Darling in the FranXX: Insurrection

Chapter 54 - The Defense of Haven (Part 2)

Delphinium slowly raises her eyes to meet her savior. This mysterious figure clothed in bearskin and wielding an axe engraved with Nordic runes had appeared out of nowhere. They dispatched the FranXX responsible for the puncture wound in her abdomen before offering a hand, saying, "This is no place to die".

What doesn't add up is someone being here to save Delphinium in the first place. There weren't enough rebels left to double up on any of the defensive positions, and every able pilot was in the field already. That meant this newcomer was someone or something else.

"Miku, Zorome," the figure's gauntleted hand brushes against Delphinium's shoulder. "It is unwise to stay here. The third line is crumbling."

As the adrenaline induced by her injury surges through her veins, Miku asks the one question burning in the forefront of her mind. "...Freya?"

"Yes," the FranXX answers, throwing one of Delphinium's arms over her shoulder.

Completely flabbergasted, Zorome is barely audible as he whispers, "How?"

"To keep it brief, I am using a trick devised from VIRM's technique of controlling inactive FranXX. My consciousness has been uploaded into this unit, giving me full control," Freya replies. She begins leading the injured pair toward the relative safety of the final line of defense. "We must hurry."

The sounds of battle accompany their trek. They hear loyalist against rebel, FranXX against FranXX, fighting in a desperate attempt to secure the coastal village. For one side it represents the final obstacle in their path to global domination, and to the other it is a bastion of hope in a sea of darkness.

It isn't long before they arrive at the open park in the center of Haven. Several hundred yards from the forming defense lies the cliff, and below it the crashing waves still churning from the mammoth wave. This is it. There are no further places to retreat, and no more holes to hide in. The rebels would either hold this ground or be crushed against the corner they've backed themselves into.

"How many are left?" Delphinium asks as one of the construction units applies a hasty patch to her wound. She winces as the plate is welded into place. It stings like hell, the body of the FranXX relaying the experience to hers via their connection.

"Huh?" the blue and white mech asks.

Freya had spoken in response but the pain had drawn Miku's attention, resulting in her missing the reply.

"We have only a handful of combatants remaining. Supplementing them with the construction units and myself gives us eighteen."

"How many more of them?" Zorome inquires as Delphinium nods over her shoulder.

Hachi answers from nearby. He and Nana had been standing lookout but have since rejoined the discussion.

"We estimate thirty-five to forty."

"Twice our number and they're all real soldiers," Delphinium says with a hint of dejection in her voice.

The battle-hardened commander pushes herself to her feet and strides toward the defensive line. Thanks to the time the phased retreat had bought, the builders have been able to set up something of a real emplacement. It's a wall of steel sheets set at an inward angle that APE would be forced to scale before reaching the rebels. The only way over is to drop your weapons and crawl, making it a simple but very deadly defense.

As Delphinium surveys the area, a pair of yips emanate from the outskirts of Haven. Moments later, two canine figures come bounding out from the wreckage with a Dauntless heavy mech hot on their heels.