Card. De…!!
Before the shattered floor fragments could fall, Zero traversed the distance from the exit of the underpass to the entrance of the alley, leaving a lingering afterimage as if melting into the space.
From the retracted arm, a sharp blade surged forth.
If this single strike could end the situation, that would be fine. I could flee, lower my body, and watch how things unfolded, or escape to a different city where Enema’s influence is relatively weak, returning around the time the original manuscript comes back.
Though it might feel a bit cowardly, it’s the easiest and most effective solution.
However, even if I had completely ambushed them, and even with solid trust in Zero, a lingering doubt remained unavoidable.
I didn’t know if he still had accurate memories of the moment, but even with a higher-density modification and a high-performance original body, the odds in close combat were slim. I had even mounted the Goliath as additional armament back then.
So the main point was whether that gap could be bridged by the surprise attack…!
With a sharp noise of “clang!” the trajectory of the hidden blade that pierced through the torn fabric went awry as it approached the helmet.
Perhaps due to the twisted angle of the upper body, the bullet from the Peacemaker only managed to scrape the surface of their combat armor.
“……! There’s no need to refuse this fiercely…!”
– Adjusting the target’s response level upward. Executing Operation Castling. –
In such a situation, Zero interrupted the tracker’s chatter. If they were careless, that would be appreciated. The more I could use from the perspective of a weaker party, the better.
Before I knew it, a combat knife in the shape of a tanto was drawn from the tactical harness, positioned defensively.
It seemed they had struck the blade at the same time as the footwork… Truly remarkable strength. To dodge the droid’s full-powered attack with just that small knife while being unable to force power into a natural body.
Thanks to that, I wasn’t directly targeted, yet the pressure from facing a soldier clad in military gear was immense.
I thought I was prepared, but my legs and muscles were already tensed up.
“…So it’s Castling.”
However, what was important now was different, so I muttered the word with a bitter meaning despite its heavy connotation.
Right after Zero awakened. In other words… before leaving the Harvest Planet, if such a moment ever came, we had a meeting to figure out how to fight.
If the enemies were of a level that a sturdy Carebot could handle alone, there wouldn’t have been any worries in the first place. And if they were the ones engaging in information warfare or attempting hacking, I could join in and at least keep it a fair fight.
…But what if I encountered a strong enemy that I couldn’t maintain even a balanced stand against, regardless of drawing all my power?
Boom—!!
A sound close to a bomb explosion echoed through the alley.
Centered around the footstep forward, Zero’s body spun fiercely. Utilizing the advantage of having the blade attached to the arm, the form resembled a Blade Storm.
Realizing that it would be hard to pierce through the tracker’s guard with mere physical force, I scraped together all the energy I had available for effective strikes. If possible, the posture aiming to create a gap could be likened to an exemplary bodyguard.
If the outcome had been directly proportional to the effort, it would have been perfect, but alas.
“…Somehow. For an ordinary home robot, that was a bit too sharp; the attached software is no joke…!”
– Danger level… Adjusting upward…! –
Creak… creak…!!
This time, it didn’t deflect when swung. Instead, they lowered their stance and chose to absorb the impact, reading the trajectory. They did this overtly using only one hand.
Moreover, even though the threat was right in front of them, their helmet was angled in a way that made it seem like they still had the luxury of keeping their eyes on me.
“Buzz off…!”
“Oh dear.”
Clang!!
First, to prevent Zero from being shattered by the tracker’s empty hand, I fired a warning shot, forcing them to break off their stance.
Thank goodness it wasn’t during a frenzied battle where I could hardly keep an accurate aim. If that had been the case, I wouldn’t have been able to aim properly either. With a monster capable of twisting the barrel purely through physical force, my kid was simply too delicate to make contact with their body parts.
Not as a metaphor, but really.
…Strength and power are always relative measures.
Clang! The two blades clashed in a struggle of strength, ringing out in the air, straining well beyond the limits of product quality.
Thud! From within to without, arms shot out from a stance reminiscent of Iaido. The blade targeted the neck, while the swung iron fist aimed at the shoulder but was blocked by the opponent, who read the intention.
Bam! To prevent any movements of retreat or advance, the steel legs, comparable to rebar, stomped down on the boots. However, Zero’s knee buckled from the blow, structurally risked in a way that wouldn’t lead to such an attack. It nearly shattered the knee joint.
“Ah… for real!!”
I bit my dry lips.
I was certain that if someone with even moderate military training joined in or if they gained the opportunity to draw their weapon, this standoff would crumble.
In fact, I could see myself getting pushed back little by little, which stirred feelings of anxiety within me.
I wasn’t staging an operation to stupidly stand idle, slowly being worn down without seeing the proper positioning.
In the end, Operation Castling wasn’t about inducing dramatic changes, but a signal sent to me. A plea to move as we had discussed without hesitation.
“?! Wait, there. Stop…!”
“No way!? If you don’t like it, try to stop me!”
As I suddenly turned my back and dashed to the opposite side of the alley, a surprised tracker called out to stop me.
But there was no reason to heed an empty threat, so I barely restrained the urge to stick out my tongue and taunt them.
I ran without looking back. Indifferently leaving Zero behind.
Ignoring the raggedness of my breath.
Tap tap… patter…!
Castling is a special rule where the King and Rook switch places in chess.
To aggressively utilize a Rook trapped in a corner or to protect a King that would result in a game over if captured.
If the enemies’ goal was simple robbery, they would concentrate their forces on capturing the remaining robots. In such a case, it would be most efficient for me to join in and trigger the trigger.
…However, how would those with explicit victory conditions, like the Enema trackers aiming to capture me alive, react if they faced this situation?
Rather than wasting time with a droid that seemed written off as a discarded card… wouldn’t they just bypass the troublesome obstacle and go for the helplessly fleeing girl? That was the strategic thought behind it.
“5… 4…!”
It wasn’t very safe to distract myself while moving wildly, but I had to take that risk.
The visual information shared from Zero shook as if going insane.
The swung knife sparked as it clashed with the armor, and the advancing combat armor came in with reckless vigor, questioning whether the flesh inside was even there.
In reality, as the short conflict I desired didn’t materialize, my impatience seemed to infect them. Their will became clear; rather than a complete victory or defeat, they were determined to create an opening to approach me by any means.
“3… 2….”
Finally, as the Carebot lost balance and fell, a black soldier rushed through the opened path. I clearly saw their gauntlet reaching out to grasp my shoulder.
…Watching oneself move in the third person felt quite awkward.
I had tried it before, but my electrical discharge lacked the output necessary to serve as a direct attack method. No matter how much I wanted to emulate electric-powered characters seen in creations, if I couldn’t cause electrocution, there wasn’t much I could do.
Yet, as brutal as it may sound, would it take such a high current just to disrupt a person’s brain or heart?
“1… now!”
Timed with the body stopping. I spun my upper body halfway, using the grabbed shoulder as leverage to confront the one who had barged into my space.
Being caught wouldn’t render me immobile; I could potentially act as a thorn while in this state, just like how the King in chess can attack from the next square.
And my Rukh had almost caught up while pretending to fall.
Here, we could force the opponent into a choice.
Would they take the blade from Zero behind them and get hit? Or would they ignore the seemingly insignificant girl trying to prevent that and meet their end surrounded by my transparent death…!
Welcome to your demise, you bastard tracker….
“I don’t quite know what miscommunication there is, but if you don’t want to take on the request, I’d prefer if you were clear about your refusal! The deadline is approaching.”
“…………Huh?”
…Kya? …What?? Huh? What?
Hastily, I cut off the connection.
It wasn’t just that there seemed to be no malice in their voice or the words their lips uttered; it was also because, with my legs tangled and about to fall, they had caught my body with unexpected delicate strength that didn’t match their appearance.
Behind me, in Zero’s borrowed field of vision, the face of Marina or the small Ken peeking out from a white van with the Enema logo parked by the roadside played a part but was not the main cause.
Above all, the combat knife that had glimmered just under my jaw had sealed any further movement from me or Zero.
…It didn’t feel like we were operating at full power, yet it was so damn fast, while their tone felt dazed yet eerily composed.
Since they didn’t particularly seem interested in capturing me, I felt little concern about killing me, which is why it hadn’t been executed; yet… had I slipped up….
“…Hmph.”
I quietly raised my hands, signaling that I had no intention to fight. I didn’t know how we got entangled in this client-mercenary relationship, but for now, if talking could help me on my way, it wouldn’t be a loss.
“Hah… if you came here for the market thing, you could have said so earlier.”
“I had temporarily forgotten how poorly your ilk treat guests. …I cannot delay further, so would you kindly accompany me?”
They seemed unaware, but due to my excessive response, I was uncertain if they had caught on to something. We agreed to cooperate to avoid any suspicion stemming from this precarious lack of information.
Zero’s blade that had been aimed at the tracker’s cervical spine retracted, and similarly, the dagger that had been tickling my throat was sheathed.
In the end, I had increased the public dislike for hackers with awkward excuses and reasons. I had no choice but to board the van like a helpless calf being led away.
“……Ugh. This is ambiguous.”
The retired mercenary, who had watched the battle between the black girl and the mechanical butler and witnessed the last confrontation and dramatic resolution, sighed as he removed his eyes from the optical sight and neatly folded the bipod of the heavy sniper rifle.
There had been plenty of chances to pull the trigger.
The issue was that there were just as many eyes watching that opportunity. Rather than ruin the future of a young person with a hasty decision, he opted to exercise patience and wait….
He saw it seemed to resolve well, judging by their appearance accompanied by polite escort.
However, the expression on the face, grumbling with obvious displeasure, did seem somewhat upset.
In any case, based on experience, maintaining a relationship with the Megacorp at a moderate level rather than antagonizing them outright had worked in both ways. He hoped it wouldn’t be a big deal or that it might be resolved with one or two blind bullets as he turned to leave.
