat.

The self-propelled gun crushed a squad member as if swatting a fly. The student, her gas mask and rifle shattered, lay motionless. Her halo hadn’t broken, so she wasn’t dead, but that was of little concern to Misaki.

The massive steel frame was a weapon in itself. It didn’t need bullets.

Who was the student behind the wheel, unleashing such fury on the Arius squad? The Acting Commander was supposed to be working in the office inside the building. No standout members of the Border Checkpoint came to mind.

What was clear was that Misaki, a member of the squad, could end up like the unconscious student if she wasn’t careful. On second thought, it seemed the self-propelled gun was deliberately chasing her, weaving right and left.

To test it, Misaki stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

Using a Stinger anti-air missile on a ground target wasn’t ideal, but in a fight for survival, what did it matter? She inserted the BCU and waited for the seeker to lock on.

—Now!

Misaki pulled the trigger.

—WHOOSH!

The 70mm Mk.27 solid-fuel rocket missile streaked forward, trailing white smoke.

It didn’t take long for the missile to hit the vehicle. A small flame erupted, and the self-propelled gun was quickly shrouded in smoke. The faltering squad members, gaining confidence, began returning fire. The sound of ricocheting bullets echoed.

…Did it work?

—SCREECH!

Something was wrong. A strange noise leaked from the smoke, sparked by the friction of bullets.

The squad swallowed hard, waiting in silence. Some members dove into the bushes where Misaki had taken cover, one dragging an unconscious teammate. Fortunately, they showed no major injuries.

“…Did we get it?”

“Don’t let your guard down.”

After what felt like minutes but was only seconds, the smoke cleared, revealing the vehicle.

Completely unscathed, its turret turned, the barrel now aimed directly at them.

“…Run!”

The thick muzzle brake spewed flames from both sides. The Arius squad scrambled to evade, but that was all they could do. A 40-kilogram high-explosive shell hurtled toward them at supersonic speed.

The impact point, clearly aimed at the bushes where the squad hid, was unavoidable. Realizing escape was impossible, Misaki crouched to minimize the impact.

—BOOM!

Misaki cursed her luck today. The shell exploded right beside her crouched form.

A massive explosion erupted. Most of the Arius squad members caught in the blast were either flung far away or knocked out where they stood. Her missile strike hadn’t damaged the gun’s fire control system—it had only pissed it off.

With half of the 14-member squad suddenly incapacitated, only those watching from the sidelines remained. Some students instinctively fled, but others… hesitated.

Was the situation too unfavorable? Should they abandon their comrades still executing the plan inside the building?

As squad leader, Misaki saw two paths. These students knew critical details about the ongoing operation. It was her duty to protect the squad, or at least get them out.

But her deliberation didn’t last long. A chilling mechanical whine pierced her ears.

The self-propelled gun—its rear turret.

The rectangular muzzle brake meant it was locked onto her.

“…Son of a—”

—BOOM!

The Bereck roared.

***

Light.

“….” Misaki rose from the dirt, scanning her surroundings.

Her vision, filled with blue light, caught sight of the Checkpoint Headquarters. Gunfire echoed from the clearing.

The girl struggled to clear her muddled mind.

How had she survived? Why was the self-propelled gun, which had been so close, now positioned far away?

Multiple scenarios flooded her logical framework. The most rational explanation was that the explosion had thrown her here, narrowly escaping the operator’s notice. They might not even realize she was a high-value target.

Her collective consciousness deemed it plausible, and Misaki agreed.

The goddess of fortune hadn’t abandoned her yet.

But… honestly, this debate was hardly worth her attention. Strategic thinking was tough now. Survival was the priority. Escaping the scene trumped reasoning.

She felt sorry for the squad members who’d fled to the clearing or forest, but with even a Stinger missile proving useless, she didn’t think she could play a significant role.

Her consciousness began to align with a single thought.

Run.

“…Tch.”

Instead of returning to the Checkpoint Headquarters, Misaki chose the deep forest.

She didn’t know how long it’d take to reach the city again, but it was better than being captured and locked in Trinity’s basement dungeon. With ample military rations, she wouldn’t starve.

The girl sprinted, gaining speed. As artillery fire continued on the other side, Misaki chose freedom.

At the very least, the fate of her squad members wasn’t her concern.

The small girl’s form vanished into the shadows of the vast forest spanning hundreds of kilometers.

***

[Senior! Get out of there, Senior!]

Just as she was about to sign the Justice Task Force deputy’s proposal, Ritsuko-chan’s voice came through.

[What’s going on? Weren’t you on standby with Hippo-chan?]

[We’re under attack! I don’t know where, but they’re definitely targeting you! Some have entered the building, so be careful!]

…Wait.

So, the Checkpoint Headquarters was under attack?

She moved her chair to the window. Amid various noises, she focused, and gunfire pierced her ears. An engine boasting four-digit horsepower shook the concrete building.

Instinctively sensing trouble, she pulled the cord to lift the plastic curtain. A 14-meter-long vehicle sped through the clearing. A dozen students in dark uniforms with red ties fired in panic, but the Hippo truck didn’t budge.

A familiar uniform. Standard for a certain academy. Seen occasionally at the Tea Party Hall—ordinary,

Gehenna Academy’s standard uniform.

“…No, this can’t be. You can’t do this to me.”

The senior administrator had assured her Gehenna’s attack on Trinity was unthinkable, a scenario she’d tried to dismiss. She, of all people, knew how absurd it was for a party pushing the Eden Treaty to betray them—

Was it really them? Did Pandemonium Society—those Pandemonium bastards—betray the Tea Party and launch a preemptive strike? Were Hanuma Makoto and her officers missing because they were holed up in a bunker?

“…No, that can’t be. It can’t— No. It’s just a hunch. Just a hunch.”

She had to get out and head to the Tea Party Hall. She needed to contact the chief in charge of field operations to verify the facts. She couldn’t just assume those damned Pandemonium Society kids had sparked a war.

Reason and emotion, urging restraint, were separate entities, but the rising anger was unavoidable.

[Senior, where are you now?]

[I’m heading out. Just in case, stay inside Hippo-chan.]

Grabbing the shotgun from the wall, she slung a pouch filled with white-gray steel shells around her neck. The shells clinked noisily. According to Ritsuko-chan, enemies might be lying in wait in the hallway outside the office.

She pumped the shotgun, loading a shell into the dark barrel. Holding two shells, she chambered one.

One into the tube magazine, then two more into the loading port.

No signs of life outside the door. If enemies were there, they were deathly quiet. It didn’t seem like Gehenna students would helplessly face a dozens-of-tons self-propelled gun… Perhaps a hidden special forces unit?

—WHOOSH!

A fierce battle raged in the clearing outside. Likely a missile fired by a Gehenna student hitting Hippo-chan. It sounded small-caliber, and as expected, Hippo-chan didn’t flinch.

[Whoa— Senior, they fired a missile! If Hippo-chan blows up… Wait, never mind. I’m not losing! I was gonna crush them, but they need a taste of high-explosive shells. It’ll be hot!]

[…Ritsuko-chan, take it easy.]

Her blonde junior seemed to gain confidence from her vehicle. The sound of the turret moving came from the advancing self-propelled gun, unfazed by the missile. Those kids were in for a bad day.

—BOOM!

A massive explosion shook the Checkpoint Headquarters slightly. Ambushing students in the hallway gasped, revealing their presence.

Aha—now’s the time. She sprinted, kicking the door so hard the handle bent. Several armed students came into view. Panicked by the chaos inside and out, they didn’t react until she aimed her shotgun.

“Hey, friends.”

It didn’t matter to her. Pulling the trigger, she felt a heavy recoil in her shoulder.

—BANG!

“Gah—damn it, return fire—”

Click-clack, BANG!

As the lead student fell, the others opened fire. Smelling gunpowder, she pumped the shotgun, deciding to take a hit or two. In a straight hallway, there was nowhere to dodge anyway.

She aimed at the students behind the neutralized one. As a bullet ricocheted off the shotgun, creating a spark, she pulled the trigger again.

—BANG!

“Argh!”

Two students hit by 4-gauge buckshot collapsed. She’d taken about twenty rounds, the shots piercing her white-gray uniform, stinging fiercely. Nearly stumbling, she reloaded and aimed at the left corner.

When her gaze met the enemy’s, the panicked girl realized her gun was no longer ejecting shells. Jammed or out of ammo, she clearly understood her disadvantage.

She wore a strangely familiar gas mask. Tossing her gun aside, she drew a dagger.

“…Confident in close quarters, huh?”

“…”

“No response, eh?”

She lightly pulled the trigger, only to realize her beloved TOZ-123 was in the same state.

Pumping it revealed a jammed shell. Even Red Winter’s reliable steel shells failed sometimes. Why, of all times, did Murphy’s Law haunt her now?

No time for big thoughts. The student, already at a disadvantage, charged with intent to gut her. Cursing her luck, she pressed the shotgun to her body, deflecting the first two slashes with the stock.

Two chances went to the student—but the last one?

Fate seemed to favor her. The alloy stock snapped the student’s dagger in half. As the girl faltered, she gripped the barrel’s ends with both hands and swung at her head.

Crack.

Was that the sound of something breaking? The gas mask fell, revealing a youthful face. The spot where she collapsed was soon soaked in blood, suggesting the final blow landed true.

Huff—huff—

Her ragged breathing echoed in the hallway, but no further signs of life were felt. Were the four ambushers all there were? A few more, and she’d have been outmatched with her ammo gone. Today was her lucky day.

Fishing out the jammed shell with her fingers, she grabbed two more from the pouch to reload when her blood-soaked uniform caught her eye. Blood still dripped, soaking her clothes. As adrenaline faded, the wounds began to ache again.

Man, she’d taken quite a few bullets.

Compared to the students she’d just taken down, it was a light injury, wasn’t it?

“…Feels like there are more out there.”

The group chased by Hippo-chan in the clearing was squad-sized, maybe a dozen or so. In a typical scenario, they’d split into an entry team and a search team, meaning that many students were still around.

Loading the remaining shells into the tube magazine, she entered the room. From the radio she’d forgotten to grab during the ambush counterattack, various voices spilled out, mostly Ritsuko-chan’s worried ones.

[—Senior, Senior, are you alive? Answer me, you’re making me wait forever… If you keep this up, I’ll ditch Hippo-chan and come in!]

[Senior’s not sleeping.]

[Eek, you scared me… Phew, you’re alive. What happened? You sound exhausted.]

Took dozens of bullets and beat down a knife-wielding maniac, that’s what.

[Those bastards were ambushing right outside the office. I took a few out, but there might be more in the building. I’ll clear them out and head out, so keep the AC on and wait.]

[…Don’t people like that die first? This isn’t your last stand, right?]

[Are you from Trinity or Gehenna? No way that’s happening, don’t worry. They can’t exactly shell our building with a self-propelled gun.]

[…Alright. Be careful, seriously. I mean it.]

The radio cut off.

…Ugh, really. Her body was already aching, and the thought of fighting her way out was dreadful.

Wasn’t there a teleporter or something? Could the Engineering Club whip one up if she asked?

“…As if.”

Come on, Hikari. In subculture, they call that magic. Reality’s different.

Let’s go. Who knows what’s in the dark hallway, but a shotgun blast or two should handle it.

She stuffed the radio deep in her pocket and stepped into the darkness.

***

Exactly 13 minutes and 27 seconds later, she climbed onto Hippo-chan with a pile of documents.

“It took you almost 15 minutes, Senior… Whoa, you’re covered in blood! Are you okay?!”

“Those damn idiots were firing grenades in a cramped hallway. Couldn’t avoid getting hit.”

No sense of reason, either.

If they knew they’d get caught in the blast, they shouldn’t have fired in the first place. Thanks to them, her clothes were singed, stained red, and a total mess.

“I’ve contacted the Justice Task Force to take them away, but… shouldn’t you head to the Relief Knights first?”

“Nah, nah. It’s fine. Aside from a dizzy head, I’m not hurting much.”

“Then where to?”

There’s only one place to go in a situation like this.

“The Tea Party Hall.”