Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 24 - Chapter 5

Fire Dragon Emperor vs. Fire Dragon Emperor

Tuesday, November 30th

What Vandarion referred to as “that” was a large mobile weapon. During the virus incident, he’d used the transport of said mobile weapon to disguise the fact that he was actually moving a bioweapon. He’d simply switched the cargo loads, and the imported mobile weapon had been sitting unused on Alaia since. That is, until now. Vandarion decided to unleash it in this battle. Most everyone had forgotten about it after the virus incident, so in a way, both the bioweapon and the mobile weapon had now served as decoys for one another.

“I get the idea, but its shape is awfully eccentric,” said Maya, who was watching on with Elexis.

“For me, the shape conjures memories of defeat,” he replied.

“Now that you mention it, you were attacked by the boy’s version of this, weren’t you?”

“Theirs was more graceful, but ours looks just as aggressive.”

“What is it called again?”

“Officially, it’s called the Base Assault Mobile Weapon Elder Dragon Type One, ALUNAYA. The name is certainly lacking in elegance.”

The mobile weapon in question was gigantic at over twenty meters in length. What’s more, it was fashioned in the shape of a massive reptile and made to walk on four legs. On its back were even giant wings equipped with a propulsion system capable of flight. It truly looked like the dragons of legend.

“I suppose since we’ve remodeled it, that would make it the Type One Revised, wouldn’t it? The wretched name just gets worse.”

“You look awfully happy though.”

“Of course I am. This is the first time spiritual energy and magic have been fully incorporated into Forthorthian technology.”

Despite its appearance, the Type One Revised wasn’t some eccentric weapon designed with form in mind. It was also an incredibly functional, state of the art weapon created under the direction of Vandarion’s trusted right-hand man, Granado. Granado was the director general of military affairs as well as the science and technology administration, and the result of combining his stupendous budget with cutting edge technology was the development of the draconic mobile weapon.

In Forthorthe, a mobile weapon’s main purpose was something between that of a fighter craft and a tank. They were generally intended as support for infantry, and for that reason, they were never larger than standard tanks. Making a mobile weapon too big would give away the troops’ position and ultimately be a detriment. Instead, they were made as relatively small machines that specialized in defense and support. That was the whole idea behind the mobile weapons Forthorthe used today.

But Granado had a different idea. He consolidated the technology used in current mobile weapon models and modified it in an attempt to make a mobile weapon capable of taking center stage in battle. Rather than being something of a compromise between a fighter craft and a tank, it would have the full abilities of both. His plan was to make it as large as possible without sacrificing mobility in order to achieve both maximum offensive and defensive potential. And from that idea, the dragon was born.

With the assistance of DKI, both spiritual energy technology and magic were incorporated into the dragon. After acquiring spiritual energy technology from the People of the Earth’s radical faction, DKI had thoroughly analyzed it and it had become a regular part of their technological repertoire. They’d used it to enhance the dragon’s performance. On top of that, transforming various types of energy into mana was one of Darkness Rainbow’s specialties. And by converting vast amounts of energy, it was possible to activate several powerful spells.

While Elexis’s Warlord II also used both spiritual energy and magic, it wasn’t on this level. The Warlord II was more of an experimental prototype, and the dragon was its fiercer, more refined cousin. Granado had made sure to incorporate all of the experimental data from Elexis into building it. Adding magic and spiritual energy technology to an already impressive weapon gave it a whole new dimension of strength. The Type One Revised, ALUNAYA, was meant to dominate the ecosystems of war. It would be the new apex predator on the battlefield.

“That said... isn’t this overdoing it?” Maya asked.

“What do you mean?” Elexis asked in return.

“This is different from when Purple and Tayuma went berserk. No matter how this plays out, the boy has no chance of winning.”

At first, Maya didn’t think there was any way an enlarged mobile weapon would be the answer to defeating Koutarou. She’d witnessed him and his friends take down Purple and Tayuma, both driven mad with malice. But after seeing the Type One with her own eyes, she began changing her mind. In a full-on battle, the odds would be irreversibly slanted against Koutarou if the Type One Revised was brought in. Vandarion’s idea of winning was just to cause as many casualties as possible, and the Type One Revised wasn’t designed to protect anything or anyone other than itself.

“Statistically speaking, that might be true. However, according to Crimson, Koutarou-kun didn’t become a hero by choice. That means that there’s a high chance that the sword at his waist is the real Signaltin. The real one wasn’t in Folsaria, after all.”

If the Reborn Forthorthian Army wasn’t intentionally setting up Koutarou as a hero, Elexis couldn’t help wondering about the sword he carried. If it was genuine, that meant Alaia’s crest engraved on it was genuine too. And if that were the case, all signs pointed to it being the legendary sword Signaltin.

“So you’re saying that no matter the odds, there’s still a chance the hero will win?”

“I want him to win. That would be hopeful for us as well!”

After preparing to sortie, the Type One Revised was put on a large lift and sent up to the surface. The ceiling above it opened from right and left, revealing the starry sky overhead. The starlight and the lights in the base shone down on the gigantic figure of the Type One Revised.

“Go, Type One Revised! Let us discover Koutarou-kun’s true identity!”

The lift reached the surface, and the Type One Revised revealed its massive form to everyone watching as its generator came online. When it reached maximum output, it let out a thunderous sound that echoed throughout the base.

ROAAAR!

It was like the roar of a gigantic dragon.

The mechanical dragon appeared on the surface shortly after Theia and her forces charged through the front gates. They were already engaging with the troops attempting to defend the base when the Type One Revised came at them from the rear.

“Ruth! Send all of your unmanned fighters and all of my mobile weapons to intercept that monster! We can’t afford to be attacked right now!”

“As you wish, my princess!”

Being flanked put Theia in a difficult spot. In front of her were the Imperial Army forces who seemed determined to fight until they were annihilated. With the battalion commanders’ families taken hostage, they couldn’t order a retreat. Even with a way to specifically take out the battalion commanders, Theia and the others still didn’t know where they were. There was no way they’d be able to track them down while trying to hold off the Type One Revised, so Theia’s plan was to send unmanned fighters and mobile weapons to stall it.

“Theia-chan, leave that big one to me!”

Just after Theia issued her orders, Shizuka volunteered to face off with the Type One Revised.

“Shizuka?! But we can’t afford your forces pulling out now!”

Theia was hesitant. In total, the Reborn Forthorthian Army had four forces attacking Fort Charldrissa: a battalion each under the command of Theia, Shizuka, Yurika, and Koutarou. Koutarou was currently inside with a fraction of his men, so Theia had taken command of the rest of his battalion. With things as they were, Shizuka pulling her troops out would lead to the collapse of the front line. Theia couldn’t allow that to happen.

“No, not my troops! Just Uncle!”

“Ah, of course! I’d almost forgotten.”

Theia’s expression eased up when she realized what Shizuka meant. Fight fire with fire, and a dragon with a dragon. Shizuka’s plan was to send a real dragon to take care of the mechanical one.

“So that’s a challenge to me! How amusing! Oh Golden Princess, grant me the opportunity!”

“I’d like nothing more! I beseech you to defeat that thing, Fire Dragon Emperor-dono!”

“Understood! Hahahaha! Shizuka, let’s show that mechanical fake who the true king is!”

“You got it. I’ll leave the rest to you, Theia-chan!”

Shizuka left command of her battalion to Theia and flew up into the sky in her half-dragon, half-human form. Reaching an altitude of several dozen meters, she transformed again, this time from half-dragon to complete dragon. Her body grew massive, surpassing twenty meters in length. This was the legendary creature that once ruled over Forthorthe. The king of dragons, the champion of flame, Fire Dragon Emperor Alunaya.

“Showing off a toy like that in front of me was a big mistake! I’ll tear you asunder right now!”

Alunaya opened his mouth wide and flew through the sky with his sharp fangs primed for attack. The wings on his back flapped powerfully, and he closed in on the Type One Revised in the blink of an eye.

ROOOAAAAAAARRR!

However, the Type One Revised wasn’t about to let him go unopposed. It opened its mouth and powered its generator to maximum. As it did, a light became visible from within its gaping maw.

“Uncle!”

“Right!”

Psheeew!

A torrent of light came out of the Type One Revised’s mouth. It had fired power directly from its generator in the form of an energy beam. Fortunately, Alunaya had sensed the danger before it was fired and took evasive maneuvers. Alunaya was unharmed, but the energy beam mowed down the forest behind him in his stead.

“Eeek, that thing’s no joke!”

After seeing the destruction that lay in the wake if the Type One Revised’s attack, Shizuka felt a chill run down her spine. Not even Alunaya could take a direct hit from that.

“It’s nothing if it can’t hit. Keep up the good work, Shizuka!”

“I’ll do my best! I’m not ready to die yet, you know!”

Upon taking full dragon form, Alunaya’s soul took control, but Shizuka was still aware of what was going on. And since she knew more about technology and weapons, her advice in battle was indispensable. She helped diminish Alunaya’s handicap of having come from a different age.

“We can’t let that thing show us up!”

“Please don’t be too flashy, Uncle!”

“I can’t promise anything this time around!”

Alunaya wanted revenge. He turned to face the Type One Revised again and opened his mouth wide. Deep inside his throat, there was a brightly burning fire. The temperature of the flames in his gullet increased rapidly until they turned white.

Pfooooosh!

Alunaya unleashed his own torrent of light. The flames that spewed forth were so hot and condensed that were more like plasma than fire. The effect was very similar to the beam the Type One Revised has used.

Rrrumble...

However, the Type One Revised had activated its propulsion system before Alunaya attacked. The giant machine dodged to the side at an unbelievable speed. As a result, Alunaya’s plasma breath flew right by the Type One Revised.

“This thing is pretty good! I see it’s for more than just show!”

“Uncle, it’s coming!”

The Type One Revised quickly changed the direction of its thrusters and deployed its wings. Piercing through the air, it charged straight for Alunaya.

“It’s fast! But close combat is just what I like!”

Alunaya flapped his own massive wings and charged to intercept the Type One Revised. His fangs and sharp claws were eager for their prey.

“Uncle, wait! Its moving strangely!”

Shizuka felt Alunaya had chosen the wrong course of action and tried to stop him, but it was too late. The distance between them was closing too quickly, and the two giants were lashing at each other with their powerful limbs before she could even finish her sentence.

Screeeeech!

“Argh!”

The Type One Revised’s claws pierced through Alunaya’s defensive spell and tore off several of his scales. Between the defensive magic he used and the natural armor of his scales, Alunaya was easily as tough as any battleship. The Type One Revised had staggering attack power to do that much damage to him. Its secret was that its claws had built-in beam cannons programmed to fire simultaneously when they made contact with a target. The combined damage from the claws and beams was more than even Alunaya could fully protect against.

“I won’t shy away just from getting hit!”

Crash!

Even wounded, Alunaya was undeterred. He swiftly used his giant tail to correct his flight posture and slammed it down on the Type One Revised at the same time. This was the kind of dexterous attack that only a dragon could pull off.

“It was too shallow?!”

However, the strike wasn’t enough to get through the Type One Revised’s barrier. The energy output from its generator was considerable, and the Type One Revised had increased it even more to brace for the attack. And despite their attacks, the giants flew past each other mid-air to avoid a major collision.

“What is the meaning of this? Those movements are―”

“Uncle! Get your head down!”

“What?!”

Rat tat tat tat tat!

Following Shizuka’s instructions, Alunaya quickly lowered his head, and it wasn’t a moment too soon. He narrowly avoided the spray of bullets fired from the machine gun fashioned on the Type One Revised’s arm. Shockingly, the Type One Revised had changed direction mid-flight after they passed each other to open fire on Alunaya.

“I thought so!”

“What is with this imposter? It’s moving in impossible ways!”

“Uncle, there’s probably no one inside it!”

“What?!”

“It’s all run by a computer! I mean... its thinking is all mechanical! That’s why it can move like that!”

Living creatures used electric impulses and chemical reactions to move their bodies, and there was a natural delay between the brain’s command and the body’s response. It also took time for the brain to process a situation and issue a command in the first place. When a human was evading, there was a certain amount of lag time before they actually made their move. And with a machine as large as a dragon, that should only increase.

However, the Type One Revised’s movements didn’t seem to be inhibited by anything like that. It was reacting to Alunaya too quickly. Even someone with senses as keen as Shizuka’s experienced some delay. To a normal person, it looked like the Type One Revised was reacting instantly. That’s how Shizuka knew it had no pilot.

The speed of the Type One Revised only further confirmed her suspicions. Not its reaction speed, but how quickly it was actually moving. Living creatures required a constant flow of blood in their brains to function. If they moved too fast, that circulation couldn’t keep up and they would pass out. For humans, that was somewhere around 10 g. When the Type One Revised whipped around to attack, it was clearly moving faster than that. Any human inside would be unconscious, or even dead.

“You can think of it like the haniwas, except without a soul.”

“I see... It seems like it’s a more troubling opponent than I thought.”

“Uncle, can’t you do something with magic?”

“I can’t manipulate my mana as freely as a magician can. It wouldn’t be very effective.”

Alunaya and the Type One Revised faced off once more. They were about the same size, but the heavily armed Type One Revised had a stockier profile. Shizuka believed it was enough of a difference to have an effect on what was to come, and she couldn’t help but worry.

Even with Alunaya’s strength, the Type One Revised couldn’t be defeated in a single blow. Having experienced Alunaya’s power firsthand, Koutarou was utterly shocked at this development.

“Even Alunaya-san is bound by the limits of living creatures. It’s difficult to keep up with something moving in ways impossible for normal beings,” explained Clan.

“That just means that it’s up to us!” Koutarou shouted.

“That’s right. If we increase the intensity of our attacks, it won’t be able to dodge, no matter how fast it is!” she cheered in reply.

Alunaya was actually a bad match for the Type One Revised, but if Alunaya didn’t keep it busy, the whole situation would only get worse. But Koutarou and the others had to handle their own problems before they could help against the Type One Revised.

“Clan, you still haven’t found them yet?!”

“Just hold on! You’re asking me to find five people out of three thousand moving targets. It’s going to take some time!”

However, Koutarou’s problem was not an easy one to solve. They needed to hold back the Imperial Army’s attacks while locating the five battalion commanders. Moreover, with the headquarters occupied, each battalion was moving freely without centralized orders. Even for Clan, this was an arduous task.

“Clan-dono, let me help,” a voice called in over the comms system.

“Kii?!”

Lending Clan a helping hand was none other than Kiriha. With her brilliant mind, she had come up with a method to simplify things.

“Ruth, fire off a flare. Set it so it flies even higher than normal,” she ordered.

“Understood. Parameters set. The flare is ready,” Ruth responded.

“Fire!”

“Launching!”

Bang!

At Kiriha’s orders, Ruth fired a flare high above Fort Charldrissa that briefly illuminated the base below. The bright light in the night sky naturally attracted attention.

Beep, beep, beep!

“Targets A, C, and D discovered,” announced the Cradle’s AI.

Clan’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Just moments after the flare went off, her ship’s computer had identified three of the battalion commanders.

“Kii, what... I see! How clever of you!”

Clan had roughly pinpointed the locations of the battalions based on variations in the density of electromagnetic waves from the surrounding area, and she then tried to identify the battalion commanders by analyzing the footage recorded by her cameras. The problem with her plan was in analyzing the footage. With Forthorthe’s technology, recording in the dim light of midnight was no problem, but since the surveillance cameras and the Cradle’s camera were all recording from above, it was difficult to see anyone’s face. But thanks to the flare that Ruth had launched, everyone had looked up for a moment, and Clan’s computer had recorded it all. Three battalion commanders were spotted almost immediately.

“Yurika, the first one is right next to you! Use your favorite poison gas and put everyone there to sleep!”

“What do you mean ‘my favorite’?!”

“Maki, the second one is near you, but can you get to the surface?”

“I’m almost there now! Leave it to me!”

“The third is a little farther away... Theiamillis-san, you’re the fastest, so you go!”

“Understood! I’ll take him out with a single strike!”

Clan gave instructions to her allies while updating the search parameters for her surveillance equipment. With three commanders found, that narrowed down the potential places for the remaining two, and the computer now had more resources to look for each one. Things were suddenly several times easier than they had just been. She didn’t think it would take long to find the others.

Beep, beep!

“Targets B and E discovered.”

Sure enough, the Cradle’s AI delivered, and Clan joyfully reported the results to Koutarou.

“I did it! Veltlion, there’s one near you and the other is a little to the south!”

She had an awfully cute smile on her face, but sadly Koutarou didn’t have the time to take notice.

“Good job! Sakuraba-senpai and I will—”

Boom!

“Whoa!”

“Kyah!”

There was suddenly a crater in the ground next to Koutarou and Harumi, courtesy of a shell fired from a large-caliber cannon.

“Master, it’s a bombardment from the outside! The shots are coming from eight kilometers to the south!”

As Ruth reported to Koutarou, several craters formed around Koutarou and Harumi. The bombardment was indiscriminately hitting both friend and foe. After instructing his forces to hide by the buildings, Koutarou called out on his comms.

“Clan, can you do something about this?!”

“Fine, I guess I don’t have a choice. I’ll eliminate the artillery crew myself!”

“Are you sure you should do that?!”

Clan’s help would be most welcome at a time like this, but Koutarou knew it wasn’t an offer he should jump at. With her ship the Cradle, she’d be have no problem taking out the artillery crew, but if she attacked, she’d likely be seen by the Imperial Army. Her technology was advanced, but not enough to maintain stealth while attacking. And her being seen here would have ramifications for the Schweiger family. Clan’s cooperation with the Mastir family, known rivals of her own family, would likely mean she’d be treated as a traitor.

“We can’t be picky right now! Whatever it takes, remember?!”

“...You’re right. Can I count on you?”

“Of course!”

Koutarou silently vowed to himself that if Clan suddenly found herself without a home to return to, he would take care of her. He couldn’t let Clan shoulder all the risk. But without even knowing that, Clan’s eyes shone with determination. As a princess, she had decided to take it upon herself to protect her friends and allies.

“Please wait, Clan-sama! There’s a group of fighters descending from space! There are four in total, and they seem to be on a course to rendezvous with the artillery crew!” Ruth warned her.

“Don’t you dare go alone, Clan!” Koutarou called.

“But―”

“Shut up! I’m not planning on holding a funeral for you!”

The artillery crew alone was one thing, but if they had a group of fighter crafts protecting them, it would be a death sentence for Clan to go in alone.

“Just wait a moment, Clan. I’ll come with you.”

“Theiamillis-san?!”

“If you and I are together, our chances of winning—”

While talking to Clan, Theia stared at the radar showing four red dots. It indicated the exact location of the fighter crafts in question.

Beep, beep, beep!

Then for some reason, the four red dots all turned into blue ones.

“What’s the matter, Theiamillis-san?” Clan asked.

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong at all. Victory is already ours,” Theia answered.

“Excuse me?”

With tears in her big, blue eyes, Theia enlarged the screen showing the four fighters passing overhead. They were just normal, general-purpose fighters that could be used both in or outside of the atmosphere, but Theia recognized the mark on the crafts.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Your Highness. The 47th platoon is reporting in under Your Highness’s command.”

It was the mark of the platoon of the soldier Theia had saved while descending to Alaia. After that battle, they had decided to leave the Imperial Army, and they now had come all this way in their newly acquired fighters.

“All right, 47th platoon! Eliminate the artillery that’s bombarding this base! Just don’t overdo it!”

“As you wish, my princess! You can count on us! You have our experience working for you now!”

The four fighters descended and approached the artillery crew at a low altitude. Using their laser cannons, they skillfully destroyed just the artillery.

Having escaped the immediate crisis with the help of the fighter platoon, Koutarou and the others were able to capture or incapacitate the five battalion commanders. With all of their senior officers out of commission, command of the Imperial Army forces at Fort Charldrissa officially fell on the shoulders of the company commanders. But there were still plenty of men that continued to fight back and stubbornly resist the invasion. That was because of the Type One Revised. Its combat capabilities were now known to all present at the base, and it gave the Imperial Army forces hope. Hope that it could defeat Alunaya and turn the tides of battle in their favor. What that really meant for Koutarou and the others was that they would have to take down the Type One Revised in order to fully convince them to surrender.

“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Alunaya-dono,” Koutarou said as he returned after handling the battalion commanders.

“You can say that again, Blue Knight. Now that I’ve actually gotten a chance to experience it, fighting against a machine isn’t as much fun as I’d hoped.”

By the time Koutarou and Harumi grouped back up with him, Alunaya was covered in wounds. Just one look at him made it clear that the battle with the Type One Revised was an intense one.

“Are you okay, Kasagi-san?” Harumi asked.

“You wouldn’t believe it, Sakuraba-senpai! It’s like that Mecha-Uncle is cheating! It starts moving after us, but it’s still faster than us somehow! It’s completely unfair!”

The Type One Revised would only move in response to Alunaya, but it moved much faster than he did. It was like deciding what to throw in rock-paper-scissors after watching the way your opponent moved their fingers, yet still being able to throw at the same time. In the Type One Revised’s case, it was thanks to a combination of its superior analytical power and overwhelming speed. There were was no trick to it. No mind games. Nothing. It was exactly Alunaya’s definition of no fun.

“I’m glad you’re still in one piece,” said Harumi after Shizuka reported how things had gone so far.

“I noticed Mecha-Uncle looks away every now and then. It seems like it really wants to go after Satomi-kun.”

“Me?” Koutarou asked, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah. I’m guessing it was ordered to attack you specifically.”

The fact that Alunaya was only injured and not worse could be chalked up to the Type One Revised getting distracted by Koutarou from time to time. Alunaya was quick to seize those momentary opportunities and try to regain the upper hand. That was how he’d kept himself in the battle this long. However, analyzing only the strict facts of battle overlooked something very important. In the end, the real reason Alunaya hadn’t been defeated yet was because he was the emperor of the dragons. And it wasn’t for nothing. There was no one tougher than him, and he never missed the chance to counterattack.

“Then there’s only one thing to do.”

“Can you do it, Blue Knight?”

“We can’t have you working hard while I don’t, now can we?”

“Well said! That’s the Blue Knight I know!”

“Let’s go! I’m counting on you, Sakuraba-senpai!”

Koutarou left Harumi with Alunaya and flew up towards the Type One Revised. Their plan was a simple one. If the Type One Revised wanted to go after Koutarou, they would let it. That way it would prioritize targeting and analyzing Koutarou over Alunaya, which should in turn give Alunaya more openings to attack.

“I don’t need a barrier! Put all energy into propulsion!”

“Alert message: This frame will become defenseless,” the AI in Koutarou’s armor warned him.

“I’m out if I get hit anyways, so I just need to move as fast as possible!”

“This system will pray for your fortune and glory in place of the nation of Forthorthe.”

“You’ve gotten a lot more obedient recently!”

Putting all of the thrusters on his armor to max, Koutarou approached the Type One Revised on a erratic trajectory. If it was as skilled as Shizuka said it was, he knew moving in a straight line would just make him an easy target. Moving unpredictably seemed to be the safer bet.

“Satomi-kun, leave your defenses to me.”

Koutarou could hear Harumi’s powerful voice through the power of Signaltin. It would be her job to protect Koutarou now.

“I’m counting on you!”

“I’ll cast several spells to protect you! But please be careful! It won’t be enough to defend against a direct hit!”

“Got it!”

The Type One Revised had the attack power of a small battleship. Even the aid of Signaltin and Harumi wouldn’t be enough to fully shield him from a bad blow. Avoiding getting hit at all would be his best defense.

“And here it comes!”

As he closed in, the Type One Revised began its attack on Koutarou. While firing both the cannons on its shoulders and the machine gun on its arm, the Type One Revised put its propulsion to max and began moving towards Koutarou. Its ability to read its opponent and respond accordingly worked better in close proximity, and so the Type One Revised’s AI prioritized getting closer in order to finish things swiftly.

“Whoa!”

Being the smaller of the two, Koutarou was far more flexible in the air. His maneuverability was on full display as he closed in on the Type One Revised while dodging the rain of shells and bullets. While he easily appeared to have the upper hand, he had no way of knowing that the barrage was all part of the Type One Revised’s trap. Koutarou’s movements were more limited while he was actively being attacked, and that in turn made him easier to read. And as a result, Koutarou inadvertently flew right to where the Type One Revised wanted him to.

Pew!

When Koutarou hit the right spot, the mechanical dragon fired the laser cannon equipped on its head. The laser cannon was actually one of its weaker weapons, but since it followed the cameras as it aimed, it was especially accurate at this distance. With Koutarou where he was now, there was no way of avoiding it.

“Wow, that was dangerous. This must be what they meant about it responding so quickly.”

Fortunately, the Koutarou the laser demolished was just a magical illusion and not the real thing. But even though he wasn’t the real victim, Koutarou felt chills down his spine at the sight. He’d now learned firsthand exactly what Shizuka was talking about earlier.

“That’s right! But that’s only possible when dealing with a single target!” Alunaya cried as he made a move on the Type One Revised.

He swooped in before anyone even realized it and swiped at the giant machine with the massive claws on his right hand. The Type One Revised responded by activating its thrusters in an attempt to dodge.

Screeeeech!

It was enough to throw off Alunaya’s aim. His claws only caught the barrier, letting out a loud, screeching wail as they dragged along its surface. In order to make full use of the generator’s power, the Type One Revised used a distortion field as its barrier. Not even Alunaya could break it with anything short of a direct hit.

“Uncle, to the left!”

“Understood!”

Despite his attack, Alunaya never stopped moving. He took Shizuka’s warning and passed by the Type One Revised on the left. The machine retaliated by twisting its arm in a way that would be impossible for a living creature and attacking from that unnatural position. Alunaya, however, pressed on without hesitation. Thanks to a combination of confidence and speed, he was unscathed.

“I thought that was good, but then it wasn’t even a direct hit...”

“Don’t give up, Uncle! Let’s try it again!”

“Of course! I am the emperor of all creations! I will face my enemies head-on!”

“You’re so cool, Uncle!”

Even an attack using Koutarou as a decoy hadn’t produced any visible results. However, unlike when Alunaya was on his own, his attack had almost hit this time. That was a big step forward.

“Just you wait! We’ll be joining in for this round! That mechanical beast won’t be so lucky next time!” Theia called.

With the help of Theia and her fighters, they would turn the Type One Revised’s trick against it. A constant bombardment of missiles would mean the Type One Revised’s movements should be considerably limited. It was enough to give Koutarou and the others hope yet.

“Theia, don’t worry about me! Just fire away! If your aim is true, I’ll be able to avoid it!”

“I got it! Let’s do this, men!”

“Yeah!”

As Theia rallied her troops, Koutarou moved out again. Since the Type One Revised didn’t have a soul, Koutarou couldn’t use his spirit sight to see where it was aiming. And since their energy outputs were on such drastically different levels, using a barrier to try and block its attacks was unrealistic. All he could do was rely on near random movements to avoid them. If that failed, Harumi’s defensive spells were his last hope. He was still standing on a razor’s edge, but he felt more at ease knowing that Theia and the pilots under her command would be providing supporting fire.

“I’m glad Theia doesn’t even hesitate when she aims.”

It wouldn’t work on the Type One Revised, but Theia and the others were different. Koutarou could see their aim as faint lines in the air. Weaving in between them, he approached the Type One Revised again. The Type One Revised was unhappy with the sudden onslaught and quickly moved to evade. It ended up with its back and tail to Koutarou as he drew nearer.

“All right, try this one on for size!”

With a firm grip on Signaltin and Saguratin, Koutarou charged at the Type One Revised. The lower half of its rear is a common blind spot for vehicles and four-legged animals alike. In the Type One Revised’s case, its large tail only made it worse. It was the perfect place for Koutarou to attack.

“Oh no, Satomi-kun, get back!”

“Huh?!”

Koutarou heard Harumi’s warning through the power of the sword, and although confused, instinctively followed her instructions by activating his emergency boosters to forcibly change his trajectory. He flew over the Type One Revised instead of attacking it from behind. He almost passed out from the sudden acceleration, but he managed to stay conscious, and his efforts were well worth it.

“What are those? Homing bullets?”

Before Koutarou’s eyes were several glowing balls. They traced a beautiful curve in the air as they chased after him. The balls of light had been sent to attack Koutarou from his blind spot just as he himself closed in on the Type One Revised’s blind spot. He was only able to avoid them because Harumi had warned him in time.

“You’re wrong, Satomi-kun! They’re attack spells! It seems that mechanical dragon can use magic!”

“What?!”

The Type One Revised had many parts of it enhanced by magic, but it was also outright equipped with magic weapons. Yellow’s specialty reinforcement magic was used to create a crystal that launched attack spells. However, to actually activate those spells, the mana that would form the energy bullets was required from a separate source. And so a device capable of converting the necessary energy had been created using Orange’s alteration magic. That device transmuted the vast energy output from the Type One Revised’s generator into mana. With that setup, all that had to be done to launch spells was send energy through the conversion device.

The launched attack spells then used Green’s precast divination magic for guidance. It was a simple method that targeted everything apart from the Type One Revised that flew faster than a certain speed, but it worked well with the large amounts of energy bullets it launched. And so the powers of Yellow, Orange, and Green were combined into a convenient magic weapon that could be used either to attack outright or shoot down enemy missiles. That was what had been unleashed on the unsuspecting Koutarou.

“Sakuraba-senpai, I’m counting on you!”

“Please, Signaltin!”

But since it was still a magical attack, Koutarou was in luck. Signaltin was overwhelmingly effective against other magic. The white light that enveloped the sword had the power to dispel or negate almost anything. Koutarou used it to cut down the balls of light before they could ever hit him, but if it hadn’t been for Harumi’s warning, he would have been the one cut down.

“Are you okay, Satomi-kun?”

“I’m okay. But seriously, can that thing just do everything?”

As the Type One Revised’s spells were homing, they could be fired regardless of direction or posture. It had even managed to attack Koutarou while it was concentrating on Alunaya. It seemed their strategy of using one of them as a distraction was a failure.

“This is bad, Koutarou! Our opponent is far tougher than it looks! It was made with fighting several opponents in mind from the start!” Theia called.

The Type One Revised didn’t just excel in offense. It also had superb evasive skills and defensive capabilities. The magic homing weapons only served to accentuate those features. Theia was right. The machine had been designed to deal with multiple opponents at the same time. Thanks to that, even Koutarou and the others joining in hadn’t managed to accomplish much as far as turning the tables in their favor. While berserk Tayuma or Purple might have had more power, in comparison, the Type One Revised was much harder to fight.

“Heh heh. It seems you’re having a hard time, gentlemen.”

Just as a dark cloud was beginning to creep over their hopes, an overly optimistic voice filled the area. Strangely enough, however, it came not as a sound, but rather as vibrations in spiritual energy.

“The time has finally come for Sanae-chan to shine!” she cheered.

“What do you mean?” Koutarou asked.

“I don’t really know. Kiriha said to come, so I did.”

The mysterious voice of course belonged to none other than Sanae. Having guessed that Koutarou and the others were at a disadvantage, Kiriha had sent her to turn things around.

“But I know what to do, so leave it to me! You come with me, Koutarou!”

“I don’t get it, but whatever! I’m counting on you for now, Sanae!”

“Leave it to me!”

Sanae’s innocent voice and her unfounded confidence seemed to brighten everyone’s mood. As he chased after her, Koutarou started to think that Sanae’s true power wasn’t her psychic abilities, but rather her knack for cheering people up.

“Okay, this should be fine.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Explaining it is a pain, so I’ll just show you.”

“Hey now...”

“Special Attack: Local Area Sanae-channel!”

As Sanae mimicked a special attack pose out of an anime, the spiritual energy normally surrounding her began swelling up. It then split into two channels and poured over Koutarou and Alunaya. Their bodies were awash in the strongly glowing light of Sanae’s spiritual energy.

“That should do it. I’ll leave the rest to you!”

“Wait a minute, what did you—”

Unsure of what had just happened, Koutarou was left confused at the sight. Alunaya, however, understood perfectly.

“No, this is fine! Thank you, Sanae!”

“You bet!”

Alunaya made a wide turn and headed towards Koutarou and Sanae. Sanae proudly raised her index and middle fingers in a victorious V shape.

“Get on, Blue Knight!”

“Got it!”

Alunaya had come to pick up Koutarou. In order to pull off what he was considering doing, he would need Koutarou’s powers.

“Satomi-kun, your hand!”

Harumi, who had been sitting on Alunaya’s back from the start, reached out to Koutarou. He took her hand and climbed up onto Alunaya.

“Thank you, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Good luck!” Sanae yelled as she waved.

And with Sanae seeing them off, Alunaya flew off to face the Type One Revised again. He was going to launch another attack, this time with Koutarou and Harumi.

“Alunaya-dono, what are you planning on doing?”

“You still haven’t realized? Can’t you feel a change in your body?”

“A change...?”

“That girl made us much faster.”

Koutarou and Alunaya had been struggling against the Type One Revised because it outmatched them in speed and reaction time at every turn. It moved faster than any living creature ever could. Their nervous systems and thinking speeds were just too slow. Koutarou and Alunaya were no exception. They would need supernatural powers to move at the speeds they needed to keep up with the Type One Revised.

Fortunately, that’s exactly what Sanae had done for them. She psychically jumpstarted their brains, which in turn allowed them to use the spiritual energy surrounding them like an alternative nervous system. Their enhanced brains gave swift orders, and their bodies reacted instantly using spiritual energy. They were now several times faster than they had been before.

“With this kind of speed, we can catch up to that fake! But it’s still too much for me alone!”

“And that’s where I come in, huh?”

“That’s right. I’m counting on you, Blue Knight!”

“Let’s end it this time, Alunaya-dono!”

Koutarou stood on Alunaya’s head and held Signaltin firmly with both hands. It was as if Alunaya had grown an extra horn.

“Then let us go!”

Fwoosh!

Alunaya flapped his large wings and propelled his body forward like a bullet. Thanks to Sanae, his wings were not only faster, but also more powerful and more accurate. His performance was on a totally different level now, almost like aerobatics at jet speeds. Koutarou and Harumi certainly would have lost consciousness and been blown away if it wasn’t for Signaltin’s protection.

“Hahahaha! I thank you, Sanae! With this, I can finally fight properly!”

Boom, boom!

The Type One Revised intercepted the incoming Alunaya by firing the two cannons on its shoulders. Its aim was accurate and the shells barreled through the air at blazing speed, but they didn’t come close to hitting Alunaya. Rapidly changing his direction at sporadic intervals, he easily dodged both rounds.

“Now that we’re moving at the same speed, I can tell that your attacks are sloppy!” Alunaya taunted the soulless dragon.

Rat tat tat tat tat!

Realizing that the cannons were ineffective, the Type One Revised switched to the machine guns on its arms. They spewed a line of bullets that arced like a whip swinging to cut down Alunaya.

“Master!” Ruth called to Koutarou.

“Alunaya-dono, keep advancing just like you are!” he instructed.

“Hmm? Understood!”

A group of unmanned fighters swarmed to Alunaya. They formed a three-dimensional shield around him and deployed their barriers, blocking the bullets from the machine guns. Of course, each unit could only protect against a few shots at best. But thanks to their formation and sheer number, they were quite an effective defense.

“They might be machines too, but they move creatively! I like them!”

Alunaya flew through the break in the line of bullets that Ruth had created. It was a close fit with his massive body, but with his enhanced physical abilities, he managed it with ease.

Whirrr...

But as Alunaya moved through the bullets, he temporarily had to fly in a straight line. Detecting this, the Type One Revised turned its laser cannon on him.

“I’ll show you how you read ahead!”

Boom!

There was a sudden explosion before the Type One Revised. It was the result of a special shell Theia fired that created smoke and spread chaff to jam radars. While landing a direct hit on the Type One Revised might be difficult, it was still possible to rob it of its vision when it tried to attack Alunaya. And that was exactly what Theia had done. It was an extraordinary example of her ability to predict three moves ahead in battle. Her shell had caused the Type One Revised’s laser to miss after it lost track of Alunaya. And even if it had hit, it would have dispersed enough in the smoke that it likely wouldn't have done any damage to Alunaya.

Alunaya, however, still knew where the Type One Revised was. He dove through the smoke and attacked again. Opening his mouth wide, he tried to bite the machine. In response, the Type One Revised supplied the onboard crystal with a vast amount of mana to fire a flurry of energy bullets. Their numbers far surpassed the attack it had unleashed on Koutarou earlier, and each one came flying at Alunaya.

“Blue Knight, I’m counting on you!”

“Right! Let’s go, Sakuraba-senpai!”

“Shine, Signaltin! Bright enough to wake all the world!”

Harumi pointed her palms at Koutarou, and as she did, the crest on her forehead, her long hair, and Signaltin all began to glow. The glow rapidly grew into a brilliant light. It was so bright that it was impossible to look directly at Signaltin’s blade.

I will protect Satomi-kun! I will protect Koutarou-sama! I’ll make sure that everyone’s Blue Knight, the hope of Forthorthe, is victorious! Even if costs me my life!

The way Harumi was using her powers was dangerous, but she had no other choice. There were just too many energy bullets coming at them at once. Times were desperate, and Harumi didn’t hesitate to resort to desperate measures. She would do anything to protect Koutarou. She wanted nothing more than victory for her friends and allies. And she was prepared to lay down her life for either cause.

“Hyaaaaaaaah!”

From atop Alunaya’s head, Koutarou swung Signaltin with all his might. His sword, wreathed in a more intense glow than ever before, extended into a giant blade of light. It was well over a hundred meters in length, and it lit up the surrounding area like it was midday. The energy bullets that came into contact with the light melted away within as if their existence has been nothing but a dream.

“It’s too late to protect yourself now!” Alunaya shouted confidently.

Following the last word, fire spewed from his draconic mouth. The dense, high temperature flames took over Signaltin’s role of lighting up the surroundings as they rained down on the Type One Revised. The mechanical dragon raised its barrier and activated its boosters in an attempt to escape the flames, but Alunaya could keep pace with it now.

Boom! Skreee! Krrrsh!

As the Type One Revised attempted to fly upwards and escape, it was caught in the falling flames. Its barrier was unable to withstand Alunaya’s attack and collapsed. While the Type One Revised hadn’t taken damage, its barrier and boosters had used up too much energy and now left the machine defenseless.

“Do it, Shizuka!”

“Haaaaah!”

Alunaya’s right fist went flying at the mechanical dragon. It was a karate thrust that Shizuka had practiced countless times, now being reproduced with Alunaya’s massive body. It was a seemingly simple technique, but it was a powerful one. The strike connected with all of Alunaya’s strength behind it and easily pierced through the armor plating that was supposedly strengthened with magic, smashing whatever was behind it into pieces.

“Well done, Shizuka. I was right too chose you as my partner.”

“You honor me, Uncle!”

“Behold! Victory is ours!”

With a satisfied smile that revealed his fangs, Alunaya twisted his right hand inside the machine and crushed the Type One Revised’s heart—its generator.