Shikarabe and his squad from Drankam were repelling the attackers around Sheryl’s base. Frustration could be seen on all their faces, and it was not because of the enemies.
“…Those guys’ from the Katsuya’s faction are still nowhere to be seen… I guess I am getting a bit too paranoid, huh?”
If they were going to attack Akira, this would be the perfect chance for them. That was why Shikarabe and the others were there. Kurosawa, the group’s leader, had thought that the opposing faction would take this opportunity to act. They originally planned on slipping into the battle, quickly identifying those in the Katsuya’s faction and eliminating them. Afterwards, quickly slip away from the battle.
However, they could not see anyone from the Katsuya’s faction. Meanwhile, the attackers would not go out of their way to differentiate Shikarabe’s squad and ignore them. Thanks to that, they were forced to fight against them.
That was when Kurosawa suddenly called Shikarabe. At the moment, those from Drankam were borrowing the communication line from Erio and the others. Thus, they were still able to receive calls even under the jamming smoke. Shikarabe could not help but frown after receiving Kurosawa’s order.
“…Return to the base? What do you mean?”
Even though Shikarabe did question the order to withdraw back to Sheryl’s base, he understood the intention behind the order. Regardless, they had concluded that the Katsuya’s faction was not currently present. There was also a possibility that they had fought enough for the Hunter Office to recognize their effort to honour the peace treaty. Either way, Shikarabe also saw no worth in staying there any longer.
However, withdrawing from the fight would mean escaping from the slums to a more contentious area. There were bound to be more enemies back at the base compared to here. It was the main target of the attackers after all. Thus, it was paradoxical to return back to the base if it was for safety. This caused Shikarabe to look rather bewildered by Kurosawa’s order.
However, Kurosawa’s vague answer was, strangely enough, enough to convince Shikarabe.
“I have a bad feeling.”
The moment he heard that, Shikarabe knitted his eyebrows.
For a Hunter, Kurosawa was someone who tended to go with the safer approach. Unfortunately, many Hunters thought of him as a coward because of that. However, thanks to his cautious nature, Kurosawa was often able to notice things that others would normally miss. Of course, many of his guesses ended up as mere speculation. But even so, he always trusted his guts when he led his team, and many Hunters were saved by that.
It was the same this time again. If his gut was right, that would mean Kurosawa felt that it was too late to try to break through the slums. Which meant, their only option was to hunker down in Sheryl’s base.
“…I understand, we’re returning right now.”
As a fellow Hunter who risked his life trusting his gut, and also the man who requested Kurosawa to take the command, Shikarabe made the fastidious decision to abide by the order without uttering a single word of complaint.
—*—*—*—
After Akira spent 5 annihilator warheads on the multi-legged tank, he hoped that finally, the enemy would withdraw. Though, that possibility did not help his tremendous lament – the massive amount he had just spent.
Akira believed the multi-legged tank to be his enemy’s strongest weapon. Now that it was gone, it would be enough of a reason for them to call a retreat. However, his guess was way off the mark. Enemies that were surrounding the slums, located around the wasteland, dispatched automata in his direction. Moreover, they started shooting missiles filled with jamming smoke once again. The destruction of the multi-legged vehicle only served to help the jamming smoke spread across the slums.
As Akira drove his bike up into the sky, he threw a question to Kanae and Shiori.
“I don’t know all the details, but aren’t they supposed to be in the same company as the both of you? Do you know how much damage they will need to take until they kindly withdraw?”
“I’m really sorry, but I can’t really tell.”
“Well, I guess there’s no other choice but to wipe them down to the last person, no?”
Shiori replied seriously, but in contrast to that, Kanae only replied jokingly with a smile. Akira heaved a sigh. The response was more or less what he had expected.
“I see. It seems that a large number of those in Lion Steel are diligent. As expected of a large conglomerate.”
Akira tilted his head and smiled bitterly. However, lines could be seen on his forehead. Enemies were coming at him without any regard for their lives. They would continue fighting unless he devastated their bodies till they could no longer move.
Shiori and Kanae understood Akira’s feelings and also smiled bitterly. They then saw automata spreading out down below.
“Akira-sama, we will be taking those on the ground. Please provide us with support if you happen to have extra firepower to spare.”
“I’m leaving the sky to you.”
Shiori and Kanae returned his rifles, which they had borrowed. They quickly jumped off the bike. On their way down, Shiori lightly lowered her head to thank Akira. Meanwhile, Kanae was waving at him with her signature smile. After they safely landed, they quickly moved between the rubbles, using it as cover while slowly chipping away the enemy force.
The automata on the ground and in the sky started shooting at Akira. However, he was able to skilfully evade with high-speed dexterous driving.
“Alpha, we don’t need to use annihilator bullets on them, right?”
Akira asked with the hope that the answer was ‘yes’. However, Alpha simply gave a teasing smile before replying.
“Let’s check if it’s needed or not first.”
“Good idea.”
Akira aimed the two RL2 multi-rifles he just received back with his TGP laser cannon. The C-bullets, the mini-missiles, and the laser cannon landed on their respective targets. They broke through the enemies’ forcefield armour and pierced their bodies before causing a spectacular explosion.
“Alright!”
Akira inadvertently exclaimed in joy knowing that cheap bullets would do just fine. So, he quickly resumed the fight in a good mood.
Shiori and Kanae quickly continued to take down automata one by one after they landed. They blazed through the thick jamming smoke on the battlefield littered with wreckage and rubble, closed the distance to their target, and attacked. Their might managed to close the gap between mere humans and giant human-shaped automata.
Shiori jumped and heaved her blade on top of the 5 metres tall automaton. One swing was enough to break through its forcefield armour. The horizontal slash separated its body into lower and upper halves, which slid in the opposite direction and collapsed to the ground.
Kanae’s fists were her main weapon. It was powered with her augmented suit and her enhanced body, equipped with powerful anti-forcefield armour. Each time she delivered a straight punch into an automaton’s body, it creates a deep dent, driving a shockwave inside. The internal damage caused it to explode a moment later.
Both Shiori and Kanae had no issue fending off the automata. However, that was the exact reason why they were worried.
“…Ane-san. What do you think?”
“…No idea, at least not for now.”
All the newly dispatched automata were strangely weak. Although they were not that cheap, they were not something that one would use to hunt a 50 billion bounty target.
It was understandable if they sent every single automaton they got in one go but for some reason, they were sent in waves. They might have been sent to buy time while the controllers were withdrawing. However, there was no sign of the other groups leaving the battlefield.
“For now, let’s take down as many of them as possible.”
“Roger that!”
Shiori and Kanae continued fighting with solemn looks on their faces. They took down as many enemies as possible, still not knowing what the enemy was planning.
Right around that time, Akira, who had already destroyed many of the automata, was still riding on his bike in the sky, and had the same worried expression.
“Alpha, do you think this is a trap?”
Akira wished he did not have to fight against any strong enemies. He was glad he did not need to use annihilator warheads to destroy the automata. However, considering that he had to fight a colossal multi-legged tank and take on a swarm of Pamela’s remote automata after, it felt strange. He could not help but feel weird now that his enemies were weaker.
Alpha also did not wear her usual smile. She replied with a severe expression.
“I’m sure it’s some kind of scheme. Either way, they now know that you can’t shoot annihilator warheads as you wish.”
Akira had shown his trump card, the annihilator warhead, to the enemy. The automata that were sent to pursue him in the sky were spread out. They were in a formation where the use of an annihilator warhead would significantly reduce its effectiveness. Since he decided not to use the annihilator warhead, it meant two things. Either he did not have many reserves of it, or he was not able to freely use it.
After listening to Alpha’s explanation, Akira replied.
“Hmmm… So basically, at the very least, I no longer can bluff my way out and act like I have that many left, huh? These automata are just expendable pawns to confirm that…? Hmm, but still…”
Although it made sense, Akira was not fully content with Alpha’s conclusion and frowned.
“Akira, don’t drop your guard down just yet. We have no other choice but to continue to fight right now.”
“You’re right. Let’s do this.”
Overthinking was counter-effective. Akira told himself so and quickly changed gear, refocusing back on the battlefield.
Even in the midst of everything that was going on, missiles were still spreading out jamming smoke. Since it was even thicker than before, it completely shrouded the whole battlefield.
Shiori and Kanae started to get worried about how thick the jamming smoke was. That was when Kanae suddenly noticed an enemy presence from beyond the jamming smoke. She quickly turned in that direction. Shiori also did the same albeit a little bit late.
Not too far away from the two maids, right at the border of their perceptive range, their incoming opponents also felt their presence and went straight at them.
The moment they recognized who it was, Shiori’s and Kanae’s eyes narrowed as they knitted their eyebrows. They immediately went after the new hostile force.
Their opponents were Pamela and Latis. Although Shiori and Kanae knew they were being lured, they could not afford to stand still while Pamela and Latis were there. Especially since the other two were heading straight to where Reina and the others were.
While in the midst of fighting, Akira’s targets suddenly came to a sudden halt. They fell one by one, crashing straight to the hard ground.
“W-what was that? What just happened?”
Akira was dumbfounded and Alpha was visibly concerned.
“It’s difficult to ascertain what is going on under this jamming smoke. All of them crashed instead of safely landing on the ground. They didn’t even use forcefield armour to reduce the impact. The crash, at this height, with their mass, would mean all of them got disabled.”
“I see…”
Although they did know what just happened, one thing was certain. The number of enemies got reduced and there were no reinforcements. In the end, things ended well, Akira told himself as much and shook his worries away.
“Alpha, how are Shiori and Kanae doing? Can you tell from here?”
“I can’t really say with utmost certainty. However, I don’t detect any incoming signals that suggest they are still in battle. I believe they are in the same situation as we are.”
“In that case, I guess I’ll go visit them after returning back to the base for now. I want to replenish my ammo…”
Akira said so and turned his bike toward Sheryl’s base. However, suddenly, he frowned. The moment he directed his focus towards the direction of the base, he unconsciously used his information-gathering device in the same direction. The result was extremely worrying.
Alpha was not able to provide Akira full support due to the thick jamming smoke. Nonetheless, the moment he realized the position of the enemies, she quickly shifted her focus to searching for them as well. She immediately understood what was going on. Pamela and the others had broken through the defences of the base and were heading there. Meanwhile, Shiori and Kanae were pursuing them.
“…What? Since when?”
“Alpha! We’re going!!”
Akira quickly accelerated his bike. The thick jamming smoke was much denser on the surface than in the air. It caused the slums to be separated into two areas, the upper and the lower regions. Akira accelerated his bike and rode above the border. The condensed jamming smoke made it seem as if he was driving on top of clouds. Due to the speed filter effect of the jamming smoke, the bike’s forcefield armour was enhanced. It managed to create a path under the tires from frozen and hardened jamming smoke. The tires spun intensely on top of those platforms, pushing the bike forward even faster, managing to leave a large trail of smoke behind it.
“So those automata were only a diversion, huh?”
“That might have been the case. But let’s focus first and save that for later.”
“You’re right. Alpha, can you help with the aiming?”
“If it’s possible, you should rely on your own skills. The jamming smoke effect is getting stronger. If I divide up my resources to assist your aiming, my ability to evade attacks would be greatly reduced.”
“Alright then, I’ll leave the evading to you.”
“Yep, you can leave that part to me.”
Akira aimed his TGP laser cannon carefully at Pamela and the others. Although he was sniping on top of an extremely fast-moving bike, it should not be a problem for him. The cannon muzzle released a powerful stream of energy. The jamming smoke did reduce its firepower, but it still travelled straight towards its target. Drilling its way toward Pamela and the others.
Pamela noticed that laser shot but she simply laughed it off. The automaton created off Latis’ corpse made a 180-degree turn and lightly jumped, putting both of his arms in the way of the laser beam. He created a forcefield board of equivalent power. It managed to deflect the laser, bouncing it back towards Akira.
Akira flusteredly swerved to get out of the way. The laser had already lost most of its firepower and got further halved as it returned back to him. Moreover, Alpha had placed all her resources into evading, thus, he had no reason to be worried at all. However, that incoming laser still caught him off guard.
“Whoah! That was dangerous!”
“Well, aren’t you glad that you chose to assign my resources to evading?”
Alpha was smiling confidently while Akira chuckled bitterly.
“Yeah, you’re right. But still, what the heck was that? How did he bounce the laser cannon back!?”
“Albeit difficult to put into practice, it is completely possible in theory.”
“I see, I see! Then how about this!?”
Akira directed all three of his RL2 multi-rifles, two on his hands and one on his bike, at Pamela. Countless C-bullets and mini-missiles cut through jamming smoke toward their targets.
However, Pamela casually received his barrages with only one arm. She hopped, turned around, and projected a forcefield shield with one arm to receive the barrages. The forcefield shield’s hardness was enhanced by the jamming smoke, managing to perfectly block the bullets and the mini-missiles.
Afterwards, Pamela kicked the shield. The hardened forcefield shield, which looked like a solidified smoked glass, deflected the incoming bullets as it flew toward Akira.
Akira was caught off guard again and pulled the bike up into the sky. The translucent forcefield shield passed by him, slowly dissipated energy as it continued to zoom behind him.
“…That doesn’t work as well! Dammit!!”
Akira spat out curses in reaction to the horrendous situation he was in. Not only did his shots get blocked, but he was even forced to take evasive maneuvers. Pamela used that opening to get further away from him. The further the target, the lower the might of his bullets. Worst, the stronger the forcefield armour his opponents had, the harder it would be to detect them.
The jamming smoke enveloping the area was beneficial for those who were trying to get away from the battlefield. Shiori and Kanae were also being obstructed by Pamela’s forcefield shield. It prevented them from catching up with Pamela, even as they tried their hardest to chase after her.
“The annihilator warhead… I guess that is a bad idea, huh?”
“Yep, Akira, you can’t use it right now.”
“Thought so.”
Not only would he get caught up in the explosion, but Shiori and Kanae would also get caught. Furthermore, annihilator warheads were not something to be used against another human. Thus, Akira held himself back from using it.
Alpha also agreed with his decision, but she had a different reason.
“Last time you shot it in the direction of the wasteland, that was why the city defence squad decided to let it slide. If you shoot it toward the direction of the city while already this close, Kugamayama city will definitely respond. Let’s wait until you get your new equipment from Sakashita Heavy Industry first before assaulting the city.”
“Y-yeah.”
Although Akira agreed with her hypothesis, he was a bit taken aback that Alpha had a completely different reason. A reason completely different from his own.
Either way, it did not change the fact that they could not use that warhead this time. Now, Akira understood why Pamela used those weak automata as a diversion.
“So, we fell right into her trap. We have no other choice. Alpha, for now, let’s meet up with Shiori and Kanae before heading back to the base.”
“Don’t forget that I might lose connection to you due to the thickness of the jamming smoke close to the surface.”
“Yeah. I’ll be careful.”
Akira accelerated the bike and headed down. As Akira plunged into the thick smoke, Alpha suddenly vanished from his view. Even so, he still went deeper into the dense jamming smoke. The moment he saw Shiori and Kanae, he quickly turned the bike in their direction.
“I’m heading back to the base and will just ignore them for now. Do you want a ride?”
That would mean if Pamela was not heading towards Sheryl’s base, they would lose her. Due to the jamming smoke, it would be difficult to find her again. Furthermore, since they did not know what Pamela was trying to do, this might be a fatal mistake.
Shiori and Kanae understood as much. However, they still decided to follow Akira. As long as Pamela was not trying to directly attack them, they already knew their priorities. It was more important to return back to Reina instead of chasing after Pamela. This was regardless of the danger Pamela might cause. Thus, Reina and Shiori took a glance at one another and quickly jumped on board Akira’s bike.
“Thank you very much!”
“Thanks, I’ll take up on that offer.”
Right after Shiori and Kanae got on the bike, Akira quickly pulled up, flying up once again. He only stopped when he was on the border of entering the red area, which he was barred from entering. Once at the highest point, he turned the bike and drove straight towards Sheryl’s base. His terminal velocity was greatly limited when he was close to the surface, but now he was far above, the effect of the speed filter was greatly weakened, allowing him to move much faster.
Even so, the speed filter effect was not completely gone. Akira still had to push his bike, to force his way against the speed filter effect.
The remote automata with Pamela’s face as well as the weak automata that Akira and the others had destroyed were all in large pools of green blood. Some of them got evaporated by the laser cannon from the multi-legged tank. Those that still had any remains, were all gory pieces scattered around.
They were all already biologically dead. If they were machines, they would be considered broken. The green liquid they were in, was medicinal drugs. The remains were absorbing it, causing the pools to gradually shrink.
Over time, the lump of flesh inside the green pool became chunks. Some even managed to grow out a mouth.
Those that managed to develop mandibles went around consuming flesh and metal alike – anything leftover from the automata. With every piece it consumed, it grew larger.
Eventually, those chunks grew limbs.
They started to walk on their legs. Meanwhile, their hands went around reaching for items that their mouths could not directly reach. They kept munching and devouring everything they took in. The more they ate, the bigger they grew. Eventually, both their size and the number of limbs increased.
The same exact thing was happening all over the slums. After all, Akira and the others were fighting the automata while moving around the slums. Thus, leftovers were scattered all over the place. Eventually, these chunks became clumps, large enough to start devouring larger leftover pieces of automata.
Some automata even had their bodies eaten from the inside. The green liquid broke out from inside and formed a mouth that devoured everything in its reach. As if it was infected by a parasite, its generator and forcefield armour projector were slowly consumed from the inside.
The jamming smoke was of no help to onlookers as no one was able to notice what was happening.
The jamming was originally meant to weaken the firepower of the powerful weapons used in battle. Thus, it was not easy for those, aware of the purpose of the thick jamming smoke, to notice something unusual was happening.
—*—*—*—
Reina was sniping from the top of Sheryl’s base. Shiori had stopped her from joining them, who were going to hide in close proximity to Akira. She managed to convince Reina by stressing how dangerous it was. However, it would also be unacceptable for Reina to stay holed up at the base, alone. Thus, compromises were made.
A large-sized rifle spewed out a bullet that pierced through the jamming smoke and hit its target. It drilled a large hole through the torso of a heavy augmented suit, instantly killing its user.
Togami could not help but be amazed by Reina’s sniping.
“You can still hit your target even under this situation, huh? That’s impressive.”
Even with his compliment, Reina just smiled bitterly. She lightly changed the subject.
“Well, I’m getting information of their precise location, after all. There’s no way I can do something like this completely on my own.”
If she was all on her own, Reina would not be able to ascertain the enemy’s position. However, by connecting to the coordination support system that Shirou had assimilated with, Reina could see the enemy’s exact location through her enhanced vision.
“To think that there’s someone who can get such accurate information in this situation…”
Reina and the others knew nothing about Shirou. They only knew him as someone brought in by Carol, to help in the fight. Even so, they still recognized Shirou to be an extremely skilled person.
However, knowing the enemies’ position did not mean that it was easy to hit them. Furthermore, with the speed filter, the trajectory of a speeding bullet would often meander slightly away from the straight line of fire. It was thanks to Reina’s skill that she was able to hit her targets. Togami was praising Reina for that feat. Nonetheless, after hearing her response, he simply smiled wryly and tried to match the conversation.
“…Ahh, you’re right. This world is filled with so many amazing people.”
Reina pouted, but it quickly changed to a small smile.
“Well, I’m planning to join their ranks sometime in the future though. How about you, Togami?”
Seeing Reina’s smile of challenge, Togami chuckled.
“…Yeah, that’s the plan for me too. Though, in my case, that’s something in the near future. Or more like, something real soon.”
“Oh? Is that so? Well, it’s a race then.”
Reina declared with a smile on her face. There was a wish mixed in her words, to be able to stay close enough to Togami for it to be a race.
They suddenly noticed someone else’s presence nearby and quickly turned in that direction. Togami stood in front of Reina, to shield her. He pointed his rifle in the direction of the presence.
The source of it was Pamela and the others. They were running toward Reina, trying to get onto the base’s rooftop.
Togami opened fire at once. However, Pamela immediately deployed her forcefield shield, which easily blocked the bullets. Without any time to bark out orders, Togami simply pointed at the rooftop’s door. It was an indication to Reina, immediately retreat.
Reina understood what Togami meant and immediately headed for the door. Since this base was where relics from Tsubaki’s area were housed, it was designed and built to be especially robust. Its whole structure was not something that should be found in the slums. The walls were protected by forcefield shields and once the door was shut, it would be extremely difficult to break through. This was the reason Shiori allowed Reina to provide support from the rooftop of the base.
Naturally, Pamela noticed and quickly threw the forcefield shield toward the door, blocking Reina from reaching it. Although the forcefield shield would dissipate after a few seconds, it was more than enough time. Pamela could reach Reina and Togami.
Reina knew that the situation was grave. Even the slightest bit of delay could spell her end. With her escape route being completely blocked. Reina froze for a second. However, that was when another signal suddenly came from above, causing her to look up reflexively. Her train of thoughts immediately returned after she saw what was above.
Akira and the others were coming. They were all on Akira’s bike, heading in her direction. Shiori and Kanae quickly jumped off the bike and created a forcefield platform, accelerating themselves faster toward where Reina was.
Naturally, Pamela intercepted their attempts to group up. Pamela’s group suddenly changed where they were headed. Now, they moved to intercept Shiori and Kanae. Pamela and Kanae made contact with their fists while Latis and Shiori made contact with their swords.
When Reina saw this, she immediately knew what she had to do. She quickly ran toward the end of the rooftop and jumped off. The best thing she could do to help Kanae and Shiori, was to get away from this place. To ensure that she was safe so that they could fully focus on the fight. To create an environment, they did not have to worry about her.
Togami immediately understood what Reina was planning and followed after her. He also jumped off the rooftop. Meanwhile, the automata that were behind Pamela’s group, went to chase after them.
Akira was not sure where to go as the situation had quickly changed right in front of his eyes. That was when Shiori sent a glance, to signal him to go to Reina. Thus, Akira made the decision and drove in Reina’s direction.
Shiori and Kanae as well as Pamela’s group touched the rooftop. Unlike Pamela, who was smiling like a maniac filled with killing intent, Shiori was solemn. This was despite the fact they managed to protect Reina from Pamela.
“I guess I should say I made it in time… or rather, I got invited just at the right time, huh?”
Pamela casually confirmed Shiori’s question with a smile.
“Oh? So, you do understand, huh? It’s two on two, just like last time. But this time, I won’t be pulling Latis down.”
Due to her failure last time, Latis got killed. Which had led to this situation. Pamela’s smile was filled with the insanity deep inside her.
However, even when faced with her insanity, Kanae chuckled and mockingly asked.
“Two on two? It’s one on two, no?”
Pamela’s smile immediately vanished.
“…It is two on two.”
As she glared at Kanae, Pamela’s expression started to get dyed with hatred.
However, that did not affect Kanae at all.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. It was all because of my mistake last time that you managed to get away. So, this time, I’ll get serious.”
Kanae’s smile vanished. Her glowing eyes of excitement whenever she looked forward to an upcoming fight disappeared. Her expression turned cold. There was no semblance of respect for her opponent. She looked at Pamela with a freezing cold glare, as if she was looking at a mere obstacle to her job.
“Now die!”
“I’ll kill you this time!”
Both uttered words to express their respective desire. Both sentences were similar but vaguely different as they sprang into action. To turn what they said into reality. Shiori and Latis matched them and stepped forward as well.
Four people, or three people to be more precise, started their deathmatch. It was fuelled by their respective emotions: loyalty, hatred, and desire to kill. With the help of their augmented suits, they swung their fists and blades with all their might. It was as if the speed filter of the jamming smoke did not affect them at all.
