I raised the clock rate to its maximum, and in the slowly flowing time, I began to think.
What is the optimal course of action?
Run away? I don’t know where it came from, but it approached with an astonishing leap. The moment I turn my back, I’ll be crushed.
Fight? It’s no good since the charged particle cannon has already entered a long cooling phase. The monster possesses armor strong enough that even a fragile Myrmecoleo can’t destroy it in power-saving mode, and it’s one of the largest enemies there is; I can’t see any scenario where my attacks would be effective even in high power mode.
I might be able to destroy it with a monatomic molecular blade, but I had no confidence in being able to outmaneuver such a gigantic foe by myself. Tubes that clearly seem to be for threatening attacks extended from various parts of its body, and with holes appearing here and there, it was evident that the weapons were not just its massive form. I couldn’t tell how many would die before I could silence it.
Then that leads to this.
[Everyone! Run toward the Great Mother!]
There’s no choice but to buy some time! Fortunately, Tiamat 25 is already within reach; if I run with all my might, I can get there quickly. While they escape, I’ll hold this thing off, and once everyone is far enough away, I’ll retreat. With this physique, it shouldn’t be able to follow me inside the Great Mother.
It’s quite risky, but it seems this is the only method that minimizes damage.
“Nozomu! I’ll fight too!”
“No! There are no effective means of attack! You’re just a hindrance, so hurry up and go!!”
I spoke harshly to Galatea, who offered to fight alongside me, but I could not afford to lose her, as she is a valuable connection to the information source regarding the “Great Mother” known as the Canopy Holy Capital.
Above all, I’m the only one who seems able to fight this thing, so it can’t be helped.
“But!!”
“If you really insist, then shoot from a distance! I don’t want to see anyone die!!”
Taking the opportunity that it’s observing us and hesitating, I waved my hand to encourage her to leave. After a moment of thought, she compared me to the nameless monster and finally made a calm decision to head toward Tiamat 25.
“Don’t worry! I’ll take down your enemy in your place!!”
“Just don’t die! If you die, I won’t be able to thank you for the spiritual potion!!”
“That’s already null and void the moment you’re here with me!!”
Good, this should reduce the damage.
Now, it’s just you and me, but… what to do?
“Captain! Heat source rising! It’s probably preparing to attack!!”
“Got it!!”
As I lowered my stance to prepare, an ear-piercing roar echoed as a multitude of wire projectiles shot from the monster’s entire body.
“That was close!!”
The density was incredible; simple evasion was impossible. I bent down while drawing my sword, forcing my way through the wires that sought to ensnare me, creating a path.
Crap, this wire even has guidance capabilities. It’s not just ordinary steel wire; it seems to contain a power source, flexibly writhing and utilizing its recoil to chase after me.
I evaded the initial strike, and many projectiles embedded themselves in the ground, though some continued to squirm after me. Even when I sliced through them, they still moved, and the impact from those that slammed into my body was substantial. To neutralize their threat as whips, I needed to sever them at the root, but there was no sign they intended to let me get close!
Damn it! What is this lack of openings! Even the VR bosses borrowed from the salvaged data of the Great “Corporate Entity” from the previous civilization were a bit more lenient!!
I slashed through the wires, dodging as I tried to escape, but my comrades were still nearby. Damn it, I need to buy at least a little more time. Can I hold out that long!?
Just as I was concerned, I must have moved beyond the range of the wires, as they briefly stopped. The eight thick legs moved busily to close the distance, so when I fled in the opposite direction, it desperately chased after me, and I felt like I’d found a possibility for a valid strike.
Does it not have long-range weapons? If not, then I can just drag it around for as long as I want…
“Captain! Be careful! We’re getting shot at!!”
“Wha!?”
In an instant, my field of vision turned bright red. It was the supplementary function of the fire control system, a warning from the enemy’s “shooting option,” predicting an area of harm.
Without Selene’s warning, I might have been full of holes.
Immediately after I dove to the side, a barrage of ball bearings stirred the space where my body had just been, ultimately violently churning up the ground.
From various parts of its body, tubes extended—those must be the barrels of coil guns!!
Damn it! Just because I couldn’t spot the main cannon, I had let my guard down! Given its clearly multi-legged tank appearance, it’s impossible it wouldn’t have some kind of machine gun!
While I was enraged with myself, I dodged the incoming trajectory of the coil gun’s barrage. However, since the movement of the barrel was quicker, my limits would be reached soon.
Then going further away would actually be a bad move. If it was a high-grade artificial body, it wouldn’t even be a problem against these pathetic shots, but in my current fragile physical state, even one bullet could be fatal!
Then, the safe place really must be at close range!
As I closed in on the nameless monster while evading the bullets, it briefly halted its shooting to launch more wires. I can tolerate the replenishment of the projectiles, but it appears that its fire control system is quite poor! It struggles with shooting on the move and stops to fire, making it possible to deal with more than one weapon at a time.
As I slashed through the wires to evade, I suddenly began to feel heaviness.
What’s this? The activity limit of the monatomic molecular blade must have long since passed. Continuing to slice through the solid wires had worn the monomolecule down, and it had combined with objects in the atmosphere, dropping its sharpness to that of a regular blade.
Even so, I hoped it was still able to cut because of my skill, but there was no time to sheath the sword given the volume I needed to handle. It would probably take about twenty seconds to restore its edge completely, and during that time, I would undoubtedly be cut to pieces by the tentacle play, or rather, wires!
However, if I overused it like this, it would break, and that means…
I switched the sword to one hand while grabbing the sheath with the other, sheathing it and then spinning it while still sheathed. The sheath, made of an ultra-hard metal housing micro-machines, could easily send them flying.
Feeling smart as I handled the attacks… no, wait, correction, this is incredibly tough. I wasn’t cutting them down to reduce their numbers; I was merely deflecting them, so they would quickly correct their trajectories and come back!
It’s about the same difficulty as dodging them barehanded! Can I endure like this for twenty seconds!?
As I began to panic, it moved, closing in with its eight thick legs.
Thinking the wire attacks weren’t very effective, it likely intended to crush me with its overwhelming mass.
Convenient, you’d think, but the density of the steel wires still occupied space, though its aim had dulled. If it rushed forward, I would die, so it seemed impossible to close in and take out a leg.
Then I’ll go under it!
But just as I thought that, its tumor-riddled flesh burst.
It was at the base of its body. Wondering what was happening, I saw numerous circular saws appear. They clustered around, rotating and throwing off sparks every thirty centimeters. At that sight, I immediately gave up on sheltering beneath it.
Damn it! Perfect countermeasures, huh? Even the main battle tanks of the Higher Union don’t have such elaborate gimmicks!
As I turned back to maintain a mid-range distance, I heard the timer ping, indicating time had passed. Alright, at last, the monatomic molecular blade was usable again! I drew my sword, cutting through the wires while pondering my next move.
Oh right, the cooldown for the “Holy Lance” should be ending soon… but no, it won’t let me charge it. Taking evasive maneuvers while aiming is impossible. I’d either be turned into a sieve or cut to pieces in the process.
Wait, am I in a bind? With no effective means of attack available, I can’t afford to draw it, and in another five or six seconds, I’ll need to resheathe it and sharpen it again—this is reminiscent of when I fought that gigantic dragon—a real tough situation.
Plus, this fragile body was signaling its limits. I was panting, and blood began to mix with my breath. The stinging sensation like that of dry mucous membranes pressed against my mouth and nose.
What to do, what to do, what to do.
“Fire!!”
Then, from a distance, gunfire echoed joyfully as the tumors burst in large numbers.
Support fire from Galatea and the others! Damn it, I told them to go to the “Great Mother,” yet they’re not even 250 meters away. At this rate, I’ll get ground into meat paste by the coil gun!
But honestly, their support was appreciated. A momentary opening appeared in the enemy. With their little brains, they must be pondering which target to prioritize for elimination.
In that moment of hesitation, I contemplated taking a gamble and closing in to see if I could slice one of its legs.
Suddenly, an alert blared loudly in my mind.
A warning about the risk of friendly fire. IFF: the sound that rings when a friendly FCS targeting wavelength overlaps with a friend’s system. Wondering why that was happening, Selene’s voice rang out.
“Captain! Get some distance!!”
“Selene!!”
What the—her drone was descending to low altitude! And, before I knew it, she had used the work arm to lift the “Holy Lance” and had her radio relay drone assist in raising it!
Right, I remembered she could only carry around 40kg in weight with her drone alone, so lifting a charged particle cannon wouldn’t be possible, but using a support drone would make it manageable! Plus, the power supply could be drawn from an external unit!
It seemed the strange tank was panicking, having sensed additional enemy reinforcements. Its targeting had increased to three, which must have made it hard to prioritize.
Fool, the main strategy is to crush the one with the highest firepower first!
But I’m glad you’re an idiot.
The barrel vibrated, indicating that the particle accelerator inside was working sufficiently. The effective range for full power output is incredibly vast, and at the edge of this artificial body, I would likely evaporate with just a brush!
Evaporate…?
Wait! The shooter is shielded by a protective field from magnetic fields and radiation heat, but the effective range is much wider than expected!? With an organic frame like this, I’d be turned into burnt meat!?
“Waaaaahhh!!”
“I’m firing!!”
Wait! Wait a second!! I desperately cut through the wires while floundering to escape the danger radius, but an enormous roar erupted behind me, and I was blown away.
It wasn’t so much the explosion from the nameless monster, but the water vapor in the atmosphere heated to extreme temperatures exploded with violent force, and I could feel the residual heat singeing my hair.
Rolling on the ground, I bounced twice, thrice, like a rubber ball thrown carelessly by a child, and warnings flashed in my view.
Danger. Failing to take evasive maneuvers may cause critical damage to your artificial body? I already know that!!
I landed shoulder-first on the fourth bounce, springing back up, slowing myself with my hands on the fifth, and utilizing the reduced momentum to settle down on my shoulder, waist, and knees sequentially to absorb the shock and roll.
Somehow, I managed to stop without crashing into trees or rocks, completely killing the momentum.
“I thought I was dead…”
Thank goodness…I had preemptively fired the “Holy Lance” and knocked down the trees nearby… If there had been obstacles, I would have collided and turned into a sack of blood, bones, and internal organs.
“Are you alright, Captain!!”
“I’m somehow alive, Selene… Cheers to your quick thinking and the blessings of the Three Sacred Saints…”
“Ah, thank you! T. Osamu! May your creation shine forever!!”
She praised the AI saint while apologizing to me.
She apologized for not being able to recover the “Holy Lance” without drawing the enemy’s attention, for the struggle to pick it up, and for how the fire control system was so unique that it took time to establish a direct connection.
But there was only one thing I could say in return.
Thank you; you all really helped me…
