“You’re really reckless, aren’t you?”
“It’s because of the spirit of self-sacrifice.”
I observed the stab wound on Galatea’s neck closing and placed a hand on her neck to feel the pulse returning, slightly relieved. I’m worried that her brain might have temporarily become ischemic due to losing several hundred milliliters of blood in an instant, but since it was just for a moment, I can only hope she pulls through.
“Shit, really, what a reckless young lady.”
Her eyes burned with determination.
Even though she knew there were precautions in place to ensure that my death would not occur due to her being taken hostage, she still chose to take reckless action. Honestly, how much of a pushover can you be?
“Hey, captain, what are you doing with the code?!”
“I’m reconnecting with her again. It’s too dangerous to move her in this state, but we can’t leave her like this either.”
“I’ll monitor the vitals!”
“I need to understand the detailed brain activity! Do you even realize the situation we’re in?!”
Ignoring my partner’s stop, I jammed the terminal into the passive jack located under the temporal bone and reconnected with her again.
The world flashed momentarily, and the function of the OS awakened, revealing the vast, white void of the virtual cyberspace. But I didn’t have time to immerse myself fully, so I just connected the nervous systems.
Her brainwaves were chaotic but within acceptable limits. However, I wasn’t sure what would happen if we encountered a shock while carrying her. I would need to be cautious while moving her.
After wrapping her in the bedsheet and being careful that the cord doesn’t disconnect, I carefully hoisted her onto my shoulder — a method known as the fireman’s carry — making sure her legs were securely held with my left arm. While carrying her like a princess would normally be proper etiquette since she’s a woman, both my hands would be occupied with her current fragile state, so she’ll have to endure this.
“Shall I go retrieve the Gear Caliber… or will recovering the equipment be difficult?”
“I apologize, captain, but we don’t know its current location.”
Tch, when you manage to capture a fine piece of equipment, it’s natural to want to disassemble and study its principles. The guns, swords, and even the pack wolves won’t activate without my authentication code and are difficult to dismantle due to their complicated outer structure, but I’m starting to feel uneasy now.
If they’ve done anything with my beloved sword, I’ll mince them all. You’d better be prepared for that.
“Selene, guide me through the escape route.”
“Ah, here we go again… After you exit the room, turn right; there’s a different elevator there.”
While hearing my partner’s exasperated voice, I advanced to the right as instructed and found the elevator. Different from the one I used earlier, this was decorated extravagantly, suggesting it was rebuilt specifically for dignitaries.
Was it pre-hacked? The doors opened with our arrival and welcomed us in. Automatically, the button for the destination floor lit up.
“The central control was sealed off, but it was quite easy to bypass. Though, this current model doesn’t have those fun and amusing features anymore.”
Apparently connecting directly to the lower levels — likely for emergency evacuations — the elevator was smoothly descending. Suddenly, it jolted, the lights flickered, and it stopped.
“What the hell?! Interference?”
“It’s not an interference. The dragon outside is launching its third attack. It has struck the barriers with great force, scattering buildings like buckshot, and it appears it struck ‘Inanna 12′ directly. The armor is meant for fleet combat and won’t break easily, but the impact is quite tremendous.”
Damn those big lizards messing around like they’re playing in a sandbox in a human settlement. The automated voice in the emergency-stopped elevator notified us about the vibration detection causing the stop, then abruptly resumed operation.
“Is it okay to move, Selene?”
“Captain must watch too many movies; a single or double cable breaking won’t make an elevator fall.”
Ah, right, it moves like gears biting into tracks at the four corners, so it stops when the cables snap but doesn’t fall.
Upon reaching the lower level, I found what used to be a fairly spacious warehouse acting as a makeshift garage. Vehicles had clearly departed in a hurry— some had collided in the rush judging from the scattered car fragments— leaving behind only a few Gear Calibers.
Alright, all we need to do is take one of these and temporarily leave…
Just as I was thinking that, the electronic sound signaling the arrival of the elevator from the opposite side of the warehouse rang out, and the doors opened.
Lo and behold, there stood Virgil, accompanied by five guards.
“Shit, most of the vehicles have left… No, is that you!!”
What a coincidence! Have I angered the three holy ones or something!?
Firing up a coil gun in my mind, I positioned it as his guards immediately stepped forward to protect him from head shots. Their gloves, larger than normal, were equipped with exoskeletons capable of deflecting low-energy rounds easily.
“Why are you still alive?! And who is this girl?!”
“Sorry to disappoint you, seems like you missed the kill.”
From this remark, it sounds like you sent assassins to my solitary confinement cell. However, we left earlier than expected, so you missed your chance, didn’t you?
This situation, though, isn’t good at all. The five guards stepped forth, drawing their swords.
“Nevertheless, killing you here would balance the books! Attack!!”
Ahh, come on! I don’t know what has gotten under your skin regarding us, but can you give us a break?! We’re not in a position to squabble right now!!
I ran toward the cover while firing the coil gun. However, the specially equipped guards with reinforced exoskeletons absorbed the high-power shots with their armored gloves and chest plates, merely staggering.
Apparently, there’s a special type of reinforced exoskeleton specifically designed for high-ranking officials’ guards. Without hitting the weak points, it’s hard to take them down.
If that’s the case, let’s dance, shall we?
I placed Galatea down by a pile of spare tires, confirming that the current connector cable has a maximum length of 15 meters. With five opponents charging at me, this space seems manageable.
They came indoors expecting a fight, but they didn’t bring their large bows.
I’ve been practicing close combat for nearly a thousand years; I am not about to lose easily.
Here I go! Leave your head behind!!
Maximizing the computer clock speed, I emerged from behind cover slowly, firing. Dodging the deflected rounds from their swords guarding their hands, I quickly dashed toward the nearest enemy.
He swung to thrust at me, but I slowed down mid-motion, releasing the force in my knees and waist to slide in underneath his blade, uninviting territory for a swordsman, and delivered three close-range shots directly into his knees.
“AAAAAAAAHHH?!”
The leader collapsed, writhing in pain as his knees bent the wrong way, and I learned she was a woman from her scream. I showed no mercy and finished her off with two shots into the vulnerable back of her head.
“Come on, show me who’s prepared to die! My rounds don’t discriminate against anyone who stands in my way!”
While reloading, I could see the remaining four hesitate.
Basic rule for one versus many fights. Finish the first victim in the most brutal way possible to demoralize the rest. Is their loyalty to Virgil enough to sacrifice their lives?
“Don’t stop! If we don’t cut her down here, she’ll take the Gear Caliber! Don’t you want to escape?!”
Ah, attacking from that angle, huh. It’s true, with three remaining Gear Calibers, even if they split up, ignoring us would mean some will be left behind.
That must be unpleasant, and with decided determination, they readied their swords. Their combat stance leaned more towards Western swordsmanship. Two adopted what’s known as the ‘Furious Stance’, where the pommel was nearly at the back of their heads, ready to swing forcefully. The other two gripped the sword tip with one hand, adopting the ‘Half-sword Stance’ to crush with the full force of their charge.
They intend to overwhelm me with simultaneous attacks from all four. Regardless of personal qualities, their training is commendable. But, rushing me like this is overly optimistic.
“What the hell!?”
The FCS system was unfailingly accurate, and striking the exposed pommel of the sword held in the furious stance was elementary. I knocked the knight’s sword away into the air and followed up with a three-shot barrage to his neck once his stance was disrupted.
Although it was amusing to see his neck bend unnaturally from the shock—considering the rounds including the earlier shots—there were only four bullets left in strong mode. Reloading isn’t looking promising.
Wait a second…
I instinctively headed towards the sword I had knocked away.
And, ignoring the charging knights, I retrieved it victoriously.
Without a doubt, the blade was the same material as the compressed alloy swords the other knights were using but made much thinner for better handling.
Where theirs are designed for smashing, this one was genuinely crafted for cutting! While the alloy weighs about 10 kg, making it somewhat heavy, it’s manageable.
Having obtained a superior blade to combat swords, I met the incoming knight’s ‘rai-to’ with an upward slice from below.
The sharp edge of the single-edged sword, I guided the peak with my hand and delivered an inverted overhead chop. My blade, stepping slightly ahead, severed my opponent’s wrist, a gush of red blood flowing as it penetrated the joints of the armor and cut through flesh and bone.
“AAAAAAHHHHH?!'”
Having lost half his hand to the sword’s weight, the enemy dropped the blade, clenching his wound and crouching down.
I had no time to finish him off and turned to face the approaching Half-sword swordsman.
I held the blade vertically to defend against the sharp thrust, lightly deflecting it to the right as our blades connected.
Simultaneously, I compacted my blade, flipped my wrist for a minimal upward slice and tore a nearly unprotected side open.
“Ugh… aaaahhhhh?!?”
Blood spurted violently from the armor’s seams. I had grazed the muscles and severed a large artery.
Tsk, but this thing is dulling already. Cutting through just two people, the feel has changed. Not from blood residue or the person’s grease—since my technique avoids such attachments—but likely because cutting the flexible hard blade-resistant fibers has caused early dullness.
Additionally, the sword being too thin made it fragile. Was it designed for soldiers with less armor rather than armored combat? Too vulnerable!
Still, due to its lightness, it’s manageable for me, so no complaints.
“Chieryaaaaaaa!!”
The last Half-sword swordsman lunged forward with a thunderous shout, his technique demonstrating remarkable expertise, barely moving his arms but intending to crush me with the force of his body’s impact.
Holding the sword in my left hand, I used it as a shield against his thrust, kneeing it as the body clashed and threw me off balance momentarily. In that instant, I drew out my pistol.
And, as the knight approached perilously close, I pressed the gun into his neck.
“Ugh…”
A single shot would send the bullet flying into the joint, releasing the blade entangled in the flesh.
I felt the groan as every bone in my body creaked from the brute impact while the knight collapsed dead, his corpse tossing me away. Turning around with three bullets left in the gun, I aimed it at Virgil.
“It’s checkmate.”
With the declaration, I fired the remaining rounds in quick succession.
But he wasn’t just some random knight corps leader. Using intuition, he dodged the fatal shots, hid behind the elevator, and survived.
Tsk, looks like the commanding officers wear better armor. It’s no good unless I hit the head or neck.
“Arggghhh!?…Kooouu… damn!!”
While groaning in pain, he pressed the elevator button and blocked the shots.
Shit, that’s why he stayed inside instead of coming out!
I hurriedly reloaded, but it was too late to shoot the chatterbox knight again. The electronic ding sounded as the doors closed.
And the indicator showing the descent began.
“Damn, he’s escaped! Would have been better to have killed him!”
“Galatea’s and the elevator’s armor units were general models. We need to revise our performance evaluations upwards. This time, the firepower of the firearms wasn’t enough, so it couldn’t be helped.”
“Annoying, but let’s be content with securing this means of escape… ”
Besides, Galatea was safe. As I returned to her and stretched the cord, her emerald eyes began to open.
“Nozomu…?”
“Galatea!”
Despite the fierce battle, I didn’t have a chance to check her vitals – though I had set the alert to go off in case of an abnormality—and her brainwaves seemed to have recovered?
I rushed toward her awakening form to greet her—only to slap her cheek.
“You’re an extremely reckless kid!”
“I’m sorry… but I believed you’d come to save me…'”
Her reddened cheek turned toward me, and she hugged me, trembling.
“Not again… I thought I was done for, that death would come through defilement… but when I saw your face, I felt safe… ”
“Alright… alright… I understand… ”
I embraced the half-naked her and gently patted her back to calm her.
Of course, you must have been terrified. Even the chaste woman faced potential abuse. It’s understandable you’d be desperate when you see an escape route in the nick of time.
Still, what did you plan to do if I hadn’t reclaimed my equipment?
While cradling the sobbing her, I asked Selene to activate the Gear Caliber…
[Planetary Exploration Notes] The Magius Geanaite swords come in two varieties: the standard sword for armor and the single-edged sword for light armor. The equipment selection within the platoon is carefully managed to ensure an appropriate balance in combat.
The next update will be around 17:00.
By the way, I’ve started a small section called “Planetary Exploration Notes Postscript” on Twitter.
If you’re interested in updates or follow along, I would be grateful for your follows there.
*An edit was made due to a valid opinion in the comments received on 2024/07/27 at 17:34.
