Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

Seeing that they were temporarily safe, the blue-clad woman set Hexia down on the ground and carefully checked to see if the young Songstress was injured.

"I'm fine," Hexia said, looking slightly embarrassed as the officer felt her over for injuries. She quickly waved her hands to indicate that she was truly alright.

"Of course, your own strength isn't bad either," she added.

Perhaps out of concern, the blue-clad woman also realized this and released Hexia, introducing herself against the backdrop of the flickering protective shield behind her.

"My name is Kiotia, a Patrol Officer from the Court of Judgment's Songstress Inspection Office, currently responsible for your safety," she stated, standing at attention and then drawing her military saber. Upon infusing it with magic power, the straight silver blade emanated a striking azure light blade that was particularly noticeable in the darkness of the night.

The Patrol Officer bore the emblem of cobalt blue star tears, and her uniform and gear indicated that she was a core member of the Court of Judgment, a follower of Emuralin's legacy. Her power was among the elite of Sequence 6, able to rush to Hexia's side and protect her even in a sudden explosion.

"Thank you," Hexia bowed in gratitude, blinking slightly as she observed the Patrol Officer she had not met before.

Hexia had long been aware of the presence of Court of Judgment personnel on the flying vessel, and she had even noticed plainclothes operatives appearing in her life, but out of politeness, she usually did not disclose this; this was the first time she had met a core member of the Court of Judgment face-to-face.

While the two were conversing, a soldier clad in grey exoskeleton armor approached and reported.

"Report to the Patrol Officer, the distress signal has been sent out, and support will arrive shortly," he said.

"Good, now all we need to do is to hold our position," Kiotia replied, somewhat reassured by the report, then turned to look at the shield being constantly bombarded by laser beams.

"With the strength of this defense system, we should be able to hold out for about 3 to 5 minutes," she estimated, then pulled out a palm-sized disc from her waist.

"We have a spare here," she said, placing the disc in Hexia's hand.

"If the situation becomes critical, just turn the knob in the middle of the disc and throw it out; it will automatically form a protective shield," she instructed.

"Thank you, but the situation may not be so simple," the girl said, accepting the disc, then pointing to the night sky behind the group, where several dark figures were quickly approaching; the excess light from the laser beams also highlighted their silhouettes.

Their bodies were thick and sturdy, with grey-green mecha shells and angular exterior armor that made them look like heavy infantry.

The 'Linxi-b1 model,' once a mainstay on the front lines renowned for its sturdy armor and fierce firepower, was a Sixth Rank military mech armor that required exceptionally strong Sequence 6 pilots to operate. Though now withdrawn from frontline units, some military areas still retained them.

The six mechas dove down, landing on the ground with a thud that kicked up a great deal of dust and shook the earth, then they extended cold, dark circular gun barrels from beneath their arms, aiming directly at the protective shield in front of them.

In an instant, flames erupted, and countless blazing red enchanted bullets shot across the night, striking the shield. The high-speed rotating metal barrels appeared like lingering shadows, and the sound of rapid firing was so dense it sounded like a screech without any breaks.

In just 8 seconds, tens of thousands of enchanted bullets rained down on the shield, shattering and exploding it into pieces, sweeping across the ground inside the shield like a plough.

The red-hot ground smoked, dust and smoke slowly dispersed, and now no figures stood within.

[Report, target's presence has been lost, preliminarily determined to be eliminated]