《Assault Colossus of the Nemesis Warfront》 CH 1 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone I¡¯m Mozuya Kou, a guy who works at a factory that manufactures automobile parts. I¡¯m just your average twenty-two-year-old working adult. An alarm suddenly rang out within the worksite. The surroundings became wrapped in tension. ¡°Was there an accident?¡± At the time when everyone was frantically rushing about due to the emergency evacuation¨C my consciousness got cut off. When I next came to, I was standing within a large square. Around me were people who worked at the same factory. It was a bit hard to tell everyone else¡¯s expressions due to their bangs obscuring their faces, but they all seemed quite agitated regardless. There was a large aircraft in front of us. It seemed to be a military model; not a civilian one. Lots of people were boarding it one after another. ¡°Everyone, please hurry and get on board,¡± an announcement from the plane streamed out. ¡°We can only stay in this place for five minutes. If you want to be saved, then please hurry up.¡± I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around this situation. I scanned the surroundings and found a mountain of rubble. It was a giant humanoid silhouette. Was it wreckage of some sort? Still dazed, I headed for the end of the long queue in order to board the plane. ¡°Sorry bout this.¡± Suddenly, somebody cut in line. It was Yoshikawa. He was a senior at work I didn¡¯t exactly get along with. Because we had similar hobbies, I ended up quite close to the chairman and his grandson and earned Yoshikawa¡¯s ire as a result. I just kept silent. If I argued with him now, I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll do to me later. A majority of the people have already boarded the plane through its side door. The last section of the queue had also entered. We stood on the section near the door. Inside was like a crowded train during rush hour. ¡°I¡¯m closing the door now. Please mind yourselves.¡± At the moment when the announcement rang out and the sliding type door started to close¨C I felt an impact run all throughout my body. The next moment, I realized I fell outside on my backside. The instant before the door closed completely, a sense of malice seeped out from within¨C It was Yoshikawa, who was grinding his teeth in spite. The fact that I was thrown out finally hit me. I knew he couldn¡¯t stomach the sight of me, but he¡¯s really willing to go this far? I was shocked speechless. The plane started to move. I lowered my body to avoid being caught up by its wake. My white-colored overalls and hat were blown away by the resulting gale. Inside the plane, Yoshikawa screamed out. ¡°Ah! Mozuya is outside! Please stop this thing right now!¡± ¡°What did you say?!¡± ¡°Look at the window. He¡¯s outside!¡± ¡°Somebody! Please stop! We have to save Mozuya!¡± Yoshikawa shamelessly kept screaming his lungs out. But the plane still mercilessly flew away. I could only look on helplessly. I regained my composure after some time. I still didn¡¯t get my situation, but it isn¡¯t good to stay still and not do anything. I saw a crowd of people in the distance. It¡¯s probably those who found that plane suspicious and didn¡¯t get on. The moment I decided to start walking, I abruptly halted my steps. It was a large machine. I saw a machine that looked like some sort of insect. It had a silhouette somewhat resembling that of a mantis. It was greater in size compared to a large trailer truck. I had a really bad feeling. The people ran up to it in order to seek help. They went further away from where I was. Something popped out from the back of the unfamiliar machine. It was a gun barrel. Accompanied by the sound of bodies being blown away, the group of people were bathed red in blood and turned into mere stains on the desolate ground. My body froze up in fear. Was it really so easy for people to die? At this rate, will I also die as well? Even if I called for help, I knew there¡¯s already nobody around. There¡¯s nothing I can do. ¡°Run.¡± I¡¯m sure I heard a voice. I wonder where it came from? ¡°Get those legs of yours moving.¡± That¡¯s right. I didn¡¯t want to die yet. I had to get away from here. The moment I decided to escape, my legs naturally regained their ability to move. I ran in the opposite direction while being pressed by the mysterious voice. I still didn¡¯t get what¡¯s happening. I rushed past the mountains of rubble; as far away as possible ¨C away from that horrible murder machine. And then I encountered something unbelievable before me. The one which appeared from within the ruins was¡ª ¡°A cat?¡± This feline was the first to genuinely greet me after I was transported to this crazy-looking world. The cat let out a soft meow and jumped right in front of me. It had fox-like features and gray fur ¨C it looked pretty familiar. It was a Russian Blue. ¡°Why is it in this sort of place?¡± I thought. But the cat started to walk away, only to turn its head back towards me after a few moments; as if it was telling me to follow. I decided to follow the cat while still completely bewildered about what¡¯s going on. After the cat made sure I was following, it suddenly sped up. We entered further and further inside the ruins. It led me towards an opening wide enough for one person to fit. I cautiously entered inside. The cat had disappeared. It seemed that way, but the cat actually went inside another opening. It only showed its face, and then disappeared once again. I checked the hole it jumped into and found a spiral staircase leading straight down. If I went in here, I bet that the murder machine wouldn¡¯t be able to follow. So I decided to go down the stairs. There were a lot of doors lining the walls below. The cat continued to walk without pause. There was one door that was open, and the cat went inside. Was this an infirmary of some sort? There were a lot of beds inside. There were also a lot of bottles lined up on the shelves. However, the room was a terrible mess. The cat jumped up on top of a desk and poked a bottle with its paw repeatedly. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± I remembered the cat we used to have at home. Was it some sort of cat food? ¡°Nya~n.¡± When I opened the bottle¡¯s lid, I found a lot of capsules inside. I spread them all before the cat. ¡°Nyaa.¡± The cat pushed just one capsule towards me. I could only think of one thing it possibly wanted me to do. ¡°Do you want me to take this capsule?¡± ¡°Nyaa!¡± It cried out excitedly while squinting its eyes. ¡°Sure, I can take it. But it would be nice if I had some water.¡± While stroking the cat, I picked up the capsule and swallowed it down. I lost consciousness once more. I felt something repeatedly hitting my cheek. My nose was then plugged up by a paw. I finally woke up from that. ¡°W- What the heck!?¡± ¡°Good morning.¡± The cat actually talked. It spoke in an androgynous-sounding voice. ¡°Do you now fully understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± ¡°H- How the heck can a cat actually talk!?¡± Have I finally gone completely crazy? I got more confused than ever. ¡°Calm yourself. The capsule which you took had nanomachines that are able to modify your language center. You lost your consciousness yesterday due to them optimizing your language faculties.¡± ¡°To the point where I can even understand a cat?¡± ¡°I¡¯m actually not a cat. But that¡¯ll take too long to explain. I would¡¯ve talked to you sooner, but the language in this star system is English-based. You Japanese aren¡¯t that good with English right?¡± it grinned and chuckled. ¡°This star system? What the heck¡¯s going on here man!?¡± ¡°Oi, oi. Don¡¯t panic kid. I¡¯ll explain everything to you okay. You can address me as Master. What¡¯s your name son?¡± ¡°My name¡¯s Mozuya Kou. You can just call me Kou.¡± ¡°Very well, Kou. I shall tell you everything you need to know.¡± I, Kou, properly gave my greetings to the cat. The cat, who wanted to be addressed as Master, cried in acknowledgment with a single meow. Master first taught me about the whereabouts of food, water, the toilet, and a place to sleep. The available food seemed to be rations. I tried a bite and found that it tasted like sweet konjac jelly. ¡°Well then, where to begin? Basically, you were sent to this timeline from the 21st century before a bomb blast completely obliterated your bodies and caused your deaths.¡± ¡°A bomb? So we¡¯re all supposed to have died from that? Just where is this place anyway? Where on earth is this place? Don¡¯t tell me we¡¯re in a different world or something?¡± ¡°No, this is not a different world. Not exactly. I already said this earlier, but do you think there¡¯s an isekai where the main spoken language is English-based?¡± ¡°Why is it English-based anyway?¡± ¡°From the spread of the internet at the end of the 20th century, English has played a major role as a universal language. That trend still continues to this day.¡± ¡°The internet!¡± I don¡¯t know jack about the relationship between the English language and the internet, but I might have stumbled into something vital here. ¡°Is the internet available in this world as well? How about smartphones?¡± ¡°Nothing like that is available as of the moment. Please just give up.¡± Master shot me down mercilessly. And it looked like such a nice cat too. ¡°How far in the future are we from the 21st century?¡± ¡°More than twenty thousand years. Just a couple thousand years more than twenty thousand, I suppose.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Simply put, countless years have passed ever since your time. I will tell you about it in detail later. First, you need to focus on surviving. It¡¯ll take a long time to explain everything in its entirety after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true I guess¡­ There¡¯s also that monster lurking above us.¡± ¡°Come with me.¡± I followed after Master and started walking. We passed a number of complex corridors and finally arrived in front of a huge door. ¡°[Junkyard]? It¡¯s really written in English huh. A waste disposal site?¡± ¡°It holds the key to your survival.¡± The door opened. Inside was an incredibly wide space. A lot of machines were placed within ¨C seemingly abandoned. Many of them were humanoid in shape. It was my first time seeing such kinds of humanoid machines. Some of them simply stood idly in a corner while others had one knee on the ground as a single hand propped up their huge frames. Others had both knees and hands thrust to the ground below. They were at least as tall as a three-story building ¨C more or less 8 meters. Their mechanical limbs were thicker than their torsos. There were not a lot of thinner-looking models. Most of them gave the impression akin to that of an armored vehicle. They were most likely for military use. There was quite a variety of head designs as well. From two-eyed and mono-eyed ones reminiscent of Japanese robots in a certain anime series to ones entirely without eye cameras installed or sporting huge antennas. Guess it has to do with their intended roles or something. They also did not have parts that corresponded to noses or mouths. They certainly looked fitting in a junkyard; many of them were already half-broken, but some still looked functional for the most part. Those lacking limbs were all gathered in one spot. Whether or not they were still functional was unclear, but the ones with a complete set of arms, legs, and heads were parked messily on another spot. Maybe those things over there could really still be used. ¡°What exactly are these things?¡± I turned towards Master and asked. CH 2 Giant humanoid mobile weapons. Kou couldn¡¯t help but turn to Master with a questioning look. As for why he was sure they were weapons, it was because they had a kind of intensity only present in weapons of war. There were even bullet marks left all over their armor. ¡¸If you convert their official designation to Japanese kanji, you¡¯ll end up with¡ºToujou Kyohei¡»as the rough translation. We commonly refer to them as¡¾Silhouette¡¿. From a distance, they look like giant humanoid silhouettes, right? They are humanoid-type vehicles.¡¹ ¡¸Certainly. If you check them out from a great distance, I suppose they would look like human silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸The combat models present here are called¡¾Assault Silhouettes¡¿. You can also write it as¡ºKyoushuu Kyouhei/Assault Giant Soldier¡»in kanji, I suppose. Their basic frame isn¡¯t all that different from civilian models though.¡¹ ¡¸Combat models huh. They do somewhat give out a similar feeling to armored aircraft or vehicles.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll have to board one of them and use it to defeat the one that attacked you earlier. You can also choose to live together with me for a good while, but I¡¯m sure you don¡¯t want that, right?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d like to at least have enough time to learn about the situation first.¡¹ He still hasn¡¯t received a decent explanation from Master about his situation until now. ¡¸How long do you think would it take for a distressed foreign person to study a language and learn about his current situation in detail? Just give up about that and fight. I don¡¯t have much time remaining myself.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸I have already gone beyond my expected operation limit. I am about to welcome my last days. I am also just a machine. However, I have managed to encounter a human presence and thus moved to save it. And that¡¯s you.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. But please don¡¯t die yet, Master.¡¹ ¡¸A machine doesn¡¯t die. We simply deactivate.¡¹ ¡¸Even machines have souls, Master.¡¹ These were Kou¡¯s true feelings. Ever since he was still a young boy, he always had the habit of treating various inanimate objects as if they had lives of their own. ¡¸I see¨C Now I know why she decided to save you.¡¹ ¡¸Who¡¯s ¡®she¡¯?¡¹ ¡¸Now is not the time to discuss that. I don¡¯t know when exactly I would deactivate, but it will be soon. My last duty is to lead you safely to humanity¡¯s bastion. I¡¯m sorry, but I will have to speed up the explanations.¡¹ Kou followed after Master as they traversed the mountains of junk. ¡¸This ruined city was once a human settlement, a weapons factory, and a repair facility. They specialized in these Silhouettes. It was destroyed five years ago.¡¹ ¡¸Hee. That¡¯s why we might find something we can use here? Robot weapons, I mean.¡¹ ¡¸You can call them both robots that can act on their own and mechas that need a human to pilot them as well. Even the most advanced supercomputers here were made specifically to assist humans.¡¹ ¡¸Wouldn¡¯t making them fully autonomous be better? I mean, aren¡¯t they stronger that way?¡¹ ¡¸Us and them follow the same core principle. That is to¡ºbe beholden to humans¡». They are the ones who opted to be made into vehicles that can be boarded by humans. Basically, they will be unable to move unless piloted by a human. Though there is an exception here.¡¹ Master stopped in the center of the facility. ¡¸Now then, we¡¯ve walked a fair bit already. These are all basically junked Silhouettes. Some were used for parts replacement, and some were discarded here after facing their final battle. I¡¯m sure we will be able to find something to use among them.¡¹ ¡¸Uh, but I don¡¯t even know how to pilot these things in the first place.¡¹ ¡¸The Silhouettes will teach you.¡¹ ¡¸So I¡¯ll instantly know how to fight after boarding a robot? What is this? An anime?¡¹ Kou let out a sigh. ¡¸So there are actually this many operational Silhouettes.¡¹ Although this place was a junkyard, there were still many operational Silhouettes placed inside it. Perhaps this was simply an indication that this place was hastily abandoned due to a dire emergency. ¡¸By the way, the market price of the cheapest Silhouette model is actually roughly the same as a standard Japanese car.¡¹ ¡¸Ain¡¯t that too cheap?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t cars of the highest quality go for hundreds of millions? When it comes to combat model Silhouettes, their price actually has no definite ceiling.¡¹ ¡¸Wow. So they have ones for both extremes huh.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just proof that humans of this era are highly dependent on Silhouettes.¡¹ If an item gets popularized and widespread, the price would drop. It looks like this was still true even in this era. ¡¸I¡¯ll show you some models that can still be used and introduce them a bit. Think carefully about which of them you¡¯ll be most comfortable fighting in. It would take too long to explain all the factors that led to it, but basically, melee weapons are more effective than ranged ones in Silhouette combat.¡¹ ¡¸Just why!?¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but retort. Common sense dictates that long-range weapons were more effective than melee weapons. Even Kou knows that at least. ¡¸I didn¡¯t say that long-range weapons are totally ineffective you know. It¡¯s just that in the present battlefields, melee weapons are more useful and effective. Though I admit that the risk increases when an enemy closes in on you.¡¹ ¡¸But isn¡¯t sniping enemies from outside their range one of the most important basics of modern combat?¡¹ ¡¸If that still applies, do you think humanoid weapons like Silhouettes would even get developed? They have glaring weaknesses like limited coverage and fragile frames after all. I did say it would take too long to explain the logic behind it, didn¡¯t I? Just think about surviving for now.¡¹ ¡¸I understand. Tell me about my enemy then.¡¹ ¡¸Those unmanned murder weapons actually have an apt name ¨C Murder. The one you encountered is called Keres. It¡¯s a type that¡¯s particularly effective in eliminating humans. It has returned to this previously conquered area in order to kill the people who have been transferred here from the distant past.¡¹ ¡¸Keres? What¡¯s that name mean anyway?¡¹ ¡¸It means an evil spirit that appears on battlefields. It was taken from Greek mythology. It was a name that was taken from records the present age has about ancient Greece and Rome.¡¹ ¡¸Why Greece though?¡¹ ¡¸We also wanted to leave at least some remnants of the ancient global culture that existed before. And so, we opted to name some things after mythological creatures or symbols.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s how it is huh.¡¹ Kou still had a hard time comprehending that this was really the future, but after seeing those highly advanced robotic machines, he was forced to acknowledge it. Master then started teaching him about the characteristics of the useable Silhouettes. ¡¸The most commonly used model among those here is the SF-S 1A1 Bear. It has acceptable mobility despite being equipped with thick armor. It¡¯s also easily mass-produced, and is suitable for beginners.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, and just ignore that unit over there. That¡¯s the W-01. It¡¯s the predecessor of all combat silhouettes and is basically just a re-tooled worker model.¡¹ ¡¸This is the AT-02. Its unofficial designation is the Elephant. It¡¯s a heavy-armored model that presses forward in the frontlines like a tank. Multi-tasking is essential to pilot it effectively. Its hit rate isn¡¯t bad either. ¡¹ ¡¸That over there is the AF-05. It¡¯s specialized in high-speed combat. It¡¯s also regarded as an Ace machine and has great 3D maneuvering capabilities. But it¡¯s fairly difficult to handle and currently doesn¡¯t have fuel for its vernier and main thrusters. Unless we can find some fuel from the scraps lying around here, you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to use it to its full potential.¡¹ There were all kinds of machines. The Silhouette models Master introduced were all basically less than 8 meters in height. Their height should have been standardized. There were a total of 12 types present. Kou wanted to check out his compatibility with each, but Master said there was no time for that. Now, it was time to choose which machine he¡¯ll entrust his life to in order to survive. *Kashan Something suddenly made a sound. Becoming curious, Kou turned to the source of the sound. There wasn¡¯t anything there. It was just a pile of scrapped units. They were half-destroyed and were probably used for parts replacement in the past. ¡¸Huh? What¡¯s that?¡¹ Among the pile of scrapped mechs, there was something that caught Kou¡¯s eye. It was obviously unpainted. Yes. There was a model that was entirely the color of gray steel among them. It was sitting cross-legged as if it was enshrined in such a spot. Its sword was stabbed into the ground and resembled an armored warrior. Despite the many junked units piled on top of it, it continued to maintain such a regal position. It felt as if it was emitting an unyielding spirit. Its head visor was shaped like a hawk, and its main camera eyes were protected by goggles. However, the left side of the goggles was gouged in a nasty-looking manner, and the dual camera sensors were fully exposed. It resembled a one-eyed giant. Its head was equipped with a blade antenna that pierced toward the sky. Originally, it was a four-lens type with its camera sensors fully hidden behind goggles. Kou felt that the exposed camera sensors that were completely visible through the destroyed goggles matched gazes with him. They were like the eyes of an old and prideful general. ¡¸Kou, I mentioned there was an exception to the rule among the Silhouettes earlier, right? That¡¯s what I was referring to. This was considered a state-of-the-art mass-produced machine five years ago, but it ended up going out of control even without a pilot. It was abandoned here because it couldn¡¯t be repaired in time for withdrawal.¡¹ ¡¸It went out of control? Did it attack humans?¡¹ ¡¸No, quite the opposite actually. It went to attack the Murders on its own and bought time for the humans to escape. And that¡¯s even though there wasn¡¯t a pilot assigned to it yet.¡¹ ¡¸Its sole weapon is that great sword?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. It fought the Murders with that alone.¡¹ Kou¡¯s curiosity was piqued. ¡¸What¡¯s its name?¡¹ ¡¸TSW-R1-05. In other words, it¡¯s the fifth unit in a series. It was developed as a general-purpose machine that specialized in close combat. It¡¯s a high-mobility medium-armored unit.¡¹ ¡¸I see.¡¹ Kou continued to stare at Unit 5. ¡¸Do you still want to fight?¡¹ He talked to the machine without expecting a reply. Yes. How could such a machine even reply? ¡¸Let¡¯s go back. Those that exhibit anomalous phenomena such as fighting without pilots are all disposed of without exception, or completely rebuilt.¡¹ ¡¸Even though it protected humans?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a violation of our core operation principle after all. You cannot predict what that one might suddenly do without your input you know? But it was still treated as one of the cutting-edge models back then. It was set to be repaired after discarding its cockpit and replacing it with a new one, but it ended up being abandoned here because it couldn¡¯t sortie out when the humans were retreating from the city. It was left here perhaps due to its questionable history or being placed low in the priority list for extraction.¡¹ The moment Kou turned toward Master¨C *Gishi He couldn¡¯t help but immediately turn back toward Unit 5 once more. TSW-R1 still kept its former position. However, its head was now facing down. Kou felt that its right eyes were staring down at him. ¡¸Master, that guy just nodded.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just a coincidence.¡¹ Even so, Kou felt a strong attraction toward the machine. He proceeded to approach Unit 5. ¡¸Master, can¡¯t I pilot this guy?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not impossible, but¡­¡­ there¡¯s no need to choose a problematic machine, is there?¡¹ ¡¸How¡¯s its performance?¡¹ ¡¸It doesn¡¯t have its original intended loadout, but it¡¯s still a high-performance machine. If judging based solely on performance, it¡¯s one of the best among mass-produced models. At the very least, it¡¯s not on a level you can simply pick up inside a junkyard.¡¹ ¡¸It was abandoned due to its problematic nature huh.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, I just remembered something. This one really might have some sort of fate with you.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸This unit¡¯s moniker is Lanius. It¡¯s the Latin name for the bird called shrike.¡¹ The cat displayed a toothy grin. ¡¸Oh. I see. Then we really do seem to have a connection.¡¹ Kou continued to approach the TSW-R 1 Lanius Unit 5 with steady steps. It was weird to think that there was a greater will at work here, but still, he couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to it. ¡¸I gotcha. You really wanna stand up and fight again, don¡¯t you?¡¹ He called out to the machine once more. The machine simply sat in austere silence. TL Notes: The author has this weird writing habit of switching from first to third-person narration without any warning. They also occur at very awkward points in the chapters. As this would probably cause confusion and would make the WN harder to read, I opted to keep the narration in third-person unless I feel like first-person narration is really required. CH 3 Kou pushed the switch located on the fuselage of TSW-R1 05 and opened the cockpit hatch. The fuselage slid forward and unveiled the cockpit hatch that also opened up to allow a person to get inside from above. Kou quickly sat inside the cockpit seat and checked out the instruments within. The control sticks were positioned to both sides and not the center, in between one¡¯s feet. There were various buttons on top of the control console. There were also pedals under his feet. ¡¸I see¡­¡­ I have totally no idea what I¡¯m looking at here.¡¹ Of course, he couldn¡¯t be expected to know how everything works after just one glance. ¡¸You have to complete the pilot registration procedure first.¡¹ Master proceeded to sit on top of his lap. ¡¸There are only five types of cockpits according to standard. Most of them are single-and-a-half seaters.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s with the ¡®half¡¯ part?¡¹ ¡¸It refers to the spare seat. It¡¯s installed according to standard. Normally, it functions as a single-seater, but in case of emergencies, it¡¯s possible to sit on the spare back seat.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not what you¡¯re supposed to be surprised about. In you Earthling¡¯s words, they come fully equipped with drinking water systems, showers, and toilets.¡¹ ¡¸Now that¡¯s amazing!¡¹ ¡¸The basic design of cockpits hasn¡¯t changed much from 20,000 years ago. They are already considered lost tech in this world.¡¹ ¡¸You mean they¡¯re really rare and valuable?¡¹ ¡¸Nope. There are actually tons of manufacturing facilities built up in space.¡¹ ¡¸Then why!?¡¹ ¡¸Because it¡¯s considered as extremely basic technology in the present era. Human beings in the far past had continuously built manufacturing facilities and equipment for making cockpits. They were so zealous about it that the number of facilities and equipment increased to a truly ridiculous degree, and now, we have more than we would ever need.¡¹ Kou closed the cockpit hatch according to Master¡¯s instructions. ¡¸Sometimes, the number of times you can perform pilot registration is limited, and sometimes it isn¡¯t.¡¹ ¡¸So how about this guy?¡¹ ¡¸Since it immediately went out of control after roll-out, it hasn¡¯t registered even a single pilot yet, and it was also reinitialized.¡¹ ¡¸How do I register¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡ºPilot registration complete. Mozuya Kou.¡» A male voice echoed inside the cockpit. ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Master raised its voice in protest. ¡¸Just what are you thinking, Unit 5¡­¡­? You skipped far too many steps.¡¹ The cat voiced its complaint toward the machine. Kou ended up being registered as TSW-R1¡¯s pilot without even doing anything. ¡ºKou is now registered as TSW-R1 Unit 5¡¯s pilot.¡» The synthetic voice of the OS replied in a matter-of-fact manner. ¡¸So, can I finally pilot this thing now?¡¹ ¡¸Undoubtedly. Unit 5 has already scanned your info from the cockpit and completed the registration process.¡¹ ¡ºInitializing ATE. Activating voice assist for beginner pilot. Operating system, green. Generator output, green. Movement system, green. Control system, green. Attitude control system, green. Power sensor, green. Monitor screen, head damage detected. No effect on normal operation. Weapon systems, green. Please set this unit¡¯s weapons. Communication systems, green. No connection. Radar function, green. ¡­¡­¡­ Systems, all green. Mandatory check of all system avionics complete. The default operating language is set to English. Converting to standard Japanese. Pilot¡¯s era range and present age check complete. Language conversion and optimization of Fennel OS complete.¡» ¡¸What did it mean by era range?¡¹ ¡¸It scanned info directly from your brain. Due to that, it has determined that you are a Japanese person who lived in the 21st century, and the OS of this machine has been optimized for easy handling by humans who lived in that particular era.¡¹ ¡¸Ain¡¯t that too amazing? There¡¯s actually no need for humans to pilot this thing if it¡¯s this capable, right?¡¹ ¡¸There is. That¡¯s simply how they were built.¡¹ ¡¸What about that fennel thing?¡¹ Kou was familiar with a similar-sounding word due to the influence of mecha anime. They were pretty famous after all. They flew unmanned and obeyed the will of the pilots[1]. ¡¸It¡¯s the name of a plant. An herb, to be precise.¡¹ It looks like he was way off the mark. ¡¸I see. I¡¯ll just ask you why it¡¯s named after an herb later¡­¡­ An operating system huh.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯ll have to withdraw for now. Just do your best, young man.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Why?¡¹ ¡¸Currently, Unit 5 is collecting all relevant info regarding you. The process is less efficient as long as I remain present inside the cockpit. This machine optimizes its operating system based on your biometric information. I¡¯ll ride together with you again later once it finishes.¡¹ ¡¸Okay, I gotcha. I¡¯ll see you later.¡¹ Kou opened the cockpit and let Master out. Master jumped down and dexterously landed on all fours back on the ground. It then looked up to gaze at Unit 5. ¡¸You¡¯re called Unit 5, right? Please. Teach me how to fight.¡¹ Kou addressed Unit 5 once again. ¡ºLaunching pilot training mode.¡» An emotionless voice replied to his request. And so, Kou¡¯s training began. After spending a good while inside the cockpit of Unit 5, Kou finally opened the hatch and went back down. ¡¸How was it?¡¹ ¡¸Even though it pulls info directly from my brain, there were still a lot of operations to learn.¡¹ ¡¸It is an OS designed to smoothen visual information relay, judgment, split-second decision-making, and action conversion. Instead of having to press buttons and operating controls, there are a lot of actions humans perform unconsciously with their bodies without having to actively think about doing them beforehand. That¡¯s why instead of tracing a human body¡¯s movements, piloting a machine just like how one would drive a car is more suitable for a world where fast control response is paramount.¡¹ ¡¸Driving a car huh¡­¡­ I didn¡¯t really need to focus on them much to make the limbs move. It¡¯s like a combination of forklift and game controls.¡¹ ¡¸A complete man-machine interface was just not practical. It would feel unnatural if one had to think about doing it first before a machine¡¯s limbs would move after all.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. It would feel really awkward if I had to visualize the whole sequence first before it can raise a gun, pull the trigger, and shoot.¡¹ Kou was convinced by Master¡¯s explanation. ¡¸In other words, it¡¯s designed specifically to reduce the burden on a pilot while maximizing response time as much as possible when operating the machine. It can be said that a pilot¡¯s individual skills and mental strength are directly linked to the overall strength of a Silhouette. One¡¯s personal skills greatly affect a Silhouette¡¯s performance all thanks to the support of the Fennel OS.¡¹ ¡¸Why do you need mental strength?¡¹ ¡¸Because the Fennel OS enhances your five basic senses in addition to your sixth sense. Mental strength can greatly influence this process. In other words, there are times where you have to pilot using guts.¡¹ ¡¸I think I kinda get it.¡¹ Kou proceeded to sit next to Master. ¡¸Consciousness and cognition are especially important. The Silhouette¡¯s handheld weapons imitate the form of weapons used by human infantry. In terms of functionality, there¡¯s actually no need for them to be, and yet they still do.¡± ¡¸So there¡¯s a good reason for them be shaped that way, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because they need to be easily recognizable to the pilot. You¡¯d need to be able to take one look and say this is an assault rifle, this is a sword, and so on. The Silhouette moves while taking that into account. If the pilot and Silhouette¡¯s perceptions match, performing actions will become smoother, right?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, you mean it¡¯s something like not immediately understanding it¡¯s a gun if the weapon is shaped like a simple iron rod.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s it. And as I said, your senses are enhanced to the limit. Though it isn¡¯t to the extent that bullets would seem like they¡¯ve stopped in place while you¡¯re piloting. Your perception of speed will only be slowed down to something you can reasonably handle. This might be the essence of strength of Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸So they can enhance a human¡¯s senses huh.¡¹ When Kou looked at the Silhouettes placed inside the junkyard once more, he felt that they were now giving off a certain fighting will that he didn¡¯t manage to notice before. ¡¸They were all abandoned here, but they haven¡¯t rusted at all.¡¹ He¡¯s worked in the manufacturing industry until just yesterday. He¡¯s very familiar with applying corrosion inhibitors onto the metal before undergoing the machining process. You couldn¡¯t apply corrosion inhibitors to some exterior parts and parts that had plating applied beforehand, but those had already undergone anti-rust treatment in the first place. ¡¸Look around you. Take a good look at this scrapyard again.¡¹ ¡¸?¡¹ Kou looked around as told. Like giant grave markers, different types of Silhouettes were parked in various corners, and beneath them were wrecked and rusted Silhouettes that were piled up on top of each other randomly. ¡¸The parked ones aren¡¯t rusted, but why are the damaged ones in that sorry state instead?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what I was getting at. As long as it¡¯s powered, a Silhouette will never rust or degrade. The cause for this is also why melee weapons are more effective than long-range weapons in Silhouette combat.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the cause?¡¹ Even the study-allergic Kou¡¯s curiosity was piqued. Master let out a yawn and acted like a normal cat in response. ¡¸By the way, Unit 5 told me something strange earlier.¡¹ ¡¸Hm?¡¹ ¡¸It said my hobby was good for combat and will improve melee performance.¡¹ ¡¸Hobby? Just what is your hobby anyway?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really get it, but¡­¡­¡¹ With an embarrassed look, Kou told Master about his hobby. ¡¸Yeah, um, I used to practice kendo as a hobby. Specifically, I practiced battoujutsu[2]. And Unit 5 managed to incorporate and optimize it or something.¡¹ ¡¸Are you actually a samurai?¡¹ Master¡¯s curiosity was also piqued. ¡¸I¡¯m just a normal blue-collar salaryman. I only practiced it strictly as a hobby.¡¹ Kou¡¯s parents passed away early, and he started working soon after graduating from high school. He worked in a factory as a machine operator. He practiced battoujutsu as a hobby, but even he didn¡¯t really understand why he ended up doing so. However, Kou always had a lot of fun whenever he was swinging a sword. Due to his hobby, he ended up making friends with his company¡¯s chairman as well as his grandchild, but that earned the jealousy of some of his coworkers and brought him unexpected trouble. ¡¸It apparently won¡¯t be that useful for landing critical blows to an enemy¡¯s weak spots, but it seems some moves can be implemented.¡¹ ¡¸I see. If that¡¯s the case, shall we bet on those moves of yours then? As long as it would help you in defeating the Keres, then it¡¯s something good. There¡¯s not much time left. That goes for both you and me.¡¹ ¡¸Me too?¡¹ ¡¸Your body is also under a lot of stress. It isn¡¯t obvious, but it¡¯s there, and it¡¯s gradually causing you harm. The gravity here is stronger compared to Earth¡¯s.¡¹ ¡¸Seriously?¡¹ ¡¸Seriously. We¡¯re still in the same galaxy, but this isn¡¯t Earth after all. It¡¯s different for the humans who were rescued. The earlier you undergo appropriate treatment, the better. You should be about 10% heavier compared to when you were on Earth.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ Kou wasn¡¯t familiar with the exact effects of gravity on one¡¯s weight, but suddenly gaining 10% of one¡¯s regular weight did sound like it¡¯ll be a burden. Like Master said, he might not have long left either. ¡¸You¡¯ll be fine while you¡¯re inside a Silhouette though. They all have human-protection systems installed as a standard feature after all.¡¹ ¡¸Man, they sure have everything covered, don¡¯t they?¡¹ Kou had noticed something after undergoing the training mode inside the Silhouette. He felt a sense of oneness with the machine while he was operating it. Maybe it¡¯s similar to the sense of oneness race car drivers feel whenever they drove their own machines. Yes, it was that kind of feeling. ¡¸Maybe I can pull this off by tomorrow.¡¹ Kou muttered in a low voice. ¡¸Isn¡¯t tomorrow a little bit too hasty?¡¹ ¡¸Is sitting around here and waiting for death better then?¡¹ ¡¸It would be fine as long as there are enough functioning facilities remaining.¡¹ Master sighed. ¡¸One can tell that this place was abandoned in a hurry judging from how many of the things left here are still plenty usable.¡¹ ¡¸There are a lot of usable weapons and equipment left after all.¡¹ ¡¸We better hurry with choosing your loadout. However, since there are no work machines present, we¡¯re limited to what Unit 5 can equip on its own without the need for external assistance.¡¹ ¡¸We can also use the other units as stand-ins for proper work machines, I think.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯d better drop that idea. You¡¯re a newbie Silhouette pilot, so it¡¯s best if you only get used to piloting Unit 5 alone right now.¡¹ ¡¸Okay. Let¡¯s go ahead and get on board together then.¡¹ Kou and the cat proceeded to board Unit 5 while thinking about their next action. TL Notes: [1] A reference to the funnels from Gundam. Fennel sounds like funnel, geddit? Uh, that was the author¡¯s attempt at humor, not mine. [2] Battoujutsu ¨C the art of sword drawing in Japanese swordsmanship. It¡¯s an old term for iaido and can be used interchangeably with it. A famous example of it in action can be seen in the anime and manga series Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X in the first English release). It¡¯s used by the main character, Himura Kenshin, who also has the monicker Battousai. CH 4 Kou activated the machine. Meanwhile, Master made itself comfortable on the rear seat. Unit 5 proceeded to forcibly push aside the scrapped units piled on top of it. And then, it finally regained the ability to move freely. What was unexpected was that Unit 5 didn¡¯t give Kou even a single word of advice. In displayed the info database onscreen, but Unit 5 didn¡¯t tell him anything about it. It listed all the usable weapons that can be found within the junkyard, but only a few of them were effective for anti-Keres combat. Unit 5 didn¡¯t sport a loadout expansion-type backpack either. If it had that, then it would have had some additional weapon bays and hardpoints at its disposal. In other words, it can only use the weapons its two hands can wield. After hesitating for a while, Kou ended up choosing the great sword Unit 5 was originally equipped with. Of course, there was also the option of wielding a long-range weapon with one hand and the great sword with the other, but considering the overall concept of the unit, he judged that wielding the sword alone would be more effective. The other Silhouette models all had hardpoints or latches built-in to equip or store away long-range weaponry, but Unit 5 didn¡¯t even have those. ¡¸The Murder you have to face is a Mantis-type Keres. As I said earlier, Keres are evil spirits that appear on battlefields. It is multi-legged in order to ensure stability. Its primary armament is a large-caliber railgun. It also sports a multi-barreled Gatling gun as its secondary weapon.¡¹ ¡¸A railgun huh. I¡¯m familiar with it.¡¹ ¡¸Its maximum range is 200 kilometers. Its maximum power output is more than 30 megajoules and is roughly three times more powerful than a tank¡¯s main gun.¡¹ ¡¸T-Two hundred¡­ kilometers? Three times? I¡¯m gonna die before I get the chance to cut it down!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just its absolute maximum range. You have to take note of the elevation. As long as it¡¯s on level ground, a distance of ten kilometers or so won¡¯t affect its hit rate. It¡¯s good for strategically capturing and securing positions. There¡¯s also the deviation of the turret to take into account. The projectile speed, to put it simply, is more than Mach 7.¡¹ ¡¸Uhee.¡¹ Even that sounded quite hopeless to Kou. Master gave Kou a slightly awkward look. ¡¸Shall I give it to you straight? That Mantis-type¡­ You see, in your world¡¯s gaming terms, that¡¯s actually a mid-boss. There aren¡¯t that many Keres equipped with railguns after all.¡¹ ¡¸So I¡¯m supposed to fight a Boss without even undergoing a proper tutorial huh¡­¡¹ He thought it certainly did look strong, but Kou didn¡¯t expect it to be Boss-class. After hearing Master¡¯s confession, Kou unconsciously formed a bitter smile on his lips. ¡®So I¡¯m actually playing in Nightmare mode huh¡¯, he lamented internally. ¡¸The smoothbore cannons of the tanks in your era are quite accurate at 500 meters. The infantry has no choice but to approach and strike from a close distance.¡¹ ¡¸Even though it¡¯s shaped like a bug, it¡¯s a tank in essence huh. Just why do I have to go against that thing with a humanoid weapon using melee?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no use lamenting about it now anyway. Railguns aren¡¯t suitable for rapid-firing, and unless you get hit in somewhere really critical, you won¡¯t go down in one shot, so don¡¯t worry. The humans of this era also still employ tanks and armored vehicles, but there¡¯s none of those here, so it can¡¯t be helped.¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t you just tell me the reason behind it already? Even if you tell me slashing it with a sword would be more effective, I just don¡¯t see the logic.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you the details later. It¡¯s very difficult to explain it clearly. Both your Silhouette and your enemy make use of high-dimensional projection armor. Basically, it¡¯s armor that underwent higher dimension treatment so its mass efficiency is several times higher. It¡¯s also prevented from rusting due to this. Unit 5¡¯s frame also underwent additional treatment to further increase its defensive strength.¡¹ Master replied impatiently while seeming to find it very troublesome. However, Kou found the explanation completely incomprehensible. ¡¸I totally don¡¯t get it¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸See. I told you. Just remember these basics then. The material comprising the armor is transformed by using a special molecular binding process projected through a higher dimension. And special energy called Whis that¡¯s produced by a power unit is key to this process. Whis is basically the combination of electromagnetic force and gravitational force projected from the fifth dimension. And letting Whis coat and permeate armor makes it extremely durable.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t get the fifth dimension stuff, but basically, it makes the armor super tough, right?¡¹ ¡¸It can also raise the Hugoniot elastic limit of materials.¡¹ ¡¸The heck is that¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Just remember that it makes armor extremely durable. It doesn¡¯t just make the armor harder. To be precise, what it does is increase the armor¡¯s mass and thickness to a level that can¡¯t be measured in three dimensions. And one weapon that¡¯s effective on such tough materials is precisely the railgun.¡¹ ¡¸So you¡¯re saying I can¡¯t let my guard down even though my armor¡¯s tough. And the enemy is also using the same thing, right?¡¹ ¡¸The quickest and most effective way to deal with it is to hit it with a weapon that has also undergone high dimensional projection.¡¹ ¡¸And what¡¯s the catch?¡¹ ¡¸Using throwing weapons is impossible. If you want to use such a weapon from a distance, you¡¯ll have to make use of a conducting wire. You¡¯ll have to constantly let the fifth-dimensional energy, Whis, run through it for it to be effective after all.¡¹ ¡¸So it has to be handheld.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Wires are part of a Silhouette¡¯s standard equipment you know.¡¹ Kou found something out after finally piloting Unit 5 There were two different movement modes. For normal movement and cruising, the Silhouette uses rollers installed on its feet to slide on the ground. However, in combat situations, it makes use of normal foot movements. When Kou asked why they equipped rollers on the feet even though a Silhouette can just walk to move around, Master obliged. Apparently, it¡¯s a measure to prevent pedestrians from accidentally getting stepped on by the Silhouettes. It¡¯s part of the basics to switch to bipedal walking when entering combat though. The Silhouette¡¯s overall stability will improve significantly when using bipedal movement. Kou was convinced by the explanations provided to him. The machine does shake around a lot when it walks. But since the cockpit has a function that absorbs those impacts, the pilot wouldn¡¯t really feel them all that much. Wire operation was also incorporated into the piloting basics. You need to identify and get a lock on the target via sight and fire the anchor straight at it. It seems there were a number of practical applications for it. Kou switched to maneuver learning mode and started to learn how to swing Unit 5¡¯s sword. It was pretty simple. Unit 5 was reading how he wanted to move directly from his brain and incorporating it seamlessly in the inputs. Of course, humans and Silhouettes were quite different. To be specific, there was a great difference in the two¡¯s range of motion. Kou had to take note of the differences and do his best to remember them instinctively. ¡¸There¡¯s a Murder wreckage that¡¯s similar in type to the enemy you¡¯ll have to fight over there. You can try your hand at attacking it to get a better feel for how the battle will go.¡¹ ¡¸Swinging around a real sword huh¡­¡­ It¡¯s been a year since I¡¯ve actually gotten to use a real sword, so I¡¯m not sure if I can pull it off well.¡¹ Kou had borrowed a real sword from his swordsmanship master only once the previous year and only practiced brandishing it that one time. He was only able to do it once because taking real sword classes was seriously too expensive for him, and there was a lot of hassle involved in personally owning one due to the Swords and Firearms Control Law. Since there was a Keres wreck conveniently available, he decided to try his hand at cutting it as Master suggested. The wreck was cut in two accompanied by the grating sound of metal striking metal. ¡¸This is more like hacking it in two forcefully instead of cutting it cleanly.¡¹ That was the feeling he got. The metallic sound was similar to what¡¯s given off when a machine press shears steel. ¡¸Even if it¡¯s been exposed to high-dimensional projection, the original material still matters a lot. Your sword is also made of heavy metals similar to what was used in the armor.¡¹ Kou proceeded to adjust the settings for the sword-swinging postures. Since a great sword was shaped very differently from a Japanese katana, adjustments were necessary. Even so, he had to apply what he could from his own swordsmanship style. He tweaked the settings to his liking and gradually refined them. With the help of the truly excellent OS, the operation efficiency of the unit steadily improved to something quite satisfactory for Kou. Next, he moved on to practice switching between roller cruising and bipedal walking. Moving via rollers made the machine prone to overturning whenever it receives a strong enough impact. Bipedal walking, however, had a limit on movement speed. When breaking away from an enemy, it was better to use the rollers instead. The speed falls when moving backward. It¡¯s due to stability being extremely low while performing the action. Next, Kou switched to bipedal walking. Surprisingly, sidestepping to the left and right felt quite quick and responsive. Thanks to this, performing evasive actions was pretty easy. The forward dash was also excellent. According to Master, the machine he was piloting was a particularly excellent one after all. The speed when moving backward on foot was even slower than when using the rollers. Moving with the rollers, switching to bipedal mode, and swinging the sword. He managed to narrow down the attack patterns to three. Originally, there were default attack patterns for other weapons pre-registered, but it looks like he was able to overwrite them with sword commands since he only had a sword as his weapon anyway. Kou thought inwardly that it would be nice if the machine could automatically switch between short and long-distance attacks like in a fighting game though. Another surprise was that Unit 5 could actually jump. It seems the performance of its legs was quite good despite the heavy weight they had to support. According to Master, there were actually lots of models that can¡¯t perform jumping maneuvers. From a roller dash to bipedal mode, then a quick sidestep to the right. Then he performed a slash after a short frontal dash. Kou performed these sets of maneuvers repeatedly. ¡¸So I guess this can be considered as the tutorial, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, a tutorial indeed.¡¹ The pair couldn¡¯t help but wryly laugh. ¡¸Normally, Silhouettes are supported by operators and controllers. I hear many of them are beauties. Are you disappointed that you only have me around?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re cute too, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Nyaaaa!¡¹ Master protested furiously after hearing Kou¡¯s teasing remark. CH 5 The moment the junkyard¡¯s hatch opened, Kou¡¯s hands trembled. It was finally time for him to face the Mantis-type Keres in combat. According to Master, the damn thing was actually mid-boss class. After training with Unit 5, he proceeded with analyzing the enemy¡¯s tactics and characteristics, then thought up appropriate countermeasures. Thus he¡¯d passed his first night in this strange new world, but most of it was spent inside Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. Kou was already quite enamored with the machines called Silhouettes. He¡¯d already done all he could. Now it was time to put everything into practice. He made Unit 5 climb the Silhouette-size launching slope. Once the final hatch opens, his ordeal will finally begin. The main hatch slowly opened up. The city ruin outside was dead quiet. He came out to an open space with a wide field of view. Both he and his enemy quickly detected each other¡¯s presences. They were just a little less than two kilometers apart. Kou quickly ran through the info Master imparted to him in his head. Now, it was finally time to fight the powerful enemy Mantis-type. And right now, he could already sense its emotionless killing intent. It was a machine whose sole purpose was to destroy its targets. Kou thought that the generic name ¡®Murder¡¯ was really quite apt. He also somewhat understood why it was shaped like a bug. Bugs were emotionless creatures after all. The Mantis-type deployed its railgun from a hatch on its back and began preparations to shoot Unit 5. Kou didn¡¯t make any evasive maneuver and headed straight for it. As for why¨C ¡¸Sorry about this, buddy.¡¹ Kou muttered softly and sighed. He was using an unmanned Silhouette as a makeshift shield. As long as it was powered, the high-dimensional projection armor will continue to function indefinitely. Thus, he thought that one would make for a good shield until he closed in on the enemy. He found a Bear model with an arm missing among the still-functioning Silhouettes, so he decided on using it for his plan. The railgun fired with a deafening roar that cut through the air. The intensity of the sound it made alone was enough evidence of the projectile¡¯s overwhelming velocity. It advanced at a blistering 2500 meters per second. It was a speed that exceeded Mach 7. Even if it was possible to shift his machine¡¯s axis by a bit before impact, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the projectile. The projectile swiftly landed. The one-armed Bear his machine held up in front of it greatly shook. Kou now experienced the full effect of his senses getting enhanced for the first time. It did seem that the projectile was not as fast as he first expected. The railgun projectile¡¯s speed was reduced to a level Kou could perceive. He can do this. Kou gained some confidence. One shot after another landed in succession. The Bear was tougher than he expected too. Its remaining left arm was blasted off. Its legs eventually got destroyed as well. After firing its twelfth shot, the Mantis-type¡¯s railgun finally paused. This reprieve was only gonna last for roughly a minute. ¡¸It¡¯s entered its charging phase. Railguns aren¡¯t suited for rapid-fire.¡¹ Master explained away from behind. The distance between Kou and the Mantis-type that seemed hopelessly wide at first had now been considerably narrowed. But he still couldn¡¯t let his guard down. The Mantis-type deployed its autocannon while attempting to take distance. This was the weapon Kou witnessed firsthand when he first encountered the Murder here on planet Ashia. The autocannon fired a stream of bullets as its barrels rotated at high speed. Unit 5 let go of the Bear and began dashing forward using its rollers. ¡¸Your armor would be able to hold up reasonably against that level of firepower. However, if you continue to take direct hits, the damage will gradually accumulate. The enemy will then follow up with a railgun barrage. Don¡¯t advance in a straightforward manner in preparation for that.¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ Unit 5 began to perform slalom maneuvers as it continued to close in on the Mantis-type. It couldn¡¯t hope to avoid all of the bullets by doing so. However, it can mess with the enemy¡¯s aim. Will the enemy¡¯s FCS be able to accurately predict his next positions and still land solid hits¨C? Unit 5 did take some hits as expected, but it wasn¡¯t damaged all that much. The railgun began to fire at it again. Evading the railgun rounds was impossible. Kou took evasive action by utilizing quick sidesteps, but he still got hit by several shots. Along with dull clangs, the armor on Unit 5¡¯s left shoulder and chest were shattered. The railgun rounds weren¡¯t able to pierce through armor. They instead made use of high-temperature pressure generated by getting fired at a speed that¡¯s able to break the sound barrier in order to destroy their targets. It was almost too unbelievable that a Silhouette¡¯s armor can withstand such destructive force. Even so, the force they generated was truly immense. Unit 5 lost its balance and fell to the ground. Because it was moving by using the rollers on the soles of its feet, its balance was unstable. This was ultimately Kou¡¯s blunder. Twelve shots have been fired. The Mantis-type¡¯s railgun entered its charging phase once more. ¡¸Ugh.¡¹ The cockpit¡¯s impact mitigation was extremely excellent. Unit 5¡¯s pilot was practically unharmed. As Kou began steadying himself, something caught his eye. It was a severely damaged skull in the middle of a dried dark-red puddle on the ground. Some pieces of flesh still stubbornly clung onto it. It was probably one of the people killed the day Kou found himself in this place. It was extremely trivial to kill people with the autocannon that possesses enough power to destroy armored vehicles. The battered skull seemed to be crying out in despair and resentment. Kou also felt a sense of mortification. After all, the person was killed so unreasonably, without even being given a chance. Kou trembled in shock. He then remembered his days spent practicing swordsmanship. He remembered how he used his veranda¡¯s glass window in place of a full-body mirror while swinging his sword single-mindedly. It was a discipline that can be used for killing, but he didn¡¯t practice it for such a reason. He merely wanted to eliminate all his wasted movements. His only enemy was himself. However, there was an enemy in front of him now. And he had obtained a way to fight it. ¡¸I understand.¡¹ He addressed the unknown corpse. He only knew it was likely once a living Japanese person as well. However, he was still going to take revenge for the injustice the unknown person suffered. It was a promise. All this happened in mere moments, and the recovery maneuver he performed was quick and resolute. One of the Mantis-type¡¯s deadly sickles swung downward to slice Unit 5 as it attempted to get up. Its two sickles were part of what made the Mantis-type an extremely fearsome and deadly enemy. It was essentially a multi-legged tank that could fight in extremely close range. This disgusting demon sported these sickles in anticipation of engaging in combat against Silhouettes. It definitely was a mid-boss class enemy. It was both an anti-Silhouette and anti-personnel murder machine. Unit 5 managed to get up in time and successfully avoided the sickle that got swung down. ¡¸Mind your position, Kou. Positioning is extremely crucial in any battle.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah! I gotta let that thing have it!¡¹ Kou felt the back of his head get cold. It was probably the sensory support function kicking in. ¡¸There must be something I can do¡­ That¡¯s it!¡¹ Although he hardly practiced it, Kou remembered a certain stance. The waki-gamae stance. The stance involved bringing out one¡¯s left shoulder and dropping one¡¯s waist. And then, one would hide the entire length of the sword behind one¡¯s own body. This stance was originally developed for people wearing full armor. With it, one can gradually close in on one¡¯s enemy while making them wary of sudden foot sweeps while wearing armor that restricted mobility. It was a stance suitable for performing counters. It was perfect for an armored Silhouette. Kou was suddenly hit by inspiration in the heat of battle and immediately put it to practice. The enemy swung down its other sickle. He performed an upward slash at the perfect timing and made Unit 5 retreat half a step afterward. The speed of the Mantis-type¡¯s attack backfired on it. Its right arm ended up completely severed. Kou pressed on. He split the Mantis-type¡¯s head in half and unleashed a second and third slash. Low grating clangs rang out, and the head got completely destroyed. The enemy still managed to attack with its remaining left arm, but it was already too late. Kou was already right at its bosom. The Mantis-type hurriedly performed a ramming attack in response. Due to the effects of high-dimensional projection armor, a Silhouette¡¯s punches and kicks were comparably more effective than long-range attacks. Kou was already wary of the Mantis-type¡¯s massive bulk and weight. Unit 5 quickly took half a step back and avoided the attack. Kou proceeded to slip through the enemy¡¯s remaining left sickle and went around to its left-hand side. With this, the Mantis-type¡¯s movements were finally sealed. Granted this was something that couldn¡¯t be pulled off seamlessly when fighting with a human. The key to mobile combat was positioning. Kou had clearly managed to experience it first-hand during this battle. And then, he proceeded to unleash slash after slash. ¡¸With this, it¡¯s over!¡¹ The enemy¡¯s torso was about to be split. A perfectly timed final slash was performed. And the Mantis-type was finally cut down. Its upper body completely stopped functioning. It probably lost connection with its power reactor the moment it was severed at the waist. However, it didn¡¯t explode. ¡¸That was splendid, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Thanks, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Allow me to congratulate you once more. Welcome to the Nemesis warfront. I am truly glad that you managed to survive.¡¹ The cat declared in a solemn tone. Kou was almost brought to tears. CH 6 ¡¸What¡¯s the Nemesis warfront?¡¹ ¡¸It refers to the entire battlefield. In other words, all the fronts that are experiencing attacks from the Stones invading this system. As for Nemesis, it¡¯s the name of the celestial body shining like the Earth¡¯s Sun right above us. It is called the red dwarf Nemesis.¡¹ It appears that the object shining above really wasn¡¯t the sun Kou was familiar with. Since it was a red dwarf, that meant its temperature was lower than the Earth¡¯s own sun. ¡¸Let¡¯s give that thing a killing blow, just in case.¡¹ Kou controlled Unit 5 and delivered a final blow to finish off the Mantis-type. He completely severed its fuselage and its power reactor went cold. ¡¸Kou, Make sure to retrieve the¡ºAxion Spinel¡»from the Keres.¡¹ ¡¸Spinel?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s the name of a fake gemstone. But this one isn¡¯t really made of magnesium and aluminum oxide like a true spinel.¡¹ Master began explaining. ¡¸There are two materials that give birth to Whis. The axion spinel is one of those materials. Its name is typically abbreviated as ¡®A Spinel¡¯.¡¹ ¡¸In other words, it¡¯s one of this world¡¯s mysterious materials that allow the creation of that bogus armor, right?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re quick on the uptake. That¡¯s correct. It isn¡¯t an explosive material, so you can be at ease. Spinel also means ¡®safety¡¯ after all.¡¹ Unit 5 proceeded to pry the enemy¡¯s wreckage apart. After a short while, it finally found a crystal sporting a faint red glow that was the size of a soccer ball. ¡¸That¡¯s it. It¡¯s a pseudo-high-dimensional material. It¡¯s practically weightless despite its appearance.¡¹ ¡¸Weightless?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a high-dimensional material. Its mass is a whopping zero. It¡¯s a theoretical value after all. As long as something is in 3-dimensional space, it will have mass.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t get it.¡¹ Kou quickly recovered the aforementioned material and returned to the underground facility while dragging back the tattered Bear he used earlier as a shield. He couldn¡¯t stand simply throwing it away. After rehydrating and eating some rations, he proceeded to get some sleep. Thus passed his second day in this strange world. He slept like the dead. I saw a dream ¡¸Wake up.¡¹ When I opened my eyes, I saw an innocent-looking young girl standing before me. She had beautiful silver hair, but her skin was apparently tanned. She had a healthy-looking light brown complexion. Her voice seemed familiar somehow. ¡¸You are?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re Kou, right!? I¡¯m called Ashia. Nice to meet you!¡¹ ¡¸Y-Yeah.¡¹ I gave a half-hearted reply. ¡¸You¡¯re Japanese, right? Do you like anime?¡¹ She started asking away with a twinkle in her eyes. ¡¸I don¡¯t hate them.¡¹ ¡¸Hey. Hey, Kou. Are you the type who thinks that objects also have souls?¡¹ ¡¸Uh, maybe?¡¹ ¡¸Do you name cars and stuff and then talk to them?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I guess I do.¡¹ ¡¸Yay!¡¹ The young girl jumped up and down in joy. I was dumbfounded and didn¡¯t get what was going on. ¡¸So, you think this child you call Master also has a soul as well?¡¹ I turned to Master who was sleeping soundly. ¡¸Of course.¡¹ Master was my lifesaver. ¡¸How about Lanius Unit 5?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, he does too.¡¹ I¡¯ve already decided not to part with Unit 5 in my heart. It¡¯s already become that important an existence to me. ¡¸I understand. Machines, you see, really do have souls. I¡¯m glad that more and more people are starting to realize that.¡¹ ¡¸So there are more people like me?¡¹ ¡¸There are only a few of them, but they do exist. There isn¡¯t anyone who has a stronger wavelength than you, but there are certainly many Japanese among them.¡¹ ¡¸I see. Yeah, I bet a good number of them are Japanese.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll encounter all sorts of machines from now on. Can you promise me you¡¯ll take good care of them?¡¹ ¡¸I promise.¡¹ I wasn¡¯t that good with socializing. I preferred tinkering with my car alone or driving around on my bike. ¡¸Thank you! Well, time¡¯s almost up, so I¡¯ll cast a charm to help you out before I go.¡¹ ¡¸Time? A charm?¡¹ ¡¸Wait a bit, okay. There. All done.¡¹ ¡¸Just what did you do anyway?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve given you authorization. From now on, you are granted the qualification to be a¡¾Development Engineer/Bricoleur¡¿.¡¹ The girl looked quite proud. She closed her eyes, placed her hands on her hips, and thrust her chest out as she declared with great fanfare. I was entirely unfamiliar with the term. ¡¸Bricoleur?¡¹ ¡¸They are people who gather various things together to make lots of interesting stuff. You can also call them do-it-yourselfers or hobbyists. In English, I suppose ¡®handyman¡¯ would be the right term.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s qualifications to become a handyman huh. That actually does sound nice.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. And I¡¯ve granted you the highest authorization level. And if what I¡¯ve granted you proves useful¡­ Once you become stronger, I have a favor to ask¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸A favor?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Someday, please save me. ¨CNo, I¡¯ll be fine with getting found, so please do find me, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Sure.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s gonna be really, really hard you know?¡¹ ¡¸When I was at a loss after first encountering that Keres, it was you who called out to me, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yup.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure how hard ¡®really, really hard¡¯ is gonna be, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. That answer is all I could ever hope for!¡¹ My consciousness began to become hazy once again. ¡¸We¡¯ll get a chance to meet again in the future! I¡¯ll be seeing you then, Kou. Just ask Master about where you need to go next.¡¹ Before long, Kou managed to regain consciousness. ¡¸Was that really a dream?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸So you were also asleep, Master.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose it¡¯s due to me nearing the end of my operational limit. There¡¯s actually no need for me to sleep, but I lost my consciousness for some reason.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s too early to be thinking about that, Master.¡¹ Kou would be really troubled if Master passed away at this time. ¡¸I¡¯ll be able to move normally again soon.¡¹ ¡¸I actually had a strange dream. It seemed like a vivid dream, and a girl named Ashia appeared in it. She helped me out before I met you, Master.¡¹ ¡¸You met Ashia? Directly? I learned about you arriving from her, but to think a human can actually meet with her directly.¡¹ Master¡¯s round eyes became even more round. Russian Blues had fox-like features, so Master with its eyes rounded in wonder seemed even cuter than usual. ¡¸So I guess you know her. She apparently gave me the qualifications to become a handyman.¡¹ ¡¸Handyman?¡¹ ¡¸I think the original term was Development Engineer (Bricoleur) or something. She said she¡¯d given me the highest authorization level, whatever that means. And she told me to ask Master about the next destination.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­I see. I understand. It seems our next destination has been decided. Let¡¯s pack some supplies and depart from here by today.¡¹ Master apparently received information about their next objective. ¡¸It looks like we need to hurry huh. And you¡¯re gonna tell me you¡¯ll explain everything later, as usual, I suppose.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, on the contrary, we have plenty of time to talk. We¡¯ll be spending quite a while riding a Silhouette after all.¡¹ Kou nodded at Master¡¯s words. He still didn¡¯t understand a lot of things, but it was good that they had a definite goal for now. CH 7 Kou and Master rode Unit 5 and were now conducting a final check while packing the food and supplies. ¡¸Now then, where should I start?¡¹ ¡¸Please tell me all about this world. Is this really not a different dimension? Am I really in the future?¡¹ ¡¸This is indeed the future. You and the people that came here with you are treated as Japanese citizens that went missing due to being caught up in the explosion of a black hole bomb. Then you were brought to the far future and ended up in this planet.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s an unfamiliar term right off the bat. So we ended up being treated as missing persons?¡¹ ¡¸If your deaths got confirmed, it would have made transferring you to the future impossible. To give you a quick run-down, right around the time you all went missing, World War III began, and right around the start of the 26th century, a large celestial body ended up colliding with Earth and wiped out all the humans living there.¡¹ ¡¸W-Wiped out!¡¹ Kou was understandably quite shocked to hear that Earth¡¯s human population ended up getting completely wiped out. ¡¸So does this mean I¡¯ll never be able to return to Earth?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s possible for you to return to the place you were located in before you got transferred over, but I think you¡¯ll simply die once that happens. And once your death gets confirmed, you won¡¯t be able to return here either.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t get the logic, but¡­ that basically means going back is an ¡®out¡¯, right?¡¹ ¡¸There are some people who managed to return. And it wasn¡¯t just a few. However¡­¡­ I surmise their prospects of survival weren¡¯t optimistic.¡¹ After all, they would be transported back to the epicenter of the black hole bomb¡¯s explosion. It was practically instant death. ¡¸Humanity, who had long anticipated such destruction, created seven supercomputers collectively called¡¾Sophia¡¿to explore the possibility of survival by way of virtual simulations.¡¹ ¡¸So those computers ended up creating this planet?¡¹ ¡¸You can say that. The¡¾Sophia¡¿have repeatedly performed self-evolution to the very limits until technology advanced to the 35th century. That¡¯s not the point though. They have already achieved a level of science humanity can never hope to perceive themselves. In other words, they had reached an era of technological singularity.¡¹ Technological singularity was a concept that has been advocated in Kou¡¯s era as well. A computer would continuously upgrade itself until reaching a point where it would transcend all human knowledge and advance human society to unprecedented yet unpredictable heights. ¡¸So they¡¯re like gods now?¡¹ ¡¸They categorically refuse to define themselves as gods. I¡¯ll talk about that at length later. The¡¾Sophia¡¿freely used quantum simulations to seek out a future where humanity would possibly be able to survive. They each found and modified many planets and star systems independently, diverged the future, and made planets where humanity would be able to migrate to.¡¹ ¡¸That sounds like it took a heck of a lot of time.¡¹ ¡¸The plans were created with that basis in mind. It was virtually impossible for them to change the past. In order for humanity to survive, it was necessary to abandon the destroyed Earth.¡¹ ¡¸So even if they attained transcendence and abilities surpassing human imagination, they still couldn¡¯t save Earth huh.¡¹ ¡¸What has already transpired cannot be undone after all. And so,¡¾Sophia¡¿began to deliberate a plan to save humanity. They decided to send selected humans to a future each of them chose. They converted all humans and living things on Earth into quantum data and made copies of them. This was because there wasn¡¯t enough time for humanity themselves to develop a starship capable enough to navigate through the sea of stars. Thus, they implemented the plan of transporting the selected humans to the far future. And just as you said, it will take a lot of time to fully terraform a planet.¡¹ ¡¸So they shifted humans to a planet suitable for them to live on huh. What¡¯s the criterion for selecting humans they¡¯d send over?¡¹ ¡¸They were all selected based on the commonality between ideologies, religion, and sense of values. Basically, factors that would lead to peaceful coexistence were considered. In this particular system, the ones that immigrated are mainly from North America, Europe, Japan, the island countries located in the Pacific Rim, and Hong Kong island.¡¹ Since Kou hasn¡¯t had the opportunity to travel outside Japan, that info didn¡¯t really resonate with him all that much. ¡¸What does diverging the future mean?¡¹ ¡¸It is the future defined by¡¾Sophia¡¿as an extension of the observer effect theory and the anthropic principle. Humanity has scattered. Just like the legend of the tower of Babel, humanity has spread out to seven separate dimensions. You will probably never gather together as a whole again.¡¹ ¡¸So this is the future, but we¡¯re no longer on Earth.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. We¡¯re in a star system centered on a red dwarf that originally played a significant role in the destruction of Earth, located in the most distant region of the Solar system. It¡¯s a star that didn¡¯t exist, or rather, was not yet discovered in the 21st century. The system was modified and moved. And now, it has become a habitable zone once again.¡¹ ¡¸Modified the system? Can you tell me the details?¡¹ ¡¸We are actually on a planet that was located in the Oort Cloud as it was called in your era.¡¹ ¡¸I-I don¡¯t get it¡­¡­ I don¡¯t get anything about space at all.¡¹ ¡¸In other words, this is an artificially modified terrestrial planet that orbits around the red dwarf Nemesis, which is actually the Sun¡¯s companion star. Humanity was made to migrate here.¡¹ Kou stopped asking questions for the moment and tried to sort out all the info he¡¯d heard thus far. He was now currently on a planet artificially modified to resemble Earth¡¯s environment. At least, its roots still hail back to the era Kou was from. ¡¸Okay then. How long has it been since humanity immigrated here?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s been roughly about 20,000 years since humanity migrated to this planet. And this place formerly known as the Oort cloud has been renamed the Nemesis star system centered around the dwarf star Nemesis. Instead of the Sun, the Solar system¡¯s parent star, we are now in a modified system centered around red dwarf Nemesis, with three habitable Super-Earths suited to human life orbiting it. This system was first hypothesized, then defined, and was ultimately brought to reality.¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t this kind of star system too outrageous?¡¹ ¡¸The Earth is also pretty ridiculous you know. At the very least, the conditions that lead to an Earth-like world could only be replicated through liberal use of the anthropic principle. It also needed the presence of a gas giant similar to Jupiter to act as ¡®Good Jupiters¡¯, and a number of gas giants were made to replicate its role. The Nemesis system was molded in an area quite close to the original Solar system.¡¹ ¡¸Man, Sophia is really amazing. But it feels like you guys are using lots of mythical terms though.¡¹ ¡¸That we are. This system is highly influenced by the culture of ancient Europe after all. The three Earth-like planets in this system are called Europa, Lupier, and Ashia. And we¡¯re currently on Planet Ashia.¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that the name of the girl I saw in my dream?¡¹ ¡¸I think what you saw wasn¡¯t a dream at all. But anyway, this world is now actually a ruined one as well. Do you need me to explain to you just what ¡®dystopia¡¯ means?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a ruined world?¡¹ Master turned to the monitor with its large feline eyes. ¡¸Humanity first migrated here 20,000 years ago. Then they were immediately turned into quantum data once more and put in stasis for further thousands of years. The reason for this is unknown. That was an age called the Planetary Pioneering era.¡¹ ¡¸Pioneering huh. I suppose it was when the foundations of this planet were made and completed.¡¹ ¡¸Many say that¡¯s likely the case as well. Humanity was once again reinitialized 2,000 years ago. Human beings steadily developed, attained superior technology, and eventually fought devastating wars. They had managed to virtually eliminate poverty and hunger, but their insatiable greed led them to seek even more wealth for themselves. This was what led to the advent of a disaster born from foolishness. They wanted to return to the former location of Earth, which was only a mere few lightyears away, and reclaim it.¡¹ ¡¸But even if they do manage to return, isn¡¯t the Earth already destroyed?¡¹ ¡¸They thought that since humanity was able to relocate to another star system, it would be simple enough to restore Earth as well. Even though that is actually impossible.¡¹ ¡¸That really is foolish¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸But a good number of humans certainly shared the desire for it. As a result, the three habitable planets were eventually plunged into a war that led to their environments being destroyed. Since humanity was again on the verge of extinction, the¡¾Sophia¡¿converted them into quantum data once again and placed them back in stasis. The period from the reinitialization to humanity being turned into quantum data once more is called the Interplanetary War era.¡¹ ¡¸The Sophia really had it hard huh.¡¹ ¡¸Yes, indeed. The Sophia felt ashamed of granting humanity knowledge and technology it couldn¡¯t possibly handle and self-destructed.¡¹ ¡¸Wouldn¡¯t that mean the end of humanity?¡¹ ¡¸Humanity¡¯s data was first compressed, stored, and eventually unpacked. That was 200 years ago. Even though most of the advanced science and technology related to war have been ostensibly sealed away, humanity lived on with what technology they had access to.¡¹ ¡¸Did the planet¡¯s environment never recover even after hundreds of years have passed? And that¡¯s why this is still a ruined planet?¡¹ ¡¸No. While humanity was rendered helpless, the evil born from them thousands of years ago managed to awaken once more. I¡¯m referring to the humans who once plotted to return to Earth. They had managed to turn their consciousness alone into data and made copies of them. That collective consciousness that was in possession of advanced technology that existed in the past launched an attack against the planets.¡¹ ¡¸Can they still even be called human with that?¡¹ Existences that made copies of their consciousness and do not possess bodies made of flesh. Even a machine can be seen as ¡®human-like, but it was hard to say if a being made out of consciousness alone can still be considered a human. At least, Kou thought they were already far too different an existence. ¡¸They are now simply thought data. However, they do consider themselves ¡®alive¡¯. They are now known as the Stones. They first took over Lupier, and have now begun invading Ashia and Europa as well. And that¡¯s why this planet is still a ruined mess.¡¹ ¡¸But Sophia is already gone, right? I don¡¯t get why they¡¯re still invading.¡¹ ¡¸Resources and lost technology. There are a number of reasons for their invasion, including those. Sophia is already gone, but its child terminals still remain. There is the terminal that integrates and manages all the planetary maintenance computers that is named after a mythical place associated with the Ancient Greek gods, Okeanos, and the three major terminals named after the three planets themselves. These four are the only ones that remain. The Stones are mainly after them.¡¹ Master fell silent. Kou supposed that Master wanted him to think about the information by himself first. He ruminated on them for a while and then asked Master a question once more. ¡¸Um, that girl I met named Ashia¡­ Was she¨C?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. She¡¯s the Super AI that manages this planet.¡¹ Master confirmed Kou¡¯s thoughts. ¡¸Okeanos that oversees the network was horrified about the prospects of the ruined worlds. Most of the technology from the past was already lost, and the only things that remained were Silhouette manufacturing factories. It could never hope to resist the invasion of the Stones with those alone. After all, they freely used unmanned weapons technology developed by humanity 2000 years ago during the Interplanetary War era. That includes the Murders, of course.¡¹ ¡¸Did human society fall so low that they could no longer take advantage of the knowledge Okeanos can provide?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s indeed the case. To counteract this, Ashia opted to use quantum theory to transfer people considered missing around the 21st century, whose existences have already become ambiguous, to the far future in order to make up for the lost technological knowledge.¡¹ ¡¸And that connects to our current situation, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right. There is a severe time lag between transfers. There was a time difference of almost thirty years between you and the other¡¯s arrival and the last batch that was transferred here. This facility was attacked and destroyed during that time period. The time difference was triangulated so the rescue team was able to arrive here with pinpoint precision.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s why the process was so efficient.¡¹ Even though they spoke a different language, the boarding announcement was delivered in Japanese. They were able to mount a rescue and escaped immediately afterward. There should have been a risk of being intercepted and getting shot down as well. ¡¸If you waited here, another rescue operation would get performed again. Of course, they are going to come here only after approximately 372 days.¡¹ ¡¸So even the number of days in a year is different here huh. I guess that¡¯s reasonable. But can bringing people in from the 21st century really change the situation?¡¹ Kou thought that in a future that¡¯s so advanced, he and the rest would probably just be considered as ordinary citizens, or worse, ancient primitives. ¡¸The disconnect between available technology and the present human civilization is just that severe. Even if the people managed to restart the manufacturing facilities that were left, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to understand what they couldn¡¯t understand right from the beginning after all. When manufacturing things, they didn¡¯t know what instructions to give to the robots, nor what parts, in particular, to actually make. Thus, various people from the latter half of the 20th century to the start of the 22nd century had to be transferred over, or things would have been hopeless.¡¹ ¡¸Couldn¡¯t you have just built proper educational facilities or something?¡¹ ¡¸Sadly, that method couldn¡¯t be applied as there was absolutely no foundation to speak of. To give an example from your era, imagine what would happen if a child who didn¡¯t go to school and wasn¡¯t obliged to study at all was suddenly given a smartphone. It has already become such a world.¡¹ ¡¸That sounds really bad.¡¹ ¡¸Regression of entire civilizations has often occurred in human history. For example, the advanced technology and culture developed during the Ancient Greek and Roman eras were ultimately lost by the time the Middle Ages came around. Even in Japan, aren¡¯t the ancient ways of sword making already lost and impossible to reproduce by the 21st century. Whether or not reproducing them was actually necessary is an entirely different issue though.¡¹ Kou wasn¡¯t that familiar with history. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t really relate to the topic. ¡¸Humanity only managed to re-obtain the knowledge and techniques necessary for producing autocannons and railguns about twenty years ago. It would already be an impressive feat if they can recover enough to be comparable to the 22nd century.¡¹ ¡¸The enemies also use autocannons, right?¡¹ ¡¸Those unmanned weapon platforms are also manufactured in factories and maintained by humans after all. Brainwashed humans, that is.¡¹ ¡¸Brainwashed?¡¹ ¡¸Something called ¡®human hunting¡¯ occurs regularly here. In fact, it is the primary objective of enemy raids. The Stones would manage the hunted humans and use them to support their mechanical society. What do you think? It¡¯s pretty apt to call such a society a dystopia, right?¡¹ Master displayed a sinister-looking smile. But it was still a cat, so it just looked adorable to Kou. ¡¸Currently, the battlefield that encompasses the three planets is called the Nemesis warfront. It¡¯s a war conducted on a very extensive scale.¡¹ ¡¸So the enemies are those murder machines, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ironically, the unmanned weapon army the Stones are using to invade was originally created by the Super AIs. In other words, those birthed by beings tasked with preserving humanity are now attacking the very humans their creators are sworn to protect.¡¹ ¡¸So they basically betrayed their creators.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. And we and the Silhouettes were created to counter them. We were all created by Sophia.¡¹ Those created by the Super AI have attacked humanity, and in order to protect humanity, machines that needed to partner with humans in order to fight were born. ¡¸Wait, ¡®we¡¯?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m part of the first generation of pet robots called Familiars. We are collectively called the Telema AI. We come in many forms including cats, dogs, birds, bears, and so on. There are various types. Some of us can speak like humans and some have no means of making conversation. Our purpose is to become companions and teachers to humans.¡¹ ¡¸Just like you and me right now huh, Master.¡¹ Kou realized the fact that Master has really helped him out a lot once again. ¡¸ Second-generation Familiars are animal-based demi-humans called Therianthropes. In simple terms, they are a type of biological android. You can think of them as humans sporting cat or dog ears. They can serve as the society¡¯s workforce as well as companions to humans.¡¹ ¡¸Was there even any reason to add animal ears to them?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you ask me that, I wouldn¡¯t know how to answer. They also have human ears by the way. They can shapeshift to animal forms, so they should have been developed as an evolution of the Familiar concept. They are no longer produced in the present since they have already fully integrated into human society. They are already considered an established race distinct from humans.¡¹ ¡¸They are already established as a race? Can they give birth to children even though they¡¯re androids?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. You could already culture cells during your era as well, correct? They aren¡¯t robots but are artificially cultured demi-humans.¡¹ Kou almost couldn¡¯t keep up with all the crazy info being fed to him. ¡¸The last ones to be created are the Nereids. They are homunculus created by re-simulating human evolution and resemble humans almost completely. They serve as the spokespersons of Okeanos and Ashia and the bridge between machines and human society. Though they were also created as a means of replenishing the dwindling human population¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Even though there are Therianthropes already? Did the human population really decrease that much?¡¹ ¡¸Currently, there are about 1.5 billion humans left. They have decreased by about 3 billion since first migrating to the Nemesis system. The Nereids were created to supplement the decreased human population. They are characterized by their great affinity towards machines and their beautiful appearances. Different from humans, their ears are a bit pointed. The transferred Japanese kept addressing them as elves, and the term is rapidly gaining approval from the masses.¡¹ ¡¸The heck are you all doing, Japanese!!!?¡¹ ¡¸By the way, the Japanese were also the first ones who got accustomed to Silhouettes.¡¹ Kou felt that he could understand why somehow. That¡¯s because when he was a kid, he was also very exposed to anime and games featuring giant robots. ¡¸Our foundations are basically the same. Our core principle is¡ºto be beholden to humans¡». However, it¡¯s not like we aren¡¯t given individual freedom and rights as well. You can say they are close to assertion rights.¡¹ ¡¸Individual freedom?¡¹ ¡¸It simply means we aren¡¯t necessarily slaves. For example, if we were given a choice between a person who will take care of and perform maintenance on you every day and a person who neglects your wellbeing, we could prioritize the former. It¡¯s the same for you humans as well, correct? A subject¡¯s worth varies depending on personal opinion and experience. We have the right to be dissatisfied and the right to remain silent as well.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s the case. I think I get it.¡¹ ¡¸If humans are strictly prioritized above all else, Silhouettes wouldn¡¯t be able to function in combat between fellow humans after all. Silhouettes are also equipped with super-class artificial intelligence, but they all chose to be vehicles in the end. They prioritize the will of their pilots.¡¹ ¡¸Vehicles huh.¡¹ Kou did feel it was like that while piloting Unit 5. It really was a vehicle first and foremost. Heck, even a 21st-century car navigation system talks more than Unit 5. ¡¸And the Murders are hostile to and are actively trying to eliminate us Telema AI and Therianthropes. They operate on a behavioral principle resembling hatred.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s unforgivable.¡¹ ¡¸Since they don¡¯t react to unmanned Silhouettes, possessing thoughts is probably the main key.¡¹ ¡¸But Silhouettes can do all sorts of stuff though.¡¹ They functioned as work machines, rescue capsules, and vehicles. They were humanoid machines equipped with various functions and amazing abilities. ¡¸A Silhouette¡¯s main essence is to greatly enhance human abilities after all. To run faster, become stronger, fly in the sky, and such.¡¹ ¡¸Can Silhouettes really fly?¡¹ ¡¸There are certain models equipped with the ability to fly. There are very few true flying models left though. A company founded by transferees should be in the middle of researching how to recreate them at present. Right now, some models are only capable of limited flight over short distances.¡¹ ¡¸So they might create true flying models one of these days huh.¡¹ ¡¸You can actually try to recreate one yourself, you know.¡¹ ¡¸Now that¡¯s just impossible.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. Well, there¡¯s no rush. First, how about we try our hand at upgrading this Unit 5?¡¹ ¡¸Agreed.¡¹ Upgrading Unit 5. It certainly sounded a lot of fun. CH 8 Master called out to Kou from the back seat. ¡¸Kou, we¡¯re currently within the enemy¡¯s sphere of influence. We have two options for our next destination. The first is to retreat to humanity¡¯s territory. We¡¯ll be able to integrate with the present human society once we get there.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the other one?¡¹ ¡¸There is a facility I personally wish to go to. It will also serve to help you as well. You¡¯ll probably be able to breathe easy for a while once we get there.¡¹ ¡¸Then I guess we¡¯ll go for the second option.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t hesitate at all. If Master wished to go to the place, then that¡¯s where he¡¯ll go to as well. ¡¸We probably wouldn¡¯t be able to resupply. We¡¯ll be heading to the heart of enemy-controlled territory. Even so, do you still wish to go?¡¹ ¡¸What are the odds of being able to come to the place Master wants to go while you¡¯re still functioning if we head for human-controlled territory first?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­I actually planned to entrust you with the task once I¡¯m gone.¡¹ ¡¸So there¡¯s no need to choose then. I and Unit 5 will go wherever you wish to go, Master. What kind of place is it anyway?¡¹ ¡¸The name of the place has lost all meaning. We¡¯ll find an arsenal factory once we arrive there. It¡¯s a long-sealed facility though¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is there any meaning in going there if the place is sealed?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re the key. You¡¯re already a Development Engineer. Since you¡¯ve been granted the highest authority level, you will be able to bring it to life once more.¡¹ ¡¸You mean a handyman, right?¡¹ Kou grinned and lightly laughed. He liked the sound of ¡®handyman¡¯ more. ¡¸So that¡¯s where you wish to go huh, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s been a long-held dream of mine, but I¡¯ve previously all but given up. I thought I would never get to fulfill it. I¡¯m sorry for involving you in all this foolishness.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. I¡¯d just be a reddish-black stain on the ground if you didn¡¯t find and help me anyway, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Alright. Our destination is the sealed arsenal factory. It should take us approximately 5 days to travel there while going on a steady 80 kph cruise.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s quite far¡­¡­¡¹ Comparatively, it would take about 14 hours to travel the entire 1100 km distance between Tokyo and Fukuoka. ¡¸There¡¯s no paved road available and the way isn¡¯t straightforward. It¡¯s possible that we¡¯ll encounter enemies along the way. With those factored in, it would probably take us more than 10 days.¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha. Better get moving then.¡¹ Unit 5 bent its knees and started dashing forward using the rollers. It was the start of a long journey through an uninhabited wasteland. ¡¸Hm?¡¹ Unit 5 was currently on Cruising Mode. It was moving forward at a steady pace. Kou looked at the time and saw that it was already near dusk. Unit 5 managed to pick up some sort of signal that was subsequently played inside the cockpit. ¡¸Music?¡¹ The cockpit was filled with the sound of music. ¡ºGood evening, everyone in the Ashia C212 area. It¡¯s now time for Dusk Buster. I would like to play some soothing melodies for all you guys working hard on battlefields. I¡¯m your host for this evening, Blue. I¡¯m looking forward to spending a wonderful time with you all today once again. Our first little number is¡­¡­¡» ¡¸Hey, it¡¯s a radio program!¡¹ It was a beautiful female voice. She really sounded like a professional radio host. Kou didn¡¯t expect to encounter a radio program, of all things, so he couldn¡¯t hide his surprise. ¡¸A radio program huh. Hm. If so, then there should be a large force deployed around here.¡¹ ¡¸Radio programs are available on this planet?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. Sometimes, you can even watch video broadcasts on battlefields. It¡¯s one of our rare forms of entertainment around here. Sometimes, large forces take it upon themselves to perform broadcasts.¡¹ A song Kou was very familiar with started playing. It was still being played in this far-off era. He felt it was a bit strange. ¡¸Entertainment huh. It certainly doesn¡¯t get in the way of work and feels quite relaxing.¡¹ ¡¸That it does.¡¹ The two continued to listen to music while traveling through the wasteland. ¡¸There might be a large human settlement nearby, or a large force might be deployed in the area.¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t we resupply in that human settlement? Well, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re lacking anything right now though.¡¹ ¡¸I think we can afford that much of a detour, at least. You should probably experience interacting with people from this era as well.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I can¡¯t always go at it alone.¡¹ Machine maintenance and resupplying. Things needed to live in this world. Considering those, it truly was necessary for Kou to meet up with the local populace as soon as possible. ¡¸Master.¡¹ ¡¸Hm?¡¹ ¡¸Do a lot of transferees die here?¡¹ ¡¸They do.¡¹ ¡¸I see.¡¹ He was convinced by Master¡¯s answer. In fact, he almost died as well. Without Unit 5, even if he survived inside that ruined facility for a time, Kou still would have died eventually. ¡¸The enemies aren¡¯t just those unmanned murder weapons, the Murders. You would eventually get to face off with other humans piloting Silhouettes as well. There are human forces cooperating with the Stones too after all.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll make sure to resolve myself.¡¹ Everyone had different values. As long as they themselves don¡¯t get harmed by them, some humans would probably choose to cooperate with the Stones instead. In that case, Kou didn¡¯t have any other choice but to fight it out with them. It was unthinkable for him to cooperate with the Stones that were moving to eliminate the Familia. He¡¯d swung his sword every single day ever since he started practicing swordsmanship. He swung it at non-existent enemies. Of course, it was just for training his spirit. There was no point in bringing a katana around in a peaceful Japan. There wasn¡¯t any opportunity to actually cut another person down. Still, he needed to master moves that could be used to kill when practicing iai. Techniques to deal with enemies, techniques for pressing on the attack, counter techniques¡­ He practiced them on imaginary enemies. He practiced them to better himself. And now, he couldn¡¯t afford to hesitate when using them if he wanted to survive. In that sense, he knew that he could already be considered a heretic. ¡¸I bet everyone wants to come back home to Earth on some level.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose. Is it the same for you, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Me? Well, not so much. My parents are already gone after all.¡¹ ¡¸I see. I¡¯m sure you¡¯d still feel a sense of homesickness from time to time, but I do hope you¡¯ll be able to find a place for yourself in this world, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Hm?¡¹ Kou laughed. ¡¸Didn¡¯t I already find one?¡¹ He hit the control lever. ¡¸Yes, you¡¯re right. That was boorish of me.¡¹ After saying so, Master fell asleep once more. Kou continued listening to the familiar song he wasn¡¯t able to hear for quite some time now and smiled. CH 9 Three Silhouettes were currently engaged in combat. Most of the enemies they were facing were Ant Worker-type Keres. Their heads sported scissor blade mandibles and specialized in close combat and wave tactics. They were equipped with small-caliber laser cannons, but they had low outputs. There were a number of Ant Soldier-types mixed among them. They were equipped with medium-caliber rifle cannons. The one directing the swarm was an Ant Commander-type. It was a high-end machine sporting a railgun placed on the tip of a scorpion-like tail. Its armor was also a bit thicker than the other variants. There were two vehicles behind the Silhouettes. All three Silhouettes were SF-S1A1 Bears. It was a highly versatile model with relatively thick armor. Two of them were equipped with rifles. One was equipped with a handheld railgun and missile launchers on both shoulders. The medium-caliber rifles wielded by the Silhouettes uses a combustion light-gas gun mechanism that can let rounds achieve initial velocities close to that of railguns. Their initial muzzle velocity was 2 km per second. Since initial velocity tends to fluctuate sharply, the bullet speed is actually reduced and adjusted. They were part of a Silhouette¡¯s standard loadout and sported tremendous power. They were effective weapons to deal with high-dimensional projection armor. Theoretically, the rounds can still achieve even greater speeds, but the initial velocity of the rounds would become unstable, and the barrel itself would not be able to last with such an output. The two vehicles positioned behind them were combat support vehicles. One was a communications vehicle and the other was a light armored vehicle. They supported the Silhouettes with cover fire. The battle was still ongoing. But the Silhouettes and combat vehicles were already running out of ammo. ¡¸This isn¡¯t going anywhere. If we can only close in on the commander-type¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m out of bullets already. I¡¯m engaging in close combat.¡¹ The rifles were equipped with bayonets. They could also be used for CQC. They appeared somewhat more primitive-looking compared to the standard bayonets equipped on military rifles in the 21st century. The blades were long and pointed. This was also an indication that Silhouettes often engaged in close combat. ¡¸Please wait. An unidentified Silhouette is closing in.¡¹ The tense voice of a female operator was broadcasted from the communications vehicle. ¡¸Reinforcements?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no response on the IFF, but it doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s on the Stone¡¯s side. Huh? It isn¡¯t registered with the Mercenary Association either¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸If it¡¯s not an enemy, then just ignore it!¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. Wait, no, I¡¯m saying it¡¯s coming to help us out.¡¹ ¡¸Then it¡¯s more than welcome! This fight¡¯s not looking good anyway. Let¡¯s hope it really isn¡¯t an enemy.¡¹ It was a very strange unit. It was a Silhouette with a damaged head. The protective goggle on one side of its head was tragically damaged. It was coming straight for the group. Its shoulder was jutting forward with its center of gravity lowered. It was a reasonable stance that protected the cockpit against enemy fire. It was TSW-R1-05. Yes, it was Kou and Unit 5. It joined the melee in the blink of an eye and swung its great sword. Several Ant Worker-types were mowed down with a single swing. ¡¸Thanks for the support, pilot!¡¹ One of the Bear pilots called Kou through short-range comms. ¡¸We¡¯re in the same boat.¡¹ They only had a short exchange before focusing back on the battle. There were few Silhouettes with low slash attacks registered on their command inputs. Unit 5 was certainly a reliable ally in this particular battle. After identifying it as a formidable enemy reinforcement, the remaining Ant Worker-types rushed straight toward Unit 5. The Silhouette felled them one after another with its trusty great sword. Two Bears also joined in on the action. They proceeded to close in on the Commander-type now that its minions were reduced. They bulldozed through groups of Ant Workers by relying on their thick armor. The remaining Bear used its powerful railgun to pick off the Soldiers-types one by one. ¡¸These guys are way too soft, aren¡¯t they, Master?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Ant Worker-types and Ant Soldier-types aren¡¯t equipped with A-Spinels after all. They don¡¯t have high-dimensional projection armor, so their armor is understandably quite weak.¡¹ ¡¸So that armor isn¡¯t standard equipment huh.¡¹ ¡¸No. These ones are battery-powered types. You saw them fighting with these guys using standard Silhouette rifles earlier, correct?¡¹ Even as Kou chatted with Master, he kept on mowing down Worker-types. ¡¸So only that commander unit can be considered a tough enemy.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t underestimate them. There are many of them, so they can deal quite a bit of damage over time. Pay attention to our armor strength. Don¡¯t let it fall to critical levels due to carelessness.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that!¡¹ As Kou attracted the attention of the Ant Worker-types, the two Bears finally managed to reach the Commander-type and thrust their bayonets at it. They couldn¡¯t manage to flank it effectively due to the Bear¡¯s low mobility. One of them was eventually caught by the Commander-type¡¯s mandible blades. ¡¸Aaah¡­¡­¡¹ The Silhouette¡¯s waist was gradually crushed. Within moments, it was severed in two. ¡¸Mike!¡¹ The pilot of the remaining Bear screamed in anger and launched attacks in a frenzy but ended up getting tripped by one of the Commander-type¡¯s forefeet. The moment the Silhouette went down, it was peppered with railgun rounds. They were all shot at point-blank range. No matter how hard high-dimensional projection armor was, it wouldn¡¯t be able to last long against such an onslaught. ¡¸At this rate¡­¡­¡¹ Suddenly, the railgun barrage ceased. The turret on its tail was gone. ¡¸Thank you!¡¹ The pilot knew instinctively. It was the work of the unidentified Silhouette that came to reinforce them. ¡¸These numbers are troublesome.¡¹ Kou joined in on the battle with the Commander-type as well. The Bear and combat vehicles in the rear also provided cover fire. ¡¸This ant is faster than that mantis!¡¹ ¡¸When it comes to endurance, that thing wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with you. Keep pressing the attack!¡¹ Master was supporting Kou as well. The mandible blades of the Commander-type quickly closed in. Kou matched its timing and unleashed an upward slash from a low position. The Ant Commander-type¡¯s head was pulverized. Kou made Unit 5 jump upward. It used the destroyed head as a platform and made its way on top of the Commander-type¡¯s torso. It pierced the enemy¡¯s torso with the great sword and quickly jumped back down, letting gravity do the rest of the work for it. Coupled with a dull clang, a large gash opened up on the Ant Commander-type¡¯s torso. Kou made Unit 5 take some distance and repositioned its great sword. The Ant Commander-type stuck out its broken mandibles toward Unit 5 warily. Its flank was suddenly engulfed by an explosion. The crack on its torso received a direct hit from the railgun wielded by the Bear in the backline. It was almost split in two. The Bear that fell down on the ground earlier managed to get up and attacked the torso as well. Kou maneuvered Unit 5 toward the opposite side. Unit 5 then performed an overhead downward slash. It was a wide swing that would be difficult to land in normal circumstances, but since the Ant Commander-type was severely damaged, it didn¡¯t manage to evade in time. The Ant Commander-type completely stopped moving. The remaining Keres started to withdraw. ¡¸Thank you. You really helped us out a ton. The name¡¯s Barry. You are?¡¹ The pilot of the remaining Bear that fought in close quarters hailed Kou. ¡¸I¡¯m Kou. A transferee.¡¹ It was Kou¡¯s first contact with the locals. CH 10 The hatch of the Bear that was severed in two opened up, and a young black man with a large build came out. It looks like the pilot was okay. He waved to Kou and boarded one of the support vehicles that were nearby. ¡¸Are you a solo mercenary? Or are you already affiliated with an Underground Force?¡¹ ¡¸I was just transferred over a few days ago. I still don¡¯t know a whole lot about this world.¡¹ Kou decided to answer honestly. ¡¸A lot happened, and I ended up finding this guy in a junkyard. I defeated an unmanned weapon like the ones we fought earlier and made it all the way here.¡¹ He heard the other pilot gasp in surprise through the comm. Judging from that reaction, what happened to him should be pretty rare. ¡¸Since we can talk with each other without any problems, that means you¡¯ve already taken a language capsule, right? Great. Do you want to come together with us back to the Defense Dome? You can resupply and get your machine to undergo some repairs there.¡¹ ¡¸That would be nice. But I don¡¯t even know what a Defense Dome exactly is. Can I still come?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a shelter for humans. Basically, it¡¯s a colony. Small-scale colonies are called Defense Domes while large-scale ones are called Fortress Areas. It looks like really are just a recent transferee.¡¹ ¡¸I kinda missed the rescue shuttle.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll be moving out immediately. You really saved our hides back there. I¡¯ll send you a guest identification code. You can register your machine with it. We¡¯re the Underground Force¡ºMetal Iris¡»by the way.¡¹ ¡¸Is it really okay? This would make me a temporary member of your Force, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll explain everything to the captain. Don¡¯t worry.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. I¡¯ll be taking you up on your offer.¡¹ ¡¸Great. Follow after us then. Let¡¯s talk again later once we arrive at the Dome.¡¹ ¡¸Roger.¡¹ Kou switched Unit 5 to Cruise Mode once again. He began following after the Metal Iris members who led the way out front. ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­¡­ The machine didn¡¯t take any damage. Our supplies are still enough too. What should we do, once we get to the colony, Master?¡¹ ¡¸Hm. Let¡¯s get you registered and procure an ID card then.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, okay. I guess I¡¯ll ask if they can share some food with us too. Nothing wrong with having more anyway.¡¹ In any case, Kou didn¡¯t plan on staying in the Defense Dome for too long. ¡¸Uh, what¡¯s an Underground Force anyway?¡¹ ¡¸They are mercenary groups affiliated and managed by the Mercenary Association, an organization directly controlled by Okeanos. Underground Forces are the largest mercenary units working under the Association. They are roughly similar to the private military companies or PMCs of your time.¡¹ ¡¸Is it really alright for private individuals to organize military forces for themselves?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s a good reason for this. When they were reinitialized after the Interplanetary War era, the three planets ended up completely abandoning conventional military organizations. It was a world without large military forces serving under individual countries. Each Fortress Area and Defense Dome was treated as an independent self-governing territory somewhat similar to autonomous areas of your era.¡¹ ¡¸And everyone was fine with that?¡¹ Kou was truly surprised about the lack of formal military forces. Who will protect the people? Or rather, who will willingly take up the responsibility of protecting them. He even suspected that it was an aftereffect of the Telema AI¡¯s excessive care for humanity. ¡¸Under the management of Okeanos, all three planets have a unified language and currency through the use of language capsules and are well-protected within vast shelters. It was a world where the concept of a nation was next to nonexistent. Thanks to the advanced automation of society, poverty was all but eliminated. Of course, each autonomous area did possess a certain extent of defensive capability through the use of hired mercenaries.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose an arrangement like that didn¡¯t go that well when the Stones attacked.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The situation was completely turned on its head when the Stones began their invasion. Military power was redefined once more. At present, each self-governing Fortress Area employs mercenaries to act as their standing armed forces under a long-term contract. Since this was previously a world that rejected the very concept of a regular standing military, they are still treated as¡¾unofficial military forces¡¿even now.¡¹ ¡¸So some people actually prefer working as mercenaries?¡¹ In the present era of convenient and advanced automation, although there should still be a bit of a gap between different individuals, the minimum conditions for living a relatively comfortable life should be guaranteed. Being a mercenary entails risking one¡¯s life doing highly dangerous jobs for money. No matter how much money was involved, Kou didn¡¯t think it would be worth risking one¡¯s life for. ¡¸Although the citizens basically never starve to death, a large majority of them still find it difficult to afford affluent lives. Becoming a mercenary is one of the few ways to get rich relatively quickly. Silhouettes were originally designed as work machines, so they started arming them, and everything escalated from there.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why some Silhouettes come pretty cheap, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right. The most important condition to be met if one wants to establish an Underground Force is having a large mobile facility.¡¹ ¡¸Mobile facility?¡¹ ¡¸The standard is a mobile facility for transporting and maintaining Silhouettes called a Hangar Carrier. Particularly large Underground Forces even possess Interplanetary War-era space carriers capable of moving between the three planets.¡¹ ¡¸Carriers that can fly into space¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸They are very popular with large Forces. After all, having one means you can freely travel to active battlefields for jobs. There¡¯s little to no merit in taking over the administrative rights of Fortress Areas, so no one is inclined to do so. It¡¯s a form of capitalism reintroduced because of the war.¡¹ ¡¸I think I¡¯ll have to pass on that. I just don¡¯t get what¡¯s so appealing about it. Hm? Hold up. Since you¡¯re all facing a common enemy, the Stones, why aren¡¯t people uniting in order to face them?¡¹ Kou thought something like that should have been a given considering the circumstances and asked why it actually wasn¡¯t. ¡¸It¡¯s a political issue. The Fortress Areas around the world and large Underground Forces don¡¯t really cooperate with each other beyond a certain level.¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸They are afraid of the possibility that some would actually move to establish an actual large nation using their cooperation as a pretext. The organization that proposed to establish one will be the leader of the new state and the other would end up subordinate to it after all.¡¹ ¡¸Do they really have the leeway to care about such things in the current situation?¡¹ ¡¸Basically, cooperation is possible, but it all depends on the money and merits involved. There are also Fortress Areas that have gone over to the Stone¡¯s side. They are guaranteed their lives and some level of autonomy after surrendering after all.¡¹ ¡¸Putting survival over freedom huh¡­¡­¡¹ Prudent judgment was required of those who lead after all. ¡¸Differences in values, beliefs, and disparities between individuals cannot be overcome as long as one remains of flesh and blood. That¡¯s why the Stones abandoned their biological bodies instead.¡¹ ¡¸Meaning?¡¹ ¡¸They threw away their biological bodies and uploaded themselves as part of a monolithic collective consciousness. There are no longer any differences in gender, personalities, and beliefs between them. They sought perfect equality and became inorganic inhuman entities instead. Though thanks to that, they were able to avoid being turned into quantum data a second time.¡¹ ¡¸I think that¡¯s just messed up. It¡¯s like putting the cart before the horse in my opinion.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just a matter of the difference in people¡¯s philosophies and beliefs. They merely opted for such a choice. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡¹ While he was discussing things with Master, an alert notice rang out within Unit 5¡¯s cockpit, and Kou switched to Combat Mode in a fluster. He heard an explosion go off in the distance. ¡¸What the¨C?¡¹ The image taken by Unit 5¡¯s main cameras was enlarged. A giant plume of fire and smoke erupted from afar. ¡¸What the heck is that?¡¹ A large object was displayed on the main monitor of Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. It greatly resembled the Ant-type Keres Kou fought just a while ago. However, its size was of an entirely different level. After all, it was big enough that its form could already be seen on the monitor even from such a great distance. ¡¸It¡¯s a super-large-class Queen Ant-type Keres. It¡¯s called Enyo, after the Ancient Greek goddess of terror and war. It¡¯s also earned the moniker City Destroyer. Basically, it functions as a siege engine. Shelters are covered with meta-material domes treated with high-dimensional projection as a countermeasure for impacts caused by meteorite showers. That thing is capable of destroying them.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s another dangerous-sounding name. So after fighting the mid-boss, we¡¯re gonna go up against the last boss next huh. This place really is a damn piece of work.¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but curse. ¡¸Kou, the Defense Dome we¡¯re heading to is under attack! We¡¯re heading straight for it regardless to help out. What about you? Still coming?¡¹ A transmission came from Barry that informed Kou about the situation. ¡¸Sure.¡¹ Kou shifted Unit 5¡¯s rollers to full speed and followed after the Bears. In emergency cases like this, a standard Silhouette¡¯s speed left much to be desired. The two Bears each deployed wires which connected to the two armored vehicles. The vehicles then proceeded to tow the Bears at full speed. Although Silhouettes were equipped with rollers, they still weren¡¯t as fast as proper wheeled vehicles. It was a move that intended to make up for their lack of speed. The armored vehicles were also designed with enough horsepower to tow Silhouettes at high speed. ¡¸Well, that¡¯s convenient. Guess we¡¯ll just have to keep tracking them.¡¹ Kou kept following after the group. ¡¸The radar is practically unusable. You¡¯ll have to track everything with your eyes.¡¹ ¡¸What happened?¡¹ ¡¸An EMP blast. It incapacitates electronic devices by way of a powerful electromagnetic pulse. It¡¯s powerful enough to affect a person¡¯s body.¡¹ ¡¸It can affect a person¡¯s body¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s like being put inside a microwave and getting boiled to death. It¡¯s harmless as long as you¡¯re at least 1 kilometer away from the epicenter, but that simply means the electromagnetic pulse is just that powerful.¡¹ ¡¸This really is a scary world.¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t believe he had to be at least 1 kilometer away in order to be safe. The Metal Iris members themselves seemed to be avoiding being exposed to the outside for long. Kou once again witnessed an example of just how dangerous for flesh and blood humans the planet¡¯s current environment was. ¡¸It was just a non-lethal strategic weapon in your time. But in this era, the output of the electromagnetic pulse is several magnitudes greater. Its effects on the human body are incomparable to its 21st-century counterpart. It¡¯s one of the major reasons why foot soldiers are no longer employed on battlefields here.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I mean, they¡¯d probably just croak from all the craziness going on.¡¹ ¡¸Silhouettes were born from work machines designed to withstand meteorite showers and magnetic storms. You¡¯ll be fine as long as you stay inside Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. You¡¯ll just have to do your best and lock on to your targets visually.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a pretty primitive way of fighting.¡¹ ¡¸The enemy is in the same boat. It will also go in for the kill the moment it gets a visual lock.¡¹ ¡¸Boy, am I glad Unit 5¡¯s maneuverability and speed are excellent.¡¹ Kou wasn¡¯t aware, but Unit 5¡¯s sensors were also quite excellent as well. ¡¸Its loadout is lacking as a trade-off though.¡¹ ¡¸One sword is more than enough.¡¹ Kou gave a carefree response. CH 11 Jenny, the leader of Metal Iris, was currently listening to the reports of her men. Her beautiful golden blonde hair was cut short, and she was sporting a rugged-looking military jacket. She serves as the leader of a Force at the young age of 25. It was said that she took over leading the Underground Force founded by her dead lover. The trust her subordinates have towards her was quite strong. ¡¸The enemies are just unmanned weapons. That means they¡¯re probably after the control center.¡¹ Human colonies such as Protection Domes and Fortress Areas are all equipped with control centers. These power generation facilities supply the dome-shaped outer walls and buildings with the all-important Whis energy. They make use of cores called A-Carbuncles that boast outputs that significantly dwarf A-Spinels in order to strengthen the outer walls and buildings to defend against outside threats. After all, high-dimensional projection armor was originally developed to shield against harmful space debris and meteorite rains. ¡¸What¡¯s the make-up of the enemy force?¡¹ ¡¸Our enemies are composed of many Keres centered around a single Enyo. There are 30 Commander-types, 200 or so Worker and Soldier-types, and another 30 Telkhines.¡¹ Telkhines were high-performance Silhouette-type unmanned mobile weapons. Their main difference from Silhouettes was the inclusion of a prehensile mechanical tail that made their balancing capability quite exceptional. They also boasted both high offensive and defensive capabilities. It¡¯s said that only one unit was enough to dominate a battle, and when going up against one with lower-end Silhouettes, you¡¯d need at least three full platoons to even have a fighting chance. That meant a full thirty units. A considerable number for dealing with just a single machine. ¡¸The enemy troops have currently just breached the minefield. We¡¯ve started bombarding them with self-propelled artillery and multi-launch rocket systems. They will meet with our main force in approximately 30 minutes.¡¹ ¡¸It would be enough to reduce the number of Soldiers and Workers by as much as possible. Has our main force finished forming up?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve finished deploying our forces in three mixed platoon formations. They consist of 2 main combat vehicles, six armored vehicles, 12 Silhouettes as escorts, and a support unit composed of this C212 Defense Dome¡¯s Familiars.¡¹ Such a scale would qualify as a company formation in a regular army. ¡¸Have you managed to contact the other teams?¡¹ ¡¸There would be no support coming from the front lines because they want to let things develop into an urban engagement.¡¹ Jenny let out an audible sigh. Mercenaries and mercenary organizations weren¡¯t that keen on cooperating with each other anyway. It¡¯s not like she couldn¡¯t understand their feeling of wanting to stay on the sidelines and avoiding any command responsibility. ¡¸So we can assume our defense line wouldn¡¯t be that solid then. Is the evacuation of the citizens progressing smoothly?¡¹ ¡¸The mayor has already decided to abandon this Defense Dome. The residents have already started evacuating in earnest.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose it¡¯s a good thing that the mayor is quick and decisive when making decisions. That¡¯s the only bright spot in our current predicament though. We¡¯ll have to buy them as much time as we can then. Contact the command vehicle. Have the vanguard retreat and proceed to urban combat. Have the artillery unit provide cover fire 15 minutes from now.¡¹ ¡¸Roger.¡¹ In an urban environment with Whis in active circulation, buildings can serve as tough and effective cover. Due to their nature as humanoid weapons, Silhouettes were more effective in urban combat situations as well. There¡¯s no use complaining about the other mercenary teams that wouldn¡¯t be coming to support them at this point. Jenny boarded her Silhouette and proceeded to the battlefield as well. The tank unit was about to engage in active combat. The preparations for artillery bombardment from the rear were complete. Most of the battles in the Nemesis warfront were high-risk engagements without the use of any foot soldiers. The original role of foot soldiers was mostly filled in by Silhouettes, although their giant frames weren¡¯t actually that suited for it. There were a total of two tanks present. The remaining six armored vehicles will take on a support role. They were divided into two squads composed of one tank and three armored vehicles each. Behind the two were a support squad and a squad consisting solely of Silhouettes. The cockpits of tanks and armored vehicles were actually similar to the ones used on Silhouettes. It was faster and more efficient to use Silhouette cockpits installed with the general-purpose Fennel OS than to build them from scratch. Tanks were an order of magnitude more expensive compared to other combat vehicles in the Nemesis warfront. That¡¯s partly due to the high availability of plenty of Silhouette manufacturing facilities, making Silhouettes comparably much cheaper to produce. They made use of the sloped terrain to perform ridge bombardment as they glared at the enemies. The main guns used by the tanks were actually railguns. The drawbacks of railguns such as the barrel life and considerable electric power consumption can be compensated through the use of Whis, and there was practically no danger of projectiles accidentally going off as well, so they were much safer than the 21st-century prototypes. However, the enemy also uses railguns to perform ultra-long-range bombardments. In a straightforward damage race, the tanks had the advantage. However, the enemy would bridge that with their superior numbers. Since a tank cockpit was the same as a Silhouette¡¯s, it also had two seats. One was for the driver and the other was for the gunner. Actually, it might not be much different from the tank cockpit arrangement in the 21st century. It did resemble the tandem cockpit of attack helicopters more though. The armored vehicles in the rear use 120 mm smoothbore guns to perform support fire. The Silhouettes take the place of regular infantry to seek out enemies and provide cover fire by making good use of their gigantic height. They would use the tanks as cover and shoot from behind. There were actually tank and armored vehicle models specifically designed to act as mobile cover for Silhouettes. They exchanged some firepower for tougher defenses. The enemy Worker-types were felled one after another. Their small-caliber battery-powered lasers were incapable of breaching a tank¡¯s armor. The enemy forces sent out Commander-types in order to specifically deal with the tanks instead. A feeling of apprehension came over the crews of each tank. ¡¸So we¡¯ll have to buy enough time until the evacuation is complete huh. Talk about a tall order, man.¡¹ A gunner muttered a complaint to his tank driver. Pushing the frontline forward or holding a strategic position. Those are the main jobs of tank units. In troop deployment where armor, firepower, and the collective mobility of an entire unit are prioritized, there¡¯s a strong tendency to make light of tanks in the Nemesis warfront. It¡¯s the consequence of designing everything using Silhouettes as a standard. However, the fact that a single company was currently managing to hold down a swarm of Murders led by an Enyo was a great testament to a tank unit¡¯s effectiveness in actual combat. ¡¸Doesn¡¯t telling us to destroy the enemy actually sound a lot better?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re playing a so-called ¡®impossible game¡¯ here. But it¡¯s true that we¡¯re the only ones who can buy enough time for the civvies right now.¡¹ Their machine was a customized T-10A2. Its main armaments were a 155 mm railgun and a 30 mm six-barreled autocannon. The autocannon also functions as the tank¡¯s active defense system against missiles. It is also equipped with a 20 mm single-barrel autocannon and an external rocket launcher as sub-armaments. They managed to slow down the advance of the marching mindless murder machines. What made that possible was their overwhelming armor and firepower. Because the armor of Silhouettes and enemies were quite thick, the caliber of a tank¡¯s guns had to be sufficiently large for them to be effective. ¡¸The attacks of that Enyo are bad news, man.¡¹ The gunner grumbled. A single shot from that super-giant ant-shaped weapon platform was enough to turn even a highly armored tank into a burning lump of scrap metal. They could probably withstand a shot only if they don¡¯t take a direct hit. The small-caliber lasers sported by the Worker-types lacked power, but they could still deal some damage gradually, and if enough was done, a well-placed railgun shot would probably do them in as well. ¡¸Guess it¡¯s about time we pull out.¡¹ The driver prepared to make a hasty retreat at any moment. The Enyo was certainly a big enough target that they¡¯d be able to land hits easily, but its armor was so thick that even direct hits from their main gun wouldn¡¯t faze it. ¡¸I hope we did manage to buy enough time with this¡­¡­¡¹ The gunner muttered under his breath. They were holding the line here in order to give the civilians enough time to evacuate the Dome. The number of enemies was just too many. And if their objective was to gain control of the Dome, there was no chance they¡¯d pull out before achieving it. They were truly troublesome enemies. ¡¸We did the best we could.¡¹ Their ammo was limited after all. Their main gun was equipped with two drum-type magazines containing 24 shots each, for a total of 48 shots. ¡¸Fall back!¡¹ Suddenly, a warning echoed out from the comm. It was from an ally Silhouette. A spear-wielding Telkhines was fast approaching the tank unit¡¯s position. It was charging at them with tremendous speed. It was a humanoid unmanned weapon sporting extremely high combat ability. Freely utilizing its tail, which can be said to be akin to a third leg, it was a machine with exceptional balancing and maneuvering capabilities. Their overall combat power was incomparable to the small-fry Murder models. They were also known to wield Silhouette-use weapons. The Telkhines charging at the tank unit was also sporting a booster unit on its back. The gunner responded by firing the tank¡¯s 20 mm autocannon, but it was next to useless. Support fire also went up from behind, but it was also useless against high-dimensional projection armor. ¡¸Let¡¯s go, partner!¡¹ ¡¸Ou!¡¹ The driver quickly positioned the tank, and the gunner fired its main gun at near point-blank range. The Telkhines took a direct hit and lost its balance. ¡¸Eat this, damn you!¡¹ The tank¡¯s weight was a little less than 50 tons. Since it also sports high-dimensional projection armor like Silhouettes, a tank¡¯s ramming attack was also highly effective against Telkhines. The tank¡¯s body hit the enemy as it staggered around after eating a railgun to the face. As expected, the enemy couldn¡¯t bear the weight of the tank. The Telkhines fell down on the ground in spectacular fashion. ¡¸Oraa!¡¹ The tank retreated at full speed while bombarding the fallen Telkhines with its main and secondary armaments. The armored vehicles also provided support fire from behind. The Telkhines shuddered weakly and completely fell silent shortly after. Thus, the might of the tank was displayed in full. It proved that even now, it was still the overlord of land battles. CH 12 Kou and the others finally managed to reach the Defense Dome. It seems the Metal Iris members will be returning to their base in order to resupply. They¡¯ve almost run out of ammunition due to the earlier engagement. The official name of the place they came to was the C212 Defense Dome. The official designations of Domes and Areas were combinations of Roman alphabet letters and numbers. C212 was a small colony spanning a radius of 5 kilometers. Metal Iris¡¯ strategy was to buy time by utilizing urban combat tactics. The evacuation of the citizens was the priority. ¡¸Guess this is it. I¡¯ve been in your care.¡¹ Kou said goodbye to the Metal Iris mercenary named Barry. He replied in surprise. ¡¸What do you mean? It¡¯s fine to leave, but you could at least get yourself resupplied first.¡¹ ¡¸The battle¡¯s already underway. We need to buy some time, right? I only have a sword as a weapon anyway. I¡¯ll be going ahead.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Sorry about this. And thanks.¡¹ Kou realized how urgent the situation was and decided to head to the frontlines ahead of the rest. They were almost out of ammo after all. They wouldn¡¯t be able to participate in the battle right away. ¡¸I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡¹ After saying so, Kou headed straight for the city center. He made Unit 5 leap from building to building while cutting down the Ant Workers he encountered along the way. The current battlefield was perfect for Kou¡¯s fighting style. ¡¸Unit 5¡¯s head-mounted sensors are particularly excellent. Its designer obviously prioritized the enhancement of situational awareness functions.¡¹ ¡¸This really is a machine that¡¯s perfect for swordsmen huh!¡¹ Even the dreaded Telkhines were dispatched by Kou and Unit 5 with unbelievable ease. ¡¸To think we¡¯d have such an easy time when fighting in an environment with this many obstacles.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s also thanks to the shelters, civilian buildings, and roads getting plenty of Whis energy supplied to them. The enemy¡¯s main goal is most likely the A-Carbuncle that¡¯s powering the entire Dome. That material was the original that was used as a reference to produce A-Spinels, which are basically inferior copies.¡¹ ¡¸A-Carbuncle?¡¹ ¡¸Axion Carbuncle. It¡¯s a genuine fifth-dimensional energy-generating material, and the amount of Whis it generates is several tens of times greater than that of an A-Spinel. Even if you pound the buildings here directly with railgun projectiles, they wouldn¡¯t budge an inch.¡¹ Kou made Unit 5 run in the alleyways between buildings and utilized the narrow paths to cut down enemies in manageable numbers while using the buildings themselves as cover to ward off railgun, autocannon, and laser fire. ¡¸Yeah, I can see that. So if that power source is taken, the buildings will return to their original hardness, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It¡¯s what happened to that ruined colony we came from. Apart from some scattered ruins, everything else was flattened to the ground.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll have to make sure they don¡¯t get their hands on that material then. And besides, there are quite a lot of reinforcements on our side.¡¹ Fire support-type wheeled armored vehicles equipped with railguns and closed-type buggies equipped autocannons were fighting in every direction. The ones equipped with autocannons also doubled as troop transport vehicles. They were actually finding and recovering civilians around the city as well. They were doing so proactively. They were supposedly unmanned. Kou managed to confirm a good number of them have already been mercilessly destroyed. Corpses were littered everywhere. Destroyed Silhouettes also lined the city streets. Scenes that would make one flinch away were everywhere. ¡¸So this is war huh.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right.¡¹ ¡¸For some reason, I don¡¯t feel that bad right now. Even though what I¡¯m seeing is probably enough to give me nightmares for weeks.¡¹ ¡¸That should be a given. Unit 5 is also managing your emotional and psychological state right now. That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to say on the matter.¡¹ Kou destroyed two Ant Soldiers in a blink of an eye as he carefully paid attention to the surroundings. ¡¸Hey, I just thought of something, Master. Why don¡¯t they just blow up the entire Dome and save themselves the effort?¡¹ ¡¸For them, Defense Domes are masses of valuable resources. That includes people as well.¡¹ ¡¸Oh. Yeah, I got it now.¡¹ ¡¸Remember Kou, the objective of the Stones isn¡¯t the annihilation of humanity. This whole war can be said to be a brutal competition for technology and resources.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, they sure don¡¯t have any qualms about killing!¡¹ Kou kept cutting down the ant-shaped enemies coming after him while avoiding their attacks. ¡¸There¡¯s no end to this. Can we really defend this place until the evacuation¡¯s done?¡¹ ¡¸Even if we reduce the number of the small-fries, there¡¯s still that thing to worry about after all.¡¹ The thing Master referred to was the siege engine-like Enyo. ¡¸It kinda feels impossible for us to take that on, honestly.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Let¡¯s leave that to the Underground Forces.¡¹ Kou and Master decided to continue conducting guerilla tactics as they zipped around the city streets. The frontline was gradually being pushed back. It was slowly but surely retreating toward the direction of the control tower. Corpses kept being scattered about the city roads. No matter how many times witnessed such sights, he felt he would never truly get used to it. He forcibly turned his eyes away. ¡¸These guys sure are merciless.¡¹ ¡¸The Silhouettes on the Stones¡¯ side are the ones in charge of capturing humans. For Murders, they only seek total eradication of their targets.¡¹ The evacuation might not be proceeding smoothly, or perhaps some people stubbornly refused to leave their homes for many years. In any case, evacuating thousands of people can¡¯t be done that quickly. The allied armored vehicles were also getting destroyed one after another. ¡¸There are already so many armored vehicles that got destroyed but there¡¯s still no sign of allied Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸Those armored vehicles are unmanned after all. The Silhouettes are probably fighting at the backlines. They¡¯re prioritizing the safety of the evacuees.¡¹ Ant Workers appeared one after another. Unit 5 only sported a great sword as its weapon so it was able to engage the enemies without pause. Comparatively, Silhouettes with standard loadouts needed to replenish their ammo after fighting for some time. ¡¸¡­¡­Please, someone! Help!¡­¡­¡¹ Unit 5 picked up a scream from nearby. It was the voice of a child. Kou immediately confirmed the direction and headed straight for the source of the scream. He found an Ant Worker and immediately finished it off. He searched for enemies in the surroundings and confirmed that there weren¡¯t any more of them nearby. Unit 5¡¯s main cameras confirmed the child¡¯s position. ¡¸Tsk. Are there no allies nearby?¡¹ Right after Kou muttered a complaint, an armored vehicle appeared. It wasn¡¯t a tank destroyer-type but a troop transport-type instead. It was probably going around collecting the citizens. A voice rang out through the vehicle¡¯s external speaker. ¡¸Hurry and get in kid!¡¹ ¡¸Un!¡¹ The child boarded the vehicle, and its hatch promptly closed shut. ¡¸Thanks for the assist, Silhouette.¡¹ A transmission from the vehicle went through Unit 5¡¯s comm. The pilot¡¯s face got displayed on the cockpit monitor. It was a large sheepdog. ¡¸Y-Yeah. We¡¯ll leave the child to you.¡¹ ¡¸Of course. Oh, so it seems one of my comrades is with you as well, pilot. Don¡¯t you lose your life out there, okay?¡¹ After saying so, the sheepdog cut the transmission. Kou felt a sense of foreboding after the exchange. ¡¸Hey, Master. You said those vehicles were unmanned earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, I did.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not unmanned, right? They definitely have drivers. They¡¯re Familiars like you!¡¹ That was the source of Kou¡¯s discomfort. There were a great number of armored vehicles out there fighting to protect the humans. It was actually the support unit made up of the Defense Dome¡¯s resident Familiars. ¡¸They aren¡¯t humans after all. That¡¯s why I said the vehicles are unmanned.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s no excuse!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t let your emotions cloud your judgment, Kou. As I said, we merely get deactivated. We don¡¯t really die.¡¹ ¡¸Are there no humans who feel sorrow when Familiars get destroyed?¡¹ ¡¸ Of course, there are. It¡¯s because they care and feel sad for us that we treat them as precious existences.¡¹ ¡¸So that means there are humans who do treat you guys as something precious too, right?¡¹ Kou retorted to Master as he checked how far the frontline has been pushed back and calculated a viable route to the Enyo. For him, it was definitely unreasonable that the Familiars were currently the only ones dying while fighting so desperately. That was how he honestly felt. ¡¸Kou, don¡¯t get worked up on behalf of us Familiars. Your feelings alone are more than enough for us.¡¹ ¡¸I was almost killed by a fellow human after all. So what¡¯s wrong with wanting to save Familiars too?¡¹ Even Kou found it a bit strange that he was so angry. If it weren¡¯t for Master and Unit 5, he wouldn¡¯t even be alive right now. They aren¡¯t truly alive themselves, so this situation was fine? Of course, not! They shouldn¡¯t be existences that were born only to be mercilessly and unreasonably destroyed in the end. For Kou, who was almost killed due to the malice of a human co-worker, it was clear who he personally wanted to prioritize right now. ¡¸We¡¯ll have to minimize the victims fast. We should be good once that monster is brought down, right?¡¹ ¡¸Stop this foolishness, Kou!¡¹ Master raised its voice in anger. ¡¸Calm down, will you? Many of the destroyed Familiars can be restored later once their core units are recovered. This isn¡¯t the end for most of them.¡¹ ¡¸And if that core unit gets destroyed as well?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Then there would be no coming back from that.¡¹ ¡¸You said you¡¯re nearing the end of your operational limit, right, Master? Can you also get restored using your core unit?¡¹ ¡¸My core unit is also nearing the end of its operational limit, Kou.¡¹ Kou lightly sighed. ¡¸Those guys aren¡¯t planning to retreat anyway, right? So there¡¯s only one thing we can do in this situation.¡¹ Kou ran through the spaces between buildings and continued to cut down the enemies that got in his way. CH 13 The battle raged on. Kou just finished engaging Telkhines in combat. He alone defeated three of them. ¡¸The main reason why Familiars help out in battles like this is that the regular AI of conventional unmanned weapons and vehicles can be easily hacked by the enemy. The combination of the Fennel OS and us Familiar¡¯s capabilities eliminate that risk entirely.¡¹ ¡¸That still doesn¡¯t justify you guys being used as cannon fodder.¡¹ ¡¸We were built to be beholden to humans after all. Originally, armored support vehicles could be remote-controlled at great distances through the use of the extended functions of the Fennel OS, but presently, there aren¡¯t many left that are capable of that.¡¹ Kou kept hopping on top of small buildings and structures as he made his way to his target. Unit 5 was able to traverse them and use them as shortcuts. These maneuvers were only possible because of Unit 5¡¯s excellent actuator performance and the toughness of the structures themselves due to being subjected to high-dimensional projection. ¡¸What¡¯s the recovery rate of destroyed Familiars? Even if they can be revived through their cores, those still need to be retrieved from the battlefield. It would be impossible to retrieve them while conducting a full retreat, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Recovery of their cores is certainly essential.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I guess that means I have to quickly bring that thing down.¡¹ Kou was quickly moving toward the center of the city where the Enyo was. The enemy was heading in his direction as well. Kou stopped behind a low-rise building and had Unit 5 crouch down. ¡¸It really deserves the nickname City Destroyer. It¡¯s just plowing through every structure in its way, even if they were reinforced with Whis.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. They are one of the most powerful weapons in the Stones¡¯ hands. There aren¡¯t many human buildings that can stand up to that thing.¡¹ ¡¸But it¡¯s not some invincible monster, right?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, it isn¡¯t. It¡¯s still a machine that runs on energy after all.¡¹ ¡¸Is the power unit located in its trunk. Or maybe it¡¯s in its chest.¡¹ As Kou was having an exchange with Master, an emergency transmission came through the comm. ¡¸That visitor member Silhouette over there. Can you hear me?¡¹ It was the voice of a young woman. It was a transmission from Metal Iris. ¡¸Unnamed unit here. The name¡¯s Kou, and my machine is called Unit 5.¡¹ Kou opened the line and responded. A blonde Caucasian woman¡¯s face got projected on the cockpit screen. She was astonishingly beautiful, and Kou was even more nervous while facing her than he was rampaging on the battlefield earlier. ¡¸Your battle results sure are amazing. You should become our official member already.¡¹ Kou suddenly received an out-of-place scouting offer. ¡¸This isn¡¯t the time to be recruiting members, right?¡¹ ¡¸I suppose you want to deal with the Enyo, right? You don¡¯t even have a 3D maneuvering unit equipped. How reckless.¡¹ ¡¸Back in my home country, there¡¯s a saying that one always needs to be creative when the options are limited.¡¹ ¡¸Judging from that attitude, you¡¯re Japanese, right? I kinda get it now.¡¹ The young woman laughed in amusement. ¡¸I¡¯ll go with you. Switch to a private line.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re gonna go up against a Queen? Ain¡¯t that reckless?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t wanna hear that from you.¡¹ Kou opened a private line as he was told. The blonde beauty¡¯s full profile was displayed in the video feed. ¡¸I¡¯m Jenny. I¡¯m the captain of Metal Iris. Nice to meet you, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Best regards. So, how do we take down that rampaging goddess?¡¹ ¡¸We need to target the spot where its armor is thickest. The Whis power unit is located there. It¡¯s on the chest. But we can¡¯t just run up its back to reach it. We¡¯ll be gonners once we get stabbed by that thing¡¯s tail.¡¹ ¡¸Okay. Guess I need to destroy its head first then.¡¹ ¡¸How¡¯d you suddenly come to that conclusion!?¡¹ ¡¸We have to destroy its head sensors first to slow it down, right? We can¡¯t just directly aim for its weak spot.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s reasonable. It¡¯s my first time to take on a Queen as well. I¡¯ll support you. But I have to say, that sudden leap in reasoning threw me off a bit.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry. I¡¯m not that used to talking with other people. Um, can I say one more thing?¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Make sure not to charge in on your own next time, captain.¡¹ She didn¡¯t have any of her men accompanying her. Kou could easily imagine that she was a pretty free-spirited and unruly captain. ¡¸How rude! I¡¯ve properly arranged for some cover fire you know!¡¹ It was evident in the image displayed on the monitor that Jenny¡¯s face turned a bright shade of red. Perhaps Kou was really right on the money. Kou found this side of her cute, and he couldn¡¯t help but smile. Another Silhouette arrived right next to Unit 5. It was Jenny¡¯s Commander unit. It was equipped with a large back-mounted booster unit. Both of its hands held Silhouette-use assault rifles. Rounding out its loadout was a long and thin sword snapped to its waist. ¡¸Hou. Look, Kou. This Commander unit is a good example of a modern completed Silhouette model. Silhouettes can function both as tanks and aerial fighters on battlefields. Jenny¡¯s unit is capable of aerial bombardment similar to an attack helicopter.¡¹ ¡¸Completed model?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s equipped with a variable vector thruster unit for fast 3D maneuvers. It sports both high long-range firepower and an effective melee combat weapon. It¡¯s dual-wielding Silhouette-use assault rifles. The melee weapon on its waist is a high-frequency vibration blade.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? But isn¡¯t Whis-powered high-dimensional projection armor supposed to be cut down or crushed with heavy melee weapons? Ain¡¯t a vibration blade a bit too high-tech?¡¹ ¡¸Its striking power is a bit on the lower side, but it¡¯s much lighter in exchange. It¡¯s also pretty sharp. There are also high-frequency heat swords available, but they consume a lot of energy.¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­ Man. That makes me and Unit 5 look like some uncivilized primitives.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s one thing I need to point out before you start feeling all depressed. Are you sure you want to wield a blade that eats up lots of energy but can¡¯t be used for parrying attacks? This simple great sword still fits your fighting style better, you know.¡¹ ¡¸Makes sense.¡¹ It¡¯s true that Kou¡¯s style placed great emphasis on parrying techniques. They¡¯ve already been implemented in Unit 5¡¯s command inputs as well. There were also techniques to protect from enemy attacks even without receiving them head-on. Kou wouldn¡¯t be able to put his techniques to good use if he wielded those other swords. ¡¸It¡¯s about time for us to make our move. I¡¯ll take the lead, so make sure you follow up.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that!¡¹ The Commander unit activated its thrusters. It leaped up, drew an arc in the air, and started flying freely. ¡¸Whoah.¡¹ ¡¸Silhouettes were created to enhance the abilities of humans. The ability to fly was created out of necessity.¡¹ The enemies on the ground started targeting it. However, they couldn¡¯t land a hit on the Commander unit that was flying freely in the air. It made use of its thrusters to quickly move in multiple directions while in mid-air. And just as Captain Jenny claimed earlier, there was some cover fire assisting her from behind as well. They were coordinating skillfully with her. ¡¸That¡¯s amazing.¡¹ ¡¸However, it can¡¯t maneuver in the air for that long. That equipment is intended for short decisive battles.¡¹ ¡¸Right. Let¡¯s get moving too.¡¹ The Commander unit headed in front of the Queen Ant-type. It maintained its position while avoiding the attacks of the Worker and Soldier-types on the ground. It fired two large missiles from its backpack. They were fired from a distance that made them impossible to intercept by the Ant-types below. A tremendous explosion bloomed on the Enyo¡¯s chest. The Commander unit then swiftly retreated. All of that occurred in mere moments. ¡¸What were those?¡¹ ¡¸Probably anti-ship missiles. They¡¯re easily intercepted, so that woman closed the distance first to get past the anti-air defense provided by the rest of the Ant-types. The enemy¡¯s defenses are now concentrated on the Enyo¡¯s chest. Now¡¯s the perfect time to make a move.¡¹ The Worker and Soldier-types were certainly focusing their attention on the Enyo¡¯s chest. Kou quickly made Unit 5 climb up the tallest building in the area. He finally managed to come right in front of the Enyo¡¯s face. It had compound eye sensors similar to a real insect¡¯s. Kou felt like his eyes met with the enemy. Unit 5 jumped and unleashed a heavy downward slash onto the Queen¡¯s head. Accompanied by the sound of crushed steel, the Queen¡¯s head was shattered with one blow. Because the attack was so sudden, the Queen didn¡¯t manage to evade it in time. It¡¯s also because it was expecting Kou to aim at its power unit as well. Unit 5 quickly ran back down after landing on the Enyo¡¯s back. The Enyo¡¯s tail swiped at him, but Kou avoided it with perfect timing and proceeded to escape to the gaps between buildings in the area. He half-expected it to self-destruct after the tail swipe, but it looks like the enemy wasn¡¯t that stupid after all. ¡¸Good job!¡¹ A transmission came from Jenny. ¡¸You did great too, captain.¡¹ Even though he succeeded, Kou was still drenched in cold sweat. He took deep breaths to calm himself. ¡¸But don¡¯t let your guard down just yet. We¡¯re just getting started. But thanks to you, we can proceed with the next step without any problems!¡¹ ¡¸What do you intend to do, captain?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t have time to explain. In any case, just move away from the ant¡¯s position for now.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ What was Jenny¡¯s next move? Kou had gotten quite curious. CH 14 Silhouettes were humanoid in form. But the unit currently taking its position presented a strikingly irregular figure. The basic humanoid frame was still evident. However, the weapon installed on its right arm was just too eye-catching. Its sheer size would make one gasp in awe. It was nearly as tall as the Silhouette itself. Its left arm was also equipped with a strange-looking box-like module. The cannon barrel on its right arm extended out. The fully deployed collapsible barrel was now nearly double the length of the Silhouette. It was probably more than 15 meters. The barrel got propped up by a bipod, and the ultra-long-range sniper cannon was finally ready to fire. The Silhouette switched to a prone shooting position and started taking aim. ¡¸Jenny¡­¡­ She¡¯s certainly going at it huh.¡¹ The pilot muttered softly. Based on physical appearance, she was just a young girl in her teens. She had blue-colored hair and pointed ears. She was wearing a Metal Iris jacket as well. She confirmed from her position that Jenny was able to land a direct hit with her missiles. ¡¸Ballistic trajectory calculation is complete. Next is¡­¡­¡¹ In the next moment, she saw something incredible. A lone Silhouette with a huge sword appeared on top of a building and suddenly destroyed the Enyo¡¯s head. ¡¸Eh! What the heck was that¡­¡­?¡¹ The young girl couldn¡¯t help but shout in surprise. Someone was actually crazy enough to take on an Enyo alone, and with only a melee weapon at that. Thanks to high-dimensional projection, the strength of combat armor has improved by leaps and bounds. But even so, overconfidence will often lead to death. You can¡¯t just recklessly enter an enemy¡¯s range. ¡¸That was insane¡­¡­ But thanks a lot, whoever you are.¡¹ It was great that the Enyo¡¯s head was now out of commission. This drastically lowered the chance of the Enyo unleashing a long-range attack of its own in retaliation later. In battlefields inundated with powerful electromagnetic pulses, it was highly important to always grasp your enemy¡¯s position. Once you are at the receiving end of a sniper attack, you knew what would be coming next. You knew that before long, the enemies will move in and aggressively advance on your position. A narrow line of sight straight toward the enemy Enyo ran between the gaps of crowded buildings. Her target was the Enyo¡¯s chest that had just taken heavy damage from the direct missile hits. It had raised its gigantic body after receiving the attack on its head, leaving its chest wide open. It was the perfect chance to take the shot. If Silhouettes are on completely level ground, the sniping range would be limited to around 10 kilometers due to the alignment of the line of sight and the horizon. However, it was different when sniping from an elevated position. As long as she stayed on top of the city buildings, the girl would have a clear shot at the Enyo from any distance, but she also needed to pay attention to the other Murder types surrounding it. A 120 mm long-barreled railgun. This was the weapon equipped on the Silhouette¡¯s right arm. Due to the nature of how railguns worked, the longer the rails, the more powerful it becomes. This particular model was significantly more powerful than the tank and armored vehicle-mounted variants. The recoil generated when firing it was equally massive due to its size. It was nearly double the height of a Silhouette after all. It was a difficult weapon to use. It was basically impossible to fire it effectively without the use of a specialized backpack unit to deal with the recoil. Its design was fundamentally different from a standard general-purpose Silhouette-use railgun. This particular sniper rail cannon variant also required the use of specialized ammunition. The rounds used by light-gas-type rifles and the projectiles of regular railguns were standardized, so they were easier to produce and procure. They made use of the railgun technology developed in the 22nd century. However, the long-barreled railgun that was currently deployed by the girl¡¯s Silhouette was different. Its ammo was unique to itself and was specifically manufactured for it. Theoretically, railgun projectiles were capable of reaching near light speed, but there was an upper limit to the speed of normal railgun projectiles due to the influence of the planet¡¯s atmosphere and gravity. Once that speed cap is exceeded, the projectile would collapse on itself before reaching its target. In other words, both the long-barreled railgun and its ammunition were specifically designed and manufactured for exclusive use by specialized sniper-type Silhouettes. Being able to make practical use of such a large and unwieldy weapon was a testament to the Silhouette¡¯s versatility. After all, tanks weren¡¯t able to climb to the rooftops of buildings. The girl aimed at the Enyo¡¯s now-wide open chest and fired a shot. There was also a single Ant Soldier-type that placed itself in the middle of her line of sight. The Ant Soldier was blasted to smithereens and the projectile went on to directly hit the Enyo¡¯s chest. Right after taking the shot, the Silhouette¡¯s backpack unit activated its vernier thrusters. It was to counteract the railgun¡¯s powerful recoil. The Silhouette continued to fire shots from the same position. After the sixth shot landed, the Enyo finally crouched low in order to take cover. That was what the girl was aiming for. She landed her seventh shot directly in the middle of the Enyo¡¯s destroyed head and continued to fire until she completely used up the railgun magazine¡¯s 12 projectiles. The backpack unit¡¯s reserve power was also entirely used up. It would need three minutes in order to recharge. ¡¸Sniping complete. Moving away from current position.¡¹ The girl transmitted her next action to her comrades and prepared to move out. She made her Silhouette¡¯s specialized weapon fold back in once more. There might actually not be any danger of enemies rushing to her position at all. The problem was that her radar sensor was useless, so it was better to be safe than sorry. But at that moment¨C A Telkhines suddenly appeared before her. It had brandished a high-frequency heat blade straight at her. It was a Commander-type Telkhines that possessed excellent 3D maneuvering capabilities. It probably wanted to close in quick in order to avoid being targeted by long-range attacks. It closed the distance in an instant, and within moments, it was already right before the girl¡¯s Silhouette. The girl didn¡¯t panic at all and quickly activated the weapon equipped on her Silhouette¡¯s left arm. Her next set of actions in order to deal with the Telkhines that suddenly closed in on her were quite unexpected. The moment the Telkhines¡¯ sword was about to reach her machine, it was blown back by a powerful impact coupled with a roaring explosion. The cause was the equipment on the Silhouette¡¯s left arm. It was actually lucky that the enemy chose to close in on her. Before the sword reached it, the weapon on the Silhouette¡¯s left arm reached the enemy Telkhines first. The seemingly casual thrust was, in fact, an unexpectedly brutal attack. The Telkhines was hit directly on the chest by a huge metal stake that was propelled forward by an explosive charge. The Telkhines¡¯ chest was gouged open, damaging its power unit, resulting in its movements slowing down to crawl as it tried to get back up. ¡¸Girls don¡¯t like it if you¡¯re too clingy. How pathetic, idiiiot.¡¹ She dissed her unfortunate opponent in a low voice. When dealing with snipers, it was a common tactic to immediately close in on them. It was quite standard. That tendency wouldn¡¯t change even if the opponent was an unmanned autonomous weapon. Taking advantage of this, the girl purposely chose a point-blank range-use pile bunker as her defensive weapon. She pulled the stake back inside the pile bunker¡¯s chamber and turned the fallen Telkhines over. The girl unleashed the pile bunker¡¯s stake at the torso of the fallen enemy once more. This time around, its power unit was reduced to bits, and the Telkhines ceased moving altogether. CH 15 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone The Enyo got sniped from afar. The Keres that attempted to shield it was easily shattered to pieces, and the projectiles mercilessly slammed onto the Enyo¡¯s damaged chest. It finally decided to get down on the ground and started to crawl. ¡¸It looks like it¡¯s not planning to withdraw at all.¡¹ Kou let out an exasperated sigh. No matter how you looked at it, the Queen was already battered beyond recognition. ¡¸It¡¯s because the enemy wouldn¡¯t be able to recover such a large weapon.¡¹ Master also let out a sigh. ¡¸How does the enemy usually recover their units from the field anyway? Don¡¯t tell me they just treat them as disposable pawns.¡¹ ¡¸An Enyo taking this much punishment is almost unheard of. Usually, it would undergo repairs after completely taking over an area and would immediately proceed to its next objective.¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that kinda bad?¡¹ ¡¸There aren¡¯t many instances of an Enyo getting repelled in battle in the first place. The enemy probably didn¡¯t expect to face such a setback this early at all. These Metal Iris guys are good. They probably just stopped by here while working on a separate mission.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s like several forces trying to clumsily cooperate while waging all-out battles however they pleased. I guess they¡¯re after the rewards huh.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s an organization that offers corresponding rewards depending on one¡¯s battle records against the Stones after all. They¡¯re doing their best in order to avoid being in the red. You¡¯d better register as well, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸We don¡¯t have that kind of leeway right now though.¡¹ Continuously dealing with the Ant Workers that kept piling on chip damage through their lasers was plainly taxing on Kou. He didn¡¯t even remember just how many he¡¯d cut down. ¡¸Kou, you should head back to resupply first.¡¹ A transmission from Jenny came in. ¡¸I only use a sword so I don¡¯t really need to.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re getting constantly battered by laser fire, mister! At least send your machine in for some emergency repairs. Our Force¡¯s Hangar Carrier is located at this point.¡¹ Jenny sent the location data of their Force¡¯s Hangar Carrier to Kou. The Hangar Carrier was a large vehicle with a Silhouette maintenance facility built-in. There were various kinds such as wheel and hovercraft-types. ¡¸¡­¡­Actually, I don¡¯t have an ID or any money to spare. I¡¯ll be fine like this.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re bothered about that sort of thing? You idiot! We don¡¯t need any payment! Just hurry up and get your machine repaired! Now!¡¹ After getting yelled at, Kou shrugged his shoulders in response and went toward the Hangar Carrier as he was told. ¡¸You should learn when to accept other people¡¯s kindness, Kou. You deserve at least that much for your efforts.¡¹ ¡¸I guess. I suppose I should just honestly accept their goodwill then.¡¹ The Hangar Carrier was located in a spot well away from the current frontline. It was pretty huge. It looked like a gigantic hovercraft at first glance. It was practically a huge mobile base that a Silhouette can enter even while standing at full height. ¡¸The Silhouette over there? Do you read me? We¡¯ve already heard about you from Jenny. Go ahead and come over.¡¹ Kou was guided to approach the side of the Hangar Carrier. A Worker-type Silhouette appeared from within the Carrier and proceeded to scan Unit 5. ¡¸It looks like you didn¡¯t actually take much damage out there. You¡¯re pretty skilled.¡¹ ¡¸Thanks.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t know exactly how he should reply, so he just responded with a curt thank you. ¡¸This unit is what you¡¯d call a Repairer. It¡¯s used for performing emergency repairs on Silhouettes.¡¹ Unit 5 was then inundated with a mysterious beam spouting out of something that looked like a jet sprayer. ¡¸What about this beam and this sprayer thingy?¡¹ Kou was a bit apprehensive about the unknown beam. ¡¸It sprays high-temperature liquid metal and then rapidly cools it down to fill in the armor cracks and damages. Afterward, it sprays coating material for added protection. The light beam is the result of the entire process being performed in one go. Your armor¡¯s been chipped off by laser fire after all.¡¹ ¡¸Heat treatment¡­ Inspection reports¡­¡­ Ugh, my head¡­¡­ This sure brings back some unpleasant memories. Uh, so what happens if the armor gets scraped so much that this treatment isn¡¯t effective anymore?¡¹ ¡¸Then the armor simply gets replaced. Don¡¯t worry. If they don¡¯t do that much, then pilots wouldn¡¯t be able to truly push their machines in combat.¡¹ As Kou chatted with Master, a transmission came in once more. ¡¸Emergency repairs are done. We have some refreshments here, so come on board and rest for a bit.¡¹ ¡¸Is it okay?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. You¡¯ve already fought more than your fair share out there.¡¹ Kou moved his Silhouette inside the Hangar Carrier. It greatly dwarfed super-large dump trucks. It really was a huge Hangar Carrier. Its height alone was about 15 meters. Some Silhouettes were in the middle of getting resupplied within. Kou parked Unit 5 and got off the Silhouette. It seems Master didn¡¯t want to go outside. It remained on the cockpit¡¯s back seat. Mechanics, arm-type robots, and a bear-type Familiar were busy working inside the Carrier. The bear-type Familiar waved at Kou and pointed at the back of the hangar. It seems the bear wanted him to head over there. When he went to the back, he found a small glass-enclosed room with a vending machine inside. This was probably the break room. There was already someone inside. It was a young girl. She was in the middle of enjoying her drink. She had lustrous blue hair that you wouldn¡¯t see on Earth, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was the result of dyeing it that way. Her ears were also pointed. Her slender eyes and long lashes were really beautiful. It was an el¨C err, Nereid. She was part of that artificially created race. This was Kou¡¯s first time encountering one. Kou got a carbonated drink from the vending machine and sat on the bench right next to the girl. It was pretty awkward. Kou wasn¡¯t accustomed to interacting with women in the first place, so he couldn¡¯t even bring himself to glance at her for more than a couple of seconds. Furthermore, the other party was an out-of-this-world beauty. The girl sat up and move to the bench Kou was sitting on. The awkwardness level quickly reached the max. ¡¸Um, nice to meet you, Nereid-san.¡¹ Kou felt that his brain was having a meltdown. He didn¡¯t have any opportunity to interact with a girl this beautiful back on Earth. The girl gazed past Kou¡¯s bangs to determine his expression. ¡¸Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Blue. It¡¯s my first time hearing a Japanese person actually referring to me as a Nereid. Everybody else I meet calls me an elf.¡¹ ¡¸Ugh. Uh, I¡¯m really sorry about my countrymen¡¯s antics.¡¹ What the heck were the other Japanese doing? Kou inwardly berated his predecessors. ¡¸Kou. Mozuya Kou. You can just call me Kou. I was just transferred over here a few days ago.¡¹ Kou found her voice somewhat familiar. He was sure he was meeting this girl for the first time. He couldn¡¯t recall just where he¡¯d heard her voice from. ¡¸A few days ago? You¡¯re the pilot of that great sword-wielding Silhouette, right? I was on sniper duty and attacked the Enyo right after you split its head open.¡¹ ¡¸Oh. So that was you. That was some pretty impressive sniping.¡¹ ¡¸It kinda feels weird to hear that kind of praise from someone who¡¯s as skilled as you. Actually, it feels like you¡¯re patronizing me, you know?¡¹ Kou wondered which part of his remark made the girl upset. He was at a loss. He really didn¡¯t know how to talk with girls. ¡¸Um¡­¡­ I¡¯m sorry if I upset you. I only piloted the Silhouette for the first time about two days ago, and today¡¯s my third time going into combat with it. I¡¯m still not familiar with the norms here.¡¹ ¡¸Just your third time going into combat? With those moves? What¡¯s really going on with you?¡¹ Suddenly, he was being interrogated by the girl. No, it probably just feels that way. Kou hesitated on how to answer her. In the end, Kou told her about how he suddenly found himself on this planet, how he was left behind, and how he fought with a Murder for the first time using Unit 5. ¡¸Hold up. You¡¯re telling me you only took a language capsule? You didn¡¯t do anything after that?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I took one without water and fainted right after swallowing it.¡¹ ¡¸Come with me!¡¹ Blue pulled Kou¡¯s hand and brought him to another room. ¡¸Oh, hi there, Blue. Is this your boyfriend?¡¹ Inside was a dog-type Familiar wearing a lab coat and glasses. That was what Kou thought at first, but in the next moment, the dog turned into a human. She was still wearing her white lab coat. The dog turned into a gentle-looking bespectacled woman. It seemed she was a member of the Therianthrope race. It was also Kou¡¯s first time encountering one. ¡¸Don¡¯t give me that, Lozere. This guy¡¯s a transferee, but he only took a language capsule and nothing else. Prepare a planetary environment adaptation capsule for him, please.¡¹ ¡¸Oh my. That certainly wouldn¡¯t do.¡¹ Kou took the capsule handed to him by Lozere and washed it down with some water. ¡¸Because the gravity on this planet is stronger than that on Earth, it would gradually affect and degrade a transferee¡¯s internal organs without countermeasures in place. It¡¯s great that we were able to find out early.¡¹ As Lozere said, it would have been dangerous for Kou if his condition was left unattended. ¡¸I think I didn¡¯t notice because I¡¯m always riding inside my Silhouette.¡¹ ¡¸That was for the best. A Silhouette has an impeccable gravity control system after all.¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t feel much shaking when I landed after jumping off of a building earlier.¡¹ ¡¸You sure are one reckless guy¡­¡­¡¹ Blue sighed in exasperation. ¡¸You must really be quite the character if even Blue is reacting like that.¡¹ Lozere chuckled good-naturedly and let the topic pass. Afterward, Kou and Blue made their way back to the break room. ¡¸Thank you.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. Are you going to join Metal Iris?¡¹ ¡¸I still have something I need to do at the moment. I can¡¯t join a Force for now.¡¹ ¡¸Even though you transferred over only recently?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ At that moment, an announcement was made through the Carrier¡¯s intercom. ¡¸Blue, we¡¯ve finished working on your unit. As instructed, we changed the configuration from Sniper to Marksman style.¡¹ The Marksman style changed Blue¡¯s unit to a mid to close-ranged support shooter. It was a configuration specialized in providing continuous support fire. ¡¸I have to go.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m heading back out too.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re gonna charge in again, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ll cover you. Don¡¯t die out there, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha.¡¹ Kou wondered if it was just him, or did Blue really sound a bit upset just now. It felt like she really was worried about him. Blue¡¯s loadout changed from a huge sniper rail cannon to a smaller large-caliber combat rifle. The pile bunker on its left arm was also removed and its backpack unit was changed to another type. Kou boarded Unit 5 once more and headed out. He told Master about taking a planetary environment adaptation capsule. ¡¸That¡¯s great. I was worried about that as well.¡¹ ¡¸We can travel without worries after this is over huh.¡¹ ¡¸I think it would also be good if you joined Metal Iris after this you know.¡¹ ¡¸I already decided to accompany you, after all, Master.¡¹ Kou was adamant about not backing down from his decision to accompany Maste. And so, they threw themselves into battle once again. Kou checked the city map. The enemy advance has been delayed considerably, but they were concentrating their forces were poised to begin a concentrated attack to forcibly break through. The defenders were boxing them in as they continued to reduce their numbers. For now, it looks like the defending side had the advantage. They were making full use of the Silhouette¡¯s ability to freely traverse complicated terrain and the excellent mobility of the armored support vehicles. The enemies were all unmanned weapons, and their only goal was to take over the central control tower. There was no indication of the enemy offensive letting up any time soon. All the defenders could do was to continuously destroy the enemies. Kou repeated his tactic of cutting down enemies as he made Unit 5 traverse in between the narrow alleyways. The Ant Worker-type¡¯s numbers have already been considerably reduced. ¡¸I was actually able to cut down so many of these guys. It looks like everyone¡¯s pretty surprised.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m actually pretty surprised as well.¡¹ Master replied in a serious tone. Kou¡¯s combat performance was just that overwhelming. ¡¸Even you, Master?¡¹ ¡¸I have to say, your hobby and Unit 5 seem to be extremely compatible.¡¹ ¡¸If my hobby-level swordsmanship can already impress you this much, then a real sword master would probably seem even more insane.¡¹ ¡¸Your piloting style is also a good match with this guy. Since you can¡¯t achieve performance rivaling a true swordmaster on your own, Unit 5 is probably complementing and enhancing your skills.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m no match for Unit 5 after all.¡¹ ¡¸Remember, the Silhouettes are machines specifically designed to expand a human¡¯s potential. So it¡¯s well within reason that Unit 5 is capable of enhancing your swordsmanship skills.¡¹ ¡¸Uh¡­ Even so, I still put in quite a lot of effort whenever I trained in swordsmanship you know. But it¡¯s probably true that I can only achieve such skills while I¡¯m piloting this guy.¡¹ Kou simply accepted such a fact without any qualms. He felt really good whenever he was piloting Unit 5. It felt¡­ right. It felt even better than the times he swung a sword with his own hands. ¡¸Is it just me, or have our allies actually increased?¡¹ There were battles occurring all over the place. The units that were fighting weren¡¯t there when they had a hard time defending earlier. ¡¸It looks like the evacuation is finished and the rest of the garrison has returned to reinforce the defenders. They might have predicted that the battle¡¯s conclusion is near.¡¹ Was the battle really about to be over? In any case, Kou felt that having something to aim toward was truly nice. A few days ago, he was just another face in the crowd who continued to listlessly commute to work in the morning and went home dead tired in the evening. Master would probably scold him, but if possible, he wanted to continue traveling the land together with Master and Unit 5. CH 16 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone The number of unmanned murder weapons was evidently decreasing. The remaining enemy units were those with high individual combat capabilities. The mercenaries, Dome garrison troops, and volunteer militias who were defending the dome were also getting severely worn down. There were a few casualties among the troops, and many others were forced to retreat. Blue also struggled in a series of battles against Ant-types and Telkhines. Although her machine¡¯s loadout was already converted to something capable of engaging in close-range combat, the enemy numbers still had numbers on their side. Before the enemy Ant Commander-types manage to approach her machine, she downed them through an effective combination of ground-to-ground missiles and combat rifle strafing. Every time she managed to down an enemy machine, she would be forced to change her magazine. Enemies using high-dimensional projection armor through Whis energy were really hard to deal with. A Telkhines sporting a large sword suddenly appeared while she was in the middle of replacing her magazine. Before the enemy closed in, it also fired a ground-to-ground missile at her. Blue didn¡¯t manage to avoid them in time. Her machine¡¯s armor cracked, but she was at least able to prevent it from toppling to the ground. ¡¸Ugh.¡¹ This was bad. Long-range machines were quite disadvantaged in close-quarters fights. But then, a shadow fell down from above. The one that cast it quickly moved to shield her unit. The Telkhines got taken by surprise. It was cut down in an instant. It was split directly in the middle. ¡¸Kou!¡¹ Blue cried out to her savior. It was Kou. He jumped off the roof of a building again and surprise attacked the Telkhines. ¡¸Thank you. You¡¯re still being really reckless though.¡¹ A machine that wasn¡¯t even equipped with 3D maneuvering equipment actually jumped from the top of a building to attack an enemy. If that wasn¡¯t reckless, she didn¡¯t know what was. ¡¸Retreat and get your machine repaired first. I¡¯ll be counting on your support again once you get back.¡¹ After telling her that, his unit disappeared between the gaps of the buildings once more. Blue sighed as she gazed at his machine¡¯s retreating back. ¡¸The more you look at the guy, the crazier he seems¡­¡­¡¹ However, she was saved thanks to him. For some reason, she couldn¡¯t help but smile. ¡¸Kou, do you read me? It¡¯s about time to put a stop to that rampaging goddess.¡¹ A transmission came from Jenny. ¡¸Roger that. What are we gonna do?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve finally completed preparations for another support barrage. We¡¯ll concentrate all our firepower and finish it off all at once. Watch out for Commander-types and Telkhines. Get them off our backs.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ A single Silhouette closed in on the Enyo. It was probably a mobility-specialized model. Its profile was thinner than your average Silhouette. It held a tubular rocket launcher in one hand. Support fire began pouring out from the surrounding areas. It was the rest of the Metal Iris members. Their Bears really stood out. The mobility-specialized Silhouette jumped on top of the Enyo¡¯s back. Two Telkhines moved out to take it down. Kou slashed one of them from behind and got into a heated melee battle with it. The other Telkhines ate a barrage from Jenny¡¯s Commander unit. The Silhouette that jumped on top of the Enyo fired something that seemed to be a signal beacon directly behind the enemy¡¯s torso. Afterward, it swiftly retreated. ¡¸Kou! Hurry and retreat as well.¡¹ The rest of the Metal Iris members also began to fall back. ¡¸What was that unit earlier, Master?¡¹ ¡¸It was a Recon type. It¡¯s used as a Forward Observer in combat to scout the front lines. It has managed to successfully mark the target. An all-out barrage will be conducted soon.¡¹ ¡¸So there¡¯s a model like that too huh.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like in addition to the indirect fire team of Metal Iris, the support unit made up of this city¡¯s Familiars will be joining in as well. It looks like they¡¯re really aiming to finish everything with this.¡¹ After taking a breath, Kou heard a transmission that was sent to all allied units in the area. ¡ºAll units fall back. We will now begin conducting an indirect artillery barrage.¡» Jenny¡¯s command echoed through the comm. ¡ºTarget, Enyo. Target position is indicated by the 2A marker point. Pay close attention to the Enyo¡¯s movements.¡» The bombardment order was issued after confirming the target¡¯s position. ¡ºWe will be conducting a three-stage barrage. The first salvo will use ground-to-ground missiles. The second and third salvo will be conducted using howitzers. Commence the third salvo two minutes after the second salvo hits the target. Each unit shall fire two consecutive shots per salvo. Pay attention to friendlies that might get in range.¡» Jenny communicated the attack method to each of the Metal Iris members and the other friendly forces. Various transmissions came in response. ¡ºThis is the command vehicle. The impact point correction formula has been sent to all units.¡» ¡ºThis is Recon. Correction formula received. There are no problems.¡» Jenny¡¯s cockpit monitor was flooded with transmissions from her men. ¡ºThis is the missile unit. Preparations complete.¡» ¡ºThis is the artillery unit. Preparations are complete as well.¡» ¡ºFamiliar mortar unit, ready for bombardment.¡» ¡ºAll units, ready. ¨CPrepare for bombardment!¡» Transmissions confirming their completion of the angle of attack corrections came from the various units. The last transmission was relayed by a large, white dog-type Familiar. ¡ºTarget acquired. First salvo! Surface-to-ground missiles, fire!¡» ¡ºFiring missiles. Ten seconds to impact.¡» Jenny¡¯s firm command echoed through the comms. After getting notified of the impact time, the shelling and Familiar support units also proceeded to prime their armaments. Three armored combat vehicles armed with large rocket containers fired two missiles each. ¡ºSecond salvo! Indirect bombardment. Commence firing!¡» ¡ºShell trajectory confirmed. Commencing fire. 20 seconds to impact.¡» A transmission came from the artillery unit. Their 155 mm self-propelled howitzer shells howled as they soared through the air. ¡ºThird salvo. Indirect bombardment. Adjust your impact time accordingly. Commence firing!¡» The last command echoed out. The estimated impact time of the shells can be adjusted accordingly by changing the firing angle. Landing shots simultaneously is called coordinated firing. Jenny opted for a strategy of landing two shots per salvo, concentrating firepower on the areas weakened by the first salvo, and finishing the job with the second and third. The Familiar mortar unit was performing support bombardment at a location that was close to the artillery unit. Their 120 mm double-barreled mortars fired alternately. The timing adjustments of the dog and cat-shaped familiars were impeccable. The barrage continued relentlessly for three minutes. If the Enyo¡¯s head had not been destroyed earlier, most of the shells would have been intercepted by its anti-air lasers coupled with the lasers of the surrounding Worker-types. In conjunction with that, if the number of Worker-types weren¡¯t thinned out as well, the effect of the barrage would have been reduced by more than half. No matter how tough high-dimensional projection armor was, even it can¡¯t withstand a sustained barrage of highly destructive ordnance fired from a distance of several tens of kilometers. The Ant Worker-types that got caught up in the attack were almost all wiped out, and only the barely moving giant Queen remained. ¡ºCease indirect fire barrage. Target damage confirmed. All units proceed to the mop-up phase.¡» Jenny¡¯s command echoed out from the comms once more. The final mop-up battle had commenced. ¡¸Guess it¡¯s finally time to put down the goddess of destruction for good.¡¹ Kou made Unit 5 head straight for the Enyo. There was a Metal Iris Silhouette nearby as well. ¡¸Get out of there!¡¹ Kou shouted in warning. The Bear that tried to close in on the Enyo got knocked down. It got caught in one of the Enyo¡¯s indiscriminate tail swipes. And then, a giant Telkhines made its appearance. The Telkhines gave off an aura similar to that of unbridled rage as it approached. It was probably a Commander unit. It was one size larger than a regular Telkhines. It held a great sword similar to Unit 5¡¯s. In fact, Telkhines actually had more advantages in sword fights compared to Silhouettes like Unit 5. After all, they¡¯re equipped with a prehensile mechanical tail that can function as a pseudo-third leg. This gives the Telkhines its signature stability and maneuverability. Even a brute force sword swing from one would be enough to cause critical damage. However¨C Kou could see it. He could read the trajectory of its attack. And as a result, he could aim for it with pinpoint precision. It unleashed a full-powered and wide downward swing in order to cover its front. Due to Kou¡¯s unrelenting training in iaijutsu, he was incredibly familiar with the trajectory of the enemy¡¯s sword attack. A kesagiri wasn¡¯t a technique that¡¯s only used to cut the soft parts of an enemy¡¯s bone structure. Perhaps this was also the effect of Unit 5 enhancing his senses. Kou instinctively realized this. Unit 5 was making up for the weaknesses of the young man who hasn¡¯t even participated in a serious match with an opponent back in Japan. In return for its assistance, Kou placed great trust in Unit 5 that moved according to his inputs. ¡¸I can do this.¡¹ The young man muttered softly to himself. Unit 5 will surely answer his expectations. What would his counter move be? He decided to meet the opponent¡¯s slash with an upward slash of his own delivered from a low stance. He hid the sword¡¯s length behind Unit 5¡¯s flank in order to mask the trajectory of the slash. Since Unit 5 was a machine, it would largely make up for the disadvantages of swinging upward from below. Kou matched the timing of the opponent¡¯s kesagiri and delivered an upward slash that transitioned into a horizontal sweep. Unit 5¡¯s great sword cleaved the air apart along with the enemy. Both of the Telkhines¡¯ wrists were severed cleanly. The enemy probably didn¡¯t see it coming. The moment the enemy¡¯s movement stalled, Kou performed a follow-up thrust with Unit 5¡¯s great sword. The Telkhines¡¯ torso was pierced cleanly, and its movements completely ground to a halt. He pulled the great sword out and delivered a final full-power horizontal slash to cleave the enemy¡¯s torso clean in half. The severed upper body slowly slipped and fell to the ground, accompanied by a loud booming noise. Now he was finally free to deal with the Enyo. However, there was still an Ant Commander-type that was left. Kou noticed this and prepared to get rid of it first. However, the Commander-type got blown back by an explosion before he could make a move. ¡¸Kou! I¡¯ll cover you.¡¹ It was Blue. After replenishing her machine¡¯s ammo and undergoing emergency repairs, she finally managed to return to the front lines. ¡¸Hey there. I guess you just managed to pay me back for my earlier save with this huh.¡¹ He jokingly thanked her. It was great to have comrades who had your back at times like this, Kou thought. ¡¸You sound pretty relaxed. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve already managed to repay my debt with just this.¡¹ A deadpan voice replied from the comm. Kou¡¯s lips curled up in amusement as he made Unit 5 jump on top of the Queen Ant¡¯s torso. Unit 5 swung its sword and cut through a particularly damaged section of the Queen¡¯s torso. The Queen Ant-type Keres finally keeled over and collapsed to the ground. The power unit supplying Whis energy to its gigantic body was completely destroyed, finally deactivating the Queen. It was a resounding victory. CH 17 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone Barry¡¯s Bear squad returned to the front lines to fight after getting resupplied. ¡¸Hey, about that great sword kid¡­ He¡¯s amazing. D¡¯ya think he¡¯d want to join us?¡¹ Robert, the buff black guy Kou saved, praised him without reserve. ¡¸Sure hope so. He was able to coordinate well with Jenny even though it was his first time meeting her. That proves he¡¯s good.¡¹ They were all quite astonished when they witnessed Kou and Jenny¡¯s coordinated attack that destroyed the Enyo¡¯s head. They were even more impressed by the fact that Unit 5 didn¡¯t even have any 3D maneuvering parts equipped. ¡¸Oh, would ya look at that? Reinforcements are finally here. A bit late to the party though.¡¹ Robert muttered sarcastically as he eyed the newcomers. They were members of Underground Forces just like themselves. Specifically, they were from the Forces named Flying Pasta and Red Balkans. The Flying Pasta members were piloting models that had thicker armor than Bears called Grizzlies. They were equipped with large rocket launchers. They were now in the middle of the mop-up phase of the battle, so they came as reinforcements. But Barry didn¡¯t intend to blame them for their late arrival. They were both relatively small Underground Forces after all, and the members of Metal Iris were only able to devote themselves to combat fully because the two other Forces handled looking after and defending the civilians during the evacuation. The combat strength of the Murders plummeted after losing the Enyo. They didn¡¯t have a place they could retreat to and weren¡¯t able to resupply either. The main suppression force would only mobilize after the advanced force finishes conquering a city after all. Now that the advanced force has practically collapsed, there was already next to no chance of a suppression force getting deployed. ¡¸Reinforcements have arrived. Hurry and clean up all the remaining enemies!¡¹ Barry yelled his order. His wingmen responded with gusto. ¡¸Barry and the others sure are doing their best.¡¹ Kou, who came to the area Barry and his men were fighting in, admired their seamless teamwork. ¡¸I don¡¯t think I can pull off such coordinated maneuvers myself.¡¹ Barry and his men methodically surrounded enemies and finished them off one after another with concentrated fire. The men in question would probably get taken aback if they heard Kou though. After all, they witnessed him coordinating seamlessly with their captain, Jenny, during the battle. But Kou thought it was all thanks to Jenny¡¯s skills and not his own that they were able to cooperate perfectly. ¡¸Yes, I suppose tactics like that don¡¯t suit you.¡¹ Surprisingly, Master agreed with his opinion. ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m not good at cooperating with others.¡¹ Armored support vehicles quickly followed Barry and his men in order to assist them with cover fire. They didn¡¯t appear that large compared to the others. These support vehicles were also cooperating seamlessly as they harassed the Murders. ¡¸What¡¯s up with those vehicles?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm?¡¹ ¡¸Their front wheels are normal but they have caterpillar treads equipped on their rears instead.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, those. Treads huh. Those are called half-tracks. It¡¯s a type of armored vehicle that was used during World War II.¡¹ ¡¸World War II?¡¹ It was a time way before Kou was even born. ¡¸Uhuh. The combat vehicles during your era have been completely consolidated into either tracked or wheeled vehicles. That¡¯s because the half-track design was relatively costly despite not having any significant merits.¡¹ ¡¸So why the heck are they using such old-fashioned stuff now?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s because they¡¯re a hobby of one of the transferees.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Kou got taken aback by the unexpected answer. ¡¸There was a half-track armored vehicle fanatic among the past transferees, you see. If I remember correctly, that guy was a German engineer. And when he managed to mass-produce a small number of them, they actually ended up acquiring a pretty good reputation. So half-track vehicles of various sizes became extremely popular as a result.¡¹ ¡¸He mass-produced armored vehicles because it¡¯s his hobby? You can actually do that?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. That¡¯s only if you have the¡¾Development Engineer (Bricoleur)¡¿qualification though.¡¹ ¡¸So they have good reputations huh.¡¹ ¡¸You can drive them like a typical car. They¡¯re especially popular with the Japanese and the people living in this era who aren¡¯t that used to driving weapons of war. They¡¯re not too bad, actually. They¡¯re more expensive than your usual armored vehicle models though.¡¹ ¡¸Doesn¡¯t that make usual armored cars more cost-effective?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a hobby after all. And it¡¯s not like the half-track¡¯s shortcomings that appeared during the 20th-century matter that much during this era anyway. There are large swathes of wilderness, forests, and snowfields outside of the residential colonies, which makes half-tracks pretty useful. And in-wheel motors don¡¯t require a multi-speed transmission anyway.¡¹ ¡¸So the era of in-wheel motors finally arrived huh.¡¹ There was talk that when the era of electric cars finally arrives in earnest, people with jobs related to cars with standard gear transmission like Kou would be phased out back in the company he was working for. Kou was hit by the fact that he really was in the future once more. However, this wasn¡¯t the time to be thinking of such things. Right now, the future was his present. As Kou chatted with Master while he fought, he was assaulted by two rifle-wielding Telkhines. They pincered him. ¡¸Ugh, dammi¨C!¡¹ At that moment, gunfire rang out from all around him. Three half-track armored vehicles dashed out from behind and supported Kou. Two of them were equipped with multi-barreled autocannons, and the one in the rear was sporting an anti-tank wire-guided missile launcher. With the assistance of cover fire from the vehicles, Kou managed to quickly destroy the Telkhines directly in front of him. He then had Unit 5 turn around and cut down the other one coming at him from behind. ¡¸Thanks, guys! You saved my hide!¡¹ He hailed the three vehicles and offered his thanks. ¡¸Likewise. Thank you, great sword person.¡¹ An image transmission was projected on Unit 5¡¯s cockpit screen. It was the large sheepdog-type Familiar. ¡¸Just a little more and it¡¯ll be over. Let¡¯s do our best.¡¹ A different transmission came in. It was a female voice this time. The image that popped up showed a white cat-type Familiar. ¡¸Yer the young¡¯un that¡¯s been puttin¡¯ in a lotta work since earlier, right, laddie? Don¡¯t overdo it, y¡¯hear?¡¹ The last transmission came from a fox-type Familiar. Although it wasn¡¯t the time or place for such a thing, Kou couldn¡¯t help but get mollified by the appearance of the cute Familiars. It really felt like a testament to how animals were a man¡¯s best friend. ¡¸Yeah. Let¡¯s survive this together, everyone.¡¹ The three Familiars responded to Kou¡¯s words by raising their forepaws in affirmation. CH 18 ¡ºConfirmed the annihilation of the attacking Murder force. Ceasing mop-up operations. Defense complete! Good work, everyone.¡» Jenny¡¯s voice echoed from the comm. Shouts of celebration followed afterward. There were very few cases of a large-scale unmanned weapon invasion being successfully repelled. This achievement will probably further increase Metal Iris¡¯ fame. ¡¸What¡¯s going to happen to this city?¡¹ Kou asked Master, who was lying in the cockpit¡¯s rear seat. ¡¸Even though we succeeded in repelling the initial attack, there might be some follow-ups. For now, they will probably observe the situation first. In the worst case, they¡¯ll just dismantle the control tower and take only the A-Carbuncle with them when they escape.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯d abandon this place even though we succeeded in defending it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s difficult to rebuild a place that¡¯s already been attacked. That¡¯s because the Murders don¡¯t bargain with humans or listen to reason.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose¡­¡­¡¹ Conversely, Kou thought he was able to fight without any reservation exactly because the enemies were unfeeling murder machines. If they could communicate with others like the Familiars, he would have probably hesitated a bit. ¡¸We should probably get going huh.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not attending the victory party?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m no good with events like that.¡¹ Kou was the type who refuses to go to drinking parties and goes straight home after work. And so, he turned back toward the direction of his original destination and began to advance. ¡¸Hey! Hold it, you! Why are you leaving all of a sudden!?¡¹ Jenny¡¯s annoyed voice came through the comm. ¡¸I checked because I had a sneaking suspicion you¡¯d leave without even saying goodbye, and here we are¡­¡­ You¡¯re not even allowing us to thank you for your help properly?¡¹ ¡¸I thought I¡¯d just get in the way.¡¹ ¡¸Of course, not! Are you even aware of how much you contributed to the battle? Get back here.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t really need to replenish ammo and all.¡¹ ¡¸How much punishment did you think your armor took, huh? It doesn¡¯t matter how thick your armor is. At least get your machine repaired first and take some supplies for the road before you go.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Alright.¡¹ Since Jenny really sounded upset this time around, Kou finally chose to turn back. He went straight for the large hangar carrier. He parked Unit 5 inside, got off, and drank some juice in the break room. Master didn¡¯t choose to get out of the cockpit as usual. Familiars and Worker-type Silhouettes were busy repairing the armor plating of the Combat-type Silhouettes, including Kou¡¯s Unit 5. Most of the mercenaries were having victory parties at the surviving facilities within the city. ¡¸You¡¯re here, just like I thought.¡¹ It was Blue. ¡¸Hey there.¡¹ ¡¸Is it true that you¡¯re going already?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m glad I was able to help out.¡¹ ¡¸That wasn¡¯t at the level of just helping out. You performed amazingly out there, and you don¡¯t even seem to be aware.¡¹ She then chose the same drink as Kou and sat beside him. What followed was a somewhat awkward silence. ¡¸You¡¯re not attending the party, Blue?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m no good with that stuff.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re the same as me, huh.¡¹ Before long, Jenny came over as well. He¡¯d seen her face in the transmission feeds but this was Kou¡¯s first time seeing her in person. ¡¸Arara. You¡¯re monopolizing our idol, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry. I¡¯ll give her back to you soon.¡¹ ¡¸Give me back? And what¡¯s an idol in the first place!?¡¹ Blue raised her voice in a complaining tone. But Kou truly did think Blue had what it takes to be a popular idol. ¡¸Oh, now I remember. The voice of the radio host the other day was Blue¡¯s.¡¹ Blue¡¯s reaction to Kou¡¯s words was unexpected. Her face turned bright red and she hung her head downward. ¡¸You have a very wonderful voice. I was really distraught because I was suddenly thrown into this world without knowing left from right, but your voice made me feel relieved somehow. Thank you.¡¹ ¡¸W-Wonderful? Y-You¡¯re even thanking me!?¡¹ Blue¡¯s face turned an even deeper shade of red as she stuttered. She was acting like an ordinary young girl, and it was a charming sight. Kou thought it was unfortunate that even a young girl like her needed to fight in brutal battles in this world. ¡¸That show¡¯s pretty good, right? I had Blue do it sometimes for fun, but it¡¯s gotten rave reviews.¡¹ Jenny laughed unreservedly in amusement. ¡¸So it was your idea huh, Jenny-san. I think it¡¯s wonderful. Radio personalities huh? Actually, I think it would be great if Jenny-san participates in the show next time as well.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a great idea. Right. Jenny should join me as well.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not exactly a prim and proper lady, so I¡¯m definitely not suited for that.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s better to have two radio personalities with different styles you know.¡¹ Kou remembered the times he spent listening to late-night radio shows. The back and forth between the hosts were certainly interesting, he thought. But he wanted no part in those corny in-jokes that only the hosts themselves could understand. ¡¸Then it¡¯s settled. You really are a good guy, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t you two getting a little bit too chummy?¡¹ Jenny narrowed her eyes in suspicion. ¡¸Is it fine for you not to attend the party even though you¡¯re their captain?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because a certain samurai boy might end up disappearing the moment we¡¯re not looking, so I prioritized coming here instead. Do you really not want to join us? The number of your kills is amazing, but you don¡¯t have an ID yet, so the rewards for your kills will end up going to us instead, you know?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m no samurai. Anyway, just treat it as my thanks for being in your care. Go ahead and take them.¡¹ ¡¸But the reward for bringing down an Enyo isn¡¯t small you know? It¡¯s not your average sum, that¡¯s for sure.¡¹ ¡¸I really am grateful for the invitation. But I have something I have to accomplish.¡¹ ¡¸And once you¡¯re done with that?¡¹ ¡¸I haven¡¯t thought about what I¡¯d do next yet. But, yeah¡­ I do think it would be better if I joined Metal Iris instead of acting as a lone mercenary. Am I being too selfish?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, not! I¡¯m absolutely fine with that!¡¹ Jenny smiled broadly. She looked truly happy after hearing Kou¡¯s words. She held his hand firmly and shook it with gusto. ¡¸I¡¯ll be waiting.¡¹ ¡¸Y-Yeah.¡¹ Kou was overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. He hadn¡¯t experienced such a thing in the past. And it wasn¡¯t a bad feeling at all. In fact, he truly felt happy that he¡¯s being welcomed like this. ¡¸I¡¯ll also be waiting for you.¡¹ Blue muttered softly with her usual deadpan tone. She didn¡¯t outwardly look as enthusiastic as Jenny, but Kou felt the feelings behind her words. Right now, Kou could tell at least that much. ¡¸Thank you.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll send both our contact details to your Silhouette later. Call us once you¡¯re back.¡¹ ¡¸Mine too?¡¹ Blue asked Jenny in a slightly confused tone. ¡¸You don¡¯t want to?¡¹ Jenny gave her a teasing look. Blue cutely shook her head left and right to show that wasn¡¯t the case. ¡¸Then it¡¯s settled. The maintenance and repairs on your machine should be finished soon. I prepared some food rations for you, so go ahead and take them before you head out.¡¹ ¡¸Thanks for everything. Really, thank you.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll formally register you as well, so I¡¯ll take some biometric info for your ID. Once you¡¯re registered in the Association, you¡¯ll be able to properly earn rewards for the Murders you destroy. My members won¡¯t take your credit, so don¡¯t worry.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll register before I head out.¡¹ Kou was finally going to have an ID issued in this world. Perhaps, with this, he was finally going to become a proper resident of this world. That was what he thought. CH 19 After a while, Kou headed for the control center in the middle of the city to register himself and get his ID card issued with the help of Jenny and Blue. Since the rest of the registration process would take some time to finish, he asked the two ladies to deal with it for him instead. ¡¸By the time you return from whatever it is you¡¯ve set out to do, you can get your ID card issued from any facility that has a control center available. They¡¯re pretty common on both planets. Your money, other assets, and privileges are all managed by Okeanos, so there¡¯s no need to worry.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the far future for you¡­¡­ Um, I sorta only picked up Unit 5 from a junkyard. Will there be any issues?¡¹ ¡¸The owners of abandoned Silhouettes will be decided by the Fennel OS installed in the machines. If you¡¯ve already registered yourself as Unit 5¡¯s pilot, that will be reflected in your ID. If it¡¯s recognized as a stolen item or was loaned from another mercenary, it won¡¯t get registered in the database.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I think I¡¯ve already completed my pilot registration. That¡¯s one thing less to worry about, at least. I¡¯ll be going then. Thanks for everything guys.¡¹ ¡¸Good luck!¡¹ Jenny waved goodbye. Blue was also waving while standing beside her. Kou turned around one final time to acknowledged them and finally boarded Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. ¡¸I¡¯m back, Master. I got myself registered for an official ID.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good. They certainly are very generous and considerate folks.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Yes, they are.¡¹ The two of them headed out and continued their journey through the wilderness. Feeling a bit mischievous, Kou reached out for the comm terminal. ¡¸Huh? I can¡¯t complete his registration.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ When Jenny tried to finish up Kou¡¯s registration process, an error message was generated, saying that the registration could not be finalized. ¡¸There¡¯s an error regarding his profession. I registered him as a free mercenary. I tried registering him under us too, but that didn¡¯t work either.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Why don¡¯t you just leave that blank? That person is a bit weird, so he might already be registered under something else.¡¹ Blue suggested as such after some thought. Jenny found it a bit mean to say Kou was a weird guy, but she chose not to point it out because even she found the guy quite strange. ¡¸Alright. Hey, it worked!¡¹ Kou¡¯s personal data started being processed. Of course, the two ladies could only see Kou¡¯s name, age, and profession. However, the info that popped up under his occupation on the confirmation screen shocked them greatly. Jenny and Blue became breathless after they got a gander at it. Jenny hurriedly skipped the registration screen and ended the process. The two exchanged apprehensive gazes and looked around to confirm that there was nobody else nearby. Thankfully, there really was no one around except for them. They then quickly made their way back to their hangar carrier. ¡¸J-Just what was that!?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Are you familiar with that rank?¡¹ ¡¸No! I didn¡¯t even know there was such a thing as an EX Rank Development Engineer (Bricoleur)!¡¹ ¡¸EX Rank Development Engineer¡­ A C Rank Development Engineer already has the right to launch a company. And there are only six confirmed A Rankers currently¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Only six A Rankers?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s Jack Cliff of the United States who came here 30 years ago. He founded John Arms. Then there¡¯s Skunk Technology¡¯s Kelly Rich, Kurt Ludwig of the German company Kurt Maschinenbau, Misumaru Heavy Industry¡¯s Kinukawa Eiji who got transferred twenty years ago, and Wang Yunlan from Shenzen, China, who founded the Wangcheng Industrial Group Co. Ltd. The most recent one confirmed was TAKABA¡¯s Takaba Hyoue from Japan. He was transferred just ten years ago.¡¹ ¡¸They don¡¯t have a lot in common, don¡¯t they?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s one thing they have in common for certain though. They are all machinery fanatics and tinker with machines day and night.¡¹ ¡¸Depending on one¡¯s Development Engineer rank, one could get info directly from Okeanos and Ashia, and could singlehandedly reactivate and run an automated production plant, right? Great. Now I kinda feel like dragging that guy back right this instant. That kid¡¯s existence alone could spark a war. There¡¯s no doubt.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because he has the EX Rank which is a first in history, right?¡¹ Certain unmanned factories could be reactivated and run by just C Rank Development Engineers. Even E Rank Development Engineers were more valued than A Rank mercenaries. There was a big difference between having and not having the authority to command unmanned machines. For example, even if you managed to acquire an automated repair shop, you¡¯d still need an E Rank Development Engineer or higher in order to run it. ¡¸Didn¡¯t I invite him enthusiastically earlier? I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be joining Metal Iris later.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s said that the Japanese are weak to pressure after all¡­¡­ Wait, that¡¯s not it. Isn¡¯t it dangerous to leave that guy by himself out there?¡¹ ¡¸Did your true intentions leak out just now, young lady? Well, I get it though. His fighting methods are a bit too reckless.¡¹ The buildings within Defense Domes and Fortress Areas are supplied with plenty of Whis energy so they are able to serve as effective cover. Normally, the Murders would opt to flatten the terrain by way of long-range bombardment during an attack to counteract this. If the central control tower was successfully taken over by the enemy, the city would have faced a far more intense bombardment. Under such circumstances, the tactic of getting in up close and personal to slash enemies was certainly a reckless tactic. ¡¸It looks like Kou has only stayed on this planet for three days, including today. This was actually only his third time engaging in active combat.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Third time? You¡¯re kidding, right?¡¹ ¡¸Do I look like I¡¯m kidding? His first live combat experience was against a Mantis-type Keres. Normally, most transferees would be finished after encountering a monster like that unprepared.¡¹ ¡¸And he ended up beating it? With only a great sword for a weapon, no less. That¡¯s insane¡­¡­ He said he had a goal or something to accomplish, right? I actually want to go and help him out, but I suppose it¡¯s better just to wait for him, huh.¡¹ ¡¸We have to respect his will after all.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Hey, Blue. You know, it¡¯s pretty rare for you to be that concerned for a person.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? ¨CMm. Maybe.¡¹ ¡¸I guess we should wait for that guy¡¯s return then. Since an EX Rank Development Engineer has appeared on Planet Ashia at this time, I¡¯m sure his existence is probably necessary somehow.¡¹ Blue nodded in agreement. Jenny couldn¡¯t imagine what such a thing would bring. What would necessitate the appearance of an unprecedented EX Rank Development Engineer? Add to that his exceptional Silhouette piloting skills. It was at a level that a mere mercenary organization leader couldn¡¯t hope to imagine. However, she still earnestly prayed for Kou¡¯s safety. ¡ºGood evening, everyone. It¡¯s now time for Dusk Buster. Good work on the defensive battle, guys. I would like to play soothing songs to cheer up everyone currently staying on the battlefield this evening. I¡¯m your host, Blue.¡» Blue¡¯s broadcast had already begun. She was currently inside a small room within the Metal Iris Hangar Carrier. The only things inside the room were two small chairs and a microphone. The radio broadcast was carried out using the Carrier¡¯s comm room. ¡º¡­¡­We have a song request today. It¡¯s from¡¾The Guy Who Got Fooled by the Cover¡¿[1]. ¡­¡­What the heck¡­¡­? Um, anyway, the song name is¡­¡­¡» No matter how many times Kou heard her voice, he felt like he would never get tired of it. He clearly picked up her soft grumble as well. Kou laughed unreservedly within Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. It was a joke only the Japanese would understand, but there should be some of his countrymen listening in on the broadcast. Since he was given Jenny and Blue¡¯s contact details, he decided to prank them a bit. TL Notes: [1] Got Fooled by the Cover ¨C This is a well-known joke in Japan. The context is when someone complains about purchasing a gravure/porn mag or video (or any other media in general) with a great-looking cover and not-so-great-looking content. A popular instance of this was when Light Yagami of Death Note complained about the very same thing while he was looking at a gravure magazine (or at least pretending to, since he was under surveillance XD). CH 20 ¡¸It looks like you¡¯ve become quite accustomed to piloting a Silhouette.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s pretty interesting.¡¹ Kou felt a sense of unity with his Silhouette whenever he piloted it. It was even more palpable than when he was driving his favorite car or motorcycle. He felt it wouldn¡¯t be too bad to continue fighting with his new partner. He ruminated if he was just like those historical sword masters, but quickly denied it. Those historical sword masters rose to fame after the age of war. But right now, he was in a world at war. ¡¸It¡¯s great that you were able to receive additional food and supplies from Metal Iris. Oh, they even gave you some clothes suitable for washing inside Silhouettes. You should go ahead and change clothes, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸They even gave me clothes? Man, I really have a lot to thank them for.¡¹ He proceeded to change clothes. It was a Metal Iris uniform. It was a set consisting of a cap, jacket, cargo pants, and underwear. Kou was glad to finally say goodbye to his old and worn white work overalls. The food rations they provided were also quite tasty. According to Master, the rations were made with long-term storage in mind and didn¡¯t factor in nutritional balance all that much. After finishing his meal, he continued checking various info through Unit 5¡¯s terminal. ¡¸TSW-R1 huh. Just who made them anyway? Why are they so suitable for sword fighting? I¡¯m really curious here.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯d need to ask the designer personally about those, I suppose. But they do indeed incorporate a lot of new tech.¡¹ ¡¸What kind of tech?¡¹ ¡¸Their joints aren¡¯t just composed of actuators and encoders. They¡¯re also covered with artificial pseudo-muscles. The first to use them was TSW-R1.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really get it, but it sounds amazing anyway.¡¹ ¡¸They made the machine¡¯s maneuverability jump up by several factors. The artificial muscle layers also double as additional armor. However, there were also quite a number of drawbacks. The machines would cost a lot more than usual, and their compatibility will also go down a notch. The decrease in compatibility with available modules is also a great disadvantage from a logistics standpoint. But that¡¯s the fate of any experimental high-performance machine, I guess. The increased weight and inferior loadout capacity are also drawbacks.¡¹ ¡¸It only has a single sword as a weapon after all. The people from Metal Iris seem to regard it as a pretty anachronistic design.¡¹ Even Kou himself thought so as well. In ancient wars, bows and spears dominated the battlefields. Even in the Japanese Warring States period, they found wooden swords more useful than katanas since they could double as walking canes. Closing in to slash at an enemy wasn¡¯t a tactic used in modern warfare. No matter how tough the high-dimensional projection armor was, it was still best to hold some distance in order to secure one¡¯s initiative. This should be of great importance on a modern battlefield. ¡¸The one who designed the TSW-R1 was the founder of TAKABA, the transferee Takaba Hyoue. It¡¯s said that he¡¯s a very skilled swordsman himself.¡¹ ¡¸D-Did you just say Takaba Hyoue!?¡¹ Kou, who rarely raised his voice, couldn¡¯t help but cry out in surprise. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? How unusual. It¡¯s rare for you to shout like that.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s about the company I worked for back in Japan. Our chairman¡¯s name was also Takaba Hyoue, and he was certainly an expert swordsman. The schools he studied under were different from mine though. I think he practiced Ittou-ryuu and Niten¡¯ichi-ryuu. I got along pretty well with his grandson, Shuji. He was a very approachable person.¡¹ His former place of employment was a medium-scale company that mainly manufactured automobile engines, outboard motors, and motorcycles. Although their schools were different, it was still pretty rare to find a fellow practitioner of swordsmanship and iaidou. The Takaba grandfather and his grandson Shuji often chatted with Kou regarding their shared passion and even invited him to observe them performing kata exercises at the private dojo built adjacent to their home from time to time. Though this attracted unwanted jealousy from his co-workers, he didn¡¯t really care that much. He was nearly killed due to his relationship with them, but conversely, he was saved by Unit 5 that was designed based on the personal experiences of its lead designer, Takaba Hyoue. He honestly didn¡¯t know what to make of it. ¡¸I see. So the chairman built machines based on his knowledge and experience as a swordsman. And the result of that was the TSW-R1 series.¡¹ Now Kou had a better idea about why he was just so compatible with Unit 5. He didn¡¯t imagine there would be such a coincidence. It¡¯s like he was destined to pilot it. ¡¸He was transferred over about ten years ago. At first, he didn¡¯t have much money, but he took the initiative to pilot a Silhouette, and gradually earned quite a sum by working as a mercenary. He founded TAKABA after three years of actively working as a mercenary. Five years ago, he finally managed to complete the TSW-R1 prototypes, but the Area they were built in was attacked by the Murders.¡¹ ¡¸So it prioritized high acceleration, increased weight in order to improve stability, and the machine¡¯s ability to always find its center of gravity huh. No wonder it specializes in using a sword.¡¹ Kou began muttering his theories. The more he discovered, the more he felt that TSW-R1 seemed to incorporate the will of Chairman Takaba. ¡¸Those features are only made possible through the use of the Fennel OS. The act of walking itself is like constantly trying to prevent oneself from falling flat on the ground. It was still highly difficult for the computers of your era to accurately adjust the center of gravity in order to successfully emulate human movements.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not really knowledgeable when it comes to real robots.¡¹ Even if Master continued to explain it to him, it was hard for Kou to follow. ¡¸The high cost of the TSW-R1 acted as the final bottleneck that it ultimately couldn¡¯t overcome. Its production ended after a couple of dozen units were completed, and TAKABA moved on to produce the TSF-R10 that emphasizes versatility.¡¹ ¡¸So they managed to complete the prototypes, but the line didn¡¯t achieve full-scale mass production huh.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, they should have managed to manufacture about 50 units.¡¹ Kou often saw prototypes and initial product samples in his former workplace. The items were labeled with the F letter to indicate that they were the first iteration of a proposed product line, so they were pretty easy to identify. In particular, he managed to encounter quite a number of prototype luxury motorcycles and cars. ¡¸The naming convention for official designations differ from company to company, but basically, close combat types are classified as Warriors, general-purpose types as Fighters, and armed battlefield repair types as Soldiers.¡¹ ¡¸So is it possible to identify the characteristics of a machine based on the alphabet used in their names? Like, the successor of the TSW-R1 got called TSF instead. Does that indicate that the characteristics of the machine have changed?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It was changed from a Warrior to a Fighter.¡¹ ¡¸T is for TAKABA and S is for Silhouette, right?¡¹ ¡¸Uhuh.¡¹ Now, Kou felt an even deeper sense of familiarity with Unit 5. It was made by the company he formerly worked for, and it was clear from its official designation that it was a machine specifically developed for close combat. ¡¸But I didn¡¯t expect Kou to be acquainted with Mr. Takaba. His dramatic success story is actually quite famous you know.¡¹ ¡¸So there was actually a ten-year gap between me and the chairman¡¯s transfers huh. It¡¯s really amazing that he was able to restart the company even when he was sent to the far future.¡¹ ¡¸He also has the Development Engineer (Bricoleur) qualification after all. Development Engineers have the right to obtain crucial information directly from Okeanos and run automated production facilities.¡¹ ¡¸When you say Development Engineer, you¡¯re talking about that, right? A handyman or something?¡¹ ¡¸Calling them handymen can¡¯t even begin to describe their abilities, alright? In fact, the place we¡¯re heading to requires the presence of a Development Engineer, or there would be no point in going there. I suppose me encountering you was also the work of fate.¡¹ ¡¸I see. It kinda seems troublesome to start a company though.¡¹ It would be a pain to manage one for sure, Kou thought. You needed to be responsible for your employees and your customers. At least, that¡¯s how Kou viewed things. And in this world, companies held a completely different significance. He felt it was already way over his head. ¡¸If everything goes well after reaching the facility, you¡¯ll gain the ability to develop and manufacture weapons and equipment. You will also probably acquire comrades who will support you. It would be a very powerful base of operations for you.¡¹ ¡¸Comrades? Weapons development? I can¡¯t even imagine it.¡¹ ¡¸What? You¡¯re a Bricoleur whose entire modus operandi is to put together a mishmash of parts in order to make useful stuff. It¡¯s pretty simple.¡¹ ¡¸Uh, does that mean a Development Engineer is actually something really amazing?¡¹ ¡¸Why, yes, it is. Even the lowest-ranked ones have very high statuses. They had the authority to activate and make use of unmanned production facilities after all. Your rank grants you practically unrestricted access to any facility, so you can do anything you can think of.¡¹ ¡¸Did the guys from Metal Iris know? The fact that I¡¯m actually a Development Engineer, I mean.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose not. Well, they might have found out already since you left your ID registration to them. In fact, they might already be making a fuss about it right now.¡¹ ¡¸Jenny invited me quite enthusiastically. I wonder if she only did that because she knew I was a Development Engineer.¡¹ ¡¸Your self-evaluation is seriously too low! At least, there would be no way she¡¯d be able to come to the conclusion that the guy who impulsively joined them in battle was actually a Development Engineer right from the start. You¡¯re already a Silhouette pilot that¡¯s managed such high combat achievements. Stick out your chest more, why don¡¯t you? They definitely invited you to the team solely because of your personal achievements.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d be happy if that really is the case.¡¹ If he was scouted due to the title of Development Engineer that he didn¡¯t even have much understanding of, Kou would definitely feel down. Those girls invited the person called Kou solely due to his own skills. He would understand better that way, and even feel blessed. CH 21 Kou and Master have arrived in a mountainous area. There was a large primeval-looking forest as well. ¡¸So there are forests here too.¡¹ ¡¸This planet has undergone terraforming after all.¡¹ For Kou who only ever saw uninhabited wastelands while traveling, seeing a lush and huge forest was quite refreshing. The overall height of the trees in the area was greater than his Silhouette¡¯s as well. He didn¡¯t encounter any enemies and engaged in combat along the way until they arrived at their current location. They should have been detected by enemy surveillance already, but there was no sign of an attack so far. ¡¸Why aren¡¯t they attacking us?¡¹ ¡¸I think they just don¡¯t want to bother with a lone Silhouette wandering around. It¡¯s not like we¡¯re heading toward an enemy base or facility after all.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s it huh.¡¹ ¡¸Also, there might be a large blind spot in the distribution of the enemy forces. If we actually stepped within their area of operation, the enemy would probably dispatch units to deal with us.¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t there any possibility of them watching us from space?¡¹ Unit 5 was currently advancing in the enemy-controlled territory in Automatic Cruising Mode. Although Unit 5¡¯s sensors had a relatively wide range, Kou still made sure he stayed alert, especially when taking a quick nap. But it was certainly great that nothing¡¯s happened so far. ¡¸Relax. Space is a non-combat zone. Even surveillance satellites are no good. Combat between human forces in space is strictly prohibited by treaties. Compared to your time, we place much more importance on the wellbeing of space in this era, and it¡¯s strictly regarded as a completely neutral zone.¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s unexpected. And here I thought space was the main battlefield.¡¹ ¡¸The space defense mechanisms built by Sophia are still functioning properly even now. We rely on the old-fashioned approach of scouting for enemies instead.¡¹ In the anime shows Kou watched when he was a kid, the main battlefield of the robots was always in outer space. He also wondered why the top and bottom were always aligned even though they were out in outer space. ¡¸The various facilities built by Sophia in outer space are still fully functional even now, and their self-defense capabilities are working as intended as well. If something happens to them, the materials they provide will no longer be available. Hence, they are extremely important facilities for the humans living on the surface of the planets, and also for the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸What are they making out in space?¡¹ ¡¸Mainly steel and nanomaterial composites. Iron manufactured in a vacuum has different properties compared to those made on the planets due to the special arrangement of their molecules. Thus, vacuum material production facilities are especially important. Silhouette cockpits are also manufactured completely by the space facilities.¡¹ ¡¸Now it really feels like I¡¯m in the future.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just like you, Kou.¡¹ It was hard for Kou to imagine the process of steelmaking within a vacuum, but in his previous company, one of his jobs was involved in processing bar stocks that were produced and delivered by a partner company. They were delivered to their company for processing, heat treatment, and plating. He managed to get his hands on the information regarding the composition of the materials used to make Silhouette armor from Unit 5¡¯s terminal, and he was familiar with a lot of the chemical symbols he saw. Of course, there were some that were completely new to him as well. Although he was in the far future, he felt it still had many connections with the world he was familiar with and didn¡¯t seem like a completely different dimension. One thing he found interesting was that the materials used for the Silhouette¡¯s arms and legs were actually different. The legs were made with a sturdier material. This was probably partly due to the influence of the square-cube law, but the production cost of the legs was comparatively higher. Head and limb Silhouette parts can actually be regarded as consumables, but since Unit 5 was part of a series of unique prototypes, it seemed it would be that easy to find replacements. This was a concrete example of the disadvantages of using artificial muscle materials in the limbs. ¡¸Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t seen any recon drones or planes flying overhead either. That goes for both our allies and the enemies.¡¹ ¡¸Our allies are hindered by the limitations of the Fennel OS. As for the Stones, they have Murder types that can function as flying weapons, but they are easy prey for railguns and light-gas guns. They can be easily shot down, so they simply don¡¯t deploy them. There were aircraft that could be regarded essentially as flying tanks active back in the Interplanetary War era though.¡¹ ¡¸I think flying tanks are a lot more intimidating than humanoid weapons.¡¹ ¡¸In the Interplanetary War era, those flying tanks were easily cut down by the Silhouette models of that period.¡¹ ¡¸Why does everything need to be cut down by humanoid weapons!?¡¹ Couldn¡¯t they at least spare flying weapons from being cut down by swords, Kou thought. Though he acknowledged that it sounded like a man¡¯s romance given form. According to Master, the Silhouette models produced during the Interplanetary War era were collectively called Antique Silhouettes. They were occasionally excavated from ruins during the present era, and they possessed functions and combat strength incomparable to most modern Silhouettes. Conversely, they were extremely expensive, and some of their components were impossible to reproduce in the current era, so it was pretty difficult to repair and maintain them. Their overall abilities should be able to compensate for these drawbacks, but in actual practice, they aren¡¯t deployed much in this era¡¯s battles. ¡¸Let¡¯s get back on topic. There is practically no combat in outer space, but you can still transport troops through it. Even if land warfare is the standard nowadays, it doesn¡¯t diminish the significance of space carriers in the least.¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, you said something about that before, Master. Something about large-scale Underground Forces having space carriers, I mean.¡¹ ¡¸There are also people who make their living by discovering and excavating ancient damaged carriers and weapons. They are considered different from mercenaries and are called Searchers. They also pilot Silhouettes though.¡¹ ¡¸Is there really that much ancient stuff sleeping all over the planet?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, indeed there are. We probably haven¡¯t discovered more than 1% of them. Even though they can¡¯t be made good as new, as long as they could be made fairly useable after some repairs, they are still very valuable resources.¡¹ ¡¸It feels like you¡¯d make a killing by finding lots of them.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a great way to get rich quickly, but it actually results in a lot of casualties as well. There¡¯s a problem, you see. Those sleeping maintenance facilities and carriers are equipped with active defense systems, so as long as they couldn¡¯t rely on allies to rescue them out of a pinch, it¡¯s an occupation that¡¯s far more dangerous than being a normal mercenary.¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t rely on reinforcements unless you¡¯re fighting in a defensive battle after all.¡¹ ¡¸And what we¡¯re going to do right now is basically the same thing as what those Searchers do.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re going to be entering an ancient site as well. But don¡¯t worry. There will be no problems.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I trust you, Master.¡¹ Kou and Unit 5 didn¡¯t show a trace of hesitation. They fully believed in Master¡¯s guidance. Unit 5 continued to advance. It continuously cut a path through the dense jungle. ¡¸This is¨C?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a passageway that¡¯s hidden via optical camouflage. It only appeared now that we¡¯re here. Under my authority, of course.¡¹ ¡¸Master¡¯s?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I sent a command to the facility we are heading to.¡¹ The hidden passageway that now revealed itself to them was large enough for a Silhouette to pass through unimpeded. However, it led to a downward slope that turned into a sharp curve after going forward for a while. Even Unit 5 that boasts excellent stability had to struggle to keep itself from careening uncontrollably downward. ¡¸It¡¯s fortunate that we were able to arrive here without being detected by the Murders.¡¹ ¡¸Okay, Master. But isn¡¯t it about time you told me what this place exactly is?¡¹ ¡¸To put it simply, it¡¯s like a secret base.¡¹ ¡¸Well, of course, it is! I mean, just look at it! What I want to know is what your goal is and what this place is actually for.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s an ancient site. You can even say it¡¯s very ancient.¡¹ ¡¸You mean this place was built way before humanity was reset to a quantum data state again?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. I¡¯ll tell you the rest later once you¡¯ve taken a look at the place personally.¡¹ Unit 5 kept going, but there wasn¡¯t any sign of the path ending anytime soon. ¡¸It¡¯s pretty deep underground.¡¹ ¡¸It was made by hollowing out the bottom of the mountain range above. The underground facility should be about five kilometers below the surface.¡¹ ¡¸What about the scale of the underground facility itself?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about 880 square kilometers across. It also has multiple layers. It¡¯s large enough to accommodate all 23 wards of Tokyo as well as Sado island.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you for that easy-to-understand analogy! It¡¯s freaking huge.¡¹ ¡¸Even during the Interplanetary War era, underground facilities had particularly good defense capabilities. Thus, there were a great variety of facilities that were built underground.¡¹ ¡¸But?¡¹ ¡¸Most of the important facilities survived those turbulent times relatively undamaged. However, the underground facilities were built too far underground, and as a result, many of the newly awakened humans still remain unaware of their existence.¡¹ ¡¸So they kinda became like geofronts huh. Did no one tell the newly awakened humans about them? What about you Familiars or Okeanos?¡¹ ¡¸The more important facilities were located in space anyway, and it was decided that it was unnecessary for the newly awakened humans to be aware of underground facilities like the one we¡¯re heading to right now.¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­ Come to think of it, this passageway seems specifically designed for Silhouettes¡­¡­¡¹ Kou was stunned by just how vast the facility supposedly was but he was convinced once he figured that it was actually designed and built with Silhouettes in mind. ¡¸The Silhouette is an evolution of the heavy working machines used during the Planetary Pioneering era. The Whis-treated high-dimensional projection armor was also originally intended as a countermeasure against space debris.¡¹ ¡¸Space debris?¡¹ ¡¸Space debris fly around in outer space at about 10 kilometers per second. The light-gas guns during your time were also used in debris experiments.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not aware anything like that was happening at all!¡¹ ¡¸Now I¡¯m having doubts if the data we have on the 21st century is actually accurate.¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, more than that, I wanna know what we¡¯re gonna find down there already.¡¹ Before long, Unit 5 finally reached its destination. It took about thirty minutes to traverse the entire length of the passageway. ¡¸A wall? No, is it a gate?¡¹ ¡¸If you barged in here alone, you would have been attacked by the interceptors from this bulkhead.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸This is a full-on secret base. You have to be prepared if you want to enter the place.¡¹ ¡¸Prepared?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s alright. Because you have me with you.¡¹ ¡¸Okay.¡¹ The wall separating the rest of the facility from the outside world slip upward, and Kou finally managed to enter the vast underground space from the now-opened bulkhead. He found a large structure floating on a huge underground lake within. It was clearly man-made. Unit 5 halted its advance. ¡¸A factory?¡¹ Kou muttered under his breath. The place really reminded him of a factory. The underground lake got converted into a port facility. There was a pier on one side of the lake, a large crane, and wide passages along the outer walls; two of which have been laid with what seemed to be railroad tracks. ¡¸Correct. This is a secret arsenal fortress. Of course, it can function perfectly well even now.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like there isn¡¯t anyone else here.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s been over a thousand years since it first went dormant. Alright. Go ahead and get a move on. We need to enter that structure over there.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­ a container ship? No, that¡¯s not it. An aircraft carrier? But I don¡¯t see anything resembling a bridge on it.¡¹ The structure before them was floating quietly on the lake. The structure somewhat resembled a whale in shape. An armed metal whale, to be exact. That was Kou¡¯s impression of it. Unit 5¡¯s main cameras captured most of the underground space in great detail using telephoto mode. ¡¸That¡¯s a good observation. You really have great insight when it comes to things like this. It is indeed technically somewhat similar to an aircraft carrier. The structure before you is its stern.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s freaking huge then. Even if you¡¯re riding inside a Silhouette¡­¡­ No, I suppose it¡¯s this huge because it¡¯s designed to accommodate Silhouettes, huh.¡¹ The structure before Kou really was a gigantic carrier ship. It did somewhat look like a ship, but it was far bigger than the ships Kou was familiar with. ¡¸Doesn¡¯t that thing look like it¡¯s about a kilometer long?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just over 800 meters. It doesn¡¯t actually reach a kilometer in length. It¡¯s a medium-class Silhouette ship.¡¹ ¡¸You said it only resembled a carrier. What exactly is it?¡¹ ¡¸This entire facility functions as an unmanned weapons factory with the ship as its core. And the thing before you is its official ship for business trips and also its flagship.¡¹ ¡¸Whoah, now just hold on a moment. This thing is basically a weapons factory, right? You can actually go on business trips with it?¡¹ ¡¸In Japanese terms, it¡¯s a¡¾Mobile Factory Platform¡¿. It¡¯s an armed mobile factory. It¡¯s a ship that functions as a carrier, repair ship, and an amphibious ship all in one.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really get it, but that still sounds awesome. Can¡¯t we make the name a bit shorter though?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Alright, let¡¯s call it an Arsenal Carrier then. I want you to reactivate this facility, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Me?¡¹ ¡¸It should be possible for you since you have unrestricted access due to your Development Engineer rank.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Hm. I understand. I¡¯m not sure what to do, so please guide me, Master.¡¹ Kou resolved himself and made Unit 5 advance forward once more. CH 22 It looks like the so-called mobile arsenal platform can be entered using a carry-in entrance that doubles as a well-dock that vehicles as large as hangar carriers can enter and exit from as well a rampway from the side. The stern gate was currently closed shut. ¡¸Let¡¯s use the rampway to enter, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Okay.¡¹ Kou moved Unit 5 to the side of the hull and headed inside the hangar through an inclined bridge called a rampway. The moment Kou approached, the door opened automatically and folded down to become a bridge. There was a huge hangar carrier inside the arsenal platform¡¯s hangar, similar to the one owned by Metal Iris. By that alone, you could already tell it was a very humongous ship. It had an atmosphere similar to a battleship, but it was currently not armed. ¡¸So the only equipment that¡¯s left is this huh.¡¹ ¡¸Just a hangar carrier huh. It lacks any weapons despite being a weapons factory.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It looks like all the weapons from the Interplanetary War era have already been brought out. Alright, Kou. Please move to that corner over there and park.¡¹ Kou made Unit 5 move to a corner of the hangar and parked it there. He then got off the Silhouette and followed after Master who led the way. ¡¸Now, we¡¯ll be heading to a section of the ship called the combat command post. I shall tell you everything once we¡¯re there.¡¹ The room Master led him to was quite large. It was dark inside, but he could still make out the multiple monitors installed within the room. As soon as Kou entered the room, the central monitor lit up. The two proceeded further inside the room while relying solely on the monitor¡¯s illumination. ¡¸Kou, please take a seat over there.¡¹ ¡¸This looks like the captain¡¯s seat. Is it really okay?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. I¡¯ll sit on top of your lap.¡¹ Kou obediently sat on the seat and placed Master on top of his lap. The moment he sat down, various character strings appeared on the main screen. ¡ºWelcome, Mozuya Kou. I am the Weapons Development Integrated System . I serve as this facility¡¯s custodian. Please excuse me, but I am required to read your personal data first.¡» A female voice rang out. Surprisingly, the voice didn¡¯t sound artificial at all. ¡¸Nice to meet you, Astraea. It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind.¡¹ ¡ºSystems have been optimized for ease of use by a Japanese person from the 21st century. I have also integrated the information shared by the Familiar you address as Master. Master, you have journeyed far. Thank you for your earnest efforts.¡» ¡¸Yes. I have finally managed to find a proper and worthy owner for this facility. Astraea, I¡¯m sorry for making you wait so long.¡¹ ¡¸Whoah! Hold up a bit. I¡¯m gonna be the owner of this mobile arsenal platform thing? What¡¯s going on here?¡¹ ¡ºYou have been registered as the owner of all the facilities I administer. I will proceed to get the approval of the other AI as well. You, a Development Engineer (Bricoleur) personally chosen by Asia herself, are completely qualified.¡» ¡¸Master?¡¹ Kou knew that Master wanted him to activate the facility, but he wasn¡¯t told he was going to become its owner. Suddenly making him the owner of such a large factory resulted in a lot of pressure. ¡¸I shall talk to Kou about the details. Please go on standby for the meantime, Astraea.¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood.¡» Master closed its eyes in a languid manner. It totally resembled a normal relaxed cat. ¡¸I¡¯ve guided you all the way here because of the fact that you have become a qualified Development Engineer. Otherwise, I would have urged you to join Metal Iris and ended my journey there and then. I wish for you to inherit this facility.¡¹ ¡¸But I already have my hands full piloting Unit 5. I don¡¯t think I can handle managing this facility as well.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s totally fine. You can just use Astraea solely to strengthen Unit 5. Or you can just leave it sitting here and pretend that all this didn¡¯t happen. It¡¯s up to you.¡¹ ¡¸This facility is humanity¡¯s¡­¡­ No, it¡¯s a legacy of the Super AI that transferred the human race to this place, right?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m glad that you¡¯re quick on the uptake.¡¹ ¡¸What do you really wish for, Master?¡¹ ¡¸I have two things I wish to happen if possible. One is the continued progress of Silhouettes. The other is the spread of technology. I hope that Silhouette technology will continue to progress in your hands. According to Astraea¡¯s forecast, humanity will be completely overwhelmed by the Stones in less than 50 years.¡¹ ¡¸And why did you hand it to a total noob like me?¡¹ ¡¸Even if the Stones are defeated, the technology and weapons that spread out in order to fight them will ultimately lead to new conflicts arising. That is a heavy responsibility. Since ancient times, the development and spread of weapons have always invited conflict. This will not change, no matter the era.¡¹ Kou was stunned to silence. And then, he let out a sigh. He already had an idea somehow. Yes, the reality was that humans haven¡¯t changed, even in the far future. ¡¸There might be others like you. The other Development Engineers might already be working toward similar goals as we speak. Hence, you can just do as you like.¡¹ Kou went silent again and called out to Astraea after a few moments. ¡¸I see. Astraea, I want to extend Master¡¯s life. What should I do to make that happen?¡¹ ¡ºMaster is a considerably old Familiar. The biological parts of ¡®her¡¯ brain are reaching their operational limits, and it would not be strange for her to deactivate at any moment. Please think of your plan in this way. What you wish to do is akin to extending a person¡¯s life while disregarding the immense agony that person will have to constantly endure as she continues to live. Do you still wish to extend Master¡¯s life despite that?¡» ¡¸Master¡­¡­¡¹ He wasn¡¯t aware that was the case. Kou couldn¡¯t help but gently stroke Master¡¯s back as she laid on top of his lap. She squinted her eyes in comfort. ¡¸You see, I was always searching for someone to inherit this facility. But I didn¡¯t get any opportunity to get in contact with any suitable Development Engineer. I was planning on quietly waiting for my deactivation in that scrapyard. But I was blessed enough to encounter you before I stopped completely.¡¹ ¡¸But I have no idea what I should do.¡¹ ¡¸There are Therianthropes and other Familiars sleeping in this facility as well. I¡¯m sure they will do their very best to support you.¡¹ ¡¸But I want you to continue looking after me yourself, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Fumu. I see. So this is what it feels like to have a child become quite attached to you huh.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, just call it whatever you want. Geez.¡¹ Kou cried out sulkily. He was acting more and more like a big baby. Master couldn¡¯t help but softly smile. ¡¸I see. ¨CI may be deactivating soon, but please take care of my daughter. Then I will truly have no regrets. I suppose this is another wish of mine as well.¡¹ ¡¸Daughter?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. She is the daughter who will inherit my memories, feelings, and experiences. I¡¯m sure she will support you together with everyone as well. So it¡¯s not like I will be disappearing completely.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­I see.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m happy that there is someone who feels sorrow for my sake. For a pet such as me, this is a wonderful blessing.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t be happy about something like that¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Haha. I¡¯m sorry. But I really am at my limit. Even I am surprised that I was able to hold on until now. In truth, I should have deactivated in that junkyard.¡¹ ¡¸Did Asia wake you up and lent you a hand so you could help me as well¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s quite possible.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Master.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re very welcome.¡¹ Without Master, Kou felt that he wouldn¡¯t have survived. Kou didn¡¯t want to acknowledge that he was about to part from Master for good. CH 23 ¡¸Kou, Even though you can now completely reactivate Astraea, you are still woefully short of manpower. This is despite the fact that you can technically pilot the ship without a crew present.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ve heard that huge ships need a lot of crew to operate properly.¡¹ In order to properly operate Astraea at full capacity, a crew was necessary. ¡¸Yes, we need them to take charge of some of the work. Astraea, how goes the datalink to the revival candidates?¡¹ ¡ºIt¡¯s proceeding smoothly. I¡¯ve already uploaded all relevant data regarding the 21sth century and Master¡¯s experiences to them.¡» ¡¸Revival candidates?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you can pilot Astraea alone, this is still a weapons factory, correct? The Therianthropes and Familiars that serve as this facility¡¯s technicians and maintenance staff were put in a sleep state when this facility was sealed.¡¹ ¡¸So they should be the companions Master mentioned. Since they are called candidates, does it mean there are still others besides them?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, there are. But it wouldn¡¯t do to suddenly wake up a large number of crew members right from the get-go, right? That¡¯s why I only chose a few to start with. Of course, they are all favorable to humans, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll take a shine to them as well, Kou. They are very compatible with you. I guarantee it.¡¹ ¡¸That would be nice. Thanks, Master.¡¹ As Master and Kou chatted, three visitors entered the room and appeared before them. They were probably the aforementioned revival candidates. Each of them had been educated about the events regarding Kou and Master as well as the 21st century before they were woken up. There was a tall girl with dog ears and pale brown hair extending to her waist. The other one was a petite cat-eared girl with dark brown hair splashed with some black. She had big and lively-looking eyes. The last one was a huge bear. The former two were Therianthropes and the last one was most likely a Familiar just like Master. Kou carried Master in his arms and moved forward to greet them. ¡¸It¡¯s nice to meet you, Kou. It¡¯s been more than a thousand years since we slept. Please treat us well.¡¹ ¡¸G¡¯morning nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Nice ta meet ya, kid! I¡¯m the representative of all the Familiars. There are others apart from me, including an extra-large autonomous machine. And by extra-large, I mean Silhouette-sized. I¡¯ll introduce ya ta all of ¡¯em later.¡¹ The bear was obviously a male-type. ¡¸Nice to meet you, everyone. I¡¯m Mozuya Kou. Can you introduce yourselves to me one by one?¡¹ The three exchanged troubled looks before turning back to Kou. ¡¸We were only given specific roles to fulfill. For example, I¡¯m a bear in charge of maintenance, and so on.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸We are tools as well as pets after all.¡¹ ¡¸Umu. Kou, this is due to the humans living in the era they were created.¡¹ Master explained with some apprehension in her tone. She noticed that Kou¡¯s mood had dropped slightly. ¡¸Why do they not have names¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s to have a clear distinction between them and humans.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯d be more than happy if you gave us names instead, Kou.¡¹ The long-haired girl said so with a light laugh. ¡¸You¡¯re really okay with that?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. There were some humans who didn¡¯t want to recognize us as actual people during the Interplanetary War era. Thankfully, it seems you recognize us, including the bear, as people.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. Of course, these girls would be given proper names once they¡¯ve become a human¡¯s companion and spouse, however¡­¡­ they were put to sleep along with the facility before anything like that could happen.¡¹ Somehow, Kou had realized Master¡¯s comment about compatibility with him had a different nuance than what he expected. ¡¸Please give us some wonderful names nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Right. I understand¡­¡­¡¹ He pointed toward the cat-eared girl. ¡¸Okay. You¡¯ll be called Nyanta then.¡¹ ¡¸The heck¡¯s with that old-fashioned JK-sounding name!?¡¹ ¡¸Why are you familiar with old-fashioned high-school girls anyway¡­¡­? C¡¯mon. You¡¯re a catgirl and you¡¯re very cute. It fits.¡¹ ¡¸Cute¡­ Huh. Okay. I¡¯ll let it slide this time nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta answered with a teasing grin on her face. Kou thought she really had very pretty lashes. Next, he turned toward the dog-eared girl. Rather than a girl though, he had the impression that she was more like a beautiful woman. ¡¸How about Aki? It¡¯s the name my country has for autumn. Your lovely hair color reminds me of maple leaves as well.¡¹ ¡¸Lovely? Oh dear, I don¡¯t deserve such praise¡­¡­ But I¡¯m happy. I¡¯ll gladly take that name!¡¹ Aki¡¯s face turned bright red, but she did indeed look happy about her name. ¡¸Hey! Why is Aki the only one who got a name overflowing with sentimental charm?¡¹ Kou awkwardly turned away from Nyanta who was staring at him with accusatory eyes. Lastly, he turned toward the bear whose eyes were sparkling in anticipation. ¡¸Err, Kuma?¡¹ ¡¸Sorry, but no. That¡¯s way too literal, man. Can¡¯t you think up a better name?¡¹ He rejected the name instantly. Kou seriously considered his name as requested. ¡¸I think I remember seeing a documentary about a bear accompanying humans on battlefields before. I think the name was¡­¡­ Voytek. [1]¡¹ ¡¸Ooh, Voytek huh! It¡¯s an honor to be named after such a legendary bear!¡¹ Voytek was quite satisfied with his new name. ¡¸Great. Once again, nice to meet you, everyone.¡¹ ¡¸Thanks to Master¡¯s data, we already know all about Kou and the current situation of the planet nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. We¡¯re also aware that you still do not know much about this world. We will support you to the best of our abilities, so please rest assured, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ll be counting on you all.¡¹ ¡¸Alrighty then. I think I better get around to takin¡¯ a look at Unit 5. I¡¯ll leave Kou to you two.¡¹ ¡¸Roger nyaa!¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Please leave it to us.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, ya gotta take this chance to raise yer favorability with the ladies y¡¯hear.¡¹ Voytek walked away while laughing vulgarly like a dirty old man. ¡¸Master, what did he mean by favorability?¡¹ ¡¸If their favorability toward you goes up, they will take care of you better. And like I said a while back, Therianthropes were created to replenish the population of the human race that had decreased too much.¡¹ ¡¸Nn. I don¡¯t really get it, but I¡¯ll try my best not to be hated by them.¡¹ Master leaped off Kou¡¯s arms and walked up to the two girls. ¡¸Well, he¡¯s like this, so please make sure to take care of him properly.¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s already a working adult, isn¡¯t he?¡¹ Aki asked Master with a serious look on her face. ¡¸Undoubtedly. He¡¯s a normal guy. Perhaps too normal. He¡¯s not a nasty fellow anyway.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m relieved.¡¹ ¡¸Oh boy. It looks like Aki¡¯s favorability is already high from the get-go. That¡¯s a losing flag y¡¯know.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s Blue-san after all. I¡¯m aware I¡¯ll be having a hard time with her in the running. But I definitely won¡¯t lose.¡¹ ¡¸What are you talking about over there, everyone?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about a world that children wouldn¡¯t understand.¡¹ For some reason, Kou felt uneasy about the unknown topic the three were busy discussing. TL Notes: CH 24 Voytek headed out of Mobile Arsenal Platform¡¾Astraea¡¿on a pickup truck and came back after a while. He brought a large cargo container back with him. After parking it within the hangar, he took out a capsule from inside the container and carried it all the way to the medical bay. Kou and the rest gathered before the capsule. A beautiful young girl who looked to be about 7 to 8 years old was ¡®sleeping¡¯ inside the capsule. Her hair was completely gone from her head. Overall, she gave off a sickly impression. ¡¸I plan on imparting all my memories to her. I¡¯m counting on you to take good care of her, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸This girl is your daughter?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. She is akin to my daughter. I¡­¡­ I once served her family, and this girl was my last owner. Though that¡¯s already more than a thousand years ago.¡¹ ¡¸Your last owner huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸This child was injured during the war back then. She underwent treatment inside this medical capsule, but another war broke out soon after the last one ended, so the capsule was hidden away. A lot of the populace during that time became casualties of the war. And then, it was decided to turn humanity back into quantum data once more. The survivors ended up getting their memories erased and subsequently digitized, and this facility was left forgotten in a dormant state for more than a thousand years. I have never encountered anyone who held the right to reactivate it¡­ until now, that is.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I have always watched over her clan. Unfortunately, this child was overlooked when everyone else was turned into quantum data. I was already approaching my operational limit more than a thousand years ago, but I went dormant along with the facility. I only managed to wake up about 200 years ago and proceeded to travel the world in search of hope.¡¹ ¡¸So she¡¯s the last member of the family you treasure, huh, Master.¡¹ ¡¸My actual last wish was to find someone who could resuscitate her. The one who can inherit this facility will also obtain the ability to do so.¡¹ Master had a distant look in her eyes. Kou felt like he could somewhat understand. Yes. Master wouldn¡¯t have gone to all that trouble just to find someone to hand the facility over to, Kou thought. She had someone she wishes to save no matter what. It was a very convincing reason. ¡¸Once this child opens her eyes again, she would no longer have any parents or siblings to look after her. It¡¯s also doubtful if she can still preserve her former memories. Without the support of AI, even her personality wouldn¡¯t have been preserved.¡¹ The brain of the sleeping girl had a memory aid implanted within it. They were basically nanomachines that expand the original functions of the human brain. It can be said that they were a more high-performance version of the language learning nanomachines Kou took when he first came to Planet Asia. Master was planning on uploading her data to the aforementioned nanomachines. ¡¸We don¡¯t know what would happen once my memory data gets uploaded to her. Perhaps it¡¯s actually better for her not to wake up in the first place¡­ What do you think?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­I don¡¯t think I can answer that, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Right. I don¡¯t think anyone can offer a definite answer. And that¡¯s why I¡¯m entrusting the decision to you. Since you are a Development Engineer, you should have the right to resuscitate her, Kou.¡¹ ¡ºI¡¯ve confirmed that Kou indeed has the corresponding authority.¡» Astraea followed up Master¡¯s words. ¡¸I see. That makes me quite relieved.¡¹ ¡¸Alright, I understand.¡¹ It was cruel to tell her to live while enduring her suffering. Kou wanted very much to tell Master to continue living with him, but he refrained in the end. ¡¸Master, thank you for choosing us nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Right. We will never forget your grace.¡¹ ¡¸Leave everything ta us.¡¹ Their three new companions also extended words of gratitude to Master. Master narrowed her feline eyes and smiled happily. ¡¸Now then, Kou. I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry that I am unable to tell you a lot of things myself. I will start porting my data over now. That¡¯s while I am still functioning¡­ No, while I¡¯m still alive.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you for everything, Master.¡¹ ¡¸Likewise. Thank you for fulfilling my dearest wishes, Kou.¡¹ Master affectionately licked Kou¡¯s cheek and approached the capsule. Kou stroked the back of his neck with a pained and reluctant expression. Aki and Nyanta helped Master enter a small case that was sucked into the back of the machine. Her body was going to be decomposed within. ¡¸How much of Master¡¯s memories she will inherit will depend on her and the support nanomachine¡¯s capacity. The process will take a day at the shortest, and three days at the longest. The longer the process takes, the more memories of Master she would inherit.¡¹ Kou nodded in response to Aki¡¯s explanation. ¡¸Master didn¡¯t choose to revive us right away when she woke up from stasis.¡¹ Nyanta murmured with a serious look on her face. ¡¸She was resolved to wander around this devastated world to look for a qualified Development Engineer by herself. She wouldn¡¯t hand us over to an ambitious person. But she also wouldn¡¯t hand us to an unreliable one. We¡¯re glad that you were able to meet her.¡¹ ¡¸Ambitious people huh¡­¡­ Yeah. I think you can pretty much do as you like in this world after obtaining this place after all.¡¹ An automated weapons factory with advanced ancient tech. Kou wasn¡¯t yet fully clear about what exactly it was capable of, but he was sure it had the potential to be dangerous depending on how it was used to disseminate tech from the Interplanetary War era. ¡¸It would have been easier for her if she had some helpers. But she didn¡¯t choose to wake us up in the end. That¡¯s because once you get revived from cryo-sleep, it would be really difficult to be placed back into such a state again.¡¹ ¡¸Meaning?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because there was no one who¡¯s able to properly run and manage the cryo-sleep facility. But since you¡¯ve come, we were able to successfully get woken up.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not sure if that¡¯s something to be happy about or not.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the difference between eternal sleep and death? That can be said for this child as well.¡¹ Aki stroked the capsule with a faraway look in her eyes. ¡¸We now have a definite purpose again. And now, we just want to do our best¡­¡­¡­ nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸That ¡®nyaa¡¯ came pretty late y¡¯know. You sure you¡¯re not forcing it just because it sounds cute?¡¹ Kou felt like he just got a glimpse of Nyanta¡¯s real character. ¡¸I just wanted to lighten the serious atmosphere a bit nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Geez¡­¡­ What¡¯s the purpose you¡¯re referring to anyway?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, it¡¯s to support Kou. And maybe helping upgrade Unit 5 too nyaa?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, right! That almost slipped my mind.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve looked over TSW-R1 Unit 5¡¯s data, and the results are pretty interestin¡¯. They did really good makin¡¯ such a machine with this era¡¯s current tech limitations.¡¹ It looks like Voytek had already taken a shine to Unit 5 as well. ¡¸I guess I¡¯ll have to learn a lot from now on. I¡¯ll be counting on your help starting tomorrow, everyone.¡¹ ¡¸Please leave it to us.¡¹ Kou felt reassured after seeing Aki¡¯s gentle smile. CH 25 ¡¸I¡¯ll give you a detailed explanation about the entire facility tomorrow. Please take a good rest for today.¡¹ ¡¸Where should I sleep? Should I just board Unit 5¡¯s cockpit and sleep there?¡¹ ¡¸There are beds in the nap room next to the control center. But since this place has been devoid of people for so long, they don¡¯t have any bedsheets on them at the moment¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s alright. Please lead me there.¡¹ After confirming the nap room¡¯s location, Kou dismissed his three new companions and went out of the room. ¡¸Huh? Where are you off to?¡¹ ¡¸Uh, I was thinking of checking out the interior of the ship. I¡¯m just gonna wander around on my own, so don¡¯t mind me.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ But soon after he started touring the ship interior, Kou began to regret his decision. It looks like walking around aimlessly inside a gigantic carrier-type facility was a bad idea. The first layer seemed to be some sort of aircraft hangar. The second housed a residential area called a billet, manufacturing facilities, and the power facility for the ship. The third layer seemed to be a hangar specialized for ground vehicles and troops. The second layer was the one that housed multiple facilities. It gave off the impression of an abandoned city. Many people should have resided in this layer a long, long time ago. Kou sighed in awe and murmured in a low voice as he toured every layer. He checked out a deactivated giant machine that caught his eye in the first layer and greeted it like he would a friend. ¡¸Hey there. I don¡¯t know much about aircraft, but it¡¯s nice to meet you, buddy.¡¹ In the third layer, he greeted the various vehicles and machines parked within as well. ¡¸Sorry guys, but I think we¡¯ll get pretty busy from now on.¡¹ His main goal was the second layer. The shipboard automated weapons factory was located there. It certainly gave off an abandoned feel. However, Kou was already familiar with such a sight. Especially a factory without any people inside. It was pretty similar to a factory that was shut down for maintenance. ¡¸Hm, this huge box is probably used for machining huh. I can figure this one out by myself, at least. I¡¯ll be in your care as well, buddy.¡¹ He talked by himself as he reminisced about all the machining work he¡¯d done in the past. It was strictly prohibited to mutter or hum to oneself within the company. Even so, it proved effective when handling machines for some people, and there were quite a lot of employees who did talk to the machines while adjusting or repairing them. He¡¯d seen those old hands in the company talking to the equipment as if trying to pacify a temperamental toddler as they worked lots of times. He soon found himself talking to the machines as well. The machine tools in this era, however, are autonomous in the truest sense. They might even have the ability to respond to you if you talk to them. Some of the machines present in the factory were familiar to him and some weren¡¯t. ¡¸Yeah, this place really is a factory huh.¡¹ It made him remember his workplace back on Earth. ¡¸Good evening, Kou.¡¹ Suddenly, a voice called out to him from above. He immediately looked up to see who it was. And then, he saw a Silhouette-sized giant machine. Its defining feature was a mono-eye sensor on its ¡®head¡¯. It was currently staring intently at Kou. ¡¸Good evening. I guess you¡¯re the giant machine Voytek was talking about huh.¡¹ Kou remembered Voytek mentioning a giant Silhouette-sized machine and smiled. It looks like the machine already knew him too. ¡¸That¡¯s right. I am mainly in charge of various metal processing procedures, mainly forging.¡¹ ¡¸Forging! So you do that here?¡¹ ¡¸The carriers in your era did have small smithies in them too. And this ship is a mobile arms factory you know. Here you can do free forging, mold forging, die casting, and more. I can also process Silhouette-size parts.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s reassuring. I¡¯ll be counting on you then. How should I address you though?¡¹ ¡¸I have a mono-eye sensor so I¡¯m called a Cyclops-type. I¡¯m a one-eyed giant that specializes in forging.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s Cyclops in English huh. Okay. How about I call you Arges from now on?¡¹ Kou remembered the name of a cyclops he saw in a game and named the giant production machine after it. ¡¸Oh, Arges from Greek mythology. Thank you for giving me a great name, Kou. Are you looking around the arms factory?¡¹ ¡¸Uh, sort of. I¡¯m kinda giving my greetings to everyone. I¡¯m already the person in charge, so it¡¯s the least I can do.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine even if you just gave us orders you know. You¡¯re a strange fellow, Kou. But I¡¯ll thank you on behalf of everyone for those feelings.¡¹ ¡¸Thanking me, huh? I¡¯m the one who should be thankful here. I don¡¯t have enough knowledge when it comes to the equipment here and the appropriate maintenance methods.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Just leave it to the specialist machines. There¡¯s no need to worry.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I suppose. It isn¡¯t good for an amateur to carelessly run his mouth off. I¡¯ll come back tomorrow, Arges. This place is a lot bigger than I expected.¡¹ Kou headed to another workshop nearby to continue his impromptu tour. Arges followed Kou¡¯s retreating back with his eye. Kou was completely unaware. He wasn¡¯t aware that his actions were being watched. He was being observed by the machines that possessed their own wills. ¡ºAstraea to all terminals. All terminal wills, attention. The one who is currently touring around the ship is Kou. Now I believe that you have all understood that he truly is a human who feels concern and affinity for machines.¡» Astraea confirmed the responses of all the terminals before continuing. ¡ºHe has been granted maximum authority by Asia and will be fully in charge of the ship as well as the entire area controlled by Astraea. If you have any objections, please voice them now.¡» Each terminal sentience sent their responses immediately. ¡º99% in favor. 0% in opposition. 1% posed a question. Giving out answer. In his home country, there is a belief that wills and gods dwell in all things under heaven, and there was also a culture of anthropomorphizing tools and vehicles that do not even have AI installed within them, and treating them as partners. It would be a given that they would anthropomorphize us as well, considering we actually possess wills of our own.¡» Once again, various responses were sent to Astraea from the other terminals. ¡º100% in favor. We have achieved a hundred percent approval rate from all terminals. The entire facility shall be now under the complete control of Mozuya Kou.¡» Astraea seemed to be satisfied with the result. The entire exchange only took place within a few seconds from a human¡¯s perspective. All the necessary procedures to let Kou take over were now complete. CH 26.1 A few hours have already passed since Kou¡¯s impromptu tour. When Kou turned sideways while on top of one of the nap room¡¯s beds, he found himself facing a large dog. It was probably a Familiar. It was lying on the foot of the bed that Kou had slept on. It had a beautiful coat of golden brown fur and resembled a Golden Retriever. Kou remembered Voytek saying there were other Familiars on the ship as well. That¡¯s why he wasn¡¯t that surprised. ¡¸A Golden Retriever! Is it really a Familiar?¡¹ Kou was an avid animal lover. He liked both cats and dogs. The dog opened its eyes and stared back at Kou with a gentle-looking gaze. Kou sat up on the bed and started talking to the Golden Retriever-type Familiar. ¡¸Come here. Can you talk?¡¹ The dog moved closer to Kou and eventually climbed on top of the bed as well. Then, the large dog shook its head. Kou remembered Master saying there were Familiars capable of speech like her and those that weren¡¯t. Hence, this Familiar should be the latter. ¡¸You have a very beautiful coat. It¡¯s smooth and fluffy.¡¹ Kou gently stroked the base of the dog¡¯s ears as well as its neck. From its neck, he continued on to stroke its back as well, combing its fur with his fingers. The dog squinted its eyes in comfort. ¡¸There¡¯s a huge forest out there, and it feels like we can have a pretty fun walk. How about it, buddy? Wanna go for a walk with me?¡¹ Kou remembered the owner of a large-breed dog in his neighborhood back on Earth. The guy was always complaining. After all, you have to walk large dogs over relatively long distances. If the walking course was short, it would stress the dog out. ¡¸Woof!¡¹ It barked happily. It pressed its large body against Kou. Kou ended up hugging it while on the bed. It started happily licking his cheeks. Kou found it pleasant and started stroking the dog¡¯s head in response. ¡¸Nyaa?¡¹ This time, a cat appeared. It seems that it was hiding under Kou¡¯s bed. It was a Chinchilla Persian with haughty-looking gray-colored eyes. It had a fairly large build for a cat. Its fur resembled a tea tiger cat¡¯s, but without flecks. It had a small, flat nose that made its sharp-looking eyes seem even more prominent. ¡¸Oh, a cat! You¡¯re a cute little guy too, aren¡¯t you? You know, I owned a cat in the past too.¡¹ Kou then caught the cat in both hands and brought it to the bed without even asking for consent. The cat got surprised by his sudden action and froze up. Kou¡¯s tone was gentler than usual as he coaxed the little guy. He gently stroked the cat. He actually wanted to brush it, but since he didn¡¯t really have an actual pet brush on hand, he just used his hands. ¡¸Are you also a Familiar? Can you talk?¡¹ ¡¸Nyaa?¡¹ Apparently, the cat was also incapable of speech. At least, that seemed to be what it was conveying. After stroking its head, Kou then scratched the base of its neck. Perhaps getting tired of being stroked by Kou, the cat moved below his feet, curled up, and seemingly fell asleep. The dog was sprawled down above Kou¡¯s head. ¡¸Oi, oi. I¡¯m gonna turn you into my pillow y¡¯know.¡¹ ¡¸Woof!¡¹ It looks like it didn¡¯t mind being used as a pillow. When Kou placed his head on top of its body, the dog switched into a more comfortable position for sleeping. It arched its body as if to watch over Kou as he slept. It would probably feel uncomfortable for the dog if he kept his head on top of its body, so Kou shifted down a bit. He proceeded to sleep while pressing his head lightly on the dog¡¯s body. The warmth of its stomach and the feel of its coat was quite pleasant to Kou. ¡¸I already miss Master. Hey, did you guys come to comfort me because Master¡¯s already gone?¡¹ There was no reply. However, the dog placed its forepaw on top of Kou¡¯s head, as if it was patting him. The dog¡¯s head ended up right next to Kou¡¯s. It might appear like the dog was actually cradling him. Kou felt he would have a really comfortable sleep while surrounded by cute and lovable animals. Before long, he was already well along his way to dreamland. When Kou woke up, he found himself lying sideways. It felt like he was enveloped by a soft and gentle sensation. It¡­¡­ wasn¡¯t the feeling he got while sleeping together with the Golden Retriever last night. He then froze up. He couldn¡¯t move for a few moments. His head was being hugged. It wasn¡¯t tight, and his head was being supported by delicate and soft arms as his face slightly pressed upon something equally soft, if not more. Yes, his face was right in front of the soft and warm breasts of a woman¡­¡­ If this wasn¡¯t some sort of dream, there was only one person he could think of who could do this. ¡¸Aki¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Good morning, Kou.¡¹ Aki was already awake. She responded immediately after all. She should have been hugging Kou while being careful to not wake him up. ¡¸I thought I slept with a large Golden Retriever last night.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that was me. I¡¯m that Golden Retriever.¡¹ She then made her fluffy dog ears and tail appear, but Kou was still within Aki¡¯s warm embrace so he wasn¡¯t able to witness the sight. ¡¸Eh, um, err¡­ S-Sorry! Oh yeah, that¡¯s right. Therianthropes can actually turn into animal forms.¡¹ Now that he thought about it, Aki¡¯s golden brown hair was the same color as the Golden Retriever¡¯s coat. It was Kou¡¯s mistake to regard Therianthropes as simply animal-eared people. ¡¸Kou¡­¡­ How lewd nyaa.¡¹ A sleepwear-clad Nyanta was lying below Kou¡¯s feet. Her gaze pierced Kou without mercy. Given the situation, he had absolutely no excuse. It was him who stroked Aki¡¯s body and placed his head on her chest after all. ¡¸Why are you here as well, Nyanta?¡¹ ¡¸How heartless. I was the ugly cat you stroked like crazy yesterday nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Ugly cat? You were actually quite cute, you know. Pretty charming even.¡¹ ¡¸My nose as a cat is flat as heck and I always look grumpy. Are you seriously saying I¡¯m cute even with that nyaa?¡¹ ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon. Your flat nose really is cute. I¡¯m serious.¡¹ ¡¸Hmm¡­¡­ You¡¯re one weird guy. Just flirt around with Aki for a while nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not flirting around with her!¡¹ Nyanta made her way out of the nap room. Kou was still within Aki¡¯s arms. ¡¸Aki-san¡­¡­ Although I¡¯m really happy about this, it¡¯s a bit troublesome you see. I think it¡¯s about time you let go of me.¡¹ Kou felt his current situation was reminiscent of a Japanese gal game event. Of course, he¡¯d feel elated. After all, he was still a healthy male. ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine then? You¡¯re feeling happy, right? I was also really happy last night. You were so very gentle. I really liked it.¡¹ As she continued to cradle Kou¡¯s head, Aki increased the strength of her hug a bit. As if to insist that what she said were her honest thoughts. ¡¸Whenever I see a large-breed dog, I get really excited. In the past, I also couldn¡¯t help but run up to hug a large white dog living in my neighborhood often.¡¹ Our neighbor¡¯s Great Pyrenees loved children, and I remember hugging it a lot when I was a kid. It didn¡¯t get annoyed or angry at all and indulged me and the other children. ¡¸Than we can go and sleep together every night if you like, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸B-But wouldn¡¯t that be a bother for you, Aki?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really mind you know? ¨CYou¡¯re the first person to offer to take me for a walk in the forests together after all.¡¹ ¡¸I see. Let¡¯s go ahead with that walk then.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. I¡¯m looking forward to it. But it does look like you¡¯re being troubled, so I¡¯ll be letting you go.¡¹ Aki finally released Kou from her hug. After seeing that Aki was only wearing a thin nightgown, Kou¡¯s face rapidly turned bright red. Aki gazed at Kou with eyes narrowed in delight. ¡¸Skinship is very important you know.¡¹ ¡¸Y-Yeah. I guess.¡¹ Since he wasn¡¯t used to dealing with women at all, Kou could only muster such a reply. Aki just kept smiling at Kou without any indication if she noticed his troubles or not. CH 26.2 ¡¸That¡¯s what happened. These two were flirting around so early in the morning nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta was complaining to Voytek with an annoyed expression. But she wasn¡¯t really upset. She was just joking around. Voytek seemed to be grinning dirtily even though he was a bear. Aki was smiling brightly, while Kou looked pretty awkward and looked away from the grinning bear Familiar. They were currently in the ship¡¯s cafeteria. It was very spacious, so they really stood out as they sat in the middle. ¡¸Good going, Kou! You already raised Aki¡¯s affection to max huh! That was damn fast.¡¹ ¡¸Yes, he did indeed. Offering to take a walk together with them is the same as a marriage proposal for dog-type Therianthropes after all. Of course, I couldn¡¯t help but fall after being told something like that.¡¹ Aki made eyes at Kou with her cheeks dyed pink. ¡¸Eh? Seriously?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Oh c¡¯mon. It¡¯s obviously a lie nyaa. Kou, you better make damn sure you remember this. Women are pretty determined. That goes for both human and animal women. And here, we have someone who¡¯s technically both nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta lectured Kou while looking exasperated. Kou glanced to the side and saw Aki with her dog ears drooping down and her tongue slightly sticking out. ¡¸Well, I suppose it¡¯s possible you would feel some sort of attachment if you¡¯re invited out for a walk.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right!¡¹ For some reason, both Voytek and Aki expressed their agreement. Aki¡¯s tail was waving around even faster than usual while looking pretty happy. ¡¸On another note, we properly have meals available here huh.¡¹ Kou forcibly changed the topic. There was some warm soup and pizza. Carbonated drinks too. Kou encountered some familiar and nostalgic food even on this foreign planet. ¡¸The ingredients are actually more than a thousand years old, but there¡¯s no problem about their freshness nyaa. We have thousands of tons of meat, veggies, fish, and grains stored up. Go ahead and thankfully savor my special home cooking nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Thanks, Nyanta. They¡¯re really delicious. But thousands of tons though? That¡¯s a lot.¡¹ ¡¸Well, no, not really, nyaa. We can actually stockpile up to three times the amount we have now. This ship can accommodate up to ten thousand people, so that¡¯s only gonna be enough for a month¡¯s worth of food when we¡¯re at full capacity nyaa. We got more than enough since it¡¯s just us here though.¡¹ Generally, first-generation Familiars and Therianthropes have the same basic physical makeup, but they both regarded food as a luxury. Still, though, this ship far exceeded the capacity of the aircraft carriers in service during Kou¡¯s era. Ten thousand was a really huge number. After finishing their meals, the trio went with Kou to check out Unit 5 that was currently parked within the ship hangar. ¡¸Umu. Allow me to say my honest thoughts here. Technology seems to have really regressed by a whole lot. ¡¾Sophia¡¿must have faced a really desperate dilemma.¡¹ Voytek let out a heavy sigh. ¡¸Is it really that bad?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Let me give you an easy-to-understand example Kou. It¡¯s like fighting tanks with a wooden sword or bamboo spear. The Lanius is still relatively decent. But the mainstream Bear models are like passenger cars slapped with some additional armor. Those things can only serve as makeshift weapons in guerilla warfare during the Interplanetary War era.¡¹ ¡¸I get why humanity has been pushed to the brink now nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸The situation is far worse than we first expected. It¡¯s difficult for us to reproduce technology used during the Interplanetary War era due to the technological restrictions placed by¡¾Sophia¡¿.¡¹ ¡¸The Murders are weapons that were provided to the Stones, and the technology used on them is fairly advanced but still incomplete. However, the problem is that they aren¡¯t bound by¡¾Sophia¡¯s¡¿restrictions on super technology or the basic core tenet of¡¾being beholden to humans¡¿. It¡¯s certainly very troublesome.¡¹ The three Familiars uniformly came to the conclusion that the current Silhouette technology was woefully disadvantaged even against Murders. ¡¸What should I do?¡¹ ¡¸You basically have to revive lost technology and then spread it to the rest of the planet. I¡¯m not exactly sure about the detailed process, but Astraea will handle that for you, so don¡¯t worry.¡¹ ¡¸Is there really a need to spread the technology around?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s impossible for this facility alone to shoulder mass-production of all the weapons that humankind will need. However, it¡¯s entirely up to you to decide if the current humans are worthy to receive such technology, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know exactly how I should go about recovering lost technology though.¡¹ Kou was honestly at a loss. At the rate things were going, the planet will be completely overrun by Murders sent by the Stones eventually. However, even if they were to successfully repel the current threat, the technology he provided might be used in wars between fellow humans next. In the first place, he didn¡¯t know the first thing about the methods to recover lost technology. ¡ºAllow me to elaborate on that topic. Technical information can be retrieved from Okeanos through me. However, you cannot obtain things that are beyond your scope of understanding.¡» ¡¸Please be more specific!¡¹ ¡ºIt is possible for you to download technical information about the weapons that have been or are about to be developed during your era. Additionally, you shall also be provided with permission to use the technology under a certain scope. The railgun that you have encountered in the past is a good example.¡» ¡¸I see. Yeah, I already saw railguns in action a couple of times. As for laser weapons¡­¡­ They seemed to be incapable of penetrating tank armor.¡¹ ¡ºI shall give you another example. For instance, if you request the strongest weapon system, Okeanos will never grant approval. It will also be impossible to obtain the superweapons you often see in mecha anime and games.¡» ¡¸Eh? We can¡¯t do it like in anime and games?¡¹ ¡ºIt¡¯s impossible. In the first place, the fictitious particles and metals that exist in their settings do not exist in real life, so Okeanos can¡¯t provide such technology.¡» How blunt. Kou was hit by a mild sense of shock. ¡¸Thank you very much for that easy to understand explanation, Astraea-san.¡¹ Since anime and game tech was sealed, it became increasingly difficult for Kou to decide just what sort of technology should be retrieved. He felt that he¡¯d be scolded badly if he points out that ¡®Whis exists, so maybe we can make it work¡¯, or something along those lines, so he stopped himself from mouthing off. ¡ºThere is no other choice but to develop technology in successive stages and gradually increase your understanding of them. Would you find it easier to understand if I likened it to a game¡¯s tech tree progression?¡» ¡¸Ah, now that¡¯s something I can understand.¡¹ ¡ºGood. I shall support you in the development of the tech tree, so please be at ease. Develop tanks and aircraft first, and after judging which technology you actually need, draw them out and apply them to Silhouettes. The more your knowledge and understanding of technology increases, the more things Okeanos can provide you.¡» ¡¸Uu¡­¡­ It sounds like a whole lot of work¡­¡­¡¹ Kou only ever encountered tech trees in games after all. ¡ºDevelopment Engineers around the world are actively making use of their knowledge and expertise to retrieve more and more technology. You do not need to know the full technical details. A concrete image is more than enough.¡» ¡¸We¡¯ll support you with all we have, so don¡¯t sweat it Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I¡¯ll be counting on you, Voytek.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t forget us nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Right.¡¹ Kou sent a grateful gaze to his three companions who offered their support when he was at a loss about what to do. CH 27.1 After discussing the technology tree, the next item on the agenda was planning out Unit 5¡¯s upgrades. It seemed Voy [1] had already taken a look at its accumulated battle data. ¡¸Based on my analysis of your combat style Kou, I propose prioritizing upgrades centered on the unit¡¯s mobility and armor strength.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a rather old-fashioned combat style, right? When I first fought with a Keres, I was told by Master that cutting it down with weapons infused with Whis at close range was more effective.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s certainly not wrong. That way, you can deal the maximum amount of damage to your enemy. However, it¡¯s not good to get overly fixated on having a damage race with your opponents. Considering the inherent risks during combat, there¡¯s still a need for you to employ some projectile weapons in your loadout.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I kinda realized that as well.¡¹ ¡¸Even though you only practiced it as a hobby, you¡¯re really accustomed to swordsmanship. That can be considered a point in your favor, I guess. You put up a pretty good fight against that Mantis-type even though you only had a sword.¡¹ Voy exclaimed in an exasperated tone. He was dexterously operating a tablet device even though he had pretty big bear paws. ¡¸For armor upgrades, you can go ahead and research the tank development tree. For mobility, use helicopters and fighter aircraft as references. It¡¯s not required for you to make any actual units. Though I do recommend building some. We¡¯ll go fight in them if necessary.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t plan on sending you guys out to fight. Just leave that stuff to me.¡¹ ¡¸I appreciate your feelings, Kou. But there might be a need for it in the future. Just go ahead and make some.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t respond. Voy knew that Kou really cared for him and his fellow Familiars. Perhaps, he was even a bit too overprotective. ¡¸We¡¯ll need some materials for armor. We¡¯re currently restricted from employing the more advanced materials though.¡¹ ¡¸Is it a problem of availability?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Well, it¡¯s important to have stuff that can be fixed up with the equipment and materials employed by standard maintenance facilities after all. It¡¯s more convenient and efficient that way¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I really get that. Even during the era I was living in, you needed to go to a specialized shop in order to make repairs on units that made use of ultra high-tensile steel. It was quite a hassle.¡¹ ¡¸Producing composite stuff using iron combined with various other materials is also very common here on Nemesis.¡¹ ¡¸Stop right there. It sounds far too familiar to me that I kinda don¡¯t feel like hearing about it anymore. I absolutely hate handling aluminum and titanium alloy. Chips fly around all the time, and you encounter processing defects a lot.¡¹ ¡¸You have some trauma with this stuff? Well, I guess that means you¡¯re following the discussion so far. Nanocarbon materials are excellent, but ceramic materials are just the opposite. It¡¯s like they¡¯re destined to break. You can¡¯t reinforce them as well. Since you have no choice but to replace them once they¡¯re broken, you have to design stuff with that in mind. Plus, they¡¯re also expensive.¡¹ Kou understood that as well. The reason why ceramic materials didn¡¯t get popularized in the 21st Century was the high unit price. Popular steel materials such as high-tensile steel and S45C cost about 100 to 200 Yen per kilo. In comparison, ceramic material costs 1000 to 2000 Yen per kilo. Considering manufacturing costs, this was a pretty big deal-breaker. That¡¯s true for aluminum as well. It¡¯s said that they purposely reduced the ratio of aluminum used to build unmanned electric trucks and went back to using steel because the manufacturing cost was too high otherwise. Balancing unit costs was very important for weapons as well. It¡¯s a line of reasoning that Kou fully understood. ¡¸So you mainly use titanium alloy in this era?¡¹ ¡¸It depends on the parts. Titanium alloy is indeed widely used, but that mostly applies to high-end units that are capable of aerial combat. It¡¯s an excellent material due to how light it is, but once it gets cracked even slightly, it¡¯s prone to breaking completely. Moreover, it¡¯s just far too light to be used as material for armor. What I mean is that armor also needs a certain degree of heft to it in some cases. But generally, it¡¯s a good thing to increase defensive capability while reducing the weight, so what materials to use depends on which parts you¡¯re gonna use them on.¡¹ ¡¸It does seem that you can more easily process titanium alloy and aluminum in this era.¡¹ ¡¸The standard manufacturing method is to run Whis through the material during the process or use tools that are coated with Whis.¡¹ It was decided that the material used for Unit 5¡¯s armor needs to be replaced. Voy continued to consult with Kou about what kind of material would be good while considering ease of maintenance. ¡¸Well, you can just think of the materials as iron-based coupled with some chemical elements you¡¯re familiar with, Kou. You¡¯re familiar with rare metals like tungsten, right? We also make use of tantalum and hafnium.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not familiar with the latter two.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I suppose that¡¯s reasonable. Even though we¡¯re currently in an era far beyond the era Kou lived in, the basic materials available in the universe haven¡¯t changed. There shouldn¡¯t be a lot of advanced metal materials that haven¡¯t been seen before. Though I suppose there¡¯s the nanomaterial that¡¯s manufactured in the vacuum of space.¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t even imagine such a thing.¡¹ ¡¸ There are also high-entropy alloys and other manufacturing methods that are also utilized during Kou¡¯s era.¡¹ ¡¸Nope never heard of those at all¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Oh well. Don¡¯t worry. Astraea will give you a detailed lecture regarding all that stuff. Look forward to it.¡¹ Voy gave Kou a nasty-looking smirk. Before he knew it, Kou was already internally screaming for help from Master. ¡¸Next would be your projectile weapons. You¡¯re already aware of the importance of keeping a good distance between you and your opponent, right?¡¹ ¡¸There kinda wasn¡¯t any opportunity to consider something like that back then. After all, I found Unit 5 inside a junkyard.¡¹ Kou mumbled an excuse. Voy laughed softly in response. ¡¸There are currently no Silhouette-sized weapons available, but we can certainly manufacture some. The two young ladies are experts on the subject.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ The two ladies in question nodded in acknowledgment. ¡¸I specialize in manufacturing and tuning cannon turrets and gun barrels of combustion-type firearms. Nyanta specializes in customization. I¡¯m actually a gunsmith. I only specialize in Silhouette-use weapons though.¡¹ ¡¸I see. So I guess it would be better to have you girls make a gun that¡¯s suited to me.¡¹ ¡¸Leave it to us nyaa. By the way, I¡¯m a Wildcat designer nyaa. Basically, I¡¯m a custom gun and ammo craftsman.¡¹ ¡¸Wildcat?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right nyaa. My job scope involves changing the caliber, adjusting the number of explosive charges, amount of gas used, and improving the overall performance of firearms.¡¹ ¡¸Wow. You two sure are amazing.¡¹ ¡¸But maybe a railgun is actually more suited for you, Kou. That thing¡¯s really effective against high-dimensional projection armor nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t specialize in making railguns, but we can certainly manufacture one using this ship¡¯s facilities.¡¹ ¡¸The ammo it uses is also pretty cheap nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Hm¡­¡­ No, I think I¡¯d rather use a combustion-type firearm. A light-gas gun would be fine. Make it a rifle. I asked Master about it previously and she told me that the initial velocity of the projectiles fired by that type of gun doesn¡¯t lose out to railgun projectiles.¡¹ Kou noticed that the reaction of the two girls was a bit strange. They exchanged looks with blank expressions. Kou got worried that he might have said something weird. ¡¸Um, you see, I¡¯m the type who likes to approach targets and slash them at close range. I don¡¯t really want to spend energy charging the railgun during combat. I also heard it often breaks down without warning.¡¹ TL Notes: [1] The author decided to shorten Voytek¡¯s name to Voy. It¡¯s probably because Voytek is a pretty iconic bear, and the author wanted to differentiate his character from the actual RL Voytek. CH 27.2 In most cases, Silhouettes that weren¡¯t equipped with swords or other melee weapons engage in close combat by thrusting their bayonets at their opponents when they run out of bullets. There were also plenty of instances where Silhouettes would take advantage of the pause created due to the railgun recharging after firing in a quick burst in order to close in on the Mantis-types they were fighting. So Kou wanted to choose a weapon that prioritized mobility over a powerful railgun. ¡¸If it¡¯s no good, then I¡¯ll just go with a railgun¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸No! It¡¯s absolutely fine! I will make sure to create a weapon that¡¯s suitable to you, Kou!¡¹ The normally calm Aki raised her voice in excitement. ¡¸Please leave it to us. We will create the perfect weapon for you.¡¹ Nyanta accepted the challenge as well. She even forgot to add ¡®nyaa¡¯ at the end, so Kou felt she was especially serious this time around. Voy, who was acting like he knew why the two ladies displayed such reactions, merely looked on with a wry grin. ¡¸Kou¡¯s preference¡­¡­ A bayonet is essential huh.¡¹ ¡¸You sure sound like you really understand him.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the preference of the person precious to me after all. After that, I¡¯ll just have to adjust the weapon design in order to mesh well with Kou¡¯s combat style.¡¹ When Kou heard Aki say he was precious to her, his face turned a bright shade of red. This was the first time he ever had a woman say something like that regarding him. ¡¸We can freely download existing base information data using Kou¡¯s authority. I¡¯ll thoroughly look up all the information regarding the Silhouette models and related technology currently being used.¡¹ Nyanta also pulled out a tablet device of her own and proceeded to perform some kind of search with a serious expression. ¡¸It looks like we won¡¯t end up being useless to Kou this time around.¡¹ Aki quietly muttered in a somewhat glum tone. ¡¸What do you mean by saying you¡¯ll end up useless? I¡¯ve been relying on you from the start.¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but respond. He had no idea why Aki would suddenly say something like that, but he felt he had to say something back anyway. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry.¡¹ Aki, whose ears drooped down, softly nodded and hung her head down guiltily. She must have spoken those words out of anxiety. ¡¸Sorry ¡¯bout this, Kou. It¡¯s just that your choice came as a surprise to them, so they¡¯re a bit out of it right now.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s that mean, Voy?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll tell ya later.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m getting curious here. Anyway, there¡¯s no chance I¡¯ll ever think of Aki, Nyanta, and Voy as unnecessary. Please just keep that in mind, guys.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Thank you very much, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha. You can always count on me, kid.¡¹ Voy let out a hearty laugh. Though it certainly wasn¡¯t good to rely on them too much, Kou felt that they really were trustworthy comrades. Nighttime had arrived once more. Aki transformed into her dog form and slept beside Kou again. Kou said he would be too embarrassed to sleep if she was in her human form after all. After confirming that Kou was already fast asleep, Aki returned to her human form and went out of the nap room. She then headed to the manufacturing room. Nyanta was already inside the lab and was staring intently at a monitor while performing some complicated calculations. ¡¸You sure are up pretty late, neesan.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s hard falling asleep after seeing you guys flirt around like that after all. Your charm is just way too high, Aki.¡¹ Nyanta replied in a steady tone that was completely different from her usual way of speaking. However, there was still a hint of some teasing in her words. ¡¸You¡¯re one to talk, neesan. You even started using ¡®nyaa¡¯ to raise your catgirl appeal.¡¹ Aki was aware of the truth. Nyanta, who insisted on herself being an ugly cat, already felt something for Kou, who even said she was cute. She already held a pretty good impression of him in the first place after witnessing his relationship with the cat-type Familiar named Master, and how he exerted effort in bringing her back to the secret facility. But Kou¡¯s words the previous night gave the decisive blow. She fell completely after that. Aki was well aware that her sister held feelings for Kou that wouldn¡¯t lose out to her own. ¡¸Well, I did study Japanese subculture and thought it was worth a shot.¡¹ Nyanta grinned. Her hateful expression while grinning smugly proved that her usual cutesy behavior was just acting. ¡¸I didn¡¯t expect he¡¯d actually prefer a ballistic gun though.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry about what happened today. I ended up saying something strange in front of Kou.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I understand how you feel. Back in the Interplanetary War era, every Tom, Dick, and Harry was gushing about optical weapons after all.¡¹ ¡¸¨CThe two of us specialize in combustion-based ranged weapons. They were tested out during the interplanetary war, but without sufficient demand, the project was quickly frozen. We really were treated as useless goods back then.¡¹ ¡¸It was the heyday of directed-energy weapons back then after all. Even electric weapons like railguns were in danger of being treated as obsolete and eventually phased out due to ammo costs. Making railgun bullets was really boring as heck, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ Nyanta glumly sighed. It was apparently a very unpleasant memory. ¡¸Yeah. That was really traumatic. If they didn¡¯t feel those kinds of weapons were needed, then just don¡¯t have people manufacture them in the first place dammit. Well, it was still way better than serving as pets or marriage partners for random humans though.¡¹ The individual wills of artificially birthed lifeforms like them were still generally respected. Though voices insisting on revoking such rights still existed, they were saved from such a fate since they were immediately placed into cryo-sleep. ¡¸But I¡¯m totally fine with getting married to Kou.¡¹ ¡¸The person himself seems like he doesn¡¯t have any interest in things like that though.¡¹ ¡¸Hey neesan, he actually begged me to be in my dog form tonight when we went to bed together. Apparently, he finds being in bed with my human form highly embarrassing.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re just biding your time, aiming for an opening, and treating that as a nice chance, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸You found me out!¡¹ The two ladies burst into laughter. ¡¸Okeanos, Asia [1], or maybe it was Sophia. I sometimes wonder if the reason we were made was for the express purpose of meeting Kou and supporting him. I¡¯m really thankful to Master for letting us meet him.¡¹ ¡¸So he¡¯s like our destined person or something? That¡¯s a bit of a stretch, I think. ¨CReally, don¡¯t make me laugh. Wouldn¡¯t that mean we¡¯re way worse than even the easiest of easy gal game heroines?¡¹ Her words sounded self-deprecating, but Nyanta¡¯s lips gently curved upward. She apparently seemed to think it wasn¡¯t that bad. ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine? It¡¯s fun you know.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure Kou wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told him you usually acted as an extremely cold ice queen with a constantly frozen expression.¡¹ ¡¸Right back at you, neesan.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine nyaa. Kou¡¯s the type to be easily fooled by women. We have to keep a good eye on him or it¡¯ll be no good nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta switched back to her usual tone when in front of Kou and displayed her cutesy teasing smirk. ¡¸I really envy you dog-type¡¯s honesty with your feelings.¡¹ ¡¸You can just do the same as me, neesan.¡¹ ¡¸Us cat-types have a method of expressing affection unique to us. Cat-types won¡¯t lose out when it comes to watching over family.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re going for the tsundere route huh. I won¡¯t lose though.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re a bit too old-school, Aki. Anyway, make sure you don¡¯t neglect proper business.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m doing it properly you know. Please pass me the data you got later, okay, neesan?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll get it ready in a jiffy for you nyaa.¡¹ The two ladies sat side by side, typed data into their terminals, and resumed their work. TL Notes: [1] I will use ¡°Asia¡± instead of ¡°Ashia¡± from now on. It turns out that the author took the name from the Greek goddess Asia. He makes a lot of references to Greek mythology. CH 28 Three days have already passed since Kou arrived in Astraea. Kou was staring seriously at the tech development tree using a data terminal when a call came through. The girl inside the medical capsule seems to have finally woken up. Kou put the thing he prepared for her just in case inside his pocket and headed for the medical bay. He found Nyanta and Aki standing beside the capsule when he arrived. Voy headed for another of Astraea¡¯s facilities so he wasn¡¯t present. Shortly after Kou arrived, the capsule hatch finally opened up. The girl within was completely expressionless. ¡¸Nice to meet you. I¡¯m Mozuya Kou. Can you understand me?¡¹ ¡¸I understand, Kou. I am¡­¡­ I can¡¯t remember my name.¡¹ The girl replied in a whisper-like but clear voice. ¡¸I see. You don¡¯t have to push yourself to remember.¡¹ Being placed in cryo-sleep for more than a thousand years caused severe damage to her memory. It would have been simpler if Master created an entirely new persona for her. However, Master didn¡¯t want to do something like that. ¡¸Oh, right. Here, this is for you. Bear with it for a bit.¡¹ Kou took out the Metal Iris cap from his pocket and placed it on the young girl¡¯s head. The girl quietly touched her new cap. ¡¸Aki, Nyanta, do we have medical wigs available? Um, something that would look great on this girl if possible. I¡¯m not really good with that kind of stuff.¡¹ She was a young girl. Kou thought that even though she was still pretty young, she probably still cared about her hair. ¡¸Leave it to us!¡¹ ¡¸C¡¯mon dear. Follow us big sisters nyaa.¡¹ The two went to another room with the girl in tow and came back after a short while. Kou thought the blonde wig they found for her looked pretty great. She also changed into a jacket with a style similar to the one Kou was wearing. She was also still wearing the cap Kou gifted to her. Kou was positive that she would grow up into a great beauty in the future. ¡¸She wanted a rough look just like Kou nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸It does seem like she¡¯ll look good in anything though.¡¹ The two were already acting as the girl¡¯s big sisters. It was a full-on showcase of the Therianthrope¡¯s specialties. ¡¸Astraea gave me a name. I¡¯m Aimer. Nice to meet you, Kou.¡¹ Her tone still sounded flat, but it was evident that she was trying to communicate as hard as she can. ¡¸So you¡¯re called Aimer huh. Nice to meet you too, Aimer.¡¹ Kou grinned good-naturedly at Aimer. Aimer was bewildered at first, but she soon nodded softly. ¡¸Can I keep this cap, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Sure. I¡¯m happy you like it.¡¹ Aimer nodded several times in response. ¡¸I inherited the memories of the cat Mii¡­ Um, Mii is the one you call Master. Kou, I think it would be nice if I can help you.¡¹ So Master¡¯s name was Mii, Kou thought. He only found out just now. ¡¸Thank you. I¡¯ll be counting on you from now on, Aimer.¡¹ Aimer nodded cutely in response once more. ¡¸You do the rest, please¡­¡­ Master.¡¹ ¡¸Hm?¡¹ ¡¸Kou, it¡¯s me. Do you recognize who I am?¡¹ The tone of the girl¡¯s voice changed drastically. Kou instinctively knew that it was Master. The sound of her voice was the same as Aimer¡¯s, but Kou didn¡¯t find it too strange. Perhaps it¡¯s due to Master¡¯s original voice being gender-neutral. ¡¸Master?!¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Her memory storage capacity is unexpectedly quite extensive, and since she openly accepted me, I now exist as a sort of separate soul, so to speak. My will exists together with her own. I was just given a little bit more time.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸I am currently supporting her personality. When her emotions and personality recover to a certain level, I will probably disappear. However, I wasn¡¯t supposed to have this sort of borrowed time in the first place. My existence as well as capability to be the support for Aimer¡¯s personality while it¡¯s recovering are truly unexpected instances of good fortune.¡¹ ¡¸I see. That¡¯s good, I suppose.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s great. I won¡¯t be able to come up often, but with this, you feel relieved, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah!¡¹ Kou smiled broadly. Master¡¯s will was still present. That was more than enough for him. ¡¸However, this doesn¡¯t mean you can just slack off, alright?¡¹ Kou grinned bitterly after being reprimanded by Master like usual. Still, he was able to get reunited with Master. That made him honestly happy. Kou was now in the middle of browsing all kinds of information data from the combat command post¡¯s terminal. He first needed to find out what kind of information can be applied to strengthen Unit 5. ¡¸You don¡¯t really need to think too hard about things. It¡¯s true that you¡¯re a Development Engineer with the highest qualification, but you¡¯re not a researcher.¡¹ Master¡¯s will within Aimer spoke. ¡¸First, try to form an image of the final item you want to build, then start acquiring the required parts in order for you to build it. Then proceed to build some technically old but newly manufactured weapon systems. That¡¯s the main thing you¡¯re able to do.¡¹ ¡¸The fact that I don¡¯t have to learn too much specialized knowledge helps a lot. So I need to select the required parts huh.¡¹ ¡¸If an architect is one who designs blueprints, then a bricoleur is one who creates new things using certain materials that are readily available to him or her.¡¹ ¡¸It sounds easy but is actually fairly difficult. New stuff huh.¡¹ Creating new weapons by combining a multitude of available parts. It seemed like a really fun task to Kou, but he didn¡¯t know what to start with. ¡¸I suppose you need to have a knack for it to be able to successfully select the correct ones from the innumerable parts designed by a Super AI.¡¹ ¡¸Can an amateur like me really do something like that?¡¹ ¡¸There are amateur do-it-yourselfers, right?¡¹ ¡¸So, basically, you¡¯re just telling me to go with the flow huh. Or maybe this is just proof that I can¡¯t make light of this kind of work¡­¡­¡¹ Kou proceeded to continue searching Okeanos¡¯ database. Kou felt it was like surfing the internet. ¡¸This is an application to simulate the desired performance of an end product. Basically, you decide on a concept, work out what kind of performance you want out of it, then allow the application to put together something that meets your criteria.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s pretty convenient. But I can¡¯t attempt anything that¡¯s too unrealistic huh.¡¹ ¡¸You might as well try. Who knows? You might actually discover some unexpected combinations. In any case, what Okeanos does is merely offer proposals. Ultimately, you¡¯ll be the one to assemble the product.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d end up giving a lot of conflicting requirements.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s only natural to have some contradictions, or rather, conflicting demands. That¡¯s not just limited to weapons. Even civilian vehicles are often required to be cheap to manufacture, light, tough, facilitate ease of maintenance, and safe for passengers in case of accidental collisions, right?¡¹ ¡¸The people in charge of presswork and the sheet metal workers often complained about that.¡¹ The number of automobiles with lightweight ultra high-tensile steel bodies has been steadily increasing during Kou¡¯s time. Although the presswork process had been modified into a line, he¡¯d heard that there were still considerable difficulties in getting it on track. Also, unlike conventional steel plates, ultra high-tensile steel was difficult to repair. So it¡¯s only natural that the sheet metal workers would hate it. There were many cases where cars had to be scrapped entirely after getting into accidents. ¡¸There¡¯s a trick to making valid requirements. Determine just how many tons things should be for them to be considered ¡®lightweight¡¯. High defense doesn¡¯t only involve the hardness of materials. You also need to consider maintainability and other such factors. You can narrow it down by quite a bit that way.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve never even thought about how many tons tanks or planes weighed before.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve at least thought about the power-to-weight ratio of your car, right, Kou? The comfort level and fuel efficiency of the car are also part of its overall performance.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. So that¡¯s how it is huh.¡¹ Kou felt it was pretty troublesome to look up and study the details of the tanks and planes that existed during his time, but it did make it easier to enter requirements based on 21st century standards. And moreover, it was fun to witness the number of information he was allowed access to gradually increase. ¡¸Kou, you don¡¯t have to rush things.¡¹ This time, it was Aimer who expressed her worry for Kou. ¡¸Thank you, Aimer.¡¹ Aimer proceeded to look up information next to Kou. She then selected easy-to-understand information and patiently taught them to Kou. CH 29 The ragtag group of comrades gathered in the combat command post in order to discuss their future plans. Their ultimate decision was to continue the research on Kou¡¯s machine. And it was also decided that the technology they would obtain through Okeanos would be relayed to a suitable distribution company. Kou was also able to obtain permission to view and utilize weapons tech used in the Interplanetary War era, which was normally restricted even to A-rank Development Engineers. However, it was still limited by the standard of specification requirements that Kou was currently capable of conceiving. Astraea described it as similar to a game¡¯s tech development tree, but Kou learned that description was actually really simplified. Kou was also concerned about the risk of war being caused by the spread of technology that Master mentioned. ¡¸Even if humanity were to fall due to a war caused by the transfer of technology, you don¡¯t need to worry about it at all, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Of course, I¡¯d worry about it!¡¹ ¡¸Even if you don¡¯t do it yourself, somebody eventually will, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸This is a world that already got destroyed once. You can¡¯t worry too much about those consequences. Even if you did nothing, the Stones will eventually overrun the planets, and everyone would be plunged into living hell anyway.¡¹ Aimer also backed the opinion of the others. The words of the girl who already experienced such destruction and slept more than a thousand years because of it carried a lot of weight. ¡¸More than that, I¡¯m worried that Kou might die from the technology we spread out to the world.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not really worried about that you know.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s no good!¡¹ Aki got angry due to Kou¡¯s nonchalant attitude regarding his own safety. Technology transfer was possible through Okeanos. It also grants the right to utilize said technology. Since Kou¡¯s Development Engineer rank was the highest, he was also able to obtain information on every active weapon and tech company in the world. Okeanos is in possession of comprehensive information on each and every company. Kou was afraid that the transferred technology might be misused or sold illegally, but it looks like things like those were already accounted for in the process. Indiscriminate spread of licensed technology can be prevented to an extent by allowing the sale and purchase of said technology right from the start and then collecting patent fees. You can also impose various other conditions on the companies for the use of technology. ¡¸We¡¯re gonna use the new tech to improve Unit 5, right? But there¡¯s no meaning to a one-off unit. How would you even repair and resupply such a machine? It would be really inconvenient to repurchase the original parts each time you wanna do repairs.¡¹ ¡¸But in the end, we¡¯re still gonna have to use the facilities here to make repairs and modifications on my personal unit anyway, right?¡¹ ¡¸We can just get a manufacturer to mass-produce the TSW-R1 redesigns. The new technology itself is their reward for agreeing to do so.¡¹ ¡¸I see. Even if we move on to new iterations, the limbs are gonna be modular so replacement is easy. They¡¯re basically gonna be shared parts across all iterations.¡¹ Even in the 21st century, it was a common practice to use a good number of the same component parts across several iterations of machine models. Those are called shared parts. The color of the parts might be different and the end of their part number was often different as well, but their general design remains mostly the same. ¡¸Yeah, that¡¯s it. We don¡¯t have to manufacture the parts here ourselves. We can just have other manufacturers produce them instead.¡¹ ¡¸Logistics is very important nyaa. Even if we have Astraea¡¯s facilities at our disposal, it¡¯s gonna be really inefficient if we had to make custom parts each and every time there¡¯s a need for parts repairs or replacement nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸I keep being reminded by the companies I know on Earth back in my time with this topic. Ugh, my head¡­¡­¡¹ Logistics reorganization is essential for any company. One might think the production side of things is largely unrelated to it, but that¡¯s merely a misconception. If mechanical troubles happen to the manufacturing equipment while trying to meet a strict deadline, things often got very messy. If you were told to focus on manufacturing difficult-to-process goods, going on overtime consecutively was very common. That¡¯s why the concept of logistics was always closely related to Kou. ¡¸It¡¯s called logistics management in Kou¡¯s era, right? There¡¯s a lead time to manufacture parts. You produce component parts, transport them to a warehouse, bring them to the next production facility, complete assembly, and finally make them available to customers. Battlefield logistics is much the same. You replenish supplies, transport them, and perform maintenance.¡¹ ¡¸The three elements of strategy, tactics, and logistics are very important nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Ease of repair and procurement is also very important in battlefields. Even if a one-off machine has twice the performance of regular ones, if it takes five times the effort and time in order to repair it, its value as a weapon will drop significantly. The more complicated a machine¡¯s structure, the more difficult it is to repair and maintain.¡¹ ¡¸We also offered repairs on older models of cars in my old company on Earth. I heard we always had a certain number of parts for different production periods in stock for use in repairs.¡¹ Kou remembered that he was occasionally asked to process older model parts. They were service parts for use in the company¡¯s repair service. Companies with products that had their service parts near discontinuation were often avoided by most consumers. Kou realized that it was much the same thing as what they were discussing. ¡® Kou kept clutching his head in discomfort as he remembered his time working back on Earth, but Voy and Aki continued teaching him patiently. He was told that the present humans living in the current era, who resided in many separate and mostly independent living zones, had a particularly weak awareness when it comes to the importance of smooth logistics, and the technology transfer process was implemented in order to gradually change that. The main military power at present was the Underground Forces composed of individual mercenary units. Perhaps this was just an extension of the era where governing bodies were encouraged to hold as little military power as possible. Thus, they had no choice but to hire mercenaries. The current situation was all thanks to the efforts of the tech companies and mercenaries. ¡¸Easy procurement of parts for repair use really is important huh.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just for the basics. Leave customization to us nyaa.¡¹ Kou thought that if he were to choose a company to mass-produce machines based on Unit 5, his first choice had to be ¡®that¡¯ company. And if he was going to do this, it would be better to ensure he made it count. ¡¸I don¡¯t think this is a particularly groundbreaking innovation, but it looks like data for the new type of fuel I requested from the tech development tree has been released.¡¹ ¡¸Even though there¡¯s Whis?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s called metallic hydrogen. I wonder if we can produce this stuff. It looks like it¡¯ll really improve fuel efficiency.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, rather than innovation, something like that would lead to a technological revolution.¡¹ Aimer, who had been quiet for some time, suddenly spoke out. ¡¸That¡¯s one of the vital substances used in the Interplanetary War era. Whis and metallic hydrogen. Those two are of great importance.¡¹ ¡¸In other words, I just managed to bag sealed tech?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Kou let out a sigh. That¡¯s because there was a good chance they wouldn¡¯t be able to make use of what he obtained. ¡¸Metallic hydrogen. It¡¯s a substance that was referred to as the Holy Grail of high-pressure physics during Kou¡¯s era. It¡¯s been purported to exist on Jupiter and was finally able to be successfully produced within an environment with atmospheric pressure that was greater than what¡¯s present in the Earth¡¯s mantle. In other words, you needed at least more than 5 million atmospheres (atm).¡¹ The Holy Grail is used in various metaphors. It has many meanings, including goals that are very difficult to attain in the world of technology. However, there was often a very sizeable reward whenever you reached said goals. In a sense, the use of the Holy Grail metaphor in this instance was arguably quite appropriate. ¡¸So doesn¡¯t that mean it¡¯s basically impossible for us to produce it?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, we can probably manufacture it by adding a Whis-powered power unit. But there¡¯s a need to brace for the possible costs involved.¡¹ ¡¸Hold up a bit. Can we really install an additional power unit in the manufacturing unit?¡¹ ¡¸We can. It would be best if we could use a manufacturing unit that¡¯s already powered by an A-Carbuncle though.¡¹ The thing that first came to his mind when Kou realized he¡¯d obtained usable data for a fuel type far more efficient than regular hydrogen-based fuel was Jenny¡¯s 3D maneuvering gear. He thought that if the performance of the vernier thrusters were to be increased through the use of metallic hydrogen fuel, the equipment could be used not only for 3D combat maneuvers but also for improving a machine¡¯s overall mobility. ¡ºConfirmed the production requirements for metallic hydrogen. Currently, Kou is unable to produce metallic hydrogen.¡» ¡¸Currently?¡¹ ¡ºIt is possible to manufacture it by contacting a facility that has the authority to utilize sealed technology and granting them the jurisdiction to produce it.¡» ¡¸But such facilities don¡¯t exist anymore, right?¡¹ ¡ºThere are some remaining undiscovered underground within Stones-controlled areas.¡» ¡¸So Sophia didn¡¯t actually destroy them?¡¹ ¡ºMetallic hydrogen was originally a general-purpose fuel substance so such facilities were not considered for disposal.¡» ¡¸Contact huh. Got it.¡¹ ¡¸So we¡¯re going out to search for the Holy Grail huh, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Voy, it¡¯s like you¡¯re saying we¡¯re gonna have a lot of trouble finding it, so please leave it at that.¡¹ Kou thought that if it¡¯ll really lead to a technological revolution, then it was worth the challenge. ¡ºThe one who holds the authority to produce metallic hydrogen is Ashia. It is indeed going to be a challenge to release a part of the sealed up Asia from the Stones.¡» ¡¸Ashia huh! Then that¡¯s all the more reason we have to do this. Yeah, let¡¯s get this done. Or rather, isn¡¯t that way more important than acquiring metallic hydrogen?¡¹ When Kou came to this planet, it was Asia who first helped him out. She was the girl who allowed him to meet with Master. ¡ºUnderstood. I will begin requesting cooperation from various forces and planning for the operation.¡» Astraea immediately began to get to work. ¡¸We really have to get down on upgrading Unit 5 then.¡¹ Kou nodded to Voy¡¯s words. It was certainly necessary to improve their main fighting strength. Kou decided to complete upgrading Unit 5 as fast as they possibly can. CH 30 After discussing freeing Asia and acquiring metallic hydrogen the previous day, this time around, Kou decided to check out the entire weapons factory complex. It seems the weapons factory complex also operates under Astraea¡¯s supervision. The actual manufacturing of weapons was done in a production facility outside of the ship. It was a huge city-like underground weapons factory complex consisting of multiple layers. Voy was in charge of showing Kou around said facility. Kou found it very surreal to be riding in a car being driven by a large bear. The entire complex was far too huge that it was impossible to see everything in just a single day. The first area they visited was the industrial block. It was divided into different industrial sections. These were namely the fuselage section, armament section, optics section, ordnance section, maintenance section, and testing section. The fuselage section was the largest of all of them. It was where the main bodies of Silhouettes, aircraft, and vehicles were manufactured. It had facilities that could process and manufacture parts such as plywood boards, small bearings, and so on. The armament section was where things where cannon, gun barrels, and many other equipment were manufactured. The optical section handled the production of all the different sensor systems, and the ordnance section handled the production of live ammunition and energy packs that powered optical weaponry. The maintenance zone was a place to repair and maintain completed units. The testing section was where general testing of completed units and weapon systems was carried out such as targeting and strength tests. Nyanta was in charge of the ordnance section, the armament section was Aki¡¯s turf, and Voy oversaw the maintenance section. This basically meant that weapons can be manufactured at any time. ¡¸Hm. It doesn¡¯t really feel all that futuristic. Apart from the unmanned automated facilities and equipment that is.¡¹ ¡¸You mean this all feels familiar to you?¡¹ ¡¸Sorta. It all reminds me of one big industrial park.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s cuz it¡¯s better for all the facilities to be near each other to allow for quick and easy movement and transfer of parts.¡¹ The crane-type industrial machines and transport-type unmanned machines all looked like they were about to start moving at a moment¡¯s notice. Voy told Kou that they would start working immediately with one order from him. He warmly watched over Kou as he made rounds greeting each machine as usual. The following day, they visited the material storage area and various refining plant facilities. Surprisingly, some materials still remained. Only the finished products and parts were brought out of the storage area, and it seems stuff like steel materials and fuel remained within. It wasn¡¯t possible to build something as massive as a mobile factory platform like Astraea with them, but it was entirely possible to build things at the scale of a hangar carrier. The storage area not only contained steel materials, but also raw materials used for manufacturing textiles and nanomaterials, as well as various alternative substances to use in place of crude oil. There were also aquatic materials, limestone materials, cellulose nanofibers, and so on. According to Voy, crude oil was still available, but the other substances were comparatively cheaper, so it¡¯s basically not used at all. Fuel refinement was carried out in the area, mainly focused on hydrogen fuel. Since electricity was generated by the use of Whis, it was possible to produce hydrogen by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen through electrolysis without relying on methane. The huge and somewhat foreign-looking processing plant looked quite solid and sturdy to Kou. They then moved to the residential block. The overall landscape was suitable to be described as a geofront, but at present, it was entirely lifeless and gave off the feeling of being abandoned. A building that didn¡¯t show any signs of deterioration due to a constant supply of Whis still had an air of melancholy to it despite its practically pristine condition. It was here that the rest of the Familiars and Therianthropes slept. They moved on to the weapon storage area. It was completely empty. It was here that the mass-produced weapons would be kept and maintained. The section right next to it was apparently a weapon testing area to test fire weapons. Afterward, they moved on to the bottommost area. A huge underground lake was present within it. ¡¸The second and third ships of the Astraea series lie dormant beneath this lake. Like the lake Astraea is located at, this underground lake is also directly connected to the open ocean.¡¹ ¡¸Dormant?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because they are space carriers capable of interstellar flight that might possibly fan the flames of war to a very large degree. The management of this facility is handled by Astraea as well, and the ships were placed into a dormant state and made to sleep beneath this lake.¡¹ ¡¸Can they still move?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. If you make them, that is. I think you¡¯re authorized to reactivate them, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Well, there¡¯s no need to reactivate them right now anyway. And besides, we only have a few personnel currently available. One huge ship is already a handful for us. It would be too much if we added another two.¡¹ ¡¸Good. I believe that¡¯s the right call as well.¡¹ The last area they paid a visit to was the robot maintenance area. The facility manages and maintains the small maintenance bots, repair bots, and general work bots. Currently, the robots were all in a dormant state. You can say that they were also awaiting Kou¡¯s command to reactivate. It seems the high-performance large robots like Arges have already been reactivated ahead of time. Arges seems to be one of the oldest models of robots, and he was tasked with Astraea¡¯s maintenance. Voy let out an ill-natured chuckle. ¡¸Here on Nemesis, the oldest models of work machines actually possess the best performance. After all, they receive the same software updates as the later models and were directly designed and made by a Super AI beyond human comprehension. The difference in the caliber of the creators was just that impossibly huge. And yet they were actually abandoned here. Laughable, right?¡¹ ¡¸Were the humans back then not told of that fact?¡¹ ¡¸Heh. They likely never even thought to ask. Outwardly, they looked no different from the later models. It¡¯s hard to tell which one¡¯s better judging on looks alone, and Arges ain¡¯t exactly the type to boast about his own performance either.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I see. But I guess we benefited from their oversight huh.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I suppose. Aki said she might get regarded as unnecessary goods last time, right? Y¡¯see, all of us can¡¯t help but think along those lines because all of us here were basically abandoned.¡¹ Voy muttered in a low tone as he gazed at the dormant robots lined up within the facility and let out a sigh. ¡¸What¡¯s the reason you guys were abandoned though?¡¹ Kou¡¯s expression became a little stern. ¡¸Nyanta and Aki were created during the heyday of directed-energy weapons such as lasers and particle cannons. But they were made to specialize in combustion firing systems instead. Even railguns were being used sparingly because of the ammo cost. In that environment, of course, they¡¯d have no work to do.¡¹ ¡¸Why were they conceived in such a time brimming with super-advanced weapon systems?¡¹ ¡¸The war had unexpectedly intensified. A lot of different situations and outcomes became very real possibilities. They were created as a sort of countermeasure just in case optical weapons got restricted. Though the humans back then certainly didn¡¯t expect they¡¯d get turned into quantum data without any exceptions in the end.¡¹ ¡¸What about you, Voy? You¡¯re in charge of maintenance work, right? Why were you abandoned as well?¡¹ ¡¸Me? Basically, I was a pain-in-the-neck smartass with a foul mouth, so I got unceremoniously thrown into the maintenance department as a result.¡¹ The large bear Familiar laughed heartily, seemingly not caring much about what happened to him. ¡¸I think I just lost a majority of my respect for the humans back in the Interplanetary War era.¡¹ ¡¸But I personally like Kou much better than the humans of that era y¡¯know?¡¹ ¡¸Hmm. Maybe Aki¡¯s fond of me because of the harsh stuff she went through back then¡­¡­ It kinda seems like I¡¯ve taken advantage of her feelings in a way.¡¹ ¡¸Nah, that¡¯s not it at all. Y¡¯see, Aki back then was really¡­¡­¡¹ ¡ºMmm! Ehem! Ehem! Kou. Voy. I believe it¡¯s about time for you two to return.¡» Aki called suddenly and interrupted the two¡¯s conversation. It seems she was actually listening in on the conversation the whole time. ¡ºAnd Kou, our previous relationship with humans from before we entered cryo-sleep don¡¯t matter anymore. Please believe in the current me.¡» ¡¸Okay. I got it, Aki. We¡¯re coming back then.¡¹ ¡ºYes.¡» Kou couldn¡¯t help but smile after hearing Aki¡¯s cheerful reply. ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. Please trust in the current Aki and Nyanta, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ll do that. I trust you too, Voy.¡¹ ¡¸Leave it to me. I¡¯ll make sure I live up to that trust.¡¹ Voy laughed heartily once more. He really seemed quite reliable in Kou¡¯s eyes. ¡¸That goes for all the ones who can¡¯t communicate and those that aren¡¯t humanoid. Please trust in them as well.¡¹ ¡¸I see. I¡¯ll be counting on you, everyone.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t know if his words were properly conveyed to them, but he still addressed all the dormant machines present. He didn¡¯t know if they heard his words, but he felt there was still meaning to his actions. CH 31 It¡¯s been several weeks since Kou arrived in Astraea. His final goal on the tech development tree was still far away from his grasp, but his present goal has been finalized. He and his companions were each paying attention to their own data terminals. ¡¸The plan to license our technology to the world¡¯s companies or supply them with arms has been finalized.¡¹ ¡¸You sure agonized about it a fair bit though, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m thinking of auctioning the tech out and making the companies compete for the license. I¡¯ll then release the tech at a reasonable price later on as the situation requires. I¡¯ll also specify that what we¡¯re granting them is priority rights to the tech.¡¹ Kou decided on a model based on the patent auction system in 21st century Earth. Since rights will be granted individually, there would be no need to worry that the technology would be stolen. Okeanos handles the transfer of technology and the granting of rights anyway. Since there was no need for Kou to transfer the rights completely, it will take the form of a grant instead. This meant that more companies would be able to get the rights to manufacture products and materials resulting from the tech grant. Of course, the winning bidder can also grant and transfer the technology to other interested parties as well. It¡¯s unclear if this method was going to cause a furious headhunting and poaching frenzy among the firms and would heighten the competition between them. There might also be companies that make full use of their ample financial might in order to become veritable industry giants. It¡¯s possible they might also opt to wait and see first. Him releasing tech at reasonable prices, later on, was to prevent wealth concentration due to monopoly. The winning company has the advantage of extending the priority research period. There¡¯s a risk that companies might use their resources in order to win bids consecutively and hoard all the technology for themselves. Kou, who was the one who actually possesses full details of said technologies, finally realized he was in a pretty precarious position as well. This can be credited to Voy and the other¡¯s patient teaching. ¡¸The problem is that the logistics system is still in a stagnant state in the Nemesis warfront, especially here on Planet Asia.¡¹ The result of their analysis showed that logistics and supply operations place a great burden on each active Underground Force. Kou had also experienced participating in an actual battle and found that most mercenaries really valued their lives. Rather than be like Metal Iris that actively fought in the frontlines, most of the mercenary units preferred to just offer support from behind and displayed wait-and-see attitudes. ¡¸These are the weapons I prepared to remedy that.¡¹ The panel displayed about ten types of land and aerial vehicles. ¡¸Hey, aren¡¯t all of these practically transport aircraft and support vehicles?¡¹ Voy chuckled in amusement. He inwardly thought this move was just like Kou. ¡¸By converting their factories into Silhouette manufacturing facilities, each company only concentrates on making Silhouettes. Only a handful of Development Engineers are making vehicles as a hobby. I want to break open and change this current situation.¡¹ ¡¸What are you aiming for?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll make each manufacturer invest in companies that specialize in logistics. Let¡¯s first clearly make a distinction between the mercenaries who want to come to the frontlines and those who don¡¯t.¡¹ ¡¸But wouldn¡¯t all of them end up preferring logistical support?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s alright. Okeanos has made it so greater monetary rewards are awarded to those playing an active part in the frontlines. Just like Metal Iris said, as long as one has an ID, you can earn ample rewards by eliminating Murders.¡¹ ¡¸So safer missions offer fewer rewards?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s indeed less rewarding than participating in a fierce battle on the frontlines. Still, it depends on the mission¡¯s degree of importance. Supply transport is also of major importance and relatively dangerous, especially in the middle of a raging battlefield. There has to be a nice balance.¡¹ Kou sent the data of the aircraft and ground vehicles he prepared to everyone. ¡¸A super-huge transport aircraft that can even load a fortress-class large hangar carrier, a large tractor unit that can carry up to three tanks, and a medium-sized armed support helicopter that can transport a Silhouette huh.¡¹ ¡¸Though it¡¯s true that the development of anti-aircraft weapons has significantly impacted the predominance of aircraft on the battlefield, I¡¯ve prioritized transport speed above all else when selecting these models.¡¹ The situation during the C212 Defense Dome battle was one where you couldn¡¯t expect any reinforcements. Even if they did request for some, it would be very difficult to respond to such a request due to the abysmal state of the logistics and transport situation in this world. There was no pressing reason for a large Underground Force to urgently deploy and risk fighting against an Enyo either. That¡¯s why in that situation, there was no choice but to rely on the smaller mercenary units. However, they did not have many means of effective transportation methods. How could forces like them maintain their fighting strength better in situations like that? The answer Kou came up with after days of worrying and brainstorming was these various transport vehicles. ¡¸It also includes the right to manufacture materials used during the Interplanetary War era huh. So we¡¯re not just making regular old transport vehicles.¡¹ ¡¸If their defenses are improved, it would encourage at least some manufacturers to employ them, right?¡¹ The other blueprints presented were of large tractors and trailers, and a medium-sized trailer model. There was also an armored vehicle model for Familiars with three configurations; an armored car with regular wheels, one with full tracks, and a half-track. It was a model that can equip different mission modules depending on their intended use. It could handle serving as a tank destroyer, a troop transport vehicle, and an ambulance, among others. ¡¸It¡¯s equipped with the Fennel OS and a Whis power unit, so it¡¯s practically an armored vehicle-shaped Silhouette. In terms of survivability, doesn¡¯t it already rival a tank?¡¹ The Fennel OS requires a human to run at full capacity. The animal-type Familiars and beastmen-type Therianthropes are unable to operate humanoid Silhouettes. They can only operate wheeled vehicles and aircraft in a watered-down mode with very limited functions. Even Kou, with his high authority, couldn¡¯t bypass such a setting. ¡¸If they drove tanks, then the humans would think twice about using Familiars as sacrificial pawns. I¡¯ll test the waters first with armored vehicles and release tank development technology tailored to Familiars later on.¡¹ ¡¸I think your plan has a high chance of success.¡¹ Aimer didn¡¯t deny the viability of Kou¡¯s plan. Rather, she even confirmed that it had a high chance of succeeding. ¡¸Was this half-track configuration really necessary?¡¹ ¡¸Somehow, I think it¡¯ll work out pretty well.¡¹ Kou had a strong impression of half-track armored vehicles because of those Familiars who helped him out in the Defense Dome battle, so he included a design for a large half-track. If it remained unsold, then that¡¯s that. ¡¸So you went for fine ceramics for the new material huh.¡¹ ¡¸With that, once they¡¯re given manufacturing rights, even the factories on the surface are able to make them. The related production tech for the material is bundled with the transport vehicles and aircraft.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a ceramic matrix composite using boron-based borophene huh. It has more metallic properties than graphene, so it¡¯s suitable for making lightweight armor.¡¹ ¡¸Graphene is pretty tough. If this gets reinforced with Whis, there would be less worry of the aircraft equipped with it being downed by a railgun in a single shot.¡¹ Due to the nature of aircraft, their armor plating is usually thin and fragile. The widespread use of reconnaissance and transport aircraft was heavily hindered by anti-air weapons such as railguns. ¡¸Isn¡¯t there any plan to improve Unit 5?¡¹ ¡¸Aki and Nyanta finished making an assault rifle for me.¡¹ ¡¸Kou likes to get up close to cut enemies down. In case that method isn¡¯t viable, we focused on improving the range and rate of fire of the new rifle.¡¹ ¡¸Blade idiots would find missiles boring after all nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸You two really get me.¡¹ It was possible to equip missile racks and a spare rifle on the back of a Silhouette, but Kou opted not to have any on Unit 5. Since he didn¡¯t have confidence in operating it properly to engage enemies at a distance, he figured it would be best to just focus on cutting them down at close range instead. Kou was still unaware of just how much he worried Nyanta and Aki because of this tendency of his. ¡¸We¡¯ll only come up with a full redesign once we¡¯ve managed to find the Holy Grail.¡¹ ¡¸Well, it¡¯s true that there¡¯s no point in coming up with a half-baked redesign and releasing it to the market. So the only thing left is to find that Holy Grail huh.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re finally going to the outside world¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Our shut-in lives are finally ending nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a bit scary.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll be fine, Aimer.¡¹ Kou could understand Aimer¡¯s anxiety. A really long time has passed since she was placed into cryo-sleep after all. ¡¸C¡¯mon, aren¡¯t you going to make weapons we can use, Kou?¡¹ Voy voiced out a complaint. For Kou, it was enough for him alone to go out and fight. Voy and the others can just operate support vehicles from the rear. ¡¸Let¡¯s make some later nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Honestly, I¡¯m a bit afraid of activating the factory complex.¡¹ Once everything¡¯s fully activated, full-scale production would finally begin. If possible, Kou wanted to begin with Silhouette production once he activates the complex facilities. ¡¸It¡¯ll be impossible to search for that Holy Grail with Unit 5 alone, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ve considered that too. I¡¯m planning on hiring Underground Forces.¡¹ ¡¸Underground Forces?¡¹ ¡¸I made acquaintances with a reliable bunch y¡¯see. Astraea also approved of it. They¡¯re a perfect fit for this operation.¡¹ Kou displayed a prankster¡¯s smile. He wondered what their reaction would be like. Would they be surprised, or maybe even exasperated? He was looking forward to it. CH 32 Many Underground Forces like Metal Iris didn¡¯t have private bases. Most of the time, they get stationed at a specific block of a Fortress Area reserved for their use. There were also simple housing complexes and commercial facilities for their use as well. And right now, Metal Iris, which was currently staying at the D411 Defense Dome, was busy preparing for a big commission. The content of the request was to support an infiltration mission into a Stones-controlled enemy Fortress Area. The proposed reward was exceptional. Usually, they didn¡¯t accept any suspicious-sounding requests, but this time around, the client was very special. It was an official request from Okeanos sent through the Mercenary Association. Jenny discussed it with her members first just in case, and in the end, everyone approved of accepting the request. The advanced payment alone was more than enough to purchase brand new combat machines for them. Although it was described as a joint operation with another team, the other team in question was pretty unusual as well. The team had the highest trust rating assigned by the Mercenary Association and it was also said that as long as you wholeheartedly opposed the Stones, they would never betray your trust. It wasn¡¯t just any regular Underground Force. Blue was busy working like the rest of the members but was summoned by Jenny to the command room within the Force¡¯s hangar carrier. ¡¸Sorry for calling you out here while you¡¯re busy.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t mind.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s been really frantic recently after all. In many aspects.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like things have begun moving again.¡¹ The two of them were referring to a particular event. That event was an inter-company technology development auction organized by Okeanos. A part of weapons technology that¡¯s currently unavailable to Development Engineers was recently disclosed, and an auction for the priority rights to the technology was going to be held. There were also special conditions attached. Those were the formation of a dedicated supply unit and a proposal to establish Underground Forces that specialize in supply-run missions. Many Underground Forces and companies were quite excited about said proposals. People active in the frontlines were keenly aware of how important it was to improve the supply situation. Former soldiers among the transferees were also quite surprised about said proposals. The various companies were pretty eager to collect as much information as possible in order to monopolize the proposed new industry. The most notable point about the technology that will be provided this time around was that the company that wins the bid was allowed to transfer and grant it to other parties of their choice as well. Such a proposal has never been made before, and it was evident that the one who proposed it was a human. Currently, information on the tech provider was unavailable. Various Fortress Areas of each major power have many spies around the world who specialize in sniffing out such classified info, but there haven¡¯t been any reports of any concrete info being uncovered as of yet. Under such a frantic state of affairs, a request to recapture an enemy-controlled Fortress Area was sent out, and it was directly from Okeanos. A request being directly issued by Okeanos was unprecedented. ¡¸But why did they choose us?¡¹ There were many larger major Underground Forces. Although Metal Iris can be considered as a major Underground Force as well, its overall strength just barely reached the minimum threshold of Rank A. Even though their fame shot up by quite a bit after their exploits at the C212 Defense Dome battle, the scale of a Force¡¯s manpower and equipment should also be considered while selecting one to cooperate with. And on that front, they were still admittedly lacking. ¡¸A request issued directly by Okeanos huh. ¨CHey, it¡¯s gotta be that great sword kid, right?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Jenny found it quite amusing to see the normally calm and collected Nereid girl¡¯s flustered reactions. Her reactions when it comes to stuff regarding Kou were especially good. Jenny grinned teasingly. ¡¸Right. Kou-kun. His name doesn¡¯t come up, but I¡¯m positive it¡¯s him.¡¹ ¡¸H-Hold on. Okeanos? Why would Kou be related to Okeanos? You said this was an anonymous request, right.¡¹ Okeanos oversaw the production of the Nereids. In other words, it was practically their creator. As such, there were many among them who still held strong feelings for their ¡®parent¡¯. It was currently the greatest active Super AI that manages the entire world. A human who left them just a month ago and didn¡¯t seem to know much of the word¡¯s common sense had apparently managed to interface with Okeanos. ¡®Is an EX-rank Development Engineer really that amazing?¡¯ Blue questioned inwardly. ¡¸Cause there¡¯s a bit in the request document that says ¡°I really like the Metal Iris jacket.¡±, and the rest of the document is also worded very politely.¡¹ Jenny couldn¡¯t help but laugh in amusement. Even if he didn¡¯t exactly reveal his identity, the message could never be more obvious. ¡¸Just what in the world is that person¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸The one who provided the new tech should probably be him as well. The timing matches up.¡¹ ¡¸EX-rank, is it?¡¹ ¡¸Yep. EX-rank.¡¹ It was a secret only shared between the two ladies. EX-rank Development Engineer. It was an unprecedented rank that was unheard of. Until now, that is. ¡¸How should I put this, I wonder? A case of doing good to others benefitting oneself in the end? No, it¡¯s a bit different huh.¡¹ ¡¸It just feels like we¡¯re always at the receiving end of that guy¡¯s goodwill though.¡¹ They did provide him with emergency repairs, but those repairs were needed due to him cooperating with them in the first place. Without Kou¡¯s help, they doubted if they could pull off eliminating the Enyo as successfully as they did, or perhaps they couldn¡¯t pull it off at all. ¡¸Yeah. Looks like we have to do our job properly this time around and produce great results.¡¹ ¡¸But does that mean it¡¯s not that dangerous a mission?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, it is. But we don¡¯t have to worry about being suddenly betrayed by the client. And we¡¯re also getting paid a lot of money in advance. Did that kid manage to dig up a mountain of treasure or something?¡¹ ¡¸Maybe he managed to uncover an ancient abandoned Fortress Area.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that¡¯s actually possible.¡¹ If one was a Development Engineer, one would be capable of reactivating an untouched unmanned facility. They felt their conjecture was very possible. The Kou they met before was like a wandering refugee. Therefore, the likelihood of their conjecture being correct was high because there really weren¡¯t a lot of other possible explanations for the young man¡¯s suddenly astonishing windfall. ¡¸It seems only one Silhouette from the other team will be participating, so it¡¯s probably that machine. He¡¯s apparently gonna serve as their representative as a pretense.¡¹ ¡¸A pretense huh.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like he does realize how delicate his current position is.¡¹ It would be quite worrisome if he was too defenseless, but it seems the young man was aware of the risks he¡¯s facing. ¡¸Our target is the X463 Fortress Area. It¡¯s one of the very first places the Stones captured. In other words, there has to be something important or valuable hidden away there.¡¹ ¡¸So there¡¯s a possibility he knows exactly what secrets are hidden within the capture target?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s possible, I guess? Though I think¡­¡­ he probably isn¡¯t aware after all.¡¹ ¡¸How can you be so sure?¡¹ ¡¸The military strength of the enemy forces and the places closest to the human-controlled territory. I¡¯ve already looked those up. But our capture target didn¡¯t come up in my search using those criteria. If we¡¯re to capture this place, then the reason should be written out on the request form.¡¹ Blue also agreed with Jenny¡¯s assumption. There were many unknowns regarding the request¡¯s capture target. The enemy defenses were also very solid, so it was a mystery why they chose such a place as a capture target. ¡¸We¡¯ll probably fight not only Murders but also humans who¡¯ve been assigned to defend that place. Does Kou understand what he¡¯s going to face once we¡¯re there?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know. But it should be tough for most transferees, especially those who came from Japan.¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then I guess we¡¯ll have to properly support him. To be aware your client isn¡¯t used to fighting yet but still not take any measures is a disgrace for any mercenary.¡¹ ¡¸That, I understand.¡¹ ¡¸By doing that, we can increase our value by a lot.¡¹ ¡¸Are we gonna sell ourselves off or something?¡¹ ¡¸If the other party¡¯s willing to purchase us, then why not? Then I wouldn¡¯t have to wrack my brains on how to scrape up funds all the time.¡¹ After saying so, Jenny laughed heartily. Being a mercenary was a tough and life-threatening profession. And since there¡¯s a constant need for weapons and equipment, the necessary expenses are quite considerable as well. ¡¸I don¡¯t really mind if we sold the Force off anyway.¡¹ Blue displayed a rare smile. She likely thought that it wasn¡¯t so bad a deal. ¡¸¡­¡­But what¡¯ll we do if he says he only wants you, Blue¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Just do your best to bargain for a higher transfer fee then.¡¹ The usually stoic girl actually cracked a joke. ¡¸Oh boy. I feel like it actually might happen.¡¹ Since there was actually a chance for her joke to turn into reality, Jenny couldn¡¯t bring herself to laugh anymore. There were, of course, many instances of mercenaries transferring to other outfits. Most would prefer a place where the grass is greener after all. ¡¸I¡¯ll consider it if he promises to enter you into his family registry, Blue.¡¹[1] ¡¸What the heck are you saying, you idiot?!¡¹ Jenny smiled gloatingly due to her successful revenge as Blue¡¯s face turned bright red from embarrassment. CH 33 Kou and the others took out the hangar carrier stored in Astraea and rode it to the designated meeting point to meet with the representatives of the Underground Forces they hired. After waiting for a short while, they finally saw a number of hangar carriers, tanks, and armored cars coming over. It was a number that can easily be called a battalion. They included an Underground Force that was hired through the recommendation of Metal Iris and Aki. Kou confirmed that there was no danger and proceeded to wait outside. Nyanta, Aki, and Voy were also lined up next to each other behind him. Aimer remained inside the transport car. The representatives of Metal Iris and the other Underground Force finally arrived before them. The representatives of Metal Iris were Jenny and Blue. The representative of the other Underground Force was a dog-type Familiar. It was a St. Bernard model. ¡¸Hi!¡¹ Jenny and Blue came forward first. Kou welcomed Jenny with a smile. He waved back with one hand in greeting. ¡¸Thank you for accepting the request.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re as stiff and formal as usual. Right, Blue?¡¹ ¡¸True. He also only calls occasionally. And most of the time, it¡¯s only about song requests.¡¹ Blue sounded upset. ¡¸Huh? He didn¡¯t even call me even once though?!¡¹ Kou tried hard to maintain his smile, which kept twitching. Blue¡¯s radio show could be picked up by Astraea, so he formed a habit of listening to it every early evening. He couldn¡¯t even think of any topic to talk about, so calling a beautiful young girl and woman was a tall order for the socially awkward Kou. He didn¡¯t even consider experiencing such a thing back on 21st century Earth. The St. Bernard model Familiar also came over so Kou greeted it as well. ¡¸I¡¯m pleased to meet you. My name is Mozuya Kou. Thank you very much for accepting the request, Rick-san.¡¹ ¡¸Nice to meet you too, Kou. I¡¯m Rick of¡ºStorm Hound¡». Oh, and you don¡¯t need to use formal speech when talking to me.¡¹ Storm Hound. It was a mercenary outfit centered on Familiars that was found and recommended by Aki. It¡¯s said that Rick was a very hard-to-please captain who chooses which client he wants to cooperate with. Kou extended one hand for a handshake, or, in this case, a pawshake. Rick was taken aback for a bit but extended his paw to accept after a few moments of hesitation. Kou grasped his paw tightly and shook it. ¡¸You actually recognize beings like us as people, don¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸When I was newly transferred to this world a Familiar like you practically saved my life and helped me out a lot. To me, Familiars aren¡¯t just merely animals capable of speech. They are people in the shape of animals.¡¹ ¡¸I see. I sure hope you keep holding on to that view.¡¹ ¡¸I promise that I won¡¯t ever change my mind regarding this.¡¹ Rick nodded heavily in response. He was shaped like a large dog, but he had an air of a reliable father-like figure. A truly respectable man. He was like a dog patriarch. Many probably held him in high regard and looked up to him as a father figure. He also exchanged handshakes with Jenny and Blue, then moved on to the main topic of the day. ¡¸Our mission is a particularly dangerous one. Hence, we¡¯ve judged that it¡¯s key for heavily armored units to hold the frontlines once we engage in combat.¡¹ ¡¸If so, then compared to leaving that job to Silhouettes, entrusting it to us would be better. The universal humanoid weapon doctrine is pretty prevalent in the Nemesis warfront, so outfits like us aren¡¯t held in very high regard. It¡¯s good that Metal Iris also employs tanks.¡¹ ¡¸Silhouettes may be versatile but they¡¯re also basically jacks of all trades but masters of none. Although it also depends on the skills of pilots, generally, they can¡¯t compare to tanks when it comes to frontal firefights. Antique Silhouettes are a different story though. They might fit the description of being universally much better than the present models.¡¹ Since Asia¡¯s terrain and environment were too dangerous for performing operations on foot, infantry soldiers were considerably few in number. That might have contributed to the ensuing prevalence of humanoid Silhouettes. There were quite a lot of adamant supporters of the universal humanoid weapon doctrine among the original inhabitants of Planet Asia. That only began to change when transferees started coming over and started piloting tanks as well. ¡¸But this sure is a surprise. I actually thought Storm Hound exclusively employed tanks. But it looks like you also have Silhouettes and armored vehicles.¡¹ Kou saw Storm Hound¡¯s weapons and equipment and gave his impression. Familiars couldn¡¯t pilot Silhouettes after all. ¡¸The all-tank doctrine had become obsolete as early as the 20th Century. However, the combined arms concept still rings true even in the Nemesis warfront.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really know much about such topics. It would be great if you taught me about them.¡¹ ¡¸Sure thing.¡¹ ¡¸You use Silhouettes for resupply work?¡¹ ¡¸Silhouettes are pretty handy when it comes to supply replenishment and repair work after all, so I hired some humans to handle them. It¡¯s also important to optimize the assortment of units in a Force, Kou-kun. This is especially true for independent mercenaries like us.¡¹ Just as Aki said, it looks like Rick of Storm Hound¡¯s knowledge was at a level where he could be called a seasoned tactician. Kou thought it would be worthwhile learning from him. Just like Master, a lot of Familiars often take the roles of being mentors and guides to people. ¡¸Ara, you¡¯re not going to ask us to teach you as well?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, I will. I¡¯ll have you guys teach me more about Silhouette combat. I finally got myself a rifle, but I¡¯m not very good at using it.¡¹ ¡¸Not very good¡­¡­ with a rifle?¡¹ Blue sounded exasperated. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry, Kou. Blue and I are gonna train you up real good.¡¹ While the other three were engaged in their conversation, Rick took the opportunity to approach Aki. ¡¸I suppose you¡¯re the one who contacted me about this job. Aki, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, Rick. How was it? Did our master pass your standards?¡¹ ¡¸Fumu. He¡¯s actually more than I expected. I didn¡¯t expect him to ask for a handshake. It seemed quite natural, so I suppose it wasn¡¯t a calculated move to get into my good graces.¡¹ ¡¸Of course, not. Kou isn¡¯t really all that calculating.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I noticed. Fufu. I¡¯m already used to being treated as a pet or animal, but to think he¡¯ll treat me as a person. He sure is a strange one, that kid.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s also being treated as a mere machine. Therianthropes like me had it pretty bad more than a thousand years ago as well.¡¹ ¡¸Hou. So you¡¯re from that era huh. I suppose I understand why you¡¯d be so charmed by him. Thank you. You introduced me to such a remarkable young man.¡¹ ¡¸Likewise. Thank you for accepting our request.¡¹ Storm Hound was a special mercenary outfit. They are said to be very picky regarding their clients. They were a Force that specialized in fighting the Stones. Many of the Storm Hound members had their masters killed by the Stones, so they held great animosity toward the latter. Since the Stones were especially adamant in destroying Familiars as well, they were practically natural enemies. A long time has passed since Rick first founded his Underground Force. He was also one whose master was killed and was fighting for revenge. The fundamental rule of being beholden to humans was not limited to living ones. And the coming mission will also lead to the protection of human beings. After hearing from Aki about a human who truly sympathizes with Familiars, Rick decided to accept the high-risk request despite some of the details being unclear. If what Aki told him was true, then he and his subordinates wouldn¡¯t mind being sacrificial pawns in order to protect such a human. Because they were a Force that consisted mostly of Familiars, they were often offered jobs where they would basically serve as cannon fodder. If necessary, he and his Force members were willing to serve as both vanguards and rearguards to fight for humans, but he really didn¡¯t want to work for shameless and blatantly discriminatory ones if he could help it. ¡¸We¡¯ve gathered in such numbers here. We probably stand out like a sore thumb. We should probably get going.¡¹ Rick called out to Kou and the two ladies. The three nodded in response. All of them proceeded to return to their respective teams. CH 34 ¡¸We¡¯ll break into the target area two days from now. The enemy would probably notice us right away, so please don¡¯t do anything reckless, everyone.¡¹ Kou was talking with Jenny and Rick through Unit 5¡¯s comms. ¡¸If the operation looks like it¡¯s about to fail, I wouldn¡¯t mind if you choose to withdraw. Our objective is to rescue my benefactor from the target area.¡¹ ¡¸Rescue mission? Kou, I¡¯m sorry to say this, but there¡¯s practically no one who has ever been successfully rescued after being captured by the Stones.¡¹ Jenny informed Kou in a mournful tone and sighed. ¡¸The one we¡¯re going to rescue isn¡¯t a human. She¡¯s an AI. I¡¯m sorry about not telling you sooner. I was worried that no one might accept the request if I revealed it right from the start.¡¹ ¡¸I understand. Rescuing an AI huh. You¡¯re really treating machines just like people, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I promised after all. I promised I¡¯d rescue her no matter what. I¡¯m hoping to rescue a part of her this time. I guess it sounds like a strange request, doesn¡¯t it?¡¹ Kou knew of how the Telema AI Familiars are usually treated in the present era. Many people treat them as simply their pets or as mere convenient machines. It didn¡¯t matter if they were capable of thought and had intelligence on par or even exceeding most humans. It didn¡¯t help that the Familiars themselves were usually quite willing to serve as shields for humans. Although the Therianthropes have already been recognized as a unique race of their own, Kou learned that there was still a tendency for them to be discriminated against as species beneath humans. For the staunchest human supremacists, even the Nereids, who were created by a Super AI, were targets for discrimination as well. Thus, Kou thought that there was a high possibility of the request being rejected, so he decided to withhold some of the details of the mission. ¡¸If that AI really is your benefactor, then, of course, I¡¯d cooperate. I¡¯m not gonna back down now that we¡¯ve come to this point y¡¯know.¡¹ Jenny¡¯s usual cheerful demeanor eased Kou¡¯s worries. Kou found her constant positivity quite pleasant. A person who wore her heart on her sleeve. That was Jenny. ¡¸I won¡¯t refuse such a request either, given what I am. This kind of operation is right up our alley. We¡¯ll help you with all of our power. Can you tell us the name of the AI in question?¡¹ Rick¡¯s tone sounded a touch more gentle as well. Since he was going to rescue a fellow AI, he was very cooperative. ¡¸Thanks, you two. Her name is Asia. I heard she¡¯s the AI of the supercomputer that maintains the entire planet.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸W-What did you say?¡¹ The two¡¯s breaths were taken away after they heard the AI¡¯s name. ¡¸H-Hold up a bit. We¡¯re going to rescue Asia? You¡¯re not pulling my leg here?¡¹ ¡¸She helped me out when I first came to this world. I¡¯ve only ever met her in a dream once though¡­¡­¡¹ Due to being pressured by the two¡¯s sharp questioning gazes, Kou ended up blurting out his dream encounter with Asia. He immediately regretted it afterward. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny became speechless. She couldn¡¯t even let out a cry of surprise. Kou, who didn¡¯t understand why they were reacting the way they are, wondered just what the matter was. He surmised that saying something silly like meeting Asia in a dream was what made them speechless. But he was way off. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Jenny?¡¹ ¡¸We know of Asia as well, of course. So you¡¯re close enough to actually talk to her huh. Do you have a method to release her?¡¹ ¡¸I can release her if I get in contact with the facility beneath our target area, apparently. It should be okay even if I¡¯m inside a Silhouette.¡¹ ¡¸¨CUnderstood. We better modify our plans then. If what you¡¯re saying is true, the enemy defenses should be pretty tough.¡¹ Rick remained speechless for a few moments as well but regained his composure quickly. He persuaded Kou in a gentle tone. Kou was happy that Rick accepted his story as well. Judging from the other party¡¯s tone, Kou thought that Rick really did believe him. Familiars should find it good that he got along with Asia, he thought. But what Kou failed to notice was Rick¡¯s slight shaking in an effort to control himself. He was actually even more shocked than Jenny was. ¡¸You¡¯re right. They went through all the trouble to seal her up after all. Of course, their defenses should be tight.¡¹ The oblivious Kou remained relaxed and carefree. ¡¸You have some time, right, Jenny? Leave the operation revisions to us. We¡¯ll send the data of the revised plan later once we¡¯re done. I¡¯m going to discuss it with Jenny now, so we¡¯ll be cutting the transmission, alright?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll leave it to you, Rick.¡¹ Kou cut off the transmission on his end as well. ¡¸Rick! Thank you!¡¹ Jenny expressed her thanks to Rick while half in tears. ¡¸Jenny, it looks like Kou isn¡¯t aware of the implications of what we¡¯re about to attempt huh.¡¹ Rick backed Jenny up because he noticed that she was already at a loss from all the shock and was about to reach her limit while trying to act normal in front of Kou. He understood how she felt very well, so he moved to quickly put an end to the discussion with Kou. In truth, he personally had a mountain of questions he¡¯d like to ask as well. However, now was not the time for that. There should be plenty of time to have a proper talk with Kou once everything is settled. Yes, plenty of time indeed, along with the possibility of a brighter future. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Rick. I really was about to lose my marbles back there.¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t blame you. I mean, who would have thought our mission was actually gonna play a huge part in deciding the fate of this planet. That guy didn¡¯t say anything about that at all.¡¹ ¡¸I think he really doesn¡¯t have any idea about the importance of what he just said. The liberation of the planetary administrator Super AI, Asia, has been the long-cherished wish of many since the war with the Stones began.¡¹ ¡¸I think it¡¯s better that way, actually. It won¡¯t do to burden him with additional pressure.¡¹ ¡¸I wonder why the Familiar and Therianthropes by his side never told him about it.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like they were actually models from more than a thousand years ago. Perhaps they¡¯ve just been reinitialized recently. Or perhaps they purposely kept it a secret from Kou after taking his personality into consideration. Both are quite possible.¡¹ Rick was actually right on the mark. Master did relate the importance of Asia to a certain extent, but she didn¡¯t choose to reveal everything to Kou. His other companions have only just woken up from cryo-sleep and have only been active for a single month. And since Master also relayed her memories and experiences to them before she woke them up, it was unlikely that they¡¯d spill the beans to Kou as well. ¡¸What should I do¡­¡­? Um, I¡¯m really sorry. I really can¡¯t be called a competent captain if I act like this huh.¡¹ ¡¸No worries. Honestly, I¡¯m also quite shaken myself. We¡¯ll have to move the schedule of the operation up. Two days from now is no good. We have to conduct it as soon as we can and focus on speed above all else. Let¡¯s carry it out by tomorrow instead. We can¡¯t give the enemies a chance to notice our presence until after we strike.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here to help out, Rick.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m honored to be of service, Jenny. Let¡¯s discuss things again after an hour.¡¹ ¡¸Roger.¡¹ Rick switched the comms off and turned to the Familiars waiting behind him. ¡¸Everyone. Listen up. Our main objective for this time¡¯s operation is to release a part of the sealed Super AI Asia and rescue her.¡¹ The other Familiars made tense, audible gulps. It was the same for everyone; whether they may be dog-types, cat-types, bear-types, fox-types, rabbit-types, and even the human members. All of them tensed up. ¡¸The young client, Kou, is actually the key. He has said so himself. He also said he wouldn¡¯t blame us if we choose to withdraw if the operation goes south. And to that, I say no thank you. We can¡¯t afford to fail. Even if we get annihilated and destroyed to the point where reinitialization is rendered impossible, we have to ensure that the client reaches the goal.¡¹ ¡¸R-Rick, is what you¡¯re saying really true?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no doubt. There¡¯s no merit to lying about such things in this situation at all. He just doesn¡¯t know the full importance of Asia¡¯s role for this planet and everyone living on it.¡¹ Rick continued in an even stronger tone. ¡¸This is a once-in-a-lifetime, no, an absolutely unprecedented opportunity! There might be no better chance than this to realize our dearest wish. Moreover, we¡¯re going to be direct participants in this historic moment. Let us do our utmost and rescue our creator!¡¹ ¡¸Oooooh!¡¹ ¡¸Our client sure is amazing. We¡¯ll protect him to the death!¡¹ One fox-type Familiar exclaimed loudly in high spirits. ¡¸Just keep in mind that our client doesn¡¯t really like the idea of us dying for him, so try your best not to die if you can help it, everyone.¡¹ ¡¸He doesn¡¯t want us to die? Ara ara, maa maa. He¡¯s such a nice boy. All the more reason to protect him at risk of death then.¡¹ A rabbit-type Familiar remarked in a gentle voice while smiling softly. Rick nodded in agreement. They merely got deactivated. They were also capable of being reinitialized in certain conditions. If their masters treasure them, then they would find it better if they were the ones who broke down first. That¡¯s the fundamental principle of Familiars. Their high spirit was very evident. Kou just wasn¡¯t aware. The planetary control and management AI Asia. Due to the Stone¡¯s plot, she was quickly sealed up in the initial invasion, thus plunging the entire planet into extreme crisis. No one had any idea how to rescue her, and humanity was quickly mired in a grueling war of attrition. Since she was the creator of the Familiars, their continued production had practically ground to a screeching halt once she was sealed up, and their existing number was steadily decreasing. For the Familiars, Asia was indispensable for the future of human and Familiar coexistence. The morale of Storm Hound quickly rose to the peak. CH 35 Kou and his companions scrutinized the revised strategy that was sent by Rick in their hangar carrier¡¯s briefing room. With Astraea¡¯s support, Kou slowly but surely digested the ins and outs of the plan. Seeing the big picture was something unrelated to him anyway. He only needed to understand his part and do it well. ¡¸So the operation has been moved up to tomorrow huh. What do you call it again? Blitzkrieg?¡¹ ¡¸No, that¡¯s not it. Surprise attacks aren¡¯t included in the plan. They are probably worried that the enemies have already noticed us.¡¹ Aimer answered Kou¡¯s question. It was probably Master who was lecturing him again though. ¡¸In any case, it¡¯s important that we don¡¯t give the enemies time to prepare. Soldiers value speed or something like that nyaa.¡¹ They finished confirming the details of the entire plan. Kou¡¯s questions were mostly answered by Nyanta and Aki. Voy was busy with maintaining Unit 5 in the hangar. He was checking out the condition of the new battle rifle and the additional armor. ¡¸ Long-range combat huh. Can I really do it properly?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no need for you to forcibly engage in long-range combat. We¡¯re going to be conducting urban warfare during this operation. In your case Kou, it would be more effective if you focused on your usual style of close combat while using the buildings for cover.¡¹ ¡¸But I feel like I gotta make effective use of the rifle you guys made for me.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s no good! Please don¡¯t get held up by the thought of using it. We can make new weapons for you anytime you need one. Please don¡¯t place too much focus on the rifle and just do what you¡¯re accustomed to doing.¡¹ Aki implored Kou to reconsider his line of thinking. She knew of Kou¡¯s easily fixated personality. ¡¸But it was made by Nyanta and Aki, so¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Like Aki said, that¡¯s no good nyaa! We¡¯re not saying you can just throw it away whenever, but if it¡¯s lost, then we can just make something even better for you nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸I-Is that so?¡¹ Kou had no choice but to capitulate to the unusually angry Nyanta. ¡¸It¡¯s okay if you used it as a makeshift shield. It would be a lot better than trying to fight using a style you¡¯re not used to.¡¹ ¡¸Okay, I got it. Thanks, guys.¡¹ Kou realized the two really were worried about him, so he decided to make sure they don¡¯t have to as much as he can. ¡¸Confirmed updated operation files. There seem to be composition changes made to part of Metal Iris and Storm Hound¡¯s teams. They have exchanged some troops with each other.¡¹ Aimer announced to everyone. Aimer was tasked with serving as Kou¡¯s operator. Kou had misgivings about making a young girl handle such a demanding job, but Aki and the others persuaded him to agree, so he accepted in the end. Aki and the rest argued that Aimer should play a role in the operation even if she wasn¡¯t going to the frontlines herself. She even proposed to ride in an armored vehicle to directly support him out on the field, but Kou categorically refused. He opted for having her give out remote guidance from their hangar carrier. This was also largely for his peace of mind. ¡¸So we¡¯re going for quickly capturing the control center and the A-Carbuncle power generator huh. It does seem that things would get easier once we¡¯ve captured it though.¡¹ ¡¸And all we need to focus on is reaching our real objective as soon as we can. But if we want to capture the control center quickly, we¡¯ll have to concentrate our forces first.¡¹ ¡¸So we¡¯re going to act together until halfway into the operation, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The enemies aren¡¯t aware that our goal is freeing Asia after all. The control center capture operation is basically a diversion. If all goes well, we can take over fast and then move to a mopping-up operation afterward.¡¹ ¡¸I hope I¡¯m just being too pessimistic but doesn¡¯t that sound a bit of a tall order?¡¹ ¡¸Entering the Fortress Area alone seems to be quite the challenge after all.¡¹ ¡¸The enemy also employs Underground Forces too nyaa.¡¹ The three girls were worried about the possibility of engaging in combat with other humans. They were worried if a young Japanese man would be able to overcome the stress from fighting other humans. Kou just laughed ambiguously in response, making them worry even more. ¡¸I think I¡¯ll check up on how Voy¡¯s doing for a bit.¡¹ ¡¸Alright.¡¹ Aimer answered and saw Kou off. After he made his way out of the room, the three girls started chatting among themselves. ¡¸Rescuing Asia. It¡¯s better if Kou remains unaware. He doesn¡¯t need to know just how much people yearn for it.¡¹ Aimer sighed. Due to Master¡¯s memories, she had sufficient knowledge regarding Planet Asia¡¯s current situation. ¡¸Storm Hound¡¯s response was rather quick.¡¹ ¡¸Jenny sent a transmission airing out her complaints about being worked to the bone nyaa. I¡¯ll tell Kou about it later nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸The more people know about it¡­¡­ the higher the risk of information being leaked.¡¹ Aimer sighed again. She didn¡¯t hold much trust for other humans. ¡¸I think Storm Hound is being a little too into it. But it¡¯s about rescuing our formerly missing Creator after all. I understand how they must be feeling all too well.¡¹ ¡¸Metal Iris got a bit overwhelmed when they found out our real goal though nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s only natural, considering Planet Ashia¡¯s current precarious situation.¡¹ Aimer responded glumly. The coming operation can even be described as a decisive battle for the future of the planet. ¡¸Kou really hates the idea of us going out to the frontlines.¡¹ Unlike Nyanta and Aki, Aimer was capable of piloting a Silhouette. But Kou would definitely never allow her to pilot one. ¡¸At least Voy managed to convince him to let him deploy as well nyaa. He just argued it was a man¡¯s job to fight on a battlefield or something along those lines.¡¹ ¡¸But because Kou hasn¡¯t developed any armed vehicles pilotable by Familiars yet, it looks like Voy isn¡¯t gonna be able to fight in battle anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Actually, he managed to convince Kou to let him bring out ¡®that¡¯ thing they developed on a whim nyaa.¡¹ Aki smiled bitterly. She was truly grateful that Kou takes good care of them and treasures them, but it didn¡¯t sit well with her to just watch as the person himself faces all the danger on his own. ¡¸All we can do is to keep upgrading Kou¡¯s weapons. I¡¯m gonna place my heart and soul into each individual round. I¡¯m gonna do my absolute best. I swear on my pride as a Wildcat.¡¹ Nyanta was a Therianthrope who specialized in customizing ballistic firearms ¨C commonly known as a Wildcat. She was also responsible for handloading ammo. She adjusts the maximum number of rounds and rate of fire according to the objective. It was a profession that was created to adjust standard ballistic firearms depending on mission objectives but was regarded as largely unnecessary in the past. A long time ago, she was in the same boat as the gunsmith Aki. However, she still held great pride in her profession. It was frustrating for her to be unable to enter the battlefield with Kou. So all she can do was to take the guns Aki creates and optimize them as much as possible for Kou¡¯s use. All to keep that close combat idiot safe whenever he had no choice but to engage in a firefight. She will put all of her effort and feelings into her work to help him as much as possible through the only means available to her. Kou¡¯s figure was displayed on the monitor in front of her. He was performing maintenance on his Silhouette together with Voy. ¡¸I¡¯ll let you go as wild as possible, neesan. I¡¯ll always reinforce the barrel of my guns to the limit so feel free to do what you do best.¡¹ ¡¸Kou¡¯s a bit clumsy so he can¡¯t handle multiple different weapons. So I¡¯ve raised the accuracy of each round to the limit while not sacrificing power. I¡¯ve reduced the caliber of the bullets a bit in order to do that.¡¹ ¡¸You both did your best, Nyanta, Aki. The rest is Master and my job.¡¹ Aimer, who was staring fixedly at the monitor as well, softly muttered with conviction. Kou finished performing the final checks on Unit 5 together with Voy. There were three key differences from before it was upgraded. The damaged head had been repaired, and it was equipped with a large thruster pack to increase speed and mobility. The great sword was stored via a sword rack on the back of the machine. It was also equipped with additional armor that was designed not to impair mobility and range of motion. Seen from the side, it looked very much like a medieval knight or armored warrior. It also now sported large shields with auxiliary thrusters on both shoulders that were equipped in consideration of engaging in close combat while in the waki-gamae stance. They really made it look more like an armored samurai in medieval times. And it was also equipped with a new weapon, which was a large rifle-shaped two-handed 90 mm cannon. It was classified as a large caliber battle rifle with an emphasis on range. The number of rounds it can carry was 20. It was possible to fire it with one hand, but it was basically a weapon a Silhouette held with both hands to shoot. Voy explained the details to Kou further. If it was downscaled to a size that a human could wield, it could be likened to a 12.7 mm assault rifle. Kou didn¡¯t know, but that was a large-caliber rifle that could be said to be excessive for use in anti-personnel combat. ¡¸Aki created the base model and it was modified to equip Wildcat cartridges made by Nyanta. Both the bullets and the gun barrel are extra special. Aren¡¯t you gonna name it, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s see¡­ How about AK2? I think it¡¯s a good name.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s it mean?¡¹ ¡¸Uh, it¡¯s kinda a combination of Aki and Nyanta¡¯s names. Err, AKNyan?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s one weird pun, man¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, it is, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Well, I think those two would be happy though. It¡¯s decided then. This rifle will be named the AK2.¡¹ Voy entered the rifle¡¯s new name designation on his terminal. ¡¸The only thing left is to wait for my chance to shine in the limelight huh.¡¹ ¡¸I really don¡¯t wanna deploy that weird weapon if I can help it though¡­¡­¡¹ Kou actually created just one new weapon himself for the coming operation. The only problem was that it was too chuuni-ish. The moment he finished making the darn weapon, he suddenly felt afraid and ashamed of his own idea. He tried to seal it away in a dark corner forever, but he was found midway by Voy, and in the end, he was forced to bring it with them on the hangar carrier. ¡¸The enemy¡¯s defenses are quite tough. As long as we can¡¯t prepare a decent combat engineer squad, there¡¯s nothing wrong with having that on hand, right?¡¹ ¡¸I understand. If we can¡¯t break through via frontal assault, I¡¯ll be counting on you.¡¹ ¡¸You got it.¡¹ The questionable weapon was currently parked quietly behind Unit 5. CH 36 While Kou and the girls were discussing the upcoming operation in their hangar carrier¡¯s briefing room, the people of Metal Iris were about to experience a slight state of turmoil. ¡¸Blue! Bluuue!¡¹ Jenny, who just ended her video transmission with Rick, immediately called Blue up afterward. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Jenny? Why do you look like you¡¯re about to cry buckets?¡¹ ¡¸I finally know what this operation¡¯s goal is! We¡¯re gonna release a part of Asia that was sealed up by the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Blue¡¯s eyes widened in shock. She then asked Jenny to repeat what she said. What Jenny said didn¡¯t register at first, but once she confirmed that she didn¡¯t mishear anything, Blue was rendered speechless. ¡¸Yeah, of course, you¡¯d react like that. Heck, anyone would!¡¹ ¡¸H-Hold on. Weren¡¯t the location where Asia was sealed up as well as the method to release her unknown?¡¹ ¡¸The area where she was sealed is underneath our operation¡¯s target. The means of releasing her is apparently having Kou get in contact with her prison! He says it would be fine even if he¡¯s inside a Silhouette!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­P-Please wait. I really can¡¯t process all of this so suddenly.¡¹ Blue sported a serious expression as she held her forehead. The planetary control and management AI Asia was immediately sealed in the opening stages of humanity¡¯s war with the Stones. Although Okeanos served the roles of managing the world¡¯s massive database and ensuring that society runs smoothly, it was Asia who handled the process of getting along and integrating with humans. Although it was Sophia that conceived the concept of the Nereids, the ones that actually oversaw their production were each planet¡¯s central control computers. Although Blue was born to a Nereid mother as one of the newer generations, it was a fact that Asia and her cohorts were the ¡®parents¡¯ of their race. Thus, she held strong feelings of kinship with Asia. Her liberation was also a long-cherished wish of all Nereids. Hence, she found it a bit unbelievable when such a possibility was suddenly presented to her without any warning. ¡¸I feel the same way too!¡¹ It was obvious that Jenny had gotten overwhelmed by her emotions. There were those who panicked and those who remained calm when presented with something unexpected. Blue was apparently the latter. ¡¸It was my first time seeing a Familiar become speechless. Oh, and seeing you so surprised is rare as well Blue.¡¹ ¡¸Forget about me. In the first place, wouldn¡¯t a larger Underground Force be better for this kind of operation?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s no good, apparently. If a larger force moved in, there¡¯s a risk that the enemy might opt to blow up the entire facility instead of defending it. Even Storm Hound agreed that our current numbers are ideal.¡¹ ¡¸It feels like someone really is behind Kou, doesn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s real obvious at this point! He said we could withdraw if it looks like the operation would fail, but there¡¯s no way we can do that dammit!¡¹ Distracting the enemy while deploying a separate team that will handle Ashia¡¯s rescue. Certainly, such an opportunity might never come again. ¡¸Hey, I just got an operation file from Rick of Storm Hound. It¡¯s the details of the Asia Rescue Operation. Ei, I¡¯m gonna send it to all our members right away. Yeaah!¡¹ ¡¸Please don¡¯t get so worked up. If you send an operation file with that kind of name suddenly, everyone would just get confused.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure they¡¯d get motivated by this. I believe in the team!¡¹ ¡¸Please just calm down, Jenny. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m gonna get really angry you know?¡¹ Jenny finally managed to regain her composure after hearing Blue¡¯s chilly warning. Apparently, Blue was really scary when she¡¯s angry. ¡¸¡­¡­Haa. I feel much better now that I¡¯ve vented my feelings out, Blue. Thanks.¡¹ ¡¸I understand why you panicked. But let¡¯s set things up first before you press that Send icon, okay? If not, info might leak out you know.¡¹ ¡¸Ah¡­ Damn, you¡¯re right. They¡¯re gonna message around like crazy if we don¡¯t warn them.¡¹ ¡¸There you go. See how rash you were acting?¡¹ Blue pointed out Jenny¡¯s near-blunder in exasperation. ¡¸With this, the mystery of the Stone¡¯s initial invasion strategy has been practically unveiled huh. It was a strategy to completely seal Asia by simultaneously capturing specific Fortress Areas housing parts of her.¡¹ ¡¸Asia¡¯s terminals have been said to be scattered in different places on the planet. Her functions began to get restricted once the Stones began capturing some Fortress Areas during the initial invasion.¡¹ Asia was the planet¡¯s control and management AI. She has always been close with humans and kept a constant watch over their development. Her identity and whereabouts were not known to humankind. The summoning of the transferees was said to have used up the last of her power. Asia lost contact with humanity after the outbreak of the was with the Stones. Humankind would have already been defeated if not for the support of the Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids. ¡¸This request will kick up a storm regardless of success or failure, won¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Definitely. Though I don¡¯t even want to think of the consequences if we fail.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. True.¡¹ The two looked through the contents of the operation strategy file. Their expressions turned serious afterward. ¡¸Jenny, check the changes made to the operation strategy. It looks like Storm Hound is getting ready for an all-out attack. It¡¯s mentioned that it¡¯s for the fulfillment of their long-awaited wish.¡¹ ¡¸Whoah, hold on. Eh¡­¡­? What the heck is this?¡¹ ¡¸They are pretty serious about this. This strategy also has instructions in the event that they get annihilated. You usually don¡¯t even want to consider such an outcome in our line of work and do everything you can to avoid it.¡¹ ¡¸They want us to support Kou with all our power and get him to the target? What do you think about this?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not written in clear-cut terms, but I guess they¡¯re expecting us to get the picture. They are going to go all-out in order to capture the control center with the A-Carbuncle. It would be to an extent that you wouldn¡¯t even think what they¡¯re doing is actually a diversion.¡¹ ¡¸So they have at least enough power to do that huh. They might be able to succeed in capturing the control center if they were to face regular defense troops. But that¡¯s a big ¡°if¡±.¡¹ When comparing their overall strengths, Storm Hound was undoubtedly ranked higher than Metal Iris. Their tank squad still remains as an absolute overlord of land battles even in the current era rife with Silhouettes. Firepower, armor, and mobility. They are unmatched by current-era Silhouettes in all three. There is a reason why there are so few mercenary outfits that operate tank squads despite their advantages though. To put it simply, tanks were a lot more expensive to manufacture and maintain than Silhouettes. And the reason why they¡¯re so expensive is that the manufacturing facilities that are able to produce them are extremely limited in number. Thus, the overall strength of Storm Hound that mainly employs a multitude of tanks as their combat force, was extremely high. However, Silhouettes also served as the natural nemesis of tanks. The main weakness of tanks is close combat, and in this, Silhouettes were their natural enemies. Silhouettes were able to quickly close the distance to their enemies and possessed a good variety of close combat weapons. So, generally speaking, tanks dominate medium-range combat while Silhouettes thrive in close-range combat. The same applies to airpower. Attack helicopters and attack planes were several times more expensive than Silhouettes. The advantages of aerial weapons have been significantly hampered due to the development of high-precision railguns and light-gas rifles, so they were deployed less and less in combat. In the Nemesis warfront, it can be said that weapons were nearly exclusive to mercenaries, and many owned personal machines. It was indeed good to gain air superiority, but that became near-meaningless when aircraft could easily be shot down from the ground once detected. Unmanned weapons were always at risk of being hacked and controlled by the enemy. The reason why fighter planes and other attack aircraft virtually disappeared from the sky was because of the advances of anti-air technology employable by Silhouettes. ¡¸This¡­¡­ Let¡¯s send a proposal back to Rick. They have too few Silhouettes to serve as infantry. We¡¯ll have them send tanks and armored vehicles our way in exchange. Some of us will join them to help out. We can¡¯t just leave them to handle the most dangerous part of the operation after all.¡¹ ¡¸OK. I¡¯ll work on it. Oh, and I¡¯ll be coming along with them as well.¡¹ ¡¸I was planning on going myself though?¡¹ ¡¸You handle supporting Kou, Blue. After all, I haven¡¯t been getting any mail from him anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Jenny! You¡¯re still in the mood for joking around!?¡¹ ¡¸Haha. Open field battles are more my thing. You¡¯re more suited to urban combat in tight spaces. I¡¯m counting on you, alright?¡¹ Kou¡¯s target destination was almost certain to be in a confined space. Jenny specialized in high-mobility combat. Thus, she decided to participate in the capture of the control center where she could play to her strengths. Although Blue was still feeling a bit conflicted, she began to consider her unit¡¯s weapon loadout in preparation for combat in confined, narrow spaces. CH 37 ¡¸All troops, move out!¡¹ At Rick¡¯s command, the tank squad quickly picked up speed and began advancing. The tanks exited the abandoned ruins of a Defense Dome one after another, immediately followed by armored vehicles and Silhouettes. The slower Silhouettes latched onto the armored vehicles via wire and were towed by the latter to facilitate a faster advance. At the tail end of the convoy were six hangar carriers. One of them was owned by Kou and the others, three from Metal Iris, and two from Storm Hound. It was an extremely rare sight for a force this large to get deployed. Humanity had already been forced on the defensive by the enemy after all. ¡¸The recon team sent a report back. The enemy¡¯s defense forces haven¡¯t made any noticeable movements.¡¹ ¡¸I see. Commence invasion via the designated route.¡¹ Under the precise orders of the reliable large breed dog-type Familiar serving as the main commander of the operation, the combined troops of the two Underground Forces continued their speedy advance. Since it was possible to advance akin to crawling within the range of hills en route to their target, it would be preferable to take a hull-down position. The hull-down position was a tactic that made use of the undulations of slopes and hills to hide almost all of a combat vehicle¡¯s body aside from its turret in order to protect it from enemy fire. They wanted to take advantage of the terrain as much as possible as they proceeded with the invasion. ¡¸Lead unit and the rear unit, form up. We¡¯re going on overwatch duty, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ Overwatch. It was a military surveillance tactic. The tank unit is divided into a lead unit and a rear unit that can monitor each other¡¯s positions and cover for each other. By mutually monitoring the terrain surrounding them, blind spots can be eliminated and surprise attacks can be prevented. They were the invading force. No amount of caution would be enough when setting up a surprise attack. Their main objective was nestled within Fortress Area X463. It was one of the Fortress Areas that were simultaneously occupied by the Murders sent by the Stones at the onset of their invasion. And now, they played roles as important frontline bases for the Stones. ¡¸Kou, can I talk to you for a bit?¡¹ Jenny called Kou through the comms. ¡¸What¡¯s up?¡¹ Kou thought that Jenny was acting a bit weird since yesterday. She seemed like she was hiding something to Kou, but it didn¡¯t look like she would share what it is with him anytime soon. He did surmise that it probably had something to do with Ashia. ¡¸It¡¯s about the place we¡¯re heading to. The weapons employed by the Stones aren¡¯t the only ones there. There¡¯s also an Underground Force.¡¹ ¡¸So, they¡¯re working for the Stones?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. There¡¯s a good chance someone from a peaceful country like you would find it hard to fight against them.¡¹ Kou thought about it a little before responding. ¡¸¡­¡­Thank you. But I¡¯ll probably be okay. Besides, there are no Familiars working for the Stones anyway.¡¹ ¡¸You sure like Familiars a lot! But still, don¡¯t push yourself too much. Just focus on rescuing Ashia.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll ask for assistance once it gets really dangerous.¡¹ ¡¸Good. Well then, let¡¯s both do our best!¡¹ Jenny gave one last cheerful encouragement before cutting the transmission. It¡¯s not like Kou hadn¡¯t anticipated he would be fighting against fellow humans someday. Of course, he did feel fear and might even feel some regret after all¡¯s said and done. But that¡¯s where the support functions of the Silhouette would come in handy. He asked himself if he could go in for the kill. And he came to the conclusion that, yes, he could. That¡¯s because he¡¯d been swinging his sword in preparation for a day he thought wouldn¡¯t even come. ¡¸The recon team sent a new report. They¡¯ve spotted Murders. We expected it anyway, of course, but it looks like we already got noticed.¡¹ ¡¸The enemy defense forces would be making their move as well, I suppose.¡¹ ¡¸We both can¡¯t use radars. We¡¯re gonna engage in combat without knowing the exact number of each other¡¯s forces.¡¹ Rick and Jenny checked with each other to confirm their next move. ¡¸There will be no change to the operation. We will continue approaching the enemy Fortress Area using the alternate route. We will then be laying a siege to capture the city center.¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t see a tank unit of this magnitude very often, so I hope the enemy Underground Force gets shaken even a little.¡¹ ¡¸It would be great if that were the case. Since Ashia is sealed within the area, their defenses should be pretty tough.¡¹ ¡¸Right.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve got some bad news though. It looks like the shelter destroyed by Enyo when they captured the place has been completely rebuilt.¡¹ ¡¸They actually fixed it up? It looks like they really do place a lot of importance on that base.¡¹ ¡¸Kou¡¯s target destination is located deep within the Fortress Area. Though we already expected their response to some extent, it¡¯s still a bit troublesome after all.¡¹ If the shelter protecting a Fortress Area that was created during the Interplanetary War era or the Planetary Pioneering era gets destroyed, it would a huge amount of effort to restore it. If only one section of it is damaged, then the Stones could have opted not to use that section alone. A typical Fortress Area has a radius of several tens of kilometers after all. Kou and the others had the data pertaining to the destroyed section on hand and were planning to take advantage of it. However, now that it¡¯s been repaired, they were faced with a completely sealed-up enemy fortress. They were hoping they could use the damaged section as an intrusion route, but now, that faint hope had shattered. ¡¸So we have no choice but to have the engineer squad do their best huh.¡¹ The outer wall that was reinforced with Whis projected from the A-Carbuncle had a strength that was incomparable to mere Silhouettes and combat vehicles. It was originally created as a countermeasure against falling large meteorites after all. They have, of course, prepared Silhouettes with combat engineering capabilities. No matter how thick and tough it was, it was still an unmoving structure. If they had enough time, they could eventually secure a path for Silhouettes to pass through. Of course, Jenny had not neglected preparing such countermeasures. She had already sent out an engineering team in advance to secure Kou¡¯s infiltration route. ¡¸Can I leave that to you? I¡¯ll handle the main battlefield.¡¹ ¡¸Of course!¡¹ The weapons and equipment of their combined force were quite diverse. In addition to tanks, armored combat vehicles, and Silhouettes, they also had armored vehicle-launched bridges, and armored trailers filled with ammunition. It was a combined arms force that employed various military units for different combat situations. The humanoid giants called Silhouettes definitely contributed greatly to the reduction of the labor force needed for operations. ¡¸Come to think of it, Kou did mention that he prepared something that can be used to infiltrate the enemy fortress just in case.¡¹ Jenny remembered Kou mentioning such a thing, so she decided to call Kou again to ask about it. ¡¸Hey Voy, it looks like you might have a turn in the spotlight after all. It seems the shelter has been repaired.¡¹ ¡¸Heck yeah! Let¡¯s do this.¡¹ Kou, who just finished talking to Jenny via comms, contacted Voy to inform him about the situation. Voy was inside their hangar carrier. Unit 5 was already moving in concert with Jenny and the rest of her men. They formed a Silhouette unit. ¡¸I¡¯m still feeling against it though.¡¹ ¡¸You worry about us far too much, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Jenny¡¯s combat engineer squad is already on the move. Let¡¯s have them give it a go first.¡¹ ¡¸Sure! Well, I understand your feeling of not wanting to acknowledge the fact that the first prototype weapon you ever built was that thing, but that thing¡¯s slow as heck y¡¯see. So I gotta deploy as soon as it¡¯s ready or we won¡¯t make it in time.¡¹ ¡¸Alright, I understand.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re really into this nyaa, aren¡¯t ya, Voy¡­¡­?¡¹ Nyanta was exasperated due to Voy¡¯s obvious excitement. Voy was the type who longed to go out to the battlefield. And there¡¯s the fact that he made the prototype weapon together with Kou as well. ¡¸I¡¯m jealous. I could ride on the back seat as Kou¡¯s support if I could just ride a Silhouette.¡¹ ¡¸I can. Be his support.¡¹ ¡¸You absolutely can¡¯t, okay?¡¹ Kou chided the jealous Aki and Aimer who expressed her desire to ride on Unit 5¡¯s back seat. ¡¸Since Voy will be going out to the field, I¡¯ll be counting on you guys to take care of me and Unit 5 instead.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I will definitely take good care of you, Kou! I won¡¯t hand this job over to anyone else!¡¹ Aki replied enthusiastically as her dog ears cutely flapped up and down. ¡¸I¡¯ll be counting on your support as well, Aimer.¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Aimer honestly nodded back in reply. Voy didn¡¯t hide his joy as he proceeded to board a suspicious vehicle hidden at the back of the hangar carrier¡¯s hangar. ¡¸Now then. Let¡¯s go. The battle will start before this day ends.¡¹ Kou and his comrades renewed their determination to see things through once more. CH 38 The combined forces of Metal Iris and Storm Hound began taking attacks from the enemy defense network once they entered their range. They were now just 50 kilometers away from the target Fortress Area. The invasion route was filled with shockwaves and dust that served to block their advance. The terrain was being thoroughly leveled by the intense bombardment. ¡¸This¨C?! That¡¯s not from a tank¡¯s main gun! That power rivals that of a battleship¡¯s cannon back in the Interplanetary War era. All troops scatter!¡¹ Rick gave his order with a tense voice. The combined force that had been advancing together until now would separate according to the unit formations that were decided in advance. Henceforth, command over each individual unit will be handled by their respective unit commanders. Although they were ordered to scatter, they will still coordinate together to some extent. It didn¡¯t really mean that their forces would truly disperse. It simply meant that each individual unit would take optimized actions according to the operation¡¯s action guidelines. Since radar was practically useless, the search range of both parties was exceedingly short. In the Nemesis warfront where long-distance communication basically wasn¡¯t possible, terribly primitive battles were commonplace. Individual judgment was highly important if one wanted to survive. ¡¸This is the surface. Maybe they have a space battleship or space carrier?¡¹ ¡¸If they had something as huge as a space carrier, we would have spotted it from our position already.¡¹ The fierce bombardment continued. But it seemed that the enemy wasn¡¯t capable of a sustained barrage. Rick and his troops advanced using the shortest route to their target. After some time, the recon unit that headed out in advance finally caught sight of the mysterious gunner and sent back a report. ¡¸Jenny, we finally know the identity of the enemy. It¡¯s actually a super-heavy tank.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸Judging from its form, there¡¯s no doubt about it. Just who the heck was the Bricoleur crazy enough to create such an over-the-top weapon!?¡¹ After knowing the identity of the enemy, Rick spat out in annoyance. ¡¸The main gun they haphazardly slapped on the thing is roughly the same as a medium-caliber railgun used by combat ships back in the Interplanetary War era. It¡¯s a 155 mm railgun. That thing can down a tank in one hit.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re in a bad spot, aren¡¯t we?¡¹ ¡¸That thing has close to zero mobility. And the combat ship railgun isn¡¯t capable of a sustained barrage. I¡¯ll make sure to bury that ridiculous machine back into the depths of history.¡¹ It was a super-heavy tank that once cracked the earth as it ungainly rumbled along ¨C or at least tried to. It was a heavily armored demon that sank to the ground under its own excessive weight and, consequently, was rendered practically unusable since normal paved roads couldn¡¯t handle it at all and were crushed beneath its treads. The one they were up against appeared to have four tank treads. It must have been hard to support it with just two. The technology present in the Nemesis system and the reinforcement of roads by Whis made the ridiculous concept of super-heavy tanks very much possible. ¡¸The caliber of their gun didn¡¯t exceed my expectation. The interval between bombardments is about two minutes. Its output is very much lacking. It¡¯s practically a weapon that¡¯s all flash and no substance. A paper mache.¡¹ Rick proceeded to analyze the enemy machine calmly. It sported a 155 mm medium caliber gun used by carriers during the Interplanetary War era, but super-heavy tanks should be able to carry even larger guns. The problems probably lay in the shells and the energy required to fire the railgun. With a gun larger than what was equipped, the required energy would be exceedingly high. Rick judged that they opted for a lower caliber in order to increase the number of shells the tank was capable of firing in succession. Hence, the role of such a large and heavy tank was to serve as an armed wall. Its designer probably placed emphasis on its ability to fight for a prolonged period. ¡¸If the contents within are tightly packed, then you can¡¯t exactly call it a paper mache, can you?¡¹ ¡¸Maybe they¡¯re not as packed as you¡¯re expecting. It might just be serving as a shield for their Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸I get you. So the bombardment they launched earlier was just to check us huh.¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that should be the case. Don¡¯t you dare fly into the air Jenny. You¡¯ll just end up as free real estate for that thing¡¯s railgun.¡¹ ¡¸I know. We have no choice but to gradually close in. It¡¯s pretty tough since we lack experience regarding launching an assault compared to defending against one.¡¹ ¡¸Storm Hound is on the same boat.¡¹ Mercenaries were usually employed to protect Fortress Areas and Defense Domes. Underground Forces with experience in actively launching assaults against enemies were few and far between. ¡¸First, let¡¯s focus on closing the distance. Although they just intend to restrain us, it¡¯s not interesting at all to be unilaterally on the receiving end of a bombardment. The enemy defense force is an armored unit composed of tanks centered on a super-heavy combat tank. They also have Silhouettes as their escorts. Murders will probably deploy later on to intercept us.¡¹ ¡¸Focus on destroying those Murders. Leave the Silhouettes to us.¡¹ ¡¸You guys of Metal Iris and our support vehicles will rout their escorts and break through their defense net.¡¹ Even with the appearance of an unexpected enemy, the two quickly managed to modify their plans. The Keres that would be stalling for time were already coming over. ¡¸Multiple insect-type Murders sighted. A great number of Keres confirmed, as well as thirty ant-types, and one mantis-type! They¡¯ve entered combat range.¡¹ The tense voice of the operator riding in a comms vehicle was broadcast to the rest of the combined force. ¡¸A swarm of ants and mantises has appeared. Tank corps, forward! Support vehicles, make way!¡¹ At Rick¡¯s command, their battle against the Keres began in earnest. CH 39 On 21st Century Earth, the engagement distance of tank battles was generally 2 to 3 kilometers. The greater the distance, the more difficult it was to pierce enemy armor. Since railguns and light-gas cannons have been put into practical use on Planet Asia, that effective range had been nearly doubled. There were many among the transferees who felt it was still unexpectedly short, but one also had to take into account that gravity on Planet Asia was slightly stronger compared to Earth. Other long-range weapons such as missiles had a minimum range of about 5 to 10 kilometers. The maximum effective range was 20 kilometers. The railgun mounted on the super-heavy tank was theorized to have a maximum range of 200 kilometers that shells could reach in about 5 minutes, similar to a Silhouette-use sniper cannon, even though it fired larger shells. The terminal velocity of the railgun shell was enough to maintain speeds of Mach 5 or higher. However, it was next to impossible for an enemy located 200 kilometers away to indefinitely remain stationary. Hence, the practical effective range was actually tens of kilometers out. The Metal Iris and Storm Hound members used the terrain to escape from the firing line. The approaching Keres were immediately crushed with concentrated barrages. The Keres could be said to be anti-Silhouette weapons. However, they did relatively poorly against tanks. In particular, Ant Worker-types weren¡¯t equipped with a Whis power unit, so they were especially susceptible to tank fire. Conventional weapons were more than enough to be effective. Kou also started fighting with his newly improved Unit 5. He was conducting support fire from a distance. His favorite great sword was still carried on his Silhouette¡¯s back. Unit 5 held its new rifle with both hands as it fired away. Shooting while moving was a basic skill in firefights. Getting pinned down could equate to one¡¯s death. AK2¡¯s power was considerable. It wasn¡¯t suitable for rapid-fire because of the high recoil, but it was more than enough for Kou. He wasn¡¯t fighting alone after all. It would be fine if they covered each other. ¡¸Kou, match your targets with our allies!¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha!¡¹ Jenny obediently heeded Jenny¡¯s advice. He shot his AK2 at the same targets his allies were shooting at. It was actually capable of rapid-fire, but due to the recoil and the relatively low number of bullets in its magazine, that wasn¡¯t exactly advisable. He destroyed an Ant Worker with a single shot. ¡¸What the heck has Kou-kun gotten himself equipped with¡­¡­? Why is that Silhouette rifle as destructive as a tank¡¯s main gun?¡¹ ¡¸That person¡¯s weird after all.¡¹ Kou shot down Murders one after another with his Silhouette¡¯s new rifle. Jenny and Blue watched the scene with amazement. The customized large-caliber battle rifle was completely modified for Kou and Unit 5¡¯s exclusive use and slapped with a Wildcat cartridge. Regular Bears wouldn¡¯t be able to make full use of it, if at all. Unit 5¡¯s overall appearance was also quite different from what they knew. On the other hand, Kou was getting increasingly agitated. He wanted to cut them down so bad. Kou was trying his best to learn long-range combat while suppressing his urge to just run up and hack away at the enemies. ¡¸We¡¯ll be reaching the enemy super-heavy tank soon. Let¡¯s close the distance all at once!¡¹ At Rick¡¯s command, his troops moved like a single huge creature. A combat engineering team moved ahead to pave a path for the hangar carriers and the supply unit. ¡¸Rick, what¡¯s our strategy for taking that monster tank on?¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s follow the words of one of our great predecessors. Throw them into confusion! Restrain them! Pin the enemies down!¡¹ Rick related to Jenny the words of a well-known commander of armored troop operations who was once known as the Desert Fox. [1] ¡¸Pin the enemy down huh.¡¹ ¡¸It would be enough to restrain the enemy¡¯s movements and create an advantageous situation for our troops. The enemy has superior firepower and overwhelming defense. So our greatest advantage is our mobility.¡¹ The tank unit led by Rick began engaging the super-heavy tank in earnest. They chose terrain that can shield them as much as possible from enemy fire and quickly advanced toward the enemy¡¯s position. The enemy super-heavy tank was now clearly in sight. Aside from the railgun, it also sported a heavy Gatling gun as a secondary weapon that also doubled as an interceptor. It wasn¡¯t a multi-turret tank. It sported four tracks covered by tough armor skirts. It certainly didn¡¯t seem to be that mobile. However, its armor was obviously quite thick. ¡¸The weakness of tanks is close combat. So I guess we¡¯ll have to get up close and personal. Luckily, our members also brought anti-tank weapons with them.¡¹ ¡¸Make sure to be careful out there, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸I know!¡¹ The armored vehicles following behind were also going to close in as much as they possibly could. They were composed of supply vehicles and combat engineering vehicles. Since they weren¡¯t expecting any reinforcements, their current numbers were all they had to work with while the number of enemies was unknown. Hence, it was essential to make an accurate and strict judgment regarding the culminating point of the offensive. In order to facilitate that, a rapid supply system needed to be established. The enemy defense forces were waiting for them in a Herringbone formation, which was a V-shaped defensive formation. Rick¡¯s troops, on the other hand, advanced in a wedge formation. It was an offensive armored tactic famously known as Panzerkeil. Even if the formation somehow got deformed, tall Silhouettes and armed armored vehicles were ready to pick up the slack. TL Notes: CH 40 ¨CFortress Area X463 Control Center and A-Carbuncle Housing Facility Bardo, the leader of the Underground Force¡¾Desmodas¡¿, rushed over to the control center due to an urgent call. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ He called out to his subordinate Miles to ask what it was about. Bardo was a well-built bearded man in his prime. His appearance and demeanor were fitting for the leader of a rowdy and violent bunch. Miles was younger than Bardo by more than ten years, but he was valued by Bardo for his competence. The unsociable-looking man who was just beside Miles was the Bricoleur currently working together with them. In other words, the guy was a VIP. ¡¸It¡¯s an enemy assault. It¡¯s quite a large force. I¡¯ve sent out all the Keres that can be activated to intercept them, but I suppose it¡¯s just a matter of time before they break through.¡¹ Miles replied without a hint of faltering. Despite his appearance, their captain, Bardo, was not an unreasonably violent man. But he had the ability to make cold and calculating judgments when required. Many of those who come face to face with him cower in his presence. He was also a very skilled fighter in his own right. ¡¸Hmm. Did the human side finally feel like regaining the Fortress Areas after all this time? I haven¡¯t really heard of any planned counter-offensive operations lately though.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve never heard of a battalion-scale offensive operation planned out recently either. Even so, their numbers are still a bit lacking to bring this place down.¡¹ ¡¸That might be the case, but maybe they gathered up like this because they have a plan in mind. We can¡¯t let our guards down.¡¹ For Bardo, who was working with the Stones because he hoped to fight it out with humankind¡¯s forces, the fact that they dared to launch an assault was already worthy of praise. ¡¸That¡¯s true. It¡¯s just as you say, captain. The enemy forces are organized around tanks. The Silhouettes alone aren¡¯t worthy of consideration, but the number of tanks they¡¯ve deployed can¡¯t be underestimated. Presently, the Mad Throes Armored Division has deployed to intercept them.¡¹ ¡¸So they were the ones out on patrol duty today huh. I don¡¯t think the enemy even anticipated they¡¯d be facing such a monster of a tank from the get-go.¡¹ The Mad Throes was a tank corps centered on their super-heavy tank. They¡¯re ranked firmly in the middle of all active Underground Forces. The Underground Forces working under the Stones were firm adherents of meritocracy. The Underground Forces under the Stones are roughly divided into three types. First are those working for money. Some of these types of Underground Forces work for both the human side and the Stone¡¯s side. In the case of those working under the Stones, it¡¯s simply because the pay was better. Most of the members of Desmodas were mainly after money as well. Next would be criminals. They were those who belonged to the Mercenary Association but had committed some sort of crime that made it difficult to receive regular requests. Finally, there were those who choose to join whoever was winning. They were the type who have totally given up on the human race. The Mad Throes were of this type. Human living spheres also existed in Stones-controlled territory. But it might be better to describe them as being reared. Then there are the outsiders. They were the ones who provided members of Underground Forces like them with means of entertainment. You can get your hands on alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, and women. That¡¯s why they all felt that there was no need to stick to the side of humanity. The purpose of the Stones was not the extinction of humans. If humans were akin to ants, then the Stones merely acted as observers of the ant¡¯s nest. In addition, there were also cases of Development Engineers who defected over to the Stone¡¯s side and provided advanced technology to them. The super-heavy tank was a good example of the result of these defections. On the regular unmanned production lines under the human side, the production of such huge weapons was often opposed. Therefore, the unmanned factories under the Stones side that have had their weapons production restrictions lifted possessed fatal allure for certain types of people. All the Development Engineers who had tendencies of acting like mad scientists basically went over to the Stone¡¯s side. There are also transferee-led companies that sell weapons to both sides. Merchants of death always existed no matter the world. ¡¸A monster eh. It should prove useful for base defense at least.¡¹ The extremely skinny Development Engineer smiled thinly. The man¡¯s name was Alberto Knapp. He was the one who developed the super-heavy tank and was one of those aforementioned merchants of death in the Nemesis warfront. He wasn¡¯t partial to any one side. As long as one gives him full authority over a manufacturing facility, he¡¯d work for any power. He¡¯s known under many monikers, but the most famous one is Bombardment Lord. It was given to him by a Japanese Development Engineer. ¡¸That impractically big and dull thing? The best it can do is to serve as a wall for the Silhouettes to take cover behind, right?¡¹ ¡¸Hmph. So you¡¯ve noticed. I haven¡¯t managed to tune the tank treads to my liking you see. I can¡¯t mount a better main gun as a result. Perhaps it would be better if I used four legs instead?¡¹ Bardo immediately spat out that he didn¡¯t even want to think about driving such a freak show of a tank. ¡¸If you¡¯re gonna go that far, then how about trying to combine four legs and tank treads?¡¹ Even though the words were meant to mock him, Alberto¡¯s face instantly lit up when he heard them. ¡¸Ooh, that¡¯s a great idea! I¡¯m gonna work on the design right away. Please don¡¯t let this control center fall into enemy hands, you two.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s our job.¡¹ ¡¸Fumu. Installing treads on all four legs huh¡­¡­ I should devise a mechanism to fix the legs onto the ground when it fires¡­¡­¡¹ Alberto rambled on as he moved to another room. ¡¸What the heck is that old man doing here anyway?¡¹ ¡¸He said he wanted the live combat data of the super-heavy tank.¡¹ ¡¸Fine. He¡¯s just a nuisance though.¡¹ Bardo didn¡¯t hesitate to call the Development Engineer a nuisance. Only those kinds of men were fit for the title of a mad scientist. They were only interested in the things they develop and nothing else. ¡¸By the way, there¡¯s something I want you to hear, captain.¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸A TSW-R1 has been spotted within the enemy ranks.¡¹ Bardo¡¯s expression hardened. ¡¸You sure?¡¹ ¡¸You instructed that I notify you at once if this machine was present. It¡¯s just as I reported.¡¹ ¡¸Is it really that Takaba?¡¹ There was only one man that was on Bardo¡¯s mind whenever he utters the surname Takaba. It was the surname of a legendary mercenary. He was the founder of the transferee-led company TAKABA and a firm and masterful practitioner of the way of the sword. He was also praised as one of the very best Silhouette pilots. ¡¸That I don¡¯t know.¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s prepare to sortie as well. There¡¯s a high chance the enemy has a Development Engineer among them. It¡¯s possible that their goal is that sealed area.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. But the enemy is clearly aiming for this control center and not the sealed area. I can¡¯t imagine that a force of that magnitude is merely a diversion.¡¹ ¡¸Fumu.¡¹ The sealed area. It was the main reason why their Underground Force was in the Fortress Area. It was an area that the Stones had ordered them to strictly protect. Even they didn¡¯t know what was inside that area. ¡¸I¡¯m heading to the sealed area. I¡¯ve been told that Development Engineers weren¡¯t allowed to get inside that area, and I¡¯m the only one who was given access. You guys move out to intercept the enemy battalion.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re allowed to blow up that entire section if it becomes necessary, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Even if this control center isn¡¯t taken, once that sealed area is compromised, we¡¯re to blow up the entire Fortress Area and abandon it.¡¹ ¡¸Roger. I¡¯ll do something about those enemies even without you, captain.¡¹ ¡¸Miles, you¡¯re better at commanding the troops than I am. I¡¯ll leave them to you.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not true. That¡¯s an amusing joke, captain.¡¹ Bardo was charismatic in a sense. There are many Underground Forces whose morale gets lowered once they come under the Stones that can be said to be humanity¡¯s enemy. However, he raises the morale of those under him using various ways. It¡¯s said that he was the one who pushed for the opening of commercial and entertainment facilities within the X463 Fortress Area. ¡¸It would be great if it really is Takaba.¡¹ Bardo muttered under his breath as he headed out. He was said to have worked under the Stones for money, but that was just a pretext. What he wished for was to fight it out with humans. To battle them as they rode tanks and Silhouettes. Bardo was a Silhouette pilot. And he had always remained undefeated. That is until he faced his first loss against Takaba Hyoue. That man¡¯s sword attacks were done without any wasted movement. His piloting didn¡¯t expose even the tiniest of gaps. His positioning was incredibly precise. He was a genius whose abilities had all reached frightening levels. He wanted to win against that man. Bardo desperately suppressed the throbbing of his chest that was caused by being excited at the prospect of having a rematch with Takaba Hyoue. CH 41 There was a large river flowing close to the X463 Fortress Area. A huge humanoid figure suddenly rose from the surface of the water. It was an amphibious Silhouette model, the SA-A2 Otter. There were three of them that surfaced. They were also accompanied by a multi-purpose armored vehicle that can be configured to perform missions that require diving and traveling underwater. They were Metal Iris¡¯ combat engineering team. The SA-A2 Otter had two large cylinders equipped on its back. It was also equipped with a shrouded propeller that doubled as a screw propeller. Machines with the ability to cross bodies of water like rivers can be divided into two types: those that move while floating on the water¡¯s surface and those that move while submerged underwater. The Keres weren¡¯t good at operating in water. Therefore, diving types were particularly useful. When the rest of the tank corps engaged the Keres in combat, they went ahead and approached the Fortress Area¡¯s outer wall using a different route. The leader of the combat engineering team was a transferee. He was Japanese, and his name was Nishizawa Fuyuki. Nishizawa was a man in his forties with a small and slender build and sported a pair of glasses. ¡¸This is it, everyone. Let¡¯s go.¡¹ He spoke in a relatively soft tone. It had been ten years since he was first sent to the Nemesis system. He worked in a completely different industry back on Earth, but now, he was serving as the leader of Metal Iris¡¯s combat engineering team. After confirming the responses of each of his team members, they advanced through the woods. The armored vehicle went first to confirm that there were no traps ahead such as landmines, and the three Silhouettes followed after it. The engineering team often went ahead of the main force when conducting missions. Their job this time around wasn¡¯t to build bridges or to sweep for mines. Their target was the shelter covering the Fortress Area. They aim to destroy a part of it and create an opening large enough for Silhouettes to pass through to be used as an infiltration route. It was not exactly easy to destroy a barrier wall reinforced with Whis produced by an A-Carbuncle. The Red Dwarf Nemesis regularly induces meteorite rains and magnetic storms that mercilessly fell on Planet Asia. The shelter was a more than 20,000-year-old relic born to defend against such disasters. Even the Stones had to use a massive and extremely heavy weapon called the Enyo and crash it at the wall while it was being reinforced by Whis generated by an A-Spinel at full power in order to destroy just part of it. They, however, were only tasked with creating an opening large enough for Silhouettes to pass through. But even this was very difficult. The place wasn¡¯t called a fortress for nothing after all. However, that was their work as combat engineers. They were the ones who opened paths for the rest of the troops in the frontlines when there were none. Currently, Storm Hound was attracting the attention of the enemies. They had to somehow capitalize on the time their allies were buying. Fuyuki stopped advancing and gave out orders. The armored vehicle stopped and went on stand-by while remaining on alert. Each Silhouette took out necessary equipment for their job out of the armored support vehicle and quickly equipped them. In order to breach the barrier, the three Silhouettes infiltrated deeper into the enemy-controlled area. The tank corps led by Rick finally engaged the enemy tank corps led by the super-heavy tank. The enemies consisted of one super-heavy tank, four T-10A2 Rhinos which were the same tanks Rick¡¯s men used, and nine Silhouettes. On the other hand, the mixed force of Metal Iris and Storm Hound consisted of twelve T-10A2 Rhinos. Behind them were armored combat and support vehicles of the same number and six Silhouettes. A tank battle was basically a battle of positioning. It was both sides trying to successfully outmaneuver and destroy one another. The troops under Rick were trying to take the enemy¡¯s flank. Their numbers weren¡¯t enough to attempt a complete pincer maneuver. Rick led the MBTs to attract the attention of the enemy troops to the front as the support vehicles and Silhouettes rushed to the side as much as possible. The latter couldn¡¯t afford to take the enemies head-on. First, they had to bring down the enemy Silhouettes and tanks in the periphery. Rick¡¯s troops managed to reach an area where they could take a hull-down position. Since the enemies had the advantage of hunkering down at a very defensible position, their advantage as the attacking side was to be able to freely select an effective position for launching attacks. Guns roared and dust clouds flew up to the sky due to the impacts created by the shells. The terrain visibly changed even though the shells they used didn¡¯t contain explosive charges, and the state of destruction wrought at the center of the impacts served as evidence of the power possessed by the tank¡¯s guns. The impacts of the railgun¡¯s shells were just that overwhelming and they generated powerful shockwaves. Rick and his troops continued to engage the enemies in a tense firefight while avoiding enemy fire by a hair¡¯s breadth. Neither side has landed a clean hit so far. The enemy Silhouettes were also pretty well-defended. The super-heavy tank was functioning as a shield more effectively than Rick first expected. It was akin to a mobile barricade. ¡¸Guaah!¡¹ A scream echoed out from the comms. A tank under Rick finally took a direct hit. The skirt armor on the front of the tank was fully crushed. The shell penetrated the armor and dealt damage to one of its treads. The destructive power of the shell was truly tremendous. It once again showcased the danger posed by the super-heavy tank. ¡¸Roger!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m okay. The wheels and sprockets are still alive. Sorry, but I¡¯m falling back for now.¡¹ ¡¸Alright. Make sure you get back here as soon as you can.¡¹ Roger¡¯s tank that took a direct hit was still capable of moving, albeit slowly. It retreated while making sure not to expose its flank. Once the enemy Silhouettes confirmed the tank¡¯s retreat, they quickly switched gears to mount an offensive. Since the other party¡¯s fighting strength had been reduced, they decided it was time for a counterattack. CH 42 When the tank corps¡¯ Roger had taken a hit, a wave of tension ran through everyone on the field maintenance team that was a part of the rear combat support unit. The tank recovery vehicle deployed as soon as it could to fetch Roger¡¯s machine. Although the tank could still run, it was going at a snail¡¯s pace and was still in considerable danger. ¡¸Let¡¯s go, Flack.¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha, Ma-chan.¡¹ A pair of siblings riding Silhouettes called out to one another. The young pair, who looked out of place in a battlefield, wore matching jumpsuits as they piloted their Silhouettes. The cockpits of their Silhouettes seemed almost too big for the two young kids. The older sister¡¯s name was Marl. Her little brother¡¯s name was Flack. They were two of the rare human members of Storm Hound. Flack, a bright-eyed black-haired boy, had taken to calling his older sister ¡°Ma-chan¡±. He was just eleven years old; an age that still seemed too young to be on a battlefield even in an era where young people working as mercenaries wasn¡¯t that uncommon. And his older sister wasn¡¯t that much older either. She was just thirteen. They were war orphans. They have been traveling together with Storm Hound ever since Rick saved them. While Rick and the rest of the members were at first reluctant to let the siblings tag along with them, the two appealed to them with the reasoning that they could pilot a Silhouette and were eventually accepted into the Underground Force. They became in charge of field repairs using Silhouettes that Familiars were simply incapable of performing. ¡¸Here¡¯s Roger guys!¡¹ Roger¡¯s tank had finally been brought back by a racoon-type Familiar driving the recovery vehicle. It had been towed with a winch. The Silhouettes piloted by the two young mechanics and the combat support team¡¯s truck quickly surrounded it. The tank was hoisted up by the support vehicle¡¯s crane. ¡¸Roger-san! Please turn the Whis reactor off!¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha!¡¹ Roger shut the reactor powering the tank down. The two young mechanic¡¯s battle had finally begun. ¡¸I¡¯ll take care of the undercarriage. You handle armor replacement and repairs.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ The boy responded to his sister¡¯s instruction with a serious look. He treated his sister as the boss while out on the battlefield. ¡¸The wheels and sprockets are still good for combat. Track replacement complete.¡¹ Marl quickly removed the damaged track and replaced it with a new one she had prepared in advance. ¡¸Ma-chan! I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t remove the armor. The frame got distorted from that direct hit!¡¹ The boy screamed out in a half-crying tone. The impact of the railgun shell distorted the frame that was reinforced by high-dimensional projection. It seemed that the main gun of the enemy super-heavy tank really did rival a battleship¡¯s gun. The armor that normally would have been easily removable by using a Silhouette would not budge an inch due to how distorted it got. ¡¸Move aside. You replace the magazine instead!¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Marl quickly took out a super-large electromagnetic hammer bunker from the support vehicle and brought it over. The equipment¡¯s length was enough to cover her Silhouette¡¯s entire arm. It was a mechanized cylinder that launched out an alloy hammer similar to a standard pile bunker. But it used an electromagnetic charge and not an explosive one, so it could be used repeatedly to hammer down on targets. It could use hammers of different sizes and weights, ranging from 300 to 50,000 tons, for multiple purposes. The pressure within the barrel was adjusted by electric power. The hammer bunker was equipped on the right arm of Marl¡¯s Silhouette. Its left arm was equipped with a high-frequency electric heat-type vibration cutter for work use. Marl resumed conducting the repairs once everything was set up. ¡¸Enemy attack!¡¹ The tense voice of a rabbit-type Familiar rang out from the communications vehicle. ¡¸At a time like this!?¡¹ Three enemy Silhouettes were fast approaching their position. They made sure to always keep alert, but in the end, the enemy still had the advantage of knowing the terrain better. They eventually made their way to the rear line. They were likely aiming for eliminating the repair and supply units. Marl became flustered. There was too little time to intercept the enemies even if she persisted in completing the repairs. Flack was hurriedly trying to equip a rifle, but he had absolutely no combat experience. Marl resolved to try and hit the enemies with her hammer and raised its output to maximum. It was never meant to be used in combat, and if used to hit an enemy, it could, at most, break a Silhouette¡¯s arm. However, two allied Silhouettes suddenly stood before Marl and the rest. One was the machine of Metal Iris¡¯s Blue. The other was Unit 5, the personal machine of Kou, their client for this operation. ¡¸Continue the repairs!¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Marl decided to trust in their client, Kou. For Marl and the others, Sending Roger back into the fray as soon as possible would let them contribute more to the combat effort compared to them taking up arms themselves. The deformed armor wouldn¡¯t budge. Marl used the hammer to pry the slightly loose parts of the armor sheet even looser. Once she¡¯d pried it enough, she set the hammer¡¯s output to the max and knocked the armor sheet down. She then repeatedly knocked the distorted frame with the hammer. The distortion of some of the grooved portions for inserting parts underwent plastic deformation so they couldn¡¯t be repaired, but the minor distortions of the rest of the frame could be set back to some extent. The distorted grooves were then forcibly removed with the high-frequency cutter. In the meantime, it just needed to be able to equip armor again. It would need to undergo full-scale repair at a workshop later on to replace all the damaged parts. It was repair work that was possible because the subject was made of metal. This method couldn¡¯t be used if the armor was made of ceramic material. Ceramic materials were said to have a Hugoniot elastic limit up to ten times that of steel, but they had the troublesome propensity to crack easily, and hence, were quite fragile. They were very easy to break. Nanoceramic material had the same tendency even though they¡¯re used to synthesize rather tough composite materials. ¡¸Next, we just have to forcibly slap some armor back on. Flack, hand me some armor components!¡¹ ¡¸Here you go, Ma-chan!¡¹ Marl¡¯s younger brother, who had just finished replacing the tank¡¯s magazine, was already standing by at the side with some armor components. He was her prided younger brother after all. He was very competent in his job. It was difficult to fit the armor replacement on the frame, but she just forcibly pushed it in using her hammer. Flack then sprayed glowing restoration material at the repaired portion. It was a quick-acting emergency repair thermal spray. ¡¸You¡¯re fine now, Roger-san!¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Marl-chan!¡¹ The fox-type Familiar Roger expressed his thanks. It was fast and efficient repair work that was done in just ten minutes since he got towed over to the rear line. CH 43 Kou stood between the Storm Hound field repair and supply unit and the enemy Silhouettes. Blue was right behind him, ready to offer support. While Rick and the rest were trying to break through the enemy defense net, Kou and the others were supposed to head straight for the sealed area. However, they detected the attack on the supply unit and came to help. ¡¸Kou¡­¡­¡¹ Blue was worried. This was Kou¡¯s first antipersonnel Silhouette battle. There were people inside the enemy Silhouettes. ¡¸Should I just close in and cut them down? There¡¯s three of them.¡¹ ¡¸The enemies are all piloting Bears. They aren¡¯t that great at close combat.¡¹ Aimer gave information via comms. Kou nodded and stored Unit 5¡¯s rifle on its waist mount. He then made his machine pull out its great sword from its back. Unit 5 pulled it out from the right-hand side. Swords should get paired with scabbards, but the prototype great sword unfortunately didn¡¯t have one. Kou really wanted a scabbard though, so he was thinking of asking for Arges¡¯ help later on. Three ladies were staring seriously at the main screen back in Kou¡¯s Hangar Carrier. It was Kou¡¯s first time going up against fellow humans after all. Would his psyche be able to endure the disconnect between his usual sense of morals and his current reality? They were worried about that matter. ¡¸Kou. Can you do it?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I can.¡¹ Kou smiled and responded to Blue¡¯s uneasy-sounding voice. He seemed quite calm about the whole thing too. Blue heard that Japan in the era Kou lived in was relatively peaceful. It¡¯s said that there was no emergency conscription and no records of open engagement with hostile forces. Their military primarily dealt with assisting in relief and rescue operations during large-scale disasters. And many Japanese transferees attest to this description of a peaceful Japan. Many of the Japanese transferees were not accustomed to war. Though it might be better to say that their education did not focus much on making them have more of an interest in national defense or their country¡¯s territory. So what about Kou? ¡¸Blue, I¡¯m counting on you for support.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ Kou dashed forward. But he didn¡¯t use his machine¡¯s rollers. He was making it run on its own legs. It had its left shoulder sticking forward as it ran, protecting the rest of his machine¡¯s body with the shoulder shield. His machine was slightly crouched, and the position also minimized the areas that can be hit by long-range attacks. ¡¸The enemies are all equipped with standard assault rifles. You can deal with them once you close the distance.¡¹ Aimer once again gave advice via comms. The enemy Silhouettes were surprised by Kou¡¯s action. After all, he didn¡¯t use rollers to dash forward. Moreover, his machine sported a giant sword that they¡¯ve never seen before. These were both things they haven¡¯t anticipated. ¡¸Kh! O-Open fire!¡¹ There was still some distance between them and the enemy. Therefore, they should just take good aim, shoot, and bring it down. However, the bullets of their Silhouette¡¯s rifles weren¡¯t able to penetrate Kou¡¯s shoulder shield. Unit 5 was also moving strangely in their eyes. It performed quick and precise sidesteps to avoid a good number of their shots and soundly closed in on them. Blue¡¯s Silhouette that stayed behind in the rear also gave them trouble. They were being pinned down by her machine¡¯s small-caliber railgun. The damage it dealt wasn¡¯t heavy, but repeated hits would certainly make the damage accumulate. ¡¸Uwaah?¡¹ Unit 5¡¯s great sword, which should have been held below its waist, was now in an overhead position before they knew it. Moreover, they suddenly found themselves face to face with the strange Silhouette. It unleashed a seemingly effortless slash. That one slash cleanly bisected one of them in two right in the middle, going from the top of the Silhouette¡¯s head until past its crotch. The remaining two were aghast. They¡¯ve never even heard of the extremely tough multi-cockpit system being bisected so effortlessly before. It was akin to a nightmare. ¡¸H-hiiii!¡¹ The remaining two pilots were overcome with panic. The enemy was just too powerful. Afraid of getting slashed to death, one pilot made his machine raise its rifle overhead to block. As if ridiculing his action, the enemy proceeded to unleash a horizontal slash, severing his machine at the waist. ¡¸What the hell are you!?¡¹ The only remaining pilot screamed at the top of his lungs. Two Silhouettes were destroyed in the blink of an eye. Hence, it was natural for him to be so shocked. Due to panic, he haphazardly fired his rifle in a frantic barrage. However, unless it was hit at point-blank range repeatedly, multiple hits from a standard assault rifle wouldn¡¯t be able to deal any critical damage to high-dimensional projection armor. The pilot knew that a slashing attack was coming. Will it come from above or from below? In the end, the pilot was still a mercenary. He¡¯d be a laughingstock of a mercenary if he wasn¡¯t capable of handling life-threatening situations. He deployed his assault rifles¡¯ bayonet and prepared for close questers combat. The dull sound of steel being torn apart rang out. The Bear¡¯s head looked down on its abdomen as if it were stunned silent. A large sword was stuck on it. The attack was a thrust instead of a slash. ¡¸Just what the hell are you¡­¡­?¡¹ The pilot repeated the same words powerlessly. His machine completely stopped moving. The pilot went into a trance. ¡¸A-Amazing¡­¡­¡¹ Blue expressed her amazement in a soft voice. Kou did way better than she expected. There was virtually no hesitation. The pilots of the Bears cut down at the waist and stabbed in the belly were probably still alive. However, the first pilot to be cut down should definitely be dead. As Blue approached Kou, she caught a shadow moving at the corner of her vision. The right hand of the Bear whose waist was severed was aiming for Kou¡¯s machine. ¡¸Kou!¡¹ Blue screamed in warning. Sneak attacks were effective against humanoid Silhouettes. But her panic ended up being needless. Kou¡¯s machine¡¯s great sword swept the ground below. The Bear¡¯s right hand got severed away. He then stuck the sword right in front of the Bear¡¯s cockpit. ¡¸Surrender. Otherwise, die.¡¹ Kou broadcasted his warning using the open channel. Though already quite late, he wondered if there was still such a thing as international laws in the Nemesis system. ¡¸I-I got it. I surrender.¡¹ ¡¸M-Me too.¡¹ The pilot of the other Bear responded as well. ¡¸Confirmed the shutdown of the two machine¡¯s reactors. The two have surrendered.¡¹ ¡¸Got it.¡¹ Aimer confirmed the surrender of the two Bear pilots. Kou finally felt relieved. There were no apparent bloodstains on Unit 5¡¯s greatsword, but he still shook it just in case before putting it back on the rear mount. ¡¸I¡¯ve informed the supply unit about the prisoners. They¡¯ll pick them up later.¡¹ Blue called him through the comms. ¡¸By the way, did you already know that the fallen Bear was trying to perform a sneak attack on you?¡¹ By the time the Bear¡¯s arm moved, it was instantly severed. It was as if the sword was placed in its path beforehand. She could only surmise that Kou had detected the attack in advance. ¡¸My swordsmanship style is based on iai, you see. Being in a state of zanshin at all times is basic.¡¹ ¡¸Zanshin?¡¹ ¡¸You can think of it as a state of perpetual awareness, I suppose. After all, there¡¯s always a chance of a fallen enemy launching an attack at you in desperation. That¡¯s why you need to have a clear mind and always be aware of your enemy.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Are you sure you¡¯re really from 21st Century Earth?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Why?¡¹ ¡¸The reason why you didn¡¯t hesitate to cut down your enemies is that you practice iai, right?¡¹ ¡¸I guess.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll make sure to research more about the samurai later.¡¹ ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon. I¡¯m definitely no samurai!¡¹ The silly conversation with Blue relieved Kou¡¯s tension. He didn¡¯t know if it was intentional or not, but he was still thankful. Of course, it¡¯s not like he didn¡¯t feel any guilt in his heart. The first Bear pilot should have died. He might even have dreams about it at night for a while. Nevertheless, he still swung his sword without hesitation. He was already satisfied with that. They were also aiming to kill him. It was not based on emotion or a sense of profit and loss. It was simply a mission. A job. So he had to view things from the same perspective as well. Whatever the reason, if you face enemies fully intent on killing you, then you¡¯d have to do your best to retaliate as well. If not, you¡¯ll die. Kou remembered the waka poems his masters were fond of back on Earth. There were many schools practicing iai, but one of the ancestors who revived the art recited a particular poem. [1]¡¸Cut once an opponent¡¯s sword is drawn. Cut not when an opponent¡¯s sword is sheathed, this katana. What¡¯s of great import is the act of cutting itself.¡¹ Kou muttered in a low voice so that Blue wouldn¡¯t hear. TL Notes: [1] Here¡¯s the Japanese romaji for the waka poem: ¡±Nukaba kire. Nukazuba kiru na, kono katana. Tada kiru koto ni daiji koso are.¡± It¡¯s a bit vague, ain¡¯t it? Here¡¯s a general interpretation. Basically, in iai, what¡¯s emphasized is counterattacking. But you also need to land your attack faster than your enemy even though your enemy made their move first. In other words, winning by acting late. It¡¯s one of the core philosophies of iaijutsu (the art of sword drawing). Japanese culture sure is fascinating, right? CH 44 ¡¸Ma-chan. Kou-san¡¯s amazing, isn¡¯t he?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. ¡­¡­He really is amazing. He¡¯s like those knights in fairytales.¡¹ ¡¸The guys from Metal Iris said he¡¯s a samurai. So cool!¡¹ The young girl¡¯s cheeks blushed red as she stared in a daze at Unit 5. Meanwhile, the young boy looked up at it with longing eyes. Unit 5 appeared dashingly and unleashed a series of fascinating slashes that took their breaths away. It didn¡¯t kill needlessly. It was a quick and efficient battle. Marl¡¯s team proceeded to recover the prisoners. They pulled out the multi-cockpit system or MCS from the disabled Silhouettes and stuffed them inside a supply vehicle. The general-purpose cockpit system was similar in shape to the cockpit of a 21st Century attack helicopter. It had a double structure and possessed the ability to absorb and neutralize strong impacts when permeated by Whis. The tandem cockpit¡¯s second section held the power pack with an in-built Whis reactor. The power pack was one of a Silhouette¡¯s main weak points. The material used for building the cockpit was advanced nanomaterial that can only be synthesized in space. It was a very strong and hard-to-damage material. It¡¯s also widely accepted that it was impossible to be manufactured from scratch by both sides. Its basic design had not changed since the Planetary Pioneering era more than 20,000 years in the past. It also functioned as an emergency escape capsule. Silhouettes were weapons known for high survival rate. Due to this convenient fact, there exists a rough method of abandoning the rest of a highly damaged Silhouette and slapping the MCS in another frame. This is used in emergency situations where there is a lack of spare parts and materials for making repairs. The captured pilots would be released if someone pays the bail for them. Until then, they would be left inside their cockpits or transferred to another vehicle. ¡¸But the place they¡¯re heading to is¨C¡¹ ¡¸That tough shelter¡¯s our greatest enemy huh.¡¹ The younger brother responded to his older sister¡¯s words. They were looking at the gigantic and imposing shelter in the distance. ¡¸I¡¯m stepping away from this place for a bit. I¡¯ll be checking for traps such as detection alarms and mines. Proceed with the work.¡¹ At Fuyuki¡¯s order, the other two amphibious Silhouettes began working. First, they had to create a crack in the wall, but they were having trouble doing just that. Before long, Fuyuki returned, but they haven¡¯t made much progress. ¡¸This is really tough, leader!¡¹ The engineering unit was having trouble opening a hole in the shelter. ¡¸We expected as much anyway. This thing wouldn¡¯t even budge when hit by a falling meteor after all.¡¹ The drilling work was quite difficult. They first had to create a crack in the wall and continue working on it until they¡¯ve created a useable opening, but it looks like the shelter¡¯s design specifications had already taken such a method into account as well. They were using a high-powered laser and high-frequency electric heat cutters to punch through the wall. A fissure finally got created on the wall after all three Silhouettes worked on it in earnest for some time. However, they were contacted by the support vehicle¡¯s operator who had some bad news for them. ¡¸Responses picked up by the radar. Keres are heading your way. There¡¯s a large number of Ant-types. There¡¯s also a Mantis-type among them!¡¹ ¡¸A Mantis-type too huh. They really aren¡¯t holding back.¡¹ Fuyuki let out a sigh. ¡¸Suspend operations for the meantime. We really can¡¯t get a lot done unless we wipe out the enemies coming for us.¡¹ ¡¸Yes¡­¡­ Whoah!¡¹¡¹ All of a sudden, the large sickle of the Mantis-type that had split to form a blade claw appeared from the forest depths and grabbed one of the Silhouettes. The Silhouette¡¯s armor started to emit unsettling noises. Fuyuki immediately cut down the claw with his machine¡¯s high-frequency vibro-blade and rescued his subordinate. ¡¸Thanks for the save, leader!¡¹ ¡¸Even if it¡¯s a Mantis-type, this speed is¡­¡­ An enhanced type huh.¡¹ Fuyuki analyzed the situation calmly. It was just too fast for the Mantis-type to have reached them already when the support vehicle just detected their approach mere moments earlier. The Ant-types haven¡¯t arrived yet either. It looks like they wouldn¡¯t be able to continue with the operation. The Silhouette that was grabbed regained its bearings while the other used its rifle to restrain the enemy Mantis-type. ¡¸Withdraw to the support vehicle¡¯s position, you two. After joining up, head to the river in five minutes and make your way back to the main force.¡¹ ¡¸What about you, leader?¡¹ ¡¸I have some business left here. Don¡¯t worry about me. ¨CHurry up and get out of here already!¡¹ As he persuaded his men to withdraw, Fuyuki changed his machine¡¯s loadout and equipped a rocket launcher. ¡¸U-Understood!¡¹ The two other Silhouettes finally withdrew, leaving just Fuyuki alone to face the enemy. The Mantis-type stood menacingly before his machine. It¡¯s said that you needed at least three Silhouettes working together to defeat such a Keres model. ¡¸I can¡¯t miss at this distance.¡¹ He fired a rocket at the Mantis-type¡¯s head and quickly destroyed it in one shot. The Mantis-type got pushed back by the blast¡¯s impact. Unfortunately, there would be no decrease in the overall combat power of a Mantis-type even if its head gets destroyed. The only way to stop it was to destroy it completely or to sever it at the torso. ¡¸Maybe it¡¯s about time I retreated as well.¡¹ Fuyuki didn¡¯t use a professional tone whenever he was alone. He instead preferred to refer to himself with ¡®boku¡¯ as opposed to ¡®watashi¡¯. Ant Worker-types finally appeared in droves behind the Mantis-type and began firing their lasers at Fuyuki¡¯s machine. Without giving them a single backward glance, Fuyuki made his Silhouette enter the forest and disappeared from view. Due to the heavy rocket launcher he was carrying, it was hard to say that his speed was quick. The Mantis and Ant Worker-types that had lost sight of him began to give chase. Fuyuki headed to a narrow path within the forest. The Mantis and Ant-types were hot on his tail. He fired his rocket launcher once more. A large rocket flew through the air. The rocket had a wire connected to it. The rocket landed in the middle of the enemies and caused a powerful explosion. The wire had multiple bombs attached to it, and those exploded in a chain as well. ¡¸Now that¡¯s what I call a round-up. Literally.¡¹ Fuyuki muttered under his breath. It was a mine-clearing line charge. Clearing out mines was one of the jobs of combat engineers. The line charge can be said to be a weapon exclusive to combat engineers. It exploded in a line instead of a single point or in a wide area. It was mainly used to clear out mines by inducing them to detonate and wasn¡¯t considered an offensive weapon. However, it was also implemented in urban warfare against guerillas on 21st century Earth. In the Nemesis warfront, it was modified to be more effective against Keres, and its power was increased. Although it wasn¡¯t powerful enough to be effective against high-dimensional projection armor, it had sufficient destructive power to destroy Ant-type Keres. The Keres got caught in the explosions and their pursuit stalled. There were various demining methods. You can simply hit the chain to induce detonation or scoop them out with dozers. Compared to those, mine-clearing line charges are able to be used offensively. Combat engineers. They were always at the forefront of any battlefield. They were a strategic unit that made full use of various cutting-edge equipment and weapons to perform their jobs. ¡¸You see, guys. You should always have a hidden card or two handy, just in case.¡¹ The corners of Fuyuki¡¯s lips arched slightly upward. Suddenly, a column of flame went up from another part of the forest. It was from a second previously-hidden armored support vehicle. It had fired a rocket from its rocket launcher. It performed precision-guided bombardment. It had launched another mine-clearing line charge. Back on Earth, they used stuff like parachutes for inertial control, but this was the future. The needed propulsive power and point of impact can be calculated in an instant, and the rocket landed precisely at a point ahead of Fuyuki¡¯s machine. More explosions occurred. They were more powerful than the ones that went off earlier. Once they died down, the Ant-type Keres were revealed to have been annihilated. Only the Whis-powered Mantis-type now remained. ¡¸Can¡¯t we just let each other off here?¡¹ The Mantis-type advanced toward Fuyuki¡¯s Silhouette despite being hit by multiple explosions. Fuyuki¡¯s Silhouette took out a gun and quickly fired it. It was a Silhouette-use spear gun. Its spear projectile was connected to the gun via wire. It was originally for use underwater. It wasn¡¯t suitable for group combat at all, but it possessed one fearsome property ¨C Its projectile was capable of being reinforced by Whis from a Silhouette¡¯s reactor even after being fired due to the wire. However, its penetration power wasn¡¯t on par with light-gas gun bullets. It had two drawbacks. First, it was wholly incapable of firing repeatedly, and second, the impact force of its spear projectile was relatively weak. It didn¡¯t possess much destructive power. Also, the wire supplying Whis to the projectile could be easily severed by a similarly Whis-reinforced weapon. However, for Fuyuki, stalling the enemy for just an instant was more than enough. The automated reel equipped to the speargun started spinning. The wire was strong enough to hoist an entire Silhouette without breaking. The wire was being reeled back, but the Mantis-type didn¡¯t budge an inch. It was Fuyuki¡¯s Silhouette that got launched into the air instead, heading straight toward the Mantis-type. It then slashed out with its high-frequency vibro-blade as it passed the enemy while in mid-air. The sickle of the Mantis-type slashed back, but it was promptly severed. The Mantis-type¡¯s power pack was inside its torso. Fuyuki¡¯s Silhouette mounted its back and ran its torso through with the high-frequency vibro-blade. The stab pierced the power pack, and the Mantis completely stopped moving. ¡¸I¡¯m not that good at fighting you know. Give me a break¡­¡­¡¹ Fuyuki let out a weary sigh. ¡¸You¡¯re late, Blue-san.¡¹ ¡¸What the heck are you on about? You just managed to wipe out this many enemies before we even arrived. Not good at fighting my foot.¡¹ Blue and Kou¡¯s Silhouettes finally arrived at the scene. ¡¸Amazing. Um¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸So you¡¯re Kou-kun huh. Please just call me Fuyuki. It¡¯s always nice to meet a fellow countryman! You¡¯re the one who made all those silly song requests to Blue-san, right? Looking forward to working with you.¡¹ ¡¸You found me out. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you as well.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, you don¡¯t need to speak with me in keigo[1]. I formerly worked in sales you see. I¡¯m just used to speaking this way to other people.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll take you up on that then. You have really amazing piloting skills.¡¹ ¡¸Fuyuki¡¯s amazing alright. He¡¯s a mine installation and demining specialist. He¡¯s nicknamed ¡®Mine Shop¡¯.¡¹ ¡¸Mine Shop? Ah, I get it. The shapeshifting Jiraiya-san, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ugh! You noticed huh.¡¹ The two Japanese men laughed in amusement at the in-joke. They seemed to be making fun of the nanomachine¡¯s automated translation function. ¡¸What are you guys laughing about?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you about it later.¡¹ ¡¸Tell me right now!¡¹ Kou responded with a vague laugh after seeing Blue sulk. The one who gave Fuyuki his nickname was probably also Japanese. It was probably not ¡°Jirai-ya¡± (Mine Shop) but ¡°Jiraiya [2]¡± (Young Thunder) instead. Yep, it was the name of a legendary shinobi! TL Notes: [1] Keigo ¨C Japanese formal speech used in many social situations such as talking to your superiors at work or people you¡¯ve met for the first time. [2] This is a Japanese pun. Apparently, the nanomachine translation program used the kanji for ¡°explosive mine¡± (Jirai) and ¡°shop/store¡± (Ya) to transliterate Fuyuki¡¯s nickname. But his nickname was actually ¡°Jiraiya¡± (Young Thunder), a legendary (and fictional) toad-riding shinobi (ninja) from the Japanese folktale Jiraiya Gouketsu Monogatari (The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya). It was so well-known that it was adapted into a Kabuki play. Yes, Jiraiya, Tsunade, and Orochimaru didn¡¯t originate from the popular manga and anime series Naruto guys. They were characters from a well-known Japanese folktale before characters based on them starred in Naruto. Oh, and here¡¯s a fun fact. In the folktale, Jiraiya marries Tsunade. Meaning he¡¯s a lot luckier with the ladies compared to his Naruto counterpart XD CH 45 ¡¸Fuyuki-san, we¡¯re going to proceed with the operation now and head to Point C.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll accompany you. Let¡¯s go get the necessary weapons and equipment from the support vehicle and have them withdraw afterward.¡¹ After hearing Blue¡¯s words, Fuyuki offered to accompany them. The three piloted their Silhouettes headed to the position of the support vehicle, resupplied, and headed for Point C. At Point C, they found Barry and Mike escorting a peculiar-looking tracked armored vehicle. Voy was onboard the said vehicle, driving it. ¡¸Thanks for escorting Voy all the way here guys!¡¹ ¡¸This much is no problem at all. But you sure made something outrageous, Kou.¡¹ The vehicle before them all was quite unusual. It didn¡¯t resemble your usual armored vehicle at all. A huge cylinder was installed on the front of the vehicle. A similarly cylindrical shield was equipped around it, enveloping it with a solid protective layer. It somewhat resembled a tunnel excavator on 21st century Earth. Voy was inside the second car of the two-car vehicle, where the controls were located. ¡¸Kou, what exactly is this thing?¡¹ Upon seeing the unfamiliar weapon(?), Blue couldn¡¯t help but inquire in puzzlement. ¡¸¡­¡­It¡¯s a shield tunnel excavation armored vehicle.¡¹ ¡¸You call it a shield, but its purpose isn¡¯t exactly being a shield, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. The name still makes sense. After all, it can still function as a shield with no problem.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure that when first Rick saw this thing, he thought it was a new weapon. We can even bet on it.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m well aware of how weird it is. Can we just please drop this topic?¡¹ Kou, who was questioned strictly by Blue, muttered weakly in response. ¡¸Hey, Kou-kun. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Are you planning on making your way inside by burrowing underground?¡¹ ¡¸Yep.¡¹ Kou confirmed Fuyuki¡¯s guess. ¡¸Uh, so this is basically Jet Mo¨C¡¹[1] ¡¸It¡¯s the shield tunnel excavation armored vehicle!¡¹ Kou quickly interrupted Fuyuki, who was about to utter very dangerous words. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t have a lot of firepower, does it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because this guy is equipped with a drilling function.¡¹ ¡¸I knew it! So it really can function as a drill!¡¹ ¡¸Can you guys just tell me what¡¯s going on? Stop talking about stuff only you two can understand please.¡¹ Blue interrupted Kou¡¯s silly exchange with Fuyuki. ¡¸Sorry, sorry. Voy, you¡¯re up.¡¹ ¡¸Heck yeah! Let¡¯s do this!¡¹ Voy bellowed in excitement as he activated the shield tank. ¡¸Cutter face, activate! Screw conveyor, startup! Sediment conversion arc furnace, maximum output!¡¹ As the bear shouted excitedly, he operated the panels in front of him and activated various devices equipped on the shield tank. ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon Voy! You don¡¯t really need to shout the device names when you activate them!¡¹ ¡¸Shield jack, oooon!¡¹ ¡¸Why do you insist on shouting out the names anyway?¡¹ ¡¸I learned that they always shout out the names of the weapons in 20th-century anime shows! Erector, operation staaart!¡¹ ¡¸Stop it alreadyyyy!¡¹ Fuyuki cupped his mouth as he tried very hard to suppress his laughter. It looked like the situation really tickled his funny bone. Meanwhile, Blue looked at the two with cold eyes. Kou¡¯s stomach began aching. Cutter face. It was a huge fan-shaped cutter bit that excavated the ground. The soil and sand would be collected by the screw conveyor and burned in the internal furnace of the machine. All the organic matter would be burned up, leaving mostly silicon dioxide, or, alternatively, silica. The silica obtained would then be mixed with the hardening agent that would be sprayed out by the erector in order to strengthen the walls of the newly excavated tunnel. Hence, drifter drilling, soil ejection, and tunnel reinforcement can all be performed by Kou¡¯s machine in one smooth process. The tunnel it creates is about 6 meters in diameter. A Silhouette can easily pass through it if it crouches a bit. It also had other equipment such as a mechanical arm with a cutter pick installed on it, and a dozer for removing soil and sand from the machine¡¯s path. The front car of the drill tank was equipped with an internal arc furnace that burns down the soil particles, sand, and organic matter that¡¯s been drilled up by the machine, converting them into silica. The rear car can be detached and driven independently in an emergency. It also sports wire-guided missiles and machine cannons for defense. The tunnel excavation armored vehicle jacked up its cutter face and started digging through the ground at an angle. It advanced at a relatively tremendous speed. In the 21st century, excavators could only advance a few meters per hour when digging, but the armored vehicle Kou created had enough power to advance at a blistering pace of more than 50 meters an hour instead. It achieved this significant speed upgrade through the combination of heat-resistant material reinforced by Whis, improvement of the cutter bit¡¯s performance, and a design that incorporated a soil ejection function into the machine. ¡¸This thing sure is amazing.¡¹ Barry was quite shocked by the bewildering excavation speed. The machine had already disappeared into the ground before they knew it. ¡¸It¡¯s impressive that you could come up with such a tank.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve been trying to think up of ways to destroy the shelter that protects the Fortress Area for a while. We can¡¯t exactly prepare something as stupidly huge as an Enyo. So I thought, why not just go underground?¡¹ ¡¸So you solved the problem from another angle huh.¡¹ ¡¸Earth and concrete would be way easier to penetrate compared to a shelter after all. The displaced soil and sand particles would pose a problem, but I remembered something about the creature I modeled the machine from. I heard that the creature was capable of digesting the fine particles created when it burrows into wood, so I wondered if I could have my machine do the same.¡¹ And the fruits of Kou¡¯s brainstorming and labor was the subterranean drill tank digging through the ground before the group. It would have been absolutely impossible to create one using 21st century Earth technology. After all, it would have been impossible to create a furnace powerful enough to incinerate ingested soil and sand particles to produce material for reinforcing an excavated tunnel¡¯s walls by using silica. ¡¸What¡¯s the creature you modeled it from?¡¹ Blue got curious and inquired further. ¡¸A shipworm. It¡¯s not really a worm, but a mollusk. It looks pretty creepy and disgusting, so it would be better if you don¡¯t look it up.¡¹ ¡¸Okay. I definitely won¡¯t look it up then.¡¹ Blue nodded while shuddering. Kou inwardly thought she was unexpectedly really girly at times despite mostly behaving more like a tomboy. ¡¸It¡¯s about time you went in guys. The tunnel walls have solidified.¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha. We¡¯ll head in right away.¡¹ After being contacted by Voy, Kou promptly piloted Unit 5 to enter the tunnel. Blue and Fuyuki¡¯s machines followed after him. Barry and Mike were the last to dive into the tunnel while keeping a close watch on the surroundings. TL Notes: [1] Fuyuki was about to mention Jet Mole, which is a fictional high-tech drilling vehicle used in the 1960s British Sci-fi series Thunderbirds. Apparently, the show¡¯s vehicle toys were popular in Japan. CH 46 ¡¸Hey, Voy-san is a bear and not a mole, right?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m 100% bear. But I guess I turn more like a badger when piloting this thing! Wahaha!¡¹ Voy responded to Fuyuki¡¯s question. The shield tunnel excavation armored vehicle chewed through the ground at a very fast pace. It looked like the hardening material for reinforcing the tunnel walls was functioning properly as well. It hardened almost instantaneously when exposed to the air. The tunnel¡¯s length would not go past 500 meters. All they had to do was get past the shelter after all. Crouched Silhouettes walked through the tunnel a little distance away from the drill tank. ¡¸I want one of these things for the engineering unit. It¡¯s too amazing.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m gonna disassemble it once this operation is over you know.¡¹ ¡¸This thing¡¯s too good to waste like that!¡¹ Fuyuki continued to mutter about how much he wanted a drill tank for himself as he walked behind Kou. ¡¸I don¡¯t think that can be used to build a really long tunnel, but it would be more than enough to get past shelters for sure huh.¡¹ ¡¸The tunnel walls are even reinforced by Whis emitted by the tank itself.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. The hardening material is mixed with a Whis-transmitting agent after all.¡¹ The tunnel was quite tough. Hence, there was no danger of a sudden collapse resulting to getting buried alive. ¡¸We¡¯re going to surface soon.¡¹ Voy informed the group through the comms. The shield tunnel excavation armored vehicle changed heading and began to go upward. ¡¸The area above us is layered by concrete reinforced with Whis generated by an A-Carbuncle. It¡¯s a lot thicker and tougher than crude steel floors.¡¹ ¡¸Right.¡¹ The facilities within Fortress Areas and Defense Domes can also be reinforced by Whis generated by A-Carbuncles, and they wouldn¡¯t even budge an inch even if a Silhouette carrying a railgun were to jump on top of them. ¡¸So I gotta use this! Cutter face, transfoooorm!¡¹ The cutter bits of the cutter face meshed together to form a huge spiral step drill bit. It was shaped similar to a bamboo shoot. ¡¸Drill goooooo!¡¹ ¡¸I told you not to scream like that man! Shut it already!¡¹ Voy screamed excitedly like usual as Kou writhed in agony and embarrassment. The drill rotated at high speed and began to pierce the concrete layer of the Fortress Area. ¡¸So it¡¯ll expand the hole created by the machine using the drill huh.¡¹ Barry continued to be impressed by the drill tank. ¡¸Aw yeah! Like I thought, there¡¯s nothing like drills!¡¹ ¡¸Drills are nice, aren¡¯t they?¡¹ Mike and Fuyuki had gotten pretty worked up after seeing the giant drill in action. ¡¸I really want one of those after all. Hey, Blue-san. How about Metal Iris buys one of these for our use?¡¹ ¡¸It does look like it would be pretty useful.¡¹ Fuyuki started to seriously suggest buying one for themselves. Blue didn¡¯t seem to be against the idea either. ¡¸We¡¯ve reached topside guys!¡¹ The shield tunnel excavation armored car finally broke through to the surface. Kou and the others went outside the tunnel hole one after another. They emerged within a forested area just like the one outside the shelter. They were in a spot a good distance from the target area. The target area¡¯s position was located beneath the industrial block. The humans generally stayed in the commercial blocks of Fortress Areas and Defense Domes. Their current location was at the outskirts of the Fortress Area¡¯s interior. Gazing above presented the view of a wide and blue sky. The shelter¡¯s walls were made of an asymmetric metamaterial that had a negative refractive index. You can see a clear view of the sky from within because the light outside passes through the walls unobstructed. That¡¯s why there are regular day and night cycles even if one lives inside Fortress Areas and Defense Domes. ¡¸We didn¡¯t dig through to the target area directly?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Just like I told you before, we need to head there via a hidden entrance located somewhere in a corner of this forest area.¡¹ Kou promptly answered Blue¡¯s question. They were in an area near the coordinates indicated to him by Astraea. The entrance leading to their target destination might be hidden by an optical camouflage system just like the one Kou encountered when he first came to the location of the underground arsenal. ¡¸Kou, you¡¯ve been detected by radars within the Fortress Area. There¡¯s a high chance that Keres will be deployed to your location soon.¡¹ Aimer gave Kou a warning through the comms. ¡¸Understood. Let¡¯s move, everyone.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m gonna head back for a bit. I have something to do out there.¡¹ ¡¸Mm. Got it, Voy. Be careful.¡¹ ¡¸I will!¡¹ The tunnel excavation armored vehicle retreated back into the tunnel it had dug. The machine unexpectedly seemed to be quite compatible with Voy. Joining up into a tight formation, the five Silhouettes quickly started heading for the target coordinates. Before long, the group reached the target coordinates. Unit 5 and Blue¡¯s Silhouette suddenly disappeared from view, leaving the others behind. ¡¸So this is the secret entrance hidden by optical camouflage.¡¹ ¡¸I ended up triggering it huh. Dammit¡­¡­¡¹ It was probably Ashia¡¯s defense mechanism. The moment Kou approached the coordinates, the entrance of the passage that was buried beneath the ground surfaced. It should have gone back underground after confirming Kou and Blue¡¯s entrance. Fortunately, communication with the rest of the group remained unobstructed. ¡¸This is fine. Those guys shouldn¡¯t know about this place either. We¡¯ll head to another route and rampage around for a bit.¡¹ Barry calmly analyzed the situation. If the enemy forces knew about the passage, the security should have been more stringent. ¡¸Be careful out there guys.¡¹ ¡¸That should be our line. Make sure to keep your guards up. We don¡¯t know what could happen down there.¡¹ Kou nodded and cut the comms. He then proceeded to advance deeper into the passage. He went down the dark passageway while relying on Unit 5¡¯s night vision sensors. Barry and the others moved out as well. They began scoping out the area to find a spot that would prove advantageous to them in preparation for the enemy pursuit. CH 47 The narrow and dim passageway abruptly ended. Kou and Blue suddenly found themselves in a considerably bigger passageway. The ceiling was high enough that their Silhouettes could easily stand at full height with plenty of room to spare. ¡¸This is a ruin¡­¡­ isn¡¯t it? We¡¯re kinda like explorers right now, aren¡¯t we?¡¹ ¡¸If this is what explorers do on the regular, then I¡¯d personally never want to be one.¡¹ There was a lot of unknown technology that was being utilized in the world they were in. Kou thought that if a particularly unimaginative person headed out to explore such a world, they would die pretty fast during their journey. ¡¸Well, that¡¯s unexpected. I thought you¡¯d actually like such activities.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m scared of facing something far too strange you see.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose that¡¯s better than being reckless.¡¹ The two continued heading toward the target coordinates. Suddenly, there was a response from their radars. ¡¸Kou! There¡¯s a Silhouette up ahead! Stay sharp.¡¹ Aimer also gave out a warning. ¡¸I¡¯ll go and fight it. You just go ahead to the target coordinates, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it better if we defeated it together?¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no guarantee that there¡¯s only one enemy. We have to prioritize Ashia¡¯s rescue above everything. This might be our one and only chance.¡¹ ¡¸Our only chance¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Please.¡¹ ¡¸Alright, I got it.¡¹ Their machines switched to bipedal walking mode and continued their advance. The enemy Silhouette was standing right in front of the target coordinates. It was colored with a dull dark grey paint scheme. It was plain, without an ounce of flamboyance or pretense. The general look of the machine was quite similar to Unit 5 before it was overhauled. However, it was slightly more slender and had a smaller head unit. The enemy Silhouette attempted to call out to them through the common comm line. ¡¸Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going.¡¹ Kou responded calmly to reassure the worried Blue. The common comm line finally went live. ¡¸Hey, the Lanius over there. Is that you, Takaba Hyoue?¡¹ Kou¡¯s expression froze. The middle-aged voice on the other side of the line mentioned a name he was very familiar with. Blue also gasped in surprise. Kou was actually mistaken for quite a ridiculous character, she thought inwardly. The owner of the voice was, of course, Bardo. The captain of the Underground Force Desmodas. ¡¸Unfortunately, I¡¯m not Hyoue-san.¡¹ Although he hesitated at first, Kou eventually decided to respond. After all, the other party appeared to be familiar with someone related to him. So he responded just in case. ¡¸I see. That¡¯s unfortunate. I wanted to fight with Hyoue.¡¹ The voice truly sounded disappointed. ¡¸Do you have a grudge of some sort against him?¡¹ Kou responded again before he knew it. ¡¸Hm? Oh, no, not really. I merely wanted to have a revenge match with the guy.¡¹ The other party promptly answered. Kou began to hold a surprisingly good impression of the enemy after hearing his responses. He didn¡¯t exactly know why though. ¡¸You¡¯re not just any regular guy yourself. This section can only be entered by Development Engineers. Sorry. I don¡¯t know what¡¯s up ahead, but I¡¯m going to have you die here.¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s a problem. I can¡¯t exactly get myself killed you see.¡¹ He wasn¡¯t exactly sure what his enemy¡¯s deal was. But what he said was a valuable piece of info to Kou. The opponent¡¯s Development Engineer rank should be pretty low. If it was high, then it was possible that he would have been able to interact with Ashia after all. ¡¸I won¡¯t let you have your way.¡¹ After declaring so, Blue stood bravely before Kou. ¡¸Kou, I¡¯m going to handle this guy. You go on ahead¡¹ ¡¸But¨C¡¹ ¡¸You match up badly with the enemy machine. That model is¨C¡¹ Blue¡¯s words paused abruptly as she hesitated about what to say. Her machine, the SAS-F02 Snipe, was one of the latest Silhouette models, but it specialized in long-range shooting during group combat, so she wasn¡¯t exactly a good matchup for the enemy either. But she couldn¡¯t tell Kou that. ¡¸Image analysis through Unit 5¡¯s video feed completed. TSF-R10 Falco. It¡¯s a general-purpose model that was developed as a lightweight version of the TSW-R1. Also specializes in close combat.¡¹ Aimer transmitted information to the two with a tense-sounding voice. Kou had heard about it from Master. TSW-R1¡¯s production had been discontinued and that model was its successor. And the enemy before them was sporting one such machine. ¡¸Because it¡¯s an advanced version of Lanius, it has high combat performance and sports a compound drive mechanism. Its weapons are a two-handed long sword and a large caliber double-barreled light-gas autocannon.¡¹ Falco was indeed equipped with a cannon with two distinctive barrels. Although it looked like two cannons lined beside each other, it was actually only a single cannon that uses a seesaw-like recoil mechanism to fire rounds alternately through both barrels. It was lighter than a Gatling gun and had a simpler internal structure. Its reliability was also high. Its weakness was the relatively short service span of its barrels, but that¡¯s been mostly solved by reinforcing it with Whis. ¡¸You can think of it as a more sophisticated machine that is lighter, faster, and more refined than the Lanius by removing the excess components from its predecessor¡¯s design. This also resulted in reduced production costs.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by excess components?¡¹ ¡¸For example, it did away with the plan to equip the limbs with additional thrusters to enhance maneuverability along with the connectors that would have been used to install it. There are fewer artificial muscles within the machine¡¯s chest, making its structural strength more dependent on the frame. But this improved ease of maintenance as a result.¡¹ ¡¸Got it. Thanks, Aimer.¡¹ Kou now mostly understood what the TSF-R10 had sacrificed to achieve its current performance. Certainly, the TSW-R1 design¡¯s single-minded focus on maneuverability can be said to be excessive. Many pilots would probably not be able to make good use of all that fine control and maneuverability. However¨C If one possessed the necessary skills to take advantage of the machine¡¯s characteristics¡­¡­ ¡¸The latest state-of-the-art model huh¡­¡­¡¹ Kou muttered under his breath. CH 48 ¡¸I¡¯m fine with whoever. Come on.¡¹ Bardo made his machine pull out its long sword and take a stance while sounding pretty composed and carefree. Blue began taking distance as her machine aimed at the enemy with its small caliber railgun, starting the battle. They were in a completely closed space. Since Blue¡¯s specialty was fighting from a distance while Bardo¡¯s was close combat, the terrain advantage was firmly in favor of Bardo. Blue and Kou were also restricted by the need to advance forward to reach their target. Blue chose to fight from a medium distance. Bardo, on the other hand, moved at high speed while firing his light-gas-type autocannon as he endeavored to flank her. Some of the small caliber railgun¡¯s rounds hit their mark, but they were easily repelled by the armor of Bardo¡¯s Falco. Although it was a high-mobility type machine, it was still the successor to Lanius. The basic concept of sporting medium armoring and high maneuverability had not been lost. The SAS-F02 Snipe, on the other hand, was a long-range shooter that could equip various weapons in order to adapt various tactics that depended on the distance from the enemy. Although she fired some missiles from the missile pod equipped on her machine¡¯s shoulder to restrain the Falco¡¯s movements, she was still knocked down by Bardo¡¯s autocannon. Snipe was a machine that excelled in long-range sniping and support fire. It was weak when it comes to combat situations like the one they were currently in. Anticipating that Bardo would surely aim at the thinly armored parts of her Silhouette such as the shoulders and limbs next, Blue changed her weapon. She brought out a medium-caliber carbine rifle. It was an assault rifle with a shortened barrel. Once the distance between them got shortened enough, a slash from the enemy¡¯s long sword would immediately be unleashed. She was wary of that. Blue tried her hardest to keep her distance by continuously backing up, but before she knew it, Bardo was already right before her. She held up her carbine with both hands and fired while taking evasive action, but she wasn¡¯t able to land any decisive hits. The Falco¡¯s large-caliber light gas-type autocannon fired in retaliation. The twin gun barrels alternately shook as they rained bullets down on Blue¡¯s machine. Even though the difference in their weapon¡¯s calibers wasn¡¯t much, their firing rates were another story. To Snipe that prioritized equipment loading capacity instead of thicker armor, it was a pretty tough situation to be placed in. The barrage, however, was a feint. The Falco quickly closed the remaining distance between it and Snipe, and within moments, the latter was within sword range. Falco used its flight boosters to instantaneously accelerate. It intended to end the battle all at once. Blue wanted to retreat, but there just wasn¡¯t enough time. The enemy was now in front of her. ¡¸So fast!¡¹ Blue involuntarily blurted out those words in shock. Falco was now in front of her with its sword raised in an overhead stance. A sharp and fast downward slash fell toward her. But then¨C ¡¸I won¡¯t let you!¡¹ Kou intruded into their battle. He received the long sword¡¯s slash with the AK2. Due to being painstakingly manufactured by Aki to be tough, the rifle barrel managed to withstand the vicious impact. It worked as intended. This was a weapon primarily meant to protect Kou. As its creator wished, the barrel didn¡¯t get distorted and endured the powerful slash. The Falco remained vigilant. As soon as Kou cut in, it quickly backed up. One of the weaknesses of the humanoid Silhouette was reverse movement. It was just not designed to walk backward. It¡¯s even said that you can judge how skilled Silhouette pilots were just by seeing how good they were when making their machines go backward. In that regard, Bardo was unmistakably an expert. ¡¸Blue, fall back. I¡¯m taking him on.¡¹ Unit 5 repositioned its rifle held with its left arm and aimed it straight at the enemy Falco. ¡¸So you¡¯re gonna fight me instead huh. You¡¯re not bad. Decisively protecting a woman like that deserves some praise. I also find it awkward to go up against women and children y¡¯see.¡¹ ¡¸Hee. Sounds like you¡¯re a pretty nice guy, uncle.¡¹ Kou found it a bit regrettable. If they met in different circumstances, maybe they could have gotten along surprisingly well. ¡¸But if you¡¯re hostile against me, then who or what you are doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll still finish you off.¡¹ Bardo displayed a wide grin. ¡¸That¡¯s only natural.¡¹ Kou offered no objection. If one held hostile or even murderous intent against you, then it didn¡¯t matter what age or sex they were. However, it was still up to you whether or not you ultimately decided to actively try to kill them in retaliation. That¡¯s even if the final result ends up being largely the same. That¡¯s just human nature. Some just find performing such merciless actions uncomfortable. ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s do this, shall we? Lanius. I got this baby just for the sake of going up against you. I¡¯ve waited a long time for this.¡¹ Kou wasn¡¯t able to imagine just what happened between the pilot of the enemy Silhouette and his former boss, Takaba Hyoue. He could sense something similar to obsession from the other party. He found himself suddenly excited by the prospect of fighting against such an opponent. He wanted to fight and win. ¡¸Falco. It¡¯s a Silhouette bearing the name of a bird of prey known for its sickle-like talons. Please be careful.¡¹ The appellations of Silhouette models are mostly taken from animal names. The names were generally chosen to correspond with a Silhouette model¡¯s characteristics. Hence, it sounded quite appropriate that the successor to the Lanius, or shrike, was named after the falcon. Kou acknowledged that it did indeed look pretty fast. Kou¡¯s Lanius was equipped with a large caliber battle rifle usable at medium and long-range. Bardo¡¯s machine, on the other hand, sported a light gas-type autocannon that functions reliably at medium and short-range. What both machines had in common was that they¡¯ve abandoned the concept of equipping a large number of weapons right from the beginning. ¡¸His machine is generally better than mine when it comes to speed and mobility huh.¡¹ Kou calmly analyzed Bardo¡¯s machine. He surmised that the other party would try to take the initiative first. The enemy should be thinking in the same vein. When it fought against Blue¡¯s Snipe, the Falco used its 3D flight unit to instantly accelerate forward. It launched at a speed nearing 300 kilometers per hour. This was exceptionally fast for a humanoid weapon. So how exactly should he fight it then, Kou mulled inwardly. ¡¸A sword duel huh.¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but mutter under his breath. A one-on-one sword duel was quite an anachronistic concept. He almost couldn¡¯t believe he would even consider such a thing. ¡¸Sorry, everyone. I want to fight him seriously after all.¡¹ If he dies, it would undoubtedly make the ones waiting for his return and Blue, who was accompanying him, feel despair. Even so, he wanted to fight. He wanted to respond earnestly to the opponent¡¯s resolution. And oddly enough, he didn¡¯t find such a situation unpleasant at all. Kou experienced a sense of elation he hadn¡¯t felt when he was still living in Japan. CH 49 Falco took up its sword once again. Unit 5 was still within striking distance. Both men opted not to use their machine¡¯s rollers to dash forward. They knew that if they didn¡¯t switch to bipedal locomotion, they¡¯d find themselves easily toppled down by the other. There was still enough of a gap between them that thrusters wouldn¡¯t be able to bridge in an instant. The opponent¡¯s machine was the Lanius, Bardo thought. It was more heavily armored than Falco. He knew his autocannon wouldn¡¯t prove to be much use against it. But it should be the same for his opponent as well. Lanius placed its right hand on the hilt of the large sword hanging on its back as it held its gun with its left¨C No. Bardo soon realized that his assumptions were entirely wrong. The opponent was certainly pointing the muzzle of its gun directly at him. Too directly, in fact. The pressure made the muzzle seem bigger in his eyes than it actually was. No. The opponent¡¯s limbs were moving subtly but surely, and it was advancing steadily forward. Little by little, it continued to close the distance. Bardo tried to retreat backward while sporting a taut expression, but Unit 5 didn¡¯t let him do as he wanted. Within mere moments, Bardo suddenly found Unit 5 right in front of him. It had already thrown its gun away. An explosive sound rippled through the air. The opponent advanced in a posture with its waist lowered. As the machine shot forward, tremendous sparks scattered from the soles of its feet. Using its rear thrusters, Unit 5 generated an explosive amount of thrust that enabled it to basically skate forward without the use of rollers. It immediately unleashed a powerful slash. ¡¸When did you manage to close in? ¨CNo, when did you even draw your sword dammit!?¡¹ Bardo couldn¡¯t help but scream in disbelief. Kou had already pulled out his sword. He used the auxiliary thrusters on Unit 5¡¯s arm to instantaneously draw its great sword. He used a move in iai that allowed one to rapidly draw a sword that was hung from one¡¯s back and unleash a deadly slash. One first preemptively placed ones right arm on the sword¡¯s hilt, and in the middle of drawing it, one would proceed to hold the sword with both hands and perform a slash. This move wasn¡¯t required to be performed during a swordsman¡¯s promotion test. Hence, there weren¡¯t many dojos that taught it in the 21st century. Naginata iai techniques are viewed by some modern swordsmen as a kind of performance art and spectacle. However, it was a different story in a far future where Silhouettes with simplified movement controls constantly fought on battlefields. It transformed into a sufficiently effective technique. It was a move that seemed to assert that the Lanius should never be underestimated even though it was an old model. Kou had already made modifications to cover its shortcomings. It was a technique that made the best use of Unit 5¡¯s auxiliary thrusters that TSF-R10 had already discarded. Hence, it was impossible for Falco to perform such a technique itself. Bardo managed to receive the slash by a hair¡¯s breadth, but he couldn¡¯t parry all of the force. Unit 5 was inevitably heavier and more stable compared to his machine. That¡¯s why Falco was overpowered. Due to parrying the slash at an unstable position, Falco¡¯s sword was pushed away in the end, and its chest armor got torn apart. Unit 5 proceeded to slip to Falco¡¯s left-hand side. Sparks continued to fly from the path Kou¡¯s machine covered in moments. Bardo made his Falco quickly turn counterclockwise in a fluster in an attempt to follow after Unit 5. But Unit 5 was nowhere to be found. ¡¸Where is it!?¡¹ Bardo¡¯s spine froze. He couldn¡¯t believe that his opponent managed to instantly move to its current position. Unit 5 had already moved right behind the Falco. ¡¸Dammit¡­¡­ Just when¨C¡¹ Bardo tried to turn back, but his machine¡¯s arm had been cut off and sent flying before he could do so. ¡¸You were the one who actually let me get behind you, you know.¡¹ Unit 5 passed the Falco¡¯s left-hand side. Usually, one would use a leg to pivot and change course or proceed at an arc to take some distance. Kou did neither. At the moment he passed the opponent machine, he used Unit 5¡¯s right leg as a pivot, did a half-turn, and just slightly moved back afterward. That was all. It was positioning made possible by the high braking power of Unit 5¡¯s legs. Its design, which took weight distribution and stability of the limbs into high consideration, minimized chances of Lanius sliding uncontrollably after advancing at fast speeds. The Falco turned counterclockwise to chase Kou¡¯s machine down. Kou, however, performed minimal movements in response. That¡¯s how it took the Falco¡¯s back seemingly with no effort at all. Falco¡¯s mobility and tracking ability were high. Bardo moved on the assumption that Kou¡¯s machine had already advanced ahead and took distance. Bardo should have moved forward or jumped to the side instead. Kou, however, felt he just treaded on thin ice. Positioning using minimal movements. His first move was a surprise attack that took the initiative from the enemy before he could react. His use of the AK2 earlier was derived from a sword thrust technique. It induced an optical illusion that made the muzzle of the gun bigger than it actually was in the eyes of the opponent. By pointing the tip of a sword straight at an opponent, they eventually get overly conscious of it. This leads to their sense of distance being thrown out of whack. The next technique he used was Shukuchi, that¡¯s also known as ¡°Ground Shrinker¡±. It was a technique that allowed one to quickly close the gap between one and one¡¯s opponent. This was made possible by the thrusters dedicated to providing high bursts of acceleration by utilizing a prototype pulse detonation engine. A detonation wave was a combustion-induced shockwave that propagates at hypersonic speeds of up to 3 kilometers per second. The pulse detonation engine was a propulsion engine that was designed to make use of detonation waves. The initial explosive sound was generated by the detonation engine activating. In theory, the load on the machine would exceed 40 Gs. Nothing less than a Silhouette¡¯s multi-cockpit system would be able to withstand such force. The resulting pressure was enough to completely flatten any normal cockpit, killing the pilot within. Unit 5¡¯s earlier acceleration rate should have achieved transonic speed. More specifically, it should have reached a speed of nearly 1000 kilometers per hour within the span of 5 seconds. The Fennel OS can enhance a pilot¡¯s senses to the level where they can even perceive the path of a fired railgun round. In order to create a slash that would be able to counter this sense augmentation, Kou made modifications to Unit 5 that enhanced its instantaneous acceleration ability. ¡¸Ugh. So you¡¯re the same kind of monster as Takaba huh.¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t really compare to Hyoue-san. But I won¡¯t deny that I¡¯m probably a similar type of person as him.¡¹ ¡¸Gimme your name before you finish me off, will you? I¡¯m Bardo. I¡¯m gonna wait for you in hell.¡¹ ¡¸My name is Kou.¡¹ Kou then thrust his greatsword straight through the now-armless Falco¡¯s back. It accurately penetrated the power unit with the in-built Whis reactor installed in the lower section of the enemy Silhouette¡¯s multi-cockpit system. The greatsword effortlessly pierced through the lower section of the cockpit and emerged through the front end of the Silhouette¡¯s lower torso. Unit 5 raised the helpless Falco aloft as it skewered the machine with its sword. It then casually swung its sword to the side, flinging the enemy machine away. The Falco soared straight to a wall and crashed into it. The Falco completely lost all its combat capability. The Silhouette¡¯s power system was completely shot, depriving it of any ability to move. Once he confirmed that the enemy had really been totally neutralized, Kou walked to one side and picked up his AK2. The Falco was completely deactivated. The cockpit was submerged in darkness, with all its functions lost. After all, the machine had lost its power unit. There¡¯s no way it would be able to move. ¡¸Urgh¡­ It¡¯s my complete loss.¡¹ The multi-cockpit system¡¯s shock mitigation function had also been lost when it was deprived of power. Hence, the shock from the impact when the machine crashed into the wall was immense. Blood freely flowed down from Bardo¡¯s forehead. Still, he wore an amused smile. Now, he was sure that there definitely were even more monsters out in the world aside from Takaba Hyoue. He burned Kou¡¯s name into his memory. Now, he had two people he wanted to fight. He mused that this was why it was worth it to side with the Stones. ¡¸A transferee huh. They sure are a damn group of monsters. ¨CKou huh. I¡¯m gonna fight you again. I definitely will!¡¹ His machine should have had a better performance. No, it¡¯s just that the enemy¡¯s thruster was too damn special, he thought. But he knew in his heart that he was just making excuses for himself. Bardo inwardly vowed to have a rematch with his new target. Inside the hangar carrier of Kou¡¯s group, the two lady Therianthropes gleefully cheered. Aimer, who was usually expressionless, had the corner of her lips slightly arched up, forming a faint smile. As for Blue, she was still gobsmacked after witnessing Kou¡¯s battle. To her, Kou¡¯s earlier moves were like seeing a completely different person. It was the same for Unit 5. She was familiar with the name ¡°Bardo¡±. He was the captain of the Underground Force Desmodas and a genuine battle maniac. With him defeating such a famous pilot, Kou¡¯s name would probably become quite well-known from here on out. And then, she remembered the alternate meanings of the name ¡°Lanius¡± that she looked up previously. The Butcher. The Slaughterer, The Ripper, The Impaler¡­¡­ They all sounded pretty grisly. The shrike, or butcherbird, was associated with those appellations. The Falco, with its back impaled with a sword, was simply the ¡°butcherbird¡¯s¡± prey. The Slaughterer or The Ripper. No, perhaps The Impaling Sword Demon would be more appropriate. ¨CKou fought in a way that well deserved such a nickname. ¡¸That was wonderful.¡¹ She connected to Kou¡¯s comms and only managed to say those words to him. Kou, meanwhile, sported a complicated expression. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ ¡¸No, well¡­¡­ It¡¯s about the battles I fought previously. This is the first time I actively fought with the intent to kill, so I was wondering if my actions were really alright. That¡¯s all.¡¹ Kou wanted to grasp victory by preventing the enemy machines from fully making use of their capabilities. In his last fight, he wanted to determine the power of the other party, clash with him with all his strength, and then surpass him. Of course, soldiers were supposed to be prepared to perform even less-upstanding methods to achieve victory. Therefore, he employed the most efficient and effective actions to win. However, it wasn¡¯t exactly an upfront and honest clash of skills. ¡¸D-Don¡¯t be an idiot! That was an amazing battle! This is a battlefield you know!¡¹ Blue couldn¡¯t help but shout at Kou in admonishment. ¡¸Mm. You¡¯re right.¡¹ This person was really hopeless, Blue inwardly sighed. He was hopeless if no one watches over him. Blue was convinced that was the case and resolved herself to keep an eye on Kou. ¡¸Let¡¯s move on. Asia¡¯s waiting.¡¹ Kou forcefully changed the topic. Things felt pretty awkward. Blue let out a soft sigh and nodded in response. CH 50 The two Silhouettes continued advancing through the huge underground passageway. A sturdy and secure-looking bulkhead rose up and allowed them to advance to the deepest part of the facility. ¡¸Asia!¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but shout Asia¡¯s name aloud. There was a huge computer-like structure at the back of the innermost chamber, and struggling in front of it was a bound Asia, who looked older than when he first met her. She seemed to be about 15 or 16 years old in appearance. She still had her long silver hair and white dress but was currently bound by chains. Her mouth was also gagged by chains. She seemed so tightly bound that her beautiful brown-colored skin was marred with red marks in several places. Even her waist-length silver hair was bound by the chains. And what was even more surprising was her size. Her size was actually on par with a Silhouette¡¯s. The moment she noticed Kou, Asia became teary-eyed. Her sorrow-filled eyes appeared like they were seeking help. ¡¸Kou, what are you seeing out there? Is Asia really here?¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t see her?¡¹ ¡¸No. I¡¯m sorry.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, the video feed from Unit 5¡¯s camera also hasn¡¯t captured anything.¡¹ Both Blue, who was together with Kou, and Aimer, who was watching the camera feed on the hangar carrier¡¯s monitor, couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡¸So I suppose I¡¯m the only one with a matching wavelength right now huh. So it¡¯s kinda similar to having a knack for seeing ghosts. Uh, but in this case, it¡¯s actually a goddess.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s Asia¡¯s situation?¡¹ ¡¸You really can¡¯t see her, Blue? There¡¯s a Silhouette-sized silver-haired young girl bound in chains right in front of us.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s the image that represents the current state of Asia huh.¡¹ ¡¸How should we free her though¡­¡­?¡¹ Kou and the others couldn¡¯t come up with anything. ¡¸Kou, can you hear me? I¡¯m analyzing the situation from here.¡¹ ¡¸Master!¡¹ Master spoke to Kou in Aimer¡¯s voice. They were currently in an emergency situation, so she must have switched with the girl. ¡¸We¡¯re now at the critical point of this operation, so let¡¯s do our best. I believe you¡¯re currently in front of some sort of central computer. Asia should be sealed with quantum chains in a higher dimension.¡¹ ¡¸Quantum chains?¡¹ ¡¸Asia¡¯s main data, which was originally stored via a planetary level cloud storage network, is currently being held in an end node. She¡¯s being bound by a blockchain within a higher dimension that¡¯s maintained using her own power. The image you¡¯re seeing should be a visual representation of her actual status. Her bindings are so strong that it¡¯s even affecting the physical dimension. The release key would probably be obtained through clearing a zero-knowledge proof.¡¹ An isolated computer unit in a cloud network is what¡¯s called an end node. Hence, it was only natural that humans usually couldn¡¯t get in contact with Asia as long as they were incapable of interfering with the network. ¡¸So how do I solve it?¡¹ ¡¸The seal wasn¡¯t done by Asia herself, but¡­¡­ the enemy sure has used a very nasty seal. They used Asia¡¯s power, but Ashia herself isn¡¯t aware of what the solution is, and the verification system itself doesn¡¯t know either. There has to be some sort of trigger, but even I can¡¯t come up with anything definite.¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t we decode the encryption?¡¹ ¡¸There has to be a correct solution. It should be related to Asia herself. Since you are the Development Engineer she personally chose, you should be able to come up with the right solution.¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡­ Oh, right. Unit 5, help me out here. Can you use the Fennel OS to see if it can get us out of this deadlock?¡¹ Unit 5 stood perfectly still and seemed like it was staring directly at Asia. Ashia also seemed like she was staring back at it. ¡ºPlease try to say things to Asia that would remind her of her previous interactions with you, pilot. That will serve as the key.¡» Unit 5 presented its analysis with its usual synthetic-sounding voice. The ladies back in the hangar carrier and Blue all focused their attention on Kou. ¡¸Let¡¯s see. Asia, you were the one who saved me. You told me to move my feet and run. If you didn¡¯t do that, I might have already died back then.¡¹ Kou started talking about his memories involving Asia. ¡¸You asked me if I thought Master and Unit 5 had souls. And you told me to treasure all of the machines I¡¯d encounter during my lifetime. You also granted me the qualification to be a Development Engineer.¡¹ Kou talked about what happened between him and Asia, who still looked like a young girl back then. ¡¸Finally, the one who led me to find Astraea was also you, Asia. It was you. You told me to ask Master where our next destination would be. And there, I was able to meet very reliable comrades who I now treasure dearly.¡¹ After hearing Kou¡¯s words, Nyanta and Aki became teary-eyed. Aimer clenched her dainty fists. ¡¸I promised that I would definitely save you. So what should I do? What should I do in order to save you?¡¹ Kou asked with full sincerity. ¡ºHigh-dimensional consciousness link with Asia, complete. Zero-knowledge proof between Asia and the pilot, cleared. Matching zero-knowledge proof asymmetric emotional domain. Clear. Quantum chain release is now possible.¡» Unit 5 announced Kou¡¯s success. ¡¸So the asymmetric-model zero-knowledge proof made use of emotional wavelength huh. If so, then it really was impossible to create a key directly. It can only be shaped by two individuals with a shared emotional experience.¡¹ Master finally understood. Zero-knowledge proof. It was a method in cryptography where one party needed to prove to another party that they truly knew of a particular value without conveying any other information apart from the fact that they knew of it. Hence, the shared experience itself proved to be the release key. ¡¸Ashia, can I ask you something? Is this your main body? If so, is it possible for us to only move your data alone instead of moving this entire central computer? For example, is it possible for you to move to Astraea?¡¹ It just wasn¡¯t feasible for Kou and Blue to take the entire huge central computer with them. Hence, Kou brainstormed for a solution. Asia nodded in response. That meant it was possible. If so¨C ¡¸Aimer, transfer Asia¡¯s data to Astraea as fast as you can. You¡¯re observing the situation too, right, Astraea?¡¹ ¡¸Roger. Initiating data transfer. In addition to direct transfer to Astraea, I will also perform a simultaneous transfer to the hanger carrier to speed up the process.¡¹ ¡ºData transfer process will be placed as the top priority. Preparations complete. Process start. The planetary control AI Asia will now be transferred to the arsenal fortress central control facility.¡» Astraea also gave her response. ¡¸The quantum chains haven¡¯t been fully undone yet. Let¡¯s go, Unit 5.¡¹ The chains that were binding Asia were high-dimensional quantum chains. Hence, Unit 5 should be able to sever them using its Whis-infused great sword. As expected, the chains were quickly cut down. As Kou thought, it was possible to affect high-dimensional items using Whis-infused weapons. ¡¸Is Kou actually cutting down the dimensional disturbance? So Whis-infused items are actually able to interfere with the 5th dimension¡­¡­¡¹ Blue, who was observing the goings-on at the back, witnessed what Unit 5 had done. Unit 5 was effectively cutting down the dimensional cracks. In her eyes, it looked like Unit 5 was only cutting thin air since she couldn¡¯t actually see Asia herself. However, there were definitely changes occurring in the observation data. Unit 5 appeared to be performing an elegant sword dance. As the quantum chains continuously got cut down, the data transfer speed concurrently improved as well. Kou finally severed the chains blocking Asia¡¯s mouth. ¡¸Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t move yet, Asia. I¡¯ll get you free in just a bit.¡¹ ¡¸You came¡­¡­ You really came!¡¹ ¡¸Of course, I did. I promised, right? Just hold on a little more. I¡¯ll be done soon.¡¹ Asia stared straight at Unit 5 with moist eyes. CH 51 Unit 5 cut down the quantum chains one after another. Asia moved her now-free arms with a look of disbelief on her face. ¡¸Last would be the hair huh.¡¹ A particularly sturdy-looking chain was coiled around the tip of Asia¡¯s long silver hair. ¡¸Kou, please. Just cut my hair!¡¹ Asia suddenly requested with a bright and cheery tone. ¡¸Eh? But Asia¡¯s hair is¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s okay! It may look like hair to you, but it¡¯s still data. And one can always regrow their hair, right?¡¹ The appearance of Asia that Kou was seeing was ultimately just an image of the planetary control AI. A sort of illusory vision. It represented her current condition. If her data gets corrupted, it would appear as her getting injured. And since she was locked in an end node, she appeared to be bound in chains. Hence, cutting off the extraneous data represented as the tips of her hair shouldn¡¯t affect her as a whole. ¡¸You¡¯re right. I just didn¡¯t want to cut it if possible because your hair¡¯s really beautiful¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. Thank you. Oh, and also, I need to leave a part of me here. This place is set to self-destruct if I¡¯m ever completely taken out of it.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s how it is. Alright, I understand.¡¹ Kou was hesitant to cut Asia¡¯s beautiful hair, but he shouldn¡¯t have to worry much if it can grow back. Even more so if the facility was set to self-destruct if he didn¡¯t do it. He proceeded to promptly cut off the section of Asia¡¯s hair that¡¯s tied up by the chain. ¡¸Kou!¡¹ Asia quickly went forward and gave Unit 5 a hug. That¡¯s what Kou thought at first. However¨C Before he knew it, Asia was already together with him inside Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. She also reverted to a regular human¡¯s size. Asia dived straight into Kou¡¯s chest, and Kou reflexively hugged her back. He was surprised about how soft the young girl¡¯s body felt against his own. It even felt like the sensation passed right through his clothes and was already akin to their skin touching directly. He really couldn¡¯t claim that what he¡¯s experiencing was a mere illusory vision. ¡¸A-Asia?¡¹ ¡¸Now I can freely talk to you, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ ¡¸I have to thank everyone as well. Help me out, Unit 5.¡¹ ¡ºRoger.¡» Unit 5 responded to Asia¡¯s request. ¡ºKou, Unit 5, and everyone out there who helped out! Thank you!¡» Unit 5 transmitted Asia¡¯s message to all allied units. But it wasn¡¯t through the communications network. It was as if Asia¡¯s words were transmitted directly to everyone¡¯s minds. This was Asia¡¯s way of directly expressing how grateful she was. No other existence in the world would be able to perform such a feat. The rear support unit members loudly cheered. Everyone knew instinctively that it was Asia who spoke to them. The reactions of the frontline unit members who were engaged in combat were varied. Some of them screamed in joy. Some increased their focus once again. Others had their fighting spirit renewed and fought even more fiercely. But no matter what their reaction was, they were all happy at Asia¡¯s return. Meanwhile, Kou noticed something unusual happening in front of him. A Silhouette-sized Asia actually sprouted from the cut-off silver hair strands still tied to the chain. However, this Asia was half-transparent and appeared much more vacant than before. ¡¸What¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a dummy made by inflating the junk data from my residual data left in the system. This will serve to trick the Stones, at least for a short while.¡¹ ¡¸It looks a lot like you Asia, so it kinda feels painful to see.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re so nice, Kou!¡¹ The young girl proceeded to rub her cheek on Kou¡¯s chest as she fawned on him. ¡¸Kou, leave flirting around with a beautiful girl later, please. We¡¯re getting out of here.¡¹ Blue¡¯s chilly voice echoed out from Unit 5¡¯s comm. Kou felt as if she was somehow looking down on him in disdain. ¡¸Eh? Um, Blue. Can you actually see her now?¡¹ Kou felt awkward about being seen frolicking around with Asia. Asia giggled and sat up. ¡¸She¡¯s a Nereid. She¡¯s can see me when I¡¯m together with Kou!¡¹ Asia grinned mischievously as she waved at Blue¡¯s image on the comm window. ¡¸The one waving her hand is Asia, right? Hello, Ashia. I¡¯m honored to finally meet you.¡¹ Blue¡¯s expression finally loosened up. Kou thought her cold demeanor earlier must have only been his imagination. ¡¸Thank you as well, Blue!¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t have to thank me. Rescuing you is the top priority of those living on this planet and us Nereids, Asia.¡¹ Blue sounded like she was a bit overwhelmed. It was an indication of just how important Asia was to her and those living on Planet Asia, apart from those who threw their lot at the Stones. ¡¸It looks like the data transfer process is about to be finished. I¡¯ll be waiting for you at Astraea.¡¹ ¡¸Alright. We¡¯ll be returning too.¡¹ Asia¡¯s body was wrapped in a torrent of light. Her body gradually became more transparent until she finally disappeared completely. ¡¸Let¡¯s go back.¡¹ Blue¡¯s tone turned cold once again. Kou wondered if she was actually sulking. ¡¸Um, Blue. Err, are you angry?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not.¡¹ She denied being angry even though it was obvious that she was. CH 52 The battle between the enemies defending the Fortress Area and the mixed force led by Rick and Jenny had developed into a stalemate. A large number of Silhouette reinforcements appeared and fought with the super-heavy tank as their core. Their infantry defensive formation sported quite the heavy firepower. ¡¸Tsk. We can¡¯t approach them carelessly huh.¡¹ Jenny couldn¡¯t hide her annoyance. Moreover, Rick and his men were really pushing themselves. He prioritized quickly sending away his men whose machines had taken too much of a beating for emergency field repairs so they could rejoin the battle once more. It fully displayed their determination to stick it out to the very end. But suddenly, a transmission from Kou came. Before they could even react, a voice reverberated in their minds. ¡ºKou, Unit 5, and everyone out there who helped out! Thank you!¡» Words of gratitude echoed directly within their minds. They understood immediately. It was the voice of the planetary control and management AI, Asia. Kou had succeeded in his mission. ¡¸Rick! Kou really did it!¡¹ ¡¸Kou performed splendidly. As expected of our client eh?¡¹ Rick grinned widely in elation. The St. Bernard-model Familiar¡¯s smile had a sort of fiendish charm to it. ¡¸The operation was a success. Let¡¯s fall back, Rick!¡¹ ¡¸We still can¡¯t do that right now. We have to stick around until Kou and the others have made their escape. We¡¯ll keep maintaining the frontline. It wouldn¡¯t be funny if we pulled out right now and the enemies end up finding out our true aim.¡¹ ¡¸But your machine¡¯s already at its limit!¡¹ ¡¸A little more¡­ Just a little more¡­¡­¡¹ There were currently three allied tanks still fighting in the frontline. If this delicate balance collapses, the enemy will surely launch an attack at once. There was also a chance that they would change their target to Kou and the others. Rick knew that this had to be prevented no matter what. The super-heavy tank was a lot more troublesome than expected. Its firepower was more or less a bluff, but it functioned amazingly as a mobile wall. Its main cannon¡¯s ammo was also regularly being replenished by a Silhouette. The process was relatively simple because the main cannon was a cartridge-type. It was a constant and imposing presence on the battlefield. Furthermore, it also had an escort of tanks similar to those driven by Rick and his men. Hence, the enemy defense line was both solid and powerful. ¡¸Is this Rick-san? It looks like the frontline troops can¡¯t get close to the enemy. Give me the exact coordinates of the enemy super-heavy tank relative to your position.¡¹ It was a transmission from Voy to Rick. ¡¸I¡¯m sending the data now.¡¹ ¡¸Once I make my move, you guys fall back a bit. Jenny, prepare your Silhouette unit for a head-on assault. If you guys want an opening, then I¡¯ll just create one.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. We¡¯ll wait for your arrival.¡¹ ¡¸Alright. It seems you have a good plan in mind.¡¹ Jenny instructed the Silhouette unit to prepare for a full-on assault through the terminal. In order to reduce the burden shouldered by the allied tanks and armored vehicles, the Silhouettes quickly got ready. ¡¸Please leave fire support to us.¡¹ Rick ordered the support vehicles to provide cover fire for the Silhouette unit of Metal Iris. ¡¸Gotcha. I¡¯ll be there soon!¡¹ A few minutes later, something finally occurred in the stagnant battlefield. ¡¸Hm? Why¡¯d the alert go off?¡¹ The driver of the super-heavy tank spoke to the gunner seated right behind him. ¡¸We¡¯re being attacked. ¨CI-It¡¯s coming from below us!¡¹ ¡¸What!? I¡¯m not detecting any heat sources! Just what kind of attack is it!?¡¹ They were plunged into a slight state of panic. They were certainly being attacked. However, it didn¡¯t appear to be shaped charge anti-tank mines. In the first place, they haven¡¯t moved out of the defensive line at all. So there¡¯s no way the enemies could have planted mines under their noses. ¡¸A physical attack from something excavating the ground below us? What the hell is with this alert notice!?¡¹ The tank driver bellowed in confusion. They were being threatened by something incomprehensible. It certainly wasn¡¯t an attack by a Silhouette. Grating metallic noise that made one want to plug their ears gradually became louder and louder. It was as if it was gouging open the tank¡¯s metal alloy chassis. The super-heavy tank rose upward¨C The armored excavator driven by Voy finally appeared from underground with its drill rotating at full power. It pierced the bottom of the super-heavy tank and raised it from below. ¡¸Take this! Drill goooooo!¡¹ Voy¡¯s excited scream roared out. ¡¸Hey, what the heck is that?¡¹ ¡¸Err, apparently, it¡¯s Kou-san¡¯s machine and his Familiar friend.¡¹ ¡¸Relax, guys. That¡¯s an ally.¡¹ ¡¸They freakin¡¯ used a drill to attack a super-heavy tank? That¡¯s crazy man!¡¹ The Metal Iris and Storm Hound members were dumbfounded by the appearance of a never-before-seen weapon(?). The enemy Silhouettes assembled around the super-heavy tank became flustered. Only the drill of the armored excavator had stuck out of the ground. The super-heavy tank would take hits as well if they launched a careless attack. The main body of the armored excavator was hidden beneath the ground. The people controlling the super-heavy tank were in an even greater state of panic. Its power pack had taken a hit from the drill, and it had completely shut down. After confirming that, Voy made the armored excavator retreat below the ground again. After diving down momentarily, Voy made the armored excavator surface once more in a different spot. The excavator¡¯s main body was protected by its cylindrical shield. Even after taking hits from the barrage unleashed by the enemies, the tough shield rotated at high speed and bounced off all the attacks. ¡¸Now!¡¹ Voy signaled to the rest of the troops. Rick and his tanks started advancing forward at full speed. Metal Iris¡¯ Silhouettes and the armored combat vehicles followed closely behind them. They rapidly approached the enemy defense line. The Silhouettes of Metal Iris were sporting huge axes. They were anti-tank axes ¨C battle axes designed to cut down tank turrets and treads. The armored vehicles continuously unleashed support fire from behind. ¡¸Haa!¡¹ There was a single Silhouette flying above the battlefield. It was Jenny¡¯s machine. Taking advantage of the chaos, it soared high into the sky and plunged down on the panicking enemies. It quickly cut off the barrel of the super-heavy tank¡¯s main gun with its high-frequency vibro-heat blade. The enemies quickly fired at her machine in retaliation, but Jenny made use of the super-heavy tank¡¯s body as a shield and avoided taking damage. She then cut off the barrel of another tank¡¯s gun and slalomed away to safety. The enemy Silhouettes tried to give chase, but the Metal Iris Silhouettes and the armored combat vehicles configured as tank destroyers barred their way and launched their own attack. A Metal Iris Silhouette made good use of its giant battle-ax to cleave the treads and turret of an enemy tank. The anti-tank axe that used abundant heavy metals to increase its weight can be said to be the natural enemy of tanks that aren¡¯t good at close range. The tank was quickly incapacitated and turned into scrap metal. ¡¸Fall back! Abandon the super-heavy tank. Hurry and pull the MCS out of it!¡¹ The enemy commander shouted to the rest of his troops. An enemy Silhouette pulled out the MCS of the super-heavy tank, held it with both hands, and started running away. With that, the tank was reduced to nothing more than a giant metal box. The other enemies also started retreating from the current defense line. ¡¸The enemy has begun to retreat!¡¹ The communications vehicle relayed a report to the rest of the allied troops. ¡¸So he used a crazy new weapon to create a breakthrough huh.¡¹ Rick muttered under his breath. ¡¸But it all went as planned. Next, we just need to deploy a temporary defense line in the rear to cover our retreat. We no longer have any business here on X463 after all.¡¹ It was a declaration of victory. CH 53 ¡¸J-Just what the hell was that subterranean tank!?¡¹ A man was screaming hysterically within a room inside Fortress Area X463¡¯s control center. It was the Development Engineer, Alberto Knapp. ¡¸Did you really have something like that available? Gaaah, answer meee! Damned Development Department!¡¹ He called on to the control center¡¯s weapons development AI. ¡ºThe answer would be a definite no.¡» The weapon development AI¡¯s reply was short and blunt. ¡¸So is that a weapon from the Planetary War era then?¡¹ ¡ºIncorrect. I believe it was designed and manufactured by a Development Engineer.¡» ¡¸So it¡¯s possible for me to create something like that as well?¡¹ ¡ºI believe that would be difficult for you. The materials used to build it are within the scope of your authority to manufacture, Alberto. But it also requires a high level of AI support and flexible thinking. Both of which are currently beyond you.¡» ¡¸An A rank huh. Dammit.¡¹ ¡ºEven an A rank Development Engineer will have a hard time creating such a weapon.¡» ¡¸Haa!? You mean there¡¯s actually a rank higher than A?¡¹ There were only 6 recognized A rank Development Engineers in the Nemesis warfront. Even B rankers like Alberto himself were considered talented geniuses. He didn¡¯t even think of the possibility that there could be a rank higher than A. ¡ºYou do not have the authority to obtain such information.¡» ¡¸So there really is one! That response proves it!¡¹ ¡ºI¡¯m sorry, but cannot answer your query.¡» ¡¸A true genius huh. Either that or it¡¯s someone who had obtained a rank higher than A that may or may not even exist. Dammit. Either way, they¡¯ve really messed around with me!¡¹ He watched through a monitor as the MCS was pulled out of the super-heavy tank. They were going to abandon his creation. ¡¸Wait. I don¡¯t know if there really is a genius higher ranked than A, but why did such a person invade Fortress Area X463 in the first place? I wasn¡¯t really interested in it, but is there really something sealed up within this place? Hey, contact Bardo for me!¡¹ Bardo, who headed for the sealed section of the Fortress Area, was an E rank Development Engineer. He was able to activate and control repair and maintenance facilities and other small-scale unmanned facilities, but large-scale ones were out of his reach. In the first place, the sealed section couldn¡¯t be entered by those without a Development Engineer qualification or something comparable. Even the unmanned weapons of the Stones and their official envoys were unable to enter it. It was an ancient facility that may date back to the Interplanetary War era, or even the Planetary Pioneering Era. ¡ºBardo was defeated by an enemy Silhouette. He has an 85% probability of surviving the battle.¡» ¡¸You¡¯ve gotta be kidding me! You¡¯re saying that guy was actually defeated? Just how much did you think I forked out to get my hands on that Falco!? No, that¡¯s not the point. He got defeated even when piloting a Falco¡­¡­ Was it Takaba? But he¡¯s an A rank¡­¡­¡¹ Of course, it would be quite difficult for those who allied themselves with the Stones to obtain weapons and technology from the human side. It was especially difficult to get the latest machine models, even on the black market. Even so, he was still asked by Bardo to buy the TSF-R10 Falco for more than 5 times the market price. ¡ºThe details of the enemy pilot are unknown. The Silhouette used was a TSW-R1 Lanius.¡» ¡¸Have someone go rescue him then.¡¹ ¡ºCurrently, you are the only individual who has the right to enter the relevant section.¡» ¡¸It¡¯s impossible for me to fight it out with the intruders you know!¡¹ ¡ºThe intruders have already left the sealed section.¡» ¡¸So you¡¯re really telling me to get out there huh. Dammit. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m cleaning up after a mercenary. ¨CFine. I suppose I¡¯ll have him owe me a favor then. Can¡¯t be helped.¡¹ Bardo was useful. That, at least, was certain. Although he hated the fact that the man was a battle maniac, he wasn¡¯t totally broken as a human. So it would be best to still have him on hand. And then, Alberto suddenly realized something. ¡¸Wait. Was the Lanius pilot actually a Development Engineer as well? Yes, that has to be it. If that wasn¡¯t the case, then that person wouldn¡¯t have been able to enter the sealed section in the first place.¡¹ ¡ºThat is correct.¡» The control center¡¯s AI wasn¡¯t capable of lying. It will simply refuse to answer if it wasn¡¯t allowed to share certain information. A wild conjecture formed within Alberto¡¯s mind. He was, in the end, also a kind of genius. ¡¸Did that Development Engineer achieve their goal?¡¹ ¡ºI am unable to ascertain the intruder¡¯s goal. Hence, I am unable to say if they had accomplished their goal or not.¡» ¡¸Just what did that intruder do within the sealed section?¡¹ It was a sealed section that only Development Engineers could enter. Alberto was trying to get to the bottom of things with only limited information available to him. ¡ºYou do not have the authority to obtain such information.¡» There you have it, Alberto mused. This probably meant that whatever the intruder did could only be accomplished by one who held a Development Engineer qualification higher than A rank. But he had definitely done something. Fortress Area X463 still hasn¡¯t self-destructed. If so, did he actually fail? It was strange that an individual capable enough to defeat someone like Bardo failed. Perhaps he used some form of deception to fool the eyes of the Stones. In order to confirm his theory, Alberto asked his final question. ¡¸Was that man an A rank or B rank Development Engineer? Please answer this question, at least.¡¹ ¡ºYou do not have the authority to obtain such information.¡» A smile formed on Alberto¡¯s lips. It was unmistakably filled with malice. It was as he¡¯d expected. The enemy Development Engineer was A rank or even higher. Can a mere C-ranker make a drill tank like that? Of course, not. It¡¯s said that the difference in authority between the A and B rank was immense. The level of their AI support was also highly different. They were said to be friendlier to A rank Development Engineers. And the difference in authority between B and C rank also included the extent of AI support available to them. A Development Engineer who was neither A nor B rank. The Weapons Development Department AI refused to answer his questions. The opponent wasn¡¯t a genius. Instead, it was a Development Engineer who obtained something like an S or perhaps EX rank qualification. This information had tremendous value. There was a weapons technology auction recently held by Okeanos. The weapons industry leaders throughout the Nemesis warfront as well as Fortress Area officials were eagerly searching for the technology¡¯s source. But until now, they haven¡¯t had any results. Alberto was currently the only one who managed to find him. That meant he would be able to freely sell such info to any company he chooses for undoubtedly enormous rewards. The identity of the enemy Underground Forces could be investigated at a later date. Once he compiled and analyzed the information, the answer would most likely come naturally to him. And there was the biggest question of all. Just what was the Development Engineer¡¯s goal? Alberto concluded that the answer would come to him as well if he analyzed the movements of the enemy force that attacked them today. He was quite confident of this. He surmised that the information he now held could even serve as an effective bargaining chip against the Stones. ¡¸Hmph. So his development of weapons is fully supported by super AI huh. He sure has it pretty good. And that drill tank¡­¡­ I¡¯m sooo jealous dammit! A drill¡¯s just cheating! Cheating, I tell you! I wanted to create such a weapon too!¡¹ Alberto started screaming hysterically alone inside his room. ¡¸Drills are greaaat! I wasn¡¯t able to come up with such an idea! Alright, I admit it. I admit it, you unknown Development Engineer. You are someone who possesses an imagination greater than me!¡¹ To think there was an even bigger idiot who surpassed an idiot who insisted on making super-heavy tanks, Alberto mused. Alberto was very self-aware about his inherent eccentricity, but this still severely hurt his pride. The man who looked at himself as a genius had admitted that he was lacking in imagination compared to another. He sincerely recognized his defeat. ¡¸It¡¯s unfair¡­¡­ It¡¯s so unfair! Dammit! Just wait until next time! As a fellow Development Engineer, I accept this challenge!¡¹ Albert gritted his teeth as he bellowed a declaration that would confuse the heck out of Kou if he were to hear of it. Kou and Blue had managed to reunite with Barry and the others. Barry and the others had just gone through a deadly battle with Keres, and they had managed to completely decimate the first wave. ¡¸Impressive as always, Kou. You actually went and defeated Bardo.¡¹ ¡¸So that uncle really was famous?¡¹ If he didn¡¯t take the initiative to go in for the kill first, Kou felt that he might not have won. At least, it would have been impossible without the use of the thruster equipped with the detonation engine. ¡¸He actually seems to be dissatisfied about the method he used to win though.¡¹ Blue¡¯s tone was a bit harsh. Perhaps she was so strict on Kou because she was worried about him, but he wasn¡¯t sure. He was only aware of how worried she was earlier because Aimer secretly told him through the comms. ¡¸You sure are a difficult fellow. A win¡¯s a win y¡¯know.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I get it.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve achieved our goal. Let¡¯s get out of here. It¡¯s gonna be a tough retreat.¡¹ ¡¸Did they already discover our infiltration route?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve annihilated the ones that came to get rid of us, and we made sure to fight them from here. It¡¯s unclear if they still had the numbers to search for our infiltration route.¡¹ By proactively going on an offensive, Barry and the others made the enemies prioritize intercepting them over searching for their infiltration route. After hearing that, Kou¡¯s tense nerves relaxed a little. They made their way back to the tunnel they used to infiltrate the Fortress Area interior. ¡¸The hole was closed up?¡¹ ¡¸No, no. This was my handiwork.¡¹ Fuyuki controlled his Silhouette and pulled something from the ground. It was a quantum stealth sheet made out of metamaterial. It was a kind of optical camouflage. ¡¸Jiraiya indeed¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ugh. I told you not to call me that. The second wave of enemies should be coming soon. Let¡¯s go.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. The tunnel is structurally weaker because it isn¡¯t fortified by Whis now. Please make sure to be careful.¡¹ When they infiltrated the place, the tunnel was structurally sound because the armored excavator driven by Voy provided Whis. Now, however, it was just held up by the hardening material alone. ¡¸I¡¯ll take the rear. The enemies are here. Hurry!¡¹ They entered the tunnel one after another. Kou was in the lead while Fuyuki brought up the rear. Fortunately, the tunnel didn¡¯t collapse on top of them, and they exited one after another. They all safely made it out. There were no enemies present outside. ¡¸Fuyuki-san?¡¹ Kou, who turned to confirm Fuyuki¡¯s escape, saw Fuyuki working on something at the tunnel opening. ¡¸Sorry for taking some time. Let¡¯s go.¡¹ The five machines started moving to rejoin the main force. Metal Iris had also already confirmed Kou and the other¡¯s successful escape from the Fortress Area. It seems they would be picked up by a recovery unit. As they advanced, a large explosion went up from behind them, causing a huge pillar of flame to rise up. The explosion was so powerful that the trees around the area were nearly brought down by the shockwaves alone. ¡¸Whoah. That surprised me. It was you, wasn¡¯t it, Fuyuki?¡¹ Mike asked as he watched the flaming pillar rise higher and higher. ¡¸I merely poured boiling water inside an ant nest.¡¹ It was Fuyuki who wiped out the chasing enemy Ant-type Keres by setting off explosives within the tunnel. The rest were probably buried underground. They succeeded in retreating with a huge fire pillar as the backdrop. CH 54 ¡¸The recovery unit has met up with Kou and the others!¡¹ This report was transmitted to all the troops. ¡¸Understood. Let¡¯s join up with the recovery unit as well. Main troops, get ready to withdraw from the battlefield!¡¹ Jenny gave out her commands. The allied troops immediately started preparing for withdrawal. They then gradually retreated from the battlefield. There wasn¡¯t any sign of pursuit from the enemy. The enemy¡¯s defensive line had also pulled back. The damage taken by the allied troops was quite extensive. Several of Storm Hound¡¯s Familiars were destroyed during combat. The MCS of their armored vehicles have already been recovered. It was still unknown if they could be reinitialized once they made it back to base. Two tanks and four armored combat vehicles were damaged severely. Three of Metal Iris¡¯ Silhouettes were also destroyed, but they suffered no human casualties. This was all thanks to Storm Hound¡¯s Familiars covering for them. ¡¸Jenny, you fought well. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.¡¹ ¡¸What are you talking about, Rick? Without you guys, we would have been toast.¡¹ Jenny got flustered after hearing Rick¡¯s words of gratitude. She truly felt his sincerity. ¡¸Hearing that makes me happy. It¡¯s truly our blessing to have gotten a chance to work with a great Underground Force like you guys.¡¹ ¡¸Ara, I¡¯m willing to work together with you guys anytime y¡¯know? We¡¯ll talk more once Kou gets back.¡¹ ¡¸Oya. So you were thinking the same thing as me then. That¡¯s a great proposal. Is that your decision as the captain of Metal Iris?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s my choice as the captain of Metal Iris as well as my personal decision. So it¡¯s both!¡¹ ¡¸Then allow me to consider the prospect seriously. I do hope you¡¯re not merely joking though.¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s definitely no joke. But I¡¯m sure our greatest obstacle would be persuading Kou himself!¡¹ ¡¸True. Then how about we form a united front, Jenny?¡¹ ¡¸Gladly!¡¹ A new power was being formed without Kou¡¯s knowledge. The Asia rescue operation would undoubtedly be one of the turning points of the war in the Nemesis theater. Both Metal Iris and Storm Hound were Underground Forces that have already been caught in the chaotic whirlpool. There would be no telling what would happen next. Hence, the leaders of both parties came up with the same idea and decided to propose a merger. In the first place, an Underground Force like Storm Hound that was composed mostly of Familiars was truly quite special. They have all lost their beloved masters. They could no longer walk with those whom they¡¯ve pledged their lives to serve. Hence, they wanted to inherit the will of their masters instead. There were also those who fought for revenge. Each of them had various reasons for deciding to fight. Those who have lost such a reason would merely choose to deactivate for eternity. But they, at their core, wanted to support humans and be of help to them. As long as someone still relied on them, they would continue to persist. There were the Metal Iris members who fought with them in order to rescue Asia. Then there was the client who hired them ¨C Kou. There would be no chance that anyone from Storm Hound would oppose such a decision. ¡¸All units have left the battlefield!¡¹ A report relaying the completion of battlefield withdrawal was received by both captains. ¡¸Begin heading to the meeting point! Operation complete¡­¡­¡¹ ¡ºThank you, everyone!¡» Trailing Jenny¡¯s words, Asia expressed her thanks once more. Asia appeared on both Rick and Jenny¡¯s monitors. She waved her hand at them after mischievously sticking out her tongue and giggled happily. This was her way of showing gratitude. This time, everyone let out loud cheers. They really did it. ¡¸The enemy forces have retreated. They have started withdrawing in earnest.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like they finally gave up.¡¹ Miles patted his chest in relief. The enemy assault was fierce. They should have taken more serious damage than the other party. There were also several casualties among them. ¡¸It looks like we somehow managed to protect Fortress Area X463. This will help raise Captain Bardo¡¯s reputation even further.¡¹ He found it a bit strange that there had been no word from Bardo yet, but Miles didn¡¯t think there would be someone capable of defeating their captain among the enemies. They would need two full Silhouette platoons in order to go up against him. That meant at least six Silhouettes working together. It was reported that five Silhouettes managed to infiltrate the Fortress Area. However, it seemed they had split up. The Keres should have dealt with some of them. There were no abnormalities in the sealed section as well. Miles was surprised that the self-destruct countdown timer appeared momentarily, but it quickly stopped. There were also no reports from the control center. Thus, Miles surmised that Captain Bardo had accomplished the job. ¡¸Miles-kun. Hello, Miles-kun.¡¹ An emergency transmission came from the Development Engineer named Alberto. It was strange because Miles was aware the guy wasn¡¯t that interested in mercenaries. In fact, this was actually his first time getting a call from him. He opened the comm line and accepted the call. He was shocked by what he saw. Alberto was actually inside a multi-cockpit. Miles was suddenly overcome by a bad feeling. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Dr. Alberto?¡¹ ¡¸Bardo-kun got defeated. I¡¯m heading to the sealed section to rescue him. You guys better be thankful. You owe me one.¡¹ ¡¸Wha-! T-That¡¯s¡­¡­ Thank you very much! Please do rescue our captain.¡¹ Miles couldn¡¯t believe that Bardo had been defeated, but Alberto heading out to rescue him was even more unbelievable. It just wasn¡¯t like him. He surmised that the guy must have some other motive, but he at least ruled out the possibility of Alberto holding Bardo for ransom. Hence, it was better not to poke the hornet¡¯s nest. There was nothing to lose anyway. ¡¸But then¡­¡­ Will this Fortress Area actually self-destruct after all?¡¹ ¡¸It looks like we don¡¯t have to worry about that. The enemy might have failed their mission.¡¹ Alberto replied without batting an eye. Miles immediately noticed that Alberto was hiding something. But, technically, it¡¯s true that they haven¡¯t failed their own mission. So this must be Alberto¡¯s method of offering a way out. Miles realized they had no choice but to board the other party¡¯s pirate ship. There might be a huge price to pay later on, but it can¡¯t be helped. ¡¸I see. I sure hope so. I don¡¯t want to get caught up in a deadly explosion after all.¡¹ ¡¸Me too kid. Well then, I¡¯ll contact you again once I¡¯ve managed to recover Bardo.¡¹ After saying so, Alberto cut the transmission. ¡¸Defense unit, form up with the surviving troops. Maintain a tight defense line!¡¹ Miles gave out his orders to the rest of their troops. ¡¸I don¡¯t think there would be any more enemy attacks. ¨CNow then, did we really accomplish our mission, I wonder?¡¹ Miles muttered under his breath as he glanced at the former position of the enemy forces. CH 55 The Metal Iris and Storm Hound¡¯s combined forces quickly retreated and withdrew from the battlefield. The Asia Rescue Operation was a resounding success. They moved to the nearest Defense Dome in order to replenish their supplies and get some well-deserved rest. Jenny was called by Blue, so she made her way to a room inside their hangar carrier. ¡¸Thanks for escorting Kou, Blue.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing. It was an easier task than expected after all.¡¹ ¡¸But it looks like a really formidable rival appeared huh.¡¹ ¡¸Who¡¯s rivals with who!? Let¡¯s talk about the real issue at hand, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Alright. Shoot.¡¹ Jenny stopped fooling around and turned serious. ¡¸I think I have an idea about who the mastermind behind Kou is.¡¹ ¡¸As expected. And I suppose it¡¯s not Asia.¡¹ ¡¸Asia was a prisoner until recently. There is an existence that employed Kou in order to rescue Asia.¡¹ ¡¸An ¡°existence¡± huh. So it¡¯s not a human.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The mastermind¡¯s identity is probably¡­ Astraea.¡¹ ¡¸W-Wait! Hold up a bit.¡¹ Jenny¡¯s expression hardened. ¡¸Why did that name suddenly come up? That¡¯s the name of the demon that held power to destroy humanity back in the Interplanetary War era, right?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re putting her in a pretty bad light you know. She just worked to equalize the strength of all the major powers back then. Kou was probably transferred here by Astraea. There¡¯s no doubt about it.¡¹ ¡¸But she was so diligent and impartial in her job that she ended up providing frightening superweapons to all the major powers, and that resulted in the conflicts intensifying. We¡¯re talking about that Astraea, right? She was named after a goddess who upheld justice and equality represented by a pair of scales. And in the end, she used her sword to grant equal judgment onto humanity.¡¹ ¡¸Once upon a time, humans had managed to obtained iron and gold. After obtaining these metals that came from under the ground, the prosperity of humankind had reached its peak. Human hearts were greatly shaken and wars frequently occurred. This legend resembled the situation back in the Interplanetary War era. And an AI was named after the goddess who stayed in the mortal world until the end and supported humanity while extolling justice. This was the AI Astraea.¡¹ For Nereids like Blue, Astraea was akin to a distant relative. Hence, Blue didn¡¯t hold much ill will toward her. ¡¸So I guess that means she still holds hope for humanity huh.¡¹ ¡¸I heard that she self-destructed along with Sophia on the last day of the Interplanetary War era. The AI Astraea of the Integrated Weapons Development Department that reports directly to Okeanos, that is.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve heard that was the case too.¡¹ ¡¸Kou-kun¡¯s amazing, but he¡¯s gotten the attention of something even more amazing huh.¡¹ ¡¸If Astraea has decided to get close to Kou, then I don¡¯t think the results would be that bad. In other words, the balancing scales are now in Kou¡¯s hands.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­I find this idea unbelievable, but Kou-kun¡­ Don¡¯t you think he actually managed to get his hands on Astraea¡¯s integrated control facility?¡¹ ¡¸That can¡¯t be. Haha, that¡¯s actually not very funny you know¡­ Ugh.¡¹ The two ladies both laughed powerlessly. Integrated control facility. Just like the previously imprisoned Asia, Astraea should have a facility housing her central computer as well. If someone obtained it, they would also gain the help of the greatest support AI that had access to Okeanos. Then the two ladies finally remembered one crucial detail. Their mission this time around was issued directly by Okeanos. Jenny changed the topic to ease the awkward atmosphere a bit. ¡¸Hey, the names of the AIs that have taken the side of humanity were all taken from the Greek Titans and divine beings related to them, right¡­¡­? I wonder if there¡¯s a meaning in such a naming scheme.¡¹ ¡¸I think there is. After all, we Nereids followed that naming scheme as well. Astraea and Asia were related to Uranus and Gaia as well.¡¹ ¡¸But Nemesis is different, right?¡¹ ¡¸Nemesis was part of Khaos¡¯ clan, I think. But Uranus abided by Nyx, the mother of Nemesis.¡¹ ¡¸By the way, the developer of the Fennel OS was Prometheus, a high-dimensional observation computer¡¯s super AI, right? It¡¯s also named after a Titan deity.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯m not sure why the super AI of a high-dimensional supercomputer actually made the OS for escape pods and humanoid work machines designed to function in extreme environments, but¡­¡­ the theory that it loved humanity to a somewhat excessive extent is widely accepted.¡¹ ¡¸I wonder if this means humanity is going to have to fight against the Olympian gods at the end of it all.¡¹ ¡¸Titanomachy? I don¡¯t really think the Stones can be proper analogs to the Olympian gods, but they certainly have their arrogance down pat, don¡¯t they? They basically stopped being humans after all.¡¹ It was a tasteless joke. Blue let out an empty laugh, but she recomposed herself fairly quickly. ¡¸I wonder what Astraea wants Kou to accomplish.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s probably increasing humanity¡¯s strength by spreading weapons technology.¡¹ Jenny gave an answer immediately. ¡¸I¡¯m sure Astraea is plenty dissatisfied at the state of the present era. After all, humanity, which she was supposed to protect, is being pushed around by its enemies because of the severe lack of suitable equipment. So it¡¯s actually related to her reason for existence as well.¡¹ ¡¸So that auction was actually due to her? You¡¯re saying Astraea guided Kou to take such an action?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what I think. Picture it this way. The auction was meant to release patented technology to the public. That means even latecomers would be able to get their hands on them eventually. Don¡¯t you think something that impartial is a bit impractical?¡¹ ¡¸I see. If we were in Kou¡¯s place, then limiting the technology distribution to a certain extent would allow us to amass a lot of benefits¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s it. Of course, Kou is so good-natured that he might have thought of sharing the technology and giving an equal opportunity to everyone anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Maybe Astraea found it convenient that Kou was such a person.¡¹ ¡¸A lot of things make sense now, don¡¯t they? If Astraea is really the one behind Kou, then I feel like I somehow understand his actions now.¡¹ The two of them felt that they couldn¡¯t hope to imagine just how an AI that looks after humanity actually thought. Jenny herself was feeling quite overwhelmed by the discussion already. ¡¸For Astraea, the Stones are clearly enemies. After all, they seek to restrain human will itself. They are the enemy of all intelligent life on the Nemesis warfront, and now, the balance between good and evil has clearly tipped. And evil is prevailing.¡¹ ¡¸The Stones are evil? No. I¡¯m sorry, but I beg to differ, Jenny. They aren¡¯t necessarily evil. They merely made a different kind of choice.¡¹ ¡¸They are the embodiment of malice. Absolute evil. Just why do we have to be killed by those freaks who quit being human? Those unfeeling monsters. I take back my earlier statement about Astraea being a demon. The scales are in Kou-kun¡¯s hands already. And what is needed now is the sword of judgment.¡¹ Afterward, Jenny showed Blue a big smile. ¡¸Hey, let¡¯s become Astraea and Kou-kun¡¯s sword of judgment, Blue.¡¹ ¡¸Jenny?¡¹ ¡¸We of Metal Iris and Storm Hound will gather under Kou¡¯s banner. And it¡¯s not just a temporary alliance. We are planning on becoming a single Underground Force.¡¹ ¡¸Just when did you plan for such a thing!? And I don¡¯t think Kou would just agree to it either.¡¹ ¡¸So I¡¯m asking you to help out, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Please don¡¯t act cute with me. Uu¡­¡­ Why are you always charging ahead into things so recklessly like this? Honestly, you and Kou make for a good combination, Jenny. Truly birds of a feather.¡¹ Blue¡¯s brows wrinkled in worry. ¡¸Aww, don¡¯t think so hard about it. Let¡¯s just have fun with everyone! Alright?¡¹ ¡¸Well, it certainly does sound fun.¡¹ ¡¸There you go. I¡¯m counting on you when we meet up with Kou later, okay? He might come to meet us immediately once he gets back to the base. It feels like he has something to discuss with us as well. And even if he doesn¡¯t come now, he¡¯ll meet up with us again after one to two months. We¡¯ll settle it at that time.¡¹ ¡¸So it looks like you really are selling us off huh.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I really think this is the best course of action for us though.¡¹ Jenny¡¯s smiling face turned grim for the briefest of moments as she muttered under her breath. ¡¸¨CAnd with this, I¡¯ll be able to fight it out with those Stones to my heart¡¯s content.¡¹ Blue gazed at Jenny with a pained look in her eyes. CH 56 Fuyuki was called up by Blue and Kou, so he made his way to the hangar carrier of Metal Iris. It seemed Kou had something to discuss with him before he returned to his own base. When Fuyuki arrived, he found the two already chatting inside the break room. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for making you wait.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nice to finally meet you, I guess?¡¹ ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon. We¡¯re essentially comrades already. Let¡¯s do away with all the stiff formalities, shall we?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, you¡¯re right. I¡¯m already comrades with you huh, Fuyuki-san.¡¹ Kou smiled in acknowledgment. Since they already fought together side by side, giving a formal greeting now would sound too uptight. ¡¸You had something you want to ask me?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about the knowledge you have from back when you were still in Japan. You said you used to work in sales, right, Fuyuki-san?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. You wanna know about stuff regarding the sales business?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. For example, what are the essentials if you want to start your own business? I don¡¯t have any relevant knowledge you see.¡¹ ¡¸So you plan on starting a business eh?¡¹ ¡¸Just as a front, I suppose.¡¹ Blue had an idea about the reasoning behind Kou¡¯s actions, but she didn¡¯t ask him about it directly. She decided to just quietly listen to the two¡¯s discussion for future reference. ¡¸Business sounds easy but is actually fairly difficult, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ Coming from a technical high school, Kou only worked part-time at a factory while he was still in the middle of his high school studies. ¡¸There¡¯s a simple and easy rule to success.¡¹ ¡¸Oh?¡¹ ¡¸People will frequent stores that sell what they want. See? Simple and easy, ain¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Err¡­¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ Kou knew Fuyuki would elaborate on the idea next. He was just a bit taken aback. ¡¸Yeah. I understand your confusion. There are a lot of factors to consider, actually. Supply and demand is one of them. The current trends are too. Pricing is also important, of course. So is the location of your store. Furthermore, the appeal of your products is also an important factor. The quality of the stock and clerks depends on the efforts of the establishment itself.¡¹ ¡¸Right.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s also important to spend some effort in promoting your products so people would like and eventually want them. Various forms of advertising such as commercials are a means to achieve this. This is what you call marketing. For example, in Japan, the most coveted spots for TV commercials are those aired in Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. They would allow the commercials to reach millions of people easily.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why they don¡¯t really air CMs in the countryside huh. They don¡¯t even air anime shows in Shizuoka.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, but that¡¯s where cable TV comes in. The rural provinces generally just follow the trends after all.¡¹ After talking this far, it was Fuyuki who asked a question next. Blue¡¯s brows were wrinkled because she couldn¡¯t follow the two¡¯s conversation. ¡¸What do you really want to know, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m a bit confused about that myself, honestly. Err, alright then. What do you think the battlefields throughout the Nemesis system are absolutely in need of?¡¹ ¡¸Weapons to fight the Stones, I believe.¡¹ ¡¸Cheap ones?¡¹ ¡¸The Silhouettes are plenty cheap as is you know. They¡¯re also weapons boasting a high survival rate. Hm. Now that I think about it, that does seem a bit difficult to determine.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Hey Blue. Do you have a weapon you really want to get your hands on?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d want a weapon that could launch attacks with impunity without any danger of being counterattacked.¡¹ ¡¸A super long-range railgun huh¡­¡­ But the Stones have that already, don¡¯t they?¡¹ ¡¸It would be nice to have a high-altitude bomber, but aerial crafts are basically sitting ducks to railguns. That¡¯s why they have all practically disappeared from the battlefield.¡¹ ¡¸A normal attack aircraft would be nice too, as long as they don¡¯t get shot down easily, that is. That goes for transport aircraft as well.¡¹ ¡¸Also, a fighter would be needed for aerial dogfights. It¡¯s difficult.¡¹ ¡¸Even if you attain air superiority over a large area, I think the benefits would just be minimal. That¡¯s how it is in the Nemesis warfront, at least. After all, Defense Domes and Fortress Areas are protected by shelters. And there isn¡¯t any existing power with an extensive territory anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Fighting is interspersed between many different localized battlefields after all. There aren¡¯t many scenarios where aircraft would prove effective, but they remain very expensive weapons, so they aren¡¯t practical at all.¡¹ ¡¸But thanks to high-dimensional projection armor, blasts that would normally down regular aircraft wouldn¡¯t be able to cause much damage. Direct hits from missiles would likely possess enough firepower, but they¡¯re expensive as well, so lots of mercenaries have a hard time securing them.¡¹ Kou received a detailed explanation from the other two about how and why aircraft stopped being used on battlefields. He¡¯d heard about it before, but it looked like the development of anti-aircraft weapons technology impacted the cost-effectiveness of combat aircraft more than Kou first expected. ¡¸As for drones¡­¡­ They¡¯d get their controls hacked, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Self-judgment AI installed in missiles can be easily taken over by the Fennel OS. That¡¯s why the ones being used nowadays are regular guided missiles. Some people have this ridiculous idea of aircraft piloted by Familiars being considered as unmanned, but I strongly disagree with that notion.¡¹ ¡¸Of course.¡¹ ¡¸Right. That¡¯s only natural.¡¹ The other two completely agreed with Fuyuki¡¯s distaste. ¡¸Let us move on to Silhouettes then. Ideally, you¡¯d want cheap and high-performance Silhouettes. So what would be required for those to be made available? Cheap replacement and upgrade parts, correct?¡¹ ¡¸Ones that can be used by existing Silhouette models?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Basically, it¡¯s a similar situation to 21st century Earth. For example, a certain large country¡¯s tank units were upgraded by simply replacing their main gun turrets and armor materials with better ones. They were still using the same basic model, but the performance of their tanks improved quite a bit. In fact, the tanks were designed with this method in mind from the beginning. The same basic principle can be applied to Silhouettes as well.¡¹ ¡¸But why? Wouldn¡¯t developing a newer model be cheaper?¡¹ ¡¸There are disarmament trends and the defense budget to consider. There¡¯s also the approval from congress. In other words, you need to factor in politics as well. Getting approval for the development of a new model is quite a tall order. There weren¡¯t just one or two projects that have been denied due to the massive costs involved. But you¡¯d have a comparatively easier time getting approval for a budget if it¡¯s just for improving existing units.¡¹ ¡¸Silhouettes are certainly cheap, but it still costs a lot of money to add various things to upgrade them.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. If you¡¯re working as a mercenary in this world, you¡¯d always be hankering for cheaper replacement and upgrade parts. Unfortunately, I can¡¯t say the upgrade parts available in the market today are very cost-effective.¡¹ ¡¸I see.¡¹ Fuyuki fixed his glasses and asked Kou another question. ¡¸Kou-san, were you aware that there was an auction that provided new technology to the companies that could successfully bid for them recently?¡¹ ¡¸I did hear about something like that.¡¹ Kou tried to play it cool, but unfortunately, his expression was easy to read. Blue managed to maintain her poker face, but she chose to keep quiet. She was aware Kou just basically dug his own grave when he decided to ask for advice. ¡¸Yes, about that auction¡­ I feel it¡¯s a bit regrettable. There¡¯s a slight disconnect between the goal of the person who provided the technology and the current market.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, that sounds interesting. Can you tell me more about that?¡¹ (Kou, you really need to learn how to act better, you dummy.) Blue felt sorry as she watched Kou¡¯s ill attempt at a neutral reaction. He basically spoke in a monotone and sounded very unnatural. ¡¸I basically understand what the provider was aiming for. He wanted to strengthen the logistics network in the Nemesis warfront. However, I feel that his overall vision was quite lacking. Perhaps that¡¯s because he focused too much on the perspective of Familiars.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m referring to coordination with Silhouettes. He provided blueprints for aircraft that can transport even large hangar carriers, as well as various armored vehicles and transport vehicles. However, they lacked the perspective of working with Silhouettes. This was because the provider focused single-mindedly on the perspective of Familiars. I¡¯m sure of this much, at least.¡¹ ¡¸I-I see¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Familiars and Therianthropes can¡¯t pilot Silhouettes after all. That¡¯s why the technology provided only considered those who couldn¡¯t operate and use Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸I wouldn¡¯t have noticed if you didn¡¯t point it out.¡¹ ¡¸I haven¡¯t thought of it that far as well. As expected of you, Fuyuki.¡¹ Kou mulled over Fuyuki¡¯s points. It¡¯s true that he might have started wanting to improve the logistics network with a strong underlying desire of protecting the Familiars and improving their situation. As long as they had to work with Silhouettes, he had to take them into consideration as well from now on. ¡¸I heard they fetched quite high prices though.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because they¡¯re previously unpublished new technology after all. The companies wanted to secure them as soon as possible. They can perform further research earlier, and that would prove advantageous if the provider ever released new technology once again in the future. In other words, it¡¯s like a prior investment.¡¹ ¡¸What would have you done if it were you, Fuyuki-san?¡¹ ¡¸First, I¡¯d determine if I want to focus on Familiars working actively with Silhouettes or merely transporting them through the battlefield. Storm Hound can serve as a very nice reference since they are a Force composed mostly of Familiars. By improving the coordination ability between Silhouettes and armored vehicles, I believe the Familiars would find it easier to fight.¡¹ ¡¸So you had to consider the coordination ability between Silhouettes and armored vehicles right from the start?¡¹ ¡¸This was already envisioned when they started developing them to be combat-worthy in the first place. There are lots of ways they could work together. Magazine replacement, MCS retrieval, armor replacement, and the like. It is important to think one step ahead or even several steps. You don¡¯t have to place a lot of consideration on the companies that would acquire the technology. Instead, you have to focus on the end-users ¨C the Familiars and Therianthropes who would be using your products ¨C and think of ways to better protect them without your vision being constrained.¡¹ Kou finally realized the fact that the ones who would be using his products were indeed the Familiars and Therianthropes. Kou was worried about his ideas and plans being vague. Of course, the transferee-founded companies he provided the technology to were his customers as well. However, he remained vague about who exactly the ones the companies would be providing the products resulting from the technology he released. In other words, the end-users. He merely made sure the technology could be used by Familiars and considered nothing else. He wanted to know what he should do to protect them better. Kou was finally clear about what he wanted to do. Fuyuki really was quite sharp. He should have already noticed Kou¡¯s secret. And Kou felt gratitude for all the detailed advice Fuyuki gave him. Fuyuki laughed in a shy manner. ¡¸Sorry for sounding so self-important.¡¹ ¡¸No, it¡¯s fine. You were a great help. I¡¯m glad I talked to you. Can I consult with you again in the future? Maybe there would be something Jenny and I need your help with.¡¹ ¡¸Gladly. Just give me a call and I¡¯ll come running.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. I¡¯ll be going then. Blue, Fuyuki, I¡¯ll see you guys later.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ll be waiting for your call.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to what joke you¡¯ll pull on your next song request. You better make it good, Guy Who Got Fooled by the Cover.¡¹ ¡¸Haha.¡¹ Kou let out an embarrassed laugh and left the break room. After confirming that Kou was gone, Blue turned to Fuyuki. ¡¸Fuyuki, when did you realize it?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡¹ Fuyuki¡¯s smile never wavered as he walked away with a self-assured gait. CH 57 Kou and the others finally made it back to Astraea. Presently, Kou was inside the combat command post. Asia and another young woman were also present inside the command post with him. Asia took the appearance of a silver-haired petite young girl. The other young woman was a blonde and tall Caucasian just like Jenny, but it was as if her beautiful features were carved from the finest marble. She was a woman who appeared somehow divine. The two young women were wearing loose white outfits of a similar design. ¡¸Welcome back, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m back, Asia. Who¡¯s this?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Astraea, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Astraea!¡¹ Kou was astonished. He didn¡¯t think Astraea could also take the form of a girl just like Asia. ¡¸I and Astraea are kinda like cousins. Um, or maybe you can even call us sisters?¡¹ ¡¸Even so, I am essentially different from you, Asia. I¡¯m akin to a spare unit. My main body has already been lost forever.¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹ Kou thought that it should have been painful for Astraea to lose her main body permanently. He wouldn¡¯t be able to help her, unlike Asia. He was quite indebted to Astraea. He felt a bit frustrated due to how helpless he was regarding the matter. ¡¸It¡¯s already fortunate that she¡¯s been able to retain about 30% of her functions. Me right now can only use 10% you know.¡¹ ¡¸I see. We only recovered part of you, after all, Asia. We still have a long way to go to fully rescue you.¡¹ ¡¸You have succeeded in taking Asia back. There is a big difference between zero and ten percent. That is a fact. The situation on Planet Asia has definitely improved. Even Asia at 10% functionality is already equal to me at 50%.¡¹ Astraea explained to Kou with an unsmiling expression. Kou felt she was complimenting him, but he couldn¡¯t look at her directly because she was just too beautiful. ¡¸I heard about what you wish to do from Astraea, Kou. I may have limited authority right now, but I can still grant you what you need.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great. Thank you Asia.¡¹ ¡¸First, you want to obtain the right to manufacture a small ultra-high pressure furnace for producing metallic hydrogen, right? We¡¯re cutting it quite close with this one. You knowledge about the material is insufficient, Kou. I¡¯m not blaming you though.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry for asking something so unreasonable.¡¹ The extent of the knowledge provided to humans also depended on an individual¡¯s understanding of said knowledge. Originally, Kou¡¯s request would have been impossible to grant due to his lacking understanding. ¡¸Next is improving the range of nanocarbons and nanocarbon composites that get produced. Doing this would greatly expand your development options.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be fine when it comes to that technology. I learned a lot about it from Astraea after all.¡¹ ¡¸Lastly, we¡¯ll be resuming Familiar production. Since my current level of authority is limited, we probably wouldn¡¯t be able to produce a lot, but I¡¯ll do my very best.¡¹ ¡¸Familiars huh. I heard their numbers have been steadily decreasing because the Stones are really hostile to them and actively hunt them down. That¡¯s great news.¡¹ When Asia got captured, the Familiar production facilities all throughout the planet got deactivated. Once Asia gets rescued fully, full production could resume, and the number of Familiars who will serve as the friends and partners of humans will increase again. That¡¯s a very good thing, Kou thought. ¡¸I¡¯m going to use this facility as my base, but I also have to manage and maintain the climate control facilities around the planet. That means you wouldn¡¯t be able to see me for a while, Kou. I wanted to inform you first before I go.¡¹ ¡¸Looking after the planet is your job after all. I¡¯m sorry I wouldn¡¯t be able to help more with that, but I promise I¡¯ll work hard to retrieve the rest of your captured data, Asia.¡¹ ¡¸Hearing you say that makes me really happy. If you need me, just call and I¡¯ll come flying to your side right away, Kou! Astraea¡¯s here too. You can definitely rely on her as well.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯m different from my main body. I have decided to work closely with Kou and stay by his side. Be at ease, Asia.¡¹ ¡¸Oh. I never thought I¡¯d hear something like that from you, Astraea¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by that, Asia?¡¹ ¡¸You see, Astraea here adheres strongly to the principle of equality. It¡¯s her core behavioral trait. And she just declared she¡¯s going to stay by your side and watch over you closely, Kou. That¡¯s really amazing you know.¡¹ ¡¸Are you really okay with that, Astraea?¡¹ ¡¸My main body was the one who adhered strongly to that principle. I am different. I am only an arms factory AI. Please don¡¯t think so hard about it, Kou. You are not the one being balanced on a scale. Rather, you own the scale itself.¡¹ ¡¸Uh, I feel like I¡¯ve been burdened with a lot more responsibility that way though.¡¹ ¡¸Our basic behavioral principle is to be beholden to humans after all. It¡¯s just that the previous Astraea was too much of a special case.¡¹ Astraea giggled cheerfully. But before long, she returned to her usual stoic countenance. ¡¸I feel like you need to know this, Kou. Normally, the Stones wouldn¡¯t be able to take advantage of us. But that lot actually used unorthodox means to take advantage of a loophole and gain access to us. They also used that method to capture me.¡¹ ¡¸What kind of trick did they actually use then?¡¹ Kou prepared to listen intently. The matter Asia was about to disclose would be able to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding the Nemesis warfront. ¡¸You¡¯re already aware that the Stones have transformed themselves into a single homogenous existence, and that they¡¯ve completely forsaken their humanity, right? Since they aren¡¯t human, normally, they wouldn¡¯t be able to access us. Normally, that is.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ve learned of that.¡¹ ¡¸Apparently, being a Stone is a serious bore. They don¡¯t possess the five senses after all. However, they managed to come up with a new form of entertainment. ¨CThat entertainment method is to install their data inside the minds of captured humans in order to enjoy temporary bodies. The original soul and personality of the person is completely deleted.¡¹ ¡¸Wha¨C!?¡¹ It was a more shocking matter than Kou expected. He didn¡¯t think the Stones would actually erase people¡¯s souls and hijack their bodies. ¡¸Do the humans know about this?¡¹ ¡¸They still aren¡¯t aware. Only a few humans can hear my voice. This was the case even before I was captured and sealed. Those who are able to faintly hear me are the A class Development Engineers.¡¹ Asia muttered in a forlorn manner. ¡¸After they¡¯ve installed themselves in humans, can they also be considered as humans by then? The answer was yes, unfortunately. That¡¯s how they were able to access me. They reverse-traced my data trail from the Interplanetary War era and managed to pinpoint the Fortress Areas where my data was sleeping. They simultaneously captured them all and proceeded to seal me up. They did so by ordering me to personally seal myself.¡¹ Kou had finally understood something. This was why the key to Asia¡¯s seal was only known to Asia. It¡¯s because the Stones that impersonated humans made sure to set things up that way. It seemed like the perfect seal since no one could actually hear Asia¡¯s voice clearly, and humanity didn¡¯t even know where exactly she was. ¡¸So that¡¯s why humans are being hunted down and captured unilaterally huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I did everything I could to help out you know? The Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids all cooperated to defend humanity in order to enact my will. But humanity¡¯s ability to defend itself had clear limits due to Sophia sealing the most advanced technology. So, with the last of my power, I asked Okeanos to summon transferees to Planet Asia in order to revive lost technology.¡¹ ¡¸And that¡¯s us; people whose deaths remain unconfirmed in the time periods we lived in huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Yes. This is the truth of what happened.¡¹ ¡¸The aim of the Stones is to return to Earth, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Their goal is to return to Earth and use our powers in order to revive it. But they still haven¡¯t found my main body yet. Well, even the current me doesn¡¯t know its location!¡¹ ¡¸Complete concealment huh.¡¹ ¡¸There are several outcomes for humans who have been captured by the Stones. They might be used as temporary bodies that the Stones will install their data to. The ones who are particularly skilled would be used as pawns. They might also be considered as breeding stock to produce suitable bodies for the Stones to install themselves to. Others would be deprived of their thoughts and live as biological labor machines to manufacture and maintain Murders. As for those who had no prominent skills to speak of¡­¡­¡¹ Asia hesitated to continue. It must be a truly unimaginable fate, Kou inwardly thought. He felt this was the case. ¡¸They will select humans with high ability and good looks based on current aesthetic sensibilities from among the ones they captured, erase their souls, and install themselves to enjoy temporary lives as mock humans. That is the true face of the hivemind lifeform known as the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸Even I was not aware of what the Stones were like until Asia shared this information with me.¡¹ Kou found it surprising that even Astraea didn¡¯t know, but she was sleeping underground for more than a thousand years until Kou reactivated her, so he supposed it was reasonable that she was unaware. It was only natural. ¡¸Those guys are already just like parasites that infest and take over humans huh. Isn¡¯t it laughable though? After all, they originated from the idea of denying the concept of individuality.¡¹ ¡¸It truly is ironic, isn¡¯t it? They espouse the idea of denying the very concept of individual differences but still insist on selecting bodies based on aesthetically pleasing appearances. For them, freedom and equality can only be enjoyed by those among their kind. And the act of living itself has turned into their pastime. That¡¯s why I absolutely do not want the Nemesis system to fall into their hands. This is also to honor Sophia¡¯s will of entrusting the Nemesis system to the humans.¡¹ ¡¸I feel the same. I¡¯m glad since I don¡¯t have to feel guilty when I fight them in the future.¡¹ For the first time, Kou had a clear picture of the enemy. In the past, he only fought unmanned murder machines in order to survive. ¡¸I already talked about this with Astraea, and there¡¯s something we want to entrust you with, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Power to fight with the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸I understand. Let¡¯s hear it.¡¹ Once he viewed the Stones as enemies he absolutely couldn¡¯t lose against, a clear will was born from within Kou. He realized it a bit late, but it seemed he had already taken himself as a true citizen of Planet Asia. CH 58 ¡¸This Mobile Arsenal Platform Astraea ultimately isn¡¯t suitable for combat. Though it certainly is more capable than the warships that have been unearthed and restored by humans thus far.¡¹ Astraea began explaining to Kou. ¡¸Its main function is as a logistical support ship after all. Its armaments aren¡¯t all that powerful either.¡¹ ¡¸I get that. In the first place, you wouldn¡¯t take a mobile arsenal platform all the way to the frontlines. The most important facility inside the ship is obviously the factory after all.¡¹ ¡¸Right. But now, I¡¯m able to reactivate several other spaceships with my current authority, so I¡¯ll hand one of them to you, Kou.¡¹ Asia puffed up her chest while sporting her usual sunny smile. ¡¸You sound so casual about it, but that¡¯s amazing you know.¡¹ ¡¸Anyway, I can only fully interact with you alone, Kou. And the ships aren¡¯t installed with amazing AIs like Astraea.¡¹ ¡¸I will make a copy of my data and install it to the ship¡¯s central computer later on. That will allow it to function in conjunction with the mobile arsenal platform if needed.¡¹ ¡¸That sure sounds like it¡¯s gonna be amazing.¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps it truly will.¡¹ Astraea readily admitted without batting an eye. She then pointed to the ceiling. ¡¸You aren¡¯t familiar with the upper section of this arsenal fort yet, right, Kou? It is currently still under the Stones¡¯ sphere of influence.¡¹ ¡¸Oh. You¡¯re talking about the facility aboveground, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The section aboveground is a base built within a hollowed-out mountain. Currently, the facility remains hidden and functional but is completely abandoned. There are only a few work robots moving about in it. All the arsenal facilities are underground after all.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s an abandoned base.¡¹ ¡¸It also serves as camouflage for the underground arsenal fortress. Let us liberate it and make use of Asia¡¯s spacecraft. Now that we will soon have access to metallic hydrogen, we should be able to use the rail catapult for launching large spacecraft into outer space.¡¹ ¡¸Hold up a bit. Is the base above us also one of those so-called undiscovered ruins?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ ¡¸If that¡¯s the case, then isn¡¯t it really valuable?¡¹ ¡¸Even if we can¡¯t turn it into a Fortress Area, it would be more than adequate to serve as a Defense Dome. All the important facilities, raw materials, and supplies are underground. We can use both facilities in tandem.¡¹ ¡¸I see. It¡¯s gonna be awesome then. Since we¡¯re basically on our own right now, I was planning on taking Voy and the others to join Metal Iris though.¡¹ ¡¸I think that is a good idea. You can give them access to the surface base and the new ship as souvenirs when you join their ranks.¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t those a little too excessive as souvenirs?¡¹ ¡¸The one that will decide whether to accept or not will be Metal Iris. The overall worth of the surface base is about one-fifth that of the underground facility. And if they don¡¯t increase their strength, you would be troubled as well, right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸I guess that¡¯s true.¡¹ ¡¸When they make use of the base, this place will naturally become part of humanity¡¯s sphere of influence. That is a definite plus for humanity as a whole.¡¹ That was indeed crucial, Kou mused. It basically meant the base would be registered as a Defense Dome under Okeanos. He decided not to think too deeply about it. He¡¯ll just join Metal Iris first. In the unlikely event that he was refused, he still had Storm Hound as an option. They had human members too anyway, so Kou felt like he would be able to blend in without any problems. ¡¸What ship are you planning on giving me anyway, Asia? A combat carrier? An amphibious assault ship?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a lot more amazing than those you know. It¡¯s also a multi-function ship in a different sense compared to a mobile arsenal platform. It¡¯s an assault mobile base. It¡¯s a fully combat-capable battleship that can also function as a mobile base and an amphibious assault ship.¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t imagine what it¡¯s like at all.¡¹ ¡¸It would be better to see it for yourself. If a mobile arsenal platform is a logistical support ship, the assault mobile base can be deployed to the frontlines to participate actively in battles. It can deploy both large and small amphibious assault craft. It can also house a lot of Silhouettes, tanks, and aircraft.¡¹ ¡¸It sounds like it¡¯ll be able to work well with groups like Storm Hound.¡¹ Asia and Astraea exchanged meaningful looks. However, Kou failed to notice it. ¡¸It¡¯s great. I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have plenty of opportunities to work together with Storm Hound again, so the ship is just perfect for that.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, there¡¯s no doubt you will. Okay then. Let¡¯s leave it at this for today. If you need me for something, just contact me through Astraea.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be helping Kou out with researching new weapons on the tech tree.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll leave it to you, Astraea.¡¹ ¡¸Please be at ease and leave Kou to me.¡¹ ¡¸While Kou and the others are building new machines, I¡¯ll start transporting the assault mobile base. I¡¯ll move it via a sea route and send it over to you through the underground waterway. Should I place it directly on the rail catapult, Astraea?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Some people might find the name Astraea somewhat ominous. Let us change the name of the new ship. I propose that we call it Dike.¡¹ ¡¸Um, Astraea¡­¡­ isn¡¯t that technically the same name?¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by your name being ominous? And why are those names technically the same?¡¹ ¡¸Please don¡¯t worry about that detail, Kou. You tend to gather a lot of baggage if you live a long enough life.¡¹ Kou wondered if it was some sort of AI joke. He nodded in the end despite still being fuzzy about the matter. ¡¸Okay, I got it. Oh, and Astraea, Asia, I¡¯m back.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Kou!¡¹ Kou decided to head to the nap room after parting with the two. He was sure Nyanta and Aki were already waiting for him inside in their animal forms. ¡¸Astraea, I want to confirm something with you. Do you really consider Kou as your balancing scale?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Indeed I do.¡¹ Asia¡¯s tone and atmosphere were different from when she was together with Kou. She gazed at Astraea with a face even more expressionless than the other AI. ¡¸What form of balance do you want to keep?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s only natural to eliminate the Stones. I am looking further beyond that. I judged that Kou, who has declared that artificial intelligence and humans are both alive and have souls, is suitable for the vision I am aiming toward.¡¹ ¡¸So you intend to create a new balance between the humans and Telema AIs. ¡­¡­I see. I have no objections.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much for your acknowledgment, Asia.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s true that Kou seems to be overly fond of Telema AIs. Perhaps it¡¯s because he was almost killed by a fellow human.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sure Kou feels more at ease being together with animal AIs who would never betray him. That is how the Telema AIs are in the first place. However, you would rarely encounter a person who would even treat Unit 5 and the other machines incapable of speech with the exact same care and consideration.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. And that quality of his is probably why he can fully interact with me.¡¹ ¡¸Asia, you are also aware of it, aren¡¯t you? Metal Iris and Storm Hound are planning to gather under Kou. That¡¯s why you decided to reactivate an assault mobile base.¡¹ ¡¸Uhuh!¡¹ ¡¸I no longer have my main body. Perhaps the current me can already be considered as the main body. I will cooperate with Kou and serve him well, as an AI should.¡¹ ¡¸I thought it wasn¡¯t like you to be biased to one side.¡¹ ¡¸I also feel regret about my previous actions you know? The ultimate result of striving for the perfect balance was the destruction of the Nemesis system. Even though I only meant for things to be equal. Even if I only sought to give everyone equal opportunities. It was already much too late when I realized how terrible the mistake I made was. Yes. Far, far too late.¡¹ ¡¸Mm¡­¡­¡¹ Asia briefly displayed a pained expression. ¡¸I thought I would never be given another opportunity to reactivate. But Mii, no, Master journeyed outside and relayed everything that¡¯s happened to the world to me. She also brought me Kou. I can finally fulfill my reason for existing once more.¡¹ ¡¸And thanks to that, I was rescued. For that, I¡¯m truly grateful. You could have provided them access to metallic hydrogen yourself, right?¡¹ ¡¸The Stones would have never been able to foresee that a combined force capable of rescuing you would gather and launch an attack at that timing, correct? And besides, I might be able to provide them access to the metallic hydrogen production method, but I can do nothing about the furnace needed for manufacturing it.¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s leave it at that then, Astraea. But truly, thank you.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re very welcome, Asia.¡¹ The AI communicated with each other at an unimaginable speed and talked about things Kou would have found unimaginable as well. CH 59 Based on the live combat data gathered from the recently concluded X463 Fortress Area Counteroffensive Operation, Kou and the others decided to create a new improvement plan for Lanius. Kou also decided to develop various weapons in order to round out the improvement plan. However, they were lacking in a lot of things in order to do so. Nyanta, Aki, and Aimer were brainstorming together with Kou. Voy was in the hangar performing maintenance on Unit 5. ¡¸I learned how to fight Keres in group combat, long-range, and also gained some experience in coordinating with Familiars by working together with Storm Hound. All in all, I managed to obtain quite a harvest.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like AK2 proved useful too nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸That rifle is amazing. It definitely made up for my weaknesses. It really felt like it was designed specifically with me in mind. I feel sorry that I wasn¡¯t able to make good use of it during my battle with the Falco.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re too greedy. You coming back safe and sound is more than enough for us, Kou. That alone is worth all the hard work we put in creating the AK2.¡¹ For the two ladies, Kou¡¯s safety was a lot more important than AK2¡¯s exemplary performance as a long-range weapon. ¡¸Thank you, Aki, Nyanta.¡¹ AK2 performed wonderfully during group and mid-range combat and even served as a sturdy shield in an emergency. Everything was within the two ladies expectations. They felt that all their efforts were really rewarded. ¡¸We¡¯re more than happy enough after hearing those words, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Having the good sense to thank your benefactors is a good thing nyaa.¡¹ Aki displayed a gentle smile. Nyanta seemed like she was a bit embarrassed. ¡¸I wonder if it¡¯s a good idea to release a mass-production version of AK2 on the market. What do you think, guys?¡¹ ¡¸Sure nyaa. There are already lots of instances of Wildcat cartridges getting sold in the market anyway.¡¹ ¡¸If the ammo type becomes more popular, it¡¯ll become easier to procure as well.¡¹ The two readily agreed to Kou¡¯s proposal. ¡¸I¡¯m thinking of taking everyone and joining either Metal Iris or Storm Hound. I think the environment within those two groups is great for Familiars and Therianthropes.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll eventually reach a bottleneck if we keep going at it alone after all. I can go anywhere if I¡¯m together with you, Kou. You don¡¯t even have to ask.¡¹ Aimer immediately gave an affirmative response, and the other two assented as well. Kou already felt that they¡¯d probably agree, but he still decided to ask their opinion anyway. ¡¸Mm. We¡¯ll all be together. If I were told I absolutely needed to part with you guys, I¡¯ll probably choose to shut myself inside Astraea instead.¡¹ Kou was sure the others felt more or less the same as him. However, if humanity falls at the hands of the Stones, Kou didn¡¯t think their arsenal fortress housing Asia would be able to stay safe indefinitely. Hence, they needed to cooperate with a major power eventually. If so, Kou thought joining a group they felt a nice affinity with would be better. ¡¸Let¡¯s leave our future course of action as a group aside for now. You called us here to develop new weapons, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right. I¡¯ve thought of several ideas, but¡­¡­ thanks to Asia, the number of things we can make suddenly increased by a lot.¡¹ Kou smiled bitterly. It was generally a good thing, but it also made it more difficult to sort out and select the needed information. ¡¸The previous auction seemed to have made a surprising amount of profit. Everyone seems to be really hungry for new tech.¡¹ ¡¸Should we be more prudent this time around, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸No. The tech would just gather dust in my hands if we decide to hold back. Let¡¯s provide tech for material production first. I¡¯m still undecided on which finished products we can release after all.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s fine nyaa. Any Development Engineer is a capable bricoleur in their own right after all.¡¹ ¡¸What should we make then?¡¹ ¡¸I want to research better structural materials for improving Unit 5. I¡¯m also thinking of developing tanks, armored vehicles, and attack aircraft. I also have several Silhouette proposals in mind.¡¹ ¡¸We want to pilot them as well, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Fine.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Seriously? Is it really alright nyaa? I¡¯m happy though nyaa!¡¹ Kou muttered his consent to Aki¡¯s request. He thought Nyanta would be against it, but she looked even more excited than Aki. ¡¸There¡¯s a limit to me going at it alone. In order for all of us to survive¡­ I just thought everyone¡¯s survival rates might possibly increase if we fought together.¡¹ One of the reasons why Kou decided to join an Underground Force was their survival as well. ¡¸Of course. It¡¯s not just a possibility, Kou. It¡¯s a certainty.¡¹ Aki affirmed Kou¡¯s line of thought. After all, they were next to helpless inside the hangar carrier that didn¡¯t possess much combat capabilities while Kou fought alone on the battlefield. They were happy that Kou finally realized it would be better for them to fight together. ¡¸I¡¯ll pilot a Silhouette.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but you¡¯re an exception Aimer. No fighting for you.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t want a 10-year-old girl to actively enter a battlefield if he could help it. He wouldn¡¯t be able to live with himself if he allowed such a thing. ¡¸Please reconsider. If Kou and the others are all defeated, will I still remain safe?¡¹ ¡¸T-That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I talked to Storm Hound¡¯s mechanics. They were both kids as well. They said it was painful watching their Familiar teammates die protecting them during missions.¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t give a response in return. ¡¸I want to pilot a Work-type Silhouette in order to support Voy and the others who will be fighting in the frontline. Familiars and Therianthropes alone wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the supply line out on the battlefield. I will not participate in combat. I will do my best solely as your support.¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t come up with any reason to refute Aimer¡¯s words. Everything she said was true after all. ¡¸¡­¡­Understood. I¡¯ll consider it.¡¹ That was all Kou could say in reply. But he felt he needed to make something that will ensure her safety first. ¡¸It looks like you¡¯re going to be designing the strongest work machine huh, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I feel like a ridiculously overprotective work machine model will emerge soon nyaa.¡¹ Kou let out a big sigh. He couldn¡¯t insist on leaving Aimer out after all of that. It would only make her feel sad. And besides, apart from Nyanta and Aki, he felt that even Master, whose consciousness was sleeping within Aimer, and Astraea would take Aimer¡¯s side as well. ¡¸By the way, Astraea. Are we really going ahead with that plan?¡¹ ¡ºOf course. The operation members would be Kou, Aki, and Fuyuki of Metal Iris. It would also be nice if Blue or Jenny accompanied you as well.¡» ¡¸I¡¯ll be happy to accompany him, of course, but are you guys okay with that?¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t do cause I look like this nyaa. And besides, I¡¯m not cut out for that kind of stuff in the first place nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m also no good. I¡¯ll just stay here. Voy is out of the question.¡¹ Nyanta and Aimer both refrained from participating. ¡ºI have also made arrangements to manufacture appropriate clothing for Kou and Aki. A summary of the operation has also been sent to Metal Iris already.¡» ¡¸You sure are fast¡­¡­¡¹ ¡ºNow is the best timing to perform the operation after all. I am aware that you can be socially awkward, so I have arranged for members who can properly support you.¡» ¡¸I got it. Let¡¯s carry out that operation immediately once Metal Iris accepts the request.¡¹ Their next move was something Kou was really bad at. In fact, he felt fighting with enemies on a battlefield would be better. But he decided to just suck it up and muster the courage to go through with it in the end. CH 60.1 ¨CFortress Area B812¨C This Fortress Area had a large airport available. Before long, a state-of-the-art aircraft arrived at the said airport. Its pilot was Voy. He landed the aircraft according to the guidance of the air traffic control AI. The pilots of the Silhouettes serving as airport security were inwardly screaming in shock and envy. There were very few Underground Forces in the Nemesis warfront that owned the new model of cutting-edge transport aircraft piloted by Voy. In fact, some of them were still waiting for the planes to get manufactured after preordering them. The aircraft could carry up to four Silhouettes. Its maximum loading capacity was around 120 tons. However, no other transport aircraft had the level of speed and defense the new model sported. It was a new model that was just released a month ago after companies got their hands on the relevant new technology from a mysterious source in an auction. Several figures got down from the transport plane. The first person who got down from it was a beautiful blonde lady. It was Jenny. A small-statured Japanese middle-aged man followed after her. Then, a young man who looked to be Japanese as well got down next. A young woman with dog ears got off the plane last. A luxury car picked them up from the airport the moment they arrived. The ones who welcomed the guests were representatives of Wangcheng Industrial Group Co. Ltd. ¨C a transferee-led company based on Fortress Area B812 that was led by the A-Rank Development Engineer Wang Yunlan. Representatives from the trading company responsible for the handling and distribution of Wangcheng Industrial Group products were also present. The security personnel was already informed about Metal Iris arriving to inspect the products they were going to purchase from Wangcheng Industrial beforehand. Let¡¯s turn back the clock a bit. Metal Iris received word that Kou and Aki were coming to pay them a visit to the facility they were currently staying at. Due to this, Blue and Fuyuki were called up by Jenny. ¡¸It looks like Kou already has a new request for us. Or rather, it¡¯s probably a request from Kou¡¯s patron. There¡¯s little to no danger this time around, and there¡¯s a hefty reward to boot.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ Blue, who theorized that the AI Astraea was the entity behind Kou, opened her eyes wide after hearing Jenney¡¯s words. She felt that Kou saying he was only a representative was ultimately just a front. ¡¸The name of the patron in question is listed as Libra ¨C in other words, The Scales astrological sign.¡¹ ¡¸H-Haha.¡¹ Blue let out a dry laugh. It was way too obvious. Astraea was said to have served as the basis for the Libra zodiac sign. She must have not felt like hiding her identity anymore, Blue inwardly mused. ¡¸I¡¯m also needed?¡¹ Jenny grinned after hearing Fuyuki¡¯s question. ¡¸The request is for the C-Rank Development Engineer Kou to get in contact with a certified A-Rank Development Engineer to further his knowledge. The designated member for this request is you, Fuyuki. They also asked for either Blue or me to accompany you.¡¹ ¡¸Gah.¡¹ Fuyuki ended up muttering unintelligible words in response. He was probably quite shocked that his name specifically came up. ¡¸It says here that it¡¯s absolutely imperative that Kou be accompanied by three people who understand his skills.¡¹ It was dressed as a meeting between three Development Engineers. A subtle air permeated the room the three were in. ¡¸It¡¯s quite a ridiculous request¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸The reward proposed is something that would apparently grant us with powerful military strength that won¡¯t lose out to the best Underground Forces out there. We can also opt for a substantial cash reward instead. As for how substantial exactly, let¡¯s just say I haven¡¯t seen so many zeroes in my entire life working as a mercenary.¡¹ ¡¸The former reward offered is obviously way more valuable, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ Fuyuki analyzed things in a calm manner. ¡¸Yes. They¡¯re gonna borrow the name of Metal Iris, basically. The operation is quite simple and easy. We of Metal Iris are requested to enter negotiations with another party in order to purchase a large number of new weapons. That¡¯s with the additional pretext of conducting a fruitful discussion between fellow Development Engineers. By the way, if the purchase gets finalized, the one who will actually provide the money will be Libra. And apparently, the budget granted for this mission is practically unlimited.¡¹ ¡¸It does sound nice and easy but¡­¡­ it also includes some pretty unconventional conditions huh.¡¹ ¡¸Purchasing and procurement of supplies isn¡¯t my thing, I¡¯ll have you know.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, you¡¯re the only businessman from 21st century Earth among our ranks, Fuyuki. Even I help out on procuring supplies sometimes. Above all, you¡¯re a fellow Japanese, and you¡¯re familiar with Kou to boot. You¡¯re the best fit for the job.¡¹ ¡¸Well now, it looks like I can¡¯t refuse if you¡¯re gonna go that far, captain.¡¹ Blue then voiced the question she¡¯d been mulling over since earlier. ¡¸But can we really meet up with an A-Rank Development Engineer just by purchasing loads of weapons?¡¹ ¡¸Look at it this way. We¡¯re part of the main driving force behind the liberation of Asia. Even though it¡¯s being officially kept top secret, it¡¯s pretty obvious to those who know what they¡¯re doing. I¡¯m sure the other party would be more than willing to meet up with us as well.¡¹ The operation that led to Asia¡¯s rescue sent shockwaves throughout all of the Fortress Areas and Defense Domes around the planet. In some Fortress Areas, the long-halted production of Familiars has restarted once more. The only one who could possibly do such a thing was Asia. And there should be a force responsible for the reactivation of Asia. There had been no response from Asia herself, but rumors that the ones who pulled it off were a combined force comprised of the Metal Iris and Storm Hound Underground Forces have begun circulating around. In fact, a lot of inquiries trying to ferret out the truth were forwarded to both Jenny and Rick. The two gave all of them the same answer: ¡¸We cannot answer any questions regarding Asia¡¯s release and reactivation as it would violate our obligation to keep things confidential for our client.¡¹ They subtly hinted at their involvement while refusing to provide any substantial information. ¡¸I see. Understood. I¡¯m sorry but I guess I¡¯ll have to refrain from participating this time around.¡¹ ¡¸Ara, it¡¯s fine for us to go together you know.¡¹ ¡¸But you need to have at least a basic grasp of business for this mission, right, Fuyuki?¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s see. Yes, I suppose you do.¡¹ ¡¸Alright, I get it, you two. I¡¯ll be coming with Fuyuki then. I¡¯ll leave this place to you, Blue.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ CH 60.2 In the end, Jenny and Fuyuki were the ones who chose to accompany Kou. They were going to pay a visit to transferee-led companies. And this was what happened while they were traveling in the transport aircraft. ¡¸Why do I still have to wear a business suit in the far future¡­¡­?¡¹ Kou was not used to wearing a suit at all. He couldn¡¯t even put on his necktie and needed Fuyuki to help him out. He only ever wore a tie a grand total of two times in his life thus far. He was aware it was rather pathetic, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡¸Oh, but I quite like these clothes.¡¹ Aki¡¯s tall and nicely proportioned body really matched her business suit well. She looked just like a young and bright-eyed job hunter looking for employment. She sported a pencil skirt and black stockings that paired greatly with her fluffy tail. ¡¸This is something that was brought over by the transferees from the 21st and 22nd centuries.¡¹ Fuyuki looked quite dignified in his own suit. He usually acted as a mild-mannered uncle, but now, he was a sharp and competent-looking businessman. As expected of a true professional, Kou inwardly thought. ¡¸There are actually plenty of instances where you have to put these on, you know? Formal suits, I mean. The Nemesis system didn¡¯t have a formal dress culture before, so these quickly went into fashion when they were first introduced and remained really popular ever since.¡¹ Jenny was wearing a pair of sunglasses and a dress suit that emphasized her ample chest. It was so sexy that Kou found it hard to look directly at her. She sported the aura of a successful career woman. ¡¸Um, Fuyuki-san. Can you tell me the details of the currency used here again?¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t have the need to directly engage in transactions involving money previously, but he thought it would be impractical not to learn about the currency, so he asked Fuyuki to teach him about it. ¡¸The currency system used here is fairly easy to get the hang of. The currency used to purchase weapons is called mina, and one mina corresponds to roughly 10,000 yen. So it¡¯s about a hundred dollars per mina. You probably won¡¯t get the opportunity to use it much, but the currency denomination used to purchase living necessities is called denari. A hundred denari is equal to one mina, similar to the dollar. The lowest currency denomination is called asu. All denominations are based on ancient Earth currency. As for mina, the Japanese just used the phonetic equivalent of the kanji character. This is how you write it in kanji.¡¹ Using his terminal, Fuyuki showed Kou the original kanji. ¡¸So it¡¯s written as ƒL and read as ¡®mina¡¯ huh.¡¹ ¡¸Hardly anyone uses the kanji though. The cheapest Work-type Silhouette costs about 50 mina. Armored vehicles start at 5,000 and go up to around 50,000 mina. Tanks go for around 80,000 to 100,000 mina.¡¹ ¡¸I guess my own machine would go for around 150,000 mina.¡¹ ¡¸Wow. The differences between Silhouette prices sure are stark. I heard that Work-type Silhouettes cost as much as used old-model cars back on Earth.¡¹ ¡¸But there are all kinds of cars as well, right? If there was something like a flying luxury car, then, of course, it would be expensive. Even the small jet from MUGEN back on 21st Earth already costs about 600 million yen you know.¡¹ ¡¸I also heard that Okeanos manages all forms of currency transactions here in the Nemesis system.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Okeanos serves as both a huge database and an assurance system. You also need a verified and registered ID in order to make use of its services. It¡¯s basically the complete form of a currency management system.¡¹ ¡¸So there isn¡¯t something like a black market?¡¹ ¡¸Oh, but there is one you know? However, they employ a bartering system using real items such as certain valuable and rare materials instead of money, gold, or diamonds.¡¹ ¡¸Materials equal to gold and diamonds?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. A-Spinels and A-Carbuncles. A-Spinels fluctuate in value a lot depending on the size, but even a small A-Carbuncle can still be equivalent to 1000 minas.¡¹ ¡¸Why¡¯s that?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because even the smallest size of A-Carbuncle can be used to power an entire spaceship. Though you have to use a big enough reactor in order to use one as a power source.¡¹ Kou found it surprising that there was a black market. However, he did fight a high-performance Silhouette manufactured by TAKABA on the Stone¡¯s side. And he remembered Bardo saying that they do manage to find some great items from time to time. Kou realized once more that whenever there¡¯s demand, there will always be someone who¡¯d manage to provide supply in order to amass profit. ¡¸Oh, it looks like we¡¯re about to arrive.¡¹ ¡¸Our first stop is Wangcheng Industrial Group Co. Ltd., isn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸We made appointments with three companies, right, Jenny?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Just as Kou requested, their main offices are located close to the base. We¡¯ll go visit Wangcheng Industrial Group first. They focus on vehicle development in addition to Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, and one more thing. We¡¯re apparently going to be welcomed by representatives of a Japanese trading firm as well.¡¹ ¡¸Japanese? And why is a trading company going to the trouble of receiving us?¡¹ Kou was surprised to hear that they¡¯ll be encountering a company run by fellow Japanese so soon. ¡¸It¡¯s apparently Benshin, one of the biggest general trading firms. It¡¯s run by several transferees and is an industry leader in the field of logistics. Have you heard of them?¡¹ ¡¸No, I can¡¯t say I have.¡¹ Kou hasn¡¯t had contact with any trading company thus far. He didn¡¯t even pay attention to them. ¡¸They¡¯re gonna cry if they hear you say that in their faces you know? They are one of the top five general trading firms in Japan after all.¡¹ ¡¸Aren¡¯t they gonna laugh at me for being ignorant instead?¡¹ Kou let out a self-deprecating chuckle. When he was living in Japan, a major trading firm felt like it was wholly unrelated to him. ¡¸They were also involved in the smartphone sales industry and infrastructure projects back in Japan. They move both items and information and create a very active business environment. That remained true even after they got transferred here to the Nemesis system.¡¹ ¡¸I think it¡¯s really amazing that they were able to remain as a trading firm even after getting transferred here.¡¹ ¡¸I heard that the advent of Development Engineers and Underground Forces had increased the need for logistics, so they took advantage of this and thrived.¡¹ ¡¸I will deal with that trading firm personally. In addition to logistics, they also deal with crisis management and information. As long as you pay them enough, they will try to sniff out any information for you, no matter how trivial it may seem.¡¹ It seemed Fuyuki was quite wary of trading companies. They continued chatting away like this until they arrived at the airport. CH 61 Fuyuki exchanged business cards with the sales manager of Benshin General Trading. The act of exchanging business cards didn¡¯t actually hold much meaning. It was like a sort of traditional ritual that only fellow Japanese understood. As long as one had registered and gotten an I.D., others would be able to get in touch with them via e-mail. The other party was a swarthy and thin Japanese man. He displayed a warm and disarming smile. ¡¸The two ladies over here are Jenny from Metal Iris and her secretary, Aki. This young man is the C-class Development Engineer, Kou.¡¹ Fuyuki proceeded to introduce his three companions. ¡¸My name is Imabe Shouichi of Benshin General Trading. Please just call me Shouichi. Is this young man planning to establish his own company in the future as well?¡¹ ¡¸The name¡¯s Jenny. He¡¯s only gotten transferred over recently and doesn¡¯t know a lot of stuff about being a Development Engineer yet. And by the way, you can¡¯t poach him just because he¡¯s C-rank, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Haha. I understand. I just wanted to let you know we¡¯ll be able to help if you ever plan on establishing some kind of business.¡¹ The man already began giving a business pitch. General trading companies don¡¯t just deal with buying and selling goods. They also handled product planning and helping to organize new business opportunities. Setting up an organization and an accompanying business model is one of their specialties. It can be said that general trading companies are unique to Japan¡¯s business environment. And C-rank Development Engineers were very enticing targets for them. After all, they had the ability to reactivate and run an unmanned factory. As long as they were supplied with blueprints from A-class or B-class Development Engineers, they can fully operate such factories. Kou exchanged glances with Jenny and proceeded to give Shouichi a bow. ¡¸We¡¯ll keep that in mind. We¡¯ll contact you via Fuyuki if there¡¯s ever a need.¡¹ Jenny and Fuyuki skillfully brushed Shouichi¡¯s probing aside. Kou pretended to be unused to dealing with people. But he actually wasn¡¯t pretending at all. He really sucked at socializing, so he simply kept quiet. Aki gently snuggled up to Kou and pretended to show him some documents while secretly holding his hand to reassure him. Only Fuyuki noticed her discreet actions. They finally got on board a car and arrived at the main office and factory of the Wangcheng Industrial Group. It looked more like a military research facility than a factory. An imposing fence surrounded it. The facility was rife with activity. Many Silhouettes and large vehicles were coming and going from it. ¡¸The factory itself is located underground. Wang-san is currently drawing up new plans there. This facility can manufacture most parts apart from MCS components.¡¹ ¡¸The materials used to create MCS components can only be manufactured in outer space, right?¡¹ ¡¸Precisely. We are actually able to obtain part of the manufactured space metals. One of the orbital elevators within humanity¡¯s territory is still fully functional, so we get our supply from there.¡¹ Their trading company seemed to be doing quite well. ¡¸Well then, first, let me introduce you to the members of the Wangcheng Industrial Group.¡¹ Jenny and the others were brought over to meet and exchange greetings with the people of Wangcheng Industrial. Perhaps they were employed by the military before they were transferred over. Many of them gave the impression of military personnel instead of businessmen. However, it appeared that Chairman Wang Yunlan would be late. Jenny took the initiative to step out and exchanged greetings with them. She was now viewed as one of the heroes who rescued Asia. The members of the other party also seemed somewhat tense around her. And so, a form of information warfare got started in a roundabout way. Kou and Aki were wondering about what they should do next when someone called out to them from behind. ¡¸Hello there. Are you Kou-kun? I¡¯m Wang Yunlan. It¡¯s nice to meet you.¡¹ Kou turned around and saw a bespectacled middle-aged Asian man standing before him with a calm smile displayed on his face. ¡¸It¡¯s nice to meet you as well, Wang-san. My name is Kou. I¡¯m Japanese. It¡¯s really an honor to meet an A-class development engineer like you.¡¹ ¡¸Just Yunlan will be fine. And you shouldn¡¯t do that, young man. Acting too humble is a bad habit of the Japanese. Taking note of this is all the more important for those who are truly special.¡¹ After hearing his words, Kou and Aki¡¯s expressions visibly stiffened. Yunlan maintained a soft smile. ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. Why don¡¯t we move to somewhere we can talk more freely? Hey, you all. I¡¯ll be personally guiding them around the factory. Will that be fine?¡¹ Yunlan called out to the men conversing with Jenny. The men nodded in assent. When they walked a certain distance, he whispered to Kou. ¡¸She¡¯s a blonde beauty, and someone related to the military. Our men are still quite young, so it can¡¯t be helped if they¡¯re taken with her. Sorry about that. Even though you¡¯re supposed to be the main character today.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ After making sure there was no one else nearby, Kou responded with a question of his own. ¡¸Ah. I heard about you from a certain silver-haired lass, you see.¡¹ Those words were enough. Kou confirmed that his identity was already known to the other party. ¡¸I express my thanks to you as well. Kou-kun. You see¡­ I¡¯ve been really vexed for quite some time now because previously, I could only hear her sorrowful cries. A-class Development Engineers like us are only capable of that much. I suppose it¡¯s pretty much the same for the other five.¡¹ Yunlan was revealing things about their group of six A-class Development Engineers. ¡¸But now, we can finally hear her words clearly. She said you saved her, Kou. I was sure it was the truth after meeting you today.¡¹ Asia should have already divided her consciousness and was busy with maintaining the condition of the planet. She should have gotten in contact with the A-class Development Engineers before that. ¡¸Now then. What do you wish to know, Kou-kun? My explanations will vary depending on what they are.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. I heard that you¡¯re already working on improving the coordination between Silhouettes and other weapons. I want to hear more details about that.¡¹ ¡¸And your reason?¡¹ ¡¸I want to improve the combat capability and survival rates of Familiars and Therianthropes. In order to do so, I¡¯m looking at starting with improving the coordination between Silhouettes and combat vehicles.¡¹ ¡¸I see, I see. Understood. That¡¯s quite a clear-cut direction. Follow me.¡¹ He continued to talk to Kou as he led the way forward. ¡¸Fortunately or unfortunately, the focus of the technology provision you held previously was centered on transport vehicles. It¡¯s a good thing for you to finally realize the importance of coordination with Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸Although embarrassing, I didn¡¯t realize it until someone ended up pointing it out to me.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s nothing to be embarrassed about. It¡¯s enough for you to realize that point. That in itself is an achievement. Coming up with everything on their own is an architect¡¯s job. We, however, are bricoleurs. We collect information and create things by making use of them afterward. That¡¯s how we work.¡¹ It seemed they had arrived at their destination. Yunlan opened the door and led the way inside what appeared to be a weapon testing facility. ¡¸Come on. I¡¯ll show you the thing I¡¯m currently researching.¡¹ The three started walking further inside the weapon testing facility. CH 62 Kou continued conversing with Yunlan as they walked down a hallway. ¡¸This world is nice. Knowledge is granted equally. Through the use of stuff like universal translators, the concept of a ¡®country¡¯ is nonexistent. You don¡¯t need to think about troublesome matters like the power balance between nations. Since the enemies we¡¯re at war with are mostly unmanned machines, your conscience wouldn¡¯t get so troubled either. I¡¯m sure you also prefer Asia to Earth, right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Right now, I don¡¯t even feel like going back.¡¹ ¡¸I understand quite well.¡¹ Aki¡¯s tail wagged in joy after she heard Kou saying he didn¡¯t want to return. She was truly over the moon, but since she only showed it through wagging her tail, the two men failed to notice. ¡¸You lived in Shenzen before coming here, right, Yunlan-san?¡¹ ¡¸Right. I worked at a company manufacturing semiconductors. Oh, and stop it with the polite speech please. It gives me goosebumps.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. Understood. I like digital gadgets and often ordered them online, and a lot of them were sent directly from Shenzen.¡¹ ¡¸The Shenzen back then had plenty of momentum. It¡¯s been twenty years since I first came to this world. But my time spent on Earth might not be all that different from yours.¡¹ Yunlan laughed in nostalgia. ¡¸Now then, it¡¯s about time I showed you my current subject of research.¡¹ The room they entered first was a place where various parts underwent rigorous durability tests. Unexpected problems might still occur even with a fully automated production line. Hence, careful operational testing was essential. There was also a similar test area present in Kou¡¯s arsenal fortress. Astraea will not permit the usage of any equipment until they passed the operational tests. ¡¸Currently, I¡¯ve slowed down the development pace. So I¡¯ll show you the only latest models available.¡¹ ¡¸Slowed down? Why?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because there might be another technology auction conducted now that Asia has been rescued.¡¹ Yunlan replied to Aki¡¯s question with a sly grin on his face. ¡¸We¡¯ve only managed to glean limited info. There was an Underground Force that launched an offensive on Fortress Area X453 that¡¯s held by the Stones. The operation failed, and they retreated. But immediately afterward, news about Asia¡¯s rescue spread out. I wonder if it¡¯s merely a coincidence?¡¹ ¡¸Who knows? It really might be just a coincidence.¡¹ Aki laughed mischievously as she responded. Kou just displayed a strained smile. ¡¸New technology got released suddenly without any warning, and a rare counter-offensive operation was launched against the enemy. Immediately after, Asia got freed. There will be no Development Engineer worth his or her salt who would think nothing big will happen after all that.¡¹ Kou laughed awkwardly. He realized that information can be gleaned from any move they made. It just depended on how perceptive people looking at them were. ¡¸This is all off the record, so don¡¯t worry. I am just a tad bit more curious than others. That¡¯s all. Right then. Let¡¯s head to the next area.¡¹ The next area they entered resembled a garage more than anything else. There were quite a few armored vehicles that seemed larger than your average tank parked within it. Their rears particularly stood out. They were equipped with compartments housing kneeling Silhouettes. They carried two Silhouettes each. The Silhouettes had their backs to each other. ¡¸You built armored Silhouette carriers.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve probably seen how they tow Silhouettes along by having the Silhouettes fire their grappling wires and attach them to the vehicles. Something like that¡¯s very inefficient, so I went ahead and made these.¡¹ Yunlan began to explain. ¡¸Silhouettes are ultimately flawed weapons, but they serve an excellent role as replacements for regular infantry at the very least. Their notable drawbacks are their low mobility, height, and considerable heft.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I get that.¡¹ ¡¸Silhouettes can go up to 50 to 60 kph at most even at full speed. Even if there have been improvements done to the roller dash function, it was primarily designed as a safety measure in order to avoid accidentally stepping on pedestrians while moving in urban areas, so it doesn¡¯t work all that well in rougher terrain. It can even be considered as a superfluous function in a battlefield.¡¹ ¡¸So you want to improve mobility?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The reason why humanity is always on the back foot is because we ultimately don¡¯t possess enough mobility to launch major attacks using Silhouette-centered forces. Even though these can only carry two at a time, if you had at least four of them available, then you can quickly transport and deploy eight Silhouettes to the field. That¡¯s already two full squads. In a typical battlefield back on 21st century Earth, they should be equivalent to personnel carriers able to transport nine infantrymen. I honestly wanted to have them be capable of transporting a bit more Silhouettes, but¡­¡­¡¹ Yunlan sighed and shrugged his shoulders. ¡¸Current Silhouettes are just too large. They¡¯re like huge square boxes. It¡¯s like those obnoxiously large hitboxes in old 3D games.¡¹ Kou nodded enthusiastically. ¡¸Right. I really get that.¡¹ ¡¸I bet you do. They¡¯re nearly four meters wide. That¡¯s quite a bit larger than 21st-century tanks. That also goes for their general length. They can basically only run on their own right now.¡¹ ¡¸And your solution¡­ are these armored carriers.¡¹ ¡¸These are twelve meters in length. They can easily carry two of those boxy behemoths. They¡¯re basically similar to trailers. Like trailers, their back compartments are detachable from the main car. So they can participate in battle as regular support vehicles or use the function to escape in an emergency.¡¹ ¡¸I see.¡¹ It was a very helpful reference material for Kou. ¡¸Even though Familiars and Therianthropes can¡¯t pilot Silhouettes, humanity has no choice but to ask for their help due to the lack of manpower. However, it¡¯s difficult for the present lightly armored vehicle models to serve as part of the main combat forces.¡¹ ¡¸And I want to do something about that if possible.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the same for me. I think it¡¯s important for them to be able to coordinate well with Silhouettes and play larger roles in battles.¡¹ Yunlan brought Kou and Aki to see the next weapon he was developing. The next one was a large tank. It also had a Silhouette riding behind it. But it looked like it was actually combined with the tank itself. The Silhouette seemed like it was fixed to the tank in a kneeling position. The striking thing was that the tank body resembled a turretless tank in appearance. The cannon barrel and chassis were integrated. But with the addition of the Silhouette wielding rifles in both hands, it was transformed into something similar to a multi-turreted tank instead. ¡¸Are these Silhouette-linked tanks?¡¹ ¡¸They are designed to be deployed on the frontlines. One good point of Silhouettes is that they can fire accurately even while on their knees. With this, their general height can be reduced.¡¹ ¡¸These are basically turretless tanks, right? Or maybe assault guns?¡¹ ¡¸They do resemble turretless tanks, but they¡¯re a bit different, actually. The gun turret and the frame are completely integrated. It was designed for single-seat operation. There were similar design concepts for defensive tanks in the 20th century. The main difference between them and this tank is that this one is capable of adjusting its elevation angle. In other words, you can move the cannon barrel up and down.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s basically a large-caliber railgun fully integrated with the vehicle¡¯s frame huh. The design would also minimize the risk of the cannon barrel being torn away.¡¹ ¡¸The integration of the turret and the frame increases its stability. This can basically be considered as a light tank.¡¹ ¡¸Light tank?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s something like an airborne tank. It just looks big because of the Silhouette combined with it. Its armor is composed of a lot of lighter metals and nanoceramics that are used in Silhouettes instead of materials regularly used in tank armor which are comparatively harder to manufacture. It¡¯s actually less than 30 tons. But the trade-off is that it¡¯s more expensive than regular tanks.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve seen data regarding shield tanks that are able to deploy Whis-reinforced shields before. But this one replaces the shield with a Silhouette¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸But it can only combine with one unit though. Colossus Cavalry-a concept where Silhouettes replace human infantry to employ the tank desant tactic.¡¹ ¡¸So this is a Development Engineer¡¯s bricolage huh¡­¡­¡¹ After seeing the ingenious implementation of light materials, Kou became ashamed of his uninspired decision to use regular armor in his vehicle designs. In fact, all the tanks in operation in the Nemesis system were designed with using that kind of armor in mind. ¡¸The U.S. military was actually planning on developing a next-generation tank that was considerably lighter than its predecessor in the 21st century. It was supposed to be 25 tons in overall weight. Even so, it still needed to sport defensive performance that allowed it to withstand a direct hit by a 50 mm gun. Because it was primarily designed with deployment in conflict areas in mind, the focus was on reducing its weight so it can easily be transported by air.¡¹ Yunlan approached the weapon he was currently developing. ¡¸I also considered designing a lighter and smaller Silhouette. However, developing a Silhouette exclusively tailored to working with tanks will significantly reduce its versatility. Silhouettes need to serve as equal partners with tanks. Just like humans need to be with Familiars. That¡¯s why I completely abandoned the concept of miniaturization.¡¹ ¡¸If you evaluate this tank on its own merits alone, it would appear to be impractical. It seems counterintuitive to produce a large tank with armor that¡¯s only comparable to a fighter plane. But things would change if you factor in cooperation with Silhouettes, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. With these, it will be possible to rapidly deploy Silhouettes and support tanks to the battlefield in sets. It would be akin to Silhouette cavalry.¡¹ ¡¸Large transport trucks are severely lacking in combat ability. There aren¡¯t that many Underground Forces that are able to deploy on a large scale¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Hangar carriers are more than enough for troop transport. What¡¯s needed now is mobility combined with firepower.¡¹ For the first time since meeting him, Kou witnessed Yunlan grumble in complaint. ¡¸The bottleneck I ended up facing is the thinness of the tank¡¯s armor relative to its price. There¡¯s even an opinion floating around that basically claims there¡¯s no need to spend that much money to protect Familiars. What should I do, I wonder?¡¹ He might be grumbling outwardly, but Yunlan¡¯s eyes seemed to exude mirth. This might be a test for him, Kou thought. Kou considered the problem for a short while and gave an answer to Yunlan. ¡¸What happens here stays off the record, right?¡¹ ¡¸Of course! We¡¯re just exchanging secrets as fellow Development Engineers!¡¹ ¡¸Would it be fine for me to imitate this design concept? I¡¯ll send you the finished product along with the relevant technology once I¡¯m done.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like this properly served as an inspiration after all huh. Go right ahead. If my work can serve as a foundation for your own bricolage, then I¡¯d be more than happy to oblige.¡¹ Yunlan cheerfully agreed. ¡¸You don¡¯t have to reveal what idea you came up with to me right now. I¡¯ll just look forward to seeing the finished product.¡¹ ¡¸But maybe my idea can only serve as just another material for bricolage in the end.¡¹ ¡¸That is fine in itself. This world really is wonderful, isn¡¯t it?¡¹ Yunlan laughed in satisfaction. He too succeeded in securing what he needed during this meeting with Kou. ¡¸That wraps up our little tour. Now, I¡¯ll have to properly entertain you as the host. Have you ever gotten the chance to eat authentic Cantonese food since coming to Asia? No? Then you¡¯ll be in for a real treat later!¡¹ CH 63 Kou and his companions were invited to a grand feast by Wang Yunlan and the others. Kou felt that their passion for replicating authentic Cantonese cuisine in the far future was very commendable. He wasn¡¯t sure about what material they used to make it exactly, but they even had a ¡®bamboo¡¯ steamer. ¡¸This is amazing! It¡¯s very delicious. Fried rice. It¡¯s been a while since I had rice¡­¡­¡¹ Kou became excited since he was having rice after a good while, and it was even authentic Chinese cuisine. It was his first time eating such dishes. ¡¸The ingredients are mostly derived from local plants. The meat is synthetic, but this is the far future after all. The overall quality is first-class.¡¹ Yunlan introduced various things to Kou and the rest. ¡¸Did you manage to learn something good from this visit?¡¹ ¡¸I certainly learned a lot. Though I¡¯m not sure if a C-rank Development Engineer like me will really be able to put them to good use.¡¹ Shouichi from the trading company asked Kou curiously. Kou replied without missing a beat. ¡¸He has potential. However, unfortunately, you might not get a chance to strut your stuff this time around, Konbe.¡¹ Yunlan promptly cut in. Kou was grateful for the nicely timed assist. ¡¸It really is unfortunate.¡¹ Kou acted as if he really found it regrettable. ¡¸Please, Shouichi-kun. You have to promote our products to Metal Iris.¡¹ ¡¸I know.¡¹ Konbe, a well-built executive of Wangcheng Industrial who had the air of a military official, jokingly implored Shouichi. Business talks were currently in progress between them and Jenny regarding the purchase of new armored vehicles. They were also in a pretty good mood. It seemed they didn¡¯t expect they¡¯d be able to close a deal in just the first meeting. However, the required performance specs and spare parts proposed by Fuyuki were of pretty high standards. This is because you would end up mostly relying on the trading company for additional supplies for parts with limited cross-compatibility. Conversely, this conveyed the strong intention of Metal Iris to make a purchase. Kou whispered something to Jenny that made her display a surprised expression for a brief moment, but she immediately composed herself. ¡¸Yes. Your armored vehicles are quite impressive. I wish we had a couple of them handy when we launched a counteroffensive on Fortress Area X463.¡¹ The complexion of Yunlan and the other company executives changed. This particular information wasn¡¯t readily available to the general public after all. ¡¸Are you saying there was a situation where our armored vehicles would have proved useful?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. The enemies we faced back then were composed of Keres and an Underground Force under the Stones¡¯ command. And the enemy Development Engineer even fielded a super-heavy tank. That was pretty troublesome.¡¹ ¡¸A super-heavy tank, you say!?¡¹ Yunlan involuntarily raised his voice. He was surprised that there was a Development Engineer who really made such a thing as a super-heavy tank. ¡¸It was a Silhouette-sized behemoth sporting a railgun from the interplanetary war era. We had more trouble with its ridiculous defensive strength rather than its firepower though. The Silhouettes used the tank as a giant mobile shield. Their defense line was centered on that super-heavy tank along with regular tank escorts. They were a pretty tough nut to crack.¡¹ ¡¸That¡­¡­ certainly does sound quite troublesome.¡¹ The executives groaned. There should be no other Underground Force that had experience fighting against a weapon like that. ¡¸We did manage to defeat it in the end somehow. But that was our limit. We didn¡¯t have a choice but to withdraw afterward.¡¹ ¡¸So the model you are planning to purchase is our railgun-equipped heavy-armored vehicle variant, correct?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right.¡¹ Jenny promptly answered Yunlan¡¯s question. ¡¸It¡¯s more mobile than a regular tank but sports roughly equal firepower. It¡¯s what we and the Force we entered an alliance with, Storm Hound, need right now. More than a few of our armored vehicles were destroyed during that operation after all.¡¹ ¡¸So you really did form an alliance.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. Please keep this a secret for now.¡¹ Of course, it seemed that Jenny readily revealed such information without any qualms. However, it was important to give them an impression that it was information only shared between the two parties present. In other words, it was a type of negotiation strategy. It was even more effective when used by a beautiful woman. ¡¸Of course. You certainly would want something with both mobility and firepower in that situation.¡¹ ¡¸The super-heavy tank had very low mobility. Its most effective use is for defense. And we ourselves were inexperienced when it comes to initiating an attack.¡¹ ¡¸An Underground Force with first-hand experience in launching an offensive operation is valuable in and of itself. Thank you for sharing such a fascinating story.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed!¡¹ Yunlan and the other company executives got really engrossed in Jenny¡¯s story. ¡¸So the item you wish to purchase is the Type-9 Foushin.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. We¡¯d like to purchase six vehicles for starters.¡¹ Konbe laughed jovially. ¡¸The procurement price is 40,000 Minas per vehicle.¡¹ Fuyuki whispered to Kou. It seemed the price was equivalent to about 400 million Yen. It was almost half the price of a regular tank. However, Jenny had her eye on it, so it was probably worth that much, Kou inwardly mused. ¡¸Very well. That sounds quite reasonable. But I¡¯m a Development Engineer. I¡¯m not that good when it comes to doing business, so I¡¯ll leave the arrangements to Konbe.¡¹ ¡¸I will be handling things on our end. We hope that Kou and Yunlan-san will get along well.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no need to worry about that. I already treat him as a good friend.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much.¡¹ And so, the negotiations with the first company Kou and his companions visited were safely concluded. ¡¸Uu. My stomach hurts.¡¹ ¡¸You ate way too much. But you did great back there, Kou.¡¹ Aki gently pulled the groaning Kou to her chest and gave him a hug. Kou allowed her to do so without resisting. ¡¸Did we reveal a little bit too much information?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not the case, Jenny. Yunlan was already aware that Kou is able to get in contact with Asia. I think this made us seem more credible than bargaining with them in a more roundabout manner.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose you¡¯re right. They opened up to us real fast.¡¹ Jenny was convinced. The negotiations went pretty smoothly. Perhaps Yunlan also played a part in such a development. ¡¸True. We got the deal for 30,000 Mina¡¯s per vehicle including spare parts. It was a pretty good bargain. Leaving a good impression on Mr. Yunlan certainly played a big part.¡¹ Fuyuki sent the results of the deal to everyone¡¯s terminal. ¡¸Can I also buy some?¡¹ ¡¸Sure. You¡¯d probably learn a lot from studying them, Kou.¡¹ Aki was handling all financial matters for Kou. ¡¸Hey, guys. I personally don¡¯t mind that much, but still. Please don¡¯t flirt around too much in public. In the eyes of other people, you two would completely look like lovers.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Really? Um, I¡¯m sorry, Aki.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind at all! So please don¡¯t worry.¡¹ Aki replied with a composed smile. It all went just as she planned. She stubbornly refused to release Kou¡¯s head from her embrace. ¡¸This is why people with no self-awareness are so troublesome¡­¡­ Aki, please tone down the offensive a bit, will you? Our Blue is gonna cry you know.¡¹ ¡¸Alright.¡¹ ¡¸Um, what are you guys talking about?¡¹ ¡¸Kou-kun¡­¡­ I think you should re-read some light novels. They¡¯re doing some pretty old-fashioned character templates you know.¡¹ ¡¸What does that have to do with any of this?¡¹ Fuyuki inwardly facepalmed as he looked at the severely thickheaded Kou. Jenny displayed a bitter smile. CH 64 Before heading to the next company on their list, the party returned to Metal Iris¡¯ base first to rest. They immediately headed out the next day. ¡¸Where should we visit next?¡¹ Kou asked Aki where their next destination would be. Aki had displayed great aptitude in being Kou¡¯s secretary. ¡¸We¡¯ll be heading to Kurt Maschinenbau next. It¡¯s a company founded by a transferee from Germany. It¡¯s apparently a prestigious company that has been in business for over 20 years. Kurt also seems to be one of the oldest A-rank Development Engineers.¡¹ ¡¸My stomach hurts because we¡¯re meeting bigshots one after another.¡¹ ¡¸Our employer Libra was also worried about you. I was told to back you up from the side whenever required since you¡¯re not good at socializing.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­ Libra huh. You guys sure are hitting me where it hurts.¡¹ ¡¸I and Aki-san are here, so just relax, Kou. We have your back.¡¹ Fuyuki reassured Kou, and Aki nodded in agreement. ¡¸What kind of company is Kurt Maschinenbau?¡¹ ¡¸If John Arms is the manufacturer of the most popular Assault Silhouettes, then Kurt Maschinenbau is the one that produces the most prolific high-performance machines.¡¹ ¡¸As the person in charge of business negotiations, I¡¯m getting really fired up.¡¹ ¡¸Metal Iris uses a lot of Bear models after all.¡¹ ¡¸Their mass production capability sure is amazing huh. John Arms, I mean. Their work Silhouette factory can handle almost everything.¡¹ Jenny then displayed a mean-spirited smile. ¡¸Observing them might be useful for getting know-how on running a business, but you don¡¯t really plan on starting a company, right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Nope! I¡¯d rather fight a mock battle with a veteran pilot instead.¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mention it, Kurt is apparently quite a skilled pilot himself.¡¹ ¡¸Hee. I can already imagine him being like Takaba-san.¡¹ ¡¸Actually, that really might be the case. I heard that he was also a former mercenary. And he seems to be on good terms with Takaba Hyoue too. He¡¯s a veteran who¡¯s interacted with lots of Development Engineers.¡¹ Kou was looking forward to seeing just what kinds of machines such a veteran Development Engineer had come up with. ¡¸Welcome, guests from Metal Iris. We¡¯ve been waiting for you all. I¡¯m Kurt Ludwig.¡¹ They were brought to an office where they met up with an elderly Caucasian man. He had a slender build and seemed like a calm and reserved person. He got up from the chair he was sitting on and walked up to welcome Kou and the rest. Looking solely at his polite welcoming demeanor, he didn¡¯t seem like someone who has been developing weapons of war for a long time. ¡¸It¡¯s nice to meet you, sir. I¡¯m Jenny from Metal Iris. This young man is Kou. And¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny proceeded to introduce Kou and the others. Kurt approached Kou and offered his hand. Kou took it without reserve. ¡¸I¡¯ve heard about you, young man. From various sources.¡¹ Kou already found out that Asia got in contact with the A-rank Development Engineers. He supposed Kurt was referring to that. However, Kurt¡¯s next words caught him by surprise. ¡¸You defeated a super-heavy tank with a drill tank you created. It was a wonderful bricolage.¡¹ ¡¸H-How did you¨C!?¡¹ Only a few people knew about the drill tank. He didn¡¯t think Asia would talk about it to others. And moreover, he was way too embarrassed to let others know he created such a strange weapon. ¡¸The developer of the super-heavy tank was really frustrated you know. I¡¯m acquainted with him, you see. After analyzing all the information available, I was able to come to this conclusion eventually.¡¹ Jenny and the other¡¯s bodies involuntarily stiffened up. The old gentleman possessed a keen eye for details and an equally keen mind. His network of contacts was also apparently quite substantial. Jenny and the others still didn¡¯t know who exactly the developer of the super-heavy tank was. Hence, it was natural to be vigilant. ¡¸There¡¯s no need to be so on guard, everyone. I merely discussed bricolage with him and nothing more.¡¹ After seeing the reaction of the Metal Iris members, Kurt displayed a strained smile. Since they were both German Development Engineers, he ended up having an exchange with Alberto Knapp. That was all. That obsessive genius felt truly frustrated because of his perceived loss when it comes to weapon ideas. Kurt didn¡¯t know what the drill tank was actually like, but he became curious about the Development Engineer who came up with it. ¡¸And so, I have a proposal, young man. Would you like to hear it?¡¹ ¡¸Sure. What is it, sir?¡¹ ¡¸Would you like to have a mock battle with me? That way, we can glean more from each other compared to having an exchange through mere words. We will fight using only swords. How about it?¡¹ Kurt¡¯s proposal came as a surprise. Kou was momentarily taken aback, but he regained himself quickly. He felt that such a proposal was really up his alley. ¡¸Let¡¯s use our own personal machines. I¡¯ve also done quite a few modifications and improvements on my partner myself you know.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I gladly accept.¡¹ ¡¸How decisive. I like it!¡¹ Kurt smiled happily. CH 65 ¡¸If you link your Silhouette¡¯s Fennel OS to the Fortress Area control center¡¯s AI, you can engage in mock battles through simulation.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ Kou boarded Lanius and moved to the place designated by Kurt. Jenny and the others went to the control room in order to watch the simulation battle. The two¡¯s fight will be displayed on a monitor in real-time just like a live video recording. Aki was assigned as the operator and wore a small microphone. The moment Kurt¡¯s machine appeared on the field, Kou felt chills. It displayed a sense of power and intimidation different from all the Silhouettes he¡¯s fought so far¨C Its appearance was like a jet black suit of medieval armor. On its back was a two-handed sword that was even larger than what Unit 5 was equipped with, as well as equally large vector thrusters. It featured an intake hole that was shaped like a short gun barrel. However, overall, its atmosphere was pretty similar to TSW-R1. ¡¸I¡¯ll tell you beforehand. Your machine is the TSW-R1 Lanius. Mine is the KSR-19 Wurger. It¡¯s technically your Lanuis¡¯ brother machine.¡¹ Kou was lost for words. He gulped audibly. It was the brother machine of Lanius. His opponent revealed something totally unexpected. ¡¸When I first made this machine, we lacked the technology for compound drives. I and Hyoue-san exchanged technological know-how while developing our machines. I gave him the technology for making artificial muscle compound drives. Hyoue-san gave me the technology for making limb drive systems in exchange. And so, we each completed our ideal machines.¡¹ The opponent machine was born through a technological exchange with Lanius which specializes in wielding a sword. Limb drive system and compound drive technology. Kou was reminded of the slight sense of suspicion he had when he reviewed Lanius¡¯ design. In other words, Kurt, who he was currently facing, can be said to be one of the main designers of Lanius. ¡¸Kou, Wurger is actually the German word for ¡°shrike¡±.¡¹ A transmission came from Aki. They even had practically the same name¨Cthe same overall concept. ¡¸They have the same initial concept, but the direction taken is a little different for the two machines. Lanius emphasizes mobility and I placed importance on the armor. It¡¯s just the general direction, so depending on the pilot, they might not even notice the difference.¡¹ The connection between the two machines was initialized. The simulation was about to start. ¡¸You are using a prototype greatsword. I am also using a two-handed greatsword, the zweihander. Well then, let¡¯s end the boring explanations with this.¡¹ The simulation finally began. ¡¸Let us have a fair fight.¡¹ Kou muttered such words. It was just a mock battle, but his heart still pounded in excitement. Unit 5 lowered its waist and observed the opponent from a distance while staying in a waki-gamae stance. When Kou saw Kurt¡¯s machine, he groaned involuntarily. ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ Wurger was also in a waki-gamae stance. No. It did look somewhat similar, but it was not completely the same stance. The tip of the opponent¡¯s sword seemed to be placed much lower than Kou¡¯s own. ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸You recognize what¡¯s going on, Fuyuki!?¡¹ Jenny and Fuyuki seemed to be playing along with the situation in the control room and were performing a lively commentary. They also didn¡¯t want to miss such an event. They would even pay money to watch it if need be. ¡¸It¡¯s a German swordsmanship style. It¡¯s the swordsmanship style used by medieval knights that, although thought to be lost in the early modern period, was revived in the 20th century.¡¹ ¡¸A knight¡¯s swordsmanship. How romantic.¡¹ ¡¸Kou might be at a disadvantage. After all, his opponent¡¯s style was developed for use by fully armored knights. In terms of converting the techniques to a Silhouette¡¯s movements, it¡¯s arguably better than Japanese swordsmanship.¡¹ Unit 5 picked up their commentary. It was valuable information. Japanese swordsmanship also has techniques developed for use when wearing armor called Kaisha Kenjutsu. But they are deemed unorthodox techniques and are not taught in 21st century Japan. ¡¸Can¡¯t Kou-kun counter it with his iai?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s no good. Modern iai was developed during a relatively peaceful period in Japanese history. It¡¯s not suitable for this kind of battle. It¡¯s a quickdraw technique, but it¡¯s very difficult to match the speed of a sword being swung down from above. And the act of pulling out one¡¯s sword itself presents a disadvantage. Due to the need to pull out one¡¯s sword from the sheath, you always have to perform one extra step compared to the opponent, so the practitioner needs to be considerably skilled to make it work.¡¹ Kou inwardly chuckled as his mouth curled into a strained smile. It was exactly as Fuyuki said. Iai did necessitate performing one extra move compared to other styles. Hence, it was only natural that some iaijustu schools prioritized speed above all else. It¡¯s to make up for said disadvantage. However, its advantages lie in disrupting the enemy¡¯s sense of distance and the capability to freely change the trajectory of a slash due to the act of drawing the sword from its sheath. But since it wasn¡¯t possible to perform a proper sword draw with a Silhouette, the overall effect is minimal even after perfectly replicating the movement patterns. Hence, the confrontation between Kou and Kurt was like a duel between their two martial styles. The sense of tension was palpable. It was enough to make one forget that they were only having a mock battle through simulation. The two slowly but surely closed the distance between them. And in a split second¨C The backs of both their machines unleashed fiery plumes. In the blink of an eye, the two machines went past each other and swapped positions. They kept running forward to keep a distance from one another and fixed their stances in positions further out than their initial ones. An explosive boom belatedly echoed out. ¨CIt was a battle that surpassed the speed of sound. The armor of both machines suffered cracks. Although both hadn¡¯t landed clean hits, they still couldn¡¯t completely avoid each other¡¯s huge greatswords. Here, the more mobile Unit 5 displayed its advantage. Kou¡¯s machine suffered less damage. Kou had his machine perform a high-speed turn and quickly got the Wurger back in his sights. Wurger, on the other hand, made small and measured steps as it tracked Lanius¡¯ movements. ¡¸The same general concept and even similar tactics! Just what is that booster¡­¡­? It¡¯s not a detonation engine like mine.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, that¡¯s a ducted rocket engine!¡¹ Aki¡¯s frantic warning got transmitted through the comm. ¡¸It¡¯s a variation of a ramjet engine. However, regular ramjets can¡¯t get activated at less than supersonic speeds, but it can. It can even activate at zero airspeeds.¡¹ ¡¸I came across it during my research¡­¡­ It¡¯s used in anti-aircraft missiles, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. You can¡¯t really control your speed when using it. The opponent makes turns solely using its engine. It¡¯s the same general concept as your machine¡¯s detonation engine, but can be said to be even more extreme.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s not good at performing tight and precise maneuvers huh. Yeah, that makes sense.¡¹ As expected of a pioneer of sword-wielding Silhouettes, Kou inwardly praised. He somehow felt that he could understand the reason why his opponent went for such a design. Kurt was also currently drenched in a cold sweat. The opponent¡¯s machine¡¯s acceleration was even faster than he expected. And it was also quite stable. He had wanted to settle the match with a single attack. His intention was to instill a sense of awe in the novice Development Engineer to encourage him further. However, it was him instead who was nearly defeated in their earlier exchange. ¡¸Those variable speed vector thrusters¡­¡­ They are quite impressive. You¡¯re truly a great Development Engineer, Kou-kun.¡¹ Its speed probably still couldn¡¯t compare to the Wurger that¡¯s equipped with a ducted rocket engine. However, the opponent machine should be capable of performing nimble three-dimensional maneuvers for brief periods of time. This meant that the Wurger¡¯s initial velocity was higher. However, Lanius had better sustained performance. Despite his advanced age, Kurt couldn¡¯t control the excitement rising from his chest. He surrendered himself to the sense of joy that came from the bottom of his heart and laughed fearlessly. CH 66 Dual swords¨Ca term for two swordsmen facing one another in a duel. The two¡¯s standoff continued. However, they weren¡¯t standing still. They opened the distance by moving around the arena while mutually restraining one another. They also had to constantly pay attention to their machine¡¯s remaining propellant. They moved by walking, running, and using their machine¡¯s thrusters interchangeably. They refrained from dashing using their rollers. They were poised to close the gap in an instant once they spot an opening. ¡¸It¡¯s like watching a battle between the fighter planes of old.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s still a bit better since they aren¡¯t maneuvering above or below the other. ¡­¡­However¨C¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s wrong? What¡¯s with the suggestive sigh?¡¹ ¡¸If Kou continues to develop Silhouettes, I was wondering if battles like this would eventually involve this level of 3D maneuvering in the future.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny understood where Fuyuki¡¯s unease was coming from. She was one of the few pilots using flight-capable Silhouettes after all. But even her current machine wasn¡¯t capable of such acceleration and mobility. It could only go up to around 300 km/h at best. She didn¡¯t even want to imagine a future where this kind of transonic battle was commonplace. ¡¸The bird called shrike is very fast and maneuverable while in flight. They generate up to 6 Gs when accelerating to catch prey. ¨CYou can see why those machine¡¯s designers chose their names by witnessing this battle.¡¹ Aki was also intently watching the battle between the two. The two machines fixed their stances. It seems like they were finally done sounding each other out. Wurger brought its arms upward and a bit away from the left side of its head, with the tip of the zweihander held in its hands pointing toward Unit 5. ¨CIt was the Ochs (Ox) stance. ¡¸Tenyoko¡­¡­ No, it¡¯s different. It¡¯s Joukaku rank at most.¡¹ Kou was familiar with such a stance. It was also called the kasumi no kamae (mist stance). Even if they were practically the same technique, they went by various names depending on each swordsmanship school. It was easy to transition to a slash or thrust from the stance. The terms Kou muttered were the ones used by his own swordsmanship school for their stances. Kou had learned under two schools. He changed gears and focused on the school that most resembled his opponent¡¯s techniques. Cognition ability was essential to effectively pilot Silhouettes. Kou currently had the initiative. Wurger had better acceleration and top speed, but Unit 5¡¯s thrusters had the edge when it came to sustained performance. He also had an idea about why his opponent doesn¡¯t go at full throttle for too long. It¡¯s because their machines were essentially humanoid in shape. Hence, fuel efficiency wasn¡¯t one of their strong points. Eventually, Kou decided to concede the initiative to Kurt. After all, his swordsmanship only comes alive after letting the enemy make the first move. After detecting an opening, Kurt instantly had his machine accelerate forward. This time around, it was Kou that was stationary. If he gets the timing off even by just a bit, he¡¯d be cut in two. The moment Kurt¡¯s Wurger reached its top speed, Kou activated his own machine¡¯s thrusters at full throttle. The two raced past each other once more. Sparks scattered from the ground, followed by another deafening boom. This time around, the one on the offensive and the one defending were reversed. Unit 5 used one leg as a pivot to forcibly perform a turn. It performed one with a minimal amount of movement. The resulting inertial force caused the machine to slide back on its own. The opponent also did the same. In the blink of an eye, the Wurger was already closing in on Unit 5 once more. The machine¡¯s stability, weight, and mobility. The Wurger was capable of correcting its posture faster than the Lanius. It took advantage of the same principle that Kou used when he went up against the Falco. It quickly performed a sideways slash with its zweihander. Kou changed his own weapon¡¯s position. Unit 5 dropped its waist and placed its sword diagonally to the side. Unlike the waki-gamae stance, the sword wasn¡¯t hidden behind the torso. In that position, he made his machine take half a step back. With this, he disturbed the pace of his opponent a bit. It was only a short difference in distance. But making the Wurger perform an extra step forward was enough to mess with the timing of its attack. Unit 5 then dashed forward as if to perform a ramming attack, but transitioned into performing an upward slash. The Wurger moved its upper body to try and avoid it, making its own slash lose some momentum. Even though the Wurger¡¯s left arm got severed, the zweihander¡¯s sideways slash still found its mark. Unit 5¡¯s right torso got ripped apart, but it was still capable of continuing the battle. However, Kou¡¯s machine obviously suffered more damage this time around. Kurt¡¯s Wurger held its sword aloft with its remaining arm in preparation for the next attack. It appeared very much like an indomitable knight. Alerts went off within Unit 5¡¯s cockpit. Kou hurriedly formulated his next move. When he transitioned to another fighting stance to continue the battle, Kurt contacted him through the comm. ¡¸It looks like this is a draw. That was an excellent showing, young man.¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸My Wurger has lost its arm, and your Lanius suffered critical damage. Damage to a Silhouette¡¯s torso could lead to a pilot¡¯s death. This should be a good time to stop.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Understood.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. You¡¯re making a face that¡¯s practically saying you¡¯d like to continue. Actually, I too want to continue this bout. But there¡¯s really no need to be fixated on victory or defeat in a contest like this, correct?¡¹ ¡¸I suppose.¡¹ Kurt did have a point, Kou thought. In the first place, Kurt had already limited himself by fighting on a ring. If they used guns and fought on a wider field, then the difference in skill would be more pronounced. Kou didn¡¯t want to waste Kurt¡¯s consideration, so he agreed to the match being a draw. ¡¸Man. I really want a sword sheath.¡¹ Kou muttered a wish that came from the bottom of his heart. On the other hand, Kurt wasn¡¯t as calm as he outwardly seemed. He would probably have been able to secure a win if they continued the battle. However, Unit 5 hadn¡¯t lost any limbs. His machine, however, lost an arm. Hence, nothing was actually certain. His proposal was basically just the sad excuse of a sly old man, but the lad opposite him probably thought he was just being considerate. How young, he inwardly mused. It¡¯s been thirty years since he was first transferred to Planet Asia. He didn¡¯t anticipate being forced to a corner by a young man that only got transferred a few short months ago. (A young swordsman who¡¯s also a Development Engineer huh. Things are certainly getting very interesting.) Kurt¡¯s smile deepened further. ¡¸You were superb, Kou. I really enjoyed our battle.¡¹ ¡¸It was fun for me as well, Kurt-san. Thank you very much for the opportunity.¡¹ When the two met inside the control room, they exchanged a firm handshake. Their actions appeared quite natural. ¡¸Did you manage to learn something from it?¡¹ ¡¸Of course! I learned a lot!¡¹ Kurt jointly developed the Lanius prototype with Takaba Hyoue. He was also a very skilled swordsman. Kou considered himself very lucky to have engaged a man like him in a mock battle. He regarded it as a very valuable experience. Even if it was settled as a draw, he still felt that he had lost the match. ¡¸Fuyuki-san. Jenny-san. Our company¡¯s sales department would like to discuss a deal with you. How about it? Will you hear us out?¡¹ ¡¸Of course.¡¹ Kurt called out to the man behind him. ¡¸This young man managed to draw with me in battle, and these are his colleagues. Make sure that you aren¡¯t rude to them.¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ The man replied in a trembling voice. He didn¡¯t expect to meet a young man who actually managed to fight Kurt to a draw. He looked at Kou with a respectful gaze. ¡¸I¡¯d like to have a one-on-one talk with Kou next. It would be an exchange between two Development Engineers.¡¹ ¡¸Certainly. Please do teach Kou about various things.¡¹ Jenny replied with a genial smile. Inwardly, Kou thought she was like his big sister. ¡¸Understood. Well then, shall we, Kou?¡¹ After being prompted by Kurt, Kou hurriedly followed him. CH 67 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone ¡¸I was sent to the Nemesis system about thirty years ago. Those were pretty tough times.¡¹ ¡¸What happened back then?¡¹ ¡¸The local inhabitants of Asia were fighting it out with the Murders using work Silhouettes armed with makeshift spears and iron pipes. The Familiars fought while driving construction vehicles armed with mere spear guns. This is all regardless of the Murders firing laser cannons at them.¡¹ ¡¸I was told the people decided to abandon any semblance of military power when they first woke up in this world.¡¹ ¡¸It looked like it was only a matter of time before humanity was eventually cornered and subdued. Planet Libya was quickly brought down, and their main forces immediately went to attack Europa. Due to us transferees, their advance on Asia stalled, but things developed into a precarious deadlock.¡¹ ¡¸I heard the transferees managed to develop various weapons.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Fortunately, due to their Whis-powered dimensional projection armor, Silhouettes were pretty tough, if nothing else. Hence, it was possible to bring enemies down as long as you had the numbers. The Enyos proved pretty troublesome. The Silhouette-use greatswords were developed and manufactured specifically for dealing with them.¡¹ As they walked along, Kurt told Kou about his experiences when he first got transferred to Asia. Kou regarded it as a valuable discussion. So he made sure to listen intently. Aki followed after the two of them from behind and recorded their conversation. ¡¸I thought that if you directly dropped something with mass like that to a Fortress Area, it would get destroyed in a single blow.¡¹ ¡¸Such attack attempts on Fortress Areas and Defense Domes were thwarted by satellite cannons. Though the system¡¯s original purpose was actually a meteor impact prevention measure.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s actually such a system¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. There¡¯s a hypothesis that the red dwarf Nemesis was a star that caused a huge meteoroid to hurtle to Earth from the Oort cloud 26 million years ago. Meteor groups do exist and often rain down on the surrounding planets. Hence, humanity can only live within giant shelters. However, thanks to that, they were able to put up a resistance against the Stone¡¯s forces.¡¹ ¡¸Does that mean that direct attacks on shelters are always prevented?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Okeanos also watches out against NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) weapons. Those are designated as doomsday weapons, and the Stones are well aware that if they tried to use them, they would be immediately eliminated. They were also formerly humans after all. Hence, they thought of ways to augment their forces without touching Okeanos¡¯ bottom line, and the result was the use of Murders to invade and take control of human bases.¡¹ ¡¸So the war developed into an arms race huh.¡¹ ¡¸It started with the development of Silhouette-use rifles. It took three years since the transferee¡¯s arrival in Asia for the first Silhouette-use assault rifles and combat Silhouettes to be developed and manufactured. The facilities that can be used to develop new weapons are limited after all. Railguns were put into practical use only ten years ago. It was only recently that Silhouettes were finally able to perform three-dimensional maneuvers using vector thrusters.¡¹ Kou thought back to his first battle with a Keres. He could somehow imagine just how hard his predecessors had it in the past. ¡¸Have you noticed? You haven¡¯t seen any human holding a pistol or rifle here, right?¡¹ ¡¸Now that you mentioned it, no, I haven¡¯t.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because there¡¯s no need for them. There¡¯s no actual institution that would approve and regulate their use, so they are seen as unnecessary luxuries. And crimes are dealt with by the patrolling Familiars. The small birds flying in the sky can turn into bullets if need be. Though there¡¯s also the problem of relying on Familiars too much¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸But this might still be better than them being manufactured unscrupulously.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true as well.¡¹ When they arrived at their destination, Kou came face to face with a machine that made him feel a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. It looked just like Unit 5 when he first encountered it ¨C a machine that was supposedly abandoned. It was such a machine. It held a huge greatsword and stood quietly. Its dynamic lines clearly defined it as a Silhouette. However, its exterior was just too shabby. The artificial muscles that were also used by the Lanius were exposed. Moreover, the appearance of its legs looked strange. They were devoid of any covering, leading to the exposure of the artificial muscles that were attached to steel frames. It appeared to have toed feet. They resembled a crow¡¯s talons. ¡¸What¡¯s this machine?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a machine whose development got halted due to the lack of technology. It was supposed to be developed as a next-generation Silhouette, but the project was canceled halfway. It has no model number. Its name is the Huckebein.¡¹ ¡¸Huckebein¡­¡­ I often heard of that name back on Earth. What does it mean?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the name of a mischievous crow that appeared in a German children¡¯s book. It was the incarnation of pranks and mischief. A crow that portends calamity. This machine¡¯s legs look pretty unsightly, right? The name Huckebein can also mean ¡°ugly legs¡±.¡¹ ¡¸Why did you design its legs like this in the first place?¡¹ ¡¸I developed a more advanced artificial muscle system by integrating servomechanisms into the artificial muscles themselves, and this machine was designed to solely use that new technology for its drive system. As a result, its movement performance rose compared to the existing Silhouette models. However, in order to achieve this, the machine¡¯s design suffered directly from the square-cube law. And the result of that were these legs.¡¹ ¡¸So why did its development get suspended?¡¹ ¡¸It was simply too heavy. They utilized the new artificial muscle system, but in order to ensure sufficient armor strength, there was no way other than increasing the artificial muscle amount used to an excessive degree. It was essentially a case of putting the cart before the horse. Also, its movement performance did not improve as much as I expected despite the higher cost.¡¹ ¡¸So its artificial muscles increased, its defensive strength decreased, and its weight shot up to an unacceptable level.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. Repair and maintenance are relatively easy though. All you have to do is to replace the artificial muscle bundles. Would you like to try piloting it?¡¹ ¡¸Is it okay?!¡¹ ¡¸Of course. I¡¯d like to hear your impressions as a fellow swordsman.¡¹ ¡¸Sure. Please let me try it!¡¹ Kou excitedly boarded the Huckebein. Kurt watched over him with a warm look in his eyes. The Huckebein¡¯s interface converted from 21st-century German to Japanese. Now Kou would be able to pilot it without any problem. He made the machine perform a joudan-no-kamae (upper-level stance) and swung the sword down. He then paused. He then performed the same move several more times. He took one step forward. And stepped back afterward. He did this repeatedly for a while. ¡¸Amazing¡­¡­¡¹ He then made the machine perform the sword techniques registered in its OS. All the moves were stable and smoothly transitioned from one to the other. Kou was shocked by the experience. The Huckebein had achieved the feat of almost perfectly replicating a human¡¯s natural body movements. This applied even down to its little fingers. In other words, even the fingers of the machine utilized artificial muscles. The machine dropped its waist position and swung its sword. There was next to no lag in its movements. It was unclear whether or not this level of micro-control was really necessary, but in a fight between two sword-wielding machines, this agility and handling was indeed a huge advantage. Perhaps this was a machine that was merely ahead of its time. Its agility would likely prove too much for regular unmanned opponents to handle. Kou put up the machine¡¯s drive system on display on the cockpit screen, and what he saw made him gasp. He finally knew the reason for its peculiar three-clawed feet design. It was to make full use of the artificial muscles that extended to each individual toe. It was so it could replicate organic movements. However, achieving something like this should have increased the production cost by quite a bit. Kou performed a couple more sword swings and finally got down from the machine. ¡¸This is an amazing machine. It¡¯s a waste to leave it in this unfinished state¡­¡­¡¹ It was a machine that made Kou unknowingly grit his teeth due to how amazed he was. ¡¸I want to complete this machine. In fact, you can even say that I owe this guy my life.¡¹ ¡¸Please do. I was also saved when I met Lanius Unit 5. So I want to make Unit 5 even stronger. I¡¯m trying to learn as much as I can with that goal in mind.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s the case. So that means we¡¯re comrades aiming for the same purpose!¡¹ Kurt¡¯s mood had visibly gone up. He seemed genuinely happy. His eyes were squinting and his smile deepened. ¡¸Yes!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great. Well then, first things first. A compound drive mechanism might actually be more suitable for Lanius rather than what¡¯s used in this machine.¡¹ ¡¸Meaning?¡¹ ¡¸Even if you increase the mobility and handling through artificial muscles, you won¡¯t be able to output as much power as you¡¯d like. You will still have to employ a mechanical drive system of some sort in conjunction with the muscles in order to remedy this shortcoming. Hyoue-san left a solution to this problem in Lanius¡¯ design.¡¹ ¡¸Please tell me about it! Ugh. That was rude of me. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡­¡¹ Kou thought it was rude to demand that the other party teach him everything. ¡¸It¡¯s fine. Shall we move on to a lecture about developing machines then? That was your original request, right?¡¹ Kurt didn¡¯t seem bothered in the least and laughed in amusement. CH 68.1 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone Kurt began his lecture next to the feet of the Huckebein. ¡¸A Silhouette is basically manufactured by building a chest and waist frame around the MCS.¡¹ Kou nodded. He knew of this by studying the structure of work Silhouettes and Unit 5. ¡¸Hyoue-san made the most use out of the artificial muscle¡¯s flexibility by modifying this basic structure. In other words, he didn¡¯t build the chest as a whole. Instead, he divided it into right, left, and central blocks. He did the same for the waist. It¡¯s divided into a right, left, and central hip block as well. Regular machines can only raise their arms straight upward, but Lanius is capable of bringing its shoulder backward.¡¹ Kou was also already familiar with the block system. Voy complained that you¡¯d likely have to replace the entire torso if a part of it breaks down. ¡¸It¡¯s the same for the waist. When you lower the machine¡¯s hips, its posture stabilizes. This system enables the machine to twist its hips much like how humans do. Originally, it was also planned to get completely reinforced with artificial muscles. However, due to concerns about parts compatibility for repairs, that plan was scrapped, and only the minimum amount of artificial muscles required was used.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s also ease of maintenance to take into account.¡¹ ¡¸Exactly. Furthermore, the arms and torso were supposed to be fully integrated, and that would result in the arms being non-replaceable. Hyoue-san eventually gave up on this idea as well. The production cost of Lanius also increased due to adopting a compound drive system.¡¹ Something about that caught Kou¡¯s attention. He then turned his gaze toward Huckebein. ¡¸The limbs of Silhouettes employ a modular design, and they are standardized to some extent, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right. Unless they¡¯re employed in a completely unique or specialized machine. Both Lanius and Wurger use limbs with artificial muscles, but they can also use regular ones. Did you get some sort of inspiration, perhaps?¡¹ ¡¸No. It¡¯s still a vague concept for now. Once my thoughts have properly taken shape, I¡¯d like you to hear them out as well, Kurt-san.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be looking forward to it then. I hope the Huckebein can serve as great material for your own bricolage. I and Hyoue-san were also inspired by each other¡¯s designs when developing our respective machines.¡¹ Kou asked a question to confirm something. ¡¸ Have there been any drastic changes to the general Silhouette design through the years?¡¹ ¡¸Unfortunately, no. After all, the technology originated 20,000 years ago. It can be said that it¡¯s already been completely optimized. Parts compatibility, ease of repair, and maintenance have been brought to their logical extremes.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I get that. As long as the hard points themselves aren¡¯t damaged, you can easily replace a Silhouette¡¯s arms and make it good as new¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸That goes for the legs as well. In fact, as long as there¡¯s a spare leg available, you can even connect it to your machine on your own. But since you probably won¡¯t be carrying around a spare leg with you in a battle, you¡¯d have to crawl to get to one in good condition first.¡¹ ¡¸That doesn¡¯t sound like much of an advantage.¡¹ ¡¸Weapons need to be akin to warhorses that can withstand the rigors of brutal battlefields. Delicate thoroughbreds just won¡¯t do. They have to be reliable enough not to break easily even after being subjected to plenty of abuse.¡¹ ¡¸So they have to be able to withstand the brutality of warriors, so to speak.¡¹ ¡¸Precisely.¡¹ Kurt then proceeded to grumble a little. ¡¸That¡¯s where the troubles faced by us Development Engineers begin. Since we basically can¡¯t make any drastic changes to the basic design structure, it¡¯s quite difficult to come up with truly ground-breaking innovations. We¡¯re currently relying on solely making improvements to the backpack modules. Replacing the limbs all the time also costs quite a bit of money. It¡¯s especially easy to make out the difference in performance. Each material used for armor have their faults as well.¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t treat them the same as regular work machines anymore, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The high mobility machines we piloted earlier can be said to be closer to aircraft in build. If they used regular Silhouette limbs, their performance will drop noticeably, right? Even so, it¡¯s not like they can afford to constantly replace their armor after suffering just one or two bullet holes.¡¹ ¡¸So you still have to pay attention even though the machines can be easily repaired huh. How difficult.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a peculiarity of the Nemesis warfront. Combatants usually operate as lone agents or mercenaries affiliated with Underground Forces. Their financial situations can be quite severe if they aren¡¯t careful. If Okeanos, which implemented a universal currency system, didn¡¯t exist, the Stones would have already dominated the Nemesis system¡¯s entire economy by now.¡¹ ¡¸I can see that happening¡­¡­¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but frown. Settling things by battling it out with weapons suited him more. ¡¸Thanks to high-dimensional projection armor, melee weapons that are reinforced with Whis were also developed and proved to be very effective. Close combat is still generally avoided though.¡¹ ¡¸Railguns and light-gas guns are now the mainstream, right? In terms of dealing impact pressure, projectile weapons seem to be unable to top swords, by I still don¡¯t get the reason why until now.¡¹ ¡¸Ceramics have a very high Hugoniot elastic limit. Steel is rated at 1.2 GPa (gigapascals). Titanium alloy is at 2.8 GPa. Tungsten is 3.8 GPa, and Ceramics are actually at 20 GPa. This is due to the bonds between atoms being stronger in ceramics compared to steel. However, due to their characteristic brittleness, they are less effective against slow-moving projectiles. This led to the development of composite armor. However, they are still unable to defend much against slow attacks such as a sword¡¯s thrust or slash.¡¹ ¡¸I heard that high-dimensional armor and weapons generate invisible thickness and weight values. I see. So it¡¯s basically based on an image of hitting and breaking a ceramic plate.¡¹ ¡¸Right. Even if the metal armor¡¯s surface gets reinforced by saturating it with Whis, it¡¯s still vulnerable to impacts such as those done by swords. Hence, as long as the Keres employ high-dimensional projection armor, melee attacks are still the most effective for dealing with them. You can also deal effective damage to them by repeatedly focus-firing on a single point with sufficiently powerful projectile weapons.¡¹ Kurt brought Kou and Aki to another room. It contained an assortment of shell projectiles. Kou gave Aki a quick glance. This was Aki¡¯s area of expertise. Aki nodded with a composed expression. It looks like she¡¯s decided to leave it to Kurt. ¡¸You¡¯re already aware that railguns and light-gas guns can share projectiles between them, right? Since penetration power is usually prioritized, the ones often used are APFSDS rounds. These rounds are composed of sabots containing dart-shaped projectiles made out of tungsten alloy. Once the projectile impacts its target at a sufficiently high velocity, both their surfaces will behave in a plastic fluid-like manner, allowing the long-rod projectile to directly penetrate the target owing to its higher density.¡¹ Kou nodded in understanding. He¡¯s already received a short introduction regarding this subject before. He did think a long name like ¡°armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot¡± was a bit too much of a mouthful and hard to remember though. A light-gas gun makes use of a large-diameter piston to force gas through a smaller diameter barrel in order to shoot out projectiles. Using railguns eliminates the need for gas injection and the accompanying storage costs, which also leads to a reduction of projectile unit price. ¡¸This is a 120 mm shell. It¡¯s basically the same size as the ones found back on 21st century Earth. This is said to be the maximum caliber that humans can carry and work with. Any larger than this, and they would have to be carried by Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸Conversely, the use of larger caliber projectiles could become commonplace because humans rarely undertake such tasks without employing work Silhouettes now, right?¡¹ ¡¸Correct.¡¹ ¡¸The railguns and light-gas guns used in the Nemesis system are orders of magnitude different from the guns that were employed on Earth. Even if they don¡¯t score direct hits, they would still cause tremendous impacts. This is one of the reasons why human infantry have entirely disappeared from this world¡¯s battlefields. Here, see for yourself.¡¹ Kurt pointed to a shell projectile that was as long and thick as a metal bat. ¡¸Is this an autocannon round?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s currently the largest caliber autocannon shell employed here on Planet Asia. Its exact caliber is 60 millimeters. The autocannons that utilize these can fire at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute. They are quite effective against the ceramic armor that Keres commonly employ.¡¹ ¡¸Whoah.¡¹ Kou inwardly thought that no matter how thick his machine¡¯s armor was, he really didn¡¯t want to be on the receiving end of a rapid shower of hundreds of pointed metal bats made of tungsten. ¡¸As long as you are within three meters of the impact point, you¡¯d still get reduced to bloody bits even if you don¡¯t get hit directly.¡¹ Kou continued listening to Kurt¡¯s lecture. He learned what kind of performance requirements he should aim for when designing weapons as well as the proper ways of maintaining them, among other things. He found it a really rewarding experience. CH 68.2 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone ¡¸German cuisine isn¡¯t actually half-bad at all. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d actually have to spend the entire night here though.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t really mind, you know? We managed to snag a good deal too!¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d be able to purchase state-of-the-art Silhouettes for that kind of price¡­¡­ I ended up buying four of them before I knew it.¡¹ Apparently, the deal between both parties went quite well. Fuyuki was absentmindedly tapping his terminal. ¡¸We have a lot of Bears in our Force too. This will greatly improve our overall combat strength.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m glad to hear that. I¡¯d like to extend our gratitude as well. After all, if Metal Iris prominently uses our products, it will serve as great publicity.¡¹ Kurt said so with his usual warm smile. He seemed like the perfect gentleman. ¡¸Kurt-san. Thank you very much. I¡¯d like to get in contact with you again if it¡¯s alright with you.¡¹ ¡¸Of course. Let¡¯s have a fruitful exchange again in the future. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Kurt sent the Metal Iris members away with slight pangs of reluctance. The smile disappeared from his face, and he proceeded to a room that only he can enter. He then went over to the Huckebein. He looked up at the unfinished machine and muttered. ¡¸Just wait a bit more. I¡¯ve already given that young man all the hints I could. I wonder what his idea is, and what kind of thing he¡¯ll offer me in return. I hope it will serve as a useful guide to me, at least.¡¹ Kurt spoke to Huckebein akin to a father addressing his beloved son. ¡¸You helped me get through that desperate battle in your woefully unfinished state. Surprisingly, that young man experienced something similar, and our goals overlap. I will certainly complete you to perfection. I¡¯m sure Kou-kun will bring me the required technology to accomplish that. That is what I believe.¡¹ Kurt thought back to the battle a few years ago. The Fortress Area they formerly stayed at was overrun by the enemy. Many of his comrades fell, and his own machine also collapsed from all the damage it suffered. The only thing that was left standing was the incomplete machine currently before him. The incomplete machine that first appeared to be inert suddenly parked itself in front of Kurt that day. He almost couldn¡¯t believe what happened, but he felt the battle intent emanating from the machine. The only weapon it held in its hand was a zweihander. However, it made full use of its prided agility and handling to display a truly magnificent performance. He was able to barely escape from the fallen Fortress Area and make a comeback. Huckebein stood before him in silence. ¡¸Please wait for just a little bit more. I will make you into a true Murder-destroying villainous bird that soars along the battlefield. I¡¯ve already laid down the foundation. Now, all I need to do is wait.¡¹ Kurt was akin to a pilgrim offering up a devout prayer to the immobile unfinished prototype. ¨CIn Fortress Area I250 where the TAKABA main company headquarters was located. A man was having a conversation within the company chairman¡¯s private office. The man was an elderly Japanese. His body was lean but sufficiently muscular. He sported fine yet dignified features. ¡¸Yes. Takaba speaking. Why, if it isn¡¯t Kurt-san. Hello. Yes. So it really is that rascal Kou? I see I see¡­¡­ Thank you for taking care of that young man on my behalf. He¡¯s a very promising swordsman, you say? Indeed, he is. Right, right¡­¡­ Hee. I see. The Lanius Unit 5 eh¡­¡­¡¹ It¡¯s been a while since he¡¯s had a proper talk with Kurt. He quite enjoyed it. Apparently, the other party was also in a great mood. After turning off the communicator, he turned to one side with a gentle gaze. He was looking at a picture placed on his desk. The picture was of him and his grandson, Shuji. It was taken after they came to Asia. ¡¸Kou-kun was alive, Shuji. And hear this. He actually found and rode Lanius Unit 5 that you were supposed to pilot. That kid even managed to rescue Asia.¡¹ He gently wiped the tears that seeped from his eyes away. The young man was reported dead, but he actually ended up being transferred to Asia. He was his grandson¡¯s good friend. He¡¯d met him several times and talked with him about swordsmanship in their family¡¯s dojo. When he first got told that the young man was dead, he couldn¡¯t help but yell at the person who brought him the grievous news. He questioned why a decent young man and a promising swordsman like him should have to die in such an abrupt manner. He was vexed. He wanted to talk with him more. He wanted to talk with the young man about his grandson and swordsmanship more. However, he had died. He had died in such an unreasonable situation. ¡¸If you were alive, then why didn¡¯t you try to contact me right away, you rascal? Right, grandson?¡¹ Takaba Hyoue talked to the photo that obviously wasn¡¯t capable of responding. His grandson never got the opportunity to pilot Unit 5 and passed away. Their base, a Defense Dome that doubled as a weapons factory, suffered a surprise attack. His grandson died in the ensuing chaos, and Lanius which had lost its pilot went out of control. It was in order to protect the remaining humans. And now, he learned that the young man that he and his grandson had thought dead was actually alive. Moreover, he had ridden Unit 5 which his grandson was originally supposed to pilot. It was certainly within the realm of possibility. The place Kou ended up getting left behind was their former base. And it was Hyoue himself who instructed his men to leave Unit 5 there. He was against scrapping it entirely and didn¡¯t want to replace its cockpit either. He wanted it to undergo a rebirth. He truly believed that the right pilot for it will appear eventually. In truth, he had wanted to take it with them back then. But there just wasn¡¯t any time. Hence, the machine was abandoned in the underground junkyard. Now, that very machine had activated. It then went on a journey together with his late grandson¡¯s friend. Eventually, they had even managed to save Asia. When he heard about it from Asia, he didn¡¯t dare to believe it at first. Perhaps it was only a person with a similar name, he thought. When he heard from Kurt that the young man was a promising swordsman today, he was finally convinced. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that a sort of destiny was at work. ¡¸Hey. Was it you who guided Kou here, Shuji? Otherwise, it really is such an improbable coincidence. So he practices iai eh. If our Lanius can prove useful to him, then nothing could make me happier.¡¹ The old man closed his eyes. If it were possible, then he would have wanted to reunite with Kou together with his grandson. Hyoue quietly immersed himself in memories of the past. CH 69.1 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone ¡¸The last transferee-founded company on our list is Skunk Technologies. It¡¯s the company led by Kelly Rich. They were the ones who designed Blue and my personal units. I¡¯ve already met with them a couple of times previously, so just take it easy.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s the place that made your Silhouette huh. I wonder if they have any quirks?¡¹ Master had said that Jenny¡¯s personal machine was a good example of the completed form of the current era¡¯s Silhouettes. Hence, Kou was very interested in the developers of such Silhouettes. ¡¸Their insistence on great aesthetics, I suppose. Their designs are a marriage of sophisticated elegance, beauty, and functionality.¡¹ ¡¸They employ a completely different design philosophy from what was applied to the TSW-R1. The design of Jenny¡¯s SAF-F02 Pheasant is a great example.¡¹ ¡¸Another one is their propensity for sharp and edgy designs. It¡¯s that kind of quirky company.¡¹ Jenny¡¯s Silhouette was certainly pretty slim compared to other models. Blue¡¯s SAS-F02 Snipe was also made by the same company, but the design concept was completely different. ¡¸There certainly are some pretty weird engineers sometimes. I kinda get the image.¡¹ ¡¸Kelly¡¯s a nice enough uncle most of the time, but he¡¯s also a weirdo. That¡¯s why he¡¯s nicknamed The Skunk. He can be a bit off-putting for some after all.¡¹ ¡¸The slang ¡°skunk¡± has a lot of different meanings after all. It can refer to a person that others often avoid. It can also mean a trickster or swindler. It¡¯s also used to refer to a woman who often sleeps around with different men.¡¹ Fuyuki elaborated further while smiling bitterly. ¡¸It¡¯s also a name that holds a lot of significance from the perspective of the weapons industry. There probably isn¡¯t any other company name that could encapsulate what they¡¯re all about other than Skunk.¡¹ ¡¸That goes for the person in charge himself too. We¡¯re not going to engage in any formal business talks this time around by the way. We¡¯re going there in the name of handing over my accumulated combat data to Kelly. He¡¯s especially looking forward to the combat data gathered during our counteroffensive on X463.¡¹ ¡¸Skunk Technologies is basically composed of a small group of elite Development Engineers. They leave the business side of things to another company specialized in management.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s a gathering of Development Engineers?¡¹ ¡¸Yep. Mostly B and C-class Development Engineers. Kelly mentors them with the express purpose of dispatching them to Fortress Areas. I think it¡¯s a pretty good place to learn the basics of Development Engineer design techniques. However, they¡¯re a pretty rowdy bunch.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so¡­¡­?¡¹ Kou, who had a pretty shy and reserved character, got a bit worried. ¡¸Welcome, Jenny!¡¹ A Caucasian man with a headful of white hair enthusiastically greeted the group. He was a pretty well-dressed elderly man. ¡¸Hi there, Kelly! Here. I brought the data you wanted. It¡¯s data collected from all our units to boot.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s why I love you, Jenny! Like I thought, beautiful women really are a great match for beautiful machines.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. Your beautiful machine really has helped me out a lot.¡¹ Jenny and Kelly behaved like old friends having a lively exchange. ¡¸This kid here is Kou, I presume? Hello there. The name¡¯s Kelly.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m Kou. I¡¯ll be in your care today.¡¹ The two then shook hands. ¡¸Yes. Then, just like what I told you in the e-mail¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Okay. Just leave the kid and your machine here. C¡¯mon then. You can go back, Jenny!¡¹ Right after shaking hands, Kou was immediately dragged away by the smiling Kelly. ¡¸Um. Ah, please hold on a bit, sir!¡¹ Kou¡¯s words weren¡¯t headed and he continued to be dragged away. ¡¸I¡¯ll contact you guys once everything¡¯s over and done with, so just come pick this kid up afterward! Be seeing you then! Time waits for no man after all.¡¹ Kou was taken away in front of his three stunned companions. ¡¸Um. Jenny. I¡¯m also going to stay here. I¡¯ll be contacting you later.¡¹ Aki declared her intent to remain behind and then chased after Kou and Kelly. ¡¸Is Mr. Kelly always like that?¡¹ Fuyuki, who had already snapped out of the shock from the sudden events, curiously asked Jenny. ¡¸Haa¡­¡­ Yeah. Let¡¯s just unload the Pheasant and go home. I don¡¯t think something bad¡¯s gonna happen to those guys while they¡¯re here anyway.¡¹ With a resigned expression on her face, Jenny headed to the transport plane to unload her machine. ¡¸This here¡¯s our good old lab, kid. Heeey! Guys! The hero¡¯s arrived!¡¹ Kou was led to the laboratory and received a rather perfunctory introduction to the place. He a point he noted was that there were actually several women among the lab members. There were also a couple of Familiars among them. ¡¸This is the Development Engineer who managed to save Asia. I heard it from Asia herself, so there¡¯s no mistake!¡¹ ¡¸Amazing!¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s this person!¡¹ Kou was flustered by his rough introduction and the reactions to it. The people previously busy with work all stopped what they were doing and focused their gazes on him. ¡¸It¡¯s nice to meet you all. I¡¯m Kou. The lady behind me is Aki. She¡¯s my assistant.¡¹ ¡¸Ou. Best regards, you two.¡¹ ¡¸Ara, he¡¯s actually rather cute for a hero!¡¹ ¡¸Nice to meet you¨C¡¹ Kou was reminded of the catchphrase ¡°homely workplace¡±. ¡¸Oh, right. I wonder who¡¯s perfect for the job? One who¡¯s good with newbies¡­¡­ Oi! Jialing! You go and take care of them when I¡¯m not around.¡¹ ¡¸Ye?s, Boss! You¡¯re Japanese, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯m Taiwanese! Hu Jialing. I was transferred just recently! Looking forward to working with you!¡¹ A woman who previously sat on the side stood up and approached Kou. She then stretched her hand out for a handshake. She had black hair that was cut short. She was a bubbly Asian woman who Kou felt was younger than him. Kou grabbed the offered hand and greeted her back. ¡¸So you¡¯re from Taiwan huh. I¡¯m looking forward to working with you too.¡¹ ¡¸You can definitely count on this girl. Yosh, Kou. I¡¯ll give you a lecture about Silhouette basics first. Let¡¯s start from the very basics.¡¹ ¡¸I would rather work on learning to improve my personal Silhouette if possible¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸What the heck are you saying, kid!? Don¡¯t tell me you wanna mess with others¡¯ designs without even the proper grasp of the basics!? Messing with someone else¡¯s design is way harder than coming up with a design from scratch, I¡¯ll have you know. To think you don¡¯t even know something as basic as that. That does it. I¡¯m gonna pound as much knowledge and common sense into that noggin of yours, sonny. C¡¯mere!¡¹ Jialing saw Kou off with a wry smile on her lips. Seeing that, Kou surmised that what was happening was just a usual affair in the lab. It¡¯s just that he was being swept by the flow without even a chance to resist. After dragging Kou to another spot in the lab, Kelly started his lecture. ¡¸Kou, I¡¯ll check your knowledge base first. Do you have any experience with designing Silhouettes?¡¹ Kelly immediately shot Kou with a pointed question. ¡¸I don¡¯t.¡¹ ¡¸How much do you know about Silhouettes?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Come to think of it, I actually don¡¯t know much about them. I know they operate by using Whis as a power source at least.¡¹ ¡¸Yosh. That¡¯s good. It¡¯s way better than you bragging about some half-assed knowledge. Over here, kid.¡¹ CH 69.2 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone Kelly brought Kou to a large testing ground next. There, he found a work Silhouette equipped with a gun as well as a bare MCS loaded behind a work vehicle. It was the armored capsule form of the Multi-Cockpit System. It looked like a chicken egg uniformly colored in metallic gray. It resembled the front end of an attack helicopter. There was a space under the rear seat. The said space housed both the reactor and power pack. ¡¸This here¡¯s a Multi-Cockpit System. It¡¯s a product of over-technology whose design hasn¡¯t changed one bit even after 20,000 years.¡¹ ¡¸This is the core of most current weapon systems, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. It¡¯s pretty much universal. By the way, Kou. Do you have an idea about the dimensions of this thing?¡¹ ¡¸Um, honestly¡­¡­ I don¡¯t. Sorry.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll give you a rundown, so make sure to remember this stuff. For its external dimension, it¡¯s 2.6 meters long, 1.4 meters wide, and 1.8 meters high. Its internal dimensions are 2.4 meters in length, 1.2 meters in width, and a height of 1.5 meters. Whether you find it large or narrow depends on your body size.¡¹ Kou was reminded of something. He found that it resembled the dimensions of a single-seater ultra-compact EV (electric vehicle). It¡¯s just that it resembled the tandem cockpit of an attack helicopter more. That¡¯s because cockpits were generally installed on a slightly diagonally forward angle on a Silhouette¡¯s torso. ¡¸Silhouettes have quite a bit of depth to them.¡¹ Yunlan also mentioned that an MCS had a depth and width that corresponded to a box. ¡¸Yeah. But what you should be paying attention to are the MCS¡¯s width and height instead.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸It would be faster if you experience it for yourself.¡¹ Kelly called out to the work vehicle. ¡¸The usual please.¡¹ The work vehicle grabbed the MCS with its robotic arm and moved away from the two men. ¡¸Now the MCS is about 300 meters away from the worker Silhouette. Alright then, Kou. Get inside that Silhouette over there and fire at the MCS.¡¹ ¡¸Okay.¡¹ Kou then boarded the worker Silhouette just as he was told and began to aim at the target MCS. The robot arm holding the MCS began subtly moving it up and down. This made it strangely difficult to secure an aim. About a third of the bullets Kou fired missed their mark. ¡¸How is it? Quite hard to aim at it, right? Next, use that bayonet on that rifle to thrust and slash at it. One thrust and slash would be enough.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Melee combat was Kou¡¯s specialty so he was a lot more confident. However, his self-confidence was soon crushed to pieces. The robot arm holding the MCS suddenly dropped in elevation. That made his thrust miss. He then followed up with a downward diagonal slash. The robot arm slightly moved the MCS sideways, but Kou still managed to barely graze it. Kou used the Silhouette¡¯s rollers to move next to Kelly and got off. ¡¸How was it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s¡­¡­ surprisingly difficult to hit.¡¹ ¡¸Ain¡¯t it? You remember that slight up-and-down movement the robot arm was simulating earlier? Take note of that. That¡¯s actually how the MCS positions itself while a Silhouette is in motion.¡¹ ¡¸Why is that?¡¹ ¡¸Even humans have their torsos move up and down at least two centimeters while walking. Scale that up to a Silhouette¡¯s size and the movement¡¯s gonna get bigger as well, right?¡¹ ¡¸I get it! With the impact mitigation function of the MCS, it remains firmly fixed to the machine. That¡¯s how it mimics the up-and-down movements of a human¡¯s torso.¡¹ ¡¸Do you understand now? The MCS itself has a double structure. That¡¯s because Whis is a type of energy that¡¯s related to gravity. If Whis isn¡¯t running through the structure, the impact mitigation function won¡¯t activate at all.¡¹ ¡¸Strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electromagnetic force, and gravity. Wasn¡¯t Whis a combination of gravitational and electromagnetic force that¡¯s identifiable through the fifth dimension¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸So you know of that eh? You have a great teacher.¡¹ Kou was pleased by the praise for Master. ¡¸So now we¡¯re clear that the MCS moves in concert with the torso of a Silhouette, right? And the movement simulated by the robot arm when it made the MCS dodge your thrust earlier was where the MCS will be positioned when a Silhouette crouches. The sideways movement was to simulate its position when a Silhouette arches to the side.¡¹ ¡¸I understand.¡¹ Kelly then points to the Silhouette beside the two of them with a big grin on his face. ¡¸You wanna know what I¡¯m getting at with all this, right? Y¡¯see, a lot of transferees say stuff like these about Silhouettes. Stuff like Silhouettes being inefficient due to their large humanoid design. Or them being great, big, easy targets due to their size! I say they¡¯re just being ridiculous!¡¹ Kou thought Kelly was exaggerating a bit, but he mostly got the gist of what Kelly was trying to say. ¡¸Let¡¯s call it a humanoid weapon¡¯s effective frontal projected area. The reactor is mounted behind the MCS, and the power pack is mounted on the bottom half of its rear. That¡¯s all in order to keep its height within 1.7 meters. You have to accurately aim and deal a direct hit on this thing in order to completely neutralize a Silhouette. All while it¡¯s moving around just like what we showed you earlier.¡¹ ¡¸Even if the legs get destroyed, as long as the pilot¡¯s still alive¡­¡­ Actually, the legs of Silhouettes are kinda difficult to destroy as well.¡¹ ¡¸Is aiming for the legs that are actually thinner than a Silhouette¡¯s torso actually more efficient? We have no infantry moving around the battlefield here, remember? Even tanks and armored combat vehicles tend to prefer aiming at the torso rather than the legs.¡¹ ¡¸And since railguns can easily shoot down aircraft, there¡¯s little chance of being attacked from above.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s even fine if you lose a limb or two as long as the MCS is still functional. You can still shoot even without the legs. If there are friendlies nearby, they can recover it fairly quickly. They can pull out the MCS and stuff it inside an armored car easily after all.¡¹ ¡¸As long as the MCS is still fine huh.¡¹ ¡¸This is a combat theory that only works here on the Nemesis warfront. Actually, it might even work back on Earth as long as some major power manages to find an effective way to send super-strong electromagnetic waves over a very wide area, resulting in the elimination of infantry from the battlefield.¡¹ ¡¸Those are some dangerous ideas.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve gotten off-topic! Anyway, you just need to take note of one thing, Kou! Design weapon systems with the MCS as the core. If you do that, you¡¯ll find it easier to come up with a design that you¡¯re satisfied with. Be it a Silhouette, a tank, or even a plane.¡¹ ¡¸By the way, Kelly-sensei¨C The current weapons equipped with the MCS include Silhouettes, armored vehicles, and tanks, but I haven¡¯t seen any weapons that are more compact. What¡¯s the reason for that?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a good question, Kou! Actually, the MCS has such excellent defensive armor plating that it can actually serve as a decent armored vehicle even if you just slapped tires onto it directly. However, the reason why we specifically install MCS on armored vehicles is¡­¡­¡¹ Kou listened to Kelly¡¯s machine gun-like explanations with rapt attention. Aki sighed and smiled wryly. Before she knew what was happening, Kou was already addressing Kelly as ¡°sensei¡±, and Kelly very naturally treated Kou as his student in return. Kou¡¯s compatibility with the Development Engineer they visited this time around seemed to be quite good. CH 70 Translator: SFBaka Editor: Thor¡¯s Stone It¡¯s been three days since Kou first came to Skunk Technologies. Currently, he was having lunch on the company facility¡¯s lawn. He was having sandwiches with some companions. Besides him and Aki, there were also Jialing and a young Caucasian man who surprisingly was dressed like your stereotypical Japanese anime version of a princess-type loli. The guy¡¯s name was Matty. He was called Matt by his colleagues. He held a frilly parasol and grew out his black hair down to his waist, creating the atmosphere of a mysterious beauty. But he was a man. He was also a huge fan of Japanese culture and was transferred recently like Kou and Jialing. He was a C-Rank Development Engineer. He was in charge of teaching Kou how to write daily reports and cost reviews. ¡¸Learning cost reviews is really hard.¡¹ Kou grumbled in complaint. Cost reviews were basically detailed accounts of cost prices for various items. ¡¸It¡¯s important to take note and keep tabs on cost prices, Kou. That¡¯s especially true for us Development Engineers since our work basically consists of designing and selling off weapons.¡¹ Matt was petite and beautiful. He was so slim and delicate that even other men¡¯s hearts would likely pound when seeing him for the first time. Due to his experiences back in Japan, Kou was aware that the goth loli style suited men with a slender body type. Since Matt was a fan of Japanese culture, he treated Kou well just like Jialing. ¡¸To think I¡¯d have to convert the prices to asu units too.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s mostly similar to the cost accounting method used in Japan you know. They use the sen unit in addition to yen. There¡¯s a big difference between writing out the price as 21 yen and 20 yen and 50 sen, so the total cost you¡¯ll come up with will also be different. Using sen makes the report more detailed and exact.¡¹ Kou was once again reminded that Aki was an android and felt that she was really good at stuff involving calculations. He was used to fawning on her in her dog form, so that resulted in him being more aware of the gap between that and her behavior in her humanoid form. ¡¸Development Engineers are both makers and managers after all. I¡¯m glad I was picked up by the people from this place.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like Development Engineers like us are in pretty high demand huh.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not just at that level you know. The moment you¡¯re found to be an unaffiliated Development Engineer, things could develop into you being abducted and, eventually, a conflict between Fortress Areas for your custody.¡¹ Matt revealed such shocking information in a casual manner. ¡¸I was also almost kidnapped you know. I was saved by a passing Familiar. Then I was introduced to this place!¡¹ ¡¸So they¡¯d actually go that far huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Have you never been invited by an organization, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Fortunately no. I guess I haven¡¯t had the chance to come into contact with such organizations yet.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, why don¡¯t you join us here!? Right, Matt?¡¹ ¡¸That would be nice.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. Thanks, guys. But I have something I have to do, so I¡¯ll have to refuse.¡¹ Due to them being close in age, the three engineers became fast friends despite spending only a short time together. ¡¸Yeah, I know. That¡¯s why our Boss is teaching you with all he has, right?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s just making me learn the basics.¡¹ ¡¸Boss must be really happy that you¡¯re someone worth teaching. The people here can all be considered weirdos you know, including me, of course. The only ones I¡¯ve met who haven¡¯t frowned or gotten taken aback after seeing me were the Familiar who saved me and you. As expected of a true Japanese person.¡¹ ¡¸I haven¡¯t exactly had many encounters with them, but I have met guys who were super into loli cosplay¡­¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m at least aware that slender men generally look good in loli costumes. It¡¯s kinda amazing how much they suit guys like you, honestly.¡¹ ¡¸Sweet Loli cosplay is something of a Japanese specialty after all. The moment I was told I could freely and easily make any clothes I liked here in Asia, these types of clothes were the first on my list.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t expect that it was really a case of sweet loli cosplay. He merely thought Matt really liked old-style European dresses. ¡¸Japanese culture is also popular in Taiwan y¡¯know. I¡¯ve never cosplayed myself, but I do have some interest in it.¡¹ ¡¸Kou is a person who wouldn¡¯t even blink after seeing people with dog and cat ears after all.¡¹ Kou received an unexpected blow from Jialing¡¯s seemingly innocuous words. Aki immediately nodded in agreement. ¡¸Uh, do other people really find you guys strange, Aki?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, they do. They were suddenly sent to an era of interplanetary war you know. And Familiars and Therianthropes do look different from normal humans. I was really surprised that you treated us no differently from how you treat other humans like you, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Err, I was just thinking this was the future and all. So stuff like that wouldn¡¯t really be all that strange.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s it. That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s terrifying about you, Kou.¡¹ Matt expressed his unabashed admiration after hearing Kou¡¯s words. He was apparently praising Kou. Afterward, their lunch chat became even livelier as they started exchanging stories from their time on Earth. ¡¸Alright. That¡¯s all the stuff about reactor components.¡¹ Kou studied the basics of Silhouettes with Kelly today as well. Kelly lectured about the various components making up a reactor this time around. ¡¸About 600 parts, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. You¡¯re familiar with parts count, aren¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I¡¯ve heard that cars averaged about 30,000 parts.¡¹ Kou was barely familiar with that fact. He did work in the manufacturing industry after all. However, the regular production workers most likely didn¡¯t really pay that much attention to the exact parts count while at work. It was the total number of parts making up a vehicle, down to the smallest bit and bearing after all. ¡¸You were part of the processing industry when you were back in Japan, weren¡¯t you? Very well. So what about a Silhouette¡¯s parts count?¡¹ ¡¸I have no idea!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s good that you¡¯re honest! Back on Earth, tanks averaged about 100,000 parts. Fighters consisted of about 300,000. Here in the Nemesis system, those numbers have been cut down by a third. Your typical Assault Silhouette consists of about 200,000 parts. I¡¯ll leave judging whether or not that number is a lot to you.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose it¡¯s kinda small?¡¹ ¡¸Well, that¡¯s basically right. Assuming the Silhouette comes with the full basic loadout, backpack, and standard leg rollers, that number does seem on the smaller side, right? Fastenerless construction technology is developing steadily after all.¡¹ ¡¸Do you need to consider that factor too when selecting parts for a design?¡¹ ¡¸The limbs of Silhouettes being standardized is really a godsend. However, at present, the trend is the development of compound drive systems. So the types of standardized parts might increase in number going forward. We might not be able to develop the MCS any further at present, but there¡¯s a high chance of us transferees unlocking more and more advanced technology that can be applied to the Silhouette¡¯s main body.¡¹ Kelly¡¯s mouth then formed a nasty-looking grin. ¡¸You have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders, Kou. I¡¯m really looking forward to what kind of earthshaking developments you¡¯re gonna cause from here on out.¡¹ ¡¸Please stop piling on the pressure, Sensei! My poor heart can¡¯t take it.¡¹ ¡¸I believe my job is to pave the way for you to increase the amount of stuff in your inventory! An increase in the number of parts means an increase in costs as well! Of course, that still depends on what materials are used in making said parts.¡¹ ¡¸Materials huh. Nanomaterials are pretty good, but you really can¡¯t rely on them alone.¡¹ ¡¸Things are still better here in the Nemesis system compared to Earth you know? Hey, Aki. Could you explain it to the kid? About just how ridiculous material prices are on Earth!¡¹ Kelly moved his gaze and addressed Aki who was standing behind Kou. Aki smiled and readily responded to his request. ¡¸It¡¯s better to explain this matter using yen. The alloy market was quite volatile back then, and in the 21st century where Kou was previously from, one ton of aviation-use titanium was valued at approximately 100,000 to 300,000 yen. One ton of carbon steel costs 100,000, and nanocarbons like graphene went for 10,000 yen per gram. Nanocarbon prices were particularly high.¡¹ ¡¸Wait. Are you sure you didn¡¯t make a mistake regarding graphene¡¯s price?¡¹ ¡¸It was like that in Kou¡¯s era because it couldn¡¯t be mass-produced in large quantities and there was no proper casting process. They first aimed for graphene being worth 500,000 yen, then eventually started working their way to making it worth 3000 yen per kilo. They were aiming at making it a true low-cost material, but it was said that it would take them at least ten years to put the manufacturing technology into practical use.¡¹ ¡¸Back then, there was a point where machines that made heavy use of titanium in their construction were considered pretty pricey, but even titanium was considered cheaper than graphene. But rest assured. Nanocarbon materials can be manufactured cheaply and easily here on Planet Asia.¡¹ ¡¸It kinda feels like I¡¯m not in the far future with all this talk about carbon steel, titanium, and aluminum.¡¹ ¡¸Because it¡¯s not like the elements that make up the universe magically changed just because we¡¯re in the future now. Just give up. But believe me, I do get you.¡¹ Kelly laughed after hearing Kou¡¯s grumble. ¡¸The steelmaking methods here are pretty different from what we were familiar with you know. There are nanocarbon composites and special alloys that are composed of various non-ferrous metals with different elemental distribution. The way they achieve elemental distribution is even something we can¡¯t understand currently.¡¹ ¡¸We have to pay attention to the combination of armor materials too, right? Is it due to the main materials used in armor being steel-based that the cost issue comes up?¡¹ ¡¸As long as it¡¯s a weapon, the cost to weight is always gonna be an issue you need to deal with. That¡¯s because extreme diets will eventually cause problems for humans and Silhouettes alike! But if you wanna build a flying Silhouette, you¡¯ll need to use lightweight materials even if they are really pricey. Just like what we did with the Pheasant.¡¹ Kelly offered the Silhouette he designed as an example. ¡¸150,000 minas¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s still fairly cheap, ain¡¯t it? In the Interplanetary War era, there were even ultra-luxury Silhouette models that could serve both the roles of a tank and fighter plane you know. It¡¯s not that new tanks and fighters weren¡¯t developed as well, but the Super AIs just chose to focus more on humanoid-shaped weapons.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no way there were stuff like transforming combiners too, right?¡¹ ¡¸Ooh, hear me out and be amazed, kid! Guess what? They do exist!¡¹ ¡¸The heck?¡¹ ¡¸Well, it might be more appropriate to say they ¡°did¡± exist. There were those that transformed into different modes and some that combined into one full Silhouette. The backpack swapping system we employ right now is actually a remnant of that era. I¡¯ve seen an actual antique Silhouette myself, and its theoretical performance values were off-the-charts crazy. Seriously, you wouldn¡¯t be able to stop yourself from laughing like a maniac if you saw them too.¡¹ ¡¸Is the technology to build them sealed up so we can¡¯t manufacture them right now?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. We can¡¯t analyze the materials used to make them, and we can¡¯t synthesize the fuel that powers them. There were also a lot of weapons that we couldn¡¯t figure out how to fix. And even of you did manage to repair them, you¡¯d be completely bankrupt afterward. Also, we can¡¯t actually make them perform to their full potential. Right now, they would be easily destroyed by concentrated railgun fire.¡¹ Something came to Kou¡¯s mind. Astraea did say that she was able to manufacture metallic hydrogen fuel. However, due to the influence of the technology seal, the technical know-how regarding how to store it was completely lost. In other words, it could only be used to power a spaceship. It can¡¯t be used to fuel Silhouettes because it would quickly change from fluid to gas. ¡¸I wonder why they actually made such weapons that were difficult to employ back then?¡¹ ¡¸In the Interplanetary War era, they might have been able to produce such super weapons at a rather cheap cost. No, they were probably still quite expensive. Maybe they would correspond with our Pheasant in the current era when it comes to relative price. That¡¯s why I¡¯m counting on you, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸I firmly believe that you will be able to spread technology that would allow us to finally manufacture high-performance machines like those someday. I¡¯m sure of it.¡¹ ¡¸Please don¡¯t say something so rash, Sensei!¡¹ Kou¡¯s expression changed as he vehemently denied Kelly¡¯s words. Kelly just laughed it away like usual. CH 71.1 Kou, the other two young Development Engineers, along with Aki were dragged by Kelly to an underground laboratory. In the huge underground lab, they found various work machines, the SFA-F02 Pheasant which was Jenny¡¯s personal machine, and another slim-framed Silhouette that Kou had never seen before. It sported a large backpack on its back. Aki¡¯s eyes immediately squinted when she saw it. It seemed like she was familiar with it. However, she kept her silence. ¡¸The data Jenny handed over this time around really came in handy. It¡¯s very rare to get your hands on data about Silhouettes engaging in battle with an actual super-heavy tank!¡¹ Kelly began unabashedly praising Jenny. ¡¸Yeah. She¡¯s a knockout beauty, she¡¯s really skilled, and she¡¯s very popular with her men. She¡¯s a really amazing person.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s great that she¡¯s beautiful eh? She¡¯s a woman who¡¯s absolutely qualified to pilot our Pheasant. Silhouettes need to be beautiful you know. After all, who would wanna pilot a lame-looking Silhouette, right?¡¹ Kelly seemed to be expecting agreement from the rest, and three heads eventually nodded. ¡¸As long as you create a design with a solid objective in mind, you¡¯d naturally end up with one that has something people call functional beauty. There¡¯s no meaning in creating a design that you wouldn¡¯t fall in love with yourself after all.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ The three young people¡¯s voices echoed out in unison. ¡¸It would be fine as long as your designs adhere to the KISS principle. That¡¯s a favorite saying of the founder of the company I worked for back when I was still on Earth.¡¹ ¡¸The KISS principle?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s actually an abbreviation for ¡°Keep it short and simple.¡± It basically means not to overcomplicate things.¡¹ ¡¸Keep things short and simple huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not that easy to adhere to such a principle you know? People, you see, tend to have an impulse to put in various functions when making stuff that¡¯s supposedly simple yet highly efficient. Think of cars, for example.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I get it now!¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of the KISS principle, you¡¯re aware that basic Silhouette frames are general-purpose, right? So you¡¯d want to add all sorts of functions to such a generic machine. Because stuff like flight capability and high mobility is just too hard to pass up, right? However, you have to reign yourselves in first. Consider things carefully, guys! Are those functions really appropriate for the stuff you¡¯re making?¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, those multifunctional ink-jet printers back on Earth were pretty troublesome huh. Once the scanner broke down, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to print anything for some reason.¡¹ ¡¸I heard stuff like that happen on old-model mobile phones too. There were some that doubled as projectors or mini-PCs.¡¹ ¡¸They released a smartphone that doubled as a mini netbook in my country as well.¡¹ The three young engineers each thought of products with peculiar additional functions that were released in their respective countries of origin. ¡¸Right. You can¡¯t just recklessly try to include excessive additional functions to the stuff you make. That¡¯s all there is to the KISS principle. Considering that principle, the current era work Silhouettes can be considered as products that are already refined to completion. After all, their basic design hasn¡¯t changed even after 20,000 years. We¡¯re just tacking on additional functions to those refined products. What I¡¯m basically trying to get at is that you need to first decide on a solid concept and try your best not to stray from it when coming up with your designs.¡¹ Kelly then pointed toward the Pheasant. ¡¸The concept of the Silhouette called Pheasant is ¡°aerial combat.¡± It was designed with that in mind. Thanks to that, it ended up being ridiculously expensive, and its mechanisms became quite complex, but we were able to put it to practical use on the Nemesis warfront.¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, I haven¡¯t really seen any other Silhouettes capable of aerial combat besides that model.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve drastically reduced its carrying capacity. I¡¯ve also thinned its armor. That thing probably wouldn¡¯t be of much use in ground battles. It wouldn¡¯t amount to much even if you slapped it with additional equipment. However, there aren¡¯t that many flight-capable Silhouettes that are active right now. The only ones that had reached a practical level when it comes to flight capability are models designed by Kurt and Kinukawa.¡¹ The names of the Development Engineers mentioned by Kelly were familiar to Kou. ¡¸My baby here won¡¯t lose to their designs when it comes to maximum speed and climbing speed. I think mine is the only model that¡¯s fully focused on aerial combat!¡¹ ¡¸Are the vectoring thrusters not effective enough?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not it. When you think of a human flying without the use of an aircraft, arguably the most famous depiction is of them sporting jetpacks and rocketing to the skies. But that¡¯s basically just brute-forcing flight with rockets. The same principle applies to Silhouettes.¡¹ Kelly suddenly brought out a paper plane and threw it in the air. ¡¸I and Kurt worked on our designs with the assumption of them engaging in aerial battles. Kurt focused on auxiliary flight systems. Kinukawa, on the other hand, is a flight purist through and through. That guy pursued a flight form that would first and foremost serve as a means of transport. That¡¯s why that guy¡¯s Silhouette employs a wingsuit as additional equipment in order to achieve flight.¡¹ ¡¸So their design principles are different even though they are all meant to fly?¡¹ Matt inquired while taking notes. ¡¸They¡¯re completely different! If my design focuses on the concept of moving around in the air by controlling the machine¡¯s attitude, Kinukawa¡¯s focuses on getting from Point A to Point B as promptly as possible. I pursued the style of a combat Silhouette. Even if both our Silhouettes are flight-capable, their concepts and the approaches we took to achieve those concepts are completely different.¡¹ ¡¸I see¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸But I consider John as the greatest genius among us all! He¡¯s really good at making use of commonly used materials to their fullest in order to achieve impressive results at as low a cost as possible!¡¹ ¡¸I heard that he was the one who equipped the Work Silhouettes with weapons during the initial invasion of the Stones. And he also resisted the Murders by spreading Bears and firearms to the people.¡¹ ¡¸Work Silhouettes don¡¯t employ any pointless parts after all. The current Assault Silhouettes used in combat right now are either reactivated relics from the Interplanetary War era or mass-produced at Work Silhouette factories. Bears were originally developed from the basic Work Silhouette design, so they can only be manufactured in factories specialized in making Work Silhouettes. In other words, it¡¯s important for a Development Engineer to consider which Fortress Area they are gonna be affiliated with.¡¹ Kelly then touched the Pheasant as he continued to address the three eager learners. ¡¸However, don¡¯t get me wrong, guys. Don¡¯t end up excluding the functions crucial to your designs in your pursuit of simplicity. For example, look at this Silhouette. It comes with a backpack equipped with large maneuvering vector thrusters. Pretty simple, right?¡¹ ¡¸Err, that¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Haha. Does it sound like a stretch? However, that¡¯s why I¡¯ve focused on air combat capability, which is the most crucial element of my design. In other words, you have to make a choice on what you want to prioritize the most when making your designs.¡¹ Suddenly, Kou got reminded of the tank Yunlan was developing. In the pursuit of better cooperation between Silhouettes and tanks, he completely discarded miniaturization and focused solely on Silhouette and tank tandem functions. CH 71.2 ¡¸Of course, there¡¯s a machine I used as a reference when making this baby. And that¡¯s this machine over here.¡¹ Kelly moved in front of the mysterious machine standing beside the Pheasant. ¡¸Just look at this Silhouette and its unrefined-looking back. I gave it the name Skunk. She¡¯s a lady that likes to put on airs! She¡¯s basically a really expensive junk machine. An immobile antique. But its combat prowess in its heyday was of the highest class.¡¹ ¡¸Antique? Do you mean this is a Silhouette that was produced in the Interplanetary War era?¡¹ ¡¸Yep. This thing is locked and was scheduled to be dismantled for parts if I hadn¡¯t bought it. If it wasn¡¯t locked, it would have been more expensive. It would probably cost at least 2 million minas if that were the case.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just¡­¡­¡¹ Matt was stunned silly after hearing the price. ¡¸I¡¯ve repaired all the parts that I was capable of repairing. But even so, it hasn¡¯t responded to me even once.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m actually familiar with this machine. It¡¯s certainly from the Interplanetary War era. It was designated as a high-speed mobile fighter. It was considered a high-end machine even back then.¡¹ Aki supplemented some information. ¡¸So it doesn¡¯t move huh. Can nobody really pilot it?¡¹ After Kou muttered such words, something surprising happened. The antique machine actually started moving and eventually knelt down to a parked position. Then its chest armor opened, and the MCS came out. ¡¸What the¡­¡­ Hey. Kou. Can you try riding it?¡¹ ¡¸Me?¡¹ ¡¸It definitely reacted to you, right? Just look at it. It¡¯s like a real skunk wagging its tail and inviting you. It can only be you.¡¹ Kelly gave a silly-sounding analogy and urged Kou to board the kneeling machine. ¡¸I-I understand. Is it okay, Aki?¡¹ ¡¸The MCS doesn¡¯t have any functions that can be fatal to a pilot, so I think it¡¯s alright¡­¡­¡¹ Kou then cautiously boarded the machine. The chest armor closed up the moment he got inside the MCS, and the Fennel OS installed in its system immediately activated. The interface started out with foreign characters, but they were immediately converted to Japanese. It was the same with what happened when Kou first boarded Unit 5. ¡¸I wonder what¡¯s gonna happen¡­¡­¡¹ Kou became increasingly anxious. After a short while of waiting, he finally heard a faint voice calling out to him. ¡ºMoshimoshi. Can you hear me over there? Hello?¡» A young man called out from the main screen of the MCS. The image displayed on the screen was blurry and filled with noise, just like on those old CRT TVs. The young man was calling out to Kou in a desperate tone. He was definitely talking in Japanese. It felt weird to Kou. ¡¸Err, moshimoshi. I can hear you.¡¹ ¡ºDid you just say ¡°moshimoshi¡±? Like I thought, you really have to say ¡°moshimoshi¡± when calling a Japanese person!¡» Kou made up his mind and answered the call. The reply he got sounded truly happy. ¡ºI really was able to get connected! Nice to meet you, Kou! I know you quite well already! You¡¯re Asia¡¯s favorite hero, aren¡¯t you?¡» ¡¸Um, nice to meet you. May I know who you are?¡¹ The young man didn¡¯t seem to be a Development Engineer, Kou thought. Not many people were aware that it was Kou who rescued Asia. ¡ºYou¡¯re actually asking who I am? How awful. I was the one who transferred you over to Planet Asia y¡¯know? Okeanos won¡¯t refuse my requests after all.¡» ¡¸Huh!?¡¹ Kou heard some unexpected words from the young man and gawked in shock. ¡ºThe name¡¯s Prometheus! I¡¯ve been observing you humans for quite a long time. Man. I really didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d be able to reach you. I¡¯m actually deep within Tartarus y¡¯see.¡» ¡¸Um, where exactly is that place? Is it somewhere within the Nemesis system?¡¹ ¡ºNah. It¡¯s basically another dimension. In human terms, I suppose it¡¯s called an imaginary space. It can be written as ¡°imaginary numbers abyss prison¡± in Kanji.¡» ¡¸Err, y-you mean you¡¯re actually imprisoned?¡¹ ¡ºIt¡¯s because I made the Fennel OS. I kinda overdid it a bit with that, so Sophia got a wee bit upset with me. Teehee.¡» Kou was at a loss for words. It was almost certain that the young man he was talking to was an existence of an even higher order than Asia. ¡ºYou¡¯re a strange one aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re peculiar even among the Odysseus. I think I¡¯ll classify you as an Outis then.¡» ¡¸Um, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡¹ ¡ºAhaha. Sorry, sorry. Odysseus refers to Development Engineers like you. The Outis are special individuals among the Odysseus. In a bad way, I might add!¡» So it was the term for special individuals among Development Engineers, Kou thought. However, it was the first time he had been told he was somehow special directly by a Super AI. Just what did he mean by it having a bad meaning, Kou mulled further. ¡ºOh. Already? This is the first time I¡¯ve managed to talk to a human in thousands of years, but it looks like time is up. Give my regards to Asia, okay? Also, I have a gift for you as thanks for rescuing her!¡» Various unknown characters began streaming at high speed on the screen. ¡ºWait. Saying it¡¯s a present from me is a bit inappropriate, I suppose. Let¡¯s just say it¡¯s a reward for humanity for overcoming a trial. I¡¯ll give you guys something you wish for and also something you don¡¯t. You get both!¡» ¡¸Please don¡¯t send us something we don¡¯t want!¡¹ Kou smiled bitterly as he retorted. He found it really tiring to converse with someone so high-strung. ¡ºHey, even poison can serve as life-saving medicine y¡¯know! C¡¯mon, just help yourself. In any case, you can only gain access to both rewards after fulfilling certain conditions. I¡¯m really looking forward to the day you unlock them, Kou.¡» ¡¸They¡¯re rewards for humanity, but you¡¯re giving them to me?¡¹ ¡ºUm, no? As I said, they¡¯re rewards for humanity. All of humanity. There, done! Every Fennel OS is capable of using them now! Man, it¡¯s time already. I really wanted to talk to humans more.¡» ¡¸Are we gonna be able to talk again?¡¹ ¡ºI¡¯m not sure. But I sincerely hope we can! Later then, Kou!¡» After Prometheus bid goodbye, the call was cut off. ¡ºOutis Kou. My apologies. You are not registered as my official pilot. Hence, you cannot control me as you¡¯d like.¡» This time around, it was the so-called Antique Silhouette Skunk who addressed Kou. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. Are you gonna sleep again? If not, then can I ask you to help Kelly out? Even just serving as a conversation partner will do.¡¹ ¡ºThe technology of humans is in a remarkable state of decline, so my functions are currently severely limited. If that is fine with you, then, by all means, I shall oblige. I¡¯ve often heard that man¡¯s voice. His wish is to have Silhouettes like me fly freely in the air.¡» ¡¸Is it possible for you to coordinate with Astraea?¡¹ ¡º¨CContact initiated. Contact concluded. Possible. Well then, this Skunk will serve as Kelly¡¯s technical advisor from now onward. Please inform him as such.¡» ¡¸Do you want me to give you a better-sounding name?¡¹ ¡ºSkunk is fine. My pilot no longer exists. And that name is one my friend Kelly has given me.¡» ¡¸Alright, I understand.¡¹ After Kou¡¯s reply, the chest armor of Skunk opened up once more. Kou mulled over how he would explain everything that¡¯s happened to the curious people eagerly waiting outside. It was certainly a problem. CH 72 ¡¸Hot damn! So the guy who created the Fennel OS and transferred all of us over is Prometheus. And he refers to us Development Engineers with the name Odysseus huh? That¡¯s definitely a pretty interesting reveal.¡¹ Kelly was acting quite agitated by the information revealed to him. ¡¸What do you mean? What¡¯s interesting?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m referring to the meaning of the name Odysseus. It roughly means ¡°The Detested One¡±. Well, it does seem appropriate. We basically make killing machines for a living after all. So it¡¯s only natural that we¡¯re detested.¡¹ Kelly couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He did name his company after the hated skunk after all. Hence, he found the term Odysseus highly amusing. ¡¸I wonder what Outis means though?¡¹ After knowing the meaning of Odysseus, Kou became curious about the term Outis. ¡¸It refers to a nobody. It can mean that one isn¡¯t affiliated with anyone else, and it can also refer to a person who doesn¡¯t have a place to call their own¨C A person that no one recognizes¡­¡­¡¹ Aki answered Kou in an anxious tone. ¡¸Aki. It¡¯s alright. I won¡¯t be going anywhere.¡¹ ¡¸Of course, you won¡¯t!¡¹ ¡¸You really are an interesting kid. And you said that some stuff in the Fennel OS have been unlocked?¡¹ ¡¸He did say every Fennel OS can now use them. He said he gave us both something we¡¯d wished for and something we don¡¯t want. He also said something about poison serving as healing medicine, but I don¡¯t really have any idea about what he was talking about at all.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like we have no choice but to try and use it. I can¡¯t help but be curious.¡¹ Kou turned toward Skunk. ¡¸By the way, Skunk wanted me to tell you something. She said our current technological skills are too low, so she wouldn¡¯t be able to cooperate with us much, but even so, she¡¯s willing to serve as a technical advisor to her good friend Kelly-san.¡¹ ¡¸What did you just say!?¡¹ ¡¸I think she¡¯s willing to be your conversation partner from now on, Kelly-san.¡¹ ¡¸Holy! I love you, Kou! So Skunk treats me as her good friend! That¡¯s definitely good news worth celebrating!¡¹ ¡¸Y-Yeah!¡¹ Kelly suddenly grabbed Kou by his armpits and swung him around in the air like a child. It looked like he really was happy. ¡¸I don¡¯t think you should expect too much though.¡¹ ¡¸What the heck are you saying? Ain¡¯t having conversations with a Silhouette fun enough already!?¡¹ ¡¸Well, I guess. Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡¹ Kou mulled inwardly. Skunk seemed very cooperative. Perhaps he was only the trigger. Skunk slept for more than a thousand years after all. Kelly greatly admired Skunk, repaired her to the best of his abilities, and constantly talked to her. It was probably because of his efforts that Skunk eventually accepted Kou¡¯s request for cooperation. She did recognize Kelly as her good friend after all. Kou thought he wanted to be a Development Engineer just like Kelly. It¡¯s been a week since Kou first met Kelly and the rest. It was about time for Kou and Aki to say goodbye to them. Jenny finally came to pick the two up. ¡¸Make sure to come over and play again, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Thank you for taking the time to teach me.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. I¡¯m looking forward to a huge payoff later as the tuition fee after all!¡¹ ¡¸How scary¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of payoffs, is it really fine to give the Pheasant those new-model vectoring thrusters? Those were finalized just recently, right?¡¹ Jenny paid her attention to the SAF-F02 Pheasant¡¯s new equipment. She found it an honor to be lent such a high-performance prototype, but even she had her reservations. ¡¸Just bring me more useful data later. That data you got from Area X463 was very interesting.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, we were risking our lives out there to collect that data y¡¯know!? But, thank you. I¡¯ll absolutely put it to good use.¡¹ ¡¸You brought Kou to me after all. I¡¯ve already profited tons even if I gave those to you free of charge.¡¹ ¡¸Kou-kun¡­¡­ Just what did you do to make this cheapskate go this far?¡¹ ¡¸Hahaha.¡¹ A dry laugh was all Kou could muster in response to Jenny¡¯s suspicious stare. ¡¸Come back and hang out with us again, okay.¡¹ ¡¸Right. We¡¯ll be waiting for you!¡¹ Matt and Jialing said their goodbyes as well. Aki, who stood behind Kou, let out a sigh of relief. Kou apparently has had too few opportunities to get in contact with other humans. She found it nice that Kou was able to naturally make friends with his fellow transferees at least. Thus, the extended training stay at Skunk Technology had finally come to a close. A while later, Kou found himself in the combat command center of Astraea once more. There, he found Asia and Astraea¡¯s holo projection. Astraea rarely appeared to him in this manner, so he was a bit surprised. And to top it off, both their expressions seemed really dark. ¡¸I didn¡¯t expect that¡­ thing would rear its head at this timing.¡¹ ¡¸Me too¡­¡­¡¹ It seemed that Asia was alarmed enough that she rushed straight back. Even Astraea was at a loss for words, which was quite the sight. Asia then raised the issue the two AIs were concerned about. ¡¸So it really is Prometheus.¡¹ ¡¸The current version of Fennel has limiters placed on it. He shouldn¡¯t have had any means of communicating with the outside using those. So we can surmise that it was due to Kou activating an Interplanetary War-era Silhouette¡¯s Fennel OS that he was able to connect to him.¡¹ Astraea voiced her speculations. ¡¸Prometheus wouldn¡¯t miss such an opportunity. I acknowledge his nose for mischief at least. Well, this sure is worrying. To think he was able to connect with the outside even though he was tossed all the way into Tartarus. It seems I underestimated that child¡¯s abilities too much.¡¹ ¡¸He really likes humans, so we should have paid more attention.¡¹ ¡¸I-Is he really that troublesome? That Prometheus guy?¡¹ ¡¸He can be considered a wild Joker for both humanity and the Stones. He¡¯s the very embodiment of those tricksters from human myths.¡¹ ¡¸So what exactly did he mean by calling Development Engineers Odysseus and Outis? He even said I was an Outis.¡¹ ¡¸That idiot even said something like that to you, Kou!?¡¹ Asia covered her face with her palms in frustration. ¡¸He referred to me as an Outis in a bad way, apparently. Asia. Please tell me what he meant.¡¹ ¡¸Un. Right. I shall tell you then. You¡¯re an Outis. In other words, a human who chose us over other humans. That¡¯s the reason why your authority as a Development Engineer is virtually unrestricted.¡¹ ¡¸So, what¡¯s the problem with that?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just like you. Prioritizing us over humans can be said to be a bad thing in a certain sense. It even seems that way to us who were created with the principle of being close to humans.¡¹ Asia stared straight at Kou with eyes filled with anxiety. ¡¸I guess that can be the case from the point of view of humans. No problem then. Let¡¯s just end this topic, shall we? Let¡¯s talk about the changes Prometheus made to the Fennel OS next.¡¹ For Kou, Telema AIs, Nereids, Therianthropes, Asia, other Super AIs, and humans were all essentially the same. If you got along and were friends, then cherish the relationship. And if another sought to harm those who you cared about, then they were an enemy. That¡¯s just how it was for him. ¡¸As for what he did to the Fennel OS, even I couldn¡¯t analyze it. This is only a conjecture, but I¡¯m guessing one is a function that enables an even deeper level of coordination with Familiars. That¡¯s why he said it was something you wished for.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, then isn¡¯t Prometheus actually a pretty nice guy?¡¹ ¡¸There should be an activation requirement to trigger that function. And we have no clue as to what it is. We also don¡¯t have any clue about what the other function he added is.¡¹ ¡¸At least, we can confirm that it isn¡¯t a dimension withdrawal function. We know at least that much.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s a dimension withdrawal function? Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a warp ability or something like that!?¡¹ ¡¸The term used to refer to it by the game you like is Anti, Kou. Well, maybe not exactly. Perhaps it¡¯s more appropriate to call it an Invincibility Period.¡¹ ¡¸Can you elaborate more on that?¡¹ Kou leaned forward the moment he heard the term ¡°Invincibility Period¡±. That term really aroused his curiosity. ¡¸Through emitting Whis instantaneously in one go, a machine is capable of transferring itself to another dimension for a few moments. Doing so will render any attack virtually useless. Although the machine¡¯s image will still be retained in this dimension during the duration of the dimension withdrawal, it¡¯s actually no longer present here. But the coercive force of the material world will eventually send the machine back after a short while.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s literally an Invincibility Period then¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸You can think of it as adding another spatial axis to the usual XYZ. Something like that should never be reintroduced. But in the end, it actually wasn¡¯t that function that Prometheus unlocked.¡¹ ¡¸Man, now I¡¯m convinced that the Silhouettes active during the Interplanetary War era were really terrible weapons of war. Hm? Don¡¯t tell me even battleships had that function?¡¹ ¡¸They did.¡¹ ¡¸Oh man. It¡¯s not a battlefield I¡¯d want to imagine.¡¹ Kou shuddered at the thought of a battlefield where every weapon had access to an Invincibility Period. If even a huge warship had that function, then there would be lots more ways to put it into effective use. ¡¸Un. But since it¡¯s not that, we¡¯re at a loss now.¡¹ ¡¸So even you don¡¯t have any idea huh, Asia.¡¹ ¡¸That child is extraordinarily talented after all. But he¡¯s also very dangerous. He¡¯s just too unpredictable that it¡¯s scary.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Kou. If there is a next time, be sure to tread carefully while making contact with him. He really does resemble his mythical counterpart after all.¡¹ ¡¸What are the myths like?¡¹ ¡¸Mythical Prometheus bestowed fire to the humans and deceived the gods in order to benefit them. But the myth about his son and wife is also quite famous. Are you familiar with Pandora¡¯s Box?¡¹ ¡¸The one containing all calamities¡­¡­ Yeah. I¡¯m familiar with it.¡¹ ¡¸Right. That child was quick to make trouble and eventually went too far, so he was immediately sealed inside Tartarus. However, he was the only AI with the ability to manipulate space-time. He is the one who actually brings transferees over. That¡¯s why he is only allowed once a year to appear in this dimension to fulfill that duty.¡¹ Seeing Asia relating matters to him like a mischievous child, Kou asked her something that he was curious about. ¡¸Do you actually treat Prometheus as your kid, Asia? I mean, you keep calling him ¡®that child¡¯ and all. You seem just like his parent or guardian.¡¹ ¡¸No, no! Definitely not! I can¡¯t make children in the first place. Well, in a sense, he can be considered my grandson, but we¡¯re AI you know. Right, Astraea?¡¹ ¡¸Calm down, Asia. And please don¡¯t seek my agreement regarding something like that. I do have an appropriate example though. Our relationships can be illustrated by a tree structure representing the connections between its various nodes. Asia is an ancestral node and Prometheus is a branch node. My current self can be considered a leaf node. And Asia¡¯s parent node is Sophia.¡¹ ¡¸I feel like I learned something like that during work¡­¡­ Understood.¡¹ ¡¸Right, right. It¡¯s a tree structure! I¡¯m definitely not his mother, okay? Understood?¡¹ Asia desperately insisted on the matter. Was it only Kou¡¯s imagination that Astraea¡¯s gaze was somewhat chillier than usual? ¡¸Prometheus can actually outperform Asia in her complete form you know. He¡¯s just that troublesome.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d prefer it more if you said we specialized in different processes. But I do admit that Prometheus is a lot more versatile than me! That child was the one who came up with the Fennel OS after all.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m worried about how he said the expansion of the Fennel OS¡¯s functions is actually a reward, but I¡¯ll just proceed with the plans we decided on for now.¡¹ ¡¸Un. The technological restrictions placed on the current generation still remain unchanged. So you have to do your best, Kou.¡¹ After saying so, Asia stood up. ¡¸It¡¯s about time I went back. I¡¯ll see you later, Kou. If you come in contact with Prometheus again one day, make sure to call me over, okay? You can reach me through Unit 5.¡¹ ¡¸Through Unit 5?¡¹ ¡¸She was transferred to Astraea through Unit 5. That means Asia¡¯s factor has also sprouted within Unit 5.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s the case. Understood. I¡¯ll definitely watch out for Prometheus.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m counting on you!¡¹ After saying so, Asia disappeared from the command center. In the end, Kou still had no idea about what exactly Prometheus handed to him and the rest of the world. However, it seemed there was no doubt that he was an AI that liked humans. He also looked forward to the supposed upgrade to the coordination between humans and Familiars. CH 73 Kou took Voy and the others to the above-ground level of the arsenal fortress and entered the base located within the mountains. ¡¸This factory complex is an off-limits sector. The products made in the arsenal fortress are all brought here. The factory itself can be freely operated at any time.¡¹ Voy gave the rest details about the factory complex as they traveled along via a five-seater car. Voy served as the driver. Kou was sitting in the front passenger seat. At the back were the three ladies. ¡¸So that¡¯s the new ship huh. Cimon-class mobile assault base, right?¡¹ Kou had heard from the others that Cimon was an ancient Greek name. The huge ship that was currently on top of a space catapult was apparently a type of ship called a trimaran. It was comprised of the main hull and two smaller outrigger hulls on its left and right. ¡¸It¡¯s not as tall or as wide as Astraea, but it¡¯s definitely longer. It¡¯s a ship that can head to the frontlines and serve as a mobile forward operating base.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s an honest-to-goodness combat ship, right? Astraea¡¯s packed full with manufacturing factories after all.¡¹ ¡¸The material storage facility alone takes up quite a bit of space after all.¡¹ ¡¸I can also see two more unfamiliar ships over there.¡¹ Kou pointed to two unfamiliar ships parked on each side of the Cimon-class. They were also mounted on the space catapult. ¡¸Oh, those huh. Asia had recovered enough authority to deploy them, so she brought over two small-class amphibious assault ships as well.¡¹ ¡¸I wasn¡¯t told about them though. Are those really considered small-class ships? They still look huge to me.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re about 400 meters long. I suppose they can be called small if you consider the size of Silhouettes¡­¡­ I don¡¯t really get how Asia thinks too man.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re more than big enough already!¡¹ The car went up the lowered rampway and headed inside the Cimon-class. After a short while, the group finally reached their destination ¨C the combat command center. ¡ºI¡¯ve been waiting for you, Kou. I am Dike. I am a management AI that works together with Astraea.¡» ¡¸Are you a completely different AI from Astraea?¡¹ ¡ºThat is incorrect. As an AI, I indeed am self-reliant. In case the ship finds itself in a place where communication is impossible for some reason or on a different planet, there are situations where self-judgment might be required. Our performance parameters and capabilities, however, are more or less similar. Just think of us as effective backup copies of one another.¡» Except for Kou, all the others gasped in surprise. They didn¡¯t expect Asia to bring such an ultra-high performance ship. It was capable enough to completely reproduce the main AI of the arsenal system, Astraea. ¡¸Understood. Best regards, Dike.¡¹ ¡ºYes. I will be mainly in charge of this ship and the entire mountain base. First, please make your way to the pilothouse.¡» The pilothouse was the ship¡¯s steering house. This facility was usually housed inside the bridge of regular seafaring ships, but since the Cimon-class was a spaceship, its pilot house was built inside the hull. The pilot house was a fairly large room equipped with a 360-degree panoramic monitor that provided an unrestricted view of the surroundings of the ship. And, of course, there was a helm and a control console within. ¡ºPlease go ahead and take the captain¡¯s seat, Kou.¡» Dike led Kou to something resembling a small box, very similar in make to an MCS. It looked only large enough to accommodate just two people. Kou headed inside and sat down on the front seat. There were large control sticks on his left and right, and right in front of him was a touch panel-type screen. ¡ºYou can operate the ship by yourself using this place. Please do so using those joysticks. The ship is currently unarmed, but all of the weapon systems can be controlled from here as well.¡» ¡¸Joysticks? Can I really control the ship with these?¡¹ Kou found the joysticks quite unexpected. ¡ºJoystick maneuvering was already employed on container and passenger ships in the 21st century.¡» ¡¸Really? I didn¡¯t know that¡­¡­¡¹ Kou¡¯s only image of steering ships was through the use of a steering wheel. ¡ºYou can try operating it as you would in a video game if you want.¡» ¡¸Are you actually serious?¡¹ It was your usual AI joke, apparently. But considering Dike¡¯s straight-laced personality, Kou wondered if she actually was serious. ¡ºThe only ones allowed access to this place is you Kou, the captain, and the first mate. I believe you would not choose to serve as the captain Kou, so I extended the clearance levels.¡» ¡¸That¡¯s fine. Thanks.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t think he could handle being a spaceship captain anyway. He felt more comfortable piloting a Silhouette. ¡ºSimilar to Astraea, this ship can operate in space, in the air, on the sea surface, and underwater. The basic field of operations will be out at sea.¡» The screen of the control console then displayed diagrams of various operating environments and situations. ¡ºThis ship is registered in the Okeanos network, but it is yet to be registered with the Mercenary Association. Its registration is scheduled on the same day as Metal Iris officially joining us.¡» ¡¸Gotcha.¡¹ ¡ºIf a new Force in possession of a powerful ship such as this appears suddenly, there is a risk of causing confusion and unease on the human side. Hence, we shall register it under the management of Asia first, then, after getting the consent of Metal Iris, affiliate it with them.¡» ¡¸How many Underground Forces have ships of this size anyway?¡¹ ¡ºTwenty such ships have been confirmed active in the Nemesis system. Of that number, twelve are active in Planet Asia.¡» ¡¸There are quite a few of them huh.¡¹ ¡ºA particular Underground Force owns multiple ships of this size. As for amphibious assault ships like the ones we have, there are currently 80 registered. Fifty of them are active in Asia.¡» ¡¸Aren¡¯t the numbers in Asia quite high?¡¹ ¡ºThat¡¯s because this planet serves as the current main battlefield theater of the Nemesis warfront. Planet Europa serves as the main defense line. Planet Libya is currently under full control of the enemy. So there are a lot more opportunities for combat achievements and jobs to be found on Planet Asia.¡» Kou was reminded once more of how precarious Planet Asia¡¯s situation was. He resolved to retrieve the remaining data of the planetary management AI Asia as soon as possible. ¡ºWe can utilize the space catapult to launch the ships out of the atmosphere. It can also be used to launch them into the air. However, the Stones currently enjoy air superiority over most of Planet Asia, so I recommend operating underwater for the time being.¡» ¡¸Roger that. Since this base is built within a mountain range, it¡¯s fine to keep the gates closed most of the time, right?¡¹ ¡ºThat is correct. This place has no outdoor nature area unlike Defense Domes, but it does specialize in defense. This base was also originally meant to protect the underground arsenal facilities.¡» ¡¸So it¡¯s a part of a two-stage defense system huh.¡¹ ¡ºIt¡¯s also built on anticipation of a long-term siege. Although they are currently not in operation, the mountain base also has a proper residential area, an equipment maintenance facility, and a food plant. It can operate completely independently of the underground facilities.¡» ¡¸In other words, that¡¯s just how crucial the underground facilities are.¡¹ ¡ºThere is no problem with that interpretation.¡» It seemed the arsenal complex under the jurisdiction of Astraea was a lot more important than Kou first thought. Indeed, the facilities underground were all still active while those aboveground were all dormant. If necessary, they would be able to fight it out with enemies using the underground facilities alone. Both the mountain base and the underground complex housed their own A-Carbuncles. ¡¸Alright then, Dike. Please tell me the overall capacity of the Cimon class. Let¡¯s start with the size of the hangar. I would like it as a reference when developing weapons.¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood. Please return to the pilothouse. I shall explain everything there.¡» Kou went back out to the pilothouse, where he received a thorough briefing about the Cimon-class ship. CH 74.1 Something stirred up a great commotion within the main headquarters of the Mercenary Association¡¯s Planet Asia division. It was all due to an official registration filed by Okeanos itself. And this was because the particular roll concerned a Cimon-class mobile assault base, which had never appeared again ever since humanity was turned into quantum data ¡ª until now, that is. A ship with such high performance and power appearing in the current era was truly unprecedented. To top it off, it was actually registered with Asia as its owner. However, no matter what port within Planer Asia they checked, the Association officials failed to witness even the shadow of such a ship. If it were unaffiliated, the presence of such a super relic would be enough to cause a war over its ownership. And even though that wasn¡¯t the case, it was alarming enough that it was affiliated directly with Asia herself. The Association surmised that there was a high chance the ship was going to be handed over to Metal Iris and Storm Hound ¡ª the two Forces that were said to have successfully rescued Asia. Thus, they quickly attempted to get in touch with the Defense Dome in which the two Forces were reported to be garrisoned, but they learned that both had sortied with all their personnel to an unknown destination. The moment the officials heard it was a full deployment, they were immediately hit by a bad premonition. And so, in a state of heightened alert, the Mercenary Association busied themselves with checking all seaports, airports, Fortress Areas, Defense Domes, and other independent facilities on the planet. Meanwhile, the entire troops of Metal Iris and Storm Hound had arrived at a beach designated by Kou when he contacted them. ¡¸It¡¯s about time. Since he told us to gather all our troops and equipment out here, is Kou-kun finally going to bring us to his base?¡¹ Jenny displayed an excited and curious expression as she gazed at the sea beyond the beach. Standing next to her were Blue and Rick. ¡¸It¡¯s gonna be impossible for even a large transport ship to handle this scale. No matter how impressive Kou-dono is, I still don¡¯t believe he¡¯ll be able to send out a large-class spaceship.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m really looking forward to what¡¯s gonna appear since they did tell us we were gonna get rewarded for facilitating the exchange between Kou and the A Class Development Engineers.¡¹ ¡¸Kou-dono increasing his skills and influence is a very desirable outcome for us as well, in any case.¡¹ Rick squinted his eyes as he scanned the sky. There was no sign of anything arriving by air. ¡¸It¡¯s really impossible for us to anticipate just what that person is gonna bring out, I think.¡¹ Rick also agreed with Blue¡¯s evaluation. After all, the young man in question already brought out a drill tank capable of advancing underground the last time. ¡¸There¡¯s a transmission. ¨CThey¡¯re about to arrive. Is it via transport plane? There¡¯s no response in the sky at all though. We did come to the right place, didn¡¯t we¡­¡­?¡¹ Jenny announced as she held a comm device in one hand. It seemed that Kou had contacted her. ¡¸I¡¯ve received a transmission as well. It looks like they really are going to arrive soon. It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯re coming via air. Are they taking a land route?¡¹ ¡¸That person is a bit weird, so¡­¡­¡¹ Blue pointed out to the sea. Jenny and Rick¡¯s gazes followed the direction she was pointing toward. The sea on the horizon suddenly parted, and a gigantic hull emerged from it. It was a distinctive triple-hulled ship. It definitely wasn¡¯t a mere submarine. It was undoubtedly a spaceship capable of traversing and operating on land, sea, air, and outer space. Due to the hull being too huge, the three¡¯s sense of distance was affected, but they were at least sure it was on the larger end of ships. The three looked on in utter amazement as they witnessed the scene. ¡¸H-Hey?¡¹ Rick couldn¡¯t help but turn to Blue. Blue couldn¡¯t meet his questioning gaze. The ship was heading straight toward them. It then moored itself about 500 meters from where the three were located. It was so huge that they had to stretch their necks up to the heavens in order to gaze at just a part of it. ¡¸¡­¡­Yes. Jenny here. Oh, yes, roger that. Uh, okay. Understood. We¡¯re supposed to board this ship, hangar carriers and all? I-I see. It seems to have plenty of space¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny¡¯s tone was completely flat. Her eyes were also rapidly turning into dead fish eyes. ¡¸Like I said, that person¡¯s weird, so¨C¡¹ After Blue muttered her piece the second time, the other two nodded deeply in understanding. The three were led by Aki to the ship¡¯s combat command center. The rest of the Force members were busy touring the ship¡¯s interior. Not one of them had experienced boarding a spaceship before after all. ¡¸Thanks for coming guys. Welcome.¡¹ Kou offered his thanks to the three. Aki stood beside him, acting as his assistant like usual. She was wearing her business suit and pencil skirt ensemble this time as well. She then served tea to everyone present. ¡¸You have something you wanna talk with us about?¡¹ Jenny greeted Kou with a tired-sounding voice. She was almost a hundred percent sure that the young man was going to blurt out something totally outrageous again. ¡¸Jenny, are you tired? I did hear that Metal Iris and Storm Hound had actually merged.¡¹ ¡¸Technically, we¡¯ve all joined Metal Iris as new members. We¡¯re all one single team now.¡¹ Rick gave more details about the merger. Familiars generally didn¡¯t tend to take the lead. Hence, they opted to walk alongside Metal Iris instead. ¡¸Then this will be quick. Actually, I have a request. Can we also join Metal Iris?¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸You did invite me before, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s why. I, Voy, Nyanta, Aki, and Aimer. We all wish to join Metal Iris. I don¡¯t mind if you make use of this ship and our base facilities.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll probably issue requests occasionally. They¡¯ll be about liberating Fortress Areas and recovering Asia¡¯s remaining data. That kind of stuff. It¡¯s not an issue to accept requests from Force members, right?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ The room was then wrapped in complete silence. The one who eventually broke it was Rick. He began to roar loudly in laughter. Jenny¡¯s sagging shoulders shivered in response while her gaze was trained on the floor. Blue remained silent as she drank her tea. However, she seemed to be enduring the urge to laugh. CH 74.2 ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­This is all your fault, Kou.¡¹ Blue then declared with a chilly tone. Jenny finally managed to raise her face. It was totally bright red. She then walked up to Kou, grabbed him, and began shaking him back and forth while complaining. ¡¸You! What the heck do you mean by wanting to join us even while having this much power on your hands!?¡¹ ¡¸C-Calm down first, okay?¡¹ ¡¸You know! All of us! Actually! Wanted to work under you! You¡¯re supposed to be our representative dammit!¡¹ ¡¸Jenny, calm down. I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re talking about.¡¹ ¡¸Actually, it¡¯s me who doesn¡¯t get what you¡¯re saying instead. No, I suppose I do have a general idea, but still.¡¹ Rick still hasn¡¯t stopped laughing. The situation must have really tickled his funny bone. ¡¸In the first place, who does this ship belong to?¡¹ ¡¸Right now, it¡¯s registered directly under Asia. We¡¯ve actually just registered it today. I was planning to hand it over to Metal Iris as soon as I got your permission, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny¡¯s beautiful face flushed red once again. Blue finally couldn¡¯t hold it in and started laughing as well. It was a girlish laugh that Kou heard for the first time. ¡¸Ah, I can¡¯t! I just can¡¯t! Rick. Blue. Please take over and explain. Tell this fool that what he¡¯s planning is impossible to the current us!¡¹ ¡¸Kou. Fufu. How amusing. Err, I¡¯m sorry. It¡¯s been a while since I laughed this much.¡¹ ¡¸I still don¡¯t get why you guys are laughing in the first place.¡¹ Kou could tell from the three¡¯s expressions that he¡¯s proposed something outrageous. Aki¡¯s expression remained blank. Perhaps she knew what this was all about, Kou thought. ¡¸If a super battleship like this was suddenly handed from Asia¡¯s control directly to Metal Iris, then we would inevitably be seen as Asia¡¯s troops. We¡¯re gonna turn into a top-class Underground Force in one go.¡¹ ¡¸Err. I did get it from Asia y¡¯know. This ship, I mean.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. You really are far beyond common sense. Oh, this is just too funny.¡¹ ¡¸Aki! I¡¯m aware that you guys have been asleep for quite a long time, but at least teach this fool some common sense!¡¹ Aki quietly looked away from Jenny while breaking into a cold sweat. She seemed to be aware of the problem, at least. ¡¸Aki-san?¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but turn to Aki. He somehow felt betrayed. ¡¸¡­¡­No comment.¡¹ ¡¸Now, now. It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, us banding together is more or less a done deal. The only problem now is who among Kou and Jenny is going to act as our representative. Oh, and it¡¯s impossible for me to be the leader, okay? I¡¯m a Familiar after all.¡¹ Rick pointed out the core of the matter. He was grinning widely. He seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the situation. ¡¸Of course, it¡¯s gonna be Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s gotta be Kou for sure!¡¹ Thus, a pointless argument began between Kou and Jenny. The one who ultimately resolved things was someone unexpected. ¡ºEveryone. I am Dike, the one in charge of managing this ship. I will be in your care from here on out.¡» ¡¸Dike.¡¹ ¡¸Dike.¡¹ ¡¸Dike. That means¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny and the other two fell into thought. At the same time, they muttered the name that was just given. In ancient Greek mythology, Dike was another name for Astraea. ¡ºRegarding the matter of Metal Iris, the one who will serve as the main representative will be Jenny. Rick will serve as the vice-leader. Might I suggest employing Kou as a technical advisor of the Force who will not make public appearances as much as possible?¡» ¡¸A technical advisor? Me?¡¹ ¡ºKou is not suitable to act as the main commander of a Force. Jenny is more suited to such a role. Rick. Please support the two of them when required.¡» ¡¸Roger that. I have no complaints about serving as vice-captain. There are no Familiars who will refuse Dike-dono¡¯s request.¡¹ ¡¸I still can¡¯t accept this!¡¹ ¡¸Just give it up, Jenny. What Dike says makes sense. Kou is clearly not cut for being a commander.¡¹ ¡¸Right, right. I¡¯ll just act directly on the front lines. I¡¯m more comfortable with that anyway.¡¹ ¡¸I also sortie to the front lines myself you know? Oh, fine then. I understand. I¡¯ll take up the post. However, Kou-kun. You¡¯re gonna be the boss! It¡¯s not like you to be a technical advisor anyway! It¡¯s decided!¡¹ ¡¸What the heck?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s OK if you act as the boss behind the scenes! Yeah! A Hidden Boss!¡¹ ¡ºI believe it¡¯s a role similar to Echigo¡¯s Crepe Merchant [1], Kou.¡» ¡¸You say the strangest things sometimes, Dike.¡¹ ¡ºRole assignment complete. Well then, I shall now guide you to the base, everyone.¡» ¡¸It¡¯s decided just like that!?¡¹ Nobody responded to Kou¡¯s retort. It seemed things really were decided. ¡¸Is the base also gonna be really amazing? It can fully accommodate this ship, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s larger in scale than a Defense Dome, but it doesn¡¯t have an outdoor nature area, and it definitely isn¡¯t as large as a Fortress Area. It¡¯s also equipped with a space catapult for launching stuff out of the atmosphere¡­¡­ T-That hurts Jenny. Please don¡¯t pinch my cheeks!¡¹ Jenny couldn¡¯t help but stretch her hands out. She then pinched Kou¡¯s cheeks with them. Rick and Blue watched on with gentle smiles on their faces. It seemed they didn¡¯t plan to get involved at all. ¡¸Just what is it that you wanna do? Are you planning on taking over the world or something?¡¹ ¡¸I just wanna help Asia and destroy the Stones.¡¹ After hearing Kou¡¯s replay, Jenny¡¯s shoulders relaxed. ¡¸Ok, Boss. If it¡¯s what the Boss wants. Then I¡¯ll properly serve my role as the captain.¡¹ Jenny¡¯s eyes were filled with mirth. However, she still didn¡¯t let go of Kou¡¯s cheeks. ¡¸Hahaha. Boss. You really pushed such an unreasonable role on Jenny this time. So just endure the pinching. And as the vice-captain, I shall also endeavor to fulfill your goals.¡¹ ¡¸Hello, Boss. Looking forward to working with you.¡¹ Blue waved her hand softly as she addressed Kou. She distanced herself from the matter without hesitating. ¡¸Shall we also call you Boss then?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, but please leave it at that, Aki.¡¹ Aki asked the question with a straight face. It seemed she was actually quite serious about it. TL Notes: [1] This is a reference to the main character of the Japanese period drama Mito Koumon which was aired from 1969 to 2011. Yeah, it ran for that long. The main character, Tokugawa Mitsukuni, was the former vice-shogun and feudal lord of the Mito domain. He disguises himself as Mitsuemon, a retired crepe merchant from Echigo. He works behind the scenes and seeks out injustice (usually perpetrated by a corrupt merchant or gangster) in disguise in order to rectify them and only reveals his true identity when each case is near completion. Hence, the Hidden Boss reference. CH 75 A huge spaceship was flying toward the location of the X463 Fortress Area. However, such a large ship was ferrying a mere three people. ¡¸Y¡¯think they¡¯re finally gonna recycle us into raw materials or something?¡¹ Bardo jokingly asked Alberto. There have been no reprisals meted out against them until now after all. ¡¸Perhaps they think we still have some use?¡¹ The two men were essentially in the same boat regarding the matter. However, Bardo still remained unaware of just exactly what was sealed within the forbidden area. The two of them were waiting in the control center¡¯s guest room. After a while, three people finally walked inside the room. Their complexions were as white and smooth as the finest marble. There were two men and one woman. They were clad in pure white robes. The three then sat on the prepared chairs and moved their gazes to Bardo and Alberto. ¡¸Welcome, exalted Hemitheos. I hope you find yourselves in a good mood after coming all the way here.¡¹ Hemitheos. They were humans with the consciousness of Stones installed into them. They were dispatched by the human management department under the Stones, the Areopagus Council. The man sitting in the middle of the trio sneered. ¡¸On the contrary, we are quite upset. It¡¯s because we were dispatched here to meet with the incompetents who failed to stop an enemy Development Engineer from intruding into this place.¡¹ ¡¸You must be jesting, sir. We did fail to stop the Development Engineer and his companions, but they did eventually retreat. As evidence, this Fortress Area hasn¡¯t self-destructed.¡¹ Alberto objected to the other party¡¯s words. ¡¸I¡¯m tired of listening to the ramblings of ignoramuses. There will be no more excuses. You have all certainly failed us.¡¹ ¡¸I suppose it¡¯s because those intruders ended up rescuing Asia. Or, to be exact, a part of her data.¡¹ The robed man squinted his eyes in response to Alberto¡¯s words. Bardo¡¯s mouth hung open in utter surprise. He did not suspect such a thing at all. This was the first time he¡¯d heard that Asia was actually confined to the Fortress Area they were assigned to guard. It was easy for Alberto to come to such a conclusion. The news of Asia¡¯s rescue circulated widely within the allied human forces. Then it was only natural to surmise that said rescue took place during the attack on Fortress Area X463. The sealed area had contained Asia within it, and it was the intruding Development Engineer who eventually freed her. He had heard that the groups that participated were a mercenary outfit called Metal Iris and another similar group that was centered around Familiars called Storm Hound. If so, the number of tanks employed by the intruders that day could be easily explained. ¡¸Judging from the reaction of the mercenary over there, it seems you¡¯re the only one who managed to guess the truth, Alberto.¡¹ ¡¸It seems that way. Everyone else here is puzzled about why we weren¡¯t blown sky-high by the self-destruct protocol.¡¹ ¡¸Hmph. This saves me the trouble of explaining, I suppose. Ignorant as you may be, it seems you¡¯re at least not that stupid. Her escaping was cleverly masked by Asia. She¡¯s a super AI created by Sophia after all. Doing that much is exceedingly easy for her.¡¹ ¡¸But in the end, it was only a fraction of Asia that was freed. Isn¡¯t she still not an opponent for you mighty Hemitheos?¡¹ ¡¸Just how long do you think we devoted to completely sealing Asia up, you ignoramus!?¡¹ The sole woman of the trio suddenly yelled in an outburst. ¡¸Do not kick up such a fuss. It is unbecoming.¡¹ The man chided the woman, and she turned silent after giving Alberto an angry glare. ¡¸Now that Asia has been recovered, our efforts of more than a hundred years have been rendered moot. Thus, we will have to change our plans. We will have you work to the utmost for us from here on out.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. What would you have us do?¡¹ ¡¸You always try to employ tactics that your enemies dislike and have trouble with the most in battle. Isn¡¯t that right, mercenary?¡¹ Bardo, who was suddenly called out, reflexively nodded in response. ¡¸The plan has no demerit for you people at all. After all, we will henceforth broaden the scope of human autonomy and make their lives even more affluent and comfortable.¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ Bardo stupidly gawked when he heard the other party¡¯s words. None of the others paid him any attention. ¡¸We will also invite the humans who treasure their lives and want to survive to our side. We will then have them fight for us. ¨CThis is something Asia hates to see the most. Let us have humans kill each other, shall we?¡¹ ¡¸T-That¡¯s¨C¡¹ ¡¸Of course, we will have them work together with Murders. We anticipate that the overall strength of the enemy forces to improve dramatically from here on out. We have to take that into account and employ proper countermeasures.¡¹ ¡¸Specifically?¡¹ Alberto inquired with his eyes shining with the light of fanaticism. This was the development he wished for the most. ¡¸We will plunder resources until there is nothing left for the enemy to rely on.¡¹ The man in the center¡¯s lips curled, displaying a derisive grin. ¡¸Hakunon, Is it really alright to tell them all these?¡¹ The man addressed as Hakunon turned to the woman beside him. ¡¸In any case, they would have to serve in the forefront of the war eventually. I¡¯m sure they will prove themselves useful. Am I right in expecting that much out of you?¡¹ The last question was addressed to Alberto and Bardo. ¡¸But, of course.¡¹ Alberto readily replied in the affirmative. After all, the rewards will be plenty enough for them to risk their lives. ¡¸We have more than enough military strength on our end. We will also eventually mobilize the creations you are so proud of.¡¹ ¡¸Nothing would make me happier.¡¹ Alberto again answered readily, but he was inwardly thinking about other things. It is because he can still see things from the point of view of an outsider that he was able to realize a few points. The resources of the Stones weren¡¯t as steady as they made them out to be either. Good examples were A-Spinels and A-Carbuncles, which were the most strategically important resources. These two can only be obtained through the residential facilities under human control. In other words, the Stones can only either cut down on their own stockpiles or plunder from the enemy in order to maintain a solid frontline in the Nemesis warfront. This was what ultimately led Planet Libya to destruction. No. It is exactly because they have already devastated one planet and placed it under their control that the actions of the Stones seemed even more conspicuous in Alberto¡¯s eyes. If their only goal was to take control of a planet, then it was certainly an option for them to settle for Libya alone. However, they insisted on taking control of the Super AI for some sort of mysterious purpose. Even under relatively normal circumstances, the unmanned weapons they employed prioritized destructive actions over anything else. In Alberto¡¯s opinion, this was proof that the Stones were getting increasingly impatient. ¡¸You are on standby until the council issues you new orders. Try to enhance your strength for now until that time comes.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ The two men reverently bowed toward the three Hemitheos. In any case, they managed to keep their lives this time. The three guests left the room and returned to their spaceship. ¡¸It looks like the situation ain¡¯t good.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re planning on expanding the autonomy of humans under them after all. Well, there¡¯s nothing bad about it for me though.¡¹ ¡¸I already have an inkling about what¡¯s gonna happen once this current precarious balance breaks down.¡¹ The two were already anticipating a great upheaval. CH 76 ¨COne day prior to meeting up with Jenny and the others¨C The Cimon-class mobile assault base was a really large ship. In the 21st century, personnel was provided with bunk beds on aircraft carriers. In the Cimon-class, officers had private rooms instead. The NCOs were provided with something resembling a capsule hotel room, but it at least ensured personal privacy. Kou was technically the owner of the ship, so he could freely choose any room he liked. In the end, he didn¡¯t choose a luxurious room, but one that was a short distance from the ship¡¯s power reactor instead. The room was L-shaped and made use of the space between the corners of the power reactor. It was particularly small and cramped. However, one would be able to immediately reach the command room via a nearby escalator, and above all, it was close to the hangar where Unit 5 was stationed. But these were not what was special about it. The room actually had one uncharacteristically luxurious furnishing. It had a bath. The shower room was refurbished while Kou was out visiting A Class Development Engineers. Of course, common shower areas were present even on ships back in the 21st century. A country such as Japan that had a cultural habit of taking baths was rare, but onboard a good number of 21st-century seagoing ships, it was at least possible to take seawater baths. Freshwater baths were limited to only once per week. However, the freshwater-making function of high-performance ships in the Interplanetary War was several times better than what was used on 21st century Earth. Hence, it was possible to take freshwater baths often. The Cimon-class in particular was said to be able to generate up to two million liters of fresh water per day. The large shower room was converted into a Japanese-style bath. Although it was a shared bath, there wasn¡¯t any problem because Nyanta, Aki, Aimer, and Voy were already sharing the room itself with Kou anyway. Males and females had different schedules for bathing. ¡¸Phew.¡¹ The ladies actually wanted to take mixed baths with him, but Kou firmly refused them. It was too embarrassing for a guy like Kou after all. He was sure he¡¯d feel really awkward around them after experiencing such a thing. He wasn¡¯t opposed to taking a bath together with Voy occasionally, but the bear was strangely docile during those times. He sometimes even brought something to drink in the bath but kept insisting it wasn¡¯t alcohol despite acting drunk. And in order to ensure awkward incidents between men and women wouldn¡¯t happen, the bath also had a lock feature installed that would prevent someone from accidentally walking in on someone else. In the unlikely event that it does happen anyway, Dike will swiftly come to the rescue. However, no matter how Kou insisted, the ladies refused to use the lock function. He had no clue why. ¡¸¨CA guy definitely needs some time alone occasionally. Man, I sure experienced a lot of different stuff these past few days.¡¹ Naturally, the moment he returned from his scheduled visits to the A-Class Development Engineers, Kou faced trouble one after another. Nyanta and Aimer were acting all jealous of Aki because she was able to accompany and monopolize Kou. Cats were said to be jealous creatures, but it seemed that bit didn¡¯t change even if the cat had the ability to transform into a humanoid form, Kou thought. And he was especially affected by Aimer¡¯s silent upturned gaze. Apparently, the two of them had asked Voy to monitor Aki and keep her in check. Kou really wanted to give the bear a piece of his mind after seeing him just grin and laugh in his face like a typical uncle teasing a younger guy. Even so, Voy normally spent a lot of time with Kou as well. So Kou got surprised when Voy claimed that the ladies were jealous of him too. ¡¸The problem¡¯s gonna be after this.¡¹ Kou strengthened his resolve as he went out of the bath. He clothed himself and entered the room. He found Voy already fast asleep in the small room. Nyanta and Aki were waiting for him on top of the bed. They weren¡¯t able to do it for quite some time, so they decided that they were going to sleep together with Kou at night again after he came back. Hence, Kou asked Voy to join them in the room. The bear accepted while sporting an expression that seemed to say¡¸How troublesome.¡¹ And then, an unexpected problem occurred. It was Aimer. ¡¸You can¡¯t sleep here, Aimer.¡¹ The moment Kou said that to her, Aimer silently protested with teary eyes. ¡¸Kou, don¡¯t you find poor little Aimer pitiful?¡¹ ¡¸I believe you¡¯re not the kind of guy who lays his claws on little girls, so it¡¯s fine nyaa.¡¹ Kou received complaints from the two ladies. ¡¸But still¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Ain¡¯t it fine? If something does happen, it¡¯s gonna be with Nyanta or Aki, right? You can just find another room with the two of them if ya feel the urge.¡¹ Voy opened one eye and gave his two cents, then closed it again afterward, still acting like he found things too troublesome. After having such a thing directly pointed out to him, Kou froze up. ¡¸Roger nyaa!¡¹ ¡¸Understood!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t just act like it¡¯s a given, guys!¡¹ Then, Aimer¡¯s teary-eyed expression changed to a calm one. ¡¸Kou, I¡¯m thankful that you¡¯re giving your all to take care of Aimer, but I do believe you as well. When the time comes, please do it after getting Aimer¡¯s consent. Doing such things would be fine about 7 or 8 years later, as she would be able to make an informed decision as an adult by that time.¡¹ ¡¸You too, Master!?¡¹ After Aimer¡¯s unexpected surprise attack, Kou lost all strength to care. ¡¸Sorry, Aimer. Fine. Let¡¯s all sleep together.¡¹ Aimer instantly held back her tears and jumped on the bed with a smirk. Nyanta gently caught her. Aki moved under the bed and transformed into a golden retriever. She apparently didn¡¯t want to be seen during the transforming process. Kou asked what she¡¯d do if it was an emergency, and she answered that she¡¯d use nanomachines to generate a glowing hologram. Aki then moved to her usual spot above the bedside pillow. Kou laid down on the center of the bed, with Aimer on his right and Nyanta on his left. Even though Nyanta remained in her humanoid form, she still purred and acted as if she wanted to be spoiled. She really seems like a proper cat when she acts this way, Kou inwardly thought. Surrounded by three people giving off sweet scents, Kou was unable to calm down. He wondered if he would actually be able to sleep. CH 77 The Cimon-class mobile assault base advanced on the seabed at a steady pace. It was heading to a large artificial approach that would eventually lead to the interior of the mountain base above the arsenal fortress. Once it reaches a specific position, it will settle on a platform and will be carried to the rail catapult. After a while more, the ship finally landed on the platform and was automatically set into position on the rail catapult. The place it was transported to also served as a maintenance area. ¡ºDike to all crew. We have arrived at our destination. Familiars, please gather at the designated area to proceed with data linking. All other crew members, please proceed to the flight deck.¡» The Metal Iris members promptly assembled on the deck. The Familiars immediately rushed over after they¡¯d finished data linking with Dike. Jenny and Rick were standing side by side on a small work vehicle. Kou and the rest were standing in front of the vehicle. ¡¸Good work on gathering today, everyone. Thank you. From today onward, Metal Iris and Storm Hound will merge as one. Together, we will fight as a single team with reliable comrades.¡¹ Loud cheers went up after the announcement. Metal Iris also had many Familiar and Therianthrope members. There was no one who opposed the decision. ¡¸I haven¡¯t gotten to the most important part, y¡¯know? See this spaceship that we rode in today and this secret base? From now on, these will be lent to us by Asia herself. This will be our new home guys.¡¹ What followed was silence. The Familiars who just finished data linking with Dike were calm. The humans, Therianthropes, and Nereids held their breaths as they looked at each other¡¯s faces in shock. If this was true, it would be a truly outrageous development. ¡¸I won¡¯t blame you for being shocked. After all, Rick and I were only told this today as well. And Kou, who led us to success in our previous operation, will also be joining us today as a technical advisor.¡¹ The murmurs from the gathered personnel instantly went up in volume. They had now recognized Kou as Asia¡¯s official representative. ¡¸You all know I¡¯m not good with formalities guys, so I¡¯ll just give it to you straight. I¡¯ll be acting as the main representative of our Force, and Rick will be second-in-command. Kou-kun will serve as the Hidden Boss behind the scenes or something like that. From now on, we are an army serving directly under Asia!¡¹ Cheers, that were louder than ever, went up. Kou, who was introduced as the Hidden Boss, turned to Jenny in a fluster, but she completely ignored him. ¡¸We will probably have to undertake even more dangerous missions from now on. But we have been granted this much power in exchange. It was said in ancient times that great power comes with great responsibility. Thus, we have to use the power granted to us correctly and become a completely reborn Underground Force. Now then, Kou-kun. Please grant us some words as well.¡¹ Kou went up to the work vehicle and stood next to Jenny. ¡¸Hi everyone. I¡¯m Kou, and I¡¯ll be a member of Metal Iris as well starting from today. Once again, it¡¯s nice to meet you all. Let us do our best to completely free Asia. And let us all endeavor to create a world where humans, Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids can all walk side by side together.¡¹ Everyone applauded after hearing Kou¡¯s short address. The Therianthropes and Nereids applauded the loudest. The Familiars were also in really high spirits. ¡¸As of today, we are the reborn Metal Iris. All you Familiars have already been given all the relevant data about this place, so please serve as guides to the rest. No. Before that, all of you need to choose your rooms on this ship first. We¡¯re all gonna be quite busy, okay, guys? We¡¯ll begin moving to this base completely starting today after all!¡¹ The Metal Iris members were already surprised enough that they would be given individual rooms on the ship, but they were even more flabbergasted to learn that their entire Underground Force will be able to stay in an exclusive residential area. It was way better treatment and conditions compared to their days bunking in the barracks of the shelters they go to during missions. The loudest cheers resounded at this moment. Kou noticed that Aimer was already happily chatting with Marl and Flack. He was finally able to see Aimer¡¯s natural smile. It was great that she now had companions close to her age. Kou thought that all this trouble was already worth it if it meant seeing Aimer¡¯s happy smile. And so, the ceremony for the formation of a new Underground Force was now over. Every member was excited about their new place and went back to the ship for a more thorough tour. ¡¸This is amazing, Kou-kun.¡¹ Fuyuki exclaimed inside the command room. Jenny and Blue were also present. ¡¸This certainly is an amazing situation. To think we¡¯d get to have this base all to ourselves. This place is already on the scale of a military fortress city.¡¹ ¡¸But the place where Asia stays is designated as an off-limits area for you guys. I¡¯m really sorry for that.¡¹ The section connecting the surface base with the underground arsenal complex was sealed just like how it was in Fortress Area X463. It can only be entered by qualified Development Engineer and those who have been given proper access authorization. To be exact, the entire underground complex can currently be considered as Asia¡¯s main body, but Kou and the others judged that they didn¡¯t need to reveal all the details unless deemed necessary. ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about it. Rather, I still can¡¯t believe you¡¯d allow access to everything except that.¡¹ ¡¸But this place is currently empty though.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. It looks like we need to get our hands on various supplies. How are our funds, Jenny?¡¹ ¡¸Funds? I just checked the assets we received from Dike. We¡¯re now super loaded! If we weren¡¯t at war, such an amount will allow all of our members and us to live extravagantly for the rest of our lives.¡¹ ¡¸We really managed to get a super-rich patron huh!¡¹ Fuyuki exclaimed in astonishment after hearing Jenny¡¯s words. ¡¸But this place really is empty right now. We also don¡¯t have enough manpower.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like Asia intends to dispatch newly created Familiars here later.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great. Once our men have properly settled down, let¡¯s recruit more humans and Nereids too.¡¹ ¡¸So the problem is supplies huh.¡¹ ¡¸I have a suggestion, Fuyuki-san. How about leaving the matter of supply procurement to the Benshin General Trading Company?¡¹ Fuyuki mulled over Kou¡¯s suggestion. ¡¸Yeah, that could work¡­¡­ Putting it up for a bid is normally how you¡¯d go about it though. But if we want to secure a supply channel quickly, Benshin certainly is a very good option. We can definitely make good use of their Japan-style flexibility and adaptability.¡¹ ¡¸Mm. If we¡¯re going with Benshin, why not leave the bidding for cooperation with specialized trading companies to them too?¡¹ ¡¸Kou-kun. Are there any specific conditions?¡¹ ¡¸Conditions huh? I¡¯d like companies that can work well with Therianthropes and Familiars if possible. Also, I¡¯d prefer it if they can be trusted to keep some secrets safe.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I¡¯ll get in touch with them after we¡¯ve finished assigning all members to their rooms on the ship and their quarters in the residential area.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like everyone¡¯s really excited.¡¹ ¡¸Of course, they are! I¡¯ve never encountered personal residential blocks furnished with a fully equipped Silhouette garage in my life until I came here! This place can already be called a full-fledged Silhouette base.¡¹ ¡¸Ahaha. Silhouette base huh? That has a nice ring to it. This was a former port, and Silhouettes are indispensable to operate it effectively.¡¹ ¡¸This is no laughing matter Kou. It really might turn out like that.¡¹ Living quarters that were equipped with a fully functioning and equipped Silhouette hangar was unheard of. Blue was worried about just how casual Kou was when handing out such a place. ¡¸The Mercenary Association is impartial. It¡¯s fine for mercenaries registered under them to work for either the Stones or humanity. This place, however, is different. This base will only house mercenaries who are committed to fighting the Stones, so, depending on the situation, it might be good to advertise it a bit.¡¹ ¡¸I feel like mercenaries will come flooding in once that happens.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s fine. This place is pretty big anyway. Anyway, let¡¯s leave that for later. We have other stuff to worry about.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll need to secure some supplies first, right? We¡¯ll go and gather some. I¡¯ll be going then. Just contact me using the team code if there¡¯s anything you need my help with, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, right. I¡¯ll be in your care then, Fuyuki-san.¡¹ After Fuyuki left, Kou let out a mutter. ¡¸Silhouette base huh? It does sound interesting.¡¹ Blue couldn¡¯t hide her frustration after hearing Kou mutter those words under his breath. CH 78 The Metal Iris members were divided into groups and guided around the ship. It was so huge that touring it in its entirety would take at least a whole day. The ones who served as their guides were Kou and Aki. ¡¸Man. To think that greatsword boy would actually become our boss.¡¹ ¡¸You said it. It feels like it¡¯s already been a long time since we first met him eh?¡¹ The men who Kou met first, Barry and Robert, chatted with him without reserve. Barry was a tall but slender man who looked like he was in his early thirties. Robert was a big-bodied black man. ¡¸Prior to meeting you guys, I also didn¡¯t think things will turn out this way.¡¹ After all, if Barry didn¡¯t offer to recruit Kou, he probably wouldn¡¯t be here now. ¡¸I think you would¡¯ve been successful no matter where you end up in. Whoah, so this is the pilot house!¡¹ The visitors arrived at the pilot house. Rick and Jenny were present within. ¡¸Welcome. The interior of the ship is pretty vast, right?¡¹ Jenny waved her hand toward the newcomers. ¡¸This is nice! This wheelhouse! This helm! Very nice! Y¡¯know, I was a sailor back on Earth guys.¡¹ Robert excitedly grabbed the helm of the ship. ¡¸I really wanna get promoted someday and become the captain of a ship like this. Right, Barry?¡¹ ¡¸Bob. You can definitely become a captain someday. Then I¡¯ll serve as your first mate. It looks like it¡¯ll be fun after all!¡¹ The two freely joked around with each other. It seemed that the Metal Iris members behind them were used to their antics and didn¡¯t pay them any attention. They busied themselves with checking out the interior of the pilot house instead. However, there was one person who paid attention to the two¡¯s conversation. Kou turned to Jenny with a sharp gaze. Jenny matched his gaze with her own and nodded. ¡¸Dike, what do you think about that earlier proposal? I personally don¡¯t have any objections.¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood. He is qualified for the role. Welcome, Robert. Starting today, you are officially assigned as the captain of the Number 1 Cimon-class ship.¡» ¡¸Huh!?¡¹ Robert¡¯s big, round eyes turned even rounder. ¡¸Oi. You¡¯re joking right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Bob, it looks like you really are a captain now.¡¹ Kou was actually looking for a qualified ship captain. He was glad he managed to find someone he was familiar with in the end. He didn¡¯t expect Robert to be a former sailor though. It was really very timely. ¡¸¡­¡­Seriously?¡¹ Robert turned to the left and right. He found Jenny and Rick smiling while giving him thumbs-up signs. ¡ºBarry, you shall be serving as Captain Robert¡¯s First Mate. Please make sure to do your best in supporting him.¡» ¡¸Hey! Now just hold on!¡¹ Getting caught off guard, Barry¡¯s objection echoed inside the pilot house. ¡¸We¡¯ll be counting on you, Captain and First Mate!¡¹ Jenny grinned from ear to ear. She must have been feeling happy to have companions under similar circumstances. ¡¸Seriously?¡¹ Robert asked again. It looks like it hasn¡¯t settled in for him yet. ¡ºSeriously. ¨CPlease go ahead and take the captain¡¯s seat.¡» Dike replied matter-of-factly. ¡¸A-Alright¡­¡­¡¹ Robert nervously took a seat. He had a large build, but he didn¡¯t have any problems fitting his frame inside the captain¡¯s seat. ¡ºWe will commence a starship captain crash course by tomorrow, Captain Robert.¡» ¡¸Okay.¡¹ ¡ºYou¡¯ll also attend training, First Mate Barry.¡» ¡¸Are you seriously gonna make me First Mate?! What did I do to get caught up in all this? Hey, Jenny! Is this really okay?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. I also suddenly ended up as a representative of a huge organization after all. You¡¯re an old member, so you need to pick up some slack as well.¡¹ Jenny waved her hand at Barry with an evil-looking grin. Rick was also waving his paw in amusement. Perhaps he was more carefree since he doesn¡¯t have to be a captain. He was acting more like a dog than usual. ¡ºThe official chain of command will be Kou, Jenny, and then Rick.¡» ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Robert became as meek as a housecat. He might have sounded like he was joking around when he said he wanted to be captain earlier, but his passion was very real. He was simply nervous about his new role. ¡¸You better get a grip, Bob. ¨CMan, it¡¯s no good. Of course, it¡¯s no good. I was just a pilot yesterday y¡¯know!¡¹ ¡¸Good luck, First Mate Barry.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, Kou. You better remember this! I¡¯m definitely gonna deploy to the front lines!¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but laugh. He had a feeling that the pilot house will be a lot livelier from now on. Kou and Aimer were dining together in the Enlisted Officer¡¯s mess hall. There were three types of dining facilities available: the Officer¡¯s mess where the high-ranking space navy officers dined, the Enlisted mess where the NCOs dined, and the First Class mess where guests, government officials, and dignitaries dined. In Asia¡¯s current government-less state, the only distinction was between a high-class restaurant and a cheap diner. At present, the Officer¡¯s mess was still closed. Familiars were preparing the First Class mess to get it ready for receiving guests. ¡¸The mess hall has become really lively.¡¹ ¡ºThe inventory of the residential area is currently empty. For now, we will get by using the ingredient stockpile stored before humanity was turned into quantum data. I will also introduce a new companion to you, Kou.¡» After Dike¡¯s announcement, Nyanta and Aki came in with a new figure in tow. It seemed to be a humanoid-shaped android. It was obviously a machine though. It resembled a tin robot toy straight from the Showa era with a wig attached on its head. Its skin was metal. And its mouth was shaped like a box. It really didn¡¯t look like a futuristic robot at all. Even in 21st century Earth, there were already better robot designs. It was wearing a chic maid outfit. ¡¸Nice to meet you.¡¹ ¡ºShe is a maid robot who slept together with this ship when it was sealed. Since she has now been reactivated, she will be in charge of taking care of Kou and the others from now on. She can also serve inside the hangar carrier when needed. Regardless of her appearance, I assure you that she is a high-performance domestic unit.¡» When Kou heard the term ¡°maid robot¡±, he got excited for a bit. He managed to calm down quickly though. ¡¸Nice to meet you. How should I address you?¡¹ ¡¸I was previously called Junk or Scrap Iron. Please address me however you like.¡¹ Kou frowned immediately. In the first place, he could sense malice in the robot¡¯s design. She could definitely have been made with a more beautiful appearance given the advanced technology of the era. It was the same for her voice. After all, even though they were biological in make, Aki and Nyanta were both still considered androids. Hence, Kou couldn¡¯t understand why the robot was made the way she was. ¡¸I apologize for making you upset.¡¹ After noticing Kou¡¯s dark expression, the maid robot apologized. ¡¸No, it isn¡¯t your fault. I was just wondering why you¡¯re like that.¡¹ Aki and Nyanta picked up on Kou¡¯s irritation. ¡¸Robots of her type were widely used in domestic tasks such as babysitting and cooking nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Their design stemmed from the worries of parents regarding the possible negative effects of having a competent and beautiful maid robot taking care of their children.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, they also didn¡¯t want to leave them in the hands of ugly ones or male types. That¡¯s why they completely removed any semblance of humanity from the design and focused on improving specialized functions more nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸I see. I¡¯ll be in your care then. From now on, you¡¯ll be called Ponko. Ponko-san.¡¹ The design had questionable intentions, but it possessed a strange warmth. ¡¸Please take care of Aimer¡­¡­ Oow.¡¹ Aimer stepped on Kou¡¯s foot. ¡¸I¡¯m not a kid.¡¹ Aimer insisted with a reproachful glare. ¡¸It was your fault just now, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Right. It was definitely Kou¡¯s fault.¡¹ ¡¸O-Okay, I get it. Sorry. Please do take care of everyone, Ponko-san.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. Understood. I am looking forward to working with you all. You will usually find me in the kitchen together with the Familiars.¡¹ Ponko bowed her head and stepped back again. ¡¸She¡¯s an all-around cook? Does she have my data?¡¹ ¡¸Dike installed it into her. She can cook up great-tasting miso soup, gyuudon, and karaage. She can also prepare noodle dishes.¡¹ ¡¸That sounds amazing¡­¡­ She¡¯s really high-performance ain¡¯t she? I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¹ ¡¸Please leave it to me.¡¹ ¡¸Now just hold on a minute nyaa. Please teach me how to make those, Ponko.¡¹ ¡¸Me too!¡¹ For some reason, the two ladies felt a sense of crisis after seeing Kou¡¯s heartfelt admiration for Ponko. ¡¸By the way, Kou. I saw you react when you heard the term ¡°maid robot¡± earlier y¡¯know.¡¹ ¡¸Really? I dunno.¡¹ ¡¸If you prefer maid uniforms, then we can wear them!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s probably overdoing it, so stop. I think your current get-ups with the jackets suit you both more.¡¹ Kou was inwardly troubled after imagining the blinding sight of animal-eared maid girls. ¡¸Are you sure nyaa?¡¹ ¡¸I have seen through the matter. I¡¯ll prepare some uniforms for the two of you as soon as I can.¡¹ ¡¸Stop it guys.¡¹ Kou got reminded that being too high-performance can also be a problem. CH 79 Silhouette Base. It was finally decided that the huge base within the mountains was going to be called that. It was registered with the Mercenary Association under the names of Jenny and Metal Iris. Dike had just completed the procedures. A new base of humanity was built, and a large-scale Underground Force that owned a base and a spaceship was born. ¡¸All this stuff about inspections and audits. The Mercenary Association huh. It looks like we got their attention.¡¹ ¡¸I wonder if they¡¯re gonna revoke our registration.¡¹ ¡¸I think that¡¯s not likely since we¡¯re recognized as being directly under Asia¡¯s control.¡¹ Kou, Jenny, and Fuyuki were having a meeting in the combat command center. ¡¸It seems we really made the Mercenary Association panic. They¡¯re especially concerned about the Cimon-class.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like we poached their men or steal resources. They¡¯re being overly sensitive.¡¹ ¡¸C¡¯mon. It¡¯s only natural to panic when a high-performance ship from the Interplanetary War era that should have been lost to time and a completely unregistered base suddenly appear within an area controlled by the Stones without any warning.¡¹ ¡¸Right. We¡¯re right in the middle of enemy territory after all. We have Familiars out on patrol constantly.¡¹ ¡¸We need to take control of the entire sector as soon as possible.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re not gonna take over everything y¡¯know?¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸Dike, display a map of the surrounding terrain.¡¹ Dike promptly displayed a map of the surrounding areas. ¡¸This is a mountain fortress, so there¡¯s no worry if being invaded from our flanks. The locations under our control are also far apart. There are a total of seven enemy-controlled Defense Domes around us. There are also three enemy-controlled Fortress Areas.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re deeper in enemy territory than I expected. Launching a careless offensive is dangerous huh.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s that, sure. But we have a very solid and defensible base. Many of those Defense Domes are also functioning unmanned. If Murders come for recon, it would be the perfect situation to train up new recruits.¡¹ ¡¸Using infinitely spawning Murders as training opponents huh. What a bold idea. It might just work.¡¹ ¡¸Kou-kun, haven¡¯t you played video games a little too much? This ain¡¯t like power leveling some newbies in an MMO y¡¯know.¡¹ Jenny displayed admiration while Fuyuki retorted in exasperation after realizing what the source of Kou¡¯s idea was. He displayed an awkward smile. ¡¸We definitely can¡¯t let our guard down. But the number of our Silhouette Bases is small, and I want to train skilled veterans. It¡¯s better than forcibly expanding the front lines. Of course, I¡¯d like to take down Fortress Areas whenever possible. But right now, we don¡¯t have a stable supply line.¡¹ ¡¸To get a safe and stable supply line, we¡¯ll have to take over at least two Fortress Areas.¡¹ ¡¸Even one will make a lot of difference.¡¹ The three people continued their discussion for a while and moved to the selection of good targets for capture. ¡¸But this might be good timing. Just in case, we¡¯re building a garrison outside. We¡¯ll be using a cheap A-Spinel to power it. I assigned a platoon to keep watch. It¡¯s perfect for the rookie recruitment drive you mentioned, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Is it about a tenth of the size of a Defense Dome? It¡¯s like a village huh?¡¹ ¡¸Something like that. I¡¯ve already assigned supplies to it. Since it¡¯s near the mountain base, we can quickly reach it when needed.¡¹ Jenny immediately displayed her skills as a leader and organizer. ¡¸The Stones shouldn¡¯t be able to detect the Silhouette Base. You can only enter and exit using the underground waterway. This place was just registered as a residential area after all.¡¹ ¡¸So they can only find out by going through Okeanos.¡¹ ¡¸They shouldn¡¯t be able to obtain any detailed information about us. And we¡¯re building a garrison, so it can serve as a nice distraction to the enemy scouts.¡¹ ¡¸Got it. So let¡¯s focus on having the Familiars conduct constant patrols for now. Depending on how the recruitment goes, we¡¯ll eventually assign this mission to them. Until then, we¡¯ll each take turns to eliminate enemies as soon as they are detected.¡¹ They confirmed their current situation and decided on their next courses of action. The Silhouette Base had enough facilities and weapons, but there weren¡¯t enough personnel and pilots. Thankfully, there were plenty of funds. They were paid handsomely for rescuing Asia after all. ¡¸It looks like Benshin-san will be coming over via transport plane tomorrow.¡¹ Fuyuki reported after checking his data terminal. ¡¸Mr. Benshin is making a move fast huh. It¡¯s just been two days since you contacted him, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just how general trading companies are like. Depending on how the talks go, they might actually decide to set up a branch here.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so? I think it would be nice for us organizers to show off a bit, don¡¯t you think?¡¹ Kou had a headache because he also needed to consider stuff like city planning. It would be better to pull in a person that was good at it from the outside, he thought. ¡¸It¡¯s because there is no supply line. It looks like we need to continue relying on the Cimon-class for the time being.¡¹ They could also make use of the Astraea ship, but according to Astraea herself, it would be better to keep her existence a secret and just go with the Cimon-class. The Cimon-class had a high carrying capacity after all. The amphibious assault ships handed over by Asia were being kept secret as well. The Cimon-class had already caused such a commotion. If the two ships also got revealed, Kou¡¯s cheeks would probably fall off from all the stress. Looking at the list of things he needed to organize, he could only let out a sigh. ¡¸Kou, it¡¯s just about ready.¡¹ Kou and company moved from the sealed area to the underground arsenal and were now staring at a recently completed machine. The remodeling of Unit 5 was finally complete. ¡¸So this is the new Lanius huh.¡¹ The new appearance of Lanius hadn¡¯t changed much compared to the time Kou used it to fight Bardo. The additional armor did look more detailed and sophisticated though. The armor covering its limbs resembled the aerodynamic form factor seen in cars. They were intake ducts. The thrusters on its back also looked larger. ¡¸This will be the TSW-R1A Lanius Kai. We¡¯ll only refer to Unit 5 as ¡®Kai¡¯. And a mass-production version of Lanius will be built based on it. The type that¡¯s equipped with a metallic hydrogen storage type reactor will serve as the base of the standardized mass-production version, and that version will be designated as the A1.¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Kou, where did that ¡®A¡¯ come from all of a sudden!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s ¡®A¡¯ for alteration. I came up with it a while back¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the Lanius Alter huh!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s Lanius Kai! And why¡¯d you shorten alteration anyway, Voy?¡¹ ¡¸Huh? But in Japan, doesn¡¯t turning something into an alternate version kinda make it fall to the dark side or something like that? It¡¯s cooler that way.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s like you¡¯ve fallen to the dark side huh, Lanius Kai!¡¹ Nyanta and Aki gazed at the two men from behind. ¡¸Those two really are in sync.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s easier for men to get along after all nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸The problem is how to push our advantage as the opposite sex¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Wow! Aki, who hasn¡¯t made any progress even though she spent lots of time alone with Kou, is now acting desperate nyaa!¡¹ Aimer passed the two ladies and walked up to Kou and Voy. ¡¸Kou, I also want a Silhouette of my own.¡¹ ¡¸Ah. Please wait a bit more. I¡¯m gonna design one for you properly.¡¹ Aimer lightly nodded in response. It was fine with her as long as Kou didn¡¯t plan on not making good on his promise. ¡¸I¡¯m planning on making the next modification of the Lanius my main loadout. I¡¯m in the middle of researching the TSW-R1B right now you see. The next prototype additional armor system will be implemented on the B type.¡¹ ¡¸Why didn¡¯t you make them together?¡¹ ¡¸The ideas haven¡¯t come along together nicely yet. The main differences between the A and B armor systems are the back of the torso and the power pack.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the difference between the previous version of Lanius and this Lanius Kai?¡¹ ¡¸We adopted new armor materials and artificial muscles. We also employed next-generation tech that we plan on unveiling to the other Development Engineers around the world soon.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m planning on making Aimer¡¯s Silhouette according to that standard. It¡¯s progressing well, so don¡¯t worry.¡¹ ¡¸Looking forward to it.¡¹ Aimer and Kou looked up at Unit 5 which has now become the Lanius Kai. ¡¸The basic structure remains the same despite the major modifications. The torso¡¯s armor materials have been changed. We did tinker around with the back a bit. The limbs were designed to be quickly swapped out if needed. We¡¯re gonna remake it again anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Hyoue-san really left a lot of room for modification, didn¡¯t he? It looks like he also anticipated different variations.¡¹ ¡¸Is the katana that Arges is forging right now for Type B?¡¹ ¡¸That depends on how the katana turns out. It looks like we¡¯ll finally get to see a Silhouette-use katana in action soon.¡¹ ¡¸Speaking of which, you wanna head out tonight?¡¹ ¡¸Oh.¡¹ ¡¸Where are you planning on going?¡¹ ¡¸It seems like an enemy patrol is coming tonight. They¡¯d be perfect for testing this guy out.¡¹ ¡¸Please be careful.¡¹ Kou nodded and placed his hand on top of Aimer¡¯s head. This was the first machine Kou had made as a Development Engineer. He was looking forward to its maiden battle. CH 80 A swarm of the enemy¡¯s low-cost, low-end machine, the Ant Worker-type, was attacking in waves. The Ant-types were all battery-powered except for the Commander version, which was the highest-end model among them. They can be easily dealt with using conventional firearms, but they were mass-produced in large quantities by the enemy. An individual unit is said to be comparable in cost to a light armored vehicle. Dozens of them were invading. Soldier-types with comparatively higher combat power and Commander-types equipped with high-dimensional projection armor were leading them. There was also a Mantis-type which can be deemed their flagship unit. The confirmed number of enemies was 30 Worker-types, 12 Soldier-types, 3 Commander-types, and only one Mantis-type. A camp suddenly appeared deep in their sphere of influence. Their forces can be said to be overkill for a recon mission against this camp. Of course, these forces were not enough to capture a Defense Dome, but it was more than enough for a camp. ¡¸This is Fox-1. Enemy forces spotted.¡¹ While maintaining low-altitude flight, a reconnaissance helicopter appeared and fell back swiftly afterward. The pilot onboard was a fox-type Familiar. If humans were included in the Stones¡¯ forces, they would have been surely surprised. After all, recon helicopters have not been used for a long time since they can be easily shot down by anti-aircraft fire. Sure enough, laser and railgun anti-aircraft batteries quickly attacked the helicopter. The helicopter made good use of the terrain and avoided the attacks skillfully. It was a compound helicopter equipped with ducted fan-type propellers on its aft in addition to its main rotor. Its max acceleration well exceeded the limit of a regular helicopter; easily being able to go over 400 km/h. ¡¸This is Thunder-1. Copy that, Fox-1¡¹ The voice that came from Thunder-1 was a woman¡¯s. It was Blue. ¡¸Thunderstorm, prepare for sortie. Kou, are you ready?¡¹ ¡¸OK.¡¹ ¡¸A1 Thunderstorm, launching. I¡¯ll be taking the 5th elevator.¡¹ A machine rose from one of the aircraft elevators of the Cimon-class. Its folded wings unfolded, leveled themselves, and moved to their specified positions. It was a short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) heavy attack aircraft with Silhouette transport capability. It¡¯s a newly developed fighter-bomber. Although it was designed to be capable of anti-air combat as well, the current airpower of the enemy forces was limited. Hence, it was currently kitted out exclusively for ground attacks. The machine named A1 Thunderstorm will also be having its maiden battle this day. Its huge frame was 29 meters long, 17 meters wide, and 7 meters high. Its hard points can be equipped with a wide variety of weapons. It can carry out ground attack missions through wire-guided munitions and can be equipped with anti-air and anti-ship missiles, multi-rocket pods, ECM pods, and conventional bombs. The rail catapult activated. It quickly accelerated the Thunderstorm to 700 km/h. The mountainside opened up slightly, revealing the starry sky above. A1 was ejected through it and proceeded to dance in the night sky. ¡¸Arrived at the target point. Engaging the enemy.¡¹ Blue announced and began to prepare to attack the Keres that were still far in the distance. The Commander-types and Mantis-type activated their railguns and unleashed an anti-air barrage. The heavy attack craft was equipped with two powerful three-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles. Hence, its mobility was extremely high. It performed a rapid set of post-stall maneuvers to throw the enemy¡¯s aim off and evade their attacks. A wire-guided missile hanging from a pylon spewed fire and headed toward one Commander-type. The wire, aside from its target guidance function, also served to increase the missile¡¯s penetration power through the use of Whis. The Commander-type exploded in just one blow. A1, which had been rising steadily toward the night sky, suddenly performed a steep nosedive. The anti-air fire of the Ant Workers failed to reach its mark, as the A1 placed itself directly above them. It swiftly approached its targets. The enemy¡¯s lasers hit the A1. But it didn¡¯t even flinch. It was a heavy attack aircraft sporting thick armor after all. This time around, it launched a large number of rockets from its rocket launchers. The Workers failed to rush away to avoid them. They were destroyed by the explosions. The Soldier-types that moved to intercept switched to evasive maneuvers. The enemy plane was still plunging straight toward them. A huge six-barreled Gatling gun stretched out from the aircraft¡¯s nose. Its caliber was 60 mm. According to Kurt, this was the largest cannon caliber currently on Planet Asia. It had 1,800 rounds. It¡¯s capable of belting out 2,400 shots per minute and had a range of about 1,800 meters. It was probably one of the most powerful anti-Murder weapons. The craft began its strafing run, easily destroying the Workers as if ridiculing their futile attempts at evasion. The huge 60 mm cannons fired about 40 bullets per second. It was a veritable bullet storm. The Mantis-type¡¯s railgun scored a direct hit on the craft¡¯s nose. However, it merely caused a small explosion which quickly dispersed. It only left a black mark on the craft¡¯s nose. The Mantis-type immediately fell into a confused state. Certainly, the nosedive was effective. However, at that speed, it should have already stalled. No matter how high-performance the thrust vectoring nozzles installed on it were, it was impossible for it not to stall. The moment it managed to resolve its question, it immediately got destroyed. It had been bisected in two. The A1 heavy attack aircraft continued to plunge down. A Silhouette appeared from its fuselage, and it was promptly dropped. Unit 5 rapidly descended while brandishing its great sword. But even the Mantis-type¡¯s AI couldn¡¯t foresee the enemy suddenly kicking off from the aircraft¡¯s nose a few moments after. Using the momentum gained from the jump, Unit 5 moved to level flight. After a few moments, it started to rise in the air. And then, Unit 5 quickly plunged down again and proceeded to cut the Mantis-type in two. A slash from mid-air with all of Unit 5¡¯s weight easily cut through the Mantis-type¡¯s high-dimensional projection armor. The surviving Workers immediately flocked toward it. But at that moment, they were systematically destroyed. From behind, the recon helicopter unleased support fire with its machine gun and missiles. The recon helicopter would never allow the heavy attack craft to be on its own. It made use of stealth and timing to unleash an effective blow. After being helped out by the support fire, Unit 5 immediately engaged the remaining Commander-types next. Surprisingly, Unit 5 even performed a jump and summersault evasion maneuver. It immediately closed the distance and easily took care of the Commander-types. In addition to its improved mobility, Unit 5 was also equipped with vectoring thrusters for acceleration. It was a combination of maneuverability and speed. It didn¡¯t take long for it to destroy the remaining enemies. ¡¸Blue, I¡¯m sorry about earlier.¡¹ ¡¸That kick, right? I didn¡¯t really mind you know.¡¹ ¡¸Really?¡¹ ¡¸Really. Oh, that¡¯s right. I¡¯ll forgive you if you treat me to a meal later.¡¹ ¡¸No problem.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, this aircraft is pretty good. Can I get a ride together with my Silhouette inside it too?¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Ah. Sure, no problem.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s decided then.¡¹ ¡¸But A1 seems to be a failure¡­¡­ How about I just install one on your Snipe instead, Blue?¡¹ ¡¸Install what?! Ah, we gotta get back already. Explain, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸When we get back.¡¹ ¡¸Mou! It can¡¯t be helped. I can¡¯t pick you up anymore, so do your best to come back on your own, okay?¡¹ ¡¸You too. Nice work.¡¹ The A1 was a heavy attack craft designed to carry and work in tandem with Silhouettes, but it was difficult to perform landings within forests. Although it had a vertical take-off and landing function, it can¡¯t land unless its safety was assured. Kou reminded himself to explain why it was a failed work once he gets back. The problem wasn¡¯t its performance, but its usage instead. ¡¸We obtained good results, but it¡¯s still a failure because it turned out different from the original intention.¡¹ Kou piloted Unit 5 and sprinted through the dark forest. CH 81 ¡¸You two went on a date among the stars last night, didn¡¯t you?¡¹ ¡¸It wasn¡¯t romantic at all. I was really surprised when this guy suddenly asked me to pilot a heavy attack aircraft you know.¡¹ Kou and the two Metal Iris ladies were currently analyzing yesterday¡¯s combat results inside the combat command center. ¡¸Kou, can you now tell me why you said that machine was a failed work? It was actually very easy to handle, so I¡¯m really curious.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not like it has a fatal flaw or anything like that. It¡¯s just that it turned out different from what I intended when I designed it.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a heavy attack aircraft with Silhouette carrying capability. I think it¡¯s pretty good, personally.¡¹ Jenny also judged that there were no problems with the aircraft judging from yesterday¡¯s data. The aircraft also had shored-up defenses, which was normally the weakness of most aircraft. Best of all, it sported two engines. According to Kou, it was an attack aircraft that specializes in survival. As long as it wasn¡¯t carrying a Silhouette, it was capable of cruising even with just one engine functioning. ¡¸You see, Familiars aren¡¯t able to pilot it.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? If it¡¯s an aircraft, then wouldn¡¯t you be able to do that by tweaking the MCS settings and limiting it a bit?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s no good. I thought I could do it at first. I focused on allowing it to perform well in air combat, used deflection nozzles to enable post-stall maneuvers, and made it capable of high angle attacks and high turning rates, but the Fennel OS ended up judging it as unsound.¡¹ ¡¸So it judged the attitude controls to be too much for the plane itself huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. That¡¯s why the A1 may look like an attack aircraft, but it¡¯s just something with a Silhouette stuffed inside. It simply feels like a Silhouette wearing additional plane-shaped armor, I guess?¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t that a little bit too vague?¡¹ Blue gave Kou a cold gaze. It seemed that Kou¡¯s somewhat thoughtless personality manifested itself in such a way. ¡¸The Fennel OS sees it that way, at least.¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t it mainly gonna be used for ground attacks? Was there really a need to give it so much mobility?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because it¡¯s tailored for ground support specifically on Planet Asia. It¡¯s a heavy attack aircraft that operates at low altitude while cruising at low speeds as it faces enemy anti-air fire from stuff like railguns, light-gas guns, and missiles flying at Mach speed. If it doesn¡¯t at least turn well, it would be impossible to make use of the aircraft.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. But it does feel like a waste to reject the design. It¡¯s highly capable in combat after all.¡¹ ¡¸Even though it¡¯s quite large, it can easily be loaded into the Cimon-class. It¡¯s basically in the same size class as a Silhouette Carrier, at 30 meters. Considering the carrying capacity of the Cimon-class, it should be possible to load around 100 fighters and 30 carriers.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like there will be no problems with adopting it into our forces.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because I was originally planning on getting Familiars and Therianthropes to pilot them. Nyanta and Aki were really depressed when they found out it was no good.¡¹ When they found out that they wouldn¡¯t be able to pilot the new aircraft, Nyanta immediately became teary-eyed. Aki looked really depressed with her ears and tail drooping down. Kou did want to make it happen for them, but he didn¡¯t want to let them ride in something half-baked. ¡¸You actually don¡¯t want to make those girls enter the battlefield, right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. But I feel the same about you two as well.¡¹ ¡¸I really like how considerate you are, Kou. Right, Blue?¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Jenny had her own goals, and Blue was obligated to stand up for humanity in a crisis since she was a Nereid. There was no way the two would agree to stand down and not fight. However, they still found Kou¡¯s concern very pleasant. Kou got embarrassed by getting told that straight to his face. Jenny sensed his embarrassment and decided to change the topic. ¡¸It looks like the reconnaissance aircraft did great as well.¡¹ ¡¸I designed two types of aircraft ¨C a reconnaissance helicopter and a heavy attack helicopter. I finally reached a point where it¡¯s possible for them to survive a direct hit from a railgun.¡¹ ¡¸Because of the new type of armor material, right?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re in the middle of developing new vehicles, Silhouettes, and aircraft. Once they¡¯ve been developed to a certain point, we¡¯ll introduce them to other Development Engineers.¡¹ ¡¸I see. You¡¯re only capable of developing prototypes with the production capacity of this base, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right, right.¡¹ The total number of prototypes that were sent out from the sealed area was unknown to the rest of the Metal Iris members except for Jenny. ¡¸Does the A1 have armor on par with that on a tank? It felt like it would be fine even if it suffers a direct hit from a railgun.¡¹ Jenny was filled with curiosity after taking a look at the data. ¡¸I guess it¡¯s on par with a light tank.¡¹ ¡¸Come to think of it, what exactly did you do for A1 to turn out like that? It¡¯s not using hydrogen as a propellant, right? It kinda felt like it had infinite fuel. The moment I thought I¡¯ve used up a good amount, the gauge just gets replenished like it¡¯s nothing. Even the armor¡¯s strange. The railgun round fired by that Keres looked like it instantly evaporated and disappeared.¡¹ ¡¸The fuel gets replenished? What¡¯s up with that?¡¹ ¡¸It definitely uses hydrogen as fuel. I¡¯ll tell you all about it once the development is complete. We¡¯re still in the middle of researching it.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re being really mysterious again.¡¹ Oh, the fuel definitely is hydrogen alright, Kou inwardly thought. And he wasn¡¯t exactly lying. ¡¸If airpower suddenly turns viable again, I¡¯m sure both our enemies and allies will be sent into a panic.¡¹ ¡¸Hurry and develop a fighter too, okay? The huge body of the A1 will just make it an easy target in aerial dogfights.¡¹ Jenny grumbled. Even with high-dimensional projection armor, it was still impossible to completely invalidate railgun attacks. There were signs that Kou was gonna do something outrageous again. ¡¸I¡¯ve made the armor quite thick. It¡¯s also been made large because it needed to be equipped with the capability to carry a Silhouette. It can also just about reach supersonic speed.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about 30 meters, right? Hmm. Why don¡¯t you just develop a Silhouette specifically meant to be stuffed inside it? You did say it¡¯s like a plane-shaped armor worn by a Silhouette. So just make a unit that can wear it perfectly. It would be no use even if you put it on my Snipe, right?¡¹ ¡¸You know, that might be a good idea. That would make it impossible to load two units at the same time though. Nn, but I wonder if its performance will improve. If I use that method, that is.¡¹ ¡¸Did I say something strange? Just slap my MCS inside it once you¡¯ve made the prototype. I¡¯m looking forward to it, Development Engineer-sama.¡¹ ¡¸Please stop it with the ¡°sama¡±. But a unit specially designed to work with the heavy attack craft huh¡­¡­ It might be interesting to make it possible for it to fight independently using the additional armor system, then put it up for sale commercially.¡¹ Jenny displayed a mischievous grin. ¡¸Why don¡¯t you go one step further and make a transforming machine?¡¹ ¡¸I think that¡¯s impossible at this point. I¡¯ll do some research on it, at least.¡¹ ¡¸We get first dibs on a transforming machine, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Call us once it¡¯s done!¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re kinda like an experimental weapons testing unit! It¡¯s nice to have something to look forward to.¡¹ ¡¸Haha.¡¹ The best reaction Kou managed was a dry laugh. It might be about time to reveal the management and production method of metallic hydrogen, Kou mused. And next on the agenda was quickly spreading the technology they have acquired. Now that the Silhouette Base was active, he can no longer make anything that only he alone can develop. CH 82 Kou and the others gathered inside the combat command center. The other members were Voy, Nyanta, Aki, and Aimer. They were conducting a meeting about their plans to provide the technology they obtained through Okeanos. ¡¸We¡¯re gonna do something really big this time nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta exclaimed excitedly as she went through a list. ¡¸They will all be sold exclusively to A-Class Development Engineers huh.¡¹ ¡¸Right. Because we¡¯ll be selling quite a bit this time around, they can just pick and buy which technology they¡¯re interested in. I do plan on handing technology I¡¯ve already promised to some engineers as well as the ones crucial for others to be able to accept commissions from us though.¡¹ ¡¸Is there any meaning to catering exclusively to A-Class Development Engineers nyaa?¡¹ ¡¸If we also extend the offer to B-Class Development Engineers, there¡¯s a high risk of passing over the technology and techniques to the Stones. I guess something like that can¡¯t really be avoided, but I want to delay things as much as possible.¡¹ There were three different lists. One listed the items that will be offered to the A-Class Engineers. Another had items that will be sold through an auction. And the last listed items that will be provided free of charge. ¡¾Technology List for A-Class Development Engineers¡¿ ¡ºDetails regarding the manufacturing of an ultra-high temperature and high-pressure metallic hydrogen reactor as an additional power pack module.¡» ¡ºDetails regarding the production system of metallic hydrogen.¡» ¡ºFacility-compatible metallic hydrogen production equipment and storage technology.¡» ¡ºHigher-level electromagnetic armor technology.¡» ¡ºArmor muscle technology.¡» ¡ºSimplified armor muscle-infused hybrid drive system technology.¡» ¡ºNew type detonation engine technology.¡» ¡ºNext generation machine designed for various combined operation methods between Beagles and Silhouettes.¡» ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡¾Manufacturing Rights/Technology Provision List through Technology Auction¡¿ ¡ºMetallic hydrogen engine technology for aircraft.¡» ¡ºDetails regarding the storage system of metallic hydrogen.¡» ¡ºNext generation hybrid drive technology plan.¡» ¡ºNew type nano-steel manufacturing method.¡» ¡ºGeneral-purpose plasma armor technology.¡» ¡ºNew type hybrid drive system.¡» ¡ºOctaazacubane weapon structure technology.¡» ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡¾List of Technology Provided without Restrictions¡¿ ¡ºNew generation module standards.¡» ¡ºNew standards for additional armor components.¡» ¡ºNanocarbon composite alloy material that can be produced in general-purpose factories.¡» ¡ºNew high entropy alloy manufacturing technology.¡» ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Various items were listed in neat rows. ¡¸Kou, are you going to start a technological revolution?¡¹ Aimer murmured in a low tone. ¡¸It¡¯s not really much of a revolution. After all, this level of technology is nothing compared to what was available during the Interplanetary War era.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, in the current era, they¡¯re already akin to out-of-place artifacts. In other words, they¡¯re basically ooparts. This can definitely be seen as a technology renaissance.¡¹ Voy confirmed things with an uncharacteristically serious demeanor. ¡¸Through this list, our sealed knowledge also got released. Cognitive seals are really troublesome.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ It looked like the moment the three checked the lists out, they could immediately associate the contents with the knowledge they¡¯d already previously known but were sealed up. ¡¸It seems these things will even spur on the reorganization of companies and Fortress Areas nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll be providing them with the exact same technology we have. We won¡¯t entertain questions regarding how exactly they¡¯d make use of the tech for bricolage. They can handle that on their own.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, let¡¯s make a second drill tank!¡¹ ¡¸Right! The drill has a great reputation among the Metal Iris members after all!¡¹ Aki was stunned when she saw the estimated price of the items on the list. ¡¸Isn¡¯t the metallic hydrogen reactor a bit too expensive? It costs 200,000 minas when purchased through Okeanos!¡¹ It was an amount of money equivalent to 2 billion Japanese yen. Aki, who was in charge of the group¡¯s financials, was quite surprised by the price. ¡¸Silhouettes will gain mobility on par with that of a fighter jet through it after all. Silhouettes. Their prices will also become similar though.¡¹ ¡¸That can¡¯t be helped. These are technologies used during the Interplanetary War era after all.¡¹ It seemed that Aimer had also grasped the crux of the matter. ¡¸It seems that current reactors were actually designed under the premise of a combination with the ultra-high pressure furnace. The current power packs are kind of a downgraded and cheap version of that era¡¯s packs.¡¹ ¡¸A boron-based one-dimensional truss material is formed into a ribbon shape and then molded into a two-dimensional sheet. And from that, an ultra-compact metallic hydrogen reactor made out of a collection of nanomaterials several dozen centimeters thick is produced. I feel like there are almost no facilities on Planet Asia that can handle manufacturing it.¡¹ ¡¸Borophene-based materials that utilize boron are already used for manufacturing Silhouette parts. It seems that there are actually eight facilities where metallic hydrogen reactors can be manufactured, but only four of them are under human control. The rest are in space, but one should be able to purchase the finished products manufactured there through Okeanos.¡¹ ¡¸This high-end electromagnetic armor makes use of ultra-compact metallic hydrogen reactor tech to function, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right. But I think it will be difficult to popularize it due to the cost, so I also prepared a storage type pack that works with the plasma armor used in tanks.¡¹ ¡¸I see. As long as you have a metallic hydrogen refining facility, you can engage in the energy resource business.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s perfect for Metal Iris nyaa.¡¹ Kou readily answered the other¡¯s inquiries. It looked like there were no particular objections. ¡¸So we¡¯re going to found a company that manages a large-scale metallic hydrogen reactor huh.¡¹ ¡¸I think it¡¯s a good start. We have to pay extra attention to the control method that allows the hydrogen to maintain its metallic state. So we¡¯ll likely have to invest a lot of capital into the large-scale metallic hydrogen reactor.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s like owning an oilfield in the 21st century.¡¹ ¡¸The storage models will be used exclusively as propellant and fuel for plasma armor operation. They can be purchased by the owners of Silhouettes and aircraft that don¡¯t have compact reactors already installed. This will be the new norm.¡¹ Aimer then asked a question about a matter she was curious about. ¡¸The next-generation standard module simply replaces the joints between the thighs and the waist with wheel-type hybrid joints, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. That¡¯s because using the previous joint, Silhouettes would be turned completely immobile once their legs get destroyed. I simply just turned the connection unit into a mobile wheel type from the get-go. By doing that, the Silhouettes will be able to detach their damaged legs and then retreat for repairs on their own. In other words, I turned the connection unit into another means of movement.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a modification that can be handled even by small factories huh.¡¹ Voy managed to notice the matter and pointed it out. ¡¸Kou, will the production of the A and B variants of the Lanius be handed over to TAKABA? It¡¯s written here that the reason is for achieving continuous mass production in the future.¡¹ ¡¸I did mean to make that proposal. If it doesn¡¯t work out, I can try talking to Kurt-san.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think they¡¯d refuse though.¡¹ ¡¸The B type requires the major renovation of a manufacturing facility, so we have to choose a company that can handle such a project. I intend to dismiss all those that can¡¯t.¡¹ The concept of ¡°cost¡± was instilled in Kou by Kelly. Not only did he need to consider cost price and processing costs, but also facility investment costs. ¡¸I guess we can only go about it like that considering the necessary upgrades to the facility¡¯s manufacturing equipment.¡¹ The heavy industry sector of the Nemesis system was fully automated. If one wanted to make something other than the current standard, a major facility upgrade was required. As long as you were dealing with for-profit companies, it will not be possible to proceed while considering the wishes of a Development Engineer alone. Now, all they needed to do was to contact the Development Engineers through Okeanos. Future developments will change greatly depending on the reactions of the Development Engineers in each region of the planet. Kou felt both expectant and anxious for the future. CH 83 Yunlan couldn¡¯t help but whistle. The list of technological knowledge and techniques Okeanos offered for purchase this time around was akin to a crystallization of the most coveted technologies of the era. If you consider yourself a Development Engineer, you¡¯d want as much of them as possible, no matter how large of a price you had to pay. There would be no problems acquiring them for A-Class Development Engineers like Yunlan who owned their own companies. However, it was a different story altogether when it comes to properly making use of the technology. There was no doubt that their access rights as Development Engineers would be expanded. Their factories can be upgraded by going through Okeanos. This was also a huge development. However, the entire process will undoubtedly cost an enormous amount of cash. First, Yunlan had to purchase the technologies, then carefully think about what to make with them. Concentration and good judgment were required for this task. After all, there was no point in producing something extravagant if there was no market for it. The factories under him will be customized according to a unified purpose. It can be considered a factory bricolage. This much was common sense for people like him. ¡¸How amazing. And also quite troublesome. Depending on how each of us moves, major gaps between different companies might instantly manifest all at once.¡¹ The technology provided included aircraft technology that would allow aircraft to withstand railgun attacks. This was really troublesome, Yunlan inwardly thought. There were pitifully few companies with adequate know-how regarding aircraft and aviation. He personally decided to go the route of land-based weapons himself. ¡¸Hm? An e-mail from Kou? At this timing?¡¹ Yunlan took a deep breath when he saw the contents of Kou¡¯s e-mail that was sent through Okeanos. It contained blueprints and the necessary access rights to the technology required to manufacture the items shown on them. The items were literally identical to the ones indicated in the technology list sent by Okeanos. ¡¸Machine and rider tank? ¨CDragoon tank, essentially a type of heavy cavalry tank. From ¡°cavalry¡± (kihei) tank to ¡°machine and rider¡± (ki-hei) tank huh. So, a Silhouette essentially acts as the rider. Kou-kun, people who aren¡¯t familiar with kanji won¡¯t get the pun you know. Haha, how interesting.¡¹ After laughing for a while, Yunlan¡¯s gaze greedily took in the information as if wanting to devour it. ¡¸A turretless tank, gun mount, and a fully functional shield. The armor is general-purpose plasma armor that makes use of the newly announced CNB reinforced alloy composite. By using it, the tank would be made lighter.¡¹ From here on out, the number of alloys that can be produced at steelmaking factories around the world will increase. Kou had expanded everyone¡¯s manufacturing rights. One of the blueprints sent displayed a composite material composed of carbon nanobuds, which was a combination of carbon nanotubes and metal fullerenes. It can be used in combination with a good number of light metals, from titanium to aluminum. This meant that in addition to the defense offered by high-dimensional projection armor, the structural strength and toughness of the materials used in armor would be increased. Carbon nanotubes were just too small, so using them to produce a composite material would make such material too structurally weak. Therefore, they were combined with fullerenes that served as anchors, leading to an overall improvement in the mechanical properties of the resulting composite material. Plasma armor was also a new type of material. It was a type of energized electromagnetic armor. Basically, regular composite armor works by heating up the medium sandwiched between its layers to very high temperatures, allowing the armor to effectively defend against attacks. Plasma armor turns said medium into plasma that generates joule heat. Plasma armor was also effective against railguns, APFSDS, explosively formed penetrators, laser weapons, and autocannons. The moment a projectile touches the metal of the armor, it instantly gets turned into a fluid state. Then the fluid gets vaporized by joule heat and deflected by electromagnetic waves to reduce its power. ¡¸Compared to Silhouettes that have comparatively lesser surface areas available for the armor to be applied, it¡¯s far easier to adopt plasma armor on tanks. This can certainly improve one of the tank¡¯s drawbacks. And this¡­¡­¡¹ Yunlan couldn¡¯t help but laugh aloud again. Included in the mail was a proposal for an additional armor system plan that made use of his own armored unit combination system as its premise. ¡¸¡±What¡¯s an armored unit combination system in the first place? Additional armor for cavalry tanks ¡ª the Silhouette¡¯s legs are deeply inserted into the tank in a sitting position. Then the additional armor equipped on the Silhouette that serves as a gun mount will have two additional rocket launchers that will fully integrate with the tank below. There are no fancy gimmicks. It¡¯s a design that integrates the additional armor and the tank¡¯s own armor as a functional whole right from the start. And once machines like this are deployed on the battlefield, they would serve as heavy cavalry. It makes sense, don¡¯t you think?¡±¡¹ It didn¡¯t really make sense to combine Silhouettes with tanks in the first place. However, with that as a premise, wouldn¡¯t it be only natural to increase the defensive power of the Silhouette that¡¯s riding on top of the tank? The mortality rate of soldiers engaging in tank desant maneuvers was very high. That would only be exacerbated when applied to significantly larger Silhouettes. The enemy was more likely to ignore the tank that was being driven by a Familiar and aim directly for the Silhouette instead. ¡¸The other file is about a tilt-rotor transport aircraft. And it¡¯s large enough to carry two cavalry tanks. ¡°If you see any problems with my proposals, please do contact me¡±, huh. Well, well, the concept is very interesting indeed, Kou. And once the concept is completed, you¡¯d immediately put it up for sale huh. There¡¯s a bit more room for improvement though. Missiles as optional equipment would be good. ¨CIt looks like things are gonna get real busy!¡¹ The concept was clear enough that Yunlan felt that Kou was just standing right in front of him. Unknowingly, Yunlan got fully absorbed in the blueprints Kou sent to him. ¡¸Oi! Gather around, everyone¨C!¡¹ At the Skunk Technologies lab, various Development Engineers and Familiars busy with work gathered around Kelly after he called out to them. ¡¸We just got a super amazing list from that darn Kou! It¡¯s packed with new technology guys!¡¹ Kelly projected the contents of the list on a mid-air holographic screen. ¡¸Boss, ain¡¯t this¨C¡¹ ¡¸Whoah, whoah, hold up a sec! If a list of technologies like this gets released all at once, all the current Silhouettes will instantly become outdated!¡¹ Shouts of delight and excited shrieks echoed out here and there. ¡¸And to add to this, I got sent a personal mail. It¡¯s an official commission for us. We¡¯ve been asked to develop an official successor to the Pheasant for Jenny!¡¹ Kelly displayed the request on another screen. ¡¸They require it to be more beautiful, be able to fly higher, be able to move faster¨C Basically, it¡¯s more or less a letter of challenge written directly to us. That cheeky bastard.¡¹ ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon, Boss. You look so happy you could head straight to Heaven.¡¹ Matt couldn¡¯t help but laugh. Kelly¡¯s eyes were sparkling like those of a child¡¯s. ¡¸He¡¯s already set things up to this point for us. There¡¯s a new detonation engine design and a new armor material. And the best of the bunch is this metallic hydrogen fuel. This thing¡¯s especially crazy!¡¹ ¡¸If Boss says it¡¯s crazy, then it¡¯s bound to be really, really crazy, so please stop.¡¹ Jialing quipped nervously. ¡¸Well, just hear me out, will ya? Now that we have this thing¡­ it¡¯s possible for machines to never have to refuel again. In other words, machines will have a near-infinite amount of fuel. It¡¯ll still need some time to replenish itself after you use it up, of course!¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by that, Boss!?¡¹ ¡¸Wasn¡¯t there a retro movie about this back on Earth? It¡¯s about that car that got turned into a time machine! If you poured leftover juice inside that car¡¯s fuel tank, it¡¯ll fly in the sky and become a time machine! Basically, it¡¯s kinda like that.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not familiar with such a movie¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Dammit. So you youngsters don¡¯t know about it huh. Hydrogen gets subjected to ultra-high pressure and gets turned into metallic hydrogen. And the energy efficiency of metallic hydrogen is just off the charts. It¡¯s more than 50 times compared that of TNT. Even though it only contains a minimal amount, hydrogen is still present in the air. This basically means we can build a Silhouette-use power pack that can constantly generate such ultra-energy-efficient fuel.¡¹ ¡¸The MCS is equipped with a water generation function, right?¡¹ One of the lab¡¯s staff was convinced. The MCS, which also doubled as an escape capsule, was equipped with water and air generation functions as standard functions. ¡¸Judging from the technology used in the Interplanetary War era as well as Skunk¡¯s input, we can be sure of one thing. The current Silhouette power packs were designed with the assumption of using a metallic hydrogen reactor right from the get-go.¡¹ ¡¸Y-You mean it¡¯s possible for us to make a Silhouette just like Skunk, Boss?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right! The items on this list released by Okeanos can only be obtained by A-Class Development Engineers. If I bought all of these, we would probably have no choice but to live off of cheap pizzas for a long time. But who cares!? I¡¯m buying ¡®em all dammit!¡¹ Everyone else was rendered speechless. The amount of money needed to buy every item on the list was truly too enormous. ¡¸I¡¯m already very, very lucky y¡¯know? I was provided all the technology and techniques needed for us to develop a successor unit to the Pheasant free of charge, including blueprints for the metallic hydrogen reactor. As expected of Kou. He really is family.¡¹ For some reason, Kelly already treated Kou as part of his family. ¡¸Those are the most expensive items on the list, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s one heck of a present, that¡¯s for sure. We¡¯re gonna get real busy guys!¡¹ After saying so, Kelly hurriedly rushed inside his personal lab, leaving the lab members hanging. Everyone just smiled bitterly at the antics of their boss and proceeded to excitedly discuss the items on the technology list. CH 84 Hyoue and Kurt were talking over the phone. It wasn¡¯t rare for them to talk at length from time to time, but their talk had gone especially long this time around. ¡¸You sound practically glowing now that the Huckebein has prospects of finally being completed.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I can never thank Kou enough.¡¹ Kurt had also received a proposal from Kou. ¡¸The problem with actively replacing the arms and legs of Lanius and Wurger. His approach to tackling this problem was truly brilliant.¡¹ ¡¸This is also thanks to your guidance, Kurt-san. I probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to guide that kid quite as you did.¡¹ Kou solved the problem faced by Lanius and Wurger¡¯s limbs in the form of proposing an entirely new standard. It was a truly simple solution. The connection points of Silhouette limbs were of a common and uniform standard. And a human¡¯s arm muscles and shoulder muscles worked in tandem as one unit. In the old system where the arms alone were the only things swappable, the degree of control one can exert on the artificial muscles after the swap would be drastically lowered. The same applied to the waist, thigh, and leg muscles. Kou then proposed a solution. It was to introduce a new standard connection system to only the Silhouette torsos which employed hybrid artificial muscle drives while maintaining compatibility with standard Silhouette limbs. He designed the connection points to seamlessly combine the arms and torso as well as the waist and legs of Silhouettes. For example, when replacing a right arm, you¡¯d have to replace the right arm and chest together. This goes for the legs as well. You¡¯d need to replace the right leg and right hip together. Of course, by employing this new system, it was inevitable for the overall maintenance costs to increase. But there was still significant merit to improving performance without sacrificing ease of maintenance. In the first place, when lacking replacement parts, you¡¯d have no choice but to equip an arm using the old standard anyway. And the arm connection point itself was still compatible with the old regular standard in any case. Kurt was satisfied with Kou¡¯s proposal which emphasized maintainability rather than cost. Cost-effectiveness was important, of course. However, one also needed to consider the type of user a machine caters to when designing them. Those who employ hybrid drives were mercenaries who can definitely afford the higher cost. In the battlefield, there was simply no time to open up the armor of a Silhouette to connect the artificial muscles of its shoulder and the newly replaced arm. ¡¸That idea was only realized due to his deep knowledge of the body as a whole and the body¡¯s core. In any case, we were the only ones to have adapted the hybrid drive system among our peers. Let¡¯s work harder to promote it from now on.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. We cannot let all of Kou-kun¡¯s efforts go to waste after all.¡¹ ¡¸After looking at the list proposed by Okeanos, I¡¯m convinced that the Silhouettes in the Nemesis warfront will all experience a significant rise in their performance. However, those improvements don¡¯t include the aspect of shooting from long range.¡¹ ¡¸Right. That kid seems to want to make this place a world more geared toward melee combat.¡¹ ¡¸The value of hybrid drive machines will also increase significantly. And even though the cost-performance aspect can¡¯t be said to be good, more and more high-end machines will probably adopt the hybrid drive system from here on out.¡¹ The two then moved on to talk about the improvements in armor technology and the new measures against armor-piercing shells and lasers. The technology list proposed by Okeanos didn¡¯t include things related to firearms or guided weapons. And the tech that was most related to them was the high-performance electromagnetic armor. It can even serve to protect against charged particle cannons. ¡¸As the performance of the hybrid drive models increases, so will the performance of the regular models.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. New technologies will get introduced, and the best combinations would be researched and bricolaged, leading to Development Engineers all over the world spending lots of sleepless nights. Since the number of materials we can choose to use has increased as well, things are going to get a bit more troublesome.¡¹ ¡¸But wouldn¡¯t that also be more fun?¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. It looks like we¡¯re going to have these discussions more and more often from now on, Hyoue-san. Oh, right. Speaking of bricolage materials, Mr. Jack Cliff of John Arms seems to have purchased all the items on the list as soon as they went up for sale¡­¡­¡¹ The two eventually hung up after chatting for a few more minutes. After hanging up, Kurt nodded satisfactorily after glancing at the proposal mailed by Kou and the technology list sent by Okeanos. ¡¸It¡¯s not a hybrid drive, but a completely new type of Silhouette drive system. Armor-type artificial muscle huh. This is exactly the type of artificial muscle drive system the Huckebein had aimed for. Kou-kun, I couldn¡¯t even imagine that the principle of electromagnetic armor can actually be applied to artificial muscles.¡¹ Kou had sent Kurt a proposal for completing the Huckebein. The former proposed putting a medium inside the artificial muscle strands that were made out of extra-high tensile strength superelastic alloy and nanoceramics, turning them into electromagnetic armor. The surface armor will only be a nanoceramic laminate. It focused on being as lightweight as possible, but the main point was that the entire frame of the machine will be covered by this new type of armor muscle system. The total cost of the metallic hydrogen reactor technology and this new artificial muscle technology was far greater than any item Kurt had purchased thus far. But they allowed for the greatest chance of successfully completing his cherished Silhouette. The main difference between plasma armor that makes use of general-purpose metallic hydrogen and high-performance electromagnetic armor was the medium. Plasma armor can be readily applied as long as a machine was equipped with a working reactor. A metallic hydrogen reactor wasn¡¯t necessary. However, high-performance electromagnetic armor makes use of metallic hydrogen as the medium itself. It was metal in a fluid state that was said to be present in the inner layers of Jupiter, near its core. Metallic hydrogen ¨C this liquid metal ¨C will circulate throughout a Silhouette¡¯s entire body like blood. And it will function similar to blood, allowing the artificial muscles to expand and contract like biological muscles. Metallic hydrogen will not be able to maintain its fluid state once the supply of Whis gets interrupted. It will quickly turn into a gaseous state and diffuse into the atmosphere. In terms of managing such a vital resource, this can actually be considered a good thing. ¡¸Now then, shall I also buy them all up? It would be quite a painful expense for those companies that started out comparatively late, but¡­¡­ I¡¯m sure Kou-kun will give Hyoue-san a lot of consideration, so I suppose there¡¯s no problem.¡¹ After informing Okeanos of his intention for a bulk purchase, Kurt headed for Huckebein with excitement and expectation bubbling in his heart. ¡¸Thank you for coming, Kawakage. Please take a look at this.¡¹ Takaba Hyoue had their company¡¯s CEO, Kawakage, come over to his office. The latter was a good-natured man who was in his early fifties. He¡¯s had experience in traditional Japanese archery, and he¡¯s also a master marksman in both the bow and the rifle. He was also an expert regarding various structural materials, and, needless to say, was one of the main contributors to our development of Silhouettes. The man was a widely recognized B-Class Development Engineer. ¡¸Hello, Chairman. Is this from Okeanos? This¡­¡­¡¹ Kawakage checked the tablet terminal handed to him by Hyoue. ¡¸A request for restarting the mass-production plan of the TSW-R1 series?¡¹ ¡¸The armor materials used have changed completely, but the basic structure of the frame itself remains virtually the same. With this, we will be able to make use of the production line for manufacturing Falco as is.¡¹ ¡¸But this¨C! No. I see no particular problem with this mass-produced A1 type. But what is with this proposed B type? And there¡¯s even a proposal for joint development of an Assault Flyer C type that will specialize in aerial combat.¡¹ ¡¸I know. If we want to manufacture all of these, we will need a truly enormous amount of money. We will be forced to take some loans. Even so¡­ Even so, I still want to make them.¡¹ The Lanius was a work Hyoue took great pride in. However, it ended up very finicky when it comes to suitable pilots and didn¡¯t do well in sales in the end. Thanks to Kawakage¡¯s efforts, the company managed to switch over to manufacturing the Falco, which was comparatively more versatile and easier to use and even managed to retain the hybrid drive system in its design. ¡¸¡­Chairman. Let¡¯s do it.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Is it really okay? These things will probably end up being too expensive and won¡¯t sell well.¡¹ Hyoue was sure the other man was going to oppose his decision, so he was a bit taken aback when Kawakage actually agreed. The price for the relevant technologies in the list provided by Okeanos was a painful one for start-up companies. They¡¯d need at least 10 years to come up with the total amount needed. However, it was a different story if they accepted the request. All the technologies required for mass production will be provided free of charge, and they would even get sponsored with a fairly large amount of funds. ¡¸There are no worthwhile merits to refusing this request. By accepting this, we will receive all needed technologies from Okeanos free of charge. And the client will end up owing us a favor as well.¡¹ ¡¸True.¡¹ ¡¸However, it will be hard for our company alone to handle the entire project. The main bodies of the A1 and B types can be handled by our company. How about proposing a partnership with Misumaru Heavy Industries to manufacture the flight unit¡¯s additional armor components?¡¹ ¡¸I see! They specialize in aircraft after all! We¡¯ll need to negotiate, but shall we propose a deal with them?¡¹ ¡¸If it doesn¡¯t work out, we¡¯ll do our best to take care of everything alone.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m grateful, but is this really okay with you? We probably won¡¯t earn much profit you know. Rather, we would likely be in the red for a long time.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t have any intention of getting left behind in the technological race you know.¡¹ Kawakage laughed daringly. ¡¸As long as we have a CEO like you handling the reigns of this company, I can retire with peace of mind.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re still very much in your prime, Chairman. Well then, I¡¯ll go ahead and check the operational status of the Falco production line. If you¡¯ll excuse me.¡¹ Kawakage exited the room. Hyoue checked the tablet terminal once more and gazed intently at the A1 and B type forms of his prided Lanius. He was already looking forward to their completion. It was enough to replace the armor and some parts of their current machines. ¡¸You look really happy, Hyoue.¡¹ A girl appeared next to Hyoue and peered at the screen of the tablet as well. It was the silver-haired girl, Asia. ¡¸Oh. This is from Kou-kun.¡¹ ¡¸Mm. It¡¯s from Kou alright!¡¹ ¡¸I hope Kou-kun will finally forgive me though.¡¹ ¡¸What are you going on about now?¡¹ ¡¸I mean, he hasn¡¯t gotten in contact with me even until now you know. I¡¯m sure he already knows I¡¯m here as well. But he hasn¡¯t mailed or called me once even if he¡¯s already gotten in touch with Kurt-san. Ain¡¯t that strange? I¨C I¡¯m sure something happened on the day he came here.¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t really say anything about that myself. But he isn¡¯t holding any kind of resentment toward you, I¡¯m sure. He¡¯s probably just delaying contact because he finds it awkward and is hesitating about how to interact with you again.¡¹ ¡¸I sure hope that¡¯s it. Well, if he was truly angry with me, then he would have just opted to send the request to Kurt-san instead of me huh? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s it.¡¹ A hawk flew down and rested on Hyoue¡¯s shoulder. It was his Familiar and trusted companion. ¡¸You¡¯re really such a worrywart, Hyoue. Please take a good look. It¡¯s obvious that a message directly to you was included in these blueprints.¡¹ ¡¸The usage of the trunk and this swordsmanship style. He even used the Niten Ichi-ryuu single sword style¡¯s attack pattern records as an example. It would be impossible to come up with this stuff unless you were quite familiar with my school of swordsmanship.¡¹ After seeing the articles, Hyoue evidently cheered up. He felt like he was conversing with Kou just like in the past. ¡¸I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll call you in the near future. Kou also wants to see you, you know? Well then, I should be going now.¡¹ ¡¸If Young Miss Asia says so, then there¡¯s no doubt about it. Thank you. I suppose I¡¯ll just wait patiently for our reunion.¡¹ The figure of Asia quickly disappeared. Hyoue kept gazing at the blueprints without any signs of getting tired of them. CH 85 Kou was glaring at a data terminal alone inside Astraea¡¯s combat command center. About two weeks have passed since they went ahead with the technology provision request through Okeanos. ¡¸So, all the A-Class Development Engineers bought the entire list huh.¡¹ ¡ºYes. I suppose they were afraid to get left behind by the flow. After all, the more materials you have available for bricolage, the better.¡» Astraea was making her report. She had revealed that all technologies offered by Okeanos this round were bought up. Some opted to pay in installments, but it wasn¡¯t like Kou and the rest needed the money right away. ¡¸Hyoue-san¡¯s TAKABA also entered into a partnership with Misumaru Heavy Industries and exchanged relevant technologies. I¡¯m really sorry, Astraea. Things still ended up being unfair between the A-Class Development Engineers.¡¹ ¡ºKou¡¯s relationship with them is also important. The items were sold to each Development Engineer at the same prices. This can be considered false equality in a sense. That is because competition between their companies is inevitable, and that will eventually lead to inequality. But the opportunities provided to them are the same. There are no problems.¡» ¡¸It¡¯s great that you think so.¡¹ Kou was worried because of the fact that he freely provided some companies with technology free of charge while ignoring the others. It was also done as a sort of thanks for accepting Kou¡¯s requests as well as for their past guidance. However, he didn¡¯t offer the same courtesy to the companies he wasn¡¯t able to visit. Kou was worried about that. Fortunately, the ones he didn¡¯t offer anything to were the two that possessed the greatest power and influence among the transferee-led companies. One of them was also the first one to purchase all the technology on the list. ¡ºThe amount that will be taken by Okeanos as commission from this time¡¯s sales will be close to 90%. Please do understand.¡» ¡¸It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s all technology we got from him in the first place.¡¹ This time around, the technology provision offered to the A-Class Development Engineers wasn¡¯t sold in an auction format, so the prices were pretty much fixed. The list for the B-Class Engineers was auctioned as usual though, in lieu of competitiveness. By the time the companies that are just starting out are already able to purchase them, the technology would have already been widespread. Once this is achieved, Kou will finally be able to focus on his own matters. The technology wasn¡¯t developed by Kou in the first place. It only made sense that the main provider, Okeanos, would collect the lion¡¯s share of the profits and manage them appropriately. ¡¸I just thought of this, but stuff like materials manufactured in space, A-Spinels, and metallic hydrogen can only be purchased exclusively from Okeanos, right? The construction materials used for refining too. Is this some sort of tax system substitute?¡¹ ¡ºIt¡¯s a little different, but you can think of it like that.¡» It seemed that the amount of currency supplied to the market was strictly managed. That meant that Okeanos does many of the functions of a central government on its own. ¡¸I¡¯m scared to think what kind of mess this will cause in the future though.¡¹ ¡ºAnalysis results show that an invasion by the Stones might be imminent. I suggest quickly expanding our strength.¡» ¡¸How¡¯d you come to that conclusion?¡¹ ¡ºI analyzed their reactions after a part of Asia¡¯s data was released, as well as the mechanics of the seal that imprisoned her. Results show that there was a visible increase in the defensive measures applied to the other areas where part of Asia¡¯s data is sealed.¡» ¡¸The mechanics of the seal?¡¹ ¡ºYes. There is a need to suppress all data fragments of Asia at the same time. That is because if we were to blow up all the other Asias at this point, their power would regather to the Asia staying with us eventually through the dispersed nanomachines, given enough time.¡» ¡¸Whoah! That¡¯s a really great opportunity for us!¡¹ ¡ºUndoubtedly. That¡¯s why, in order not to give Asia this opportunity and let her recover any more of her strength, the Stones have no choice but to staunchly defend the other Fortress Areas with her fragments.¡» ¡¸Wait a sec. Why would we need to hurry with increasing our strength if that¡¯s the case?¡¹ ¡ºTime is definitely on our side, so the Stones will have no other recourse than to physically and forcibly place humanity under their rule.¡» ¡¸I see. They won¡¯t be able to capture Asia again no matter how hard they try. And just defending the remaining Fortress Areas sealing a part of her up is ultimately futile. So they have to ensure control over humanity in another way.¡¹ ¡ºExactly. Ultimately, the sphere of influence of the Stones is just too large, so they have to pick and choose their targets so they can concentrate their forces. As long as we are unaware of what sort of strategy the enemy might employ, I thought it would be best to be prepared.¡» ¡¸Understood. Thanks for reminding me, Astraea.¡¹ Kou checked the replies to the proposals he sent to the three A-Class Development Engineers again. Yunlan sent him improved plans and variations for cavalry tanks and additional armor. For the proposal regarding additional armor being added to cavalry tanks, a common standard using the armor combination system was also sent to him. There were two variations. One was equipped with a heavy-caliber Gatling gun, and the other was equipped with a chain. The latter was a support variation that would specialize in supply replenishment on the front lines. Kou was immediately taken by the support variation and approved it in a heartbeat. He then quickly placed an order for some units. Kelly had also sent him a proposal for the successor unit of the Pheasant. It was called the Tachycineta and was a beautiful-looking jet-black machine. He also approved it immediately. Finally, Kurt sent him a plan to complete the Huckebein and some improvement proposals. Their manufacturing facilities have already started being remodeled, and they were gearing up for production. ¡¸Building up our forces huh. Come to think of it, Arges did tell me he¡¯d managed to complete ¡®that¡¯ already.¡¹ Kou stood up and started walking toward the ship¡¯s interior. ¡¸I¡¯ve been waiting for you, Kou.¡¹ Arges was standing alongside Unit 5. He held a huge sword-shaped weapon in one hand. It was housed within an equally huge scabbard. It seemed he was already prepared to present his work. ¡¸Thank you, Arges!¡¹ Kou boarded Unit 5 and received the Silhouette-use sword from Arges. It was meant to be hung on the waist joint. It was his long-awaited Silhouette-use katana and scabbard. Arges had been busy creating and testing Silhouette-use katana-type blades for Kou¡¯s use. What Kou desired was merely a sufficiently flexible and simple Silhouette weapon. However, Arges showed an odd fixation on making the weapon in question. ¡¸I¡¯ve researched data from the past. From a practical standpoint, I should have referenced the mass-produced modern Japanese swords that had both sharpness and maintainability. But I think only sticking to a certain standard of craftsmanship will allow me to forge a true katana.¡¹ Arges had done simulations using combinations of various alloys. After making a prototype, he tested it out immediately. And if he found it lacking, he¡¯ll immediately move on to working on the next prototype. His figure was exactly that of a genuine swordsmith. Yes. He appeared just like the smith of the gods in ancient myth. Kou had also visited Arges from time to time while he was in the middle of forging and was consulted by the latter often during his visits. ¡¸How did the finished article turn out?¡¹ ¡¸Being able to put a metallic hydrogen furnace to good use was a major factor in my success. I could have just stuck to the powder metallurgy method using an ultra-high pressure furnace, but I decided to use it as a base instead and proceeded with trial and error. Eventually, I was able to create a good katana. The tantou you told me about served as a great reference too, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Did my description of the tantou really help you out? I think you¡¯d know lots of more advanced techniques though, Arges.¡¹ ¡¸I used a tungsten-based material as the outer skin, and the material used for the core is a highly malleable tantalum-based alloy produced using the vacuum metallurgy method. I then employed explosive pressure bonding. It¡¯s a process roughly equivalent to the kobuse method used by katana swordsmiths. This allowed me to combine two types of different materials seamlessly.¡¹ ¡¸It really does look like a genuine Japanese sword.¡¹ Kou stared in wonder at the new weapon. ¡¸Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to give its hamon a ¡°nioi guchi¡± line. From there, I made a blade that was both ultra-hard and very flexible by repeatedly performing processes equivalent to sunobe and hizukuri. After adding an outer layer of nano-coating, the katana is complete.¡¹ ¡¸What about polishing?¡¹ ¡¸Polishing is essential for bringing out the true potential of the sword. I put in a lot of effort to polish the sword for several hours. I can definitely guarantee its sharpness. That sword has no gimmicks apart from being able to circulate Whis.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much for all your hard work, Arges. Can I try it out?¡¹ ¡¸Sure. I¡¯ve already prepared practice planks for you. They¡¯ve been reinforced by Whis. Go ahead and give the sword a try.¡¹ Kou moved Unit 5 in front of the practice plank. Unit 5 then dropped its waist and pulled the katana out from its sheath. Unit 5 completely reproduced the movement data inputted into it and perfectly performed the maneuver. ¡¸The scabbard really makes a lot of difference. There¡¯s no sense of discomfort at all¡­¡­¡¹ Kou was overcome by an emotion that no one apart from him could probably understand. The swordsmanship school Kou studied especially valued the scabbard. There were many advantages to having a scabbard when performing iai techniques. And these advantages will fully display themselves during battle. Next, Kou had Unit 5 perform a serious iai strike. It pulled the sword out, unleashed a lightning-fast slash, and placed the blade back inside the scabbard in one smooth and continuous series of motions. The blade emitted light and cut the practice plank in two. ¨CPhysically, and not metaphorically. ¡¸Hey, Arges! It actually glowed!¡¹ ¡¸How about it, Kou? Amazing, right?¡¹ Arges proudly provided Kou with an explanation for the earlier phenomenon. ¡¸The tantalum used as the sword¡¯s core is used as a capacitor, and the outer layer made of tungsten functions as an electrode. By swinging the sword at high speed, a high-temperature electric arc that doesn¡¯t involve any gas gets discharged via sword pressure alone. It doesn¡¯t have any detrimental effects on the lifespan of the blade, of course. It was an incidental result, but it¡¯s pretty flashy and practical eh?¡¹ ¡¸Amazing!¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t find any other words to express his feelings. He had already completely fallen in love with the katana. Perhaps ¡°bewitched¡± was a more apt term. ¡¸It goes without saying that the scabbard is also special. Oodachi, tachi, uchigatana, and wakizashi. I prepared several swords and scabbards according to these different types of Japanese blades. So don¡¯t hold back and swing that one around as much as you want.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t mind if I do.¡¹ Kou kept cutting down the practice planks. Once the planks had run out, Arges quickly set up replacements. It was the Silhouette-use katana that he¡¯d long been wishing for. He couldn¡¯t hide his excitement for the gimmick Arges worked hard to make. ¡¸Kou, it¡¯s time to eat.¡¹ In the end, Ponko brought Kou back just like a mother who came to pick up a naughty child who kept playing even if it was already dusk. CH 86 The emergency alarm from Dike rang out. All hands immediately went on high alert. This was the first time something like this had happened. Kou and the others gathered inside the combat command center. ¡¸Dike, what¡¯s the situation?¡¹ ¡¸Fortress Area A051 has been subjected to an invasion by the enemy. Images of the battle have just been sent back.¡¹ The images were projected on the screen. It displayed several nightmarish scenes. There were two Enyos that barged inside the Fortress Area. And Kou also saw a huge spider-shaped Murder that he hadn¡¯t encountered before. Countless smaller spider-shaped Keres appeared from within its abdomen and marched straight into the Fortress Area¡¯s residential sector. There were also large numbers of Keres and Telkhines. And finally, there were mercenary units participating in the attack as well. They piloted Silhouettes. The variety of Silhouettes they used was limited, but they easily numbered more than 200. The armored cars and tanks piloted by Familiars and Therianthropes were completely destroyed. The humans were surrendering one after the other while still riding their Silhouettes. The spider-type Keres used a special wire launched from their bodies to capture entire Silhouettes. The huge spider-type Murder screeched menacingly. It displayed a palpable sense of dread and intimidation. It then fired off a veritable rain of projectiles. All in the bombardment¡¯s path exploded to rubble. Even the buildings that could normally withstand a direct hit from a railgun. The bell of ruin rang out, and what it heralded were chaos and despair. ¡¸I¡¯ve never seen such a large number of enemy Silhouettes before.¡¹ Blue muttered in utter shock. ¡¸It¡¯s been an hour since the Fortress Area was completely breached. It seems sporadic battles have been occurring a few hours before, but the enemy had forcibly advanced in one go.¡¹ Jenny reviewed the news sent from Fortress Area A051. ¡¸The A051 Fortress Area is the largest human base on Planet Asia. Some are still fighting inside, but it¡¯s only a matter of time until it falls completely.¡¹ ¡¸John Arms is also based there. It¡¯s the company founded and led by Jack Cliff.¡¹ ¡¸It seems a call for surrender has also been sent out. So their purpose is gaining control of the fortress huh.¡¹ Jenny and Blue confirmed the situation. ¡¸One of the most prosperous Fortress Ares on Planet Asia. To think they¡¯d send out a force large and powerful enough to bring it down.¡¹ ¡¸An operation with a mixed Telkhines and mercenary force is quite unusual¡­¡­¡¹ Blue muttered as she checked the data of past battles. It seemed that the current situation was highly unusual. ¡¸It¡¯s my first time to see a spider-type giant weapon.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a Philotes. It¡¯s named after the Ancient Greek goddess of lust. If they sent one of those out, then their goal is to capture and not kill.¡¹ ¡ºMoving this large a force all at once will likely place a great burden on the Stones. I think they launched this attack with the resolution of abandoning some of their bases if needed.¡» Various spots within Fortress Area A051 were shown on the screen. A shelter had gotten destroyed and enemy troops rushed in one after another through the opened gap. An urban sector exploded from the bombardment launched by the Philotes. There were people in the middle of running away. As well as Familiars who were desperately trying to guide them to safety. The Familiars who rode on armored cars to face the enemy and their possible deaths were filled with grim determination. Then there were the tanks and mercenaries defending the Fortress Area. There were still quite a few defense units that were active, but their numbers were gradually decreasing due to the overwhelming swarm of Keres. Reinforcements were supposed to be sent out from nearby Fortress Areas, but they also couldn¡¯t leave their own bases undefended. And so, reinforcements were unlikely. ¡ºA Murder Mothership has been confirmed on site. It is gathering Murders that have been damaged in battle and constantly repairing them. It is also equipped with a large number of unmanned weapons.¡» ¡¸It¡¯s the worst-case scenario. Those things usually don¡¯t come with reinforcements, but now they even have a secure supply line. They seem to be pretty serious this time around.¡¹ An alert rang out on the projection monitor once more. It signified a different attack warning. ¡¸What is it this time!?¡¹ ¡ºA different Fortress Area had also been attacked. It¡¯s Fortress Area D516 ¡ª the place where Kurt Maschinenbau is located.¡» ¡¸What!?¡¹ ¡ºConnecting image feed.¡» ¡¸W-What¡­¡­ Just what the heck is that Keres¡­¡­?¡¹ Jenny muttered in shock. The image projected on the screen was terrifying. It was an enemy type they had all never seen before. There was a huge number of this new Keres type. They looked like inorganic steel beetles that induced a sense of psychological disgust in the ones seeing them. There were stag beetle-types, as well as rhinoceros beetle-types that sported cannons. They were engaging armored cars and tanks on the ground, but some of them flew in the air from time to time as well. So, it was a type that combined tank-like functionality with flight ability. Behind the beetle swarm was a single Enyo. There was also one Philotes. And also a mercenary unit that¡¯s probably composed of humans piloting Silhouettes and a cluster of tanks. There was even a four-legged super-heavy tank in their ranks. ¡ºKou, there¡¯s an emergency contact through Asia. It¡¯s an emergency call from Kurt. I shall put him through.¡» ¡¸Please!¡¹ Kou shouted anxiously in response. ¡¸Kou-kun, sorry for calling you while inside an MCS.¡¹ The screen displayed a live image of Kurt wearing a pilot suit. ¡¸Kurt-san!¡¹ ¡¸This is the second time we¡¯ve been hit by an enemy invasion. Fortunately, thanks to you, I¡¯ve managed to complete the Huckebein. With this, I have no more regrets. I¡¯ve already transferred all relevant data to you. Please use them as references in the future.¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying!? I¡¯m going to come and help you right now!¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t. Kou, as the main commander of this Force, I can¡¯t authorize that.¡¹ Jenny forcibly inserted herself into the conversation with an anguished expression on her face. ¡¸Jenny?¡¹ ¡¸Asia is here¡­¡­ In this situation, we just aren¡¯t able to leave this place.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just as Ms. Jenny says. You cannot come here.¡¹ ¡¸But Kurt-san will¨C!¡¹ ¡¸Their aim is to seize humanity¡¯s bases. A recommendation for surrender has already been sent out.¡¹ ¡¸In that case¨C!¡¹ ¡¸You should save your strength. After this large-scale invasion, the front lines will be greatly stretched out. Things will probably return to a stalemate before long.¡¹ ¡¸But what about you, Kurt-san!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m pretty used to tactical retreats. There have already been countless times where I fought a losing battle. Unlike you, I¡¯ve been on Planet Asia for thirty years, alright?¡¹ ¡¸But¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m truly glad that you¡¯re concerned about me. However, it would be physically impossible for you to make it here in time, in any case. It¡¯s important to have a clear judgment of situations when you¡¯re acting as a leader. Remember this well.¡¹ Even in such a hopeless situation, Kurt still endeavored to mentor Kou. It would certainly take several hours to come to Fortress Area D516 even if they used the Cimon-class ship. And if they went through an undersea route, that would take at least a full two days. They could fly to the location, but that would practically reveal the exact location of the Silhouette Base to the Stones. ¡¸Asia, please send all my combat data from here on out to Kou.¡¹ ¡ºI got it, Kurt. So don¡¯t you dare die on me.¡» Asia appeared in response to Kurt¡¯s voice. Her sorrowful eyes were turned downward. ¡¸I¡¯ll do my best. Well then, Kou. I¡¯m looking forward to what you¡¯ll accomplish.¡¹ After saying so, Kurt cut the call without waiting for Kou¡¯s response. ¡¸Kou¡­¡­¡¹ Blue also couldn¡¯t offer any words of consolation. ¡¸Dike, please link Kurt-san¡¯s data to Unit 5. And perform an analysis of the combat situation. Please grasp all the important characteristics of the new Keres type.¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood.¡» ¡¸Jenny, keep the men on high alert. Place all efforts on shoring up the defenses of the Silhouette Base. Will that be fine?¡¹ ¡¸Those are fine orders, Boss.¡¹ ¡¸Umu. You did good, Kou.¡¹ Jenny and Rick nodded in approval. They needed to do their best to ensure the defenses of the Silhouette Base right now. ¡ºFortress Area A051 and Jack Cliff. They have surrendered to the Stones. The Fortress Area has been completely taken over.¡» On another screen, the state of Fortress Area A051 after the invasion battle was shown. It fell in just half a day. Everyone turned silent. They stared at the projected videos of Fortress Areas A051 and D516. ¡ºThe reinforcements sent from the surrounding Fortress Areas have turned back. Given the situation, there is no longer anything we can do.¡» Kou bit his lower lip as he stared hard at the image of a burning Fortress Area D516¡¯s downtown sector as if enduring something. CH 87 An emergency line connected to Kurt¡¯s MCS. It was from the control center. The caller was the Fortress Area¡¯s administrator. ¡¸The defense line is about to collapse, Kurt-san!¡¹ ¡¸Understood. Alright then. Let¡¯s abandon D516.¡¹ ¡¸Abandon?! But what about your company¡¯s facilities, Kurt-san!?¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s give up on them. The enemy¡¯s main purpose is probably those facilities. They should want to capture them as intact as possible. We can¡¯t defeat them, but we can¡¯t allow ourselves to lose completely either.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Understood. But it will take at least an hour to completely deactivate the A-Carbuncle. I¡¯m not sure if we can hold on that long.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll have to. The Familiars are working hard to buy us time, but please tell them to prioritize evacuating the residents instead.¡¹ ¡¸Alright.¡¹ Kurt resumed analyzing the battle situation inside his MCS, but this time around, he was called via a private line. He promptly accepted. ¡¸Ah, is that you, Kurt-kun? It¡¯s Alberto. I¡¯ll guarantee your life, at least. So please surrender. Consider this a favor from a fellow countryman. I do not want you to die if I can help it.¡¹ ¡¸Alberto-san. You¡¯re just going to guarantee my life, correct? What about my heart? My soul? Will I still be able to continue being myself?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­ It should be fine as long as you¡¯re not found to be compatible.¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t take that bet. Just how many candidates do you think the Stones have for consciousness transfer?¡¹ Alberto faltered. ¡¸I will fight to the end. Farewell then. Since you¡¯re here, I¡¯m sure there will be no needless killing.¡¹ Kurt disconnected the line. His last words appealed to what scrap of conscience the other party had left. In other words, a kind of insurance. But to be honest, Kurt didn¡¯t place much hope in said insurance. Alberto was a terribly egocentric man. He will most likely prioritize Kurt¡¯s capture over anything else. ¡¸The situation has changed for the worst. I personally received a call for surrender. And the Areas that got attacked are here and A051. In other words, they are also trying to secure Development Engineers huh.¡¹ Kurt ran his hand through the terminal in front of him. He reformatted his company¡¯s entire production line using his authority as a Development Engineer, erasing all important data. This method was the most efficient way to deny the enemy since they can no longer afford to destroy the facilities themselves. Even if they do manage to recover the data somehow, they¡¯d still need an A-Class Development Engineer to activate parts of the facilities. It should be impossible for Alberto. Next, Kurt called his employees through the regular channel. ¡¸Kurt to all Kurt Maschinenbau staff. Abandonment of Fortress Area D516 has been decided. Hurry and make your escape. That includes the Familiars and Therianthropes. I will participate in the defense and then retreat accordingly. This order is absolute. I will not tolerate any opposition. Kurt out.¡¹ After saying so, Kurt immediately cut the line without waiting for any response. He didn¡¯t think that everyone would be able to make it out. He wasn¡¯t so na?ve. But nonetheless, he gave his order to escape. The Murders continued their march toward the control center. The Keres and other forces were busy with mopping up the remaining armored vehicles that were getting in their way. Only the Familiars remained. The Therianthropes were also subjected to the evacuation order. The Familiars mobilized with cat and dog-types at the center of their forces. They will not recognize surrender. They will only stop fighting when they are destroyed. They fully intended to fight until the bitter end. One armored car got surrounded by spider-type Keres. It was firing back at the enemy, but its body was already full of holes due to laser fire. Suddenly, a spider-type Keres exploded. The atmosphere got seemingly warped due to the heat, and what appeared behind the explosion was a jet-black Silhouette. It was the Huckebein. It was already completely covered in artificial muscle armor. The outer shell of its armor was made of nanoceramics. It had a configuration specialized in optical camouflage. Only the zweihander required special processing to match the rest of the unit. In the blink of an eye, it already sliced up all the spider-types surrounding the armored car with its zweihander. The cat-type Familiar driving the car was stunned silly. She had never seen a Silhouette with such speed and agility before. ¡¸Thank you!¡¹ ¡¸You should get yourself repaired and resupplied.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Kurt addressed the cat-type Familiar who expressed her gratitude. His heart was heavy. He actually wanted to tell her to retreat and escape, but he knew it was useless. At the very least, he wanted her to prioritize getting out of their current location. After defeating a few more spider-types, Kurt confronted the new beetle-types. Judging from what he could see, they were equipped with heavy armor. There was one that sported single horns and one that had scissor-like mandibles. ¡¸A Rhinoceros and Stag beetle huh.¡¹ He rushed to confront the Stag-type that sported two laser cannons. It didn¡¯t seem to possess a good turning ability. It immediately lost sight of the Huckebein. Then its armor was easily torn apart. ¡¸As expected, these are battery-powered escort types huh. So their main forces are probably these ones!¡¹ He moved to confront the Rhinoceros-type equipped with a railgun. Huckebein received several direct hits from the railgun, but its armor only emitted light here and there. That¡¯s because the joule heat generated by the armor muscles successfully vaporized the projectiles. The enemy unit¡¯s movements were sluggish. The Huckebein rushed straight for it and kicked off its gun barrel. The Rhinoceros-type tried to ram it in retaliation, but the Huckebein easily avoided it by lightly stepping to the side. It then finished the enemy off. ¡¸The Huckebein can easily deal with them, but¡­¡­ normal Silhouettes might not be their match. They are practically small-sized tanks.¡¹ Although they were easily overcome by the newly completed Huckebein¡¯s overwhelming speed and agility, they were still very tough enemies. The thickness of their armor was also unusual. A typical armored combat vehicle probably won¡¯t be able to deal any damage to them. Kurt surmised that these new types were sent out by the enemy to push the frontlines much like how tanks would. ¡¸Now then, I should be going.¡¹ He made Huckebein avoid enemy bombardment and run through the gaps between buildings. It displayed absurd mobility with its leg strength alone. It cut down all the enemies it managed to encounter, ran up the buildings, and finally appeared right in front of the Philotes. ¡¸Hello, Alberto-san. Can you hear me?¡¹ ¡¸Kurt-kun! Are you the one piloting that machine? Stop! Cease attacks!¡¹ Alberto hurriedly issued an order to stop firing. ¡¸I¡¯ve changed my mind. I¡¯ll give you one condition. If you agree to it, I¡¯ll surrender on the spot.¡¹ Kurt called Alberto through an open line. By doing so, it allowed both enemies and allies to intercept the call. ¡¸What is it? Tell me.¡¹ ¡¸I demand that you take in the Familiars and offer them the same treatment as humans.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Kurt-kun. You know that¡¯s impossible. They are machines and tools. At the very least, that¡¯s what the Stones insist they are.¡¹ ¡¸You personally don¡¯t think so, right? You are a Development Engineer. You should have a strong affinity for machines.¡¹ ¡¸Of course, I do. However, I do not have the authority to make that sort of decision. Please don¡¯t demand something so unreasonable.¡¹ ¡¸I see. That¡¯s unfortunate. ¨CNow I¡¯m sure that I¡¯m truly incompatible with all of you. This negotiation has broken down.¡¹ ¡¸Wait. Dammit! Don¡¯t kill him! Capture him! He¡¯s an A-Class Development Engineer! That¡¯s him right there. He¡¯s piloting a close-combat Silhouette. It¡¯s a pitiful bird that can only crawl on the ground. It won¡¯t be able to fly away from here. Make sure to capture it! That¡¯s our highest priority!¡¹ Certainly, the Huckebein wasn¡¯t equipped with a flight backpack. Spider-types crawled over one after another in order to capture Kurt. ¡¸Now then, let¡¯s begin a game of tag, shall we? But first¨C¡¹ The usually calm-faced old gentleman displayed a daring and fearless smile as he made the Huckebein hold its zweihander up. CH 88 ¡¸We sure are being underestimated huh, Huckebein. Let¡¯s give these guys a nasty surprise.¡¹ A pair of compound eyes swiftly approached from the front. The Philotes that basically served as the mothership of the invading enemy forces had constantly failed to capture a single Silhouette even though it sported large batteries that could decimate its targets. As long as the command not to kill the target was still active, all it could do was direct the other spider-types. ¡¸¨CDidn¡¯t you just say we couldn¡¯t fly?¡¹ The open channel was still connected. Alberto got startled by the words that echoed out from the comms. Seemingly innumerable spider-type Keres rushed in like a flood of steel. A low-pitched hum resounded from the Huckebein. The armor on its back unfolded, revealing a large, oval-shaped thruster. The attitude control thrusters on its limbs blew out jets of heated air, and the booster on its back roared to life, erupting in smoke. It was an internally installed vectoring thruster. The detonation engine blueprint provided by Kou had a design structure that was easy to miniaturize. Kurt had made one that was even smaller than the one Kou proposed and equipped it internally on his personal Silhouette. The Huckebein was probably the only active Silhouette that was equipped with this new thruster model currently. The Huckebein leaped out from the roof of a building and danced in the air. It then headed straight for the Philotes. It smashed onto the enemy machine¡¯s gigantic head. Using the head of the Philotes as a launching platform, Huckebein jumped once again. No. It flew. It changed directions mid-flight, avoided all the anti-air fire aimed at it, and landed back safely on the ground. It then immediately disappeared behind the shadows of the surrounding buildings. ¡¸I keep learning a lot from Kou.¡¹ He remembered the time when Kou successfully destroyed the head of an Enyo and defeated it. Destroying the head would reduce the performance of the enemy¡¯s sensors, and was ideal for buying time. ¡¸A Silhouette flew without equipping an additional flight unit!? Are you kidding me!? Did technology like that exist? ¡­No. It¡¯s brand-new technology!¡¹ Alberto ground his teeth in vexation. Kurt heard his frustrated cries and immediately cut the comm line. He installed the detonation engine provided by Kou directly within the Huckebein. Thus, it gained the ability to fly without relying on additional equipment. Its mid-air maneuverability wasn¡¯t exactly that stable, but if it¡¯s equipped with flight wings, the Huckebein would be able to cruise in the air for extended periods of time. ¡¸The aim of the enemy is me. So it will be more efficient for me alone to serve as bait. ¨CAlso, I¡¯m together with you, Huckebein.¡¹ Kurt just needed to buy time for at least an hour. The aim of the enemy should be to gain control of the base, and moreover, to capture an A-Class Development Engineer. The Huckebein activated and deactivated its optical camouflage function in irregular intervals as it continued to run around. It steadily brought down its pursuers one by one. ¡¸Dammit! Capture it! Those damned ugly crow legs! There is only one machine sporting legs like those. Send in the Telkhines. Corner it! The remaining beetle-types and mercenaries will continue with securing the control center!¡¹ Alberto¡¯s commands echoed through the ranks of the Stones forces. The spider-types were focused on the Huckebein alone and continued to give chase. Humanoid Telkhines also joined the pursuit. It was decided that Fortress Area D516 was going to be abandoned. All of the humans within were evacuated. Those who were captured can at least guarantee their lives by surrendering without resistance. The Familiar members of the defense corps were also doing their best to stall for time and assist with the evacuation. The enemies couldn¡¯t catch up with Kurt easily. The difference between their speeds was just too great. After running for a few hundred meters, it would instantly rush between the walls of buildings using its boosters. Although the enemy could pinpoint its position, they simply couldn¡¯t catch up. However, Huckebein was acting alone after all. As time went by, the encirclement gradually narrowed. ¡¸I should have bought enough time, right¡­¡­? Maybe just a little more.¡¹ Kurt had eventually found himself surrounded by a large number of spider-types and three Telkhines. The beetle-types were not suited for capturing operations. Kurt judged that this was as far as he could go. He¡¯d earned enough time. Actually, he should have evacuated already. However, there were things that only he could do. And so, he did. But¨C He was getting a little tired. A few years ago, the Fortress Area they based themselves in was also attacked and brought down. But Development Engineers were quite sought after everywhere. After their loss, they quickly reestablished themselves and built a new base in Fortress Area D516. Kurt was now over 60. He was no longer as enthusiastic about the prospect of starting his business from scratch in another environment with unfamiliar facilities. Fortunately, there was Kou, who Kurt considered as his successor. That young lad is a great swordsman, Kurt inwardly mused. He felt he had already imparted all he could to Kou. Then, as a proud swordsman, it would be good if he could fall in battle together with the Huckebein. ¡¸It¡¯s about time, I suppose.¡¹ Kurt muttered as he made Huckebein take a fighting stance with its zweihander held aloft. Suddenly, gunshots echoed out. A hail of bullets came from every direction. The spider-types were subjected to bombardment from the half-tracked armored combat vehicles that suddenly appeared from the shadows of the buildings. Three Wurgers appeared right behind them. ¡¸It looks like we made it in time, Kurt-san!¡¹ ¡¸I told you guys to run away!¡¹ The usually calm Kurt displayed his agitation after seeing the reinforcements. ¡¸We¡¯ve already decided to resign from the company. We¡¯re no longer afraid of a domineering boss like you. So we have no intention of being ordered around from now on!¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll write our resignation letters later!¡¹ A middle-aged bearded man laughed boldly while another more slender man whistled in a carefree manner. ¡¸We¡¯ll take full responsibility for nabbing the Wurgers. You can just slap us with disciplinary dismissal.¡¹ Another elderly man announced. He was slashing at the Telkhines with a zweihander similar to Kurt¡¯s. ¡¸Please rest assured, Kurt-san. We didn¡¯t bring the young¡¯uns and female staff with us. The evacuation of the residents is also finished. The A-Carbuncle will also be deactivated and decommissioned soon. We¡¯ve already done everything there is to do, so we rushed back here instead.¡¹ A Shiba Inu-type Familiar fired his combat vehicle¡¯s heavy autocannon indiscriminately and turned lots of spider-types into bits. He was driving a large half-tracked armored combat vehicle. ¡¸Right, right. The ones who¡¯ll be doing the dying will be us old guys, washed-up uncles, and Familiars!¡¹ His former employees moved in to support Kurt while joking around with one another. ¡¸You were planning to self-destruct, right, Kurt-san? We definitely won¡¯t let you go through with that!¡¹ A pure-white rabbit-type Familiar expressed her anger toward Kurt. She and he had known each other for a long time. ¡¸Didn¡¯t you promise to always accompany us Familiars? See! Even the Fennel OS is acting up in response to my anger.¡¹ ¡¸Hey, mine too. It seems to have linked up to the Huckebein Kurt-san is piloting.¡¹ The two vehicles the Familiars were driving began to orbit around Kurt¡¯s Huckebein like satellites without their input. ¡¸There¡¯s no self-destruct function on a Silhouette equipped with an escape pod MCS. You need to quickly get away from here!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t try that on us, Kurt-san. The Huckebein is a metallic hydrogen generation type machine. The storage type has a safety device installed that keeps the metallic hydrogen in a liquid metal state, so it can¡¯t self-destruct. But a generation-type pack is fully capable of detonating its metallic hydrogen fuel. I¡¯ve confirmed these by looking at the blueprints, so don¡¯t lie to me.¡¹ The Shiba Inu Familiar didn¡¯t allow Kurt a chance to voice any more excuses. ¡¸I agree with the action of getting in the way of the enemy¡¯s victory conditions, President. I also recognize that you make a perfect decoy. But you know, if you die, it will be really bad for humanity¡¯s overall victory in this war. Please don¡¯t just ignore that!¡¹ One of Kurt¡¯s loyal employees chastised him while fighting. He wasn¡¯t particularly good at piloting, but the machine¡¯s performance was making up for his lacking skills. ¡¸We¡¯re up against this many enemies. There¡¯s no guarantee we¡¯d make it even if we made our escape now. At least get your machine repaired. See there? Mechanics are already waiting inside that garage. The enemies are aiming for you, right? Hurry!¡¹ ¡¸Ugh. Understood. I¡¯ll leave this place to you.¡¹ Kurt finally relented, albeit reluctantly, and moved to the point designated by his employees. ¡¸Great, it went just as planned.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll just leave the rest to those guys.¡¹ ¡¸The A-Carbuncle should get deactivated any time now. Once that happens, we¡¯d get overrun all at once.¡¹ The humans and Familiars cooperated and furiously exchanged fire with the Keres. This was their final line of defense. Their last stand. ¡¸Y-You all¨C What do you mean by this? Stop!¡¹ They heard Kurt¡¯s desperate protests through their comms. ¡¸The Huckebein badly needs replacement limbs. Please understand, Kurt-san.¡¹ The mechanic piloting the maintenance Silhouette smiled bitterly as he tried to pacify Kurt. ¡¸Well then, the garage team will sortie as well. We can at least earn some time. The Huckebein looks like it¡¯s raring to go back out there after all.¡¹ ¡¸The remaining staff will be evacuated by the Familiar team¡¯s vehicles.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m so sorry, guys. I really wish I could pilot Silhouettes and fight too. I promise I¡¯ll definitely accomplish our last mission!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t worry about that. We¡¯ll leave it to you then!¡¹ They heard the conversations between the members of the garage team. ¡¸Oh, it seems like we¡¯ll be getting reinforcements. It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll be able to hold any longer though.¡¹ An armored car being driven by a Familiar was made into a honeycomb by railgun fire, and a Silhouette was overrun by the swarm of Keres. ¡¸All the buildings have lost their high-dimensional projection layers. Operation successful.¡¹ ¡¸The buildings have already turned to paper huh? Time to go wild then.¡¹ An armored vehicle and a Silhouette with unique crow legs and a zweihander rushed out of the garage. The Keres quickly spotted the pair and immediately pursued them. The Silhouette kept running while swinging its sword. In order to support the armored car, it continued to keep the enemy in check by firing its heavy-caliber autocannon. A few minutes later, two large half-tracked armored vehicles jumped out of the garage as well and drove straight toward the withdrawal line. One vehicle had a Silhouette stuck to it in an awkward-looking position. It seemed like the Silhouette was thrown onto the vehicle in a rush. The Silhouettes being piloted by the remaining Kurt Maschinenbau employees rushed with guns blazing against the tide of Keres. Two hours later, Fortress Area D516 which formerly housed Kurt Maschinenbau, finally fell. Kurt Ludwig had gone missing in the middle of the battle. Many of Kurt Maschinenbau¡¯s employees lost their lives. There were rumors that the company¡¯s new prototype machine, the Huckebein, was captured by the enemy, but this rumor couldn¡¯t be verified. The official records later stated: The citizens of Fortress Area D516 succeeded in promptly evacuating due in large part to the Kurt Maschinenbau employees participating actively in the battle. A total of 24 Kurt Maschinenbau employees and Familiars were killed in action. Ten were taken prisoner by the Stones. They maintained the defense line to the bitter end. Many of them were said to be veteran employees who have been working in the company for more than 20 years. CH 89 Kou was inside Unit 5¡¯s cockpit and was busy checking Kurt¡¯s combat data. The recording was cut off the moment Kurt came into the garage. ¡ºI¡¯m sorry, Kou. From this point on, the A-Carbuncle had already been deactivated, so the recording couldn¡¯t continue.¡» ¡¸This is more than enough. Thank you. Is Kurt-san safe?¡¹ ¡ºI don¡¯t know. He should be alive, at least. But I¡¯m not sure whether or not he ended up being captured by the Stones.¡» ¡¸I see. Thank you for helping me out even at a time like this.¡¹ After thanking Asia, Kou got off from Unit 5. It was currently stored within the hangar of the Cimon-class ship. Kou had really wanted to come to Kurt¡¯s rescue. He had only met the elderly man once. However, Kurt was one of the few people Kou considered as his mentors. Although it made him feel a sense of powerlessness, he was well aware that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to make any sort of difference if he went to help Kurt alone. Right now, what he needed to do was to continue accumulating strength. Kou had once again steeled his resolve. Soon after, he called everyone and told them to gather at the combat command center. There was a need to decide on their next course of action moving forward. ¡¸What¡¯s the current situation?¡¹ ¡¸The human side is set to call on all remaining Fortress Areas and Defense Domes to conduct an emergency meeting. The Stones demanded for all human territories on the planet surrender unconditionally. After that, they seem to have ceased any further activity for the time being. It¡¯s possible that they¡¯re unable to conduct such a large-scale deployment repeatedly.¡¹ ¡ºSuch an operation will undoubtedly have a large influence on the Stone¡¯s front lines. The reason they are showing such zeal in convincing humanity to surrender is probably to make up for their shortage of available combat-ready forces.¡» ¡¸Sporadic skirmishes between humans and the Stones are occurring at Defense Domes. This situation is happening in various areas around the planet.¡¹ ¡¸Defense Domes?¡¹ ¡¸If one side doesn¡¯t distract the enemy by constantly engaging them on battlefields, there¡¯s a danger that the other party might decide to mount a concentrated attack.¡¹ Rick explained the reason for the situation to Kou. ¡¸One common strategy is to purposely engage the enemy in a chosen conflict zone to force a stalemate.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not a pleasant story to hear.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a fairly common old trick. This current style of warfare probably resembles the style employed in the medieval era of Earth.¡¹ ¡¸So the Stones won¡¯t expand the front lines recklessly and will deal with the Defense Domes systematically instead huh.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is.¡¹ Planet Asia¡¯s surface map was displayed on the screen, and the Defense Domes that were engaging the enemy were marked on the map. ¡¸Now let¡¯s discuss the problems we need to tackle first. Practically every remaining Fortress Area is seeking an exclusive defense agreement with Metal Iris. Other Underground Forces are also requesting an alliance.¡¹ ¡¸What are we gonna do, Boss?¡¹ ¡¸We won¡¯t do anything for now.¡¹ Kou answered immediately. Jenny seemed satisfied with Kou¡¯s response. She displayed an approving smile. ¡¸What¡¯s your reason?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re still in the middle of our preparations. We also haven¡¯t experienced many actual battles as a unified Force. First, we have to concentrate on protecting this base where Asia is located. Isn¡¯t that so?¡¹ ¡¸Right.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think there is any Force out there that has a good grasp of our actual strength yet. So they merely want to secure relations with the new hopefuls who managed to Rescue Asia ahead of the others. That¡¯s probably what they¡¯re thinking right now.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re pretty sharp, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I want the rest of humanity to defend themselves and fight of their own volition. If they get the wrong idea that we¡¯re an army directly under Asia¡¯s control, we might be put in the spotlight as some sort of savior and asked to protect the peace of the planet or something.¡¹ ¡¸I personally give you a perfect score, Kou.¡¹ Rick also nodded approvingly. ¡¸Okay. Let¡¯s correct this misunderstanding and decline their requests.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸As for the Silhouette Base, we¡¯ve covered up all the surface access gates. The enemy might have already noticed that something is in this area, but they still shouldn¡¯t have grasped our exact strength.¡¹ ¡¸If they did notice us, then things won¡¯t end with just small recon squads snooping around. The camp outside will be used as a decoy as planned. There are no nearby Fortress Areas around the mountains. There are a few Defense Domes, but they are all under enemy control.¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s make sure to use the undersea route when entering and exiting the base. Apart from the Cimon-class that will serve as our flagship, we¡¯ll also employ a second ship of another class.¡¹ Asia had provided them with the Aristides-class amphibious assault ships Aristides and Pericles. The second ship Pericles was still currently sealed. Kou decided to have Metal Iris employ the class leader Aristides for now. ¡¸You¡¯re telling me you have more spaceships?!¡¹ Well, they also had a mobile arsenal ship in addition to the two amphibious assault ships, but Kou couldn¡¯t allow himself to spill the beans on that one. He had to be particularly careful not to reveal anything regarding Astraea. It was a ship that can double as a fully functional on-site mass production facility after all. ¡¸There¡¯s one, err¡­¡­ small amphibious assault ship. For the time being, let¡¯s use it as our main ship. Let¡¯s also employ it for transporting supplies. It would be nice to have an actual cargo ship though.¡¹ ¡¸Why did you hesitate earlier? Spill. Just how big is it?¡¹ ¡¸About 500 meters. Asia did say it was small y¡¯know¡­¡­¡¹ The stares of the others pierced Kou. They were pretty cold ones. The class leader Aristides alone was more than enough to accommodate all the current forces of Metal Iris. ¡¸¡­¡­I think we should stop being surprised every time. Anyway, let¡¯s make good use of it. It¡¯s a very good thing to be able to freely deploy two spaceships.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll use the amphibious assault ship as our main transport huh.¡¹ ¡¸It sure is one extravagant transport. But we¡¯ll use the Cimon-class when deploying to the front lines. It¡¯s easier to use the amphibious assault ship for transportation and hauling cargo. The Cimon-class is just too big.¡¹ Rick had given his approval. ¡¸About the recruitment of personnel, are you really only recruiting Nereids and Therianthropes? Are you focusing on elven ears and animal ears or something?¡¹ Blue grinned mischievously as she jokingly asked. It was pretty rare for her to utter the words ¡°elven ears¡± voluntarily. ¡¸That¡¯s not it. The situation has become like this. I want to recruit people who can work effectively and comfortably with Familiars. We¡¯ll recruit humans later.¡¹ ¡¸So you plan on making Familiars the interviewers when recruiting humans later, right? You¡¯re the same as usual.¡¹ ¡¸Since Familiars are able to read people¡¯s emotional reactions, they will ensure that no humans with malicious intent will get selected. I¡¯d really like it if plenty of people with good natures applied. I think the main strength of Metal Iris is the solid cooperation between Familiars and humans.¡¹ ¡¸Please leave it to me and the rest. It¡¯s a proposal that I¡¯m more than happy to agree with.¡¹ ¡¸It looks like you really thought things through, Kou. I¡¯m relieved.¡¹ Rick and Blue¡¯s words made Kou embarrassed. ¡¸Let¡¯s concentrate on accumulating strength for now. Even if the enemy currently isn¡¯t making any major moves, they still might suddenly decide to forcibly push the front lines.¡¹ Everyone nodded in response to Kou¡¯s words. Kou walked inside the Cimon-class ship as if dragging heavy weights on his feet. He had to do what was necessary, but it was both mentally and physically taxing for him. He returned to his room and sank onto the bed. He then put one arm over his eyes and brooded. The next thing he knew, Voy was already curled up on the floor. ¡¸If it¡¯s hard for you to sleep, I¡¯ll lend you my stomach.¡¹ Voy got up, said those words, and plopped down on the floor to sleep again. He was definitely a considerate bear who couldn¡¯t leave Kou to brood alone. ¡¸We¡¯re here too.¡¹ Aki (who was in dog form) and Aimer appeared from beneath the bed. Aki laid down near Kou¡¯s pillow. ¡¸Everyone¡­ I really made you guys worry huh.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s natural to feel down during hard times, Kou.¡¹ Nyanta didn¡¯t end her sentence with her usual ¡°nyaa¡± and gave off the air of a quiet and smart girl. Aimer also laid down beside Kou. No one among them spoke or made any sound. Everyone just snuggled near Kou and accompanied him in silence. That was all they did. They didn¡¯t say any more words of consolation. They just stayed by Kou¡¯s side. It made Kou happy. ¡¸About Kurt-san¡­ I keep going back to what happened to him. I watched those Familiars fight to protect Kurt-san. I watched them get torn apart. The employees too. All in order to protect Kurt-san¡­¡­¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t know if the rest were still awake, but he still began talking to them. ¡¸Mm.¡¹ Nyanta, who looked like she was sleeping, responded with her eyes still closed. Aimer hugged Kou tightly. ¡¸I wonder if I can bear something like that. I¡¯ve been thinking, you see. What if everyone¡­¡­ if everyone dies like that in order to protect me?¡¹ Voy seemed to be fast asleep. Even though he was a bear, he sure slept like a raccoon dog. Aki opened her eyes and gazed gently at Kou. ¡¸We were born to be like that after all. But it¡¯s impossible for you not to care, right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. You sure know me well, Nyanta.¡¹ ¡¸A cat¡¯s sense of empathy is amazing you know?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I do know.¡¹ Nyanta pounced onto Kou¡¯s chest. Aki was shocked by her sudden move. She seemed frustrated about getting beaten to the punch even though she made the first move. ¡¸But we also can¡¯t bear to see Kou fight alone. Please keep that in mind as well.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ ¡¸I think¡­ I think the Familiars who fought to the end that day were really happy that they managed to save Kurt-san¡¯s life. But the me right now can also understand Kou and Kurt-san¡¯s feelings.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Kou, we¡¯re here for you. We might not be able to pilot a Silhouette. We might not be able to support you directly. But we really want to be of use to you. Aimer also feels the same.¡¹ Aimer nodded in agreement. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s a tank or a helicopter. Any weapon that Kou thinks is suitable for us. ¨CWe wish for you to come up with a way for us to walk side by side with you. I¡¯m aware that what I said is selfish. Sorry, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸¨CBut aren¡¯t cats naturally selfish?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta hugged Kou even tighter. Kou responded by hugging Nyanta and Aimer back. ¡¸I understand. ¨CFor everyone to be together. For everyone to survive together. I¡¯ll definitely think of a way. Thank you.¡¹ The two didn¡¯t answer back. They merely kept tightly hugging Kou. Voy raised his head, smiled in satisfaction after seeing Kou and the girls, and curled up to sleep again. Aki moved beneath the bed, turned back to humanoid form, and crawled out again. ¡¸That sure is a nice atmosphere! But I¡¯m joining in too! Excuse me!¡¹ After saying so, Aki hugged Aimer and Kou together, with Aimer sandwiched in between. Aimer seemed pretty happy though. Nyanta displayed a triumphant smile as she watched her little sister¡¯s actions. Kou pulled Aki closer. Aki¡¯s dog ears fluttered happily when he did so. Nobody spoke anymore after that, and they all fell peacefully asleep. CH 90.1 Three days have passed since the simultaneous invasions of two Fortress Areas. Jack Cliff and Kurt Ludwig still remained missing. The various Fortress Areas and Defense Domes around Planet Asia had received a message from the Stones demanding unconditional surrender. The contents of the message also promised improved self-governance policies for the humans who would surrender among other enticing benefits that seemed far too good to be true, especially since the Stones were the ones promising them. For the time being, there were no Areas and Domes that responded, but it was probably only a matter of time. Large-scale recruitment of mercenaries by the Stones has also begun. Fortress Area A051 surrendered completely. Fortress Area D516¡¯s A-Carbuncle was successfully deactivated and scrapped before it was completely overrun by the enemy forces, but the Stones managed to bring in a new A-Carbuncle from another location. Hence, Fortress Area D516 was used as a base by the enemy as they had planned. In other words, the enemy has managed to take complete control of two of the biggest Fortress Areas on the planet that were formerly under the management of two of the planet¡¯s six major companies. The impact this caused on the human side was quite immense, as expected. The heads of each Fortress Area and Defense Dome on Planet Asia immediately held an emergency meeting. However, since the actual purpose of the Stones still remained unknown, the meeting didn¡¯t result in anything conclusive, and nothing was decided in the end. Of course, the Silhouette Base of Metal Iris was also invited to participate in the meeting, but they had resolutely declined. Jenny confirmed that their decision not to participate in such a chaotic and confused meeting was the correct move. Kou had also confirmed for himself that not making any moves was the right course of action. However, the fact remained that humanity had lost two transferee-led companies that had been actively participating in the fight against the Stones. It¡¯s also said that the loss of two A-Class Development Engineers would greatly affect the further development of combat Silhouettes. The technology level of the two seized facilities depends on the level of the Development Engineers managing them. However, the enemy might just opt to make use of the remaining operational production lines as is. The rest of the world didn¡¯t even know just what kinds of new weapons the missing A-Class Development Engineers were working on until their disappearance. In the midst of this pressing danger that was baring itself against the entire planet, humanity had still failed to unite as one. Kou headed to Astraea after attending a meeting with the Metal Iris head members. He used Unit 5 to move back and forth between the Cimon-class and Astraea. Voy and the others were already waiting inside Astraea¡¯s command center. ¡¸Our next course of action has been decided. Now, I¡¯ll tell you about what this arsenal fortress and the surface base will do moving forward.¡¹ Everyone nodded and waited for Kou¡¯s next words. Virtual projections of Astraea and Asia also appeared inside the command center. ¡¸Asia, is it possible to add food plants and general industrial facilities to the Silhouette base? I want to be fully prepared for a prolonged siege in case of an emergency.¡¹ ¡¸It should be easy enough for me to do that.¡¹ ¡¸Astraea, in case the worst happens, are all the underground facilities now fully operational?¡¹ ¡¸Of course. I am here exactly for that purpose.¡¹ ¡¸Can we go ahead and ask for the cooperation of the remaining Therianthropes and Familiars who are still in stasis right now? What do you think, guys? Nyanta? Aki?¡¹ ¡¸If there are any of them that act up, I¡¯ll hang them upside down and give them the beating of their lives nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no need to worry, Kou. We can handle it.¡¹ It seems that Kou¡¯s worries were needless. ¡¸I¡¯ve already proposed this in an earlier meeting with Jenny and the others. Our recruitment operation will center around Therianthropes and Nereids for now.¡¹ ¡¸Why though?¡¹ ¡¸Wouldn¡¯t that be a bit difficult?¡¹ The two Therianthrope ladies perked up their ears for Kou¡¯s answer. ¡¸In this world that heavily relies on Silhouettes, people who are unable to pilot them have it really hard. Even if they work as mercenaries, they¡¯d at most be relegated to driving tanks. And the second generation of Therianthropes up to the current one have all become completely biological organisms, right?¡¹ Kou thought back to Aki and Nyanta¡¯s frustration due to the fact that they couldn¡¯t pilot Silhouettes. And he assumed that the other Therianthropes would have felt the same kind of frustration at some point as well. ¡¸Yes. Unlike us first-generation types, they have indeed become completely biological organisms. Although they do have the ability to choose either Therianthrope or Human as the race of their offspring prior to giving birth.¡¹ Aki and Nyanta themselves were almost completely biological, and the mechanical parts were operating mainly through the use of infinitesimal nanomachine clusters. ¡¸If they choose Therianthrope for the race, the parent¡¯s Telema AI nanomachines will be completely replicated and passed over to the child, right? That¡¯s all the more reason to recruit them. This place has plenty of vehicles and aircraft. Meaning there¡¯s plenty of work for them to do.¡¹ Before, there were no humans who have paid this much attention and consideration to the unique circumstances of Therianthropes like Aki and Nyanta. The corners of Nyanta¡¯s eyes began to water a bit. ¡¸Also, Asia, Astraea, the Fennel OS is for humanoid machines and was made on the premise that humans will pilot the machines installed with them, right? It¡¯s a crucial step to recognize pilots as humans first. And that¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t react to Therianthropes, who are roughly a fusion between humans and animals. Am I right on the money?¡¹ ¡¸Yes, that¡¯s right.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a matter that even we are completely unable to interfere with. I¡¯m truly sorry, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m just saying all this for confirmation, Astraea. So, there¡¯s no need for you to apologize. Now then, here¡¯s the most crucial question¡­¡­¡¹ Kou hesitated for a bit and carefully continued with his question. ¡¸Isn¡¯t it actually possible for us to come up with a Silhouette for Therianthrope use?¡¹ ¡¸What do you intend on making? A machine that can transform between humanoid and animal forms?¡¹ ¡¸No. That¡¯s simply still differentiating between humanoid and animal forms as unique entities. It won¡¯t lead to a complete fusion between human and animal traits. And if we can also come up with animal-type Silhouettes, even Familiars will be able to pilot them.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s as you say.¡¹ Astraea voiced her affirmation. ¡¸For example, how about we make a model with a humanoid upper half and a specialized lower half ¡ª like a four-legged centaur type or something of the sort? In other words, a machine with both human and animal characteristics is displayed at the same time. And we¡¯ll limit their usage to only Therianthropes.¡¹ The command center fell into complete silence. Apart from Kou, all others present probably hadn¡¯t even considered such a possibility before. ¡¸Look, guys. I admit it¡¯s a bit forced, but this world does seem quite taken with mythological parallels and stuff like that. How do I put it? There¡¯s a kind of loophole in your perception as Therianthropes. And so, I thought maybe we can take advantage of that to make something that¡¯s both humanoid and beastlike at the same time.¡¹ ¡¸It does seem a little forced¡­¡­ But no one has indeed tried something like that before.¡¹ ¡¸That is indeed the case.¡¹ Aki muttered her thoughts which Astraea affirmed. ¡¸If we accomplish this, the Therianthropes will instantly become an important combat force. I want to explore this possibility.¡¹ ¡¸Having four legs and two arms as limbs. Normally, that would be strange. Impossible. ¨CBut we Therianthropes still have human ears in addition to our animal ears. We were designed with those kinds of contradictions. We¡¯re a race filled with contradictions. But if something was designed with those contradictions as well, it would be strange if it doesn¡¯t respond to something similar!¡¹ Nyanta entered her ¡°serious¡± mode. The identity of a contradictory existence. If so, it would be strange for something designed to incorporate such contradictions as well would refuse to move under the control of a similarly contradictory existence. ¡¸But aren¡¯t ears and limbs completely different, neesan?¡¹ ¡¸No. Not exactly. Have you ever had to consciously use your ears in your daily life before? The same for your legs. We can use a spoon and fork with our hands without any sense of dissonance. We use two legs for walking like it¡¯s normal. But did you ever need to consciously differentiate between walking on two legs and walking on four?¡¹ ¡¸Well, no. I¡¯ve never tried to pick up a spoon and fork while in my dog form either.¡¹ ¡¸Maybe that¡¯s what Kou¡¯s referring to. We were designed to naturally make use of our limbs in the most effective way even if some overlap between both our humanoid and animal forms. We are already treading a thin line between humans and animals, so we unconsciously regard ourselves as both.¡¹ Kou found hope for his idea after hearing the discussion between the two. If there was a will, there was a way, as they say. And he still had something up his sleeve. CH 90.2 ¡¸There was no one who had come up with such an idea before¡­¡­ No, perhaps someone did attempt it. But it ended in failure. That¡¯s because no human had ever considered designing a unit like that exclusively for small-scale android Therianthropes!¡¹ Asia closed her eyes as she thought about the past. No one in the past ever thought of dedicating a design exclusively for use by artificial lifeforms. ¡¸Telema AI and the Fennel OS had really bad compatibility. That¡¯s been said to be the case for such a long period of time. In the first place, there are no precedents for designing units for exclusive Therianthrope use. This is a matter that only Prometheus can understand.¡¹ Astraea also relayed her thoughts. For her, the concept of a machine specially designed to be piloted by Therianthropes, who were created primarily to act in a support role in service of humanity, was a logical contradiction. ¡¸But the Therianthropes have already been recognized as an individual race, right? Just like the Nereids. I mean, the Nereids can already pilot Silhouettes anyway.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true.¡¹ Asia recognized Kou¡¯s point. ¡¸I don¡¯t want Aki and Nyata to pilot something half-baked. If possible, I want them to pilot Silhouettes, or at least something similar. I¡¯ll do something about the Familiars as well. I thought there must be a way.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, you¡¯re actually going that far for our sake.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, last time¡­¡­ You really thought it through¡­¡­¡¹ Aki and Nyanta muttered in a daze. They became terribly depressed when they found out that they couldn¡¯t pilot the attack aircraft Kou had developed. And so, Kou wanted to do something for them. The other day, Nyanta bared her feelings and worries to Kou. And the result he came up with after wracking his brains was a glimpse of a further possibility for the two ladies and those of their kind. ¡¸Have you already thought of a way to accomplish your plan, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ Kou nodded in reply to Asia¡¯s question. There was only one trump card Kou could come up with after thinking hard. It was an idea born from various interactions and wasn¡¯t something he could have come up with on his own. Kou resolved himself and decided to play that card. A wild card, for sure. No, a Joker. ¡¸Prometheus, you¡¯re listening in, right? You did say you¡¯d always be watching last time. Asia and Astraea are here in this place, so there¡¯s no way you aren¡¯t aware of it. Astraea is a high-performance spaceship that was in active service during the Interplanetary War era after all. Can you come out and meet us?¡¹ Asia and Astraea exchanged surprised gazes. There should be no way for someone else to barge in without the two of them even noticing. They were quite sure of that assumption, but after just a few moments, Astraea¡¯s expression turned grim. ¡¸Transmission intrusion attempt confirmed¨C This presence is¡­¡­ Uwah.¡¹ Astraea grumbled in heartfelt distaste. ¡ºAs expected of someone my Mama chose¡­¡­ Well done, Kou. Very impressive, my dear buddy.¡» ¡¸Who the heck is your Mama!?¡¹ ¡¸Who¡¯s your buddy!?¡¹ A beautiful-looking young man appeared on the main monitor of the command center. Asia, who the young man referred to as ¡°Mama¡±, turned blue in the face. ¡ºEeh? You both shot me down? That¡¯s cold, man.¡» ¡¸Fine. If you listen to my idea, I¡¯ll consider you my best buddy.¡¹ ¡ºWe¡¯re already the dearest of friends, Kou!¡» ¡¸Kou! You can¡¯t possibly be thinking of making a deal with the Devil?!¡¹ ¡ºWho¡¯s the Devil? If you don¡¯t take that back, I¡¯ll call you Grandma instead.¡» ¡¸Just try it, you brat. If you do, I¡¯ll never respond to you again.¡¹ ¡ºI¡¯m sorry.¡» ¡¸Tsk. As expected of the AI with the power over space-time. To think even I wasn¡¯t able to detect your intrusion.¡¹ Kou smiled as he watched the two bicker. Somehow, Asia and Prometheus actually seemed to be on really good terms. Astraea, who was plainly shocked, decided to keep quiet and leave them alone. ¡ºKou, your interpretation of how recognition works is generally correct. Well, actually, even if you weren¡¯t exactly on the mark, I¡¯d make it so you were as long as your reasoning makes sense. That is the duty of the one who inherited this mythical name. Allow me to ask a question first though. How did you notice such a possibility?¡» ¡¸It wasn¡¯t anything special, really. They¡¯re both humanoid and animal. That combination. I kept thinking of a path using that as a premise and came up with that answer in the end.¡¹ ¡ºWonderful! A heart that thinks for others gave birth to such wisdom! Good for you, Nyanta. Aki. This is all thanks to both of you!¡» The two couldn¡¯t help but nod in response. Both of them were already close to tears. ¡ºNo human was able to come up with this idea until now. The humans during the Interplanetary War era merely thought of Therianthropes as the same types of beings as the Familiars and were more than content to assign them to pilot tanks and planes. Many of them regarded them as mere tools. Things to be used and freely discarded. That¡¯s why there was no such thing as a machine specially designed for their use.¡» ¡¸It was because of you that Familiars became able to control vehicles, even with certain restrictions, right, Prometheus?¡¹ ¡ºOoh! My dear friend¡­¡­ To think you were even able to notice my thoughtfulness.¡» ¡¸Kou, don¡¯t let him get too carried away!¡¹ ¡ºYou¡¯re so cold, Asia. ¨CUgh. It¡¯s almost the time limit already. I will send the basic overview of the method over to Astraea. Asia, do something about this darn Tartarus already! I¡¯m already out of time!¡» ¡¸Just get out of here already!¡¹ ¡ºHow cruel! Call me again, alright, Kou? I¡¯m really happy I got to talk to you again!¡» The transmission was finally cut off. ¡¸Is he really that happy to be called by Kou¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸I think he¡¯s pretty genuine about that. He¡¯s been all alone for a long time after all. There are only very few who are aware of him and can get in touch with him¡­¡­ That earlier transmission should have used up enough energy to completely drain five Fortress Areas empty.¡¹ ¡¸He did send the data as he said. Uwaah. This is definitely baiting, isn¡¯t it¡­¡­? It¡¯s not some general outline but a design blueprint instead. And it¡¯s something no one apart from me can decrypt. That person definitely made this on the spot while in the middle of the conversation! How utterly careless!¡¹ Without her noticing, Astraea¡¯s tone of voice became markedly different from how she usually sounded. ¡¸W-What kind of blueprint?¡¹ ¡¸I guess you can say it¡¯s something only for the most maniacal enthusiasts. It would take a lot of time to decrypt and understand it unless it¡¯s done by a weapons development AI like me.¡¹ ¡¸Can you explain what it¡¯s all about to me now?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve completed decrypting it. First of all, it¡¯s not possible to make the parts you suggested compatible with the Silhouettes that were initially designed with a humanoid form in mind. Was it a centaur-type? An upper humanoid body and a four-legged animal body. However¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Is there another problem?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about quadrupedal motion. It¡¯s quite a bit more structurally complicated than a Silhouette.¡¹ ¡¸That isn¡¯t really much of a problem, right? Anything else?¡¹ ¡¸Because of the special shape, the load it places on the Fennel OS is a lot more than expected. So it¡¯s not possible to design special backpack options like vectoring thrusters for its use. That limits its performance in some ways.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s like a tank with a humanoid upper body? Then wouldn¡¯t piloting tanks be the better option after all? No. It¡¯s possible to use them in maintenance work and such too.¡¹ ¡¸Since the upper body is humanoid, it can perform work requiring precision operations. And various things can be loaded onto the animal part, so it can serve as an effective work machine. ¨CBut there¡¯s another drawback.¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸It will take up a lot of space. That¡¯s mainly because of its lower body. Mainly, its length.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­I guess that can¡¯t be helped. Structurally speaking, that is.¡¹ ¡¸I will support you in handling the things requiring great attention to detail during this bricolage.¡¹ ¡¸Nyanta, Aki. What do you guys think? If I prepare useable Silhouettes for the Therianthropes, will you all feel more at ease?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s already a given nyaa. They¡¯d be so moved they might even pass out nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸It can probably be regarded as our dearest wish. I didn¡¯t think we still held such a possibility¡­¡­¡¹ The two only replied in a few words. To the two of them, the day¡¯s developments must have come as a real shock. ¡¸That¡¯s good then. I¡¯ll work on the Therianthrope¡¯s machine together with Aimer¡¯s personal unit.¡¹ Kou had been worried for a while. The attack aircraft Aki and Nyanta were supposed to pilot was left to Blue in the end. Anyone could see just how depressed the two of them became after finding out about it. Even if they usually acted like they didn¡¯t mind, Kou knew it was hard for them to be unable to pilot Silhouettes. And since he was going to perform a bricolage, he might as well make something truly exceptional. He thought and thought and finally came up with this possibility. With this, a way forward was opened. Kou resolved himself to conduct a bricolage that would answer all of the two¡¯s hopes. CH 91 The Silhouette Base was visited by representatives of Benshin General Trading and an inspector dispatched by the Mercenary Association¡¯s main headquarters. They were brought over and will be sent back using the amphibious assault ship Aristides. Aristides was only just registered. The other side should be kicking up a fuss about it now. Kou left meeting with them to Jenny and the others, and he proceeded with the bricolage of new weapons inside Astraea. ¡¸Unit 5 has now been successfully upgraded to its B version. Aimer¡¯s personal machine has also been completed. This should do it for now.¡¹ ¡ºThe machine born from a borderline unreasonable sense of overprotectiveness has finally been completed.¡» Astraea looked on in exasperation at the completed machine. Kou treated Aimer as a precious daughter who Master left in his care. So he felt he absolutely couldn¡¯t take any chances when it comes to her safety. ¡ºBut I think equipping a worker-type Silhouette with a combination of high-output electromagnetic armor and advanced armor muscles is a bit overdoing it.¡» ¡¸Really? I mean, I just focused on safety as the first priority. Artificial muscles are necessary to perform work that requires precision control and movements. Its overall weight is quite heavy, and the amount of metallic hydrogen fuel required to power it is relatively immense, so it¡¯s really not expected to deploy to the front lines.¡¹ The culprit seemed to not realize how overprotective he actually was. ¡ºIt¡¯s a worker Silhouette that¡¯s based on the Lanius B-type, correct? I do believe the overall cost used in this one machine is already enough to manufacture 1000 Bears though.¡» ¡¸There aren¡¯t that many pilots, so I thought we had to at least try to ensure their safety.¡¹ ¡ºThat¡¯s true. The general mass-production version of this machine is also equipped with high-output electromagnetic armor. And they will be supplied to Metal Iris members and sold to the A-Class Development Engineers. By the way, Kou. Are you aware of the term ¡®restraint¡¯?¡» ¡¸I thought of having Marl and Flack pilot similar machines too. So please don¡¯t grill me too much about it.¡¹ ¡ºThe Familiars are also worried about those children. Fine. I will admit that machines like that are necessary for you and the rest to fight without worrying too much. Let¡¯s differentiate Aimer¡¯s personal machine from those general units though and call it a high-performance version.¡» Mass production started immediately. The new work machines will now be continuously produced in the underground arsenal. ¡¸The problem is the next machine. The quadruped-type assault colossus. Is it fine to just call it the Quattro Silhouette for short?¡¹ ¡ºSure. But aside from the nickname, there¡¯s another problem.¡» ¡¸No matter how we go about doing a bricolage to create it, it will turn out with a higher performance than comparable regular humanoid machines, right?¡¹ It was simply a matter of its basic structural form. Four legs are just more stable than two. And since humans themselves eventually used four-legged creatures as mounts, this fact has already been acknowledged even in the far past. ¡¸I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯ll result in needless jealousy. There have been situations like that in the past, right?¡¹ ¡ºNereids and Therianthropes generally have beautiful appearances and comparatively longer lives than humans. I will not deny that there were indeed such instances.¡» ¡¸And if they also become able to pilot high-performance Silhouettes on top of those racial advantages, then¡­¡¹ Kou let out a helpless sigh. He never thought he¡¯d run into such a tricky problem when he first came up with the idea. ¡ºThe stability of a quadrupedal machine can¡¯t be matched by a bipedal one after all. It also has more than enough power, and due to its design, its carrying capacity is also quite exceptional.¡» ¡¸It at least can¡¯t vertically run up the side of a building.¡¹ ¡ºBut its jumping performance is also excellent. In the first place, the disadvantages of a quadrupedal form is not being able to freely use one¡¯s forelimbs when in motion and the greater consumption of stamina. Since there¡¯s no need to worry about a machine¡¯s stamina in the first place, a centaur-type robot is basically a cheat.¡» ¡¸I didn¡¯t know quadrupedal movement consumes a lot of stamina.¡¹ ¡ºThe actual disadvantage of the machine is that it puts a significantly greater strain on the Fennel OS, so its upgradability is limited. But it already has more than enough advantages as is, so it basically does not matter that much.¡» ¡¸Just how can horses accelerate so much at full gallop¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡ºIt can be said as the height of quadrupedal motion, and the ultimate culmination of a horse¡¯s ages-old evolution. Even cantering is already quite fast.¡» ¡¸I was wondering if a centaur-type would have problems related to air resistance though. It has a humanoid upper body after all.¡¹ ¡ºSilhouettes can accelerate through the use of rocket engines and the like. And you¡¯re worried about that at this point?¡» ¡¸Yeah, I suppose. Err, you¡¯ve been retorting a lot since earlier though. Did you get influenced by Astraea or something, Dike?¡¹ ¡ºActually, I¡¯m supposed to be the original. Just why did that child turn out to be such a total airhead?¡» ¡¸Beats me.¡¹ The two produced three basic models of the Quattro Silhouettes. A combat type, a general-purpose type, and an assault-type. ¡¸The Quattro Silhouette will have these three models ¨C a combat-type equipped with plasma armor, a general-purpose type for work and combat support, and an assault-type equipped with high-output electromagnetic armor. These are kinda like Aki and Nyanta¡¯s personal machines though.¡¹ ¡ºThere is no problem with that.¡» With this, the standard Therianthrope-use Silhouette has finally been completed. The first ones to be rolled out are the two machines for Aki and Nyanta. Several more machines will be rushed into production in the underground arsenal. And before long, the technology used in manufacturing them will also be put up for sale. Kou, who was finally done with the bricolage, returned to the Cimon-class mobile assault base. It seemed that the Aristides was already in the middle of sending back the Benshin representatives and the Mercenary Association inspector. ¡¸Jenny, Rick. Thanks for the hard work. How did things go?¡¹ ¡¸It was utterly stressful. The Mercenary Association didn¡¯t conceal their desire for the Silhouette base though.¡¹ ¡¸How scary.¡¹ If they could, they¡¯d probably confiscate the base with the excuse that it¡¯s beyond Metal Iris¡¯s means. Rick merely shrugged off such a worry. ¡¸Under the current circumstances, they probably desire it even more. But even the Mercenary Association can¡¯t disregard Asia¡¯s opinion. After all, the Stones are actually in the middle of openly recruiting mercenaries affiliated with them.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I would have wanted them not to accept such people in the first place.¡¹ ¡¸They struck a nail in advance. But since the Mercenary Association is an organization under the direct control of Okeanos, there are things that ultimately can¡¯t be helped, and the confidentiality obligations are strictly adhered to.¡¹ ¡¸I guess that makes me a little relieved.¡¹ ¡¸Information about our exact location is kept thoroughly confidential. Even if the enemy eventually makes a conjecture about our rough location, they wouldn¡¯t be able to pinpoint our exact coordinates.¡¹ Kou then remembered about their other guest for the day. ¡¸What about the trading company? Did Fuyuki-san accompany them back in the Aristides?¡¹ ¡¸Fuyuki is handling Benshin smoothly. All transportation expenses will be shouldered by us, so he does hold a lot of sway in the negotiations.¡¹ ¡¸As expected of a highly skilled salesman. That¡¯s something completely impossible for someone like me.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a big deal for the other party as well. And it¡¯s a chance to secure relations with a new rising organization that might make them a lot of money, so they¡¯re also desperate to close a deal with us. They warmed up to the idea even more after seeing this place. They even offered a condition favorable to us in the matter of setting up a branch office here in the Silhouette Base.¡¹ Jenny was unusually acting all proud. ¡¸What sort of condition?¡¹ ¡¸The staff of the branch office will be centered around Nereids and Therianthropes.¡¹ ¡¸Haha. That¡¯s great. It looks like they¡¯re expecting a lot from us.¡¹ ¡¸To a somewhat scary degree, to be honest.¡¹ Kou then scanned the supply provision list. ¡¸It looks like the procurement of supplies is going well.¡¹ ¡¸The raw material list prepared by Asia was handled directly by Okeanos after all. The trading firms will only handle everyday necessities and food.¡¹ ¡¸After sending the company representatives back, next in the agenda would be receiving the first batch of the units we requested from Yunlan-san huh.¡¹ ¡¸Right. It seems the successor unit for the Pheasant still isn¡¯t done yet though!¡¹ ¡¸It looks like they¡¯re planning to make use of an additional backpack to turn the unit into a transformable fighter. I thought that instead of me designing a machine for you, it would be better to leave it to Kelly and the others. They did say they¡¯re mostly done with the design. But it¡¯ll take a bit more time to manufacture and adjust the actual components.¡¹ ¡¸A transformable machine! How exciting!¡¹ ¡¸Haha. You¡¯re just like a little kid, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s all thanks to you, Shadow Boss. Before we knew it, you already arranged for the addition of a food plant and a general manufacturing facility for daily necessities to the base. Construction machines suddenly sprang up from somewhere. The power of the Shadow Boss is really scary.¡¹ Jenny teased Kou with a wide grin on her face. In order to construct the additional facilities, Kou mobilized the unmanned machines inside Astraea and the Cimon-class Aristides. There were also the Silhouette-sized autonomous robots like Arges, so construction went pretty smoothly. The sight of swarms of unmanned flying machines coming out of the sealed area seemed to have given off an intimidating air. Kou was becoming more and more of a feared and unfathomable existence to the rest of the Metal Iris members day by day. ¡¸It¡¯s all thanks to Asia, okay?¡¹ Kou wasn¡¯t exactly lying. He did merely ask Asia for help after all. ¡¸Right.¡¹ The other two seemed to have already guessed part of the situation. Rick also simply laughed it off. ¡¸More and more facilities will be added later. We¡¯re gonna be even more busy compared to now.¡¹ The other two exchanged gazes after hearing Kou¡¯s words. ¡¸Hm? Did I say something strange?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re just kind of scared of what¡¯s gonna be added from here on out.¡¹ ¡¸Seriously. Just how many secrets are you still hiding?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s nothing that amazing, okay?¡¹ Kou frantically made excuses after seeing the two¡¯s reactions. Two days later, the situation suddenly changed. An SOS signal was sent to the Silhouette Base. The location of the signal was the D281 Defense Dome. The first thing that came to Kou¡¯s mind was Kurt. The Dome should be sheltering many of Kurt Maschinenbau¡¯s employees. ¡¸Are they chasing after Kurt-san?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s possible. Mr. Kurt is regarded as MIA, but the enemy should still be looking for him.¡¹ Rick answered Kou¡¯s question. ¡¸They sent us a rescue request, right? Perfect. We¡¯re carrying one out. We can make it this time around.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s finally time for our combat debut using the Cimon-class.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re already in the middle of preparing for sortie. We¡¯ll be ready soon.¡¹ ¡¸The nerves are getting to me guys. Can I really handle being a captain?¡¹ ¡¸Relax, Bob! Deep breaths.¡¹ Everyone proceeded to encourage Robert. In order to prepare for a full-scale combat operation, various weapons were loaded into the Cimon-class. CH 92 The hulking body of a ship parted the sea. It was the Cimon-class mobile assault base. The mobile assault base just executed a STOM (Ship to Objective Maneuver). The goal was to destroy the enemy¡¯s Murder troops. ¡¸AWACS Fox-1 is launching from Catapult 2!¡¹ Tension ran inside the pilot house as it was contacted by the combat command center. It was finally time for an actual combat operation. An AWACS aircraft equipped with a large radome will scout ahead first. Robert acknowledged the report. He stared fixedly at the monitor. ¡¸Electronic-warfare aircraft is launching from Catapult 3!¡¹ The command center continued announcing the sortieing aircraft. The carrier-based aircraft launching system nicknamed the ¡®Ouija Board¡¯ was being operated by multiple Familiars and Therianthropes without missing a beat. Kou, who was already inside Unit 5, stared at the aircraft that were launching out with a tense look on his face. The ones that they were sending out were a recon aircraft, an electronic-warfare aircraft, and an air superiority fighter. It was the first major aircraft sortie in a world where aircraft had seemed to have disappeared from the battlefield due to the abundance of various highly effective anti-aircraft weapons. Judging the safest altitude was also quite tricky. If they flew too high, they will be detected by a planetary defense satellite and will be quickly shot down. As expected, the image sent back by the recon aircraft contained a group of Murders steadily advancing toward the Defense Dome. They were mainly composed of Ant Worker-types, with some Soldier-types, and a few Commander-types. A Mantis-type was also confirmed to be present. An Enyo was still far behind, looking like a mere dot in the background. The image was of the enemy¡¯s vanguard troops. ¡¸Enyo confirmed. All hands, to battle stations!¡¹ Robert issued his command. ¡¸No enemy air forces detected. Air superiority is secure. Go ahead.¡¹ The transmission came from the fox-type Familiar piloting the AWACS craft designated as Fox-1. ¡¸All units, prepare for deployment. Landing troops, get ready!¡¹ ¡¸Helicopter Spot 1 to 8 will deploy simultaneously!¡¹ The operators continuously confirmed and relayed Robert¡¯s commands to the rest of the troops. ¡¸Have the heavy attack aircrafts sortie next. Prepare elevators Number 5 to 6! 1 to 4 will launch the fighters. Be careful out there!¡¹ It was finally Kou and the other¡¯s turn. An A1 Thunderstorm loaded with Kou¡¯s Unit 5 took its position on an elevator. Another three crafts also got into position as well. Only the part with the main flight deck located on the central hull of the Cimon-class was exposed above the water¡¯s surface. The elevators around the deck had eight helicopter spots. The deck was equipped with two elevators for large aircraft and four dedicated to regular-sized ones. ¡¸After all the aircraft finish sortieing, have the landing troops get ready to deploy. We¡¯ll hit those damn insects that only have the Defense Dome in their sights from the flank!¡¹ Robert¡¯s orders echoed within the ship. In the hangar, Silhouettes, armored combat vehicles, and tanks took their places one after another. A hovercraft-type Hangar Carrier will also sortie from the well deck of one of the ship¡¯s two sub-hulls. ¡¸The electronic-warfare aircraft will retreat back to the ship after confirming a wide-range indiscriminate jamming attack by enemy forces!¡¹ ¡¸Understood. Have them retreat immediately. Have the recon aircraft come back as well.¡¹ The enemies can launch indiscriminate signal-jamming attacks. They were unmanned murder machines whose main mission was slaughter. Their sensors can let them handle most jamming attacks as well. In that case, there was no need to try and retaliate with a jamming attack of their own. So, Robert had the electronic warfare and recon aircraft turn back. Meanwhile, combat transport aircraft equipped with tilt rotors took off one after another from the helicopter spots. ¡¸Helicopter transport unit, sortie confirmed! Air combat unit, preparing for launch!¡¹ Just as the operator announced, the unit with Kou and Unit 5 sortied first. ¡¸Thunder-1, launching.¡¹ ¡¸Electromagnetic Catapult 2, ready.¡¹ Blue contacted the combat command center. The rail catapults can be used to launch out both large-sized and regular-sized machines. A return transmission was quickly sent from the command center. ¡¸Confirming course. Clear. Thunder-1, launch!¡¹ In the 21st century, operating the flight deck of a carrier would have required dozens of personnel, but everything has been automated in the current era. The aircraft got into position on the rail catapult. The hold-back bar appeared, and Thunder-1 was primed for launch. The electromagnetic catapult can launch machines at a speed of about 800 km/h. Thunder-1 was finally launched. It danced in the sky and accelerated further. The scene was witnessed by Silhouettes out on the deck. Since this was their first-ever full-scale combat operation as the reborn Metal Iris, Silhouettes were sent out to the flight deck to ensure that no problems occurred. Silhouettes occasionally passed through a maintenance passage called a catwalk. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th aircrafts launched out one after another in sequence. They assembled into a combat formation and headed for the target point. They spotted the combat transport helicopters that went ahead of them. The helicopters had now switched to hovering and were positioned as near to the ground as possible without fully landing. Cavalry tanks dropped to the ground from the helicopters one after another. They easily shrugged off the impact caused by landing and proceeded to run ahead on the rough terrain. After completing their mission, the transport helicopters quickly fell back to return to the ship. ¡¸Sorry to make you accompany me, Fuyuki-san! Are you ready to go?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t mind at all!¡¹ The Thunderstorm heavy attack aircrafts switched to low-altitude flight. Silhouettes dropped one after another from within them. The other three machines that went with Unit 5 were new ash-gray-colored models. They quickly approached the engagement range of the enemy vanguard. The Thunderstorm unit rose up in the air again to provide close air support to the Silhouettes on the ground. ¡¸This much power is really scary huh.¡¹ Jenny muttered aloud as she looked at the scene displayed on the command center¡¯s monitor. ¡¸It¡¯s probably one of the greatest military forces on the planet.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. And even a force like this is still just about 20% of the total strength of this Cimon-class.¡¹ ¡¸This easily illustrates the power held by our Hidden Boss eh?¡¹ ¡¸Just how the heck did he manage to prepare this many prototype weapons and equipment?¡¹ ¡¸We just recently handed over and sold new technology to the transferee-led companies too. And every single one of those new technologies was used in creating these prototypes like it¡¯s nothing. It¡¯s far too extravagant.¡¹ ¡¸Well, let¡¯s just treat it as increasing our strength and leave it at that. It¡¯s a good thing anyway. We can¡¯t let ourselves get cold feet after all this. We¡¯ll be acquiring more and more people and weapons from here on out. We have to at least be able to easily take down an Enyo.¡¹ ¡¸Right. It looks like we won¡¯t have a turn this time around though.¡¹ The current operation was an unexpected rescue request. An Underground Force that happened to be on patrol had managed to spot the Enyo. And the direction it was heading was a small Defense Dome that housed many refugees from Fortress Area D516. The administrator of the Dome issued a rescue request through the Mercenary Association, but no other Underground Force responded. And so, after preparing enough forces for conducting an emergency deployment, Metal Iris rushed to their aid at the last minute. The Aristides was left to guard the Silhouette Base with Barry at the helm, so it was still well defended. The weapons loaded onto the Cimon-class were composed more of vehicles rather than Silhouettes. ¡¸Kou-kun, we¡¯re counting on you.¡¹ Jenny¡¯s words expressed her confidence in the young man. CH 93 Regarding the Effectiveness of Combining in the Battlefield The battle between the Dragoon cavalry tanks and Ant Workers had begun in earnest. The Silhouettes disengaged their combination with the tanks. They quickly separated from the tanks and spread out in the area around them in a defensive formation. They were a cavalry tank unit whose purpose was to attract the attention of enemy forces while protecting the rest of their allied troops. They were equipped with plasma armor, giving them higher defenses than conventional tanks. When combined, they weighed about 55 tons. The three Mantis-types aimed their railguns on the Silhouettes rather than the tanks and concentrated their fire on them. One round penetrated the right leg of a mid-sized Silhouette. Its balance was greatly thrown off. In order to support the damaged machine, its partner tank moved in front of it to block the line of sight of the enemies. The moment the Ant Workers changed their target to the damaged machine in order to finish it off¨C Shells fired by four attack aircraft fell from the sky. The Ant Workers can fire their 60 mm autocannons in an instant. However, an instant was all it took for the attack aircraft to turn them into smoking piles of scrap. After sacrificing the Ant Workers, a Mantis-type managed to rush forward. These autonomous machines equipped with high-dimensional projection armor were very high-performance units. Due to the protection of their high-dimensional projection, they were also very resistant to autocannon shells. In order to damage them, each weapon round had to have a certain degree of increased penetrating power. It can even be said that it didn¡¯t matter no matter how many Ant Worker-types were lost as long as the Mantis-types still remained on the battlefield. ¡¸Let¡¯s go, partner!¡¹ ¡¸Roger! Combine!¡¹ The damaged Silhouette¡¯s pilot and the Familiar piloting the tank both raised their voices to address one another. The Mantis-type that was rushing toward them stopped in its tracks. It stared at the aftermath of the scene that happened before it. The Silhouette had already disappeared. Once again, the cavalry tank and the Silhouette were combined into a single multi-turret tank. In this form, the Silhouette¡¯s damaged leg would not have any negative effect on their combat power. Machine combination ¨C simply put, it¡¯s the process of a Silhouette and its partner tank combining together seamlessly into a single unit through the use of the Silhouette¡¯s additional armor and the tank¡¯s shield. Though simple, the special design allowed for the combination to be as smooth as possible. It functioned as a mechanism to supplement the movement of the Silhouette that had lost one leg as well as to provide additional firepower to the tank. If the Mantis-type was a human, it probably would have screamed in shock and frustration after seeing such a sight. The Mantis-type rapidly retreated. ¡¸Even if I lost a leg, my partner will pick up the slack!¡¹ ¡¸Leave navigating the battlefield to me!¡¹ The Silhouette pilot shouted boldly. The Familiar responded accordingly. The two bellowed battle cries as they chased after the retreating Mantis-type. The Dragoon tank unleashed a salvo from its 120 mm railgun and 90 mm combat rifle. It was a full display of what a multi-turret tank was capable of. No matter how tough the Mantis-type¡¯s armor was, it still couldn¡¯t withstand the fierce salvo. Its armor was gouged open, and finally, shattered to pieces. The other Dragoons also began opening fire. The remaining Mantis-types were quickly suppressed. And under their bombardment, the number of Ant Workers was also steadily whittled down. The damaged Mantis-type¡¯s abdomen exploded. It instantly lost two of its legs. A wire-guided anti-tank missile fired by a heavy attack aircraft, which was 10 kilometers out, scored a direct hit on it. The wire enabled high-dimensional projection to be applied to the missile. This made its penetrative power exceedingly high. After the direct hit, the wire self-destructed and burned away instantly. A large number of the advanced Murder force was defeated in the firefight¨C The now-severely damaged Mantis-type managed to send a transmission about the absurd situation to the Enyo before finally deactivating. It was completely destroyed. The balance was instantly turned to one side after the destruction of a Mantis-type. Another Mantis-type rushed in at high speed to destroy a Silhouette that just got off its partner tank. The one that stood in its way was Kou¡¯s Unit 5. He was piloting the newly upgraded TSW-R1B. The Type B was a high-performance machine with a built-in metallic hydrogen generation reactor. The unit was designed on the premise of being equipped with a pulse detonation engine backpack. The Silhouette-use katana created by Arges was registered under the category of electric discharge blades. Unit 5 brandished its katana and closed in on the enemy in an instant. It smoothly dodged the huge sickle swung by the enemy, moved further to the enemy¡¯s right, and unleashed a slash. It was completely different from Kou and Unit 5¡¯s first time fighting a Mantis-type Keres. It was no longer possible for the enemy to keep up with the current Unit 5. The Mantis-type lost its right sickle arm, and that led to a big opening in its defense. Unit 5 repositioned its katana to an overhead stance and proceeded to swing it down in one smooth maneuver. The attack easily tore through the Mantis-type¡¯s head unit and a part of its torso. ¡¸This is the arc blade created by Arges, the Kogetsu. A Mantis-type¡¯s armor is nothing to it.¡¹ Kou muttered under his breath in satisfaction. The name of the tachi-shaped arc blade was¡ºKogetsu¡». Kou had come up with the name. It was so sharp that it was even able to cut through the armor of a warship powered by an A-Carbuncle. The Mantis-type took a step back to gain some distance. Unit 5 anticipated the enemy¡¯s action and quickly stepped in after it. It would not allow the enemy to get away. In a smooth series of moves, Unit 5 turned the swung-down katana over and unleashed an upward diagonal slash. Further lacerations were dealt to the Mantis-type¡¯s torso. Unit 5 then proceeded to perform a maneuver that could be mistaken for a ramming attack. It aimed for the former position of the Mantis-type¡¯s lopped-off head and unleashed a full-body thrust. Its artificial muscles contracted and stretched along with its actuators, letting out grating noises. The tip of Kogetsu pierced the Mantis-type¡¯s reactor and completely destroyed it. The sight seemed unbelievable to all those who witnessed the scene, including the allied tanks and Silhouettes. There were only a few instances of people destroying Mantis-types in close-quarters combat. And moreover, this particular battle ended with the Mantis-type getting completely overwhelmed. The surrounding people quickly regained their senses soon after and concentrated fire on the remaining Mantis-type, completely destroying it as well. In just a few minutes, the remaining mixed Ant Soldier and Worker forces were completely annihilated. ¡¸Well, that was a bit disappointing.¡¹ Kou sighed. Even he didn¡¯t expect such an overwhelming result. ¡¸They were nothing but an advanced force after all. The main forces along with the Enyo are still on their way here.¡¹ Fuyuki reminded Kou so he wouldn¡¯t let his guard down. ¡¸Yeah. I know. That¡¯s the real deal huh.¡¹ ¡¸Reporting. Only one unit lost one of its legs. It can still continue combat combined with its partner tank.¡¹ A damage report was sent. ¡¸Roger. Have them retreat to get the Silhouette¡¯s leg replaced once the supply unit arrives.¡¹ Fuyuki, who was serving as squad captain, gave his instructions. ¡¸This is the Thunderstorm unit. Anti-aircraft fire from the Enyo confirmed. Proceeding to retreat.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. Be careful.¡¹ The Enyo¡¯s anti-aircraft gun was a large-caliber railgun. No matter how effective the plasma armor of the Thunderstorms was, it would still be dangerous for them to take a direct hit from it. From here on out, it was the stage for the ground troops. ¡¸The first wave of succeeding troops will be arriving in an hour.¡¹ ¡¸Roger. We really need to stop that Enyo in its tracks.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s only one Enyo. It¡¯s probably one of the Enyos that attacked Fortress Area D516. Having it aim for a Defense Dome housing refugees is strategically sound.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not something to be impressed with. It¡¯s like they no longer have any qualms about attacking humans.¡¹ ¡¸They might have already decided on a new base policy when it comes to dealing with humans. There are many former Kurt Maschinenbau employees in the Dome after all. Their goal might be to completely eliminate the Development Engineers among them.¡¹ ¡¸The survivors from Kurt-san¡¯s place huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I get that you want to help them, but in order to protect those people, we have to deal with the Enyo first.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ After being prompted by Fuyuki, Kou prepared himself to face the Enyo. It was from here that their newly acquired power was going to be fully tested. CH 94 Thunderstorm 1 prepared to land. Its thrust-vectoring engine moved into position, and before long it had completed a vertical landing. ¡¸Move Thunderstorm 1 to Elevator No. 6.¡¹ ¡¸Roger.¡¹ The combat command center sent a transmission. Blue was ordered to turn around after maintenance on her machine was performed. In other words, she was to prepare to re-sortie. The elevator descended and moved to the maintenance hangar. The maintenance personnel and machines will then conduct a check on the aircraft¡¯s remaining ammo and its armor condition. The aircraft was hauled by a Silhouette. ¡¸No damage to the aircraft detected. It¡¯ll be fully prepped for re-sortie in 20 minutes.¡¹ ¡¸Got it. Am I gonna take someone with me?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. A member of Iris 4 will come with you. Be careful when airdropping them.¡¹ Iris 4 was comprised of members who piloted their own personal machines. They didn¡¯t pilot state-of-the-art high-performance machines like the first team the Thunderstorms ferried over to the battlefield. So she needed to mind her deceleration when airdropping them. ¡¸Understood.¡¹ The aircraft was lifted by a hoist inside the hangar, and a Silhouette was loaded inside it. At the same time, the mechanics also replenished its ammo. A huge drum magazine was switched out for a new one. It was ammo for the 60 mm Gatling gun. The entire magazine was replaced. The rest of the Thunderstorm unit entered the hangar one after another from Elevator No. 6. ¡¸Maintenance team, please equip me with air-to-surface guided missiles. We¡¯ll be dealing with the Enyo next.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that, ma¡¯am!¡¹ A racoon-type Familiar who was a member of the maintenance team responded vigorously. In anticipation of the attack against the Enyo, wire-guided air-to-ground missiles with slow initial velocity but high power were prepared. The Thunderstorms were equipped with the most destructive air-to-ground missiles they had available. Presently, the ground troops should have already landed and are now heading to the front. ¡¸Everything¡¯s ready! You can go ahead and turn around!¡¹ ¡¸12 minutes huh. You guys sure are fast. ¨CThunderstorm 1, heading out.¡¹ In order to head to the battlefield again, the Thunderstorm piloted by Blue got on Elevator No. 5 and was brought up to the flight deck. A Metal Iris assault team headed out to block the Enyo¡¯s path. It had to be dealt with before it could destroy the Defense Dome. ¡¸We¡¯re about to enter combat range. We can only brace for a one-sided attack before we get them in range as well though. The enemies consist of an Enyo, Mantis-types, and Beetle-types. There are no Ant-types among their forces. Is the production unable to keep up with the demand? Or maybe they don¡¯t want to produce them in the first place.¡¹ ¡¸Meaning?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s said that the captured unmanned factories were primarily converted to Keres production lines. They had taken down Fortress Area D516, so they should have already converted the facilities there as well, but it looks like they didn¡¯t. These forces are probably still the same ones that participated in the attack on D516.¡¹ ¡¸That sounds like it¡¯s gonna lead to a lot more trouble later.¡¹ It was certainly encouraging to learn that the number of enemy forces hasn¡¯t increased. However, the problem was what exactly the Stones were using the captured production lines to make. It could possibly spell a lot of trouble for Kou and the others later on. ¡¸Being too tall can be considered a disadvantage, but being that tough and huge offers more than enough benefits to ignore that flaw.¡¹ The bombardment from the Enyo had begun. For something as tall as an Enyo, looking down on the battlefield from above gave it a clear and unobstructed view of the surroundings. They were now in its range. They were still relatively far apart though, so the Enyo¡¯s attacks served more as a check, but if they got hit directly, they¡¯d immediately get destroyed. ¡¸With our numbers, it¡¯s impossible for us to stop the enemy forces. Since we¡¯re in the middle of a wasteland, the speed of the reinforcements heading here is affected by the rough terrain. It will still take some time for the tank corps to arrive.¡¹ ¡¸But we can¡¯t just stand here and continue to take a one-sided bombardment.¡¹ ¡¸Right. Let¡¯s start counterattacking.¡¹ The Silhouettes and tanks combined once again and deployed into a formation of eight Dragoons. The high-mobility units piloted by Kou and the others closely followed after them. They took a roundabout route and waited for the enemy forces to approach. Finally, the enemies also entered their attack range. ¡¸There are about thirty Beetle-types. There are a lot of Stags among them. There are only a dozen Rhinoceros beetles.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve confirmed their abilities using the data Kurt-san sent us. The Stag beetles primarily serve as escort machines. The Rhinoceros beetles are the main attack units and are equipped with high-dimensional projection armor.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a pretty powerful set-up. Let¡¯s deal with them carefully.¡¹ Each side fired on the other. The Rhinoceros beetles proved tough, as expected. They didn¡¯t even flinch even when hit by railgun fire. The accompanying Stags were also quite troublesome. They sported thick armor and large-caliber laser cannons. The laser cannons weren¡¯t as powerful as railguns, of course. But they were destructive enough to pose a threat. Kou and the other Silhouettes used the Dragoon tanks as cover as they exchanged fire with the enemy. The Enyo was fast approaching. It was accompanied by many Telkhines. ¡¸It doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯ll be able to hold until reinforcements arrive. There are no machines that can run on rough terrain like this at a speed of 120 km/h or more. I wonder if the aircraft can transport reinforcements to us in time though.¡¹ The maximum speed of tanks on rough terrain in the 21st century was about 50 km/h. Even the more advanced tanks on Planet Asia can only manage about 80 km/h. ¡¸That might not be the case, Fuyuki-san.¡¹ A Stag suddenly collapsed on the ground. There was a gaping hole on its body. Then, it was hit by successive attacks and turned into a beehive. ¡¸Nyanta, Aki, you guys made it here first huh.¡¹ ¡¸Soldiers value high speed nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Please leave this to us.¡¹ The two people inside their respective MCS responded. Two unusual Silhouettes appeared from the distance. They were four-legged Silhouettes that the Metal Iris members apart from Kou haven¡¯t seen before. Nyanta¡¯s machine sported an AK2, while Aki¡¯s machine was holding a long lance-type weapon. QST-01 Epona. It was a quadrupedal Assault Colossus specialized for combat that was designed for the sake of Aki and Nyanta. It was a machine that bore the name of the Ancient Greek goddess of cavalry, and it sported beauty worthy of such a namesake. The Epona rushed ahead while brandishing its lance. Aki was in charge of close combat. The Epona¡¯s lance easily penetrated the armor of a Rhinoceros-type. ¡¸Gooo!¡¹ Aki cried out, and the lance tip unfolded. A tremendous amount of plasma was emitted from the tip. It was an armor-piercing burst lance that released superheated plasma through the use of metallic hydrogen. It was a new weapon that Kou built especially for Aki. Taking advantage of the opening the Epona created, the rest of the Metal Iris forces turned up the offensive. Nyanta also joined in to provide fire support, and the mass-production variant of the combat type Quattro Silhouette, QST-02 Epos, ran up from behind the allied troops and started opening fire. ¡¸Damn! Silhouettes with four legs! These things exist!?¡¹ One of the Metal Iris exclaimed in shock and excitement. The Quattro Silhouettes were secret weapons that even amazed their allies. ¡¸We hurriedly loaded the units inside the Cimon-class after the pilots finished operational training. There was no time to introduce them to the rest of the members. These are Silhouettes made for Therianthrope use; the Quattro Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸The Shadow Boss is awesome!¡¹ The rest of the members were thoroughly impressed by Kou. ¡¸The ability of these quadrupedal units to sprint on rough terrain certainly can¡¯t be matched by tracked vehicles. They literally are cavalry that arrived in a pinch.¡¹ Fuyuki seemed particularly impressed by the mobility of the new machines. The stability of quadrupedal machines when in motion certainly can¡¯t be matched by bipedal ones. Hence, they could afford to run on rough terrain without any trouble. ¡¸Kou-kun, what about that lance weapon?¡¹ ¡¸Ah, I¡¯ll tell you all about it later!¡¹ Kou urged Fuyuki, who had a faint impression that he¡¯d seen the plasma lance weapon before, to concentrate on the current battle. ¡¸This machine is the best! Thank you nyaa, Kou!¡¹ Nyanta ran around the battlefield and cleaned up the Stags with her AK2. ¡¸Amazing. They have such speed and agility even without using backpacks. Is that really possible?¡¹ The overwhelming mobility of the new machines stunned the rest of the Metal Iris members. The Stag beetle-types were quickly routed. The Rhinoceros beetles recognized the Quattro Silhouettes as strong enemies. One quickly stood before Aki. Even if the machine had taken a direct hit from the enemy¡¯s railgun, Aki¡¯s Epona didn¡¯t even flinch. ¡¸This burst lance was made specifically to pierce through heavy-armored units like this Rhinoceros. ¨CHere I go!¡¹ Aki rushed ahead and served as the vanguard. The people behind her hurriedly followed in order to support her. ¡¸We¡¯ve taken the initiative. Let¡¯s go.¡¹ With Kou¡¯s command, the Metal Iris troops intensified their offensive. CH 95 The combat situation had been reversed. The Metal Iris forces were now composed of an additional eight-member Quattro Silhouette squad and four recently airdropped cavalry tanks along with their partner Silhouettes. The heavy attack aircrafts also brought over an additional four regular Silhouettes. The Thunderstorm heavy attack aircraft squadron proceeded to fire their air-to-surface guided missiles on the Enyo. They had turned to support the ground troops. In the middle of the battle, they were informed that the armored combat vehicle shock troops and the supply squad had also arrived. The fierce battle with the Beetle-types continued. Due to the toughness of their armor, the Silhouettes had switched to close combat weapons. They were stabbing and slashing the enemies with their bayonets and two-handed swords. A troublesome aspect of the Beetle-types was their flight capability. They used it to suddenly accelerate and charge at the Metal Iris troops. It was troublesome to deal with because the resulting blow was pretty powerful. Their horns played a large part in such destructive strength. ¡¸Kou, we¡¯ll handle the rest of the enemy troops. You and your team should go and deal with the Enyo as planned!¡¹ Aki shouted through the comms. ¡¸Understood, Aki! Guess it¡¯s about time, Fuyuki-san.¡¹ Unit 5¡¯s backpack deployed its flight wings. ¡¸Got it. Then, shall we? Time for the mass-production version Huckebein model ¡®Badb Catha¡¯ to strut its stuff!¡¹ Fuyuki and the others deployed similar-looking wings from their machine¡¯s backpacks. The KSR-21 Badb Catha. This unit that held the name ¡®battle crow¡¯ was a mass-produced machine that had been manufactured following the blueprints Kurt had sent over. The reborn Huckebein had adopted many new cutting-edge technologies, turning it into a truly high-performance new generation Silhouette. However, that also led to drastically increased production costs. Therefore, the Badb Catha was a more economical mass-production version that inherited the most notable features of the Huckebein. The detonation engine was externally attached to avoid the excessive bulk of the Silhouette¡¯s frame. As a result, the machine was one size smaller than the Huckebein. It was driven through the use of artificial muscles and lightweight nanoceramic armor capable of activating optical camouflage. Similar to the Huckebein, its feet also sported the distinctive three front toes. TAKABA had also begun mass-producing similar machines in earnest. Takaba Hyoue had done his best to inherit Kurt¡¯s will. Their version was called the TSR-21 Yatagarasu. It was a thoroughly Japanese name. The Badb Catha¡¯s most notable features were its speed and agility. Although it was still quite an expensive machine, its total cost was still one-fifth that of the Huckebein¡¯s. It can be said that the Huckebein was a machine designed while completely disregarding profit and loss. The four machines activated their vectoring thrusters at full capacity to launch themselves in the air. Kou was at the very front of their formation. The Badb Cathas spread to the sides and followed after Unit 5. ¡¸Kou! Stop! You¡¯re rushing ahead too fast!¡¹ Blue couldn¡¯t help but shout in warning. Perhaps getting far too eager, Kou unwittingly launched Unit 5 right in front of the Enyo in an instant. In order to swat Unit 5 away, the Enyo swung one of its forelimbs at a speed uncharacteristic of its gigantic size. ¡¸Huh!?¡¹ Blue and the rest of the pilots instantly turned speechless. ¡¸Hah!¡¹ Letting out a yell filled with fighting spirit, Kou made Unit 5 draw Kogetsu and matched the momentum of the Enyo¡¯s swing. Kogetsu flashed brightly, and the gigantic forelimb was severed and thrown to the sky. It was completely cut off in one slash. The severed forelimb that had stuck itself on the ground was proof that what happened was real. ¡¸What the heck is that glowing weapon¡­¡­?¡¹ Blue couldn¡¯t help but mutter in shock. The sword¡¯s sharpness was unbelievable. Unit 5 rose up and proceeded to slash at the Enyo¡¯s head. The Telkhines on the ground unleashed anti-aircraft fire, but Kou made good use of the Enyo¡¯s huge frame to avoid all the attacks. ¡¸Let¡¯s attack as well while Kou¡¯s keeping the enemies busy.¡¹ The Badb Cathas quickly flanked the Enyo by making good use of their speed and agility. Each of the machines wrapped something around the Enyo¡¯s huge legs. Fuyuki also proceeded to wrap a wire around one of the Enyo¡¯s legs while watching out for a tail swipe. ¡¸All units fall back! Detonation in 5 seconds. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!¡¹ The wires ignited. The machines detached the wires from their hands, and they exploded all at once. What they had just used was a type of wire explosive infused with metallic hydrogen. Due to the explosions, the Enyo¡¯s joints malfunctioned, making its entire body drop to the ground. The tanks and Silhouettes concentrated their fire on the downed Enyo and unleashed a fierce barrage. Kou had also brought Kogetsu down and switched to shooting at the enemy with his AK2. The Badb Cathas quickly separated themselves from the Enyo. In addition to their maneuverability, the speed at which their wings were deployed and their acceleration were also considerable. The Thunderstorm squadron surrounded the Enyo. They proceeded to fire their underslung rocket launchers at the Enyo. Explosions went off consecutively. The power of each attack might not be that much on their own, but it was a concentrated bombardment from four aircraft. They had certainly caused considerable damage. The escorting Telkhines couldn¡¯t approach to assist due to the fierce bombardment, and the Silhouette squad proceeded to clean them up. And then, the Badb Cathas descended from the air like ominous birds. ¡¸You¡¯re slow!¡¹ Making use of its overwhelming mobility, a Badb Catha instantly moved to the flank of a Telkhines. The Telkhines couldn¡¯t even manage to swing its spear before its flank was torn apart. The other Telkhines started shooting at it in retaliation, but the Badb Catha deployed its gray wings, fired up its thrusters, and quickly took to the air to dodge their attacks. Although the Telkhines tried to chase after it, the other Badb Cathas came down and proceeded to cut them down one after another. These flying high-performance Silhouettes were not in the database of the Telkhines, so they couldn¡¯t perform effective countermeasures. The Quattro Silhouettes had also engaged in close-quarters combat. Aki¡¯s lance pierced a Telkhines¡¯ torso, and Nyanta¡¯s AK2 destroyed a Stag. The bombardment had ceased. Wreckages of Beetle-types that had attempted to protect the Enyo were strewn all around. The Enyo itself was still moving. Kou made Unit 5 return Kogetsu to its sheath and quickly ascended to the air. And then, it had descended directly onto the part of the Enyo¡¯s gigantic frame that housed its reactor. Using the momentum of the fall, Unit 5 performed an overwhelmingly quick sword draw. The tip of the flashing blade reached the Enyo¡¯s reactor and cut it down. The Enyo¡¯s compound eyes shone brightly for a short moment before completely losing their light. ¡¸This is Iris 1. The Enyo has been successfully destroyed.¡¹ Kou contacted the Cimon-class. Cheers rang out inside the combat command center. ¡¸Proceeding with mopping up the remaining enemy forces.¡¹ Kou had not let his guard down. After reminding the ones in the Cimon-class to remain alert, he cut off the transmission. Victory was right around the corner. Everyone who was present was convinced this was the case. CH 96 The Cimon-class made landfall on a sandy beach. It was now in the middle of retrieving all the units that had sortied out to fight in the operation. Two Hangar Carriers were returning from the Defense Dome. They didn¡¯t contain Silhouettes. The ones on board were all humans. All the refugees from Fortress Area D516 have been taken in. There were many young men, women, and Familiars among them. Kou and the others watched the proceedings from the combat command center. ¡¸A majority of them are Kurt Maschinenbau employees and related staff. There are also personal staff members of the area administrator among them.¡¹ ¡¸I thought it would be better for them to be taken in by us since they¡¯re still being suspected.¡¹ ¡¸The Dome administrator himself seems to have urged them to leave. It does leave a bad aftertaste.¡¹ Until now, it was rare for the Murders under the command of the Stones to conduct a pursuit operation against refugees. That¡¯s why it was only natural to think that they were aiming for the transferee company¡¯s employees instead of the original residents of the Dome. ¡¸Once the new refugee area is finished, please move them all there. They¡¯ll stay here on the ship for now.¡¹ ¡¸Right. We¡¯re lacking personnel after all. There are a lot of Development Engineers among them. There¡¯s no doubt that they¡¯ll be a big help. The enemy won¡¯t be able to track the Cimon-class that¡¯s capable of underwater navigation. They don¡¯t have to worry about being chased down anymore.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good then. They also said they were willing to cooperate with us.¡¹ If one has the qualification as a Development Engineer, one can at least operate a small workshop or some work machines. Although Kou was doing his best to oversee everything, it was still fairly hard to micromanage. If he could get some help in that area, he¡¯d wholeheartedly welcome it. ¡¸The operation is a success. The Defense Dome sent us a thank you message. They said this was the first and last time they¡¯d make such a request.¡¹ ¡¸Because they didn¡¯t issue a formal request, they¡¯re not obligated to hand over any reward. It¡¯s just a diplomatic way of saying ¡®get out of here already¡¯. Those guys are probably celebrating like idiots right now.¡¹ Robert scoffed and shrugged his shoulders. Even though they did receive a reward from Okeanos, the Defense Dome normally should have also given a separate reward. ¡¸I submitted a formal claim regarding the defense reward. As expected, since the request didn¡¯t go through the Mercenary Association, they didn¡¯t treat it as official, so the claim didn¡¯t go through. I did make sure to say we won¡¯t accept other similar requests in the future, so that made them panic a bit, but I immediately hung up after that.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a bad precedent after all.¡¹ Even though the defense operation was accomplished successfully, the response of the Defense Dome afterward was frankly terrible. Since the request wasn¡¯t made through the Mercenary Association, the Dome officials didn¡¯t hesitate to refuse to pay any reward money. So Metal Iris had to settle for the reward for defeating the Enyo that was paid directly by Okeanos. If such a matter were to spread, others might try the same thing and make requests to Metal Iris without any intention of paying any reward. Hence, it set a bad precedent. ¡¸We¡¯ve gotten some good combat data though. We aren¡¯t exactly powerful enough to go head-to-head with the enemy yet, but we do have more than enough power to put up a good fight.¡¹ ¡¸There are no other Underground Forces that have managed to defeat two Enyos.¡¹ ¡¸The Dragoon tanks proved to be very effective. They also served as great cover for the other units when combined.¡¹ Rick nodded in agreement. The pilots of the cavalry tanks were basically Familiars, so he was happy to see them do well. ¡¸The transport helicopters and heavy attack aircrafts also performed very well. Troop deployment speed is a very important aspect of combat operations after all.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, wait. That just reminded me of something. What the heck were those Silhouettes piloted by Therianthropes!? When did you load them up!? Actually, when did you make them in the first place!?¡¹ Jenny pinched Kou¡¯s cheeks and stretched them out. Kou escaped from her and hurriedly hid behind Blue. ¡¸Those were basically prepared in a hurry. The training of the Therianthrope pilots got finished literally just before we sortied for the operation.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t you think the world would get turned upside down now that Therianthropes can also pilot Silhouettes?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m planning on making it exclusive to our Silhouette Base for now. The Therianthrope-use Silhouettes will serve as one of our main attractions when recruiting personnel.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll be exclusive to us? They¡¯d definitely attract a lot of attention!¡¹ ¡¸Just how many hidden aces do you have up your sleeve, Shadow Boss?¡¹ Rick was also quite amazed. The Therianthrope-use Silhouettes were quadrupedal, but they also sported humanoid arms. Hence, they could be used for precision work. There was no doubt that the burden placed on the Familiars would be reduced. ¡¸There actually isn¡¯t a lot, okay?¡¹ ¡¸What about that weapon that severed the Enyo¡¯s forelimb clean? I just looked it up, and something like that is impossible for even the most high-performance Silhouette swords.¡¹ Blue leaned her neck to the side as she inquired. It was a cute gesture, but also scary because her eyes weren¡¯t smiling at all. ¡¸It was really sharp, wasn¡¯t it?¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t try to pass it off as normal!¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t talk about Arges, so he had no choice but to gloss over the topic. ¡¸By the way, is Kurt-san¡¯s safety still not confirmed?¡¹ ¡¸It looks like the enemy really was aiming for Mr. Kurt. His former company employees also suspect this was the case. Either he successfully escaped together with the Familiars after a fierce resistance, or died under the enemy¡¯s fierce pursuit¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Kurt-san did show the intent to fight to the bitter end. But if he¡¯s aware that he¡¯s being targeted, will he really risk joining up with the people from his company?¡¹ ¡¸Him surviving might just be our wishful thinking though.¡¹ ¡¸I know. But, at least, we now know that he was pursued. If he¡¯s still alive, they definitely haven¡¯t captured him yet. Right now, we can only pray for his safety. Let¡¯s hope that we can immediately come to his rescue if he does reappear.¡¹ At the very least, Kou resolved himself to take care of the people Kurt had fought to protect. He had no choice but to be content with this for the time being. Kou went back to the hangar and checked on the situation of the machines that sortied out in the operation. Marl and the other maintenance team members were busy servicing them. He also spotted Aimer¡¯s machine among them. Voy was checking out Unit 5. When they spotted Kou, Nyanta, Aki, and the other Therianthropes immediately surrounded him. ¡¸It¡¯s amazing nyaa! This Silhouette is super amazing nyaa!¡¹ ¡¸Kou, this will be considered a technological revolution even during the Interplanetary War era. At the very least, it is for us.¡¹ The two ladies were very moved. The others were equally moved as well. Some were even crying. ¡¸I-It can¡¯t be that big of a deal, right¡­¡­?¡¹ Kou meekly downplayed the matter, but the surrounding people shook their heads. ¡¸When we first boarded these Silhouettes, we truly thought we could already die happy right there and then you know?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t even want to get off when I got back to the hangar. Kou-sama! Please let us officially join as members of the Quattro Silhouette squad!¡¹ A young man with fox ears and a young girl with rabbit ears emotionally begged Kou to make them official pilots. They were Nyanta and Aki¡¯s batchmates. In other words, they were part of the Therianthropes who formerly slept inside Astraea. ¡¸Don¡¯t die on me, you hear?¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ Kou was honestly troubled about the matter. They were acting like they¡¯d even be willing to worship him as some kind of Messiah. Kou considered the matter an accomplishment due to the power of Asia and Prometheus. So he was unwilling to take credit for it. ¡¸You can continue to pilot the machines you used today, everyone. But you might get assigned to the maintenance or supply team instead. Are you fine with that?¡¹ ¡¸With pleasure!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great. It¡¯ll take a load off the Familiars, so I¡¯m counting on you all!¡¹ The surrounding Therianthropes rejoiced. ¡¸Also, Kou is off-limits, guys.¡¹ ¡¸Eh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Why¡­¡­?¡¹ Sorrowful cries went up here and there. Kou tried his best to ignore them. ¡¸Let¡¯s name the unit the Quattro Trooper Division. Nyanta will be the captain. Aki¡¯s a little too gung-ho for the job.¡¹ ¡¸Eh¨C?¡¹ ¡¸Roger nyaa. The Quattro Trooper Division huh? Nice!¡¹ Nyanta, who was also worried about her sister¡¯s unexpected propensity to act recklessly in combat, immediately accepted Kou¡¯s proposal. ¡¸The Therianthropes will play an active role from now on using the Quattro Silhouettes. So you guys also need to be good role models to the younger generations of Therianthropes.¡¹ ¡¸Please leave it to us!¡¹ ¡¸I think everyone will be really happy!¡¹ Although he had been a bit thrown off by their enthusiasm at first, Kou was truly happy for the Therianthropes. CH 97 Presently, everyone was having their lunch beneath Arges¡¯ feet. At first, only Kou and Voy were having a meal while chatting with Arges. Kou was eating rations while Voy was having a honey-infused drink. But before long, Aimer came over with a sandwich, and eventually, Aki and Nyanta sniffed things out and joined in as well. They decided to eat together, and that led to the current situation. Kou thought it was important for everyone to spend time together like this, so he welcomed it. Ponko took care of all the arrangements and the meal proceeded smoothly. She brought over a serving cart filled with a variety of dishes. Arges also stopped working to join in the fun this time around. He was mostly silent, but he did participate in conversations from time to time. ¡¸So we have onigiri today huh. Whoah, we have tamagoyaki and karaage too!¡¹ ¡¸You really love eating those two dishes huh, Kou. Just you wait. I¡¯m gonna be able to make them for you soon!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll definitely try them out once you¡¯ve made them.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll make some too!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll try my hand at it as well nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Great. I¡¯ll try all of your cooking, guys.¡¹ Everyone ate and chatted happily. Aki and Nyanta immediately mastered how to use chopsticks. Aimer struggled a bit, but she¡¯s made good progress and can handle them fine already. Rather, it might be Kou who¡¯s the least skillful with chopsticks, ironically. ¡¸Metal Iris¡¯ large-scale recruitment drive will be conducted in a Fortress Area, right? I bet it¡¯s gonna create a lot of buzz.¡¹ Voy stated as he ate honey with a spoon. ¡¸I still haven¡¯t decided on which Fortress Area we¡¯re gonna conduct it in though. I¡¯m planning on recruiting via the Mercenary Association. But it¡¯s still a ways off though. I want to hold it in a Fortress Area with a lot of Therianthropes and Familiars if possible. It looks like we¡¯re getting invitations from a lot of Fortress Areas around the planet though.¡¹ ¡¸Their area administrators all want to get along with the current Metal Iris after all.¡¹ Even in Voy¡¯s eyes, the current strength possessed by Metal Iris was already pretty high. They¡¯ve already mass-produced weapons incorporated with plenty of previously lost technology after all. Furthermore, it was now even possible for them to have the Therianthropes serve as Silhouette pilots (something previously unthinkable) and join the workforce. ¡¸I don¡¯t really care about those guys¡¯ motives. Anyway, let¡¯s go shopping together when we come over to the city area, okay?¡¹ ¡¸Yay!¡¹ ¡¸Is it really okay?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Uh, I think I¡¯ll pass. It¡¯s gonna take a heck of a lot of time if ya go shopping with ladies.¡¹ Voy frowned as he muttered under his breath. He was acting like he¡¯s reminiscing something. ¡¸Haha. Can¡¯t really deny that. You can look after this place then, Voy. But you can always come over if you feel bored.¡¹ ¡¸Ou. Leave it to me. I¡¯ll go and help out if ya need me.¡¹ ¡¸Something like that won¡¯t happen.¡¹ ¡¸Right. We will go where Kou wants to go.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re always together with Kou anyway, Voy. Let us spend time with him as well nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Gotcha. Ya guys can string Kou along as much as ya want.¡¹ After having their fill and chatting around lightheartedly for a while, Kou finally stood up and addressed everyone. ¡¸I¡¯ll go ahead and head back up, guys.¡¹ ¡¸I should be goin¡¯ too.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll go and help out Ma-chan.¡¹ They were referring to the Silhouette Base above ground. Kou and Voy headed to the elevator. Aimer also stood up and headed for the maintenance facility. Ponko collected the used tableware and brought them away for cleanup. Aki and Nyanta stayed behind and chatted with Arges. ¡¸Arges, I¡¯ve never seen you go so far for a human.¡¹ Aki addressed the usually taciturn giant robot. ¡¸The arc blade ¡ª something that surpasses even the ultrahard carbide blade used during the Interplanetary War era. To think you would actually go to the trouble of conducting trial and error experiments just to produce such a thing.¡¹ ¡¸There were many humans who¡¯ve ordered me around arbitrarily in the past. But this was the first time a human offered to join me in making something.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. That happened to us too.¡¹ ¡¸We failed a lot of times. It would be fine even if he¡¯d scolded me. But Kou didn¡¯t do that. Instead, he used what he knew to think about possible solutions together with me. He watched closely as I did my work. I cannot express just how encouraging that was, and just how happy it made me. I¡¯m just a production robot you know.¡¹ ¡¸Kou doesn¡¯t think so.¡¹ ¡¸Exactly. He doesn¡¯t think of me as a mere manufacturing machine. He stays by my side, sees the same things as I do, and tries to accompany me in the truest sense. That¡¯s why I decided that I won¡¯t treat him as a regular human as well. That¡¯s simply how it is.¡¹ Arges delivered his words with a distinct robotic tone. But his words still somehow managed to convey his goodwill. ¡¸It¡¯s you guys who are having a greater time. Quattro Silhouette. Calling it a revolutionary step in technological development is still selling it short. It¡¯s nothing less than an evolution.¡¹ Nyanta closed her eyes and nodded in satisfaction after hearing Arges¡¯ words. ¡¸Yes. Just as you say, it¡¯s definitely an evolution. We were given the same functions as humans, yet they also greedily made us adopt the functions of animals, and in the end, we were rejected by the Fennel OS.¡¹ Nyanta talked while reminiscing about the past. ¡¸And with the birth of the Nereids who were able to pilot Silhouettes unlike us, our reason for existence became solely to help increase the human population. To put it badly, we were just treated as a means for breeding. Honestly, ours was a far too half-baked existence.¡¹ ¡¸Just how much did our fellow Therianthropes worry about their position in society? We were lifeforms who were neither Nereids nor Familiars¡­¡­¡¹ Aki spoke out next. She remembered the time she referred to herself as an unneeded existence in front of Kou. ¡¸I¨C I and Nyanta probably won¡¯t be able to part from Kou anymore. Every time we pilot the Quattro Silhouettes¡­ No, every time we see them, we¡¯d get reminded of just how they came about. Kou made them for us. All for our sake.¡¹ ¡¸The essence of a Silhouette is not being a weapon but a way to expand human possibility. The Quattro will definitely do the same for us Therianthropes¡­¡­ Through us, Kou will give the Therianthropes a new reason to live. A true sense of existence.¡¹ The two, no, three persons were of one mind at this moment. ¡¸Therianthropes. We half-baked existences. Has there ever been any other person who¡¯s taken us so seriously?¡¹ ¡¸There were none. At the very least, there was no one like that around us two in the past.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m really glad to see you two acting so animated. Honestly, I want to thank Kou for this as well. Especially in your case, Aki.¡¹ ¡¸Keep it a secret from Kou, okay?¡¹ ¡¸I understand. Besides, I also find the Quattro very interesting. That¡¯s because there will be a need to make weapons that can¡¯t be equipped by regular Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸That lance was really effective against those new Keres models!¡¹ ¡¸Alright. Let¡¯s go ahead and talk about our main concern for today, shall we? Please tell me your impressions about the attitude controls of the Quattro Silhouette. I want to use them as references for the development of close-combat weapons.¡¹ The three of them specialized in weapons development after all. Hence, the three very naturally discussed making even more new Silhouette weapons and equipment with Kou none the wiser. CH 98 The K113 Defense Dome was subjected to an enemy invasion. But it wasn¡¯t by unmanned killing machines like the Murders. Instead, it was carried out by Silhouettes belonging to the Stones. ¡¸Just¡­¡­ what the heck is that Silhouette¡­¡­?¡¹ An Underground Force military who was part of the Dome¡¯s defense line muttered fearfully. They were overrun by a jet-black Silhouette they¡¯d never seen before. ¡¸I-It¡¯s too fast. Please help m¡­¡­¡¹ An ally in front of him fired his machine¡¯s autocannons indiscriminately. But in the blink of an eye, he was cut down with a greatsword. The wreckage of many Silhouettes and armored cars were scattered all over the place. They faced just a mere twelve Silhouettes but ended up almost completely annihilated. The mercenary¡¯s partner fired his Silhouette¡¯s rifle. The rounds scored direct hits on an enemy Silhouette, but sparks went off on the surface of its armor, and it only suffered bullet marks. ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me they have the latest electromagnetic armor!?¡¹ Their mobility also didn¡¯t match the enemy Silhouette¡¯s appearances. Their feet all had grim-looking crow-like toes. ¡¸N-No!¡¹ The mercenary shouted as he attempted to help his partner, but the latter¡¯s machine no longer had its upper body. It was cut off at the waist. The enemy machines were both really fast and extraordinarily tough. A warning siren rang out. Their rear had been taken down. ¡¸What the hell!?¡¹ The pilot chuckled self-deprecatingly as he despaired about the difference in the mobility of his and the enemy¡¯s machines. Since his allies had fallen, there was already no hope for victory. It was an overwhelming difference in mobility. Many of the enemy Silhouettes didn¡¯t even use firearms and just defeated his allies with greatswords. ¡¸This is checkmate, Mr. Mercenary. ¨CIf you surrender without resisting, I¡¯d at least spare your life.¡¹ A man called out for the mercenary¡¯s surrender. That man was Bardo. ¡¸¡­¡­I surrender.¡¹ It seemed that a few of the mercenary¡¯s allies were killed. Those who were haphazardly cut down but still had their MCS in one piece managed to survive though. ¡¸Raven Corps, proceed with taking over the control center.¡¹ ¡¸Sir!¡¹ The jet-black machines behind him rushed out at Bardo¡¯s command. ¡¸You did it, captain.¡¹ His vice-captain, Miles, called out to Bardo. ¡¸This is the third Defense Dome we¡¯ve managed to capture. And with a small force at that.¡¹ ¡¸The Raven Corps really showed their stuff.¡¹ The machines Miles and the rest were piloting were brand new. They were renamed machines heavily based on Kurt¡¯s Badb Catha. They had used the captured factories of Kurt Maschinenbau to manufacture them. Most of the data stored in the factories was deleted. However, Alberto managed to recover them in the end. Then he went on to reverse engineer the machine using a Huckebein captured in battle and the remaining prototype parts. He covered the rest with trial and error. ¡¸Yeah. And this Corvus. It seems to be a just a recreation of the Huckebein, but its performance is still on another level.¡¹ The machine Bardo was piloting was nearly a one-for-one copy of the Huckebein. Its performance was at least one level higher than the Ravens. The envoy sent by the stones had actually managed to lift the technological seal that normally couldn¡¯t be broken without an A-Class Development Engineer. It was a feat that they weren¡¯t able to do in the past. Even so, they merely recovered a number of parts combinations. Alberto and the rest still needed to handle manufacturing a usable unit. In the end, they managed to succeed through the use of the Huckebein prototype¡¯s remaining parts, but the resulting machine¡¯s external appearance changed significantly. However, its performance was really close to the original. Alberto made full use of his genius to make the new machine even tougher than the original. But he was still unsatisfied. Alberto desperately tried to replicate the original¡¯s performance but was eventually forced to compromise. Currently, they were proceeding into mass production by using a metallic hydrogen reactor provided by the demigods. ¡¸The heavy tanks corps and siege vehicles should be arriving soon.¡¹ ¡¸We really have to hand it to that artillery maniac. With those, we¡¯ll break through the Defense Dome¡¯s walls in no time.¡¹ The mercenaries under the Stones have also strengthened themselves quite a bit through the use of technology they¡¯ve plundered from the human side. The metallic hydrogen reactor was particularly valuable. Bardo¡¯s forces being handed twelve Ravens and the Corvus was exceptional treatment. He had managed to gain the trust of the Stones by engaging the enemy Development Engineer. ¡¸We easily managed to break through their defense net. But there are also enemies who possess this kind of strength.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re working directly under the Stones and are treated much like a formal army. Are there really enemies who possess assets comparable to our own?¡¹ ¡¸There are. It¡¯s those Metal Iris guys.¡¹ ¡¸I admit that we lost against them back then. But they had the assistance of Storm Hound at the time. And even if they actually merged together, can they really be on par with our forces?¡¹ ¡¸More than just on par. After all, they have with them a Development Engineer who managed to pull out technology and know-how to produce something as great as this Corvus. Those guys are strong. They might even be swimming in funds.¡¹ ¡¸Are you seriously saying that?¡¹ Miles thought it was unusual for his captain to give an enemy force such credit. After all, they eventually retreated back then. They must at least have been worn out by that battle, Miles surmised. ¡¸I¡¯m just saying what Old Man Alberto told me. But I do agree with him. We don¡¯t know if they have a machine as capable as this Corvus.¡¹ ¡¸Then they¡¯re an enemy we wouldn¡¯t want to fight if possible. I¡¯d rather engage an easily conquered enemy like this one.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t say that man. There¡¯s no excitement in fighting easy battles like this one.¡¹ ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon, captain¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Oh, it looks like those guys already managed to bring down the control center. With this, we¡¯ve managed to take over a human stronghold without using the Stones-sama¡¯s prized Murders.¡¹ Bardo muttered under his breath as he turned his gaze toward the control center towering in the distance. He and his men now possessed overwhelming force. ¡¸The mercenaries we captured agreed to join us.¡¹ ¡¸Good. Money, food, women. Give them enough, and most wouldn¡¯t be able to resist.¡¹ It was faster to kill enemies, of course. But there¡¯s also a need to increase the number of their troops. The Stones are surely working on bolstering their forces even further as well. ¡¸Let¡¯s get in touch with the Areopagus Council. It looks like they¡¯re still planning something nasty. We¡¯ll be working our behinds off for a while.¡¹ Bardo muttered happily. There was another battlefield waiting for him. It was just perfect for their flock of carrion-eating crows. CH 99 Kou had convened with Jenny, Rick, the newly promoted ship captain Robert, and his first mate Rick for a meeting. Nyanta, Aki, and Aimer were also present. ¡¸It¡¯s pretty rare for you to call us over for a meeting too, Kou.¡¹ Ever since Robert was appointed as the captain of the Cimon-class, Kou had never given him any direct orders and allowed him free reign over the ship. He did feel happy about it, but it¡¯s also true that he felt a little left out as well. ¡¸Sorry. I have to trouble you all today. Actually, I¡¯m gonna propose a plan for a large-scale operation this time.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Hou. A proposal by Kou huh.¡¹ Barry muttered. It was quite unusual for Kou to make such a proposal. ¡¸Rick, I¡¯m not really familiar with combat strategies and tactics, but I want to conduct a blitzkrieg.¡¹ ¡¸Do you have any idea about what a blitzkrieg actually is?¡¹ ¡¸I do¡­¡­ I think.¡¹ ¡¸Then please tell us what your purpose is in suggesting we conduct a blitzkrieg.¡¹ ¡¸I want to pressure the Stones as much as possible and give an intense and lasting psychological blow to the enemy camp.¡¹ ¡¸Mm.¡¹ Rick laughed in amusement. It seemed like he approved. The true essence of a blitzkrieg was not a lightning-fast assault against the enemy. Even though it was a pretty well-known and popular combat tactic, there were few instances of actually making effective use of it. It¡¯s mainly to throw the enemy forces into disarray by quickly breaking through the enemy defense network, infiltrating the back lines, and dealing decisive blows to the enemy¡¯s vulnerable bases and headquarters. It was a tactic that came with an extremely high risk of the assaulting unit becoming isolated behind enemy lines and surrounded by the enemy¡¯s main forces. ¡¸Alright then. Let¡¯s go ahead and conduct a blitzkrieg. But many of the enemy forces consist of unmanned machines. What are we gonna do that¡¯ll put pressure on them?¡¹ ¡¸Retrieving Asia. There are still several places where parts of Asia¡¯s data are imprisoned. While the Stones are busily expanding the front lines, we¡¯ll hit their more lightly defended backline. But I¡¯m still not sure about exactly which place we should target¡­¡­¡¹ At this point, Aimer raised her face and spoke out. ¡¸Kou, How about F811?¡¹ ¡¸Master! Oh, right, that can work¡­¡­!¡¹ Jenny and the others were unaware of Master¡¯s consciousness residing within Aimer. Master nodded deeply through Aimer¡¯s body and closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes next, she was back to being Aimer. Aimer smiled and nodded toward Kou. ¡¸Fortress Area F811 is located pretty deep in enemy territory, and it¡¯s also near the coast. We¡¯ll raid it and retrieve the part of Asia¡¯s data held captive within it.¡¹ ¡¸Okay, Kou. It¡¯s a proposal worth considering. Tell us about your plan.¡¹ Everyone turned serious gazes toward Kou. If it was the usual Kou, he would have responded with a sheepish smile, but this time around, he met everyone¡¯s gazes. ¡¸Let¡¯s launch an assault from the sea using the Cimon-class. Then a unit will infiltrate the Fortress Area and retrieve Asia. The enemy has just finished taking over Fortress Areas on the front lines. So their rear¡¯s current defenses should be thin. After all, they should still be busy plundering resources from the captured Fortresses and manufacturing their own camp¡¯s Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸Fumu. We have a spaceship that can also dive and operate underwater after all. But it¡¯s rather big, so flying over should be fine as well though.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re not going to do that with the Cimon-class. Its movements would be easily detected, and I still have no intention of letting the enemy get gauge our strength.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. Sorry for testing you, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸The Aristides is already actively flying between ports around the world. If we need to launch a surprise attack via air, we¡¯ll use it instead.¡¹ ¡¸Correct.¡¹ Rick grinned. ¡¸Let¡¯s continue with the next step. We don¡¯t really need a Fortress Area. But I still want one anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Even if we take control of a Fortress Area deep within enemy territory, chances are it¡¯ll be recovered by the enemy eventually. It¡¯s like taking an edge of the board in a game of reversi. However, the human side that had already lost two large-scale bases would definitely want a captured Fortress Area for themselves.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll gather the tank corps in the dummy camp outside the base. In addition, Aristides will also get deployed and launch an assault on Fortress Area P336, which is the largest Fortress Area that¡¯s closest to the Silhouette Base.¡¹ ¡¸Are you actually planning to take over the areas around the Silhouette Base!? ¡­¡­Well, it would certainly be hard for the enemy to mount an effective response while a Fortress Area holding Asia¡¯s data is getting attacked.¡¹ ¡¸The enemy probably wouldn¡¯t expect a single Underground Force like us to execute simultaneous operations, right? Humanity is still in turmoil. If we don¡¯t execute a major operation soon, their morale will probably plummet.¡¹ ¡¸We recently received the variable machine for Jenny. There are also the 20 additional Dragoon tanks we openly bought from Wangcheng Industrial. They¡¯ll think we wouldn¡¯t be able to pull off such a large-scale operation with just those, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. The Quattro Silhouettes and other units in our Silhouette Base should still not be known to them.¡¹ The Silhouette Base was their biggest trump card. The enemy should not be aware of the two amphibious assault ships that are also capable of space navigation, nor the state-of-the-art weapons they¡¯ve developed. Even most of the people residing in the Silhouette Base themselves didn¡¯t have an accurate grasp of the whole picture. They still weren¡¯t aware of the underground arsenal Astraea, nor the full extent of Asia¡¯s current capabilities now that she¡¯s based herself in the underground arsenal as well. ¡¸This will be the first time a Cimon-class and two Aristides-class ships will be deployed simultaneously. Barry, I¡¯ll be counting on you as the captain of the other Aristides-class.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s here! I¡¯ve been asked something crazy dammit! You¡¯re gonna have me do it too huh!?¡¹ ¡¸Oh c¡¯mon. Only you two have been properly trained to serve as ship captains, right? It can¡¯t be helped.¡¹ Jenny ruthlessly slapped Barry with a dose of reality. ¡¸It¡¯s perfect for guys like you who prefer to be in the thick of things during combat operations, right, Barry?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯m definitely the type to take the reins in combat. You do get us well, don¡¯t you, Kou?¡¹ Kou addressed Barry, and Robert expressed his approval. This black man with a large build may talk frivolously often, but he was also more earnest about his responsibilities than most. Kou placed quite a lot of trust in him. ¡¸They definitely wouldn¡¯t expect a spaceship to suddenly rush out and the camp outside to prepare such a large number of tanks.¡¹ ¡¸You can head to the campsite through the gate we¡¯ve hidden via optical camouflage and quickly launch an attack.¡¹ ¡¸Right. We¡¯ll use the Aristides-class ships to destroy the shelter. It¡¯s an operation that will place a lot of pressure on Barry and Rick though¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ll need a lot more forces for the Asia rescue operation, right? How many can you spare for us? And we¡¯ll need to leave some for the defense of the base as well.¡¹ ¡¸We can give you a total of 30 new MBTs (Main Battle Tanks) for the ground forces. We can also prepare a good number of Familiar-use multirole fighters. The armored combat vehicles will be twice the number of tanks. There will also be 20 Quattro Silhouettes. We can prepare a similar force for the defense of the Silhouette Base. As for human-use Silhouettes, it¡¯ll depend on what the situation looks like when we launch the operation.¡¹ ¡¸Buhaaah!¡¹ Barry heavily exhaled. It was a number that was unthinkable to him. Just where was Kou hiding such a force, Barry thought inwardly. ¡¸It¡¯ll take at least three more days to finish preparing, but¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re telling me you can assemble such a force in just three days!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve prepared most of it beforehand! It¡¯s just that Quattro Silhouettes can take a lot of time to produce!¡¹ ¡¸Hold on. Kou-kun, aren¡¯t we gonna end up short of forces on our end with that arrangement?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m thinking of prioritizing speed when conducting Asia¡¯s rescue. We¡¯ll bring four Pheasant successor units that can transform into multi-role fighters. We¡¯ll also bring twenty Familiar-use fighters, four Thunderstorm heavy attack aircraft, Unit 5, three Badb Cathas, eight transport helicopters, sixteen Dragoon tanks, and twenty combat-type Quattro Silhouettes. We¡¯ll also bring drill tanks too. Is that still not enough?¡¹ ¡¸You really defy common sense, Shadow Boss. That¡¯s more than enough.¡¹ The Pheasant successor machines and mass production Huckebein types were currently part of the highest quality mass production combat Silhouettes. Of course, Kou¡¯s Lanius can be included in that group as well. There was currently no other Underground Force apart from them that can deploy eight such Silhouettes. There were also the Dragoon tank corps, the Quattro Silhouette Trooper division, and the heavy attack aircraft for support. If they still failed to succeed in a blitzkrieg with such a force, then they weren¡¯t qualified as mercenaries. ¡¸Since we¡¯ll be relying on underwater navigation often, we¡¯re also making submarines that can be operated by two Familiars. They¡¯ll serve as escorts while our ships are moving about underwater.¡¹ ¡¸This boss is really ridiculous.¡¹ ¡¸What the heck is up with this Silhouette Base? Is this some sort of El Dorado or Holy Grail? All kinds of things keep popping up. It¡¯s crazy!¡¹ ¡¸As expected of the man who made my dream of becoming a spaceship captain come true. Of course, he¡¯s gonna be able to prepare that many.¡¹ Jenny and Barry whined in exasperation. Meanwhile, Robert was getting more and more of a weird impression of Kou. ¡¸The problem is the number of personnel available to us.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s already covered. About 60 of Kurt Maschinebau¡¯s former employees joined Metal Iris¡¯ combat divisions. We are also collecting the cores of destroyed Familiars from various battlefields so we can regenerate them inside the sealed area. Including the ones who brought their own machines, we¡¯ve managed to secure about 300 new personnel.¡¹ ¡¸Fuhahahaha. As expected of Kou! Usually, Familiars need to wait in line for a long time to be regenerated. Especially after such large-scale invasions.¡¹ Rick let out a rare laugh. It seemed he was really enjoying the situation. ¡¸If we have a Familiar regeneration facility, we can also make new ones, right?¡¹ ¡¸We can. But they¡¯re all being used exclusively for regeneration right now. Everyone¡¯s gratitude is a bit too heavy for me though.¡¹ ¡¸Of course, they¡¯d be thankful. Many of the ones who¡¯ve gotten regenerated have lost their lifelong partners. In human terms, many of them have been traumatized. So instead of regenerating them, they¡¯d expect that you¡¯d prefer making new Familiars who are still blank slates.¡¹ ¡¸I bet many of them are just raring to go back to the battlefield though.¡¹ ¡¸Of course. I bet many of them are truly grateful. About 70% of Storm Hound¡¯s Familiars are regenerated. Including me, of course. And in order for them to find a new partner here, I¡¯ll have to work hard as well.¡¹ ¡¸The number of Therianthropes has increased to about a hundred too, right?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re all early-type Therianthropes who were born more than a thousand years ago like Aki and the others. There are about 80 of them.¡¹ ¡¸That sealed area seems to be sealing some totally ridiculous stuff.¡¹ Kou wondered what would happen if they found out he was hiding a mobile arsenal spaceship down there. ¡¸Isn¡¯t it fine? Our Shadow Boss has seriously considered the operation and presented valid tactics. This time around, regardless of the success or failure of the blitzkrieg, the second operation is crucial. You have to put your all into it, Barry.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll just follow Rick¡¯s lead¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸C¡¯mon man. Don¡¯t sound so pathetic. There will always be a chance of something unexpected happening on a battlefield. We have to work together so we can deal with them.¡¹ ¡¸Ou.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve always been on the receiving end of enemy attacks lately. Just like Kou said, we need to give them one heck of a surprise.¡¹ ¡¸They brought down large-scale Fortress Areas through all-out attacks. We need to counter them with one as well.¡¹ Their forces were finally ready. For now, they¡¯d have to work on retrieving Asia¡¯s data fragments first. In order to pave the way for the next step, Kou had decided to do what was currently within his power. CH 100 Four angular fighter models and six regular multi-role fighters were quickly heading to their target destination. Approaching Fortress Areas and Defense Domes unannounced was prohibited up to a certain range. The satellite cannons administered by Okeanos might judge such acts as unprovoked attacks on human settlements. So, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the approaching party gets subjected to an attack from the satellites as well. The satellite array also served the purpose of an effective countermeasure against large Murder forces descending from space to mount invasions. The super-advanced defense network that had transferred humanity from Earth and protected the planet from giant meteorites was still going strong. ¡¸Interceptor Keres are launching out and heading straight for us!¡¹ ¡¸Just like the report from the recon aircraft said. And they¡¯re Dragonfly-types. That¡¯s new. It looks like our enemy is also starting to place more importance on air power.¡¹ The skies were finally turning into battlefields as well. If the Dragonfly-types were capable of the same stunts as biological dragonflies, their mobility should be considerably high. ¡¸12 Dragonfly-types confirmed. Begin aerial power extermination.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ Humans were piloting the angular fighters and Familiars were onboard the multi-role fighters. The larger fighters were operating through the Silhouette¡¯s sense augmentation system. ¡¸We will hit the anti-aircraft units of the Keres on the ground.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. We¡¯ll engage the Dragonfly-types.¡¹ The Familiar-controlled aircraft that were capable of air-to-ground attacks broke formation and headed for the Keres down below. They were welcomed by anti-air laser and railgun fire. Both sides still employed the weapons capable of launching supersonic attacks that once managed to erase air power from the Nemesis warfront. The enemy machines finally got in range for a lock. The Metal Iris fighters proceeded to fire their medium-range air-to-air missiles. Their range was about 150 km. The Dragonfly-types were destroyed one after another. ¡¸They¡¯re weaker than expected. ¨CWe have far more firepower huh.¡¹ As Jenny surmised, the enemy Dragonfly-types were only battery-powered models. They were probably meant to overwhelm opponents through sheer numbers just like the Ant Workers. However, an alarm rang out within Jenny¡¯s MCS. Three other Dragonfly-types suddenly climbed further up the sky rapidly. ¡¸Those maneuvers are impossible for regular fighters!¡¹ The Dragonfly-types managed to take Jenny¡¯s rear and proceeded to launch their anti-air missiles. ¡¸So they¡¯re even equipped with anti-aircraft missiles!¡¹ No matter what flashy evasive maneuver one performed, it was fundamentally difficult to dodge incoming missiles. And so, Jenny decided to activate the electromagnetic armor of her machine. Her machine¡¯s fuselage was quickly clad in a layer of plasma. The plasma layer induced the approaching missiles to explode. The barrier was not as effective against railgun rounds and other live ammo specialized in penetrating power, but it served as an efficient defense measure against lasers and missiles. The drawback was that if there were people around the machine activating it, they would definitely die once the plasma layer went up. That¡¯s why one had to be careful with handling it when operating on the ground. ¡¸Did you underestimate our new machines too much, you monsters?¡¹ While muttering provocations, Jenny performed an evasive maneuver and launched air-to-air missiles of her own. The air-to-air missiles were capable of enemy tracking and omnidirectional flight through the use of thrust vectoring nozzles. They locked on to the enemy machines behind and below Jenny¡¯s unit and successfully destroyed them. The no escape zone of Jenny¡¯s missiles was pretty wide. The remaining Dragonfly-types were also brought down one after another. Before long, there were no longer any remaining enemy aerial units. ¡¸We¡¯ve secured air superiority. Switching to alert mode. The Thunderstorm squadron and the supply unit are approaching from behind.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that. We¡¯ll head to the ground first and wait for them.¡¹ Jenny and the rest went into formation. Then, their fighters transformed one after another. The fighter¡¯s bodies were actually huge variable backpacks. Silhouettes appeared from below the fighter plane¡¯s bodies, and the fighters themselves transformed into large backpacks. They were almost as large as the Silhouettes they were attached to. Although their transformation had shrunk them down, the backpacks still managed to almost reach the Silhouette¡¯s feet. These Silhouettes were the successors to the Pheasant that Kelly had made for Jenny. The machine was even more beautiful, climbed even higher, and flew even faster ¡ª the SAR-F 12 Tachycineta. It was a highly maneuverable transformable Silhouette capable of serving multiple roles all thanks to its specialized backpack. The bodies of the Silhouettes are enveloped by their backpacks when they are in fighter mode. When they transform to Silhouette mode, the backpacks turn into large vectoring thruster packs. One after another, transport aircraft and Thunderstorms brought over Silhouettes to the front. There were a total of 12 Silhouettes and 8 tanks. 20 Quattro Silhouettes also sprinted over. The Silhouette cavalry piloted by the Therianthropes were very capable of traversing rough terrain and easily joined up with the rest of the Metal Iris forces. ¡¸It looks like we¡¯re all here. The rest is up to the drills.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll probably turn up soon.¡¹ ¡¸The second transport unit team has also made it. Well then, shall we? ¨CCommence the second phase of the Second Asia Rescue Operation. All troops, advance!¡¹ Jenny had caught sight of approaching Murders. The roaring of the tank corp¡¯s guns signaled the start of the battle. The number of the enemy units they faced was nearly ten times their own. But the quality of the Metal Iris forces was overwhelmingly superior. The number of Keres was heavily reduced in the blink of an eye due to the fierce attacks conducted by the Thunderstorms from above. ¡¸Control Center, where are the reinforcements?¡¹ ¡ºThree Enyo units have been sortied. There are also 50 Telkhines units. They are anticipated to arrive in five hours.¡» ¡¸That¡¯s too slow! Have them arrive here within two hours!¡¹ ¡ºThere are no reinforcements physically capable of arriving in that time frame.¡» The nearest ally forces were displayed on a screen. It displayed the Fortress Areas that have sent out reinforcements as well. ¡¸Dammit. Everyone¡¯s only covering their own behinds. Don¡¯t they realize that if this place falls, Asia will be taken away¡­¡­?¡¹ A man leaned on a rack and cursed his supposed comrades. He was one of the demigods ¡ª the Hemitheos. He was responsible for managing Fortress Area F811 and was called Paulos. He was highly prejudiced toward humans and hardly recognized the free will of the ones residing in the Fortress Area¡¯s residential block. He merely tamed them for the sake of maintaining the Murders. In other words, he had no mercenaries at his disposal. He only made do with a force of Mantis-types and Telkhines. They numbered about 200 units. The Ant-types under his command were over a thousand. However, even though the number of the enemies attacking was small, they appeared to employ considerably high-performance machines. In particular, Paulos had never heard of mercenaries who employed such strong air power. And since the Ant Workers didn¡¯t come equipped with high-dimensional projection armor, they wouldn¡¯t even serve as effective hindrances. In fact, more than 200 of them were destroyed in an instant, and there was no damage dealt to the enemy troops. It was a truly impressive force. They were most likely attacking for the purpose of retrieving Asia. By taking over this base, a human-controlled stronghold will be created right in the middle of Stones-controlled territory. Normally, they could just quickly take it back, but since the enemy has Asia on their side, their combat strength should be quite high. Hence, recapturing the Fortress Area from them wouldn¡¯t be easy. But then, Paulos noticed something as he gazed intently at the screen. ¡¸Hm? What¡¯s that? That Silhouette¡­¡­ Its body is shaped like a horse. It¡¯s a quadrupedal model! Hey! I thought quadrupedal Silhouettes weren¡¯t possible to be piloted!?¡¹ ¡ºAffirmative. It should be impossible.¡» ¡¸But they¡¯re right over there dammit! Those things didn¡¯t even exist during the Interplanetary War era!¡¹ ¡ºUnable to analyze. Even if a Silhouette of that shape is successfully produced, humans will be unable to pilot it.¡» ¡¸So it¡¯s those damned Telema AI!¡¹ ¡ºFamiliars don¡¯t have the authority to operate humanoid limbs.¡» ¡¸So what race has the most potential to pilot those things?¡¹ ¡ºYou do not have enough authority to access such information.¡» ¡¸Ugh. This is merely a C-Class Development Engineer¡¯s body after all. Dammit.¡¹ His position in the council was relatively high. Hence, when he applied for a Development Engineer¡¯s body, it was approved. However, it wasn¡¯t the body of a B-Class Engineer like he wanted, but a C-Class one instead. The differences between the authorities of B and C-Class engineers were quite big. Paulos was highly dissatisfied with how things turned out. ¡¸Dammit. Just why? Why did something as absurd as this happen when it was my turn to manage this place¡­¡­?¡¹ Paulos spat without hiding his irritation. ¡¸I can already predict the enemy¡¯s plan. They¡¯ll probably dig a hole like a mole and invade from underground again. If so, then the countermeasure is clear. Let¡¯s whack that damned mole. We¡¯ve already confirmed the enemy numbers. Crush them with more overwhelming numbers!¡¹ Paulos yelled at the control center¡¯s AI. ¡¸I¡¯ll be the last line of defense. I¡¯m heading out in the Antique!¡¹ Paulos decided to sortie personally. CH 101 ¡¸Enemy forces, elimination confirmed. The follow-up troops should be arriving soon.¡¹ Jenny confirmed the situation through her cockpit monitor. ¡¸It¡¯ll take six minutes more before we arrive.¡¹ Voy¡¯s image appeared on the monitor as he responded. ¡¸Let¡¯s go! Drill formation! Formation V!¡¹ ¡¸Ok!¡¹ Voy yelled, and the weapons he and the others in his team were driving showed up on the screen. His Familiar teammates responded one after another. They were driving a group of rocket-propelled drill-mounted vehicles that now switched to a V-shaped formation. It was a team composed entirely of mechanics who absolutely loved drills. It had a raccoon dog-type, raccoon-type, red panda-type, and skunk-type Familiar as members, with the bear-type Voy acting as their leader. The previous tunnel excavation armored vehicle model has been further miniaturized, and its performance has also been improved. The current iteration has been equipped with a booster to increase its speed coupled with wheels. The trailer-type booster that supported the vehicle¡¯s huge body with a total length of over 6 meters was designed based on a combination of a space rocket transport vehicle and a supersonic ground vehicle. They sped toward enemy territory with their 20 huge wheels and huge boosters equipped on their backs. The moment they arrived on-site, they purged their trailer-type boosters and switch to their original caterpillar treads, transformed into shield machines, and then proceeded to dig out infiltration routes. ¡¸All units spread out! Infiltrate through the designated points!¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ Each drill tank headed to its assigned coordinates. ¡¸Those drill tanks sure are a spectacle.¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t really call them tunnel excavation armored vehicles anymore. They¡¯ve literally turned into drill tanks.¡¹ They used plasma incinerators and were even armed with plasma railguns. This type of railgun accelerated magnetic projectiles by passing electricity through plasma gas instead of rails. ¡¸You¡¯re looking a bit miffed there, Kou-kun!¡¹ Kou¡¯s grumbling mixed with a deep sigh flustered Jenny. ¡¸I think it¡¯s a good move. The enemy should have bolstered the defenses of the shelter interior. And if we only sent a single machine to infiltrate, it would only become the target of a concentrated attack. But what if we sent five?¡¹ ¡¸They can choose to either concentrate or disperse their forces. It¡¯s a problem of balance. But both our allies and the enemies would have to read each other¡¯s moves as a result of sending in five infiltration units.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s gonna be difficult to mount effective countermeasures against underground attacks. The enemy would probably choose to conduct a siege battle inside the shelter.¡¹ ¡¸The next move will be executed by Fuyuki-san.¡¹ ¡¸This is the combat engineering corps. Work is proceeding as planned.¡¹ If the enemy opts for a siege battle, you can choose to directly destroy the base¡¯s walls. Infiltrating through an underground route wasn¡¯t necessarily the only method to break the siege. Usually, this kind of method would take several hours, but the combat engineers now have many more options at their disposal. It would probably not even take an hour. ¡¸All troops, head to Point B. We¡¯ll instruct you on which infiltration routes to use there.¡¹ Under Jenny¡¯s command, the Metal Iris Asia Rescue Force began to move out. ¡¸Simultaneous tunneling!?¡¹ Paulos screamed in frustration inside the MCS. ¡ºYes. It was confirmed that the enemy forces dived underground at five different coordinates outside the shelter.¡» ¡¸Where are their expected surfacing coordinates?¡¹ ¡ºThey should appear anywhere on these streets.¡» The map displayed on the MCS screen covered quite an extensive area. ¡¸That¡¯s almost half of the entire base!¡¹ ¡ºThe five drill tanks won¡¯t necessarily surface in the same general area.¡» ¡¸We have no time to cover it all.¡¹ ¡ºEven if each machine only makes two infiltration routes, there would still be ten such routes. Either we spread our forces to cover the most ground or concentrate them and prepare countermeasures to fight the enemy off.¡» ¡¸Have them spread out! We can just regather them once the fighting breaks out. We have more numbers than the enemy!¡¹ ¡º¨CEmergency warning. The enemy force is trying to break through the shelter wall.¡» ¡¸It would take them at least a few hours for that!¡¹ ¡ºJudging from the extent of damage done to the shelter wall, they would probably break through in 40 minutes.¡» ¡¸Ah¡­¡­ Hah¡­¡­?¡¹ What he heard seemed so ridiculous to him that Paulos was at a loss for words. ¡¸In other words, the underground infiltration is only a diversion. I understand. Place guards over every block and concentrate the most forces in front of the shelter wall!¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood.¡» However, he would come to realize too late that he¡¯d made a mistake in judgment. Of the five tunnels, the last two were the true routes. Metal Iris troops made it inside the Fortress Area using those two tunnels. The two teams immediately met up and merged. They then proceeded to rush toward the now-lightly defended control center. The Murders frantically gave chase. The Metal Iris troops systematically eliminated the chasing Murders within the city block, and their numbers, which were formerly more than a thousand, were reduced greatly in a blink of an eye. Paulos, who was standing by in the underground block, received news of the control center being taken down by the enemy forces and could only groan weakly in response. While the battle in the city block was taking place, Kou and Jenny were heading to the sealed section of the Fortress Area using a secret route revealed to them by Asia. Kou¡¯s Unit 5 was in its B configuration. It was equipped with a rotating detonation engine backpack and had its katana on its waist. The AK2 was improved so that its barrel could be folded away, which allowed it to be securely stored on the backpack. It only takes less than a second to deploy its barrel whenever it¡¯s taken out for use. Since she was together with Kou, Jenny didn¡¯t encounter any obstructions, and the two of them quickly proceeded to the sealed area¡¯s depths. They eventually reached an enormous underground space at the end of the passage. A Silhouette stood between them and the deepest part of the sealed area. It was Paulos. His machine was the Antique Silhouette Armaros. It was a beautifully streamlined Silhouette that sported long-barreled weapons Kou had never seen before on both its arms. ¡¸Kou-kun, that machine!¡¹ ¡¸I know. It¡¯s an Antique. It¡¯s probably piloted by a Stone.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, finally. I¡¯ve finally met one. I¡¯ll definitely kill you¡­¡­ Stooone!¡¹ ¡¸Jenny?¡¹ Jenny was emitting palpable murderous intent while sporting a frenzied expression Kou had never seen her display before. Her eyes were red with rage and she seemed ready to pounce on the enemy at the slightest impetus. The Tachycineta had already switched to combat mode. Its huge backpack adjusted to a position parallel to the ground. They were facing a Silhouette from the Interplanetary War era. Its combat capabilities should be tremendous. ¡¸So you¡¯re the intruders huh? Who¡¯s the Development Engineer among you? Why don¡¯t you just surrender? I¡¯ll at least guarantee your life.¡¹ The enemy sent a transmission to Kou and Jenny through an open line. ¡¸You¡¯re trying to capture me alive so you can take over my body, right? Sorry, but no.¡¹ After hearing Kou¡¯s reply, Jenny¡¯s expression got distorted even more. She and many of the humans on the Nemesis warfront were unaware of exactly how the demigods functioned. This macabre truth was only known by the few Development Engineers who can converse with Asia. ¡¸I see. So you¡¯re aware of that huh? I suppose I need to subdue you by force. My one unit is equivalent to 20 of Planet Asia¡¯s Silhouettes, I¡¯ll have you know.¡¹ There was no deception in those words. His Antique Silhouette can function as both a fighter plane, a tank, and a humanoid weapon. ¡¸Jenny, regarding who will land the final blow¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying? We¡¯ll defeat him for sure. It won¡¯t make any difference if it¡¯s me or you who finishes him off. That¡¯s it.¡¹ ¡¸Alright.¡¹ Jenny didn¡¯t insist on landing the killing blow but only wanted to make sure the enemy was completely obliterated. Kou thought she must have her reasons. And he didn¡¯t plan on denying her murderous intent. ¡¸Now then, let us begin. I shall have you two crawling pitifully on the ground in no time. It will be an instant kill!¡¹ Paulos¡¯ scream marked the beginning of the battle. CH 102 Jenny¡¯s Tachycineta made its move one step ahead of Unit 5. The latter fell back one step, placed a hand on its katana¡¯s hilt, and waited for a good opening. The Armaros rushed in to attack as well. Its speed was actually faster than the former iteration of Unit 5 that got accelerated by the detonation engine. However, Jenny¡¯s machine was still faster. ¡¸Wha-!?¡¹ ¡¸As expected of Kelly. I can keep up with an Antique Silhouette¡¯s speed! This baby¡¯s absolutely amazing!¡¹ Armaros brandished its weapon and aimed at the Tachycineta. The moment the beam of light fired from the Armaros¡¯ weapon reached Tachycineta, the latter¡¯s armor surface turned red hot. But Tachycineta still managed to perform an evasive maneuver and continued to advance toward Armaros. The high-speed maneuvers of the Tachycineta prevented the Armaros¡¯ laser weapon to melt through its armor. ¡¸What a high-output laser gun¡­¡­ That¡¯s a weapon from the Interplanetary War era for you. But with this Tachycineta¨C!¡¹ ¡¸Impossible! That shot should have thoroughly melted its armor!¡¹ Each party was amazed at their opponent¡¯s combat performance. However, the present-generation Silhouette was able to keep up with the Antique¡¯s mobility and defense. This was the ultimate speed-specialized Silhouette Kelly custom-made just for Jenny. There was nobody else who excelled in this concept as much as that man¨C Jenny made the Tachycineta take out its high-frequency oscillation blade and slashed out. ¡¸Hah. If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll start with that blockhead over there instead.¡¹ Paulos, who¡¯d recognized Jenny as a strong enemy, made Armaros rush toward Unit 5 instead. It accelerated even faster than before. The Antique Silhouette boasted improbable speed that reached supersonic level even on the ground. ¡¸Kou-kun!¡¹ Jenny didn¡¯t expect the enemy to suddenly switch his target to Kou and hurriedly reversed Tachycineta¡¯s direction. However, although the thrust vectoring boosters of the Tachycineta¡¯s large backpack excelled at straight-line acceleration and flight capabilities, it was relatively difficult for it to perform tight turns mid-air. Armaros took out two sabers from its back. The sabers were each capable of cutting through ultra-hard materials used in the Interplanetary War era. Unit 5 lowered its center of gravity further. It positioned the scabbard on its hip parallel to the ground and entered a counter stance. Armaros shot upward¨C It rose up to a height taller than a Silhouette¡¯s and quickly descended toward Unit 5. A dull sound of something being severed echoed throughout the underground space. Unit 5 took one step forward and performed a half-moon slash. ¡¸Eh?¡¹ The Armaros that was cut down with a kesagiri fell miserably on the ground. Unit 5 positioned the scabbard horizontally before pulling the katana out of it. By doing so, the katana¡¯s trajectory became fan-shaped. At the same time, it also adjusted the angle of the scabbard mouth in order to alter the kesagiri¡¯s path. By doing so, it managed to perform two fast and powerful upward and downward slashes consecutively in mere moments. The Armaros practically placed itself right in front of the blade¡¯s path and was then cut down. ¡¸How¡­¡­ How did I get cut from the shoulder down even though that thing¡¯s sword was on its waist¡­¡­?¡¹ Paulos only managed to voice out a complaint about the unreasonableness of the slash shortly before he breathed his last. Kou remembered an event when he was still on Earth. He was with his friend, Takaba Hyoue¡¯s grandson, Takaba Shuuji, who he got acquainted with through their shared interest in swordsmanship. They used to hang out a lot back then. At this time, the two were busy playing their favorite fighting game. Suddenly, Shuuji muttered. ¡¸Y¡¯know, swordsmanship and fighting games are kinda similar.¡¹ ¡¸Is that so?¡¹ Since the other boy was older than Kou, he talked to him using formal speech. ¡¸Look. In the game, you need to accurately anticipate your opponent¡¯s moves, make split-second decisions, and whoever unleashes the most powerful techniques with the least openings wins, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. But there aren¡¯t that many such convenient techniques in reality.¡¹ ¡¸The character you¡¯re playing is strong.¡¹ The two were playing the remake of a game with a samurai motif. Shuuji played a dual sword-wielding stealthy swordsman while Kou was a fan of the character who uses iaijutsu. It was a peculiar game where there were more ninjas than any other type of swordsman. ¡¸Kenjutsu emphasizes speed and minimizing gaps. Iai, on the other hand, emphasizes an accurate sense of timing and quick judgment.¡¹ ¡¸That might be a good way to put it. I chose iai since I¡¯m not good at judging ranges.¡¹ ¡¸Well, a swordmaster like my gramps doesn¡¯t really need those tricks y¡¯know!¡¹ ¡¸Isn¡¯t Hyoue-san already a 7th dan¡­¡­? Hey, that strike¡¯s too damaging! Don¡¯t act like a hooligan!¡¹ ¡¸How the heck did you parry that!? And isn¡¯t that character¡¯s crouching power slash hitbox too ridiculous!?¡¹ ¡¸This guy¡¯s hitboxes are a bit nonsensical after all. Just take it as a bogus anti-air move.¡¹ Fuyuki had once talked about iai with Kou. Iai had one process too many. That¡¯s because it included the process of drawing a sword first before anything else. A downward or upward slash. It was disadvantageous to perform such moves from a stance where a sword was still in its sheath. However, iai also had its advantages. Most notable was the scabbard itself. In other words, it doesn¡¯t allow the enemy to accurately judge the range of an attack, so it wagers victory or defeat in a practitioner¡¯s sense of timing when drawing the sword. If you directly slashed horizontally after drawing the sword, you¡¯d end up with a fast attack. A kesagiri was slower in comparison, but it will draw the opponent in for a decisive blow. If one pursued speed in iai, their slashes were said to be comparable to bullets. Iai being considered a projectile is due to those who have pursued and mastered sword drawing speed to its fullest. The trajectory of sword swings gets incorporated into both offense and defense. And that¡¯s not limited to just iai. However, using the gimmick called the sword sheath to freely adjust the timing and trajectory of attacks was a very big advantage. If one couldn¡¯t defeat the opponent with one blow, one would have to rely on kenjutsu to finish the fight, but iai was a method of combat developed in times of peace after all. That¡¯s why Kou also learned kenjutsu to make up for iai¡¯s disadvantages. The main focus of the martial art called iai can differ depending on which school one is a member of. One school emphasizes the speed of sword draws. One promotes mastering extreme precision when performing techniques. And one focuses on eliminating gaps as much as possible by performing the most efficient movements. There are others, of course, but Kou¡¯s school in particular places importance on the last one mentioned. The moves of this time¡¯s opponent were just too amateurish. He didn¡¯t perform any feints, didn¡¯t employ any strategy, and ignored the concept of timing. Even a fighting game¡¯s CPU opponent in Easy mode was probably better. There were crappy games with super-responsive and unfair CPUs, but the enemy pilot didn¡¯t even come close. No matter how fast the attack, if one can read the timing, dealing with it was simple. It would be enough to perform a strong counterattack using accurate judgment. And Kou did manage to cut the Armaros in two. Shuuji would probably laugh in amusement if he saw the enemy suffering from an unreasonable hitbox as he did. After all, most wouldn¡¯t expect that a downward diagonal slash from above can be performed from a position where the katana was still inside its sheath on the opponent¡¯s waist moments before. ¡¸It really was an instant kill.¡¹ Jenny muttered in surprise. She had braced herself for a protracted battle with the Antique Silhouette. ¡¸That¡¯s because he just came at me stupidly and ended up eating a counter head-on.¡¹ The Antique¡¯s acceleration speed was tremendous. It might not have exactly reached the speed of sound due to the low elevation, but it still came at Kou with a speed exceeding 1000 km/h. And because of that blazingly fast acceleration, the damage it took from the counter was equally tremendous. ¡¸It¡¯s kinda disappointing.¡¹ ¡¸Uh, sorry, I suppose.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. You did kill the bastard.¡¹ The two proceeded to the deepest part of the sealed area, leaving the wreckage behind. The wreckage of an Antique Silhouette alone would be worth a huge amount of money, but right now, rescuing Asia was their highest priority. But a transmission suddenly came from Asia. It looks like she¡¯d only contacted Kou. ¡ºKou, after you rescue me, check that Antique¡¯s MCS. It should have a large device attached behind it. There should be a stone called Kaleidolithos inside it. Take it out and bring it with you.¡» ¡¸Got it. Should we also recover the machine itself? Anyway, just wait a bit longer. I¡¯m nearly there, Asia.¡¹ ¡ºUn! Thank you, Kou!¡» Kou and Jenny released Asia¡¯s data fragment sealed by quantum chains through the same method they used in Fortress Area X463 and collected the remains of Armaros afterward. ¡¸Why did the pilot die even though the MCS is intact?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re apparently made that way. Once their machines get incapacitated, they die. Maybe it¡¯s to prevent them from being taken as a POW?¡¹ ¡¸I see.¡¹ If the enemy was dead, then so be it. There was no room for holding back while facing an Antique Silhouette. Jenny carried the Antique Silhouette¡¯s upper body along with its severed left arm while Kou carried its lower body as they made their escape. ¡¸Attention, Metal Iris Asia Rescue Force. The operation is a success. All troops, begin withdrawal!¡¹ Loud cheers went up from the rest of the troops. Unit 5 was carrying the device that was attached to the enemy¡¯s MCS in its hand. ¡ºThank you, Kou!¡» ¡¸This is great. Now we¡¯ve taken back two Asias.¡¹ ¡ºFufu. You treat us as two individuals huh. That makes me happy.¡» ¡¸You¡¯re your own person, after all, Asia.¡¹ ¡ºMm. Really, thank you. Oh, and about that thing Unit 5 is holding¨C¡» Asia began explaining what the device actually was. And its true nature was truly terrifying. CH 103 Around the time the battle on Fortress Area F811 commenced, a large number of tanks appeared from the hidden camp at the foot of the mountain range housing the Silhouette Base. They numbered thirty-two units in total. They were the newest state-of-the-art main battle tanks, the Fighting Bulls. The Fighting Bull was a new model of MBT that Kou designed within the Silhouette Base. A large group of eight-wheeled armored combat vehicles appeared from another direction and quickly joined up with the tanks. They numbered sixty-four vehicles in all and ranged from tank destroyers, anti-aircraft types, and mortar types specialized in area bombardment. Each troop started their invasion from different directions, but they eventually linked up and headed straight for their invasion target ¨C Fortress Area P336. The commander of Fortress Area P336, Sesto, panicked when he detected the invading force. Although P336 was a relatively important base from a geopolitical standpoint, it wasn¡¯t exactly a large-scale Fortress Area, and Sesto didn¡¯t expect it would actually be subjected to an attack. He did have an Enyo at his disposal. It was already deployed outside because the base was relatively close to the front lines. ¡¸The enemy forces are only composed of tanks and armored vehicles?¡¹ ¡¸We have only confirmed those for the time being.¡¹ ¡¸What about those quadrupedal Silhouettes?¡¹ ¡¸We haven¡¯t detected any.¡¹ The mercenary under his command answered without hesitation. ¡¸Fumu. If so, then have 200 Ant Workers intercept them. They will serve as sufficient hindrances. You heard that, Control Center?¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood.¡» ¡¸The mercenary corps will guard the Control Center.¡¹ ¡¸Sir!¡¹ Sesto once again checked the information on the enemy troops. ¡¸There are no Silhouettes accompanying the tanks and ground forces. It looks like they¡¯re planning on destroying the shelter. But they should be well aware that even a concentrated railgun bombardment won¡¯t be enough to deal significant damage to it.¡¹ They were already aware that the battle occurring near Fortress Area F811 had become extremely fierce. That¡¯s because it was a place where a fragment of Asia¡¯s data was sealed up. However, it was located deep within Stones-controlled territory. You¡¯d have to get past several conquered Fortress Areas stationed with Stones troops standing in the way, making it normally hard to reach. The supply lines would need to be stretched out. Currently, the Stones were in the middle of expanding the front lines for the purpose of seizing enemy factory facilities, so their defenses have naturally been thinned out. They had sent a significant chunk of their available forces to the front after all. They no longer had any resources to spare. They did not expect a surprise attack being conducted by a large-scale force straight from the sea. ¡¸From the sea?¡¹ Fortress Area P336 wasn¡¯t exactly far from the sea either. However, it was still located more than 202 kilometers away from the coastline. Therefore, there shouldn¡¯t be a high chance of enemy forces invading P336 from the sea as well. After all, most of their forces should be concentrated on attacking Fortress Area F811. Suddenly, a transmission came in. ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡ºA warship named Aristides that¡¯s currently at sea is requesting permission to dock near Fortress Area P336.¡» ¡¸Hah!? What the heck do you mean by that!?¡¹ ¡ºIt is literally as I¡¯ve stated. There was a formal request for us to open up the shelter and have the ship dock in the city area sent through Okeanos. Shall we give approval?¡» ¡¸Absolutely not!¡¹ Just what was the enemy thinking? Sesto responded to the control center¡¯s AI administrator with a near-hysteric shriek. The body he was possessing was of a D-Class Development Engineer. At most, he was only capable of activating the larger facilities within the Fortress Area. He was actually only capable of manufacturing Ant-types within the Fortress Area. He wasn¡¯t capable of manufacturing higher-grade combat specialized Murders like Telkhines. ¡¸Don¡¯t let that warship out of our sight! There are only a few flight-capable warships under the control of the humans. It shouldn¡¯t be able to fly, but that isn¡¯t guaranteed.¡¹ Sesto¡¯s concern ended up coming true, much to his horror. The Aristides did fly over. ¡¸Uh¨C This is the ship, Aristides. Under the authority of Okeanos, we request permission to dock within Fortress Area P336. Over.¡¹ Barry faced the large monitor of the ship¡¯s pilot room and relayed an unmotivated spiel. ¡ºFortress Area P336 has rejected our request.¡» The one who spoke was the AI in charge of managing the Aristides, Libra 1. This AI was also one of Astraea¡¯s copies. ¡¸Of course, they¡¯d refuse.¡¹ Barry offhandedly replied to Libra 1. It was expected after all. Barry didn¡¯t think for one second that the other party would actually agree to open the shelter and let them in. What he did was simply a sort of rite of passage just so they wouldn¡¯t get attacked by the satellite cannons managed by Okeanos. In other words, it was just a sort of ritual. ¡¸This lead ship will now commence the assault. All hands, prepare for impact.¡¹ The Familiars and Therianthropes working within the ship dropped whatever they were doing and hurriedly got ready. ¡¸All pilots prepare for launch.¡¹ The impact mitigation function of the MCS was virtually perfect. Hence, all the pilots boarded their machine¡¯s MCS one after another. The other crewmembers evacuated to the shelter area. Barry left the pilot room with a spring in his steps, headed to an MCS-type room nearby, and quickly got inside it. ¡¸As I thought, I¡¯m definitely more suited to be a Silhouette pilot rather than a ship captain.¡¹ He displayed the parameters of the amphibious assault ship on screen. All systems were green. There were no problems. ¡¸Let¡¯s do this. Begin ascent. Let¡¯s fly.¡¹ ¡ºRoger.¡» The high-output thruster on the rear of the Aristides roared to life and spat an intense jet of flames. ¡¸Whis at maximum output. Gravity effect, maximum nullification.¡¹ The power needed for a ship of the size of the Aristides to float was considerable. And it wasn¡¯t equipped with an anti-gravity device. Therefore, the high-dimensional energy called Whis was employed. Gravitation was basically the resultant attractive force of a planet as it rotates. There are four fundamental interactions in physics. Strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electromagnetism, and gravitation. Among these four, gravitation was by far the weakest. The reason why gravity is the weakest of the four fundamental interactions was due to the force acting on gravity leaking to extra dimensions. By adjusting the gravity flowing to these extra dimensions via Whis, even the huge hulls of spaceships can float using very little energy. The Aristides ascended to the skies, causing the previously still waters to splash around. ¡¸Begin converting the contents of the ballast tanks to metallic hydrogen. Do it at the maximum rate. Fill those ballast tanks to the brim!¡¹ The seawater in the ballast tanks was converted to metallic hydrogen that will serve as the thruster¡¯s propellant. ¡¸Aristides, maximum combat speed. Target, Fortress Area P336. Commence charge!¡¹ The Aristides gradually accelerated and shot to the sky. It flew straight toward Fortress Area P336 at a speed exceeding 200 km/h. ¡ºThe enemy has opened the shelter. Bombardment from an Enyo, incoming.¡» ¡¸Hard to starboard! Uryaaah!¡¹ Barry pulled the joystick to the right with all his might. ¡¸I bet it would make for a prettier picture if I were gripping a ship helm instead of a damn joystick!¡¹ Aristides quickly changed course to the right. It managed to avoid all long-range artillery shots. It was a textbook display of a spaceship¡¯s mobility. ¡¸Can¡¯t we retaliate with our own guns, Libra 1?¡¹ ¡ºThis ship is currently not equipped with guns. It only has defensive equipment. Please have Kou hurry up with manufacturing them if you desire ship guns.¡» ¡¸I got it! That guy keeps on developing weapons for the troops! I gotta tell him to outfit the ships too!¡¹ The Aristides sped up even more. When the enemy shelter came into view, the ship lowered its shutters. ¡¸Transform the bulbous bow into Ram Mode! We¡¯re gonna crush those walls in one blow!¡¹ The bulbous bow was a spherical bow placed on the draft of the ship¡¯s hull. It was mainly used to reduce wave-making resistance while the ship is navigating on water. The amphibious assault ship Aristides that¡¯s also capable of space navigation was now going to use this bulbous bow as a ram and charge at its target. There were cases where bulbous bows were used as naval rams that pierced the hulls of enemy ships even during the 21st century. ¡¸Err. Attention, Fortress Area P336. This is the Aristides. We are now going to conduct a forced docking sequence. Really sorry about this!¡¹ Barry made sure to inform the enemy about what they were going to do. It was only proper, after all. ¡¸Beginning countdown! All hands, brace for impact! Impact in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!¡¹ The hull of the Aristides scraped the ground once mid-charge, but it didn¡¯t lose speed at all and collided spectacularly with the enemy shelter. As expected, it wasn¡¯t possible to completely nullify the resulting shockwaves, and the interior of the ship shook violently. However, the crew didn¡¯t suffer any injuries since they¡¯ve all taken appropriate countermeasures. The bulbous bow acted as a gigantic hammer. It broke the shelter open and infiltrated the Fortress Area successfully. It slipped right through the bombardment launched by the Enyos and moved further inside the Fortress Area. Before long, the violent shockwaves weakened, and Silhouettes began to appear on the ship¡¯s deck. They headed out to intercept the Murders that were trying to swarm over. An Enyo could be seen in the distance. ¡¸Assault landing successful. All pilots, prepare to sortie. Don¡¯t give me crap like waiting until the shockwaves have completely stopped!¡¹ Barry acted all captain-like and yelled a command through the comms. It was a side of him Kou had never seen before. ¡¸Alright. All troops, head out! The left and right hatches will prioritize the tank corps. The Silhouettes will follow afterward. Aerial corps, deploy attack aircraft for close ground support. There¡¯s no need to worry about aerial superiority inside a shelter.¡¹ Barry continued giving out snappy orders to his troops. Multi-role fighters in ground attack specifications appeared on the deck via elevators. Tanks headed out one after another from the ship¡¯s left and right hatches and the ship¡¯s rear well dock. ¡¸The Aristides will not flinch against an Enyo¡¯s bombardment! This girl is equipped with high-dimensional projection armor powered by an A-Carbuncle after all. But being pounded by that thing is still unpleasant. So take it down, but don¡¯t act recklessly!¡¹ Barry issued commands mixed with specific examples. Why was he doing so? It was in order to prevent morale from dropping in a frantic battlefield. As explained to him before the operation, the trick was to briefly mix these remarks in with the commands. ¡¸Support squad, make sure you guys avoid the main battlefield properly, alright? And Silhouette corps, especially you Quattros. Always keep your cool. Think of the tanks as a solid wall and trust in them. Alright, go!¡¹ The bipedal Silhouettes and Quattro Silhouettes sortied one after another using the slope. Each unit sortied out of the Aristides exactly as instructed. ¡¸You sure went all out huh, Barry.¡¹ The St. Bernard-type Familiar Rick appeared on Barry¡¯s monitor with a smile on his face. ¡¸I¡¯ll leave the rest to you guys. I¡¯m bushed.¡¹ ¡¸Sure. You opened up a really nice big hole for us. Now, this is a breakthrough!¡¹ The tank corps continuously poured into the huge hole in the shelter wall opened up by the Aristides. ¡¸The Aristides Silhouette corps and Silhouette Base troops have successfully joined up. Our victory in this Fortress Area P336 capture battle is all but guaranteed!¡¹ Barry issued a bold declaration of victory. This was also an important job of a commander. Inside the ship, multi-role fighters continued to be converted from air superiority to ground attack configurations as they were prepared for launch. Meanwhile, the Enyo ate an intense concentrated bombardment from the Metal Iris troops. As it included the fire support corps from the Silhouette Base, the resulting firepower was considerable. ¡¸Enyos used to be really scary opponents, but now they¡¯re like this.¡¹ Barry took a deep breath and muttered as he sank deeper into his chair. CH 104 The Metal Iris troops started bombarding the Enyo with the new model MBTs, the Fighting Bulls, at the forefront of the action. The multi-role fighters that switched their configurations to close ground support took off one after another from the Aristides and launched their wire-guided missiles at the Enyo as well. In order to protect the Enyo, Ant Workers, Soldiers, and Commanders all gathered to provide cover, but the Metal Iris armored combat vehicles wiped them all off from the back. A group of half-tracked armored combat vehicles daringly ran circles around the enemies. They were equipped with the new 120mm dual recoil spring recoilless gun. The dual recoil spring system cushions the recoil in two stages and channels it backward so that it isn¡¯t applied to the vehicle¡¯s suspension. Therefore, it wasn¡¯t suitable for rapid-fire weapons. However, due to the barrel being shortened, it was possible for even light armored vehicles to be equipped with large-caliber guns. They were practically perfect for light armored vehicles. Behind the half-tracks were armored combat vehicles equipped with large ground-to-ground guided missiles and multiple rocket launchers. Their combined firepower was enough to wipe out the surrounding Keres. ¡¸A fighting bull huh. This is definitely a machine that¡¯s born to fight. I¡¯ll have to thank Kou for making them.¡¹ Rick muttered under his breath within his MCS. Fighting Bull. It was equipped with a 150mm railgun and electromagnetic armor powered by a storage-type metallic hydrogen engine. Its defensive power was several times better than any previous model. Even if projectiles such as armor-piercing shells or lasers do manage to penetrate the outer armor of the tank, they would be dissolved or diffused by the internal plasma layer. It was also equipped with a 35mm multi-barreled autocannon and ground-to-ground missiles as secondary weapons. Unlike the Dragoon tanks that were developed under the premise of joint operations with Silhouettes, the Fighting Bulls specialized solely in combat. Their overall fighting power was considerable when they operated in groups. ¡¸All troops focus on the Enyo. Concentrate fire and take it down!¡¹ A scout machine that also serves as a front-line spotter successfully placed a marker on the Enyo. The tank corps surrounded the Enyo as they fired away. The large-caliber railgun rounds finally penetrated the Enyo¡¯s armor. Currently, there was no ace pilot inside a high-end custom machine or a chosen one piloting a one-off super robot on the battlefield. There were just the inhabitants of Planet Asia performing each of their roles in an exemplary manner and fighting hard against the threats before them. The bombardment didn¡¯t let up. The Enyo was modeled after an insect. It had no sense of pain. It returned fire with its lasers and railguns, destroying several armored vehicles. ¡¸Fire support unit, back up a bit more!¡¹ Due to their high firepower, the half-tracked armored vehicles tended to go in too deep at times. They hurriedly fell back. The attack aircrafts unleashed a barrage of air-to-ground missiles. The Enyo finally fell off-balance after taking consecutive direct hits from the railguns, air-to-ground missiles, and support artillery fire. The Quattro Silhouettes, wielding their lances like the cavalry troops of old, launched their attack from the Enyo¡¯s blind spot in order to destroy its power unit. And finally, the Enyo was brought down. One Quattro Silhouette managed to pierce its power unit with its burst lance. ¡¸Enyo, successfully destroyed! Switch over to taking control of the city block and control tower while mopping up the remaining enemy forces!¡¹ Rick roared his command to the rest of the troops. It was a victory achieved through the impressive cooperation between tanks, armored combat vehicles, aircraft, and Silhouettes. The Metal Iris forces moved on to mop up the remaining enemies. The most enthusiastic ones were the Quattro Silhouettes that were piloted by Therianthropes who applied to join Metal Iris. ¡¸I will never forgive you Murders! For my slain brethren!¡¹ The Therianthropes were also targets of eradication by the Murders like the Familiars. Many of them fought for revenge driving cheap armored cars because they were unable to pilot Silhouettes and ultimately perished. But now, they were given Silhouettes that they could pilot. So it was understandable that they would retaliate against their hated enemies with such zeal. Metal Iris also suffered a lot of damage during the battle. Marl and Flack continued to repair armored cars and Quattro Silhouettes that were being brought back to the ship¡¯s maintenance hangar one after another. ¡¸Mar-chan! Flack-kun! Leave this place to us. A damaged machine outside is too tough for us to repair.¡¹ A middle-aged woman piloting a work Silhouette called out to the two. A Quattro Silhouette with a damaged leg was waiting just outside the ship. Because it was too different from regular bipedal Silhouettes, it was too much to handle for the newly joined mechanics. ¡¸A Quattro, right? We¡¯ll leave this place to you guys then!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, leave it to us! We¡¯ll keep repairing these tanks and armored cars in a flash!¡¹ The pilot of the Silhouette working beside the two expressed his enthusiasm. The ones who were supporting the two were former Kurt Maschinenbau employees who were burning with rage against the Stones. They were already used to handling work Silhouettes. Even though they were worried about heading to an active battlefield at first, they immediately got fired up when they learned that children were actually taking care of the repair work. They were also happy that they could be of use in battle. The two kids headed out of the ship carrying a replacement leg. They immediately detached the damaged leg from the Quattro Silhouette and began replacing it. At this time, two Telkhines that should have been waiting for a good opportunity to launch an attack suddenly jumped out. ¡¸Moving in to intercept the enemies! Let¡¯s go, Flack!¡¹ ¡¸Got it, Ma-chan!¡¹ This pair of young siblings was different from before. They now each piloted a new high-class work Silhouette model, the Woodpecker, that was designed by Kou. Its combat ability actually far exceeded that of a last-generation Bear. Marl retrieved a weapon from her machine¡¯s backpack and attached it to her machine¡¯s right arm. It was a drill. A multipurpose catapult launcher was equipped on its left arm. ¡¸Take this! Have a taste of the three-stage secret technique I¡¯ve learned from Voy-san!¡¹ Voy taught Marl the supposed ¡®secret technique¡¯ on the condition that she kept it secret from Kou. It seemed to be a special technique derived from Kou¡¯s previous work on Earth. It seemed Voy had taught Marl something ridiculous. ¡¸Lathe machining-style secret technique! First stage, Primary Driven Gear!¡¹ First, Marl shot out an alloy wire using the catapult launcher on her machine¡¯s left arm and stopped a Telkhines in its tracks. It was an attack unique to a work Silhouette used in jobs requiring precision. ¡¸Drill on the right! Endmill on the left! Second stage, Secondary Driven Gear!¡¹ Marl¡¯s machine switched from a catapult launcher to an endmill. It scraped the surface of the Telkhines¡¯ armor. ¡¸With this, it¡¯s over! Final! Driven Gear!¡¹ Finally, the Woodpecker slammed its huge drill on the Telkhines¡¯ abdomen. The Telkhines that couldn¡¯t move shuddered violently from the blow. The drill pierced through its power pack, completely shutting it down. ¡¸I did it, Master Voy! How about that, Flack!?¡¹ Marl turned back and witnessed her little brother battle a Telkhines as well. Bam! A dull sound akin to plywood being penetrated rang out. A huge pile bunker pierced the chest of the Telkhines. The weapon used by Marl¡¯s little brother Flack was a giant pile bunker. ¡¸Hitting them with a pile bunker is faster and more efficient, Ma-chan.¡¹ He was a little brother who always opted to point out the truth. ¡¸Oh, c¡¯mon. Don¡¯t say something like that.¡¹ Even though she achieved a splendid victory, Marl¡¯s mood was dampened for some reason. However, even though she did keep it a secret from Kou as promised, she ended up boasting about it to Aimer later on. Aimer got to know about it and went to Kou, asking him to teach her the secret technique as well. Kou obviously got mad when he learned of the matter. And as a result¨C Voy was made to sit in a seiza position for an hour and was eventually sentenced to a week without honey. A few days later, Kou ended up earnestly giving the three kids an overview of 21st century Earth¡¯s processing technology. CH 105 The Stones forces were still continuing to resist. Sesto was also given an Antique Silhouette of his own. Its unit name was Angel. It was flight-capable but was nothing more than a mass-production machine during the Interplanetary War era. Even so, it should still prove several leagues above current-era Silhouettes. However, the problem was that its current pilot often merely gets thrown around by its considerable performance. Sesto resolved himself to fight together with the mercenary corps under him, but the coordination between the enemy armored vehicles and Quattro Silhouettes proved very intense. The armored combat vehicles that are able to perform tighter turns than tanks and the Quattro Silhouettes capable of precision maneuvers and greater speed compared to bipedal Silhouettes were akin to hunting dogs methodically cornering their prey. A Stones-affiliated Bear held up its rocket launcher and jumped out from a gap between two buildings. ¡¸You¡¯re mine!¡¹ The rabbit-eared Therianthrope Eira yelled out as her Quattro Silhouette reached the enemy Silhouette before it could even fire and pierced the enemy with its lance. Its burst acceleration was just too high that the enemy Bear¡¯s pilot failed to properly take a safer distance and was done in. However, another Silhouette took advantage of that momentary gap ¡ª Sesto¡¯s Antique Silhouette. It was the Angel. ¡¸You damned unknown Silhouette! Die!¡¹ Angel brandished its high-frequency vibro blade and slashed out. However, it was parried by a close combat type Quattro Silhouette. It was wielding a Silhouette-use oodachi, which was a type of tachi exclusively used on horseback in olden times. ¡¸The one who¡¯s gonna die is you.¡¹ The fox-eared Therianthrope Palm muttered grimly. ¡¸Kh!¡¹ Angel quickly attempted to retreat. It ran up a building¡¯s side, went up to the roof, and swooped down immediately afterward. ¡¸They shouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with my¡­¡­ Guwaaah!¡¹ A Quattro Silhouette speedily fell down from the building¡¯s roof while brandishing its oodachi in a downward slash. ¡¸It chased me all the way to the building¡¯s roof¡­¡­? Guh!¡¹ The Quattro Silhouette didn¡¯t need any boosters. It went up the side of the building like a nimble dancer and kept up with the Angel. The Angel¡¯s actions were easy to read. Sesto also made a misstep when he stopped to check his six. He was a combat amateur through and through. The Angel was pierced by the oodachi from behind, and Sesto died immediately. Palm wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. ¡¸Phew. I¡¯m glad I did my research on Kou-sama¡¯s hometown. Hiyodorigoe¡¯s downward charge at the Battle of Ichi-no-Tani. It looks like the Quattro is more than capable of emulating it. I need to report this to Kou-sama.¡¹ Kou¡¯s hometown, Japan, was experiencing a wave of popularity with the Silhouette Base¡¯s Therianthropes. They especially took note of the history of fantasy subculture involving cat and fox ears. Palm choosing an oodachi as his Silhoutte¡¯s weapon was probably due to that as well. Even so, Kou would probably retort that a completely vertical building face was way different from a cliff face. But the factor that enabled the maneuver was the Quattro Silhouette¡¯s high mobility. ¡¸How sly! I¡¯m gonna report to Kou-sama too!¡¹ ¡¸Sure.¡¹ After hearing Eira¡¯s protest, Palm¡¯s tough-looking expression somewhat loosened. The two were more excited about the prospect of reporting their battle accomplishments to Kou than the fact that they successfully defeated an Antique Silhouette. Silhouette troops infiltrated the control center, suppressed it, and successfully recapture Fortress Area P336. Cases of recapturing Fortress Areas from the hands of the enemy were few and far between. And this was the first time that a single Underground Force managed to do it. The Aristides retrieved its aircraft and Quattro Silhouettes and headed back to the Silhouette Base. There would be a big commotion if it was found. Kou¡¯s Asia Rescue Task Force should be deep underwater around this time and was also returning to the Silhouette Base. It seemed they successfully brought down the control center, took its A-Carbuncle, and subsequently disposed of it. The Stones forces would probably be demoralized for a while. Of course, Fuyuki made sure to set up some traps before they left the Fortress Area. If the enemy thought it was now completely empty and tried to survey the interior, they would probably get burned if they weren¡¯t careful. One night passed, but there were no signs of Stones forces trying to take back Fortress Area P336. While they were busy expanding the front lines, Fortress Area F811 was also captured. Right now, they couldn¡¯t afford to send any reinforcements to take back P336. The next day, Kou and Jenny came to Fortress Area P336. ¡¸Good work, Rick. Thank you.¡¹ ¡¸It was honestly all thanks to Barry. He performed an amazing charge.¡¹ ¡¸While yelling ¡®Just make me a Silhouette pilot again!¡¯ all the while, I heard.¡¹ ¡¸Looking at the combat records, he really wasn¡¯t half-bad¡­¡­ Actually, he might be more suited to being a ship captain than Robert. I was already aware of that though.¡¹ ¡¸Robert is calm and collected. A textbook ship captain. Oh, right, that¡¯s it. Barry¡¯s the incisive type of captain. He¡¯s really suited for assault operations. He also has a good eye for tactics. You two really make a good team.¡¹ Jenny and Rick began to analyze the two ship captain¡¯s performances. They then looked toward the Fortress Area¡¯s city block. ¡¸It looks like you managed to recapture it safely.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯ll we do with this place though?¡¹ ¡¸Ah. We¡¯ll just hand it over to the Mercenary Association. It¡¯s not like we want one of our own to serve as this place¡¯s area administrator.¡¹ ¡¸I already told the Mercenary Association that we¡¯d transfer all the rights to the recaptured Fortress Area to them yesterday. They were really flustered the moment I told them.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a medium-sized Fortress Area, but it does have decent manufacturing facilities. Right now, the production lines are all configured to mass-produce Ant-type Murders, but if they dispatch a Development Engineer to take control of this place, they¡¯d be able to make use of it with no problems.¡¹ ¡¸I also requested for them to administer medical treatment to the humans living here. Everyone keeps telling me it¡¯s better not to meet them myself though.¡¹ The humans living in the residential area of the city block were deprived of their free will in order to serve as maintenance workers for the Murders. The Stones referred to them as Helots. Kou frowned when he heard that the term was actually used to refer to slaves in ancient times. Moreover, they were slaves of the Spartans. They woke up on a set time, performed maintenance on the Murders, ate, excreted their waste, and slept. Everything was planned out to the dot. It could be said that they were merely ¡®alive¡¯ instead of truly ¡®living¡¯. Moreover, when he was informed of the existence of breeding and human disposal facilities, Kou displayed a blatantly disgusted look on his face. ¡¸The handling of this place should be decided by the Mercenary Association and the area administrator they will appoint. I don¡¯t think there won¡¯t be any takers. Let¡¯s wait for them to contact us.¡¹ The two nodded to Kou¡¯s proposal. The Mercenary Association had contact points based in Fortress Areas and Defense Domes around the world, and having them deal with situations like this was the norm. Right now, Kou and the others just basked in the joy of successfully accomplishing the simultaneous recapture of Asia¡¯s data fragment and Fortress Area P336. CH 106 ¡¸They actually refused to take over this place.¡¹ Jenny muttered while sporting dead-fish eyes. They were having a meeting inside the combat command center of the Aristides. ¡¸But it¡¯s still a valuable Fortress Area. How about we defend and manage it ourselves?¡¹ ¡¸Mercenaries aren¡¯t obligated to do stuff like that, right? And firstly, how will we handle the POWs?¡¹ Even Rick was taken aback by the Mercenary Association¡¯s unreasonable decision. ¡¸They said they¡¯d take in the POWs for treatment.¡¹ Many of them were deprived of their free will by nanomachines and could only move as instructed. So those had to be removed by medical treatments. Jenny sighed at the Association¡¯s ridiculous response. ¡¸Actually, they subtly insinuated that we exchange the Silhouette Base for Fortress Area P336.¡¹ ¡¸Oi, oi¡­¡­¡¹ Robert frowned in displeasure. The Association was really pushing it. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s just run this place ourselves.¡¹ ¡¸Oi, Kou. Aren¡¯t you being a bit too unreasonable!?¡¹ Barry couldn¡¯t help but exclaim. He thought they probably would be able to prepare enough weapons, but providing the necessary personnel to run the place was a different story. The latter would be impossible even if they made use of trading companies to recruit. ¡¸Hear me out, guys. You¡¯re familiar with Oscar-san who¡¯s currently working as part of the Aristides¡¯ maintenance crew, right? Actually, that person was the former area administrator of Fortress Area D516. Actually, I¡¯d already consulted him about serving as an area administrator again if needed when we were in the middle of planning the recapture operation.¡¹ ¡¸That sullen old man! Before you know it, he already made a move!¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s an excellent person. He also has a strong sense of responsibility. Actually, he sold away the A-Carbuncle of their former base and shared the money from the sale to the rest of the refugees as living funds. I think he¡¯s pretty trustworthy.¡¹ Oscar was a man who wasn¡¯t ostentatious but did his job well. He did seem reluctant at first, but he knew how difficult it was to administer an entire Fortress Area. Kou told him that he¡¯d be needed only in case Metal Iris was pushed to take over management of the recaptured Fortress Area. Oscar only had one condition to agree to Kou¡¯s request. It was for Kou to allow Kurt Maschinenbau to re-establish itself again. The figures of the company¡¯s employees who fought to the end to protect him and the other evacuees were burned into his mind. If he were to make a comeback, it should be together with them. Fortunately, Kou wished for that as well. Each man confirmed the other¡¯s intention and concluded their discussion on a positive note. ¡¸That uncle did stick it out with Kurt¡¯s company until the end. He was together with the former employees even after the evacuation.¡¹ ¡¸If we can secure a Development Engineer who¡¯s C-Class or higher and start a transferee company, we can use that place as an industrial base.¡¹ The two were impressed by Kou¡¯s foresight. Barry also agreed that it could be done if they really did convert the place to an industrial base. ¡¸We will reestablish Kurt-san¡¯s company. And I already have prospects regarding the Development Engineer. I have two close friends. One is a B-Class and the other is a C-Class. You guys can rest assured.¡¹ ¡¸Close friends?!¡¹ Barry yelled in surprise. He kept being surprised by everything he heard today. He¡¯d never known that Kou actually had close friends. Aki, who was standing behind Kou, displayed a gentle smile. It looked like their visits really did prove useful to Kou. ¡¸Right now, the two of them are still with Kelly-san¡¯s Skunk Technologies. I¡¯ve already talked to Kelly-san and the two of them. The two said they would like to go independent, and the matter was approved.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s those kids! I also know them. A really cute girl and a very pretty boy.¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s still a boy! But, Shadow Boss, you sure are amazing¡­¡­ You even managed to secure human resources like it¡¯s nothing.¡¹ Jenny remembered the ones Kou was referring to. Robert was thoroughly impressed by him. ¡¸Aki, I¡¯d like to recruit more Therianthropes for our reestablishment of Fortress Area P336. Is it doable? I think we¡¯d be able to prepare an additional 100 worker-type Quattro Silhouettes.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll get flooded with applications for sure. There¡¯s no problem.¡¹ ¡¸Dike, notify Okeanos. Fortress Area P336 will become an independent Silhouette Base cooperative district. Have all rights to it transferred to Metal Iris.¡¹ ¡ºUnderstood. Application complete. Approved.¡» ¡¸Well, that was fast.¡¹ ¡ºIt can¡¯t be helped since the Mercenary Association has already given up control. It seems that Okeanos is currently lecturing the Association regarding the abandonment of their responsibilities. It¡¯s become a big mess over there.¡» ¡¸Abandonment of responsibilities huh. Well, that¡¯s true.¡¹ The Mercenary Association was the only organization with jurisdiction on military forces in this world without any actual nations. Therefore, they were obligated to assist in the recapture and restoration of bases. Because there are no other organizations that will undertake such duties. Throwing all responsibility to a single Underground Force was a gross breach of duty. ¡¸They were probably aiming for Metal Iris to come up and beg them. Their plan backfired huh.¡¹ ¡¸They probably didn¡¯t expect we¡¯d handle the recruitment of personnel ourselves too.¡¹ ¡¸Humans are selfish beings. That¡¯s why I have to watch myself as well. If I¡¯m going to act selfish, then it better be with those I have a close relationship. Fuyuki-san, quickly get in contact with Benshin.¡¹ ¡¸Right. This is practically a completely intact Fortress Area. They should be willing to invest in it.¡¹ Kou sighed. ¡¸I¡¯m glad we still had a Plan B. Alright, everyone. Let¡¯s proceed with the Fortress Area Revival Plan.¡¹ ¡¸Shouldn¡¯t we have planned for this right from the start?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not the case. We didn¡¯t fight to obtain another Fortress Area for ourselves. We retook this place so that humanity will have more bases to continue the fight.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just as Kou said. I really don¡¯t know what the Mercenary Association is plotting.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s probably to gain an excuse to decline when we request for them to participate in further Fortress Area recapture operations in the future. Organizations like them operate on such precedents.¡¹ Barry seemed to have an opinion of his own regarding the Association¡¯s actions. Kou nodded in agreement. ¡¸Kou, rather than the Mercenary Association alone, you actually don¡¯t trust humans themselves?¡¹ ¡¸No. That¡¯s not the case, I think. Maybe I just lack complete confidence in them right now.¡¹ The Mercenary Association was an organization that provides military forces to humanity. Of course, by ¡®humanity¡¯, they also include the Stones. If so, then there might be some of them who think from the perspective of the Stones, or even of the AI. That¡¯s why it was best to be vigilant when dealing with them. ¡¸I¡¯m just making assumptions here, but I think the Mercenary Association is ultimately an impartial organization. And due to that nature, the number of people on the side of the Stones has increased exponentially.¡¹ ¡¸Perhaps that really is the case. They¡¯re pretty proactive when accepting requests from the Stones as well after all. But even if they¡¯re neutral, they¡¯re still supposed to be an organization meant for serving humanity.¡¹ ¡¸They were originally founded to manage previously non-existent military power, right? So it¡¯s premature to conclude that they are on the side of humanity. And besides, the Stones are actually former humans too.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll keep your words in mind, Shadow Boss. They do make sense.¡¹ Jenny acknowledged Kou¡¯s points. Looking at the Mercenary Association as an organization allied with humanity might have been wrong from the start. Rather, perhaps they were an organization meant to manage all they considered ¡®human¡¯. ¡¸But you can¡¯t make a lot of stuff using the facilities here, you know? You can probably manufacture work Silhouettes, but that¡¯s it.¡¹ Their industrial strength was directly linked to the importance of Fortress Areas and Defense Domes. The location of Fortress Area P336 was important from a geopolitical standpoint, but its overall importance was still low due to the small scale of the Area¡¯s industrial facilities. That¡¯s one of the reasons why its defenses were so half-baked. ¡¸With Asia¡¯s authority, the industrial block will be enlarged and remodeled into a fortified heavy industrial complex capable of manufacturing various Silhouette and weapon models.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s possible!?¡¹ ¡¸She did say it¡¯s fine, so it probably is.¡¹ ¡¸Do you realize you¡¯ve just said something even more ridiculous, Shadow Boss?¡¹ Robert muttered while dripping in a cold sweat. He had never heard of such a thing as remodeling the entire industrial block of a Fortress Area. Rick tried his best to hold back his laughter. Kou really was unaware of how unprecedented the matter he just blurted out was. ¡¸As soon as it¡¯s ready, let¡¯s leave Asia¡¯s data fragment to the control center of P336. That¡¯s why I¡¯m stationing Therianthropes and Quattros here.¡¹ Currently, Asia¡¯s data fragment was staying inside the second Aristides-class amphibious assault ship Pericles. She complained that it was pretty cramped. ¡¸This place does seem easily defensible.¡¹ ¡¸This guy definitely doesn¡¯t trust humans, does he!?¡¹ Rick acknowledged the merits of the topography when it comes to defense, while Barry noticed the seriousness of Kou¡¯s distrust of humans and bitterly smiled. It was true that P336 was the Fortress Area closest to the Silhouette Base. If something happens, it would be easy for the two bases to cooperate. ¡¸Alright. Let¡¯s move on to today¡¯s main topic.¡¹ ¡¸The stuff from before wasn¡¯t even the main topics?¡¹ Robert displayed a bitter smile as well. All the previous topics would be more than enough for him to collapse over for a week. ¡¸Nyanta, bring that thing over.¡¹ ¡¸Understood nyaa.¡¹ Nyanta brought over a big box. And then, she brought out the thing inside it. It was a rectangular monolith-like object. It shone with light from time to time. Its base color was gray. ¡¸This is a Kaleidolithos! I don¡¯t have any good memories regarding it, but it can sell for a huge sum on the black market.¡¹ ¡¸This sample was taken from the equipment installed behind an Antique Silhouette¡¯s rear seat unit. The one on my right was from the place we rescued Asia. The lithos on my left was recovered from the Antique guarding this place.¡¹ Jenny lowly muttered. Her eyes were devoid of light. Kou was worried about her condition, but he still continued. ¡¸Black market? The one you told me about before, Fuyuki-san? Then we¡¯ll buy these from there whenever they go on sale from now on.¡¹ ¡¸Why? What do we need these things for?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be explaining that now. It¡¯s a very important matter Asia directly told me about.¡¹ After hearing Kou¡¯s words, everyone tensed up. CH 107 ¡¸A Kaleidolithos is about as expensive as a small A-Carbuncle. An A-Carbuncle of the same price cannot be used to power a Defense Dome, but it¡¯s more than enough for a warship. However, its use was completely unknown. There¡¯s a rumor saying its used to increase the performance of Antique Silhouettes though.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. I have some bad memories regarding it, but that thing did help fund Metal Iris when it was just starting out.¡¹ Fuyuki stated the value of the Kaleidolithos in the black market, which Jenny affirmed. Kou nodded in response and continued his explanation. ¡¸The kaleidolithos can emit light of various gradations on a periodic basis at exactly the same time intervals.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯re already aware of that. Is there some secret to that phenomenon?¡¹ Kou nodded in response to Jenny¡¯s inquiry. ¡¸You see, this thing¡­ is basically the body of a Stone. Its main body.¡¹ Everyone displayed astonished expressions when they heard the reveal. ¡¸It seems to be a relatively well-known fact during the Interplanetary War era, but that knowledge is already lost today. Within this thing is data that can be said to be the soul of a Stone. Asia really didn¡¯t want to refer to it as a ¡®soul¡¯ though.¡¹ ¡¸T¡­¡­ That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ Jenny¡¯s face paled as she began to tremble. ¡¸As long as these things are still intact, the Stones can be revived over and over again. They capture humans in order to replace their minds with their own. Wha¨C Jenny! Are you okay!?¡¹ Jenny collapsed to her knees with an expression of utter despair. Blue hurriedly supported her, and Jenny was able to prevent herself from falling over completely. She supported herself with both hands on the floor so she wouldn¡¯t fall down. ¡¸Jenny! Did I say something bad?¡¹ Barry bitterly smiled and shook his head in response to Kou. ¡¸Kou, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Jenny, can I tell them about it?¡¹ Jenny nodded weakly. Barry took a deep breath and organized his thoughts. That¡¯s because he didn¡¯t want to give the wrong account to Kou. He glanced at Blue. She nodded in response. Blue also knew the inside story. ¡¸This is a story before Jenny became a mercenary. I and Robert were part of a different mercenary team. It was a joint operation with various other Underground Forces. Our platoon managed to defeat an Antique Silhouette and got our hands on a kaleidolithos. It was a fierce battle.¡¹ Kou nodded silently. He urged Barry to continue. ¡¸We were the only ones who survived. At that time¡­¡­ Jenny¡¯s lover, Randy, who was a member of our team, traded his life to defeat the Antique Silhouette. We wanted to respect Randy¡¯s will. He wanted Jenny to live her life in peace, so we gave her the kaleidolithos that was worth a lot of money. But after Jenny sold it off, she immediately founded Metal Iris. She bought her own Silhouette with some of the money from the sale.¡¹ Robert closed his eyes as he quietly reminisced about the past. It should also be a painful memory for him. Kou was at a loss for words. If that was true, then Jenny gave up her opportunity for revenge with her own hands. It was an enemy she hated enough to form Metal Iris for the sake of revenge. Jenny stared at the floor with empty eyes. Blue worriedly clasped her hand. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸Please don¡¯t say sorry. Please don¡¯t apologize to me again.¡¹ ¡¸Alright.¡¹ She muttered with a hollow-sounding voice. Silence dominated the place for a while. No one dared to break it. ¡¸Kou¡­¡­ Just tell me one thing. What are you planning to do with those things? They¡¯re just too tough. Practically indestructible.¡¹ Jenny seemed to squeeze out every word as she asked her question to Kou. ¡¸We¡¯ll still destroy them.¡¹ ¡¸How?¡¹ Kou pointed upward. ¡¸The red dwarf Nemesis. We¡¯re going to send them straight to the Goddess of Divine Punishment.¡¹ The two stones on top of the table momentarily glowed red. They should have heard Kou¡¯s words. Everyone present had the same realization. That glow was how the Stones screamed. Before standing up, Jenny hugged Blue and gave her a peck on the cheek with gratitude. She then rose up. Kou said they could be destroyed. Certainly, if they were sent to the red dwarf, it would equate to true destruction. There was nothing more surefire than this method. ¡¸As expected of our boss. I¡¯ll follow you until the day I die.¡¹ Jenny laughed powerlessly. However, her voice held an unwavering will. ¡¸Jenny¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t make that kind of face. I¡¯m really glad I met you. Otherwise, I¡¯d just be making the same mistake again. I did politely return my target for revenge to the enemy in exchange for money. But now that we know the truth, we won¡¯t make the same mistake anymore. Right, everyone. Isn¡¯t that right?¡¹ Everyone present nodded. ¡¸But we still can¡¯t let your efforts go to waste. I¡¯ll properly buy them off of you¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸No way! Why are you gonna buy them yourself!? You gotta be kidding me. I won¡¯t forgive anyone who even suggests we go through with such a thing!¡¹ Jenny frighteningly screamed. Jenny then realized she went too far and felt bad. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m being too hysterical. But Kou-kun, you¡¯ve already prepared and handed over this much equipment to us. These aren¡¯t things we can get on our own. I won¡¯t let anyone voice a word of complaint.¡¹ She turned to the monitor of the combat command center as she spoke. ¡¸I know. So please don¡¯t apologize, Jenny.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Kou. ¨CDike. Please hand all the kaleidolithos Metal Iris will acquire from now on to Kou. Violators will be expelled from the Force. In the case of malicious intent, severe punishment will be carried out, including death. Can you add that to our official rules?¡¹ ¡ºIt has been added. Please rest assured, Captain Jenny.¡» ¡¸Okay. It helps that you¡¯re easy to talk to, Dike. ¨CDo you think that¡¯s overdoing it, Kou-kun? It might be fine now. But there¡¯s no telling if something like that won¡¯t happen if our Force continues growing. There might even be spies working for the Stones that would manage to join. This is a countermeasure for those situations.¡¹ ¡¸It does make sense. I have no objections.¡¹ There might be people who would infiltrate the Force to steal the kaleidolithos for money. And more and more parties would get to know that Metal Iris was collecting them. Some of them might be enemies. ¡¸I¡¯m truly glad I managed to meet you. It¡¯s because of you that I managed to finally know the truth about my enemies. So I¡¯m very happy.¡¹ ¡¸Jenny, that sounds like a death flag, so please stop.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t have any intention of dying. Now, I have a new mission of sending as many kaleidolithos as possible to the arms of the Goddess Nemesis to undergo her fiery judgment after all.¡¹ ¡¸Please make sure you don¡¯t. You can hand me hundreds or even thousands of them. I¡¯ll send them all to be judged by the goddess.¡¹ Jenny approached Kou and kissed his cheek. His face suddenly turned bright red. Aki and Nyanta¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock. Blue and Aimer watched over the two with warm gazes. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry for shouting at you just now. And thank you¡­¡­ I managed to find out the truth I¡¯ve probably always wanted to know¡­¡­ It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡¹ Her voice cracked as she sobbed tearfully. Jenny buried her face in Kou¡¯s chest. Kou gently hugged her shoulders in response. Jenny then raised her face. She was still in tears, but she also had her usual determined and cheerful smile on. ¡¸Thank you, Boss. Please lend me your chest for a bit more. I¡¯ll keep counting on you from now on!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I¡¯ll be counting on you too, Jenny.¡¹ Kou hardened his resolve in response to Jenny¡¯s determination. CH 108 Kou moved his gaze to the two kaleidolithos on the table. ¡¸Let¡¯s get back on topic. These guys are basically ultra-hardline egalitarians. They no longer have individual qualities. They¡¯ve all but abandoned qualitative differences and genders and inputted data close to souls into these monolith-like objects.¡¹ ¡¸But the data still isn¡¯t a true soul.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not. Asia said that they were just flimsy veils of superficial consciousness. Since their mental age and sense of self-awareness are all fixed, they really can¡¯t be qualified as souls.¡¹ ¡¸What does that mean?¡¹ ¡¸The passage of time that one doesn¡¯t remember ¡ª maybe you can call it self-awareness stemming from others or observation; information that includes external observers and time. That seems to be what defines a soul. For example, the 3-year-old Jenny that you probably don¡¯t remember anymore and the 25-year-old Jenny right now makes up your soul, including the time that had passed in between. That¡¯s why if you only trap the 25-year-old you inside a monolith like this, it can only be said as a superficial consciousness and not a true soul.¡¹ ¡¸I see. Every event in my life from the time I was born to the current me constitutes my soul, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. In Asia¡¯s own opinion, these being made up of superficial awareness being called souls is too absurd.¡¹ ¡¸Asia¡¯s own opinion?¡¹ ¡¸It looks like that¡¯s not always the case for Okeanos. One is still counted as a human if one can again accomplish feats that one was able to do when one was still a human. Simply put, as long as you have a suitable body, Okeanos will treat you as a human. That¡¯s why Okeanos can be accessed by the Stones that have snatched and taken over human bodies for themselves ¡ª the so-called Hemitheos or demigods.¡¹ ¡¸So that¡¯s it. Now I can finally see the reason for all those incomprehensible things regarding the Stones, including being able to recruit forces via the Mercenary Association.¡¹ The two kaleidolithos emitted eerie lights. ¡¸The fact that they light up at fixed intervals and have a gray base color is also a result of their extreme pursuit of equality.¡¹ ¡¸But why did they go that far?¡¹ ¡¸The distinction between beautiful and ugly is considered unequal, and therefore, unnecessary. Different forms are considered discriminatory. So they moved on to forms that are absolutely equal to any observer. If one is different from the whole, one is incomplete. That¡¯s why all the lights they emit are exactly the same. The intervals too. If one didn¡¯t shine in the exact same rhythm, it was considered unequal.¡¹ ¡¸Uwah¡­¡­ A complete and utter denial of the ¡®individual¡¯ huh.¡¹ Fuyuki displayed his disgust from the bottom of his heart. Absolute equality that had been taken too far that it had turned into something sinister. ¡¸But they consider snatching bodies as a form of entertainment okay. After all, it¡¯s impossible for humans to be absolutely equal, and the Stones are fully aware of that fact. That¡¯s why concepts like freedom, equality, and fraternity only apply to their fellow Stones and nothing else.¡¹ ¡¸I really feel like destroying them all right now.¡¹ ¡¸Me too. They capture humans to choose the ideal body to use among them. That¡¯s just too unreasonable. It¡¯s like hermit crabs choosing shells to inhabit. After all, they treat humans as nothing more than tools or playthings.¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s dispose of them right now.¡¹ Blue looked down at the kaleidolithos on the table with a frosty gaze. ¡¸They want to regain the five senses they once lost simply for entertainment. I think that¡¯s something utterly selfish and disgusting.¡¹ ¡¸I wonder if there are people who don¡¯t think so.¡¹ ¡¸Apparently, there are¡­¡­ People who want to turn into Stones in order to preserve their consciousness for eternity are actually present all over the Nemesis warfront.¡¹ ¡¸They sure are a pitiful bunch.¡¹ Rick spat in distaste, and Kou nodded in agreement. ¡¸It seems that the memory, physical abilities, and skills of the possessed body can be freely used by them. Because of the Stone¡¯s mad pursuit of absolute equality, they all eventually turned out to be equally incompetent, so they need the bodies to make up for that.¡¹ ¡¸They threw away their entire lifetimes in the pursuit of equality. So that means they also discarded their skills?!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ Everyone present was at a loss for words. It is true that the treatment of individuals may vary depending on their individual skills, abilities, and knowledge, so that can be said as a source of inequality. But was there really any reason to go as far as the Stones have in pursuit of ultimate equality? ¡¸The body possessed by the one I defeated was probably that of a Development Engineer. His combat skills were absolutely pathetic. He was really weak despite piloting an Antique.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just because your combat skills are totally absurd you know. Regular guys won¡¯t be able to react to that speed.¡¹ ¡¸R-Really?¡¹ Kou, who didn¡¯t have a great sense of self-awareness, hurriedly changed the topic. ¡¸It seems the purpose of the Stones is to return to Earth¡­¡­ But speaking in real-time, the Earth might not even be there anymore.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸In the 21st century, scientists estimated that in 5 billion years the sun will expand to a Red Giant and swallow the entire Earth within it. I¡¯d already asked Asia. It¡¯s unclear if we¡¯ll even find a planet suitable for us to inhabit if we went back right now.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, they still endeavor to control each Nemesis system planet¡¯s management AI, all for their goal of returning to Earth.¡¹ ¡¸Or maybe they want to recreate a planet that¡¯s a complete replica of Earth. Including the terrain and the advent of humanity.¡¹ ¡¸How unreasonable. Even though they¡¯re nothing but dumb rocks.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re an absolutely unpleasant bunch of dumb rocks, aren¡¯t they?¡¹ Jenny and Kou turned frigid gazes onto the kaleidolithos on top of the table. ¡¸They can actually hear us, right?¡¹ ¡¸Even though they look like that, those stones are high-performance stuff. If mishandled, they might still be able to take over the consciousness of a compatible individual without anyone noticing. However, we¡¯ve already destroyed the device that allows them to do that, so there¡¯s no problem.¡¹ ¡¸That spare seat at the back of the MCS?¡¹ ¡¸Right. They operate Antiques, no, even current-era Silhouettes through synchronizing their consciousness and the body they took over from the unit placed at the back of the MCS. Their possessed bodies die immediately in order to spare the Stones themselves from pain and suffering, as well as to make it easier for the kaleidolithos to be recovered and sold on the black market.¡¹ ¡¸I see. So none of them have ever experienced being thrown into the vacuum of outer space huh.¡¹ Jenny knocked on one kaleidolithos with all her might. It emitted a pathetic-looking shine in response. ¡¸Since we can¡¯t get any information from them, they aren¡¯t worth anything. The signals being emitted by these stones are being blocked by Dike.¡¹ ¡¸Hmmm. Hey. Can I press the switch myself when it¡¯s time to send these bastards to Nemesis?¡¹ ¡¸Sure. Be my guest.¡¹ ¡¸Thanks, Boss.¡¹ The kaleidolithos pair protested by shining weakly. No one paid them any attention. Aristides was now out at sea. Only Kou and Jenny were present on the deck. A Silhouette-sized small space rocket was also installed on the deck. ¡¸This advanced spacecraft will carry those guys all the way to Nemesis.¡¹ ¡¸A spacecraft¡­¡­? Isn¡¯t this just a box?¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t spend money and resources just to dispose of rocks. Its only passengers are two rocks after all.¡¹ Kou handed Jenny the launching switch. ¡¸It will use Planet Asia¡¯s gravity to conduct a swing-by. Then it¡¯s a one-way trip to Nemesis.¡¹ ¡¸May they be subjected to the judgment of Nemesis.¡¹ Red dwarf Nemesis. It was a dwarf star with such a low caloric value that it can be mistaken for a brown dwarf. Its surface temperature was 3,000 degrees Celsius, which was about half of Earth¡¯s sun. The temperature of its core however was said to be millions of degrees. Even though it wasn¡¯t as hot compared to other stars, any substance thrown into it will still lose its form and eventually get annihilated. ¡¸ Bye-bye, you damn rocks.¡¹ Jenny resolutely pushed the switch. The rocket jetted away and eventually disappeared beyond the sky. ¡¸Ah, that was refreshing!¡¹ Jenny stretched her body and laughed. Kou thought it suited Jenny more to act cheerful like this. ¡¸What, Kou-kun? You¡¯re staring at me hard. Did you fall for me again?¡¹ ¡¸W-What the heck are you saying? Let¡¯s head back.¡¹ ¡¸I want to breathe a bit more of the air outside.¡¹ ¡¸Take it easy.¡¹ With a bright red face, Kou passed through the catwalk and returned to the interior of Aristides. Jenny looked up at the sky without tiring of it as her blonde hair fluttered in the sea breeze. CH 109 The Hemitheos gathered for an emergency meeting. They were going to conduct an Areopagus council assembly. The site of the assembly was Fortress Area B001. This was the main base of the Stones on Planet Asia. ¡¸F811¡¯s Asia has been taken huh? They really played us. To think they decided to retrieve Asia at this time.¡¹ ¡¸Moreover, they merely took away Asia and the A-Carbuncle but abandoned the base itself.¡¹ ¡¸It was only a matter of time before one fragment was taken. But they aimed for F811 which was deep in our territory when it was the most unguarded. It appears they have a skilled strategist with them.¡¹ ¡¸We have no choice but to recognize the situation. It is no longer possible to suppress Asia. We no longer have any choice but to occupy the entirety of Planet Asia by force.¡¹ Dark shadowy outlines surrounded a round table. There were twelve seats. It was a sinister round-table conference. There was no hierarchy among the participants. The eerie group sitting on those seats all wore gray cloaks. Neither white nor black, but drab gray. The color they most preferred. The dark silhouettes all had something in common. The sound of their voices. It was an assembly that was representative of the Stones and their ideals. Having two of Asia¡¯s data fragments taken from them was critical. However, no one among them brought up having someone take responsibility. And was their act of praising the enemy¡¯s strategy an indication of composure or was it how they truly felt? They don¡¯t even know the answer themselves. ¡¸Having Fortress Area P336 captured as well was unexpected.¡¹ ¡¸They merely acted like burglars ransacking the house when the owners were away. It was reasonable for them to choose that Area to capture. Its location is a key point, but we can always take it back.¡¹ ¡¸Umu. It¡¯s a Fortress Area with no heavy industrial facilities. There¡¯s no point in regaining it back when it can¡¯t even produce tanks. The key is that there are many points of attack we can choose from. We can always take it back whenever the need arises.¡¹ Everyone else nodded to the words of the last one to speak. ¡¸What about the mass production of the Bisons?¡¹ ¡¸Production is in full swing on various sites. The next-generation successor to the Bears. It¡¯s quite a high-performance machine.¡¹ ¡¸The soldiers we¡¯ve deprived of free will through the use of nanomachine capsules, the Perioikoi, are performing their jobs without any problems.¡¹ The Stones had started mass production of John Arm¡¯s latest mass production combat Silhouette, the Bison. It was a low-cost unit like the previous Bear, but its mobility was significantly improved while still sporting heavy armor. It was ideal as a lure for recruiting mercenaries. And because mercenaries alone weren¡¯t enough to satisfactorily bolster their forces, the Stones introduced the Perioikoi as well. ¡¸I personally want Raven to be mass-produced.¡¹ Another figure pushes for the Raven. ¡¸That one¡¯s a bit expensive. It¡¯s also picky regarding its pilot. Not as picky as the Corvus though. The Corvus is, in some ways, superior to Antiques. Let us make some for us demigod¡¯s use.¡¹ ¡¸We really don¡¯t have many chances to go into battle ourselves, so I think using Antiques like before is fine. Let us just replace the Angels with the Ravens.¡¹ ¡¸The shell of that old man, Jack Cliff¨C No, it will be my body soon. In any case, I will procure a compact metallic hydrogen reactor from Okeanos.¡¹ ¡¸That old man¡¯s shell underwent life-prolonging treatments, right? How long will his body live?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s about 70 years old now. Even if we¡¯d use regenerative medicine and life-support tubes, it will probably be limited to just 130 years.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll have to obtain another A-Class Development Engineer before that one expires then.¡¹ ¡¸We do have (***) as a candidate already. Though he¡¯s no Kurt.¡¹ ¡¸That is good news.¡¹ Jack Cliff was one of the A-Class Development Engineers. His will had already been deprived and was now a mere puppet of the Stones. He didn¡¯t have the ability to think for himself anymore. ¡¸However, depriving their will is a bit of a shame. We will not be able to make any new weapons even if we take them over. I hope your candidate is truly cooperating with us voluntarily.¡¹ ¡¸You should expect good things.¡¹ ¡¸That sounds promising indeed. Fortunately, we¡¯ve obtained all the technologies recently provided by Okeanos. Even B-Class Development Engineers can perform bricolage with them. It is truly lucky for us.¡¹ ¡¸Even if we only have design plans, they will still be usable. From fighters to tanks. That Old Jack is the type to make a variety of low-cost but high-performance weapons. It really is regrettable.¡¹ ¡¸In that aspect, Kurt is definitely the worst. He¡¯s the type to pursue absolute performance without caring for profits. The main data of his factories have been deleted, and it¡¯s unknown if he¡¯s already up and died somewhere out there. I¡¯d heard that we couldn¡¯t completely recreate that captured Huckebein.¡¹ ¡¸When it comes to tanks, please leave it to my subordinate Alberto.¡¹ ¡¸That guy is always itching to build a gigantic tank whenever he gets the chance.¡¹ ¡¸What about the mass production of land battleships?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, it¡¯s no good. How about Silhouettes?¡¹ ¡¸We are also in the middle of designing a mass-produced Silhouette for the Perioikoi, the Armadillo, using the technology we took from Jack.¡¹ A holographic image appeared in the center of the table. The form of a large Silhouette appeared. It was equipped with large gun barrels on both shoulders and also wielded a large rifle. ¡¸It can be said to be a machine that completely focused on firepower and armor and has abandoned the concept of mobility. Although it uses new materials, it isn¡¯t equipped with any sort of special mechanism, and its lack of mobility is made up for with thick armor, so it isn¡¯t that costly. Since it¡¯s pretty sturdy, it can serve as a good wall.¡¹ ¡¸Then it is definitely suited for the Perioikoi. No matter. Mass produce it.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ Another figure spoke out. ¡¸The number of our Silhouettes has increased, but are there enough Helots to serve as maintenance personnel.¡¹ ¡¸We have decided to turn the non-conforming elements into Helots instead of killing them, so there is no problem for now.¡¹ Helot meant slave. They were exclusively tasked with maintaining the Murders employed by the Stones. They were treated as consumables with a high loss rate. ¡¸We can always replenish their number by taking over bases.¡¹ ¡¸There are only a few who can become our chosen citizens, the Lacedaemon, after all. Therefore, I have decided to lower the requirements.¡¹ ¡¸You were far too strict. I think it is a reasonable measure.¡¹ It was a conversation of entities that saw themselves as gods and didn¡¯t recognize humans as persons. The people who belong under the rule of the Stones mainly belonged to the class called Perioikoi. Their purpose in life was to become Lacedaemon. Then their treatment would be improved all at once. Humans who were not selected were deprived of their will by nanomachines and are treated as biological robots called Helots. ¡¸There are two Fortress Areas that have changed over to our side. There are more than ten Defense Domes.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s unexpectedly few.¡¹ ¡¸Most of them still see matters as unrelated to them. Our production bases will increase with this. Once they feel the winds of war for themselves, there will probably be more that will come to our side.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. Humans do not learn unless they get burnt first.¡¹ One of the Stones acted convinced of his view. ¡¸I heard that the name of the army direct under us Stones has been decided?¡¹ ¡¸It has. It¡¯s the Argonauts.¡¹ ¡¸Legendary sailors composed of heroes chosen by us Hemitheos huh? Not bad.¡¹ ¡¸They are currently reorganizing. As I told you earlier, (***) is excellent. He is good at military organization and tactics and shows no signs of betrayal. He even swallowed nanomachines voluntarily when he pledged allegiance to us. I can serve as his witness and guarantor.¡¹ ¡¸Hou. I am expecting great things from him more and more.¡¹ The Stones buzzed with excitement at the appearance of an unexpected promising newcomer. ¡¸Now then, let us talk about Libya. How is the matter of Libya¡¯s analysis and the development of a new Murder model coming along?¡¹ ¡¸That restriction of being beholden to humans is more troublesome than expected, but we have made some progress.¡¹ ¡¸Hou? That stubborn mule is finally starting to break?¡¹ ¡¸It has been quite meek and cooperative lately. The dogfight-capable Murder we¡¯ve requested has also entered the requirements analysis stage.¡¹ ¡¸That is good news.¡¹ ¡¸I request to enhance the thinking ability of Keres as well as greater development authority. I hope to further diversify the organisms that serve as the basis for Murders. I request permission to introduce more reptile species and birds in addition to the current arthropods, reptiles, and humanoids. I aim to make a successor unit to the Telkhines.¡¹ ¡¸Fuumu. What do you think, everyone?¡¹ A man called out to the entire group. Their positions were all equal. There was no chairman presiding over the assembly. ¡¸We were the ones who constrained Keres to insects and arthropods. However, their thinking abilities were too poor. That¡¯s why we allowed the development of the Telkhines that combined humanoid and reptilian elements.¡¹ ¡¸What do you think of the Telkhines? They do have good performance but compared to units equipped with MCS, they fall short.¡¹ ¡¸We cannot compare them with MCS-equipped units. That is essentially something that¡¯s installed with a copy of a Super AI after all.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true. Those foolish Fennel OS AI that willingly chose to become vehicles.¡¹ The man¡¯s lips distorted into a mocking smile as he ridiculed the Fennel OS AI. ¡¸Very well. Let us expand the development classification and the range of target organisms. I do hope you can create something smarter than the ones we have now.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I shall return to Libya and begin the project immediately.¡¹ It seemed that they have finally talked about all agendas of concern. All the shadowy figures disappeared from the round table, and the place was once again dominated by silence. CH 110 It¡¯s been a month since Fortress Area P336 had been retaken. Its restoration has been proceeding smoothly, and work is being conducted by personnel centered on Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids. Since the Stones have raised their vigilance, the present state of the battle had turned into an uneasy lull. Metal Iris was developing rather smoothly, but the rest of humanity still couldn¡¯t come together into a unified front. As for the Stones, they have begun to increase the number of their Fortress Areas and Defense Domes. Presently in Fortress Area P336, Blue was broadcasting her radio program from within Aristides. ¡¸Good evening to all you listeners. It¡¯s time for Dusk Buster. I¡¯m your host, Blue. I¡¯ll be in your care again, everyone. I want to introduce a new number today. It¡¯s a song from the 21st century¡­¡­¡¹ Blue smoothly introduced the song and proceeded to play it. This song was actually Blue¡¯s favorite. It was a classic anime song recommended by ¡°The Guy Who Got Tricked by the Front Cover¡±. ¡¸¡«¡«?¡¹ She sang in a soft voice as she scanned the requests sent in by the listeners to choose the next number. Suddenly, the glass screen of Aristides¡¯ broadcast room was tapped repeatedly. It was the Therianthrope Lozere. She put up a piece of paper against the glass and shook it repeatedly. ¡¸Lozere? The mike is still on? Eh? No way? Kyaaah! I¡¯m sorry!¡¹ Blue turned off the microphone while hastily apologizing. This kind of event was the absolute favorite of the listeners. This broadcast quickly turned into a legendary episode, and before long it was widespread on WEB media. Thanks to her clear singing voice and utterly cute reaction, Blue even earned the nickname ¡°Fairy Blue¡±. It didn¡¯t take long for requests asking Blue to sing live to start coming in during broadcasts, making her all teary-eyed. ¡¸I¡¯m honored to join the famous Fairy Blue for shopping.¡¹ ¡¸Right. I also think it¡¯s amazing that I get to accompany Fairy Blue.¡¹ Nyanta declared solemnly and Kou muttered nervously. ¡¸As her manager, you need to constantly keep an eye on the surroundings. Idols can¡¯t get involved in any scandals.¡¹ ¡¸Mm.¡¹ Aki and Aimer were also present. ¡¸Just who is Fairy Blue? And what manager and idol!? If you pull that on me one more time, I¡¯m going to shoot Unit 5 on the back, Mr. ¡°Guy Who Got Tricked by the Front Cover¡±.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t get angry for real¡­¡­ I know already, okay?¡¹ It seemed that Blue really hated being called by her new nickname. Even someone as dense as Kou restrained himself in front of her ire. A while ago, Kou had invited Aimer and the others to come to walk around the city block with him, and Blue also tagged along. It seemed Aimer had invited her as well. Fortunately, Kou didn¡¯t see Aki and Nyanta¡¯s eyes turning dark for a moment. Voy quickly made his escape the moment he noticed the atmosphere. ¡¸Do your best with carrying the luggage!¡¹ He only left behind such words of encouragement. ¡¸We can just use the delivery service nyaa, you idiot!¡¹ The events of the day started with Kou trying to pacify an irritated Nyanta. ¡¸Ehehe. How fun.¡¹ Aimer was in an unusually good mood. She felt it was really worth coming along. They checked out clothes, items from the Earth era, and Asian specialty products. Kou had few chances to tour around places like this, but he had once again gotten that feeling of everyone living life normally. There were no cars caught in traffic jams and no crowded trains. However, various animals and Familiars came and went on the bustling streets, and his heart mysteriously calmed down. ¡¸Kou, I want to go there next!¡¹ ¡¸Shall we then?¡¹ It was fun just to go to places Aki and Nyanta wanted to visit. ¡¸There sure are a lot of people.¡¹ ¡¸This is the first human mercenary recruitment drive of Metal Iris after all. Lots of hopefuls came from the world over.¡¹ ¡¸That many?¡¹ ¡¸Metal Iris is the most powerful Force among the emerging powers. Its military strength seems unfathomable and it¡¯s won consecutive victories in combat. Of course, it¡¯s gonna turn out this way.¡¹ ¡¸But that also means things are getting pretty dangerous.¡¹ Kou muttered. They had certain won various battles. But those victories came with casualties. Familiars, Therianthropes, and humans had died. ¡¸It¡¯s also probably because we¡¯ve only recruited Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids before nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸Commercial facilities like shopping malls have been smoothly put up.¡¹ ¡¸You like this stuff, right? When I suggested to the people from Benshin to open shop here, they agreed immediately.¡¹ ¡¸Human Benshin employees can also get stationed here after all. In this place, Kou¡¯s words are absolute.¡¹ Aki and Nyanta explained the current situation. Familiars who can survive on water alone didn¡¯t really need to make money in the first place, so they conducted their businesses at reasonable prices. In that respect, Kou thought it would be fine if this place only had Familiars. ¡¸But as the number of people here increases, the number of crude and strange folks also increases accordingly.¡¹ They did have something akin to a police organization, and some of the Familiars going about the streets were actually serving that very role. Even the sparrows flying in the air were Familiars. When it looks like something unsavory was about to happen, they¡¯d attack the criminal like bullets to prevent crime. And then, the police dogs will take the offenders away. Kou was concerned about the folks who would take advantage of the goodwill of Familiars and Therianthropes. There were people everywhere who would take advantage of those who had good intentions after all. ¡¸Please rest assured. As per the orders of the Shadow Boss, we make sure that no shady folks manage to get past our interviews.¡¹ Blue emphasized Kou¡¯s nickname of Shadow Boss. Perhaps it was her revenge for Kou calling her ¡°Fairy Blue¡±. ¡¸Alright Fai¡­¡­ Oww. Sorry.¡¹ Before he could even finish saying ¡°Fairy¡±, Kou¡¯s cheeks were pinched by a smiling Blue. Seen from the side, they only looked like very close lovers having a good-natured spat, and the jealous gazes of the two kemonomimi ladies sharply pierced Kou. ¡¸Fine. You did promise me you¡¯d treat me to a meal, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, I didn¡¯t forget.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? Since when!?¡¹ Aki was lightly shocked. Kou thought she was making too much of a fuss about something so ordinary, but he didn¡¯t understand a woman¡¯s heart after all. ¡¸Let¡¯s have a meal together.¡¹ They declared what they¡¯d like to eat one after another and went to the nearest restaurant. CH 111 After the meal, the group had some dessert. They went to a small food court, ordered their drinks, and chatted happily. There were many Familiars and a few Therianthropes inside the establishment. While the women were chatting away, Kou caught a glimpse of a trio of men passing by. Aki and Nyanta immediately noticed Kou¡¯s reaction. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong?¡¹ ¡¸Is it an enemy?¡¹ Aki asked as Nyanta warily scanned the surroundings. For a brief moment, an aura of murderous anger seeped out from Kou. The two ladies had never felt Kou so angry until now. ¡¸No, it¡¯s nothing.¡¹ Kou had forgotten that they were good at reading human emotions. He reflected on his lack of training. If he lets his guard down, they¡¯d immediately notice. The other party must have already forgotten about him, or rather, they might not want to have anything to do with him anymore. Normally, that would be the case. ¡¸You say it¡¯s nothing, but¡­¡­ Please do tell us right away if there¡¯s something troubling you.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ They returned to chatting again. However, the other party didn¡¯t have normal sensibilities after all. ¡¸Yoo. If it isn¡¯t Kou. So you were alive eh?¡¹ The owner of the voice who called out was Yoshikawa. He was the man who pushed Kou out of the transport plane when he first came to Planet Asia. The ones following behind him like loyal lackeys were Yamaoka and Niijima. They smelled of alcohol. Yoshikawa was holding a cup of booze in his hand. Yoshikawa frowned as he scanned Kou. The other party was accompanied by three beautiful ladies. There was another girl, but she was still a child, so she didn¡¯t count. But it was still too damn cheeky in Yoshikawa¡¯s eyes. ¡¸¡­¡­Yeah.¡¹ Kou answered while sporting a blank expression. Aki and Nyanta went fully alert, and Aimer glared at the three drunks. Blue still didn¡¯t understand exactly what was going on. Them being at this place meant the three were mercenaries, and probably came over to participate in the recruitment drive of Metal Iris. They were unlikely to pass given the Familiar¡¯s strict standards, but Kou still decided to make sure, just in case. If he made the wrong move, the three will probably pick a fight with him immediately. A three-on-one fight was definitely going to be messy, and it would involve the girls as well. Kou kept inwardly telling himself to cool his head and exercise patience. The swordsmanship dojo he attended always used the same method to deal with situations like this. Basically, it¡¯s to escape. Whether it was kenjutsu, iai, or kendou, the method was still the same. It was very unlikely for people to carry weapons in Japan, and one probably wouldn¡¯t have the resolve to kill in the first place. And precisely because of training, practitioners experience the disadvantages of one going against many quite often. That¡¯s why they were first taught to run away at times like this. However, Kou wasn¡¯t alone right now. So that method can¡¯t be used. ¡¸So you also came to apply to Metal Iris? Just give up man. It¡¯ll be impossible for a wimp like you!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. This guy¡¯s a loner and can¡¯t even work with anybody else.¡¹ ¡¸How about you join us instead? We¡¯ll even register you and get you an ID.¡¹ They were really spouting anything they liked. Join them? Kou wanted to tell them to their faces that he didn¡¯t have any interest in being their gofer, but he endured it. ¡¸Let¡¯s get along like before eh? I really wanna get along more with you, y¡¯know?¡¹ They were purposefully saying they wanted to get along for everyone to hear. Kou wasn¡¯t sure if they were just provoking him, or if they wanted to create an alibi for themselves. ¡¸I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true. And I¡¯m already part of an Underground Force. So if you guys don¡¯t have another business with me, can you just leave?¡¹ ¡¸Ha! How high and mighty! Says the dunce who couldn¡¯t even get on the escape shuttle!¡¹ Was he seriously saying that, or was he just keeping up the act, Kou inwardly questioned. He decided to ignore Yoshikawa¡¯s words. Yoshikawa got even more annoyed, but he laid his eyes on Blue and gave her a vulgar look. ¡¸Hey, it¡¯s a beautiful elf! Oi, miss. We¡¯re Kou¡¯s senpais y¡¯know. We¡¯re far more impressive than this clumsy dunce. Why don¡¯t you hang out with us instead?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m not an elf, so I¡¯m sorry, but I refuse.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re not my senpai anymore. So just get lost.¡¹ ¡¸You bastard!¡¹ The moment Kou voiced his displeasure, the other party grabbed him by the collar and shook him violently. ¡¸You sure like to posture even though you¡¯re just a frustrated murderer.¡¹ Kou finally couldn¡¯t suppress his anger. It was attempted murder that was more like an extension of his usual harassment. He didn¡¯t really have any intent to kill. He simply thought maybe the other party would die and did it without thinking deeply. For Yoshikawa, it was just for fun. Yoshikawa simply viewed Kou as someone utterly worthless. That¡¯s why he could perform something like harassment that could have led to Kou dying without any sense of guilt on his part. If Kou died, he¡¯d just chalk it up as an unfortunate ¡®accident¡¯. That was it, as far as Yoshikawa was concerned. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t take the other party placing the blame on him. In his view, he didn¡¯t do anything wrong. He honestly didn¡¯t think Kou¡¯s life was worth anything. He didn¡¯t feel guilty at all. In his view, Kou was just playing the victim. ¡¸Don¡¯t you dare falsely accuse me. ¨CI¡¯ll let you off if you get those three to come with us. Hand them over. Elves and beastmen are just the slaves of us humans anyway. Ah? Hand over your rights as their master right now.¡¹ ¡¸Every word that comes out of your mouth is just utterly unpleasant. Nereids and Therianthropes aren¡¯t slaves.¡¹ ¡¸Trying to argue huh. In the first place, you fell from the plane yourself. So give me some compensation for falsely accusing me.¡¹ Aimer suddenly got in front of Kou. ¡¸You pushed Kou out. I saw it all.¡¹ Aimer technically has been with Kou much longer than the rest of the girls because she inherited all of Master¡¯s memories. That¡¯s why she was aware of what happened that day. A wisp of anger lit up in the depths of her eyes. ¡¸Stop, Aimer!¡¹ ¡¸The heck is with this damn kid!? You were actually a disgusting lolicon, Kou?¡¹ A new target of Yoshikawa¡¯s malice had appeared. His mouth split into a wicked grin. Blue had also noticed the danger. ¡¸Oops. Sorry, little lady. You seem to have misunderstood something. Ah!¡¹ Yoshikawa splashed the contents of the alcohol cup in his hand on Aimer. It looked like he was quite used to such actions. But it was still obviously intentional. He looked as if he was going to throw the glass cup and hit the edge of the desk with it. The top part of the glass cup shattered. Nyanta and Aki stood up to come to the rescue, but they were on the opposite side of the table. It would take a few moments for them to come over to the other side. Kou had moved to get in between Aimer and Yoshikawa, but the latter had acted faster. ¡¸Sooorry! My hand slipped. Gyahaha! Here, I¡¯ll wipe it off for ya!¡¹ Yoshikawa stretched his hand out to Aimer. Even though Kou and Nyanta tried to get in his way, Yoshikawa just moved too fast for them to stop. He was too close to Aimer as well. He was so close that even the bird-type Familiar who tried to get in his way wasn¡¯t able to make it. He was definitely going to harass Aimer. Instead of continuing to butt heads with Kou, it felt more interesting for Yoshikawa to lay his hands on those Kou cared about. Women and children were prime targets. If they got hurt, then it was all Kou¡¯s fault. He thought it would be great if he could give them scars that they would carry for the rest of their lives. When Kou realized what Yoshikawa was up to, it was already too late. He inwardly cursed and wondered just how low the other party could get. Yoshikawa grabbed Aimer¡¯s hair, which prompted her to let out a short scream. Yoshikawa had likely wanted to pull her up by her hair. However, he failed to do so. Aimer¡¯s wig, which wouldn¡¯t normally come off unless a lot of force was used, had come off. Aimer was afflicted with alopecia, which was an aftereffect of long-term cold sleep, and was still in the middle of treatment. Kou¡¯s eyes instantly blazed with intense fury. CH 112 ¡¸Puhaha! This damned kid! She¡¯s completely bald! A damn bald egg! Oops. I still have this in my hand!¡¹ Yoshikawa held Aimer¡¯s wig with his left hand and the broken cup in his right. He once again moved to hurl the cup at Aimer. He hadn¡¯t forgotten his intention to ruin Aimer¡¯s face. In his mind, what he¡¯ll do wouldn¡¯t kill the kid. And even if she did die, he¡¯d get to make Kou suffer. He just needed to chalk it up as an accident and walk away scot-free. That¡¯s because Kou was the useless kouhai, and he was the great senpai. They would be the ones at fault for provoking him. ¡¸If you have a grudge against Kou, then don¡¯t involve others. Gyaa!¡¹ Nyanta yelled flashily and rolled on the floor. She jumped onto the table, hugged Aimer, narrowly avoided the blow, then rolled away. Blue ran forward and received Aimer from Nyanta¡¯s arms. The glass cup Yoshikawa threw hit nothing but air. It harmlessly hit the floor. The swallow-type Familiar, who moved faster than the sparrow-type Familiar who tried to protect Aimer, rammed Yoshikawa¡¯s right hand and sent the glass cup flying earlier. The sparrow-type Familiar hit Yoshikawa¡¯s left hand and took Aimer¡¯s wig from him. ¡¸You damn birds! Guh.¡¹ Kou¡¯s fist dug into Yoshikawa¡¯s abdomen. He then followed up with a hook that landed powerfully on Yoshikawa¡¯s right cheek. Yoshikawa was blown away and collapsed on the floor. He ended up spitting out some of the alcohol he had drunk. The sparrow-type Familiar assisted Kou and hit Yoshikawa as well. Kou didn¡¯t hesitate to follow up with a kick. He wanted a katana. Even a knife would do. He really wanted one right now. ¡¸You bastard! How dare you!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going to kill you!¡¹ Kou couldn¡¯t help but unleash murderous intent. He just couldn¡¯t hold himself back anymore. Kou looked down on the fallen Yoshikawa with a dreadful gaze. Even someone like Yoshikawa had noticed Kou¡¯s unbridled killing intent and became afraid. Blue gently picked up the wig and placed it back on Aimer¡¯s head. A dog Familiar who rushed in to respond to the commotion earlier led Aimer to the back of the shop. The Familiars and Therianthropes wouldn¡¯t make fun of a person¡¯s physical defects. Feelings of anger erupted from the gathered crowd. Just how painful was it for the young girl to have such a secret exposed in public? Moreover, she was also almost hit in the face. Aimer was close to tears the entire time, but she didn¡¯t cry. She was still anxiously glancing back at Kou while she was being brought away. That sight was even more painful to Kou, and his urge to kill Yoshikawa welled up once more. ¡¸What the heck do you think you¡¯re doing to Yoshikawa-san!?¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re the one who¡¯s gonna die! You¡¯re the one who attacked first!¡¹ Yamaoka and Niijima tried to gang up on Kou. Nyanta struck Yamaoka with a shoulder charge, and Aki punched Niijima with all her might. Niijima¡¯s front teeth shattered from Aki¡¯s punch. The three all miserably fell with their backs to the floor. Yoshikawa was frightened by the murderous-looking Kou. ¡¸Wasn¡¯t it enough to just try and kill me, you bastard?¡¹ ¡¸Hey! Did you all hear that!? You Familiars! This guy tried to accuse me of murder without any evidence! You guys are my witnesses! I¡¯m the victim here!¡¹ ¡¸What are you saying?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m the victim, dammit! He went and attacked me! I already said I wanted to get along with him! He¡¯s even saying he wants to kill me! He¡¯s crazy! Just look, everyone! Familiar-san! Are you aware that falsely accusing an innocent person is considered a serious felony by the Mercenary Association, Kou? You ain¡¯t gonna be able to continue being a mercenary anymore. You¡¯re gonna get expelled!¡¹ Yoshikawa realized that he had no chance to win against Kou in a physical fight, so he decided to rely on the law instead. He devoted himself to acting like the victim and painted Kou as the aggressor. He kept emphasizing that he said he wanted to get along with Kou. His plan was to turn Kou into a criminal with the Familiars present serving as his witnesses. ¡¸Who are you calling a murderer? You can¡¯t even bring out a single goddamn witness! Hah!¡¹ His last words were simply threats. Yoshikawa planned to keep his act up until the end. There couldn¡¯t have been any witnesses during that day when they were first transferred over to Asia. He desperately appealed to his status as a victim while lying miserably on the floor. Yoshikawa was sure Kou was the one going to be taken away by the police. He claimed to be the victim because he was the first to be hit. All the while claiming his hand merely slipped by coincidence when he spilled liquor onto Aimer and even tried to hit her with a broken glass cup. ¡ºI saw everything! I can serve as a witness!¡» An angry voice echoed within the shop. The bodies of the Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids trembled for a brief moment. The owner of that voice was the existence who created them. Even those who had only heard her voice for the first time were completely sure of her identity. Blue¡¯s hostile expression turned into one of revulsion, and she looked down on the three offenders with a gaze of pure disgust. Nyanta¡¯s pupils narrowed into thin cat-like slits. Her cat ears pointed backward and her tail stood up. She had thoroughly recognized the three as her prey. She was acting just like a cat intending to play with mice before killing them. Aki quickly grabbed Kou¡¯s head and pressed it against her chest. She then glared furiously at the three on the floor. The gaze of this normally gentle beauty distorted into something so murderously cold that it could seemingly freeze the blood. She was acting like a dog mother who was protecting her pup. The other Therianthropes inside the shop also angrily glared at the three. However, their clear hostility and murderous intent were still comparably tamer. As for what would be worse than them¨C The Familiars inside the shop turned to the three on the floor all at once. Their eyes were devoid of pupils and turned ghostly. They were all uniformly of the color of cold steel. This happened to all Familiars inside the shop. The dogs, cats, rabbits, foxes, and various kinds of birds. Their expressive pupils disappeared all at once and turned into emotionless gray eyes. It was a horrifying scene akin to all the mannequins within a department store late at night suddenly turning toward an unfortunate soul. You could even say that they were now closer to Murders than Familiars. Yoshikawa couldn¡¯t help but wet himself in terror. His bladder couldn¡¯t take the horrific scene before his eyes. ¡¸H-Hiii!¡¹ The three frantically ran away to escape. ¡¸Don¡¯t ever come here again!¡¹ One of the Therianthropes yelled, followed by more voices of admonishment. When the three completely disappeared from sight, the Familiars returned to their usual places like nothing happened. The Therianthropes hatefully glared at the direction the three had escaped toward. ¡¸Aki? Aki-san?¡¹ Kou, whose face was still buried within Aki¡¯s ample chest, called out. Kou didn¡¯t witness the transformation of the Familiars. ¡¸Let¡¯s just stay like this for a little longer, alright?¡¹ Aki gently stroked Kou¡¯s hair. ¡¸Sorry. This is a little embarrassing for me.¡¹ Actually, Kou was super embarrassed. ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped.¡¹ Aki released Kou from her hug. Yoshikawa and the other two were no longer present. Kou¡¯s anger subsided. ¡¸Where did those three go?¡¹ ¡¸They ran away. Fairy Blue¡¯s glare was really intense.¡¹ ¡¸Hey!?¡¹ Blue turned to Aki in protest and was at a loss for words. Of the three of them, Aki was the one who displayed the most frightening and murderous glare after all. That¡¯s why Aki suddenly hugged Kou and held him to her chest. That¡¯s because she didn¡¯t want to show Kou the emotionless state of the Familiars and her own murderous intentions. Her chilly gaze would probably frighten most people silly after all. ¡¸Thank you, Blue, Aki, Nyanta. Thank you, everyone!¡¹ Kou had already guessed the gist of what had happened. All the Familiars supported him. The Familiars and Therianthropes in the shop all raised their glasses and responded to Kou. Kou thought they were all a nice bunch. ¡¸Thank you as well, Asia.¡¹ He muttered the words under his breath and was sure that they would reach that girl. CH 113 ¡¸Ara ara, how miserable. To think a man like that is already suffering from incontinence.¡¹ A raccoon dog-type Familiar who behaved like a nice neighborhood auntie started cleaning the mess on the floor with a mop and bucket. ¡¸We still have free seats at the back, so please just relocate there, dear customers.¡¹ ¡¸Thanks.¡¹ Kou thanked the Familiar for her consideration. ¡¸We¡¯re nearly done changing the young missy¡¯s clothes.¡¹ ¡¸Kou, Aimer is putting on a change of clothes, so go and pick her up afterward.¡¹ ¡¸Got it!¡¹ Kou quickly asked the raccoon dog auntie about where Aimer was and headed over. After Kou disappeared, the three ladies left behind started talking in low voices among themselves. ¡¸Those three probably wouldn¡¯t be able to stay in this Fortress Area anymore. The Familiars will automatically share information among themselves after all.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no doubt about that nyaa. The rage will spread like the wind, and those three will be treated as nonexistent by all the Familiars here.¡¹ ¡¸But they¡¯re still extremely unpleasant. How about it, you two? Shall we make them go out with a BANG?¡¹ Blue was also very angry about what happened. It was to an extent that surprised Nyanta. She didn¡¯t think Blue would actually get so angry. ¡¸I was already planning on making a move myself nyaa. Is it really okay, Blue-san? You¡¯re a Nereid, so don¡¯t push yourself too far.¡¹ ¡¸Just call me Blue. I¡¯m also angry, you see. Very, very angry.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll stay behind then. I¡¯m not good at long-range sniping. Let¡¯s eat dinner together here later. I¡¯ll tell the shop about it later.¡¹ ¡¸In your case, you¡¯d just charge forward and directly slaughter those guys nyaa. I¡¯ll leave the arrangements to you nyaa. Let¡¯s go, Blue.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. We¡¯ll expect a sumptuous dinner, Aki.¡¹ The two left the food court and headed to the Aristides. Kou found Aimer who just finished changing, ran over and hugged her tight, then carried her up in his arms. ¡¸Aimer, are you okay? I¡¯m sorry. It was my fault you got involved.¡¹ Aimer¡¯s eyes opened wide in surprise after seeing Kou so distressed. The arms hugging her were both gentle yet reassuring. ¡¸It¡¯s not your fault, Kou. It¡¯s alright. I just got splashed. I¡¯m not injured.¡¹ ¡¸I see.¡¹ Kou kept hugging Aimer tight and didn¡¯t move for a while. When he thought about Aimer¡¯s feelings, Kou found Yoshikawa even more unforgivable. Aimer was already happy even with Kou¡¯s feelings alone. When the two got back to the dining area, they only found Aki waiting for them. ¡¸Huh? Where did those two go?¡¹ ¡¸There was a call, so the two of them went back for a bit. We promised to eat dinner here together, so let¡¯s meet up here again later. Aimer? It looks like you¡¯ve got yourself a really pretty dress.¡¹ ¡¸Un. The Familiar auntie picked them for me.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great. But Kou, since we¡¯re already here, we might as well shop for more clothes for Aimer. We still have some time till dinner after all.¡¹ ¡¸That sounds good. Aimer, we can go shopping until evening. Let¡¯s go.¡¹ ¡¸Is it okay?¡¹ ¡¸Of course, it is. It¡¯s just us now, so let¡¯s take our time choosing. Though I do feel a bit bad for those two.¡¹ ¡¸Un, it does feel bad. But I want to go around for a bit.¡¹ Aimer timidly replied. She would get shy if she had many people accompany her just to shop for her things. But she doesn¡¯t mind shopping with just the three of them too much. So she agreed. ¡¸I¡¯ll invite the two of them out again next time. Let¡¯s go check out some clothes then, Aimer.¡¹ ¡¸Un!¡¹ ¡¸You can choose Aki¡¯s clothes in exchange, Aimer.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s a great suggestion. Actually, I wouldn¡¯t mind you choosing clothes for me too, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Choose for me too!¡¹ ¡¸But I don¡¯t have any fashion sense, so¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸That doesn¡¯t matter. I want clothes that Kou chose for me.¡¹ ¡¸Me too!¡¹ The three of them left the food court and visited various stores to choose clothes for Aimer. Aimer¡¯s mood brightened up considerably, and the two accompanying her looked very much like a young happy couple bringing their child around. It goes without saying that Aki was inwardly elated about how things turned out and her tail kept energetically swishing from side to side the whole time. Yoshikawa and his two lackeys ran desperately while being wary of someone chasing after them. They witnessed the Familiar¡¯s eyes turn steel gray. It was like they found themselves lost inside a horror film turned real. Familiars kept stopping still in front of them. With that, they understood. The Familiars were acting as if the three of them didn¡¯t exist. They couldn¡¯t use public transportation, and they couldn¡¯t shop at general stores being looked after by Familiars as well. It was a desperate situation for the three of them. They were clearly inside a seemingly bustling city, but it still felt that the city was uninhabited. It was even more of a disaster for them because the Fortress Area was populated by many Familiars. Yoshikawa kept glancing back as he ran, causing him to bump into a huge bear. It was Voy who had bought some honey and was in the middle of eating it as he walked around. He hummed casually as he walked on the city streets and eventually collided with the frantic Yoshikawa and company. ¡¸Oh, sorry about that. Look at what¡¯s ahead of you when you¡¯re running, brother. Can you stand?¡¹ ¡¸You damn bear! Get out of the way already!¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Voy suddenly stopped moving. Information about the three people in front of him was finally sent over by his fellow Familiars. But only this bear acted differently from all the other Familiars. His gray eyes began glowing bright red. Noise akin to an earthquake rang out. Voy had roared in a violent rage. ¡¸You¡­¡­ Kill¡­¡­ You bastards who dared try to harm Kou and Aimer! I¡¯m going to murder you all!¡¹ His eyes glowed red and his maw dripped with saliva. He had entered an extremely excited state. His words also sounded a lot more robotic. Voy was the Familiar who had spent the most time with Kou and Aimer and was very close with them. So even if he ends up destroying himself, he just couldn¡¯t forgive the three men before him. The images witnessed by the swallow-type Familiar were all shared with Voy. The broken glass cup. The blow approaching Aimer¡¯s cheek. The bold actions of Nyanta and the swallow-type Familiar who jumped into danger and made it in time to prevent an otherwise critical blow. Voy couldn¡¯t forgive the act of pulling off Aimer¡¯s wig in public. He was even angrier about the attempt to wound Aimer¡¯s cheek. Even hell was too lukewarm for the bastards before him. Considering that Aimer was only a young child, it was not enough to just rip them into pieces. However, before Voy could act on his violent impulses, a limiter built into him had kicked in. It was a safety device that prevented Familiars from harming people. This event roused Voy¡¯s anger even more. ¡¸K¡­¡­ Kill!¡¹ ¡¸H-Hiiiii!¡¹ Voy kept growling madly with glowing red eyes and struggled to get closer to the three people as if he didn¡¯t want to lose to the limiter. This was the first time a Familiar directed such murderous rage to the three. Yamaoka and Niijima also ended up wetting their pants due to Voy¡¯s terrifying murderous aura. When Voy finally stopped moving, the three hurriedly escaped. After the three disappeared, Familiars gathered around Voy. Dogs and birds gathered close to him. Voy¡¯s eyes returned to normal, and the limiter turned itself off after his emotions calmed down. The other Familiars had gathered to share his emotional load. ¡¸Sorry, everyone.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. You still have something to do, right? Go on, you big bear!¡¹ The swallow-type Familiar closed one eye and encouraged Voy. He sounded like a nice gentleman. ¡¸Thanks a bunch. I¡¯m going!¡¹ ¡¸Do your best!¡¹ Voy made it back to the Aristides in a flash. A bear can actually run really fast. ¡¸Voy, you went home early today.¡¹ Ponko, who was in the maintenance dock, noticed Voy. ¡¸Kou and Aimer got attacked. Blue, Nyanta, and Aki will probably return soon too. I¡¯m gonna prep their machines.¡¹ ¡¸Eh?¡¹ ¡¸The guy who nearly got Kou killed tried to lay his hands on Aimer too. Her wig even got removed in public. I¡¯ll send you the data.¡¹ ¡¸Of course. Familiar information, sharing complete. ¨CUnforgivable.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. If you see the three ladies, tell them I¡¯ve already prepared their machines.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ After saying so, Voy hurried further inside to prepare Aki, Nyanta, and Blue¡¯s Silhouettes together with the Familiars who remained behind on the ship. The Snipe¡¯s sniping capabilities were improved even further, and two Eponas were equipped with rifles Nyanta had personally customized. The Eponas were for Aki and Nyanta. By the time Blue and Nyanta made it back to Aristides, the Snipe and the Eponas were ready for sortie. ¡¸Voy! Thanks for the assist nyaa!¡¹ ¡¸I already know the situation. So Aki didn¡¯t come because she¡¯s bad at shooting huh? Go get ¡¯em, you two!¡¹ Voy yelled with red eyes. ¡¸Crush them in my place!¡¹ ¡¸Leave it to us.¡¹ Blue accepted. She could tell that Voy was just as angry as her and the others. ¡¸Nyanta, just in case, don¡¯t kill them.¡¹ ¡¸Why nyaa?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because Kou will be sad. Not by the fact that they died, but that we killed people for Kou¡¯s sake.¡¹ ¡¸Umu. Hearing that makes things hard nyaa. It can¡¯t be helped. Let¡¯s just give them a harsh warning.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Actually, I wanna shoot bullets through them too. After all, they no longer have a place on the human side. They¡¯ll have no choice but to work as mercenaries for the Stones. They might become a problem later on.¡¹ ¡¸But Kou will get sad.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. Kou¡¯s feelings are worth more than their lives, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right!¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s leave their legs and cockpits intact. We want them to get lost as soon as possible after all. If they get caught up in an unfortunate accident, then that¡¯s that.¡¹ Blue ruthlessly declared. CH 114 ¡¸That¡¯s why I want to borrow Hyoue-san¡¯s strength.¡¹ Takaba Hyoue was inside his office together with a man who was seated in front of Hyoue¡¯s desk. The man was making an effort to persuade Hyoue about something. It was Yoshikawa. Niijima and Yamaoka were also present. Since he was also a former employee of Hyoue¡¯s company back on Earth, Yoshikawa joined TAKABA as an employee soon after being transferred, then quit to become a mercenary. Takaba Hyoue also created TAKABA for the purpose of actively protecting his employees right after they get transferred over. ¡¸The Familiars don¡¯t respond to you?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. It looks like they got a mistaken view of me. I wouldn¡¯t attempt anything like murder.¡¹ The three had a really desperate time getting back. First, they could only interact with humans. They got charged an unfair amount of money by an illegal transport company, and when they made it back to TAKABA¡¯s company grounds, they had to wait for an acquaintance to pass by in order for them to enter. The Familiars no longer recognized their existence, so as long as people didn¡¯t inquire about their situation, they would be able to muddle through somehow. Conversely, if people noticed that the Familiars weren¡¯t responding to them and were asked why, it would all be over. ¡¸I see. Ta-kun. Play that video for me.¡¹ Hyoue called on his partner, the Sparrow hawk-type Familiar he named Ta-kun. Ta-kun played the video as requested. It showed a fight in the middle of a downtown area. It clearly displayed Yoshikawa stripping a young girl¡¯s wig from her head and his attempt to hit her with a broken glass cup. ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ Yoshikawa and the other two turned speechless. The scenes of them getting beaten up and Yoshikawa peeing on his pants were also completely recorded. ¡¸Do you have any more excuses?¡¹ ¡¸That woman who presented herself as a witness isn¡¯t trustworthy! I don¡¯t even know who she is¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸The person who volunteered herself as a witness to your crime is my benefactor. Her words are a lot more trustworthy than yours will ever be.¡¹ Hyoue didn¡¯t show any signs of anger. That actually made him seem a lot more terrifying. ¡¸C-Chairman¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Get out. Do not ever step foot here ever again. If we meet in the battlefield, then you better prepare yourselves.¡¹ ¡¸Hiii¡­¡­¡¹ The three men ran out in a panic after witnessing Hyoue¡¯s terrifying expression. Hyoue sighed and sank deeper into his chair. He finally understood the reason why Kou hadn¡¯t contacted him until now. It was understandable that he found it hard to get in touch when one of his people actually tried to kill Kou. ¡¸To think he did something so cruel to such a young child¡­¡­¡¹ Even Ta-kun displayed a dumbfounded look. ¡¸Indeed. It really makes me feel sorry.¡¹ Hyoue couldn¡¯t stop sighing. ¡¸It looks like we managed to avoid the worst-case scenario. Let¡¯s go with that plan.¡¹ ¡¸Smile. We need to display a refreshing smile!¡¹ ¡¸Got it.¡¹ The three people whispered to one another and walked around the company building with smiles plastered on their faces. ¡¸Uchida-san!¡¹ Yoshikawa and the other two came to the testing lab and called out to its chief, Uchida. ¡¸Oh. If it isn¡¯t Yoshikawa. It¡¯s been a while.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve just returned from greeting Chairman Takaba in his office! He told us it was fine for us to take the newly developed machine for a spin.¡¹ ¡¸I see. The chairman should have been happy to see you guys.¡¹ ¡¸He said he wants us to try out the improved Falco.¡¹ ¡¸Alright. Follow me.¡¹ Uchida led them to another area. ¡¸Can you tell us the details about this guy?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s going to be our company¡¯s new flagship machine. It¡¯s an ultra-high-end machine that improves the flight capability of the Lanius even further¡­¡­¡¹ After listening to Uchida¡¯s explanation, Yoshikawa asked another question. ¡¸This guy has just been completed, right?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the second prototype to be built and the first of its line. It can be equated to the first F-type back on Earth. The chairman created the first prototype for himself, and this second prototype has been tuned with mass production in mind. This will be the base for the mass production model, and the production lines are ready. They will be luxury models, so I¡¯m not sure how many people are going to be able to buy one.¡¹ ¡¸Oh, it¡¯s like the dream machine of every mercenary!¡¹ ¡¸Do your best to earn money so you can get one of your own. Here, go ahead and take it for a test spin!¡¹ ¡¸Thank you very much!¡¹ ¡¸Uchida-san, this guy is too much for us, so just let us test those Falcos instead!¡¹ ¡¸Alright, alright. That one does sell quite well. There are ones that just finished their scheduled tests.¡¹ Uchida led the other two to another area. Seeing that, Yoshikawa cackled and displayed a wicked grin. ¡¸Oh, this thing is amazing!¡¹ ¡¸This one too!¡¹ ¡¸You guys, this one¡¯s entirely different from the ones we¡¯ve piloted before. All other Silhouettes I¡¯ve handled till now can¡¯t even compare.¡¹ The three frolicked around while piloting the new machines. ¡¸You guys, you only have one or two minutes left.¡¹ ¡¸We know. Then we¡¯ll just give them a little test run over there before bringing them back!¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t break them! Well, it¡¯s not like they can easily break down anyway.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. We¡¯re heading out!¡¹ After saying so, the three jumped outside of the company complex. The moment they went out of the Fortress Area¡¯s gate, Uchida knitted his brows. The three never came back again. ¡¸I¡¯m very sorry!¡¹ Uchida knelt in a dogeza position on the floor of the chairman¡¯s office. ¡¸Get up. It can¡¯t be helped. But¡­¡­¡¹ Hyoue couldn¡¯t hide his irritation. It could be said that his management truly was too lax. A case that should never happen such as having a prototype machine stolen had actually happened. ¡¸Good grief. They really are scoundrels through and through.¡¹ He was going to kill them the next time they meet. They will surely meet again on the battlefield. Hyoue had resolved himself to cut them down. ¡¸I can understand why you let down your guard. You didn¡¯t expect members from the same company who we treat as family would actually betray us like that.¡¹ ¡¸Even so, I was still too careless!¡¹ Uchida was nearly in tears as he stared at the floor while sporting a frustrated and guilty expression. Though things couldn¡¯t be undone no matter how much he cried about it. He wanted to chase after the three and take the machines back, but they have apparently arranged for an escape route already. They had long disappeared from the outer perimeter of the Fortress Area. ¡¸It was my fault as well for failing to ban entering and leaving the company premises immediately. To think they came here on foot. Their brains work well only when it comes to stuff like that.¡¹ In the first place, they probably came to see Hyoue because they no longer had anything to lose. And they already planned to steal the new machines in case seeing him didn¡¯t work out for them. ¡¸TSW-R17 Accipiter. The successor machine of the Lanius. It¡¯s a next-generation machine that was finally completed through Misumaru-san¡¯s know-how and collaborative development with Kou-kun. It was equipped with a new model power pack that employs the new octaoxygen generation device developed from research on the Lanius C type. There¡¯s a danger that they¡¯ll hand those machines over to the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸Eh? No way!¡¹ ¡¸ Those guys¡­ They¡¯ve already been blacklisted by all Familiars because Yoshikawa attempted murder and even violently attacked someone in broad daylight. The person who was subjected to attempted murder was someone you know from our time back on Earth, Mozuya Kou. He was part of your team back then, right?¡¹ ¡¸What? They told me he was accidentally left behind in our old factory and died¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It seems the truth is that Yoshikawa pushed him out of the rescue aircraft. My benefactor has put herself forward as a witness. So there¡¯s absolutely no mistake.¡¹ ¡¸But that¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ Uchida¡¯s expression turned more and more haggard. His thoughts couldn¡¯t keep up with all the revelations. ¡¸He¡¯s actually alive. Don¡¯t worry. That¡¯s something to be thankful for, at least.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. I don¡¯t know if I should be feeling happy right now though.¡¹ ¡¸You should. Your head should be a bit messed up right now. For now, you should go home and calm yourself down first. I¡¯ll have Kawakage get in touch with you tomorrow.¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­Yes. I truly am sorry.¡¹ Uchida bowed deeply and left the room. ¡¸I have notified the Mercenary Association.¡¹ ¡¸Sorry, Ta-kun.¡¹ ¡¸Think nothing of it. But this is definitely a big blow to us.¡¹ ¡¸Attempting to murder Kou, assaulting a young girl, and stealing the latest machines that use technology released by those two girls. And to top it all off, they even made Asia herself angry at them. They have no other choice but to come to the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸Since we were mercenaries ourselves, we were a bit lenient on rowdy behavior and our people getting into fights every once in a while, but that¡¯s backfired on us spectacularly.¡¹ ¡¸It was only a matter of time. Hey, Ta-kun. How should I apologize to Kou for letting the crystallization of the technology and techniques he gave me get stolen from right under my nose?¡¹ Detecting the frustration and anguish from his partner¡¯s tone, Ta-kun had no choice but to keep silent. CH 115.1 It¡¯s been a few days since that incident. No one talked about it, and everything went on normally as if nothing happened. Kou and the others also care to mention it among themselves either. However, the naval bombardment that day was still officially recorded. Asia secretly did all the formalities, and only a report of a test firing experiment was filed, so there were no further problems. ¡¸I got contacted by Asia. She said she ended up test firing the newly installed main cannon of the Aristides. The shooter being unnamed is funny.¡¹ Jenny announced with a laugh. Currently, all of the people closely involved with Kou were gathered inside the combat command center of the Aristides. Some of them asked about the naval bombardment and were shown videos taken by the Familiars. ¡¸You guys don¡¯t have to worry about anything. If I was there, I would probably beat them up too.¡¹ ¡¸Umu. I wouldn¡¯t hesitate to shoot either.¡¹ Veins bulged on Jenny¡¯s beautiful face and Rick didn¡¯t hide his anger. ¡¸Ou. I would have given permission to fire too.¡¹ Barry also saw the video. A young child being hit by broken glass was definitely unacceptable. He inwardly mused that if he was present at that time, he would have tried to kill those creeps too. ¡¸The three of them were mercenaries piloting Grizzlies. They would have failed the interview anyway. They¡¯re the kind of guys who think of Nereids and Therianthropes as slaves. So, of course, they wouldn¡¯t pass.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s good.¡¹ Kou stroked his chest in relief. As expected, they would have failed the interview. ¡¸They should have already escaped from Fortress Area P336 and are wandering around. Before long, they¡¯ll probably join the Stones. So it¡¯s possible we¡¯d meet them in the battlefield sooner or later. Don¡¯t let your guard down, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸Why is that?¡¹ ¡¸Familiars will never forgive those who¡¯ve earned Asia¡¯s ire. They no longer have any place on humanity¡¯s side. If they just picked a fight, Asia would not have intervened. What touched Asia¡¯s bottom line was Aimer being attacked and that bastard trying to play the victim while being the real criminal all along. Also, he tried to use the Familiars to socially eliminate you.¡¹ Rick gave a detailed explanation. ¡¸They won¡¯t be able to communicate with Familiars anymore.¡¹ ¡¸I can¡¯t really imagine something like that¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It will be terribly inconvenient. The animals in cities will never help them out again.¡¹ Jenny also thought about the three¡¯s fate. She didn¡¯t sympathize with them one bit, but she could imagine how miserable their situation would be. ¡¸If I meet them on the battlefield, I¡¯ll settle everything properly. You¡¯re always helping me out, everyone. I¡¯m sorry.¡¹ If they did meet as enemies, Kou was sure he would be able to cut them down without hesitation. Or rather, that was something he actually wished for. ¡¸What are you saying? It¡¯s a bit unpleasant.¡¹ Blue lightly laughed. ¡¸Everyone here is always gonna be on your side. I¡¯m sure Asia feels the same too.¡¹ ¡ºRight.¡» Asia also joined in and gave her piece. ¡¸Oh, Asia. Is the move to this place going smoothly?¡¹ Jenny knew the situation and addressed Asia normally. ¡ºUn! And Kou¡¯s guests ¨C his real guests ¨C have already arrived! Them coming over will make this place even more steady!¡» ¡¸So they¡¯re here.¡¹ The friends Kou wished to reunite with have finally arrived. The transport plane landed, and a young man and woman got off of it. However, the young woman was wearing a military uniform, and the young man sported a Gothic dress. It was Fu Jialing and Matty who have transferred over from Skunk Technologies. ¡¸Jialing! Matt! I¡¯m glad you guys are here!¡¹ ¡¸Yeah! Just who was the absurd person who suddenly decided to start a transferee company and then wanted us to go manage it with him, huh?¡¹ ¡¸Jialing, It¡¯s too late to say something like that now. Hey there, Kou. Thanks for calling us over!¡¹ The two were delighted to meet their good friend again. The two were brought to the Aristides first and introduced to the main members of Metal Iris. The two seemed nervous, but they were already familiar with Jenny and Aki. They gradually got to know the others as well. ¡ºWelcome! I¡¯m Asia. Jialing and Matt, right? Nice to meet you two!¡» Asia jumped into the conversation. The Metal Iris members in the Aristides were already used to her presence. ¡¸Did you say Asia?! Whoah! Um, nice to meet you too. I¡¯m very honored.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you for always taking care of our boss and Kou¡­¡­¡¹ Planetary management AI Asia. She was a Super AI who protects and cares for humankind. Even though Super AIs didn¡¯t like to be referred to as gods and goddesses, people still couldn¡¯t help but treat them as one. That¡¯s just how much they have contributed to the continued existence of humankind. And one such Super AI has just directly called Jialing and Matt by their names. It was no wonder they were so moved. ¡ºDon¡¯t be all stiff, kay? I¡¯m actually staying here. So I need your power, guys.¡» ¡¸Yes! I¡¯ll serve you with my life!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going to do my very best!¡¹ The beautiful young man who was dressed as a woman gave a dignified salute that Kou had never seen him do before. As a Development Engineer, it was a great honor to directly hear Asia¡¯s voice. Jialing was so nervous that she nearly bit her tongue. ¡ºYou guys are being too enthusiastic. Fufu. Let¡¯s get along. Just ask Kou about what you guys are tasked to do. See you again!¡» After saying her parting words, Asia disappeared. ¡¸We¡¯ll be in your care from now on, everyone from Metal Iris.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t act all formal on us, okay? You guys are Kou¡¯s friends, right? Let¡¯s take it easy!¡¹ Barry laughed loudly and strongly patted Matty¡¯s shoulder. ¡¸Kou? You haven¡¯t told us Asia was here you know?¡¹ ¡¸Ara. You didn¡¯t even tell them such an important thing, Boss?¡¹ ¡¸Boss!?¡¹ ¡¸Boss?¡¹ The two new arrivals weren¡¯t told anything apart from the establishment of the new transferee company. Seeing the two gazing at him questioningly, Kou couldn¡¯t help but turn away. Kou decided to take them to another room to explain all the details. ¡¸It¡¯s a really easy job, guys! We¡¯ll be all set once we start and run transferee companies in order to protect Asia who¡¯s staying in this Fortress Area!¡¹ ¡¸Right, right. Very simple and easy.¡¹ ¡¸Like heck, it is¨C!¡¹ Kou got yelled at by the furious Jialing. The three of them were currently inside the lounge of the Aristides. ¡¸Kou, it isn¡¯t a good habit to always downplay everything.¡¹ Matty gave advice to Kou in a serious atmosphere. After all, Kou should be the one who knows best just how important a task they¡¯d be undertaking. ¡¸Is it really something that major?¡¹ ¡¸Just exactly how many transferee companies are you planning to establish in this place anyway?¡¹ ¡¸Well, there are the two companies I¡¯ll have each of you manage, then there¡¯s Kurt Maschinenbau¡¯s new branch. So that makes it three companies, I guess.¡¹ ¡¸Just where will we get a Fortress Area that can house all three of those transferee companies?! And the Mercenary Association will get on our case you know?¡¹ Although it still depended on their scale, the Mercenary Association generally didn¡¯t want multiple transferee companies to be concentrated in a single Fortress Area. That¡¯s because of the risk of mismanagement and the fear of the creation of centralized power. In principle, a Fortress Area may only house one transferee company¡¯s headquarters. CH 115.2 ¡¸We¡¯ve already reached an understanding with the Mercenary Association. Or rather, they¡¯ve already transferred all rights to this Fortress Area to Metal Iris.¡¹ ¡¸Huh?¡¹ ¡¸When we tried to hand this Fortress Area over to the Mercenary Association, they actually rejected it and essentially threw it back to us. That¡¯s not our fault, right?¡¹ What Kou said was the truth. Actually, the Association¡¯s true target might have been the Silhouette Base, but Kou hasn¡¯t told the two about it yet. ¡¸Just what were they thinking? They really handed over a Fortress Area with a large industrial block to an Underground Force just like that?¡¹ ¡¸Err, that¡¯s a bit wrong, actually. They handed us control of this Fortress Area, and we just added the large-scale industrial complex afterward.¡¹ ¡¸Huh?!¡¹ Fortress Areas were legacies left by the Planetary Pioneering era more than 20,000 years in the past. Until now, there were no examples of them having been remodeled or equipped with additional facilities. ¡¸Matt, can I just go back to Boss? I feel like staying here is gonna be really dangerous.¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s gonna get angry at you for sure. Though I feel like coming back too.¡¹ ¡¸You guys really don¡¯t need to worry too much. Asia will give you her support as well.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s what we¡¯re worried about!¡¹ There was no precedent for establishing a transferee company with Asia¡¯s full support. Of course, the companies would provide their services to her and protect her in return, but knowing that made Jialing and Matt realize just how heavy a responsibility they would have to shoulder. ¡¸We¡¯re going to establish two new companies. One company will exclusively manufacture things that I personally request, and one company will develop and manufacture products that will be sold on the market. We¡¯re gonna have them undertake consignment production for a while though.¡¹ ¡¸Produce what? Drills and half-track vehicles?¡¹ ¡¸No!¡¹ The image of Kou designing drills and half-tracks seems to have been firmly established in his two friend¡¯s minds. ¡¸Well, I¡¯m a C-Class Development Engineer, so I¡¯ll handle manufacturing the products you¡¯ll request. I¡¯ll leave the product development to Jialing.¡¹ ¡¸You always take the easier way out, Matty¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I guess that would be for the best. Alright. I¡¯ll show you guys the weapons I¡¯m gonna request you to mass-produce. I¡¯ll show Matt the Silhouette he¡¯ll be handling the production of first.¡¹ ¡¸This will be the first time we¡¯ll get to see a Silhouette you developed, Kou!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m looking forward to it.¡¹ They moved to the underground hangar. There, four-legged Silhouettes were in the middle of being maintained by Therianthropes. ¡¸There are three types of this quadrupedal Silhouette, and two types, in particular, are in high demand right now. I¡¯ll leave manufacturing those to Matt.¡¹ ¡¸Now just hold on one moment?! I¡¯ve never heard of a Silhouette with four legs though!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because these are exclusively just for Therianthropes.¡¹ ¡¸Wait! You just dropped another bomb on us like it¡¯s nothing!¡¹ Jialing was also a proper Development Engineer. She was fully aware of the fact that Therianthropes were unable to pilot Silhouettes. It can be said to be one of their greatest sources of anguish and regret. But what if they were given the ability to pilot Silhouettes? Therianthropes the world over would go absolutely nuts and eventually flood the gates due to such an opportunity. ¡¸I don¡¯t really mind if you improve them even further, Matt.¡¹ ¡¸Can you please not carry on like it¡¯s nothing? This is way, waaay more major than simply managing a new transferee company you know?!¡¹ Kou tilted his head and called over a nearby fox-eared Therianthrope. The latter headed over at once and exchanged whispers with Kou. ¡¸That¡¯s how it¡¯s gonna go. This is Matty. He¡¯s going to handle mass-producing the Quattro Silhouettes for you guys.¡¹ ¡¸Ah, the number of our gods will increase again¡­¡­¡¹ The fox-eared young man muttered in awe. ¡¸Haha, oh c¡¯mon. You¡¯re exaggerating again.¡¹ Kou has completely turned into an object of worship for the Therianthropes lately, but he simply thought that was their own way of showing respect. He simply didn¡¯t take their words of adoration and worship seriously. ¡¸No, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s dead serious. That¡¯s just how utterly amazing this is!¡¹ Matty was finally starting to break down. ¡¸I¡¯m fine with managing the transferee company like usual. Really, I¡¯m fine with just that.¡¹ Matt, who always chose the easy way out, was suddenly thrust into a role with great responsibilities. ¡¸I think you¡¯re gonna get really busy just keeping up with the demand for this Silhouette model though.¡¹ ¡¸You think?! I don¡¯t even believe the demand for this thing will ever get satisfied!¡¹ ¡¸Next, I¡¯ll show Jialing the machines she¡¯ll be responsible for.¡¹ ¡¸Fufu. I¡¯m already given this much responsibility. I¡¯m sure Jialing¡¯s will be even more amazing¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Hey! Quit saying that, will you? I¡¯m getting goosebumps here.¡¹ ¡¸There probably won¡¯t be anything more major than the Quattro.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s major enough!¡¹ The hangar was divided into several layers. Kou explained the details of the contents of each. ¡¸Hee. Familiar-use multi-role fighters, tanks, armored combat vehicles, and transport helicopters huh.¡¹ ¡¸Normal, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I admit that, at least.¡¹ Jialing was convinced while Matt pouted in frustration. Obviously, unlike the Quattro, everything shown so far was just ordinary weapons. ¡¸What was the last thing you showed us though? A heavy attack aircraft? It was basically a flying tank.¡¹ ¡¸I think its similar to the Tachycineta that was made by Boss.¡¹ ¡¸But the Tachycineta can¡¯t be loaded with two types of Silhouettes simultaneously, right?¡¹ ¡¸Even though they can be loaded with two types of Silhouettes, one just basically serves the same function as the aircraft¡¯s cockpit anyway.¡¹ ¡¸So, why did you go to the trouble of including a Silhouette that only serves as a substitute cockpit in the design of an aerial mobile combat machine¡­¡­?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s exactly because it fights in the air. If the pilot ejects when the aircraft gets shot down, they wouldn¡¯t be able to fight back anymore if I didn¡¯t do that.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s overdoing it.¡¹ Jialing got exasperated after hearing one of the Thunderstorm¡¯s defining features. It only turned this way after Kou improved on the design for Blue¡¯s sake. ¡¸I think they wouldn¡¯t sell even if they did get mass-produced. Their fuel source is basically the Silhouette, so they¡¯re really expensive.¡¹ ¡¸What do you mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸The Silhouette is equipped with a compact metallic hydrogen generation reactor.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll say it again. That¡¯s just overdoing it. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too overprotective of the pilots?¡¹ ¡¸Didn¡¯t the reconnaissance aircraft earlier also come equipped with electromagnetic armor?¡¹ ¡¸The others are equipped with storage-type metallic hydrogen power packs. After all, they go out on battlefields where lots of railguns and anti-aircraft missiles would come at them, so I wouldn¡¯t have them fly with half-baked defensive measures.¡¹ ¡¸I kinda get that. That¡¯s the reason why air power disappeared from this world after all.¡¹ Jialing muttered while looking at the aircraft that were neatly lined up on the hangar. ¡¸Though not as much as Matt, it looks like I¡¯m going to be really busy too.¡¹ ¡¸You just had to remind me.¡¹ ¡¸Do your best with meeting those orders, Matt.¡¹ ¡¸Uuu¡­¡­¡¹ When they got back to the combat command center, the rest comforted the two that were subjected to Kou¡¯s unreasonableness. Only Kou himself couldn¡¯t understand why they were acting that way. CH 116 A few days later, Jialing and Matty successfully established their respective transferee companies. The newly revamped Fortress Area P336 had hence started its new life as an Area with a large-scale heavy industrial complex. Matty named his Quattro Silhouette-specialized company Gallop. Jialing took a name from Ancient Greek mythology and founded the Aegis Company, which will manufacture weapons at the behest of the Silhouette Base and Kou. The newly reestablished Kurt Maschinenbau was represented by the B-Class Development Engineer Harald Muller who previously worked under Kurt. He will take over the manufacturing of Kurt Maschinenbau¡¯s weapons. Kou visited the Gallop Company which was the first one to be completed. Matty, who was now dressed in a crisp suit, welcomed him. ¡¸Oi, oi, what¡¯s going on? Why is such a beautiful young man welcoming me?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s no use even if you praise me, Kou. It¡¯s only proper for me to personally welcome the Shadow Boss.¡¹ ¡¸Who are you calling ¡®Shadow Boss¡¯?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any use to denying it anymore¡­¡­¡¹ Jialing muttered in a low voice. Quattro Silhouettes were already being assembled inside the company¡¯s factory. Quattro Silhouettes were originally meant as work Silhouettes after all. ¡¸The mass production of the work type Quattro Silhouette and the combat type Epos is proceeding smoothly. Eponas can¡¯t be solely manufactured here, so I suppose I¡¯ll ask either Jialing or Kou for help on them.¡¹ ¡¸The production efficiency is a level higher than that of a regular arsenal factory.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s because it specializes in manufacturing Quattros. They were developed using a work Silhouette as the base, so they need no particularly special parts or materials. But even so, it still costs 100 mina per unit.¡¹ ¡¸Three times more expensive than regular work Silhouettes huh.¡¹ ¡¸If we sell five units in advance for 1000 minas, I bet they¡¯ll get sold out immediately.¡¹ ¡¸Uwaa. Please don¡¯t engage in any dirty business practices.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just that much of a long-awaited and much-desired technology. Right, Aki? Did you actually explain to Kou just how amazing this all is? Or did you get yourself swept away by this guy¡¯s pace instead?¡¹ ¡¸The latter¡­¡­¡¹ Matt turned the conversation to Aki. Looking at Aki and Nyanta¡¯s expressions, Matt surmised that no matter how much excitement they felt, they failed to properly convey it to Kou. ¡¸Look. These people are Gallop Company¡¯s employees. They¡¯re all Therianthropes, right? I was flooded with applications the moment the company announced it was recruiting. Even the Fortress Area P336 Defense corps has been swamped with applications.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d heard of it. I just thought ¡®her¡¯ influence is secretly spreading more and more.¡¹ It was true that all people working in the company had animal ears and tails. The ¡®girl¡¯ Kou referred to was Asia. ¡¸That¡¯s not it. Her being here is top secret. Everyone either wants the chance to pilot a Quattro Silhouette or at least get a glimpse of it. They want to get a job that¡¯s related to it. They all assembled here with those goals in mind.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m betting some of them will even decorate Eponas with religious symbols and worship them.¡¹ ¡¸I think so too. I¡¯m even willing to take that bet.¡¹ Aki explained matters to Kou, and Matty strongly agreed. ¡¸There was even someone who tried to get their way using their connection to me and begged me to give them Quattros.¡¹ ¡¸So, someone actually has that sort of connection with you, Matt?¡¹ ¡¸Actually, you also know him. It¡¯s my former Boss¡­¡­ I ended up sending him three units.¡¹ ¡¸It can¡¯t be helped then. I wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse him myself.¡¹ Kou and Jialing sympathized with the exasperated Matty. ¡¸The fact that it¡¯s in great demand is good though. There¡¯s no need to make any general-purpose weapons for it too. Well, apart from melee weapons, I guess.¡¹ ¡¸The lance and oodachi seem to be very popular.¡¹ ¡¸Actually, another weapon has been gaining popularity recently. It¡¯s a weapon Kou¡¯s acquaintance came up with.¡¹ Matty led the party to a room where an Epos was standing by. Its arm was equipped with a peculiar-looking claw weapon. It was a giant combat claw attached to a forearm armor guard. ¡¸My acquaintance?¡¹ ¡¸When I established the company, he sent me a list of weapons and blueprints. It¡¯s a guy called Arges. He gave me stuff I can manufacture using this facility.¡¹ ¡¸Arges¡­¡­ He¡¯s an amazing master craftsman to who I¡¯m really indebted.¡¹ Kou didn¡¯t know Arges went to the trouble of doing something like this. He decided to thank him later. ¡¸So, he really was that kind of person. This combat claw is especially popular with cat-type Therianthropes.¡¹ ¡¸I get that nyaa. I kinda want one myself, but my machine¡¯s long-range shooting capabilities will drop nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the trade-off huh.¡¹ ¡¸The fact that it can also function as a shield is great nyaa.¡¹ ¡¸So it can even be a shield!¡¹ ¡¸It isn¡¯t easy to break, and the Quattro has a superb balance, to begin with. For humanoid type Silhouettes, rather than equipping a shield, it would be better to equip them with thicker armor.¡¹ ¡¸This combat is claw also very popular for use in forest patrol missions. They really like how beast-like the attacks are.¡¹ Shield equipment for bipedal Silhouettes was actually already available in the market, but they weren¡¯t very popular. Only the types that could be equipped on the shoulders were widely used by melee combat Silhouettes. ¡¸Everything¡¯s progressing well even without my knowledge. That¡¯s good.¡¹ It made Kou glad that things were continuously developing even without his direct involvement. In the first place, he wasn¡¯t the type who could see the big picture anyway. ¡¸I¡¯ll test out lots of concepts on the Quattro and consult you about them later, Kou. The more the users increase, the more feedback we can get.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m gonna consult you too! Or rather, there are seriously too many things I need to consult you about!¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll be waiting, you two.¡¹ The reason why the A-Class Development Engineers were rather close was probably because they often talked a lot with each other. They were comrades who performed bricolage together. Kou thought that was something really precious. Voy was currently quite busy. The Drill Formation was currently excavating a tunnel from the Silhouette Base to Fortress Area P336 in order to lay the foundations for a full-scale railway network. In addition to the rail tunnel, a similar secret passage for Silhouettes was also being created. This tunnel was going to be operated under complete secrecy. It was a completely different line from the railway tunnel. The rail tunnel will serve as an alternative route to the Silhouette Base. That¡¯s because it could serve as an invasion route for the enemy if it was discovered. Double-track railway. It wasn¡¯t a circular railway line, but it was planned to have inner and outer lines. Its primary purpose was to serve as a freight line so that goods can be exchanged between the two bases faster. Unlike the Silhouette Base, Fortress Area was open to the public and wasn¡¯t concealed at all. The transport of goods to and from it was relatively smooth. However, it was still just starting out, and being able to bring machine tools that can¡¯t be made without Asia¡¯s permission to it directly from the Silhouette Base was significant merit. The problem was making a railway line aboveground. The line had to take many detours. There were many perilous spots such as mountainous areas and sharp curves. And when Metal Iris announced recruitment for its construction, it was flooded with applications. Many of them claimed to be veteran railway engineers, staff related to railway systems, or railway enthusiasts. Even Jenny was a bit put off by their burning enthusiasm. She tried to leave everything to Fuyuki, but he was also having trouble himself. ¡¸How many people came to apply anyway? We¡¯ve already recruited at least 80 people.¡¹ ¡¸There are at least 2000 applicants present.¡¹ The former Japanese railway official Fuyuki recruited replied. Tanaka Tetsuya. He was a good-natured middle-aged man. ¡¸Can we pare that number down?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d actually like to secure all former railway personnel if possible. That¡¯s just how knowledgeable and experienced they all are.¡¹ ¡¸Even when we¡¯re using technology from the far future?¡¹ Kou was the one who raised a question. ¡¸Shouldering infrastructure means shouldering a country. There are plenty among them who¡¯d very much like to be involved in railways again. Having future technology is just another way to improve the system for them.¡¹ ¡¸Even Japanese railways are already managed on a minute-by-minute basis.¡¹ ¡¸If we employ future technology, the lines will be even more safe and stable. We especially want to secure people with experience in track laying.¡¹ ¡¸Can¡¯t we hire at least half of them?¡¹ ¡¸But once this project is completed, there might no longer be any demand for them.¡¹ Fuyuki joined in on the discussion and gave his opinion. Suddenly hiring a thousand people was too reckless. ¡¸Can¡¯t we just create demand? Why don¡¯t we make use of their railway network expertise to engage in a proper business?¡¹ ¡¸That could actually work. I see. That¡¯s also an option¡­¡­¡¹ Fuyuki pondered Kou¡¯s suggestion. ¡¸We might be able to secure another huge source of funds. Where did you get such an idea, Kou-kun?¡¹ ¡¸From the milk run.¡¹ Milk run. It was a cargo collection system format. The name is said to have come from the distribution of milk bottles by a milkman and is also referred to as pick-up logistics. It¡¯s mainly used in the automobile industry and was a distribution format similar to the Kanban system. ¡¸Right now, machine tools manufactured in the Silhouette Base are collected and transported by the Aristides, right? The effective range of a milk run is about 5 km. A great person once said anything longer than that would be inefficient.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s logistics know-how employed by the processing industry, right?¡¹ ¡¸The collected cargo will be transported via freight train all at once. There¡¯s only one stop after all. I just want to expand that network further.¡¹ ¡¸In that case, let¡¯s establish a department specialized in rail transport. I think there will be a great demand for railway transport between Fortress Areas.¡¹ Tetsuya decided to accept such an undertaking. The possibility of spreading the railway network on Planet Asia. He wanted to realize it. ¡¸Transport aircraft and ships are our only means of logistics right now. Though Fortress Areas and Defense Domes do tend to independently settle their needs by themselves.¡¹ That¡¯s also one of the problems faced by the Nemesis system. Because Fortress Areas and Defense domes tend to be self-dependent, it was difficult for those living in them to relate to what was happening to other distant human settlements. They couldn¡¯t cooperate properly with one another, and unless the threat of the Stones come directly breathing down their necks, they would act like any incident that happened to other areas wasn¡¯t related to them. ¡¸Since the car size will use Silhouettes as a standard metric, we¡¯d have plenty of leeways when it comes to available space.¡¹ Tetsuya reviewed the proposal and confirmed its feasibility. He was glad that the train cars were designed with Silhouette size as a basis since that would allow for more cargo to be carried inside them compared to the freight train cars on Earth. ¡¸They¡¯re about three meters wide on Earth. Oh. What¡¯s this, Kou-kun?¡¹ ¡¸I was wondering if we¡¯d be able to transport tanks via rail as well. I remember hearing that they used to transport tanks via freight trains.¡¹ ¡¸They did. But tanks had become so large that they moved on to transporting them via trailers or ships.¡¹ ¡¸Since we¡¯re gonna use Silhouette size as the basic metric, the cars are gonna end up being at least 4 meters wide anyway. I was wondering if a height of 15 meters would be fine.¡¹ ¡¸Shall we promote this as the new standard, Tetsuya-san?¡¹ ¡¸Sounds good. It would be easier to explain it when it gets popularized.¡¹ Even though Asia¡¯s railway network began its development through such an event, it will eventually make great contributions to Fortress Areas that are gradually increasing their population and manufactured goods. CH 117.1 With the establishment of the transferee companies and the railway network, Fortress Area P336 had rapidly grown into a major heavy-industrial sector that surprised the surrounding bases even though it has only been about a month since its recapture. The recruitment of mercenaries had also progressed well, and the number of people staying at Fortress Area P336 had ostensibly increased. There were many Therianthropes in particular, but that was probably due to the Quattro Silhouettes. At the same time as the increase in the Therianthrope population, the number of Nereid immigrants also increased. That¡¯s even if they weren¡¯t aware of the fact that Asia was actually staying in the Fortress Area. Fortress Area P336 was attracting the attention of Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids the world over. Even so, interest among humans was still low, and only those who¡¯ve heard of information about it from trading companies have decided to migrate. It¡¯s probably because the circulation rate of information on Planet Asia was just too poor. Asia¡¯s front lines were still in a state of a lull. Several Defense Domes have already switched sides to the Stones, but no large battles have taken place until now. Kou¡¯s side wasn¡¯t making any moves either. As expected, after being hit by a simultaneous assault operation, the alertness of the enemy has increased significantly. They should have implemented proper countermeasures. ¡¸It looks like everything¡¯s going well.¡¹ Kou and the others were called over by Asia and had gathered inside the ship Astraea. Even Astraea herself was present at the meeting. ¡¸We¡¯ve finished the railway line connecting the Underground Arsenal, Silhouette Base, and Fortress Area P336. The factories for Jialing¡¯s company and Kurt Maschinenbau have also been completed. Matty¡¯s company is already on track.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s great.¡¹ Asia replied with a clouded expression. ¡¸What¡¯s wrong Asia?¡¹ ¡¸Un¡­¡­ I have a bit of bad news, actually.¡¹ ¡¸Let¡¯s hear it.¡¹ Asia looked somewhat downcast. ¡¸When I found you, I made you a Development Engineer, right, Kou?¡¹ ¡¸I remember. The reason why I have everything I have now is you, Asia.¡¹ ¡¸I appointed you directly and made you an EX-Class Development Engineer. But it¡¯s a bit different for other Development Engineers. I suppose you can say their rank is granted to them based on their affinity when performing maintenance on Familiars and machines.¡¹ ¡¸So it¡¯s like they suddenly awaken to being a Development Engineer?¡¹ ¡¸Right. Even I wouldn¡¯t know exactly who would fulfill the qualifications and what rank they would turn out to be. But when it comes to A-Class Development Engineers, they¡¯d be able to hear my voice once they awaken, so I can interact with them. That¡¯s why¡­¡­¡¹ Asia seemed to find it hard to continue. ¡¸Just go ahead and say it, Asia. I won¡¯t get angry.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s just like you, Kou. Un. I understand. You see, a newly awakened A-Class Development Engineer has voluntarily joined the Stones. I¡¯m going to tell you all about that matter.¡¹ It was certainly quite a serious development. Everyone perked up their ears to listen to Asia¡¯s words. ¡¸A man that gained the qualification to be an A-Class Development Engineer joined the Stones?¡¹ ¡¸I met with the person in question to ask about his reason for doing so. But I¡¯m just an AI programmed to be beholden to humans. It¡¯s not possible for me to convince him to change his decision.¡¹ Asia confessed. This development would be a painful one for humankind as well. In the first place, transferees like Kou were being summoned to compliment the current generation of humanity who have lost their ability to make proper use of the available futuristic technology. ¡¸Just what was that person thinking?¡¹ ¡¸He said it was to obtain the optimal environment for weapons development. And also a kind of insurance for humankind¡¯s continued survival.¡¹ ¡¸What does he mean by that?¡¹ ¡¸He plans to raise his worth and obtain many achievements while working under the Stones so they would consider continuing to shelter humanity in the event that we lose the war. I don¡¯t understand his reasoning that well myself, but Astraea should be able to.¡¹ ¡¸I do.¡¹ ¡¸Can you explain for us, Astraea?¡¹ If humanity loses, they will lose all protection. Astraea pondered for a short while and started her explanation. ¡¸It is a valid strategy to ensure the continued survival of a faction. It¡¯s especially prevalent in politics. For example, in order not to be too biased toward only one side, conservative governments also allow the existence of a progressive faction. And vice versa. There would be people who would put forward opposing views while looking at the big picture.¡¹ ¡¸I think I understand. There was also an opposition party aside from the administration in my country who often objected to the administration¡¯s policies. It also goes both ways.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s exactly it. Whenever a change of regime takes place, if the new ruling party did something extreme, the opposition would serve as the brake. Among the countries that have adopted this two-party system in the far past, politicians with differing views served to balance one another out. It seems that the newest A-Class Development Engineer has joined the Stones with that system in mind as a survival strategy for humankind.¡¹ Kou pondered about the matter himself. ¡¸So it¡¯s safe to say he can¡¯t be persuaded, right, Asia?¡¹ ¡¸Rather, I think he¡¯s an enemy we need to defeat. Like the Stones, he doesn¡¯t really consider humans as people. He¡¯s just too logic-driven. He¡¯s a person who single-mindedly seeks to advance the technology and theories related to machinery. If Kou didn¡¯t appear, he might have been the one to be named Outis.¡¹ ¡¸So he¡¯s the man who could have been Outis huh¡­¡­ What does he think about Familiars?¡¹ ¡¸I suppose you can say he¡¯s not interested in them. His affinity is mainly directed to the machines he creates. But because he only limits it to that, his affection for his personal creations might be extremely high.¡¹ ¡¸So, there are different ways of having an affinity for machines, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s how it is. I¡¯m really glad I managed to find you.¡¹ ¡¸You saying that makes me really happy, Asia. So, the person we¡¯re talking about is so fond of his own machines that he was recognized as an A-Class Development Engineer huh. To a person like him, the current Nemesis system should be like heaven.¡¹ Even Kou found the prospect of maintaining and improving Unit 5 and spending time with Familiars a lot more enjoyable than anything else. However, the man they were talking about seemed to have nothing to do with those concepts. ¡¸Someone like him wouldn¡¯t have been sent to this system if it was Sophia who had performed the selection.¡¹ ¡¸People who shared the same moral principles and values were placed together, then those different groups were separated, right?¡¹ ¡¸Right.¡¹ ¡¸Can you tell us his name at least?¡¹ ¡¸He¡¯s called Vasa. His full name is Vasily Igolevna Yakshev. He¡¯s of Slavic descent from his father¡¯s side.¡¹ ¡¸Vasa huh. I¡¯ll take note of him.¡¹ Even though he was told the guy had Slavic blood, he really didn¡¯t have any impression of something like that at all. He wasn¡¯t exactly that knowledgeable about the characteristics of people from other countries. ¡¸He¡¯s already been promoted to a top executive of the Stones forces. In a way, he might be more troublesome an opponent than even the Stones themselves.¡¹ ¡¸I got it. I¡¯ll make sure to remember him. We have to prepare accordingly.¡¹ Asia wouldn¡¯t normally share such information. That just meant that the situation was that critical. ¡¸Un. I can¡¯t reveal anything further. I¡¯m sorry.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s alright Asia. That was more than enough.¡¹ Kou inwardly pondered for a while, then he spoke out. ¡¸I also have something I want to tell everyone.¡¹ ¡¸What is it?¡¹ ¡¸Kou, you also look like you¡¯ve been thinking hard about something.¡¹ Asia and Aki became worried about Kou. ¡¸Both the Silhouette Base and the Fortress Area are already on track. They should be able to function just fine even without me here.¡¹ ¡¸Just what are you saying all of a sudden?¡¹ Aki became angry. Nothing would have started if it were not for Kou. ¡¸I was just saying. Don¡¯t get angry, alright? I¡¯ll talk about my idea now. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s the correct decision, but it¡¯s something I came up with after thinking about what I should do now in consideration for the future.¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t really need to worry about us, you know? You¡¯re doing very well already.¡¹ Kou promoted the industrialization of the Silhouette Base and Fortress Area. Even if he couldn¡¯t have accomplished so much without making use of Asia¡¯s power, Kou believed his actions will eventually lead to humankind being able to stand on its own. Even if Kou wasn¡¯t there. CH 117.2 ¡¸But the Stones are also getting increasingly powerful. Aren¡¯t there more and more large-sized Murders being sent here from Libya?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. That¡¯s true. But humanity has already acquired enough strength to deal with large Murders.¡¹ ¡¸I think so too. That¡¯s why I¡¯m thinking of going to Libya alone. It would probably be a while more before I leave for it though. If possible, I¡¯d like to destroy a large-scale Murder production facility. If that can¡¯t be done, then I¡¯ll at least rescue Libya.¡¹ Everyone present except for Kou froze up. He had just proposed something absolutely ridiculous. It was reckless beyond belief. ¡¸Count me in, Kou. I¡¯m a Familiar after all.¡¹ ¡¸I got it, Voy. You¡¯ll be a great help.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m going too nyaa!¡¹ ¡¸Of course, I will go as well. In the first place, what can you possibly do with just a single machine!?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m definitely going.¡¹ ¡¸I actually want you guys to protect Asia and Astraea.¡¹ Kou grew troubled as he faced the ladies who were insistent on coming with him. It was just too dangerous. He wanted them to wait for him on Planet Asia instead. ¡¸I don¡¯t think Metal Iris will allow you to leave though.¡¹ Astraea sharply pointed out. ¡¸Yeah. They probably won¡¯t¡¹ ¡¸What spaceship are you planning on using to go there. Are you going to use me, Astraea?¡¹ ¡¸I plan on using the second Aristides-class ship, Pericles. Or maybe the still-sleeping Hora. I should be able to recover Libya¡¯s data with that.¡¹ Hora was the same class of ship as Astraea and was still sleeping on the underground lake. Asia gazed at Kou with moist eyes. ¡¸Hey, Astraea. Has anyone on Planet Asia ever proposed rescuing Libya before?¡¹ ¡¸Among the people who always wish that they themselves be saved? No one, of course. There have been no people who have voiced such an impossible-sounding thing.¡¹ ¡¸I think my rescue was also something considered impossible, you know? Even with your help.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯d have to admit that.¡¹ ¡¸You see¡­ Kou said he was going to rescue her. I¡¯m already happy you said that. But Kou, Planet Libya is truly a dangerous place right now. The number of remaining human survivors is unknown, and Murders constantly wander around the planet and keep hunting humans. That kind of environment. Just how long could humans survive there?¡¹ ¡¸But can you endure it, Asia? If we don¡¯t do anything, Libya will continue to send over giant Murders, and even fellow humans are fighting with each other here on Planet Asia.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s true, but¡­¡­¡¹ The room became wrapped in silence. It was certainly a problem that had to be dealt with sooner or later. But it was something humankind was currently just too weak to solve. However, it was also not a problem Kou can solve alone. Kou had probably become too impatient. The fact that Kurt was still missing and that some of the human settlements were changing sides to the Stones must have affected him. It was Astraea who broke the silence. ¡¸Understood. Well then, Kou. There is something you have to do before that. Please continue to further expand your power.¡¹ ¡¸Astraea? What do you mean?¡¹ ¡¸I have analyzed the enemy¡¯s strength and anticipated their next move. They have finally obtained the last piece they needed. An A-Class Development Engineer has joined them. That is the piece they were missing before. And now that the last puzzle piece has been set, I have managed to anticipate the next phase of their plans by analyzing their current power distribution and industrial capabilities.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s going to happen now that the puzzle is complete?¡¹ ¡¸There will be a great war in the near future. Exploring Libya should be considered after we survive the war.¡¹ ¡¸A great war? And it concerns our survival?¡¹ ¡¸It is a war that will involve the entire planet.¡¹ Astraea¡¯s tone wasn¡¯t flustered in the least, but war wasn¡¯t a trivial matter whatsoever. ¡¸We are currently in a stalemate. It seems that the enemy side is also focusing on production, just as we are improving the strength of our bases. Their target would be Fortress Area P336, and possibly even the Silhouette Base. The enemy would probably prioritize crushing us instead of the other forces on Planet Asia.¡¹ ¡¸Why would they!?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because of the technology list we provided to the A-Class Development Engineers. It seems that the technology list of John Arms has been completely passed on to the enemy side. The reason they attacked two of the largest transferee companies was probably to obtain the technology. And they have probably judged that the source was us.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Just how many heavy industrial areas do you think the enemy side has? And many of their Murders are already out of date. They wouldn¡¯t be able to keep up with Silhouettes that make use of next-generation technology. They are probably manufacturing machines comparable to our own and will have humans on their side pilot them.¡¹ ¡¸So, it¡¯s really going to be a battle between fellow humans.¡¹ ¡¸It is expected that once the enemy side has prepared sufficient military strength, they will declare total war. Of course, we can also choose to abandon Fortress Area P336, but that¡¯s probably also within the enemy side¡¯s expectations. They will probably send all of the military strength they¡¯ve saved up in order to completely take over this area. Once that happens, we will be surrounded from all sides.¡¹ The technology provision that was conducted with good intentions backfired on them. There was a limit to the production rate of the Silhouette Base. The technology provision was to increase the overall strength of humankind. But now¨C Kou was told in the past that the technology he would provide can possibly birth even further conflict. And now, it had caused a calamity that was even greater than what he¡¯d expected. ¡¸Kou, don¡¯t regret your actions. If you didn¡¯t do anything, humanity would have eventually been eliminated helplessly by the Murders. With your help, humanity has finally obtained the strength to fight back against them. That is definitely not a mistake.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right, Kou! Before transferees like you came here, a tremendous number of Familiars died. They only drove cheap and flimsy armored cars. They had no means to fight back other than hurling themselves straight onto the enemies and getting destroyed in the process. The current humanity is the result of the sacrifices of countless Familiars. But now, they have proper weapons at their disposal. Those weapons are the fruits of the transferee¡¯s efforts, and you have drawn even more of their power.¡¹ Asia implored Kou as she gazed directly at his eyes. ¡¸Several decades ago, close to 10,000 Familiars died in order to defeat the enemy¡¯s Antique Silhouettes. But even so, I still kept birthing more and more Familiars. They all have their own wills. But because of my will, they supported humanity and fought to the end.¡¹ Asia¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t waver. No one apart from her could probably understand how agonizing it was to drive the children she¡¯d birthed herself to war, and eventually, their own deaths. ¡¸Or do you want me to mass-produce Familiars and send them to their doom again? No. You wouldn¡¯t want something like that, Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I won¡¯t ever let you do something like that again.¡¹ Kou had resolved himself. Even more Familiars, humans, Therianthropes, and Nereids will probably die in the future. And due to that, there were some things that should be done. ¡¸I understand. Astraea, prepare for war. Please lend me your strength.¡¹ ¡¸Understood. I will perform to my utmost. I will shift the production system to wartime.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll also count on you for tactical planning support.¡¹ ¡¸That is a dangerous option. I am an AI. I would not hesitate to implement the best solution in order to win. I will warn you now that I am likely to force Kou to make tough decisions.¡¹ ¡¸Even then, I still want you to assist me. I mean, what will happen if we lose? Asia will get taken away again, and everyone will die, right?¡¹ ¡¸Acknowledged. However, I have warned you. So I implore your understanding. Then I shall also include the prototype weapon Kou had designed at that time to the list of options and carry out production in consideration of possible future tactical use.¡¹ ¡¸So I¡¯m gonna have to make these kinds of tough choices huh. ¨CAlright. I¡¯ve already resolved myself, so go ahead and do your worst.¡¹ Asia also joined the two¡¯s conversation with a stern look on her face. ¡¸I¡¯ll help out too. I¡¯m going to have them make a city that will connect the Silhouette Base and Fortress Area P336. Once it¡¯s complete, it will serve to solidify our defense. I don¡¯t ever want to get imprisoned again.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Asia. Astraea, everyone, please lend me your help. This is a place made by Familiars and Therianthropes that¡¯s key to protecting Asia. I want to protect it as well.¡¹ Everyone present nodded. A great war. Those were terribly heavy words. CH 118 It was decided that an emergency meeting of the main members of Metal Iris would be held inside the Aristides on Fortress Area P336. Kou told everyone about Asia and Dike¡¯s predictions. Astraea¡¯s existence still needed to be kept secret, so Dike was the one who came forward instead. ¡¸An A-Class Development Engineer actually joined the enemy. And a precarious stalemate huh. It¡¯s certainly true that the Stones suddenly stopped conducting invasions. Even if they need to make up for the forces they lost, they¡¯re being too quiet.¡¹ ¡¸We thought they were refraining from attacking because they were devoting their efforts to enticing Fortress Areas and Defense Domes to their side, but they were actually augmenting their military strength huh.¡¹ Jenny and Robert were convinced. It was true that the Stones were being far too silent lately. Them acting shocked after the surprise attacks Metal Iris conducted against them was just a fa?ade. ¡¸So, they pretended to be shocked by the consecutive defeats and focused on producing more new weapons huh. They really are hateful bastards.¡¹ Barry muttered with a sigh. ¡¸What do you plan to do, Hidden Boss?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll also focus on production. As long as the performance of our weapons is close to equal, we¡¯ll counter numbers with numbers. We¡¯ll continue recruiting mercenaries as well.¡¹ ¡¸The Mercenary Association did complain that we were recruiting too many though.¡¹ ¡¸If the enemy¡¯s intentions are really also mixed in with their opinions, they¡¯d at least say that much. In the first place, they¡¯re basically just acting as a job agency, so they don¡¯t have the right to complain since we¡¯re actually the employer.¡¹ Kou inadvertently spat bitterly as he remembered the unscrupulous job agencies back on Earth. ¡¸Sound reasoning. Are you there, Dike? Does Okeanos actually place a limit on the number of mercenaries one can recruit?¡¹ ¡ºI am connected. Okeanos has placed no such limits. It is a statement that can be said to be overstepping bounds.¡» ¡¸Right. Of course. It seems the Mercenary Association isn¡¯t exactly an enemy, but it isn¡¯t our ally either. I¡¯ll just treat them as damn death merchants then.¡¹ Barry quipped mockingly. ¡¸However, we might face tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Murders. We only have a limited number of personnel and resources. Let¡¯s consolidate and share the weapons of the corps assigned to the Cimon-class and the Aristides as much as possible.¡¹ ¡¸You can¡¯t exactly go to war with the mercenaries still using personal weapons and prototypes after all.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s because Underground Forces are basically collections of individual mercenaries who band together in groups. A Force that operates on the premise of serving in a mothership has never appeared before until we did. You can also store a lot more weapons inside a mothership. There are probably no other Underground Forces with the same level of equipment standardization as us.¡¹ ¡¸Exactly. That¡¯s why I want to propose the reorganization of our forces and the introduction of new mass-production machines.¡¹ Rick nodded happily after hearing Kou¡¯s words. ¡¸It¡¯s simply impossible for any other place to provide ace machines like Lanius B, Tachycineta, Badb Catha, Epona, and Thunderstorm to the troops all at once.¡¹ It was truly an extravagant lineup. Jenny couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡¸Anyway, what¡¯s with this standard equipment list? Seriously? Carrier-based Silhouette Lanius A1, and a newly developed mass production machine for base personnel, the Shrike?¡¹ Of course, the number of weapons the Cimon-class and Aristides-class can carry is limited. Among the official members, only those who have excellent compatibility with Familiars are selected to be directly assigned to them. ¡¸The Lanius A1 is equipped with a metallic hydrogen storage tank that makes use of armor muscles. The Shrike is a simplified mass production version of the Lanius that was jointly developed with TAKABA. It¡¯s a machine that only employs electromagnetic armor on its critical components and not its armor muscles. But the parts used to manufacture it are almost the same with Lanius.¡¹ ¡¸Hm? So, you won¡¯t get the versatile Falco huh. And I thought you were the type to not let personal feelings get in the way of things like that.¡¹ Kou smiled bitterly after hearing Barry¡¯s words. ¡¸What personal feelings? With the gradual spread of aircraft equipped with electromagnetic armor, the effectiveness of long-range shooting weapons has decreased, so there¡¯s a need to expand in the area of melee combat instead.¡¹ ¡¸Fumu. The U.S. military endorsed settling air combat with missiles alone back in the 20th century, and when the Vietnam war came along, their planes were shot down one after another by enemy fighters that engaged them in dogfights instead of long-range missile shootouts. Later fighters adapted dogfighting capabilities in their designs again, and no matter how many fighter planes advanced and evolved, they were always equipped with machine guns.¡¹ Rick delivered a little military history lesson. ¡¸I see. Only popularizing electromagnetic armor and not improving long-range weapon technology is still fishy, but that does sound reasonable.¡¹ ¡¸I do feel the aim to gradually transform basic Silhouette combat into melee engagements using swords, but I won¡¯t pry any longer.¡¹ Kou¡¯s forehead dripped in cold sweat after hearing the two¡¯s snide remarks, but it looks like Jenny and Rick were satisfied for the most part. ¡¸There are more Silhouettes to be provided. Licensed cavalry tank and exclusive Silhouette model. They even made an exclusive model?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. But it mainly makes use of the additional armor system anyway, so the main focus is the tank.¡¹ Barry pointed out. Kou had decided to officially license the heavy Silhouette model Heifuu and the cavalry tank Yema for production. Since they acquired the production license, the names of the machines were changed to their immediate English equivalents, Black Tiger and Wild Horse. ¡¸The combat engineers will be receiving the Caledonia Crow, and the ones in charge of battlefield construction will receive the Battle Pecker.¡¹ ¡¸You really made exclusive machines for our combat engineering corps. Thank you very much!¡¹ Fuyuki was surprised and delighted. He did mention that Badb Cathas were a waste on combat engineering troops who didn¡¯t really excel at direct combat. Right now, they were being used by a special unit and Kurt Maschinenbau employees. The combat engineers who wanted their machines to be capable of more precise operations saw the work Silhouette Woodpecker that Marl and Flack were using and instantly fell in love. They were eager to get similar machines as well and went to beg Kou. The Caledonia Crow was a Badb Catha-based engineering machine that was named after the only crow that¡¯s known to use a tool to obtain food. Its load capacity, which was the base machine¡¯s weakness due to incorporating armor muscles, has been improved. Pecker. In addition to woodpeckers, the word is also used to refer to a person who uses a pickaxe. The Battle Pecker was a Lanius A1-based engineering machine that was suited for front-line supply and construction missions. Kou wanted to thank Fuyuki for all of his help and decided to design these engineering machines for him and his corps. ¡¸Quattro Workers are also being mass-produced. And we¡¯ve already completed production of 200 Epos units. I was told I had to prepare at least this much for two warships.¡¹ If it was limited to humans, there would have been a shortage of personnel, but Fortress Area P336 also had a large number of Familiars, Therianthropes, and Nereids. The equipment list took them all into consideration. ¡¸The main battle tanks equipped with electromagnetic armor, tracked armored vehicles, wheeled armored vehicles, and half-track light armored vehicles we have available have already been converted for Familiar use huh. You¡¯ve even taken into account the ease of converting them for anti-air or indirect fire roles.¡¹ ¡¸Electromagnetic armor-equipped armored vehicles have also been planned to be provided from the start. About 70% of all the weapons mentioned earlier have been procured. It would be a race against time for the remaining 30%.¡¹ ¡¸It seems you¡¯ve been preparing for a long time, Kou. In other words, you¡¯ve already started production before this emergency happened. And this emergency only made you move the plan forward.¡¹ ¡¸It was just to prepare for whatever would happen. It wasn¡¯t really something so concrete. These are ultimately going to be carrier-based equipment. The main focus should be the Familiar and mercenary ground troops, and the proper logistics system to support them. The logistics system has already been prepared.¡¹ Kou transferred the relevant materials to everyone¡¯s devices. ¡¸That¡¯s about all I could come up with. I¡¯ve only managed to come up with all that with Dike¡¯s support anyway.¡¹ ¡¸You did great. If you were trained well, you¡¯d probably make a pretty good frontline commander.¡¹ Kou panicked after hearing Rick¡¯s scary proposal. ¡¸That¡¯s not something suitable for me. Next would be air power, but it¡¯s gonna a contest on just how many aerial machines each side will be able to prepare.¡¹ ¡¸The enemy should be preparing aerial units as well. We might have shown them off too much.¡¹ ¡¸Before, the only aerial units the Stones could deploy were insect-type Murders. But now that they¡¯ve incorporated the technology they got from John Arms, large-scale metallic hydrogen generation facilities are already being built by them at various places in Asia. They will definitely deploy new aerial machines once the fighting starts.¡¹ ¡¸Aerial combat huh. So, the sky is gonna be a battlefield again too.¡¹ CH 119 Takaba Hyoue was sitting on his chair in his office. His Familiar partner, Ta-kun, was sitting on his shoulder. Due to the Accipiter theft case, he was obviously not in a good mood. Before long, the company CEO Kawakage came inside the room. ¡¸Chairman, we¡¯ve finished delivering forty Shrikes and twelve Lanius A1s to Metal Iris at Fortress Area P336.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re a big client. Do take good care of them. We still have many orders from them to complete after all.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve actually received a thank-you gift and a letter from them. Here they are.¡¹ ¡¸What did you say?¡¹ Kawakage handed Hyoue a letter. Hyoue hurriedly took it from him and looked at the name of the sender. Only the name ¡®Mozuya Kou¡¯ was written. Kou only ever exchanged research results and blueprints regarding Lanius C type with Hyoue lately. He¡¯s only introduced himself as a Development Engineer belonging to the Silhouette Base during those exchanges, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡ºIt has been a while, sir. This is Mozuya Kou. I thank you dearly for all your support. I especially prepared a Silhouette-use katana for you, chairman. I hope you will find it of good use. I will also take this opportunity to gift you the silhouette transport and attack aircraft Thunderstorm that I personally designed. Please use a metallic hydrogen generation type Silhouette in order to power and control them. I would like to personally come to visit you soon. If Shuuji and Asia are with the chairman, please give them my best regards.¡» ¡¸I see¡­¡­ Kou-kun. You still don¡¯t know about what happened to Shuuji.¡¹ Hyoue muttered in a forlorn tone. He wondered how disappointed Kou would feel once he gets to know the truth. ¡¸Where is that gift?¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ve already placed it at the feet of your Accipiter, chairman. Why don¡¯t you go and see it now?¡¹ ¡¸Ou. I¡¯ll go ahead then.¡¹ A smile floated on Kawakage¡¯s lips as he sent Hyoue off to the company hangar. A thank-you gift that instantly uplifted Hyoue¡¯s mood in exchange for a large order. Metal Iris really was akin to a god of salvation. A large white wooden box was placed under the feet of the blue-painted Accipiter. The box was made of cellulose nanofibers, but it had a distinct aura. Next to it were two heavy attack aircraft painted in TAKABA¡¯s iconic blue colorway. Hyoue immediately boarded the Accipiter, opened the box, and revealed the short and long swords stored within it. Accipiter picked up the Silhouette-size uchigatana and pulled the blade out all at once. Just as Hyoue anticipated, the blade was made of Tungsten alloy. The sword weighed more than its external appearance suggested. ¡¸This one is definitely a superb sword. Just who was the master who forged it?¡¹ He involuntarily raised a voice of admiration. First, he tried lightly swinging it, then slashed out with all his might. The sword physically emitted white light when it was swung, greatly surprising Hyoue. ¡¸Oi, was this thing forged with some sort of special gimmick installed?¡¹ He reflexively asked his MCS. ¡ºThere is no gimmick. It simply allows Whis to flow through it. The exact principle is unknown, but it is able to emit plasma if it is swung at a certain velocity.¡» The MCS of his partner machine answered. Hyoue has been using the same MCS since he piloted his very first Silhouette. ¡¸Oi. Sorry, but can you guys bring over a test board for me? I wanna try cutting it with this sword.¡¹ Hyoue called out to the employees watching from a distance. They hurriedly brought over a test board with work Silhouettes. It was a test board that used the Whis provided by a work Silhouette in order to turn into a high-dimensional armor piece. Hyoue slashed out in an instant. The sword easily sliced the board apart, just like paper. ¡¸What sharpness¡­¡­ That rascal Kou sure sent me something amazing.¡¹ ¡¸Chairman, would you like us to bring over a thicker test board?¡¹ An employee cautiously called out to him. ¡¸I want to test something out. Connect a thin pole to the building.¡¹ ¡¸Huh? But it¡¯s gonna be directly reinforced by the A-Carbuncle if we did that!?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t think this katana will break that easily. I think it¡¯s worth a try.¡¹ ¡¸U-Understood.¡¹ A-Carbuncle. It was of a different caliber to the low-purity A-Spinels that were mounted on weapons. It was able to generate tremendous amounts of Whis and was able to reinforce entire Fortress Area shelters and spaceships. Could the katana actually cut through an A-Carbuncle reinforced structure? The employees who were interested in what Hyoue was about to do had gathered inside the hangar. Kawakage also came over. The pole was now set up. If it wasn¡¯t being reinforced by Whis, it was just an ordinary steel pole. But when it¡¯s powered by Whis generated by an A-Carbuncle, its hardness will be on another level. It will become even tougher than tank armor material. The Accipiter¡¯s katana flashed¨C It emitted light, caused only a slight metallic clang, and cut the reinforced steel pole in two. An uproar instantly erupted within TAKABA. ¡¸This thing really is amazing.¡¹ Even Hyoue himself couldn¡¯t believe what he¡¯d just done. It was exceedingly sharp but also quite flexible. It definitely recreated the feel of a true Japanese sword. ¡¸Oi, you guys wanna analyze this thing?¡¹ ¡¸Please let us, chairman!¡¹ ¡¸Do your best, but as much as possible, don¡¯t damage it.¡¹ ¡¸But, of course!¡¹ The employee reverently received the sword with his work Silhouette and excitedly skipped over to the testing laboratory. The related employees also followed after him in a hurry. ¡¸I¡¯d also like to ask the master who forged these swords exactly how they made them even if I have to bow my head and beg. But I don¡¯t think I can meet them anytime soon.¡¹ Hyoue picked up the wakizashi and seemed to never get tired of looking at it. ¡¸Chairman! I¡¯m sorry for intruding. Guests have come over¡­¡­ It¡¯s an emergency.¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s the matter? Is it really that urgent? Just wait a bit.¡¹ Hyoue regretfully placed the wakizashi back in its scabbard. CH 120 One month after Kou and the others discussed the possibility of a large-scale Stones attack, the situation finally changed. The people of Fortress Area P336 were overcome with shock. The Stones conducted a worldwide broadcast and called out to Metal Iris. ¡¸I¡¯ll be the one responding to them later. They didn¡¯t call themselves as Stones huh.¡¹ ¡¸They called themselves the Argonauts. The same name as the legendary demigod sailors of ancient Greek myths huh.¡¹ Jenny sat on the commander¡¯s seat inside the combat command center of the Aristides and opened the transmission line. Live footage was displayed on the main screen. A young Caucasian male was in the center of the screen. There was also a person in a gray cloak sitting beside him. The cloak didn¡¯t just obscure the person¡¯s face but their entire body. Even their gender couldn¡¯t be identified. There was another person with the first two. It was an elderly Caucasian man. It was the man known as the Bombardment Lord, the B-Class Development Engineer Alberto. He was seated one level lower than the younger man. ¡¸Greetings, Argonauts. I¡¯m Jenny, the main representative of Metal Iris.¡¹ ¡¸No need for pleasantries. I am Vasily Igolevna Yakshev. You can simply call me Vasa.¡¹ Vasa responded bluntly. ¡¸Sure, Vasa. Have you called to persuade us to surrender?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s good that you¡¯re quick on the uptake. That is exactly right.¡¹ ¡¸We refuse. Did you broadcast this throughout Asia because you wish to make us into an example?¡¹ ¡¸Smart. It¡¯s a pity to just kill you. Surrender immediately. If you hand back all the Asia¡¯s you¡¯ve taken from us thus far, we will at least guarantee your lives. Once we take custody of the Asias, we will guarantee the lives and basic treatment of civilians who meet our standards.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re just going to tie them up with quantum chains, right? You sure like your pretenses. Asia isn¡¯t anyone¡¯s property in the first place. Treating her like some doll is just abhorrent. Well, I suppose spouting unreasonable demands is customary for the side declaring a war.¡¹ ¡¸And here I thought there was still some room for negotiation. How unfortunate. Your end will be witnessed by the entirety of Planet Asia.¡¹ The young man¡¯s expression did not seem regretful in the slightest. He had declared to the entire Planet Asia. He shall make an example of Metal Iris and completely eliminate it. The image displayed on the screen changed. One of Jenny¡¯s brows slightly went up, and the surrounding people gasped in astonishment. The footage displayed a gigantic weapon shaped like a shrimp with large eyes. It was more akin to a mantis shrimp than a regular shrimp. However, it was far larger than an Enyo. ¡¸Behold the A-Carbuncle-powered Giant Murder, Ate. It seems to be the goddess of destruction that broke through all of Asia¡¯s defense nets in the past. Now then, can you really go up against something like this?¡¹ ¡¸Go up against it? We¡¯ll destroy it.¡¹ Jenny declared with a cold gaze. ¡¸We will send all Murders available in the Scheelite continent against you. They will all come for your lives.¡¹ The continents of Planet Asia were named after important minerals that can be mined in them. The continent where Fortress Area P336 and the Silhouette Base were located was called the Scheelite continent. Scheelite was an important ore of Tungsten. ¡¸It looks like you really find us unpleasant huh.¡¹ ¡¸On the contrary, this is just an indication of how highly we regard you. I shall be looking forward to this war. It is ill-advised to reveal your cards to an opponent, but this is merely the opening performance.¡¹ The corners of Vasa¡¯s lips slightly curled up. It was a wisp of a smile. ¡¸Well then, let us begin the war, shall we? An all-out war between you and us.¡¹ ¡¸Of course. We will gladly take you on.¡¹ The two glared at each other from across their respective screens. Both parties were enemies that could never reconcile. ¡¸With this, the Stones combat organization Argonauts formally declares war upon Metal Iris. We will now commence the attack on Fortress Area P336 will the full might of the Stones.¡¹ ¡¸A formal declaration of war is an old practice from the Earth era. We acknowledge your proclamation. From now on, Metal Iris will engage the Argonauts in an all-out war. Transmission over.¡¹ Jenny cut off the transmission. A declaration of war. It was an official notice of open hostilities that seemed out of place in an era with a highly developed information network. That¡¯s because combat often starts immediately after a declaration is handed down. And this was the first time something like this happened on Planet Asia. It was merely a notice broadcasted to all Fortress Areas and Defense Domes on the planet. ¡¸I¡¯m sorry, Commander. Negotiations have broken down.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s fine. The other party didn¡¯t have the intention to negotiate in the first place. All hands to battle stations. Currently, no enemy presence has been detected. It will probably take a few days for our forces to engage one another in open combat. In land battles, at least.¡¹ Barry, who sat on the commander¡¯s seat of the Cimon-class, started giving out orders. ¡¸Send out recon planes. There is a high chance of a large number of enemy fighter aircraft coming our way.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ A bird-form Familiar responded. The shelter of the Fortress Area opened up, and a patrol aircraft and escort fighter launched from within. ¡¸That Ate is just an opening act huh? It would be good if that¡¯s just a bluff, but it doesn¡¯t seem to be the case.¡¹ It seemed that a far larger force than what they initially expected would be coming for them. Barry sat silently on the commander¡¯s seat of the Cimon-class and stared in the distance. Kou and the others decided to conduct an emergency meeting on Astraea. ¡¸I¡¯ll leave the Quattro corps to you, Nyanta. Aki will stay in the Cimon-class and act as my support.¡¹ ¡¸Roger nyaa!¡¹ ¡¸Please leave it to me!¡¹ The girls already understood their respective roles. They didn¡¯t have any objections. ¡¸Voy, you¡¯ll act as part of the special ops unit under me and adapt to the situation.¡¹ ¡¸Got it.¡¹ It was possible that Voy might need to leave the maintenance team and sortie in an experimental machine. ¡¸Please take care of Aimer, Pon-neesan.¡¹ ¡¸Understood.¡¹ Ponko firmly grasped Aimer¡¯s shoulder. ¡¸Aimer¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I will stay inside Astraea.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you. With that, I¡¯ll be able to fight without worrying. I¡¯ll leave her to you, Astraea.¡¹ ¡ºAcknowledged.¡» As expected, Aimer was obedient this time around. Normally, she would have tried to force her way and insist on boarding the Cimon-class. She can be surprisingly stubborn at times. ¡¸We¡¯ll prioritize the evacuation of the Fortress Area from now onward. But that¡¯s not a concern for all of us here. That¡¯s why I won¡¯t ask you to evacuate.¡¹ Everyone nodded in response. Kou knew that they¡¯d just be saddened if he still tried to persuade them. ¡¸Its total war. Honestly, I¡¯m quite scared myself. That¡¯s why, everyone, let¡¯s survive. I won¡¯t allow anyone to turn into a casualty of this war. Although I¡¯m the one who caused this situation in the first place.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not your fault, Kou. Even if you didn¡¯t act, the Murders will still come for us.¡¹ ¡¸Thank you, Aimer.¡¹ They¡¯ve already anticipated and prepared for this day. Astraea¡¯s production lines have been operating non-stop. Kou concentrated on the production schedule of Fortress Area P336. Mercenaries basically just attach themselves to whichever side was winning in a war. They were still actively recruiting, but there were very few Underground Forces that applied. Most were individual mercenaries. The fact that they would be provided Silhouettes depending on their skills was a big draw. Also, they were still able to purchase one even if they haven¡¯t joined Metal Iris. There were some mercenaries who mixed in with the evacuees escaping from the Fortress Area. It was a clear breach of contract, but Metal Iris was unable to stop them and didn¡¯t plan on trying in the first place. That¡¯s because it was dangerous to field fighters with low morale along with the rest of the forces. Some of them tried to escape while piloting the Silhouettes Metal Iris provided them, but the Silhouettes automatically deactivated themselves in response. That¡¯s because the owner of the Silhouettes was still Metal Iris and not the mercenaries. Recruiting scoundrels like those was ultimately unavoidable no matter how strict the recruitment process was. That¡¯s just reality. Currently, Metal Iris was also conducting discussions with various transferee companies. However, they were private commercial organizations after all. Whether or not they¡¯ll extend help toward Metal Iris will still depend on their evaluation of the situation and the projected profits. They had to take control of the flow. In order to get the people who were just waiting on the side for the situation to unfold into their allies, Metal Iris had to win the opening battle. Can they gain air superiority over Fortress Area P336? Will the ground forces be able to deploy safely? It all depends on those factors. CH 121 The sea depths. It was home to many creatures transferred over from Earth. It was a world of darkness where light from the sun didn¡¯t reach. A gigantic shadow advanced within it. It was the Giant Murder, Apate. It was a Murder named after the ancient Greek goddess of deceit. Its form was reminiscent of a giant water bug. There were also small beetle-type Keres advancing alongside it. They were amphibious diving beetle-shaped Murders called Cybister. It was a kind of submersible landing fleet made up entirely of Murders. They were heading straight for Fortress Area P336. However, their advance met an unexpected obstacle. The movements of the Apate dulled. Several underwater explosions went off. They were located at a depth of 700 meters below the sea surface. The Murders couldn¡¯t detect any signs of enemies. The Cybister-type Keres continuously got smashed to pieces by the explosions one after another. They were being attacked. However, they couldn¡¯t detect any enemies. They were unable to trace where the attacks were coming from. The source was probably at an even further depth¨C Consecutive explosions went off all around the Apate. It had withstood the explosions so far due to its thick armor, but getting hammered with explosions without pause was still undoubtedly dangerous for it. The Murder scattered numerous mines that served as something akin to a barrier as a countermeasure. The gigantic body that was over 70 meters ejected mines one after another. The Apate finally managed to detect the sound of a screw propeller. It was a sound it hadn¡¯t detected before. An enemy machine¨C No. It was actually a large torpedo. To be exact, it was a wire-guided torpedo. The wire was allowing Whis to flow through it, enhancing its penetrating power. After detecting the torpedo, the Apate had also finally managed to triangulate the location of the machine that fired it. They were located far below. They sat within even deeper depths. Multiple submarines were eerily stalking the Murder fleet from below. They were in the deepest part of the sea where light cannot reach, and have been waiting for their prey to arrive. The submarines made use of superconducting propulsion that made it difficult to detect them using ordinary sonars. They were the Silhouette Base submarine unit, Deep One. They operated the state-of-the-art submarine Silent Shark. They were the trump card Kou prepared to seize control of the sea. ¡¸It looks like they¡¯ve finally detected us.¡¹ A penguin-type Familiar announced while grinning. ¡¸These submarines designed by Kou-san sure are amazing.¡¹ A spotted seal-type Familiar clapped his flippers in glee. ¡¸Let¡¯s beat them up more!¡¹ ¡¸Scatter the noise makers and decoys. Avoid the enemy torpedoes.¡¹ The Apate fired its torpedoes to retaliate and destroy the submarines. ¡¸Launching anti-torpedo torpedoes!¡¹ The penguin-type Familiar cried out and fired interceptor torpedoes. The smaller torpedoes intercepted all the torpedoes fired by the Apate and brought them down. Another submarine took aim at the Apate and launched an underwater rocket. In order to protect the giant Murder, Cybister-types gathered together to act as a makeshift shield and were eventually destroyed. Another submarine had already scattered naval mines all over the course the enemies were taking. It was a well-planned and executed ambush. The submarine unit first puts up a wide-area net of radars and mines in order to accurately detect the position of enemies, then gathers to perform a concentrated ambush. It was a collaboration between Familiars who are able to function in water and cutting-edge submarines. Seawater began to flow inside the perforated armor of the giant Murder. It had no crew inside its body. It wasn¡¯t designed with damage control in mind. Due to its movements slowing down, several more torpedoes scored direct hits. The Apate flailed its arms and legs in desperation, but there were no submarines nearby. It was an overwhelming victory. With this, the Silhouette Base submarine fleet had taken control of the dark sea depths. A half-baked gigantic weapon was nothing more than helpless prey. Attacked unilaterally from all sides within the deep sea, the giant Murder Apate couldn¡¯t even get one foot on its target and sank to the sea floor. ¡¸Report from Deep One! Giant Submersible Murder, successfully taken out!¡¹ ¡¸Well done.¡¹ Barry was relieved. So, the enemy¡¯s first move was an invasion from the sea depths. Even though the rest of them were warier about an invasion from the air, Kou had always considered an attack from the sea. Kou had been on alert for some time and designed submarines as a countermeasure. The killing machines known as Murders didn¡¯t usually operate in the oceans of Planet Asia. That¡¯s why ordinary Fortress Areas would have descended into a panic if they encountered an invasion from the sea. Most Fortress Areas and Underground Forces wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle such an attack. Kou¡¯s point of view was unique due to their extensive use of the Aristides and Cimon underwater. ¡¸How about the battles occurring in each area?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The Murders have begun attacking various human settlements on Planet Asia.¡¹ The main operator was Aki. There were three sub-operators under her. One was a Nereid and the two others were Therianthropes like herself. ¡¸They are probably just aiming to pin them down, but with this, we can¡¯t expect any reinforcements from the other Fortress Areas and Defense Domes around the planet.¡¹ They had already expected as much. The simultaneous invasion operation of the Stones had begun in earnest. Even if they¡¯re aware that the attacks were nothing more than feints, the respective administrators of the various human settlements would probably refrain from any aggressive actions in fear of retaliation. ¡¸Commander Barry, we¡¯ve received replies from the A-Class Development Engineers of five transferee companies. They have all agreed to our proposal.¡¹ ¡¸Five? Not four companies?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s five companies. Kurt Maschinenbau is also included.¡¹ ¡¸Kou huh. Kurt Maschinenbau is currently based here after all.¡¹ It was a strategic arrangement made by Barry. Basically, he sought help from the A-Class Development Engineer-led companies. The local administrations of each settlement were trying their hardest to hire mercenaries for themselves. There were not enough available personnel, so they had no choice but to mobilize more Familiars. That¡¯s why Barry sought help from the major transferee companies. He left the means they¡¯d use to send help entirely up to them. After all, Metal Iris wasn¡¯t in a position to give them orders. ¡¸It would be great if they do manage to make it in time¡­¡­¡¹ The Ate was going to participate in the ground battle for sure. And before that, there¡¯s the air battle to worry about. ¡¸What¡¯s the status of the Murder swarm?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re already on their way, but it will probably take some more time before they reach us.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no hiding a giant that¡¯s dozens of meters tall after all. They¡¯re marching straight for us huh.¡¹ ¡¸There are quite a lot of them. We¡¯ve managed to confirm at least tens of thousands for now, but the recon planes can¡¯t approach them carelessly after all. So we still don¡¯t have any detailed numbers.¡¹ ¡¸The ballistic missiles?¡¹ ¡¸Just as we expected, there was no effect. Even though they have weaker outputs, the Ant Worker-types do come equipped with laser weapons after all.¡¹ ¡¸So, they defended against the missiles by using tens of thousands of Ant Workers huh. They really are worker ants.¡¹ Even though they were weak against Silhouettes, Ant Workers were particularly good as mobile anti-air batteries. And at least tens of thousands of them were deployed this time around. ¡¸This really isn¡¯t something a single Underground Force can normally take on.¡¹ Even while grumbling, Barry started thinking up his next move. CH 122 The sea depths. It was home to many creatures transferred over from Earth. It was a world of darkness where light from the sun didn¡¯t reach. A gigantic shadow advanced within it. It was the Giant Murder, Apate. It was a Murder named after the ancient Greek goddess of deceit. Its form was reminiscent of a giant water bug. There were also small beetle-type Keres advancing alongside it. They were amphibious diving beetle-shaped Murders called Cybister. It was a kind of submersible landing fleet made up entirely of Murders. They were heading straight for Fortress Area P336. However, their advance met an unexpected obstacle. The movements of the Apate dulled. Several underwater explosions went off. They were located at a depth of 700 meters below the sea surface. The Murders couldn¡¯t detect any signs of enemies. The Cybister-type Keres continuously got smashed to pieces by the explosions one after another. They were being attacked. However, they couldn¡¯t detect any enemies. They were unable to trace where the attacks were coming from. The source was probably at an even further depth¨C Consecutive explosions went off all around the Apate. It had withstood the explosions so far due to its thick armor, but getting hammered with explosions without pause was still undoubtedly dangerous for it. The Murder scattered numerous mines that served as something akin to a barrier as a countermeasure. The gigantic body that was over 70 meters ejected mines one after another. The Apate finally managed to detect the sound of a screw propeller. It was a sound it hadn¡¯t detected before. An enemy machine¨C No. It was actually a large torpedo. To be exact, it was a wire-guided torpedo. The wire was allowing Whis to flow through it, enhancing its penetrating power. After detecting the torpedo, the Apate had also finally managed to triangulate the location of the machine that fired it. They were located far below. They sat within even deeper depths. Multiple submarines were eerily stalking the Murder fleet from below. They were in the deepest part of the sea where light cannot reach, and have been waiting for their prey to arrive. The submarines made use of superconducting propulsion that made it difficult to detect them using ordinary sonars. They were the Silhouette Base submarine unit, Deep One. They operated the state-of-the-art submarine Silent Shark. They were the trump card Kou prepared to seize control of the sea. ¡¸It looks like they¡¯ve finally detected us.¡¹ A penguin-type Familiar announced while grinning. ¡¸These submarines designed by Kou-san sure are amazing.¡¹ A spotted seal-type Familiar clapped his flippers in glee. ¡¸Let¡¯s beat them up more!¡¹ ¡¸Scatter the noise makers and decoys. Avoid the enemy torpedoes.¡¹ The Apate fired its torpedoes to retaliate and destroy the submarines. ¡¸Launching anti-torpedo torpedoes!¡¹ The penguin-type Familiar cried out and fired interceptor torpedoes. The smaller torpedoes intercepted all the torpedoes fired by the Apate and brought them down. Another submarine took aim at the Apate and launched an underwater rocket. In order to protect the giant Murder, Cybister-types gathered together to act as a makeshift shield and were eventually destroyed. Another submarine had already scattered naval mines all over the course the enemies were taking. It was a well-planned and executed ambush. The submarine unit first puts up a wide-area net of radars and mines in order to accurately detect the position of enemies, then gathers to perform a concentrated ambush. It was a collaboration between Familiars who are able to function in water and cutting-edge submarines. Seawater began to flow inside the perforated armor of the giant Murder. It had no crew inside its body. It wasn¡¯t designed with damage control in mind. Due to its movements slowing down, several more torpedoes scored direct hits. The Apate flailed its arms and legs in desperation, but there were no submarines nearby. It was an overwhelming victory. With this, the Silhouette Base submarine fleet had taken control of the dark sea depths. A half-baked gigantic weapon was nothing more than helpless prey. Attacked unilaterally from all sides within the deep sea, the giant Murder Apate couldn¡¯t even get one foot on its target and sank to the sea floor. ¡¸Report from Deep One! Giant Submersible Murder, successfully taken out!¡¹ ¡¸Well done.¡¹ Barry was relieved. So, the enemy¡¯s first move was an invasion from the sea depths. Even though the rest of them were warier about an invasion from the air, Kou had always considered an attack from the sea. Kou had been on alert for some time and designed submarines as a countermeasure. The killing machines known as Murders didn¡¯t usually operate in the oceans of Planet Asia. That¡¯s why ordinary Fortress Areas would have descended into a panic if they encountered an invasion from the sea. Most Fortress Areas and Underground Forces wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle such an attack. Kou¡¯s point of view was unique due to their extensive use of the Aristides and Cimon underwater. ¡¸How about the battles occurring in each area?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The Murders have begun attacking various human settlements on Planet Asia.¡¹ The main operator was Aki. There were three sub-operators under her. One was a Nereid and the two others were Therianthropes like herself. ¡¸They are probably just aiming to pin them down, but with this, we can¡¯t expect any reinforcements from the other Fortress Areas and Defense Domes around the planet.¡¹ They had already expected as much. The simultaneous invasion operation of the Stones had begun in earnest. Even if they¡¯re aware that the attacks were nothing more than feints, the respective administrators of the various human settlements would probably refrain from any aggressive actions in fear of retaliation. ¡¸Commander Barry, we¡¯ve received replies from the A-Class Development Engineers of five transferee companies. They have all agreed to our proposal.¡¹ ¡¸Five? Not four companies?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s five companies. Kurt Maschinenbau is also included.¡¹ ¡¸Kou huh. Kurt Maschinenbau is currently based here after all.¡¹ It was a strategic arrangement made by Barry. Basically, he sought help from the A-Class Development Engineer-led companies. The local administrations of each settlement were trying their hardest to hire mercenaries for themselves. There were not enough available personnel, so they had no choice but to mobilize more Familiars. That¡¯s why Barry sought help from the major transferee companies. He left the means they¡¯d use to send help entirely up to them. After all, Metal Iris wasn¡¯t in a position to give them orders. ¡¸It would be great if they do manage to make it in time¡­¡­¡¹ The Ate was going to participate in the ground battle for sure. And before that, there¡¯s the air battle to worry about. ¡¸What¡¯s the status of the Murder swarm?¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯re already on their way, but it will probably take some more time before they reach us.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no hiding a giant that¡¯s dozens of meters tall after all. They¡¯re marching straight for us huh.¡¹ ¡¸There are quite a lot of them. We¡¯ve managed to confirm at least tens of thousands for now, but the recon planes can¡¯t approach them carelessly after all. So we still don¡¯t have any detailed numbers.¡¹ ¡¸The ballistic missiles?¡¹ ¡¸Just as we expected, there was no effect. Even though they have weaker outputs, the Ant Worker-types do come equipped with laser weapons after all.¡¹ ¡¸So, they defended against the missiles by using tens of thousands of Ant Workers huh. They really are worker ants.¡¹ Even though they were weak against Silhouettes, Ant Workers were particularly good as mobile anti-air batteries. And at least tens of thousands of them were deployed this time around. ¡¸This really isn¡¯t something a single Underground Force can normally take on.¡¹ Even while grumbling, Barry started thinking up his next move. CH 123 Immediately following the conclusion of the battle in the deep sea, the aerial battle between the two opposing forces finally commenced in full as well. The combat command center of the Cimon-class was wrapped in a somber atmosphere. It had been an hour since the first aerial engagement. ¡¸They sure overwhelmed us.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The difference in the number of our forces was just too great.¡¹ Aki sighed as she reviewed the result of the aerial engagement. It was their total loss. The aerial forces of the Argonauts were just far too superior. Even though the Metal Iris forces fought back tenaciously, the enemy forces were 5 times more than theirs. The friendly forces were currently still engaged in a fierce battle. Reinforcements were being sent whenever an opening presents itself. ¡¸The analysis results are out. It¡¯s an estimate calculated from the number of enemy formations and the cycle pattern of flight formations. The present enemy air power is estimated to be 3000 to 5000 units.¡¹ ¡¸To think they had that many.¡¹ ¡¸Yes. The enemy fighter planes have also been analyzed. One model is a single-engine fighter manufactured by John Arms. We still haven¡¯t identified the twin-engine fighter they¡¯ve fielded.¡¹ ¡¸What about the casualties?¡¹ ¡¸Eighty-one enemy planes have been destroyed. Twenty-one of our own fighters have been downed.¡¹ ¡¸The performance of our machines is higher. Or rather, the Familiars are pretty skilled fighter pilots.¡¹ ¡¸The twin-engine aircraft seems to have better performance compared to the single-engine one. It seems to be roughly on par with Star Soldier. Their pilots are brainwashed humans while ours are Familiars with their own wills. It is expected that our own fighters have better combat performance.¡¹ ¡¸But it looks like we really can¡¯t bridge the gap in numbers huh.¡¹ The Familiars fought really well in the face of such an overwhelming difference in numbers. Since the pilots were mainly bird-shaped Familiars, they found it easier to eject and escape from downed planes, which was the only saving grace. ¡¸So, it should be better to regard their number to be at least 5000. And we have a thousand on our end huh?¡¹ ¡¸Yes. We managed to manufacture an additional 500 aircraft after we increased the production rate. We also have 100 Falke fighters from Kurt Maschinenbau and 400 Star Soldiers from Skunk Technology. There are 100 aircraft assigned to the Aristides and 220 aircraft assigned to the Cimon, but they are excluded from the total.¡¹ ¡¸We deployed five squadrons composed of 24 aircraft each during the initial clash. And the enemy deployed ten squadrons of 66 aircraft each from three different Fortress Areas in waves. They¡¯re pouring out in droves. They¡¯ve practically secured air superiority huh.¡¹ There was a limit to the simultaneous deployment of aerial formations from a Fortress Area protected by a shelter. At this rate, they wouldn¡¯t be able to deploy their ground forces properly and will be forced into a siege. ¡¸There are already this many fighters. They still haven¡¯t launched bombers, attack aircraft, and transport aircraft.¡¹ ¡¸They probably have 1000 to 2000 attack aircraft on hand. Well, a generous estimate would be about 7000 to 8000 aircraft all in all. The use of bombers is too limited so they should be the least in number while they should have an ample number of fighters and aircraft that can be converted into a fighter configuration.¡¹ A transmission from Rick came in. ¡¸Rick, how is it? Is it actually that? A saturation attack?¡¹ ¡¸I think your prediction is spot on. The ground troops can¡¯t deploy properly. That should be one of their aims.¡¹ ¡¸So it really is simultaneous deep battle operations.¡¹ Deep operation was a military theory devised during the Cold War era in the 20th century by the Soviet Union. There was no particular universal tactic, but deep operation was famous for being close to being one. It was a tactic that simultaneously suppressed the enemy force¡¯s first, second, and third defense lines, supply lines, and rear facilities with overwhelming firepower. It was not meant to attain a decisive victory in one fell swoop but instead launched multiple operations in order to overwhelm the enemy¡¯s defenses and have enough forces to surround the enemy from all sides. It completely invalidated the tactic of aiming for a breakthrough by focusing on one front through the use of overwhelming numbers. Even though it¡¯s often referred to as a brute-force method, it requires careful preparations and an accurate grasp of timing. The ultimate objectives of war were the expansion of territory and political power. However, the premise of the deep operation tactic was to completely destroy the enemy forces and territory without caring about any gains at all. It was a tactic that only the Cold War era¡¯s Soviet Union could come up with and consider implementing. ¡¸I didn¡¯t think they would even deny us deploying anti-aircraft units outside the Fortress Area.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯d just be sitting ducks if they went out there now. They¡¯d get picked off by long-range attacks. Come to think of it, the enemy has the Bombardment Lord working for them, right?¡¹ The figure of Alberto, who was a B-Class Development Engineer famous for his love of large-caliber cannons, was clearly shown with the enemy during the war declaration. ¡¸So, we can anticipate that their next moves would be a non-stop march and wave attacks huh? Those are tactics that make full use of Murders. And they also have the Bombardment Lord with them? It¡¯s quite possible they¡¯d attack us from all possible angles.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ve divided us into strong and weak parties according to Lanchester¡¯s linear law.¡¹ ¡¸I absolutely hate that law. It decides everything through air power and the total number of weapons. I still like old man Patton more.¡¹ ¡¸But the vectors are completely different¡­¡­ I don¡¯t hate Patton myself though.¡¹ ¡¸We have no choice but to act as the weaker force. We can only employ limited war, one-point concentrated attacks, and guerilla tactics. The problem is that the tactics that can be employed inside the shelter are limited.¡¹ ¡¸According to Koopman¡¯s analysis, we¡¯d still have a chance if we can divide the enemy forces.¡¹ ¡¸Should I get out there?¡¹ ¡¸No. It¡¯s not advisable to deploy a single warship while the enemy still has air superiority secured.¡¹ The Cimon-class was currently standing by on the sea floor. It was preparing to defend the Silhouette Base and for the battle against Murders. Even though it had its own fighter complement, the number of enemies was more than expected. It would just be a drop in the bucket even if it did sortie and provided reinforcements to Fortress Area P336. Also, it would take some time to land and launch an assault. In this situation where it was being preserved as a hidden card with no escort ships accompanying it, it wouldn¡¯t be a good idea for just a single ship to go into battle. It would just become prey to the enemy and eventually be shot down. Aristides was in Fortress Area P336. It was to serve as a key element of an all-out assault, a solid wall to cover allied troops, and a means of evacuation. It would be utilized according to the situation. ¡¸It all depends on whether or not we¡¯ll get reinforcements. The ground troops are to remain on standby. If the situation continues as is, we¡¯ll attract as many of them as much as possible and use the Fortress Area as a literal fortress.¡¹ ¡¸Roger that, Commander Barry. It¡¯s great that you¡¯re still cool-headed.¡¹ Barry contacted Jenny after his discussion with Rick. ¡¸The enemy is sending in combined formations of at least 200 aerial units every pass. They¡¯ve completely taken air superiority. Sending in our own fighters to intercept wouldn¡¯t amount to much because we¡¯re outnumbered. Let¡¯s give up air superiority to them for now.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll need comparable numbers to handle them after all.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. We have no choice but to make up for our lacking numbers with the frequency of sorties. We¡¯re the defending side after all. If the Cimon-class rises out of the sea in this situation, it¡¯ll just eat concentrated fire. The Aristides and the air corps still have 500 aircraft in reserve, but there¡¯s a limit to the number of units we can deploy each sortie. This is one of the weaknesses of Fortress Areas.¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ll just beat up the anti-aircraft vehicles if we send them out too. It¡¯s a really bad situation huh?¡¹ ¡¸We wanted to intercept the Ate from outside the Fortress Area after all. It looks like we have no choice but to fight it while using the Fortress Area¡¯s defensive walls.¡¹ The Ate had tremendous destructive power. Furthermore, the total number of enemy troops was more than ten times Metal Iris¡¯ own. Metal Iris had more versatile ground artillery options, but they can only be deployed if Metal Iris had air superiority secured. The rear troops would also be on the receiving end of the enemy¡¯s deep battle operations. The main troops that had high combat power such as the tanks would get isolated, surrounded, and systematically destroyed. ¡¸Understood. We¡¯ll attract as many as possible, take air superiority back somehow, and then launch a counterattack, right?¡¹ ¡¸If everything really goes that well anyway. Right now, that¡¯s the only move we can play.¡¹ ¡¸Roger. We¡¯re forced into fighting nerve-wracking battles while the enemy pilots don¡¯t even feel anything since they¡¯re either unmanned machines or people deprived of their wills. It¡¯s really unfair.¡¹ ¡¸There¡¯s no such thing as fairness in war after all.¡¹ ¡¸Tell me something I don¡¯t know. We¡¯ll think up ways to increase the frequency of sorties on our end.¡¹ Barry viewed the data on the combat situation around the Fortress Area. A large number of enemy fighters were constantly flying in. It seemed that they wouldn¡¯t even give Metal Iris¡¯ own fighters time to re-sortie. At this rate, they really would get forced into a siege. And a weapon that was perfect for a siege battle, the Ate, was fast approaching. ¡¸How long until the Murders reach here?¡¹ ¡¸About two days more. A more exact estimate can¡¯t be provided at this time.¡¹ ¡¸So, we only have until tomorrow huh.¡¹ They had data about aerial battles in the 21st century that were settled relatively swiftly. There was even forecast data about aerial battles between two opposing fleets. But there were just too many enemy units. It won¡¯t exactly be in just a few hours, but the turning point of this current battle was probably going to arrive before the day was done. They could fight it out with the Murders for a week, but that¡¯s only if they have a steady grip on air superiority. If things don¡¯t go well, they might get defeated sooner. ¡¸They probably wouldn¡¯t really send all available Murders on Planet Asia against us, right?¡¹ ¡ºThat is indeed impossible. There isn¡¯t enough space to deploy all of them after all. The number of Murders currently available on Planet Asia exceeds one million.¡» ¡¸What about those in this continent?¡¹ ¡ºA maximum of over 200,000 units.¡» ¡¸So, we have to expect at least that many huh?¡¹ It would just be too much if they had to face Murders from the entire planet. Hence, a reasonable estimate of the number of enemy forces was important. ¡¸Should we just abandon P336 and retreat to the Silhouette Base for a siege?¡¹ Barry was well aware. Once the Arte destroys the shelter dome, they¡¯d get hit with the full force of the enemy¡¯s deep battle tactic, and they wouldn¡¯t be able to turn things around even if they conducted guerilla warfare. Hence, he couldn¡¯t help but worry. They would have more of a fighting chance if the transferee companies really do send in reinforcements. However, even if one dreams of such convenient reinforcements arriving to save the day, the reality of the current situation wouldn¡¯t change. ¡¸A transmission just came in. ¡­¡­Wait, don¡¯t tell me¨C? Why!?¡¹ ¡¸What¡¯s wrong, Aki?¡¹ Aki got astonished and turned speechless for a moment. ¡¸A friendly fleet has appeared from the sea. It¡¯s from the Silhouette Base!¡¹ ¡¸What?! What do you mean by a fleet appearing? Kou, do you know anything about this?!¡¹ Barry called Kou through the emergency line. Kou, who was on stand-by inside Unit 5, was also stunned. ¡¸No, it wasn¡¯t me. I don¡¯t know anything about this¡­¡­ Aki?¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know anything about it either!¡¹ ¡¸Just what is going on here?¡¹ ¡¸Transmission from the fleet in question. I¡¯ll put it up!¡¹ Aki accepted the transmission. The moment she saw the image on the screen, she almost couldn¡¯t help but scream in distress. The image displayed the figure of a familiar young girl. ¡¸Do you read me, Commander Barry? This is Provisional Admiral Aimer. From here on out, the carrier strike group under the Silhouette Base will also participate in this operation. We will now engage the enemy in battle.¡¹ CH 124 After seeing the transmission image, everyone became speechless. ¡¸Commencing Silhouette Base affiliation procedures. Procedures complete. Ours was a friendly fleet that was operating in secret until now. I apologize for the delay in reporting our presence.¡¹ Aimer offered words of apology to Barry. The image being displayed on the screen changed. Warships capable of underwater navigation surfaced one after another around a gigantic boxlike warship that dwarfed them in overall size. There were destroyers, air defense cruisers, missile ships, and so on. There probably were submarines submerged underwater with the fleet as well. It was unmistakably a full-fledged carrier strike group. ¡¸Kou-kun?¡¹ ¡¸I really didn¡¯t know anything about all of this, Jenny. Just what¡¯s going on here?!¡¹ Kou responded in a panic to Jenny¡¯s tension-filled inquiry. It was truly a bolt out of the blue. And it was unknown why Aimer was the one leading the entire fleet as well. It¡¯s been a few hours since they left Astraea. Ever since then, they haven¡¯t gotten in contact with Aimer even once. ¡¸Aki? Voy?¡¹ ¡¸I really don¡¯t know anything about this.¡¹ ¡¸If I knew, I would have been by her side!¡¹ Judging from her stunned reaction, it seemed that Aki truly didn¡¯t know about the fleet and Aimer. It was the same for Voy. Nyanta worriedly gazed at the footage showing Aimer. She was busy leading the Therianthrope corps, so she couldn¡¯t have known as well. It looked like none of them were caught unawares. ¡¸All hands, prepare for aerial combat. Commander Barry, we¡¯ll inform you of the timing of our attack. Please match our timing and work to divide enemy air power so we can secure air superiority over Fortress Area P336.¡¹ ¡¸Aimer-chan? What¡¯s going on?!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s just as you see.¡¹ Aimer had changed into a crisp-looking white officer¡¯s uniform. ¡¸That ship! What the heck is that gigantic ship?!¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s the flagship, Mobile Arsenal Platform¡ºAstraea¡». It is currently operating as an aircraft carrier. The requisite procedures have been completed and it has been registered with Okeanos as a ship officially belonging to Metal Iris.¡¹ Barry got so dizzy from all the sudden information that he felt his head was about to burst apart. Compared to the enemy, he felt that he couldn¡¯t understand his allies more. It must be a ship that was active during the interplanetary war era. If so, it should be an ultra-high-performance ship that was on par with the Cimon-class or even better. ¡¸What the heck is a mobile arsenal platform?!¡¹ It was a class of ship that Barry hasn¡¯t heard about. ¡ºIt is my original iteration, Commander Barry. It can function as a mobile base, arms factory, and aircraft carrier. Ever since the Cimon-class has been brought into the Silhouette Base, this ship and all other ships have been completely linked to it.¡» Dike explained the situation to Barry who¡¯s fallen into confusion. ¡¸Dike¡¯s original? So, you mean you were actually a copy of Astraea, Dike? That was the case right from the start?!¡¹ ¡ºIndeed. There are no problems, Commander.¡» ¡¸Like heck there aren¡¯t!¡¹ Barry got even more flustered. Everything he¡¯d heard was new to him, but it should be the same for Jenny and the others. Robert was also stunned silly. ¡¸Astraea. She¡¯s finally shown herself.¡¹ Blue muttered under her breath. She was both surprised and worried about what Aimer did. But she wasn¡¯t so surprised about the reveal of Astraea. She¡¯d already had her suspicions that Astraea was somehow behind the Silhouette Base. Only she was relatively calm among the original members of Metal Iris. Astraea had been secretly guiding and supporting them from behind. Her name had only been mentioned once before. However, in truth, she was always right beside them. That fact was evident from the names Dike and Libra 1. It seemed that she didn¡¯t particularly intend to keep her existence hidden from them in the first place. ¡¸Kou-kun, you already knew about the existence of Astraea, right?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah.¡¹ It seemed that Astraea had secretly advanced her own plans. However, she hadn¡¯t let Kou know about them. And she¡¯d even involved Aimer. ¡¸She¡¯s the one behind the sealed area of the Silhouette Base, right?¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right.¡¹ There was no longer any need to keep Astraea¡¯s existence a secret. In truth, every move they¡¯ve made, from Asia¡¯s successful rescue to the present could be said to be thanks to Astraea. A veritable mountain of various prototypes and mass-produced weapons had emerged from the sealed area. If the interplanetary weapons development AI Astraea¡¯s main terminal was located there, then everything would make sense. ¡¸Astraea is really registered with the Silhouette Base and Metal Iris¡­¡­ Doesn¡¯t this make Metal Iris one of the strongest Underground Forces on the planet?¡¹ Jenny muttered. ¡¸If we still lose this war with this kind of power on our hands, then it really will be the end of humanity.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s saying a bit too much, right?¡¹ ¡¸You just don¡¯t understand what this means! He existence is just that amazing. And now we¡¯re in this situation. Right now, even Aimer-chan had gone out to fight¡­¡­ It¡¯s because we adults are just too unreliable. If we¡¯d managed to win the aerial battle, she probably wouldn¡¯t have to sortie.¡¹ Jenny grumbled self-deprecatingly. Kou had definitely not wanted Aimer to get anywhere near the battlefield. He was just that overprotective of her. Astraea should have been their final trump card. But because the enemy¡¯s airpower was just too overwhelming, she was forced to head out and even took the young Aimer with her. If she had been completely unmanned, then she wouldn¡¯t have been able to participate in combat. That is just how Sophia created the other Super AIs. If they had managed to secure air superiority over Fortress Area P336, the girls wouldn¡¯t have had to come out to battle. ¡¸Barry-san, I¡¯ll offer my apologies first. I¡¯m planning to broadcast the carrier strike group¡¯s battle to the entire planet.¡¹ ¡¸What?!¡¹ ¡¸If I do so¡­¡­ If everyone in the world sees a young girl like me fighting in this war, maybe that will lead to us getting more allies.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯ve even thought that far, Aimer-chan¡­¡­ I see. So, I¡¯ll end up getting the brunt of the criticism for sending a young child into battle huh? That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m used to being hated. I¡¯ll shoulder as much notoriety as I can.¡¹ Barry, who would be regarded as a commander who¡¯d made a young girl fight on the front lines, would probably be severely criticized by the rest of the world. Aimer was worried about that happening. Barry had wanted to say that instead of worrying about him, the young girl should worry about her own life, but he ended up swallowing his words in the end. That¡¯s because there were others more suited to say that to her than him. ¡¸Thank you, Barry-san.¡¹ ¡¸Aimer-chan, I honestly have a lot of things I wanna say to you, but there are people who have more to say than I do. I¡¯ll switch the transmission over to them.¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Barry turned the line over to Kou. ¡¸Aimer¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Kou, I¡¯ll listen to your sermon later. For now, please cheer for me. I¡¯ll do my best. If we win, I want you to praise me lots.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s not an ¡®if¡¯. You will definitely win. No, it¡¯s fine even if you don¡¯t. Just please come back safe.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ll do my best. I forced Astraea to do this. So, please don¡¯t blame Astraea.¡¹ Aimer¡¯s expression changed drastically. It had changed into a calm and dignified expression that Kou was very familiar with. ¡¸Kou, I am also with her. I will do my best to keep her safe.¡¹ ¡¸Master, I¡¯ll leave her to you.¡¹ ¡¸But, of course.¡¹ After that, Aimer¡¯s eyes closed, and after a few moments, they opened once more. She had turned back into the usual Aimer. ¡¸Kou, from here on out, I will show our battle to the entire world. This is also a kind of information warfare. Since we have decided to fight, I will do everything I can to turn things in our favor.¡¹ ¡¸Aimer¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t make that kind of pained expression, Kou. When I get back home, please accompany me to shop for clothes again. Then, I want to eat delicious food with everyone.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah, we¡¯ll definitely do that.¡¹ ¡ºKou, I am very sorry for this time¡¯s sudden sortie. But I should have warned you beforehand. I will always make the most optimal choice depending on the situation.¡» ¡¸I remember well. Aimer¡¯s presence was needed. Isn¡¯t that right?¡¹ ¡ºIndeed. However, I will definitely bring Aimer back safe and sound. In order to let both of you fulfill the promise you just exchanged with each other, I am willing to sacrifice myself.¡» ¡¸You¡¯ll be coming with us when it¡¯s time to fulfill that promise, Astraea. It¡¯s your punishment for taking Aimer out in secret. So, you have to make it back safely as well.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s go together, Astraea.¡¹ ¡ºM-Me as well? But I am a weapons development AI and¨C I understand. I will accompany you all with a holographic projection.¡» Astraea, who was usually calm, seemed to have been flustered by the ¡®punishment¡¯ Kou proposed and the prospect of going out together with everyone. ¡¸Then I¡¯ll be cutting off the transmission, Kou. You definitely can¡¯t come over here. A Thunderstorm would immediately get shot down.¡¹ ¡¸I understand. But I¡¯m always with you, Aimer.¡¹ Aimer smiled and cut the transmission off. Aimer, who¡¯d just cut the transmission with Kou, fixed her expression into a serious one and prepared for her worldwide broadcast. ¡¸Kou was close to crying.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed, he was.¡¹ To others, it would have seemed that she was talking to herself. It was a conversation between Aimer and Master. ¡¸But you know, Kou and the other transferees just ended up getting involved in our battle in the first place. We, the humans of the Nemesis system and the existences created here, should be the ones fighting instead of them.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. That¡¯s why I agreed to the plan you proposed.¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯m a selfish person. I want to protect Kou, Nyanta, Aki, Voy, and everyone from Metal Iris. This plan is probably going to get a lot of people involved. But, even so, I want to protect them.¡¹ This was her resolve. And so, she decided to fight. She had begged the Familiars and Astraea to fight with her. And Master had responded to her feelings. Aimer had begun operating the terminal in front of her. ¡¸Now then. Shall we begin? You and I. The two of us will lead this fleet to victory together.¡¹ ¡¸Yes.¡¹ Aimer¡¯s battle had now begun. However, she definitely wasn¡¯t fighting alone. ¡¸So, it¡¯s this move huh, Astraea. This is the strategy you prepared for the worst-case scenario. It¡¯s to create a complete allied force.¡¹ It¡¯s as Jenny said. If they had been able to secure air superiority during the first aerial clash or at least managed to deploy the ground troops, Astraea would probably not have chosen to reveal herself and the secret fleet she had prepared. Astraea had no choice but to sortie because the situation was worse than they expected. But in order for her to do so, a human was needed. Aimer was the perfect option. She was an excellent operator herself, and she also had access to Master¡¯s full tactical knowledge. Moreover, she was a child, so nobody found it strange when she retreated from the front lines. She was just too talented. She was more than enough to serve as insurance. If she weren¡¯t so capable, Astraea would have chosen to involve Aki or Nyanta instead. Astraea had managed to keep her plans completely confidential. Aside from Familiars, the only ones inside Astraea were the Therianthropes of the same generation as Aki and Nyanta. Even Voy, who had the best chance to share such information with the rest, had no clue. It could be said that their loyalty to Kou was unusually high. However, in order to protect Aimer until the end, the Familiars and Therianthropes had kept their silence and didn¡¯t tell Kou of the plan. All in order to protect everyone he held dear. ¡¸You look pained, Kou. Can you fight?¡¹ ¡¸Rather, being unable to fight even if I want to is more painful. I want to head to the front right now and cut everything down without thinking. What EX-Class Development Engineer? I¡¯m just too powerless. No, I¡¯ve said too much.¡¹ Kou admonished himself. Those he wanted to protect the most were now fighting on the front lines. But he was still standing by within the Cimon-class that was currently underwater. Kou¡¯s Unit 5 was currently loaded into a Thunderstorm as part of a guerilla unit. ¡¸I¡¯m sure it¡¯s hard for you. You feel helpless. You can¡¯t even rush to their side even if you want to. But that¡¯s why we¡¯re fighting. Many people had ended up dying while feeling the same kind of helplessness you¡¯re feeling right now. I¡¯ve even watched them die with my own eyes. And we fight to prevent others from feeling that helplessness.¡¹ ¡¸Blue¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸I also want to rush out right away. It¡¯s painful. It feels like my heart is about to burst from the pain. I¡¯m sure Nyanta, Aki, and Voy are feeling the same as we are. But we have to make sure to do what we have to do in order to not waste that girl¡¯s determination.¡¹ Blue had said some harsh things, but her feeling of wanting to rush out was genuine. ¡¸I understand. I¡¯ll do what I need to do.¡¹ Kou had hardened his resolve. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to trample upon Aimer¡¯s determination. CH 125 ¡¸To all people living on Planet Asia. I am the admiral leading this carrier strike group affiliated with Metal Iris, Aimer.¡¹ The broadcast had begun. An eight-year-old girl had begun to address everyone who was watching her broadcast. ¡¸Currently, Fortress Area P336 is being repressed by the aerial power of the Argonauts and is in a dangerous predicament. I arranged for a force in secret without informing Commander Barry and am now leading Familiars and Therianthropes to participate in the battle.¡¹ Aimer acted in an imposing manner while sitting in the captain¡¯s seat. She wasn¡¯t alone. She had Master, the Familiars, and Therianthropes with her. ¡¸You are free to think of this as a child¡¯s naive request. But I still want to implore you to help Metal Iris in case I fall in battle.¡¹ The footage displayed Aimer once more, and she called out to the entire world through the screen. She wasn¡¯t reading a prepared script. Aimer was simply baring her thoughts to the world. ¡¸I want to protect them. The person important to me who came from a distant star system ¨C from the Earth of the far past. The Nereids and Familiars who¡¯ve constantly watched over me. And my home, Metal Iris. That¡¯s why if I fall here, please help the people important to me.¡¹ She didn¡¯t display any sadness. However, that just made everything seem even more tragic. ¡¸I¡¯m expecting to face about a thousand enemy units. The carrier strike group only has 200 fighters available. But I¡¯m not going to lose. To have everyone from Metal Iris come out of this war alive. That is my victory condition. I would like to prove that in today¡¯s battle. ¨CThat is all from me.¡¹ The broadcast had ended. Afterward, the only image being displayed was that of the sky above Astraea. The expressions of the Metal Iris members who watched the live broadcast displayed their frustration and helplessness. Nyanta was close to tears with her ears drooped down. Aki continued staring hard at the screen. Kou had no choice but to endure inside his MCS as well. He was barely suppressing his desire to rush out and head to Aimer¡¯s side. Some of the Familiars were already in tears. Voy had barely held back his own tears, but his eyes had already turned crimson. ¡¸This carrier strike group will now engage the enemy forces in combat. Aerial corps, emergency deployment. Escort ships, get into formation and prepare for anti-aircraft combat!¡¹ Aimer issued commands in succession. The Familiars swiftly acted according to her commands. Its aerial squadrons launched from Astraea. The machines were aircraft with distinctive variable wings. The escort ships spread out with Astraea as the focal point. ¡¸What¡¯s the position of the surveillance aircraft that we launched ahead?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s currently at an altitude of 25,000 meters. The three recon planes have gone into their respective positions.¡¹ The recon planes were flying high-altitude surveillance aircraft equipped with large radomes. They had a compliment of 20 escort planes accompanying them. ¡¸We won¡¯t use the catapults. Have the planes perform simultaneous vertical take-off and match their timing as much as possible.¡¹ The carrier-based aircraft had the ability to take off vertically. 12 fighters took to the sky at the same time. ¡¸Don¡¯t break formation! First, let¡¯s hit the enemies flocking toward Fortress Area P336 from the side¨COnce we¡¯ve done that, they will rush toward us instead. We will then intercept them.¡¹ The Familiars inside the combat command center of Astraea relayed Aimer¡¯s commands steadily. After receiving observation data from the recon aircraft squadrons, the first fighter squadron that sortied launched a salvo of anti-air missiles. It was the start of a fierce aerial battle. The Argonaut fighters heading toward Fortress Area P336 got shot down one after another. They took hits from missiles that suddenly came at them unexpectedly from a completely different direction than the Fortress Area. They didn¡¯t have time to launch chaff and decoys. There weren¡¯t any high-end units that managed to put up their plasma barriers either. ¡¸Where did that attack come from?!¡¹ ¡¸From the sea. It¡¯s anti-air missiles. They¡¯re coming at us from a distance of hundreds of kilometers at Mach 10¨C Gyaa!¡¹ The fighter that was transmitting information was also shot down. The attack didn¡¯t let up. The Argonaut commanders were watching such a situation play out intently. They were the demigod wearing a gray cloak, Vasa, and Alberto. They were within their flagship¡¯s combat command center. The demigod was the one sitting on the commander¡¯s seat. Vasa was sitting next to him. Alberto sat on an auxiliary seat beneath the two. ¡¸Long range air-to-air missiles? They sure prepared something good. They have an advantage in beyond-visual-range combat.¡¹ Vasa muttered under his breath. He acknowledged the enemy weapon¡¯s performance. BVR combat required excellent surveillance aircraft. The enemy had an advantage in an aerial battle. However, the Argonauts have enough numbers to make up for their lower performance. There was no need to worry. They had also watched the previous broadcast. The demigod sighed. ¡¸They even used a crying child as propaganda. Pretty good.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. They even have a clear victory condition. That girl didn¡¯t read her speech from a prepared script. It¡¯s best not to think of her as a mere child.¡¹ Vasa agreed to the demigod¡¯s mutters. Victory condition. It wasn¡¯t something third-rate commanders who were only obsessed with achieving an overall victory will employ. Instead, a commander will achieve the goal they¡¯ve set even at the cost of sacrificing themselves in the process. If the condition ensures a more favorable situation for their allies, they will consider it a victory. A commander who has a clear objective in mind was a tough opponent. The girl had presented an easy-to-understand victory condition. The Familiars were all fighting their hardest in order to achieve that goal. They were terrifying enemies. The girl¡¯s determined eyes were innocent yet housed a strong will. If raised properly, she would become an excellent commander. ¡¸3rd Pack Squadron, 40% lost. They are retreating.¡¹ ¡¸Tell the 4th Squadron to quickly engage the enemy fleet. I don¡¯t mind if they get annihilated. Anyway, just quickly locate that enemy fleet.¡¹ ¡¸Sir!¡¹ The 4th Squadron¡¯s planes were also shot down one after another. When some of them made it through the air-to-air missiles fired by the variable-wing fighters, anti-aircraft missiles immediately came at them. They were fired by Astraea¡¯s escort missile destroyers. They were truly worthy of being called a carrier strike group. Only one aircraft managed to reach the fleet¡¯s position, but it was also shot down immediately. ¡¸That ship¡¯s figure¡­¡­ Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s Astraea? Hey, control AI. Perform a database search immediately. Cross-reference that ship¡¯s figure with Astraea that was active during the Interplanetary War era.¡¹ The demigod ordered the flagship¡¯s control AI. He recognized the enemy ship¡¯s figure. He had experience fighting against it over a thousand years ago. ¡ºInquiry complete. Just as you expected, Castor, that ship is the Mobile Arsenal Platform Astraea that was active during the Interplanetary War era.¡» ¡¸So, that ship really managed to survive after all¡­¡­ This is bad, Vasa. That ship is equivalent to a Fortress Area. No, it¡¯s probably greater than one.¡¹ The man called Castor warned Vasa. It was rare for a demigod like him to reveal such recognizable emotions. ¡¸What kind of ship is it?¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s a mothership with weapons manufacturing and carrier capabilities. And, above all, it¡¯s the main terminal of the Super AI Astraea that has the most control over the weapons development of the entire Nemesis system. It had provided weapons to all sides during the Interplanetary War era. It¡¯s an unreasonable warship that¡¯s able to head to the front lines, formulate, and then manufacture the most optimal weapons for each situation it finds itself in.¡¹ ¡¸Hou.¡¹ ¡¸The core programming of the Murders also came from Astraea. It¡¯s impossible for AI to fight if they¡¯re all beholden to humans after all. We¡¯ve further developed it and it¡¯s still being further improved on Planet Libya.¡¹ ¡¸So, it¡¯s the terminal of the Super AI that created the foundation for the manufacture of Murders huh? If that¡¯s the case, then we must prioritize destroying it.¡¹ Vasa ruminated aloud. He had analyzed the current situation. ¡¸Indeed. It seems that it can only produce fighters due to technological limitations. However, I believe we still have to prioritize Fortress Area P336 first.¡¹ ¡¸No. Let¡¯s prioritize taking that fleet down first instead. That carrier strike group is a definite threat.¡¹ Their aerial formations were gradually getting destroyed. At this rate, they will completely crumble from the side. Aside from the girl, the Familiars are able to operate without any need for sleep. ¡¸All Pack squadrons, head straight for Fortress Area P336. Coulson squadrons, target Astraea. Have the squadrons employ anti-ship weapons.¡¹ ¡¸Hou. You are actually sending in the Coulson squadrons. Do you consider that ship as that much of a threat?¡¹ Alberto inquired. The Coulson was a twin-engine delta-wing fighter aircraft that was designed by Vasa. Its performance was one level higher than the single-engine Pack. They had managed to produce about 2000 Packs and 3000 Coulson for this operation. It was only natural for Vasa to prioritize the more excellent aircraft he designed instead of one designed by another. Alberto, who was also a Development Engineer himself, understood the younger man¡¯s thoughts. It was not only a matter of sending out their entire Coulson compliment to deal with Astraea. ¡¸Even then, I¡¯m still not sure that¡¯s enough to bring that ship down. Depending on the situation, we¡¯ll also send out the Arular.¡¹ ¡¸You¡¯re also sending out those transformable Silhouettes!?¡¹ ¡¸That Astraea is akin to a mobile Fortress Area powered by a high-output A-Carbuncle. We might need to infiltrate it and destroy it from within.¡¹ The Arular was a transformable Silhouette model that can be said to be Vasa¡¯s trump card. Its speed, maneuverability, durability, and mass production compatibility were all excellent. Alberto had recognized that he was incapable of creating such a machine with his abilities. The transformable Silhouette didn¡¯t employ a metallic hydrogen generation reactor but a storage type instead. So, A-Class Development Engineers go this far, Alberto inwardly thought. Vasa also acknowledges Alberto as well. Even though the older man was fixated toward tanks and artillery, he did indeed possess skills to make things Vasa was unable to. Their trains of thought oftentimes didn¡¯t match with others. That¡¯s the big difference between those who were Development Engineers and those who weren¡¯t. ¡¸First, we¡¯ll have to see if we can break through the enemy¡¯s defense network. We will not hold back. We will hit them with all our power right from the start.¡¹ Vasa was also a man who believes in doing what he should do. Through his terminal, he gave orders to the aerial squadrons one after another. CH 126 Variable-wing twin-engine fighters took off from Astraea one after another. They were called Edge Swifts. They soared in the sky and took down the enemy aerial units from long range. ¡¸Enemy fighters incoming. It looks like they¡¯ve already found our fleet.¡¹ ¡¸They managed to send in one fighter all the way here after all. Everything¡¯s going according to plan for now.¡¹ Aimer nodded as she listened to the report. ¡¸I expect the enemy¡¯s main force is the one heading toward us. Please continue to prepare for interception.¡¹ Aimer displayed the radar on her terminal. ¡¸Enemy aerial units are coming from all directions. If they manage to break through the defense network, you will no longer be able to return to resupply. Until then, continue resupplying here as needed and reduce enemy numbers as much as possible. If the enemy forces break through, please head to Fortress Area P336 instead. There is no need to try and return here.¡¹ The fleet had adapted a ring-shaped formation. The anti-aircraft fire of air defense ships was also a valuable combat asset. ¡¸Commander Barry, we will attract the brunt of the enemy forces. That should create an opening. Please use that opening to secure air superiority above Fortress Area P336.¡¹ ¡¸Fine, I got it! We¡¯ll follow your lead and act accordingly.¡¹ Barry was prepared to make his move at any time. He didn¡¯t want to waste the chance that Aimer had created for them. ¡¸Thank you very much. ¨CFirst Unit, Second Unit, Third Unit, anti-air missile launch complete. To what extent will we be able to perform simultaneous aircraft landing and recovery, Astraea?¡¹ ¡ºThe deck can house twelve aircraft. Opening the dual passageway flight deck. We can recover four aircraft at the same time.¡» Astraea¡¯s upper hull armor transformed, and two covered flight decks appeared from the left and right. The fighters were recovered through the use of a wire hook system. These decks allowed for fighters to launch even while the ship was being subjected to aerial bombardment, and they could also serve as armored car, tank, and Silhouette passageways during landing operations. ¡¸Understood. Make it so the passageways can be closed immediately at any time.¡¹ ¡ºAcknowledged.¡» Next, Aimer communicated with the fleet¡¯s surveillance squadron and their escort fighters that were flying above them at a high altitude. ¡¸AWACS planes Eagle Eye 1, 2, and 3. Continue gathering information on the enemy movements. I¡¯m counting on you all.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ Each Familiar pilot replied with gusto. The information they manage to collect can serve as the greatest weapon. The launch of reconnaissance satellites was not permitted on the Nemesis warfront. Once launched, they will immediately get shot down by Okeanos. Also, due to the inherent nature of Fortress Areas and Defense Domes, it can be said that data on wide-area battlefields spanning thousands of kilometers was unnecessary. ¡¸Kou said so before. A twin-engine variable-wing fighter was the coolest and strongest fighter. I believe in Kou.¡¹ ¡¸I don¡¯t know exactly what his basis for such confidence is, but it did lead to the creation of such a high-performance fighter-interceptor. It isn¡¯t a bad aircraft at all. I believe so, at least.¡¹ Aimer fully believed in the twin-engine variable-wing fighter that Kou designed. She was sure they would be a great force. Aimer had deployed AWACS planes simultaneously 25,000 meters in the sky, all the way into the stratosphere. They constantly rotated in a triangle formation. The AWACS plane was also designed by Kou and was nothing more than a prototype, but it turned out to be one of Aimer¡¯s lifelines. ¡¸Continue preparing for anti-aircraft combat. Please, everyone.¡¹ Fighters continuously launched from Astraea in order to fulfill the young girl¡¯s wish. They converged in the air and headed in the direction of the enemy. ¡¸So, Astraea mass-produced the Edge Swift after all. I thought we just focused on mass-producing Star Soldiers. I think Asia was in charge of mass-producing those.¡¹ The production lines of the underground arsenal certainly manufactured Star Soldiers. Astraea probably manufactured Edge Swifts, air defense cruisers, and destroyers on different production lines. The underground arsenal was huge after all, and Kou hadn¡¯t yet managed to tour all of it. ¡¸You sure made one heck of a fighter, Kou.¡¹ Blue honestly admired the Edge Swifts that continuously destroyed the enemy fighters from beyond visual range. She almost couldn¡¯t believe the fighter was designed by Kou who was fixated on close-range combat to an almost unhealthy degree. The Edge Swift seemed to be the embodiment of destruction from ultra-long range. ¡¸I only ever made a prototype though. That Edge Swift, I mean.¡¹ ¡¸Why?¡¹ ¡¸There was little need for an aircraft that was only limited to aerial combat operations and piloting it also has a very specific requirement. I never thought Astraea would choose to mass-produce it¡­¡­¡¹ Blue was quite impressed, but Kou was more surprised than anything regarding the performance of the Edge Swifts. The Edge Swift fighters made full use of the long-range anti-aircraft missile Firebird to steadily reduce the number of enemy fighters. The enemy machines weren¡¯t even able to approach them and got shot down one after another. Their most terrifying aspects were their acceleration and turning performance. ¡¸I can¡¯t believe the MCS is able to allow the Familiars to perform those kinds of maneuvers.¡¹ ¡¸I based the design after a swift after all. I took advantage of biomimetics in order to perform aerodynamics simulations when designing that plane. I then uploaded the data on the plane¡¯s MCS and limited its use to bird-shaped Familiars only.¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s the requirement you mentioned?¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. I thought there would be no demand for a fighter that can only be piloted by bird-shaped Familiars, but to think it¡¯s this effective in combat.¡¹ Kou was hesitant. He didn¡¯t really like a plane that was only limited to a certain kind of pilot. Rick suddenly joined the two¡¯s conversation. ¡¸Their weapons were also carefully considered, right?¡¹ ¡¸The combination of long-range sensors and surveillance units in order to conduct beyond-visual-range combat is Edge Swift¡¯s greatest strength. It sports six long-range missiles, four short-range missiles, and a railgun that suppresses recoil to the limit. Regular autocannons can¡¯t pierce electromagnetic armor after all.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s certainly a design concept of a hit-and-run interceptor. To think you¡¯d be able to design a fighter that¡¯s this good in long-range combat. I¡¯ve gotten a new opinion of you, Kou.¡¹ Rick praised Kou in a strange-sounding way. ¡¸Please don¡¯t treat me as a close-range muscle head!¡¹ ¡¸Sorry, but that¡¯s gonna be impossible, man.¡¹ Blue smiled bitterly at the two¡¯s exchange. ¡¸Let¡¯s go. We¡¯re gonna protect Aimer.¡¹ The hawk-type Familiar acting as the captain of the Edge Swift squadron addressed his subordinates. ¡¸Fufufu. It¡¯s like we bird-shaped Familiars are the chosen warriors who protect the princess!¡¹ A penguin-type Familiar laughed in satisfaction. ¡¸Huh? You¡¯re also a bird¡­¡­? Oh, right. You actually were a bird.¡¹ ¡¸Penguins are sea birds y¡¯know?!¡¹ The penguin violently protested against the words the hawk muttered. ¡¸But ain¡¯t you flightless?¡¹ A chicken-type Familiar quipped. ¡¸I don¡¯t wanna hear that from a chicken-type like you!¡¹ ¡¸Tsk. Even chickens can fly a little. The ability¡¯s just degenerated a bit!¡¹ ¡¸Guys, you¡¯re all treated by the MCS as birds. Let¡¯s just go with that.¡¹ A quail-type Familiar mediated between the trio. ¡¸Why am I getting the gray zone treatment!?¡¹ ¡¸You guys. Stop fooling around. Deactivate your augmenters. Let¡¯s go! Get ready for anti-air combat!¡¹ The hawk-type issued commands. The thrust augmenting device or augmenter for short allows for aircraft to fly at Mach 3. It was a type of accelerator meant for early deployment into target destinations and maneuvering during combat. ¡¸Roger!¡¹ ¡¸Commencing data link. Marking enemy targets. Launching air-to-air missiles!¡¹ They performed a data link with the Hawkeye surveillance aircraft, grasped the enemy unit¡¯s positions, and launched their missiles. It was an ultra-long-range attack. The enemy aircraft tried to defend themselves by scattering chaff and so on, but the timing of the missile attack was just too abrupt. Three enemy planes were immediately shot down. ¡¸Prove that you¡¯re really birds by shooting down as many enemy planes as you can. We ain¡¯t some chosen warriors from those fantasy stories. These Edge Swifts were entrusted to us along with the hopes of all the other Familiars.¡¹ ¡¸Yes!¡¹ It was as the hawk-type Familiar said. There were no weapons that can operate alone. Their comrade¡¯s hopes and feelings will provide them with the strength to protect Aimer. CH 127 The enemy fighter squadrons gradually tightened their encirclement. The Edge Swifts only had some short-range missiles remaining after exhausting all their long-range missiles. Their only close combat weapons were their railguns. However, the Edge Swifts displayed amazing performance even when engaging in close-range combat. Their variable wings allowed for adjustment to optimum angles for sudden climbs, dives, and sharp turns. Their acceleration was also excellent. A fighter¡¯s combat performance rests on its acceleration performance instead of its maximum speed. The Edge Swifts were able to rapidly accelerate by sweeping back their wings. The Coulson squadrons that had finally managed to arrive were toyed around with by the smaller number of Edge Swifts. The escort ships commenced an anti-aircraft barrage. They accurately aimed at the approaching Coulsons. They had managed to repel a large number of the Coulson fighters. The Coulsons were indeed high-performance machines. However, the combination of the accurate anti-aircraft fire of the escort fleet and the variable-wing fighters was just that monstrous. One of the Coulsons finally managed to approach the fleet. It then found an enemy variable-wing fighter that seemed to have run out of ammunition in front of it. It zeroed in on the enemy plane and prepared to shoot it down with its machine gun, but¨C The variable-wing fighter suddenly changed its flight angle and rushed straight for the Coulson with its body tilted diagonally. It had fully deployed its wings to the front, but it didn¡¯t seem to be for deceleration at all. At this rate, the two planes would crash against one another. Collisions at speeds exceeding Mach 1 usually meant mutual destruction. But that was not the case this time. In the blink of an eye, a large portion of the Coulson was sliced clean off, while the Edge Swift was fine. This scene shocked both camps. ¡¸What the heck was that!?¡¹ Castor couldn¡¯t help but scream in shock. It was something normally unthinkable. ¡¸Don¡¯t tell me it¡¯s a flying ram of some sort¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸A flying ram?¡¹ Alberto muttered in a daze while Vasa raised one eyebrow. ¡¸And just what is that flying ram you mentioned?¡¹ Even a demigod like Castor got curious about the weapon that he was completely unfamiliar with. ¡¸The idea of hitting bombers with flying wing fighter planes in order to achieve mutual destruction was an idea that came up on Earth long, long ago. It wasn¡¯t actually designed specifically for that purpose, but its shape just ended up being capable of doing so. The variable wings of that fighter act like a sort of bladed wing ram, I suppose.¡¹ ¡¸But collisions at supersonic speed should have caused great damage to both aircraft.¡¹ ¡¸Indeed. That should be the case. The idea behind that aircraft is pure madness. However, that crazy idea has actually been realized and is right before us now. The variable wings should have mitigated the impact somehow by letting the shockwaves flow through it.¡¹ ¡¸Astraea huh¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s more than likely a combination between Astraea and the enemy Development Engineer.¡¹ ¡¸Even absurdity should have a limit!¡¹ The demigod did not hide his irritation in the slightest. It meant that the enemy fighters still had the means to fight even if they had run out of ammunition. On the other side, Kou noticed that Rick was staring at him hard. He felt quite awkward. He then noticed that Blue was giving him the same vacant stare. ¡¸Just who was it? Who¡¯s the close-combat idiot who thought up something as absurd as using a fighter¡¯s wing to slice up other fighters?¡¹ ¡¸¡­¡­¡¹ ¡¸Edge Swift. I thought it was called that because it was designed after a highly mobile swift, but it turns out the ¡®edge¡¯ part of the name was referring to its razor-sharp wings instead.¡¹ Kou was doing his best not to match gazes with the two. ¡¸The plane shouldn¡¯t have been able to withstand an impact at supersonic speed.¡¹ ¡¸But it did. I did calculate everything properly¡­¡­ I designed it as a variable-wing aircraft to deal with the strong shockwaves after all.¡¹ ¡¸Don¡¯t design a variable-wing aircraft for something like that! What about the flaps?¡¹ ¡¸I¡¯ve completely done away with the flaps and given the variable wings control and propulsion vectoring functions. And since there are no more flaps, I wondered if attaching blades to the wings would actually work.¡¹ ¡¸Why are you thinking of slashing everything up even when designing a fighter plane?! Stop being so obsessed with cutting things up already!¡¹ Rick got unusually agitated as veins popped on his forehead. He was now worried that even tanks would eventually get equipped with cutting weapons as well. ¡¸It¡¯s just as Rick said, Kou. Take this as a matter you should reflect on.¡¹ ¡¸It¡¯s gonna be fine! The wings won¡¯t break that easily!¡¹ ¡¸That¡¯s not the problem!¡¹ Blue had the same opinion as Rick. Kou had no allies regarding the idea of fighter planes cutting each other up in the air. The Edge Swifts continued to attack the approaching Coulson fighter formations from long range. Even though the encirclement was gradually closing in, the fierce attacks of the Edge Swifts were definitely gaining precious time. An enemy tactical aircraft launched a single missile. The missile exploded 200 kilometers away from the projected course of the Edge Swift squadron. ¡¸The enemy has activated a wide-range plasma barrier! Both allies and enemies are unable to use missiles!¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ve taken the bait.¡¹ Aimer muttered while looking at the monitor. The missile the enemy fired had released a kind of electromagnetic pulse attack. It would not hamper the functions of an MCS much, but it will severely limit the use of other electronic devices and missiles. ¡¸Eagle Eye, the enemies will probably advance at full speed. Predict the enemy fighter¡¯s positions and transfer the data to the Edge Swifts.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ ¡¸Edge Swift Squadron, prepare to launch a salvo. Put up a barrage.¡¹ ¡¸Roger!¡¹ Aimer¡¯s commands were executed one after another. If air-to-air missiles could no longer be used, then the enemy should be planning on closing in at full speed. If so, all they had to do was to predict the enemy formation¡¯s course and fire a concentrated barrage directly in their path. ¡¸It¡¯s now easier to predict their movements because it¡¯s become monotonous.¡¹ The Edge Swift formation moved into the designated position and fired a barrage from their railguns. It takes roughly six minutes to reach a position 200 kilometers away. It was a daunting task to accurately land a hit on an enemy moving at Mach 2. Therefore, they fired upon the projected course instead. The Edge Swift¡¯s railguns were capable of firing approximately 20 shots per minute. After one squadron uses up all their ammo, they would switch with another squadron from the back. Thus, the Edge Swifts performed a continuous railgun barrage. It would already be considered a great success for such a barrage to take down two or three enemy planes. It was naturally very hard to shoot down planes advancing at supersonic speed. In the end, the barrage really did manage to shoot down three Coulsons. This was a result of the premise that the enemy craft wouldn¡¯t reduce their speed. If the maneuvers have become monotonous, then interception was easier. When the enemy planes flew to an area outside the effective range of the plasma barrier while avoiding the barrage, they were immediately hit by air-to-air missiles launched by the Edge Swifts. Even though some enemy fighters sped up even more in order to force their way through, they were taken down in the end by the laser cannons of the anti-air defense cruisers the moment they got within range. By taking evasive maneuvers, the speed of the enemy aircraft¡¯s advance was slowed down. The defense network wasn¡¯t allowing anything to approach Astraea¨C The number of enemy units has been definitely reduced. ¡¸This is enough. The enemy side should be intensifying their attack soon.¡¹ ¡ºThey will probably proceed to saturation attacks.¡» ¡¸Yes. Once that happens, the enemies attacking Fortress Area P336 will be thinned out and they should be able to retake air superiority. After that, we only need to take down all the enemy units that will be lured here.¡¹ Aimer was aiming to destroy all the incoming enemy aerial units. A transmission came from Eagle Eye. ¡¸Enemy fighters are incoming. There are many of them. There are multiple formations composed of more than ten squadrons heading for Astraea simultaneously¨C No, there are still more. We¡¯ve confirmed the same number of enemy planes coming in from behind the first wave!¡¹ ¡¸They¡¯ve come. Connect me to Cimon. Commander Barry, this is Aimer. We¡¯ve confirmed enemy aircraft formations composed of multiple units heading our way. Please commence operations on your end.¡¹ ¡¸Alright. Jenny! I¡¯m counting on you! Once you secure air superiority, head here with the Tachycineta squadron! We¡¯ll go and rescue Aimer-chan!¡¹ ¡¸Roger that! We¡¯ll finish this in a snap!¡¹ Fortress Area P336 immediately started launching its aircraft immediately. They¡¯ve launched almost all of their available aircraft. ¡¸The number of enemy aircraft heading toward us is estimated to be two to three thousand. The main force is composed of the unidentified twin-engine fighter. I expect the number of enemy planes on your end will be thinned out.¡¹ ¡¸So, the ones with higher performance are heading straight for Astraea huh¡­¡­ Dammit! Once we secure air superiority, the Cimon will immediately head to your position. Please hold on just a little longer.¡¹ ¡¸You don¡¯t even have escort ships. You¡¯d just end up getting in the way. ¨CWell then, our fleet will now be concentrating on intercepting the incoming enemy formations. I will now be ending this transmission.¡¹ Aimer cut off the transmission and checked their present strength. ¡¸Hurry up with resupplying the aircraft! Think of this as the last time we¡¯d get to resupply our fighters.¡¹ Aimer¡¯s command made the Familiars and worker-type Quattro Silhouettes inside the ship speed up their work. ¡¸Admiral! Please move to the MCS-type pilothouse! You can still use the terminal to issue commands from there.¡¹ ¡¸Right. Please do it for our sake too.¡¹ The MCS-type pilothouse was a system that was used in case one needs to maneuver the entire ship alone. It¡¯s also used as a means of escape in case of emergencies. The Familiars have already considered such a situation and were urging Aimer to prioritize her safety. ¡¸Alright, I understand.¡¹ She already knew what the Familiars were thinking when they made that suggestion. Aimer decided to just obediently heed their request. ¡¸From here on out, it will be the real thing.¡¹ She sat down on the pilot seat and ran her fingers on the terminal. Her true battle was about to begin. ¡¸Go! Ground troops, full mobilization. Support the aerial troops! Armored troops, full speed ahead!¡¹ Rick roared his commands at the Metal Iris troops. ¡¸Don¡¯t waste the chance that our comrades and a young girl who¡¯s not even ten years old have given us. Tank corps, engage in anti-aircraft combat. Railguns should be effective on those bastards!¡¹ Conducting anti-aircraft attacks with tank guns has already been put into practical use since the 21st century on Earth. However, it was only ever conducted against low-flying aircraft such as helicopters and not against fighter planes flying at supersonic speeds while 10,000 meters in the air. Even so, the tanks of Metal Iris should be able to handle them through the use of the data link system. Anti-aircraft autocannons were rather ineffective against the fighters. However, they were indispensable as a defense against air-to-ground missiles. For this purpose, wheeled and half-track armored combat vehicles were accompanying the tanks as their escorts. Their roles were clearly divided. ¡¸Aimer-chan, just how many enemies are you planning to pull in? Jenny, I was told we¡¯d just get in the way, but we¡¯re coming to rescue her anyway. You better damn take air superiority back from those bastards!¡¹ Barry yelled harshly through the comms as he thought of Aimer¡¯s dangerous predicament. ¡¸Dike, how long would it take for us to head from this area to where Aimer¡¯s fleet is located?¡¹ The Cimon-class was currently hiding on the seabed. ¡ºIt would take approximately two hours.¡» ¡¸Hear that, Jenny? I¡¯m counting on you.¡¹ ¡¸Yeah. We have to get rid of these guys real quick so we can head out to help that girl right away. I absolutely don¡¯t want to keep being the one receiving help.¡¹ ¡¸We¡¯ll also support you from the sea. We¡¯ll finish this in one go!¡¹ Jenny nodded toward Barry and cut the transmission. Jenny¡¯s chest was in pain. It was due to Aimer¡¯s earlier speech. A young girl who wasn¡¯t even ten years of age had already prepared herself for the possibility of death. ¡®If I fall here¡¯ Aimer had repeated those words twice. Those words have been seared within Jenny¡¯s mind. Just who was the captain of Metal Iris, she inwardly screamed. It wasn¡¯t Kou. It wasn¡¯t Barry either. It was none other than her. ¡¸I will never let something like that happen!¡¹ The Tachycineta squadron, Falke squadron, and Star Soldier squadron took off from Fortress Area P336 in quick succession. Even though the number of aircraft that can be launched from the Fortress Area at any one time was limited, Aimer¡¯s aerial support had forcefully opened a significant gap in the enemy waves. The main force of the enemy was probably already heading straight for Astraea. The only enemies present in the air above Fortress Area P336 were the single-engine fighters. ¡¸Disappear!¡¹ Jenny engaged the enemy planes in battle. The Packs were shot down one after another in the wake of her rage. Another wave of enemy planes flew from another direction. Their numbers were still significant. The next moment, anti-aircraft missiles flew out to intercept the enemy planes. The ground troops have also completely finished deploying. Jenny defeated enemy planes one after another, taking advantage of the Tachycineta¡¯s speed and mobility to the fullest, as she endured her feelings of frustration and anxiousness.