?


    "Good work, everyone! Another day without as much as a scratch! You''re all getting better at this!"


    In thending zone of the forty fifth base, five Valkyries were in the process of putting aside their equipment after a long day of work. While on their patrol they ran into a number of Cmities and engaged them in battle. Though it was more hecticpared to the usually calm days of their region, the five managed to deal with the enemy easily without any of them sustaining any injuries.


    "Well, they were just a bunch of C ss Cmities this time." R2 said, her shoulders slumping over the moment her propellers were taken off.


    "There were more than twenty!" D2 yelled in protest. "ss C or not, we weren''t prepared to take on that many!"


    "Well, does it matter? We have already dealt with them." C1 said before yawning. The drone beside her looked like it would make for a good pillow.


    "Well, it''s true that normally we would''ve been wiped out." K9 said, smiling as she turned to thest Valkyrie in their group. "But there was nothing to worry about. After all, we have Leader with us!"


    "I told you not to call me that." B3 said with a tired smile.


    "Why not? You''re our leader, aren''t you, Leader?"


    With her being the shortest among them it looked like they were just teasing her. However despite the smiles and giggles none of them looked down on the young Valkyrie. She was the reason their team was so well coordinated. Her situational awareness made it possible for her to perceive all threats in her surrounding, in addition to the movements of her allies. That allowed her to direct them in the best way possible, allowing them to focus on the task in front of them knowing she has their backs. Her Crimson Drones were quite useful as well, serving as the shields that saved them a lot of time as well as the chains that restrained the enemies that proved too much to handle normally.


    "Yeah yeah, whatever…"


    Her lukewarm response didn''t go over their heads as the four looked at each other. After exchanging looks, it was decided that K9 would handle the situation, being the closest to the red haired Valkyrie.


    "Alright, B3, out with it already." K9 asked once the others left for their examination. "And don''t try to hide anything. I can see that you aren''t happy about something."


    "... It''s nothing…" B3 said after a while.


    "Nope! We aren''t going to do this!"


    Without a warning, K9 grabbed B3''s sides and began tickling her. The young Valkyrie went stiff for a moment before busting intoughter, struggling to free herself from her friend''s grasp.


    "Okay okay! I get it already!"


    "Really?"


    "Yeah!"


    K9 knew how sensitive her friend''s sides were so she always used it to get an advantage on her. Having calmed down, B3 wiped the tears that had begun to form from the unrestrainedughing and let out a long sigh.


    "I''ve been thinking about changing my weapon." She said.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    "Now that''s new." K9 raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised by the deration. "This is the first time I hear about someone wanting a weapon swap."


    "Don''t get me wrong, I really like my drones. It''s just…" pausing for a couple of seconds, B3 looked down at her hands and said "I want to be more active in battle. Staying at the back and offering support, I feel… I feel like I could do more…"


    Valkyries were usually given the weapons and equipment they were the mostfortable with. Most of it is made from the remains of defeated Cmities so it''s rare to find two sets that resemble each other, but B3''s Crimson Drones were especially unique, being one of the few purely support type weapons.


    "I thought you preferred this battle style?"


    "Well, yeah." B3 replied. "I specifically asked for something I could use this way, but…"


    The Crimson Drones, as sturdy as they were, couldn''t deal a lot of damage. They could effectively block attacks and paralyze enemies but they couldn''t cause much harm, especially to any Cmity that''s C ss or higher.


    "You aren''t just offering support, you know." K9 said, cing her hand on the young one''s head. "Without your directions we wouldn''t be able to fight as efficiently as we do. I actually think we would suffer a lot if you were to start focusing on destroying those scraps of metal instead of leading us."


    "I could do more than one thing, you know." B3 pouted. "Maybe they could upgrade my drones so they wouldn''t be just a bunch of giant sludge hammers."


    "That would be difficult to do." K9 smiled wryly. "You can''t really spread the force field to something you aren''t touching."


    "Why about cannons?"


    "Cannons are technically support weapons too, you know? Unless you''re good enough to hit the core…"


    The only ranged weapons that could deal serious damage to high ss Cmities consume a ridiculous amount of energy, so much that the Resistance holds off on using them unless the situation is hopeless.


    "Ugh…" B3 slumped her shoulders, a defeated sigh escaping her. "I''m not really good with melee weapons…"


    "You know, B3, there really is no need for you to be on the frontline." K9 said. "I won''t ask you to stay the same, but I''m sure everyone would appreciate it if you focused on leading us. We will handle the Cmities, you make sure we don''t miss anything."


    "... Alright, sure…"


    Though she didn''t seem convinced, B3 decided to keep doing things the way she did for a while. Soon after she learned that a simple weapon change won''t do. Against overwhelming power, nothing she could do would protect her and her friends. She needed more. A lot more. Simple weapons wouldn''t do.


    Once she got her heart upgraded and was able to ess her halos, B3 felt like she could finally create something that satisfied her yearning for power. It came to her readily, so naturally that it felt like she always meant to have it from the moment she was born.


    With the war against the Nephilim ending she never had the chance to try it out, and though she hoped she would never have to, B3 was happy to have something that would help her stand at the frontline, protecting herrades instead of leaving the dangerous part to them.


    As her Scarlet Citadel came to life, her eyes locked on the target standing a long distance away. Though she felt hesitant seeing her friend''s face worn by the enemy, her hand squeezed the trigger in her hand signaling the start of a devastating bombardment.