Chapter 77: Chapter 77

[Pilot confirmed aboard. Glaepnir, systems starting.]

As the ashen colossus rose up in the maintenance yard and walked out, the eyes of the other knights snapped toward it.

"So that's the Ancient colossus."

"I heard it crushed the monster they call Tauros."

Seeing for themselves the form of the colossus said to have reversed the battle alone at the frontier, a few Free Knights spoke up in interest.

"Hah! Just empty boasting from Lorenz. There's no trace of mana- that's just a tin can!"

"Exactly what I was saying. How can it plan to beat Alfraia without mana?"

The knights of House Belkuth and the nobles of the new-aristocracy faction who were watching Glaepnir kept up their harsh words, but Yaan in the cockpit, inputting the map data, heard none of it.

No- there was no need to hear.

[Terrain data upload complete. Optimal route plotted using soil-analysis results.]

A red line drew itself across the map that appeared before Yaan, showing the scouting path to the target.

With those words Glaepnir raised an arm and signaled to the Greyhounds who were watching from somewhere.

"Confirmed the company commander's signal."

"Advance under concealment. If anything abnormal is detected, engage immediately without a preliminary signal."

Unlike forests thick with vines, city streets, or villages rich in cover, this terrain was wide open wasteland.

"I was wondering why there're so few infantry even though this is the central front..."

"Now I see. If hundreds of colossi were moving across this wide land, ground-pounders like us wouldn't be able to pick up our bones."

While moving toward the operation zone, the 87th Independent Company kept up their grumbling.

Central front. This red earth that occupies most of the border between Vailsar and Alfraia is open ground without cover; naturally colossi, not infantry, move back and forth.

Thanks to the arms race, both nations now own several thousand colossi each, so no foot soldier operates on these plains anymore.

Except for the 87th Independent Company, who had changed into red camouflage.

While the company continued covert movement hidden in the shadows, Glaepnir- which had volunteered as bait- checked the rounds left in its back-mounted Rail Cannon and smiled.

"At least I don't have to worry about ammo now."

Muttering that, Glaepnir mounted the Rail Cannon on its arm.

At the same moment, a corner of Nill's screen lit up.

[Enemy movement detected. Four supply trucks, four colossi. Large escort. Arrival in five minutes.]

The instant Nill finished, Glaepnir signaled the company.

'All units hold ambush. Hold fire until the flare.'

After speaking, Glaepnir slowly lowered its stance. Immediately the troopers clinging to the frame began draping camouflage nets over Glaepnir's body.

As Glaepnir's reactive armor plates shifted to help their work, the giant frame was fully hidden in under three minutes.

[Optical camouflage unavailable. Related components not found.]

"There's still a way to use terrain ."

Crouching as low as possible, Glaepnir slowly raised the Rail Cannon.

Positioned behind a hill, lying prone as if waiting for a target for ages, Glaepnir looked exactly like a sniper.

Covered in desert sand with only its muzzles exposed, Glaepnir waited for the Alfraian forces that would pass through this defile.

Alfraia's Colossus Six had already come within arm's reach.

But Yaan in Glaepnir shook his head and signaled the troops hidden in the shadows.

'Hold. Let the second colossus pass.'

Soon the next colossus passed and the supply trucks rolled out behind them.

"Nill. The cargo they're moving. Can you identify the contents?"

At Yaan's lowered question, Nill answered.

[Impossible. The cargo's interior is lined with special material blocking all scanning waves.]

"Which means ancient human technology could be involved."

As Yaan finished his thought, the third colossus passed, and the last colossus was walking.

With a sharp engine whine, electromagnetic energy began to build in Glaepnir's hidden barrel.

"Load flare. Beginning combat."

[Confirmed. Glaepnir, locking synchronization. Switching to combat output.]

The moment Nill answered, Yaan pulled the trigger.

Colossus Six, its cockpit cleanly lanced, rose into the air.

One second after the event, the delayed report of the shot shook the moving colossus group.

-Enemy assault! Enemy assault!

-All units to combat readiness!

Seeing their ally colossus gone to a sudden ambush, the elf knights cried out in dismay.

"Enemy! Enemy! Protect the cargo!"

The goblins escorting the convoy, panic-stricken, could only look around frantically.

"Good. They still haven't located us."

As he spoke, Glaepnir's reticle glowed, and he pulled the trigger again.

A great shield angled in defense.

The Rail Cannon round, deflected by the layered armor plates of the colossus, tore a long gash in the shield with a screech.

But the shot had succeeded in altering trajectory; Colossus Six, abandoning its shield, locked eyes with the ambushed Glaepnir.

"We've been spotted."

[Stow Rail Cannon. Switching to close-combat loadout.]

As Nill spoke, the red sand cloaking Glaepnir burst upward like an explosion.

Through the dust-shrouded view, the colossus's weapon spat fire, but barely one round grazed Glaepnir's armor.

"That all you've got!"

Glaepnir dropped from the sky, sword sweeping vertically.

Overwhelming mass crumpled armor plating, and the cockpit caught on the saw-toothed blade was ripped from the colossus.

The pilot was still conscious, but Yaan paid no heed.

After crushing the cockpit, Glaepnir turned to the two remaining colossi.

One hand held a giant cavalry lance, the other a machine gun.

While Yaan wondered at the unfamiliar loadout, one colossus began spraying machine-gun fire at Glaepnir.

Caliber, rate of fire- everything was leagues beyond the Elf colossi they had faced before.

With no time to marvel at weapons that improved daily, Colossus Six's cavalry lance charged Glaepnir.

Glaepnir caught it one-handed, but the weapon's weight left it no room for more.

-It's you! The one who turned the Kerdan front into a wasteland!

Hearing the elf knights shout as though they knew him, Yaan let out a deflated sound.

-Sworn enemy of Buertael! I'll repay you here with your head!

Colossus Six, still gripping the lance, spoke.

Booster modules ignited at the lance's base and began pushing Glaepnir's giant frame back.

The other frame, cavalry lance in hand, also rushed Glaepnir.

Yaan's body shook violently as it withstood the attacks of the two charging colossi.

Soon, on the faces of the two colossus pilots who had pushed Glaepnir back to the very edge of the cliff, a gleam of ecstasy flickered.

-At last! At last, this guy-!

-Buertael! We did it! Your enemy...!

As the two elves shouted, they prepared the final blow against Glaepnir before their eyes.

[Enemy Frame, target point guided complete.]

"Good. Fire the signal flare."

But at that moment, Glaepnir's back plates opened and something shot skyward.

Soon the signal flare filled the sky.

Recognizing by its color pattern what it meant, the elf knights muttered in disbelief-

"Commence firing...?"

An explosion erupted between Colossus Six's legs. The blast hit the joint parts inside. Losing balance, the two-legged weapon toppled on the spot, unable to bear the weight of its massive body and cavalry lance.

-Guel! Damn it, where are they? Somewhere around here...!

Speaking thus and looking around, the elf knight, Piel, was frantically searching for the enemy colossus with his eyes.

"Gone! Nowhere! What the hell are those goblins doing...!"

As Piel cursed, something flashed through his mind; he turned his eyes and looked beneath his own feet.

"Th-this is... Janskarl's...!"

Soldiers beneath his feet, shouldering a huge black cylinder and aiming at him. On the left shoulder of their uniforms was the gray hunting-dog seal.

"Heat dissipation complete!"

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The same explosion as moments ago. This time the knee joint failed.

Colossus Six collapsed, losing balance. Soon Yaan's Glaepnir rushed in and crushed all four of the colossus's limbs.

-Take the survivors alive. After bringing them to headquarters, extract the intel.

Having said that, Yaan immediately tore off the hatches of the two fallen colossi.

"Screeeee?! The humans have seized the knights!"

"A-attack! Protect the elves...!"

The goblin legion that had belatedly followed the colossi arrived, but with no colossi left to shield them, they were nothing more than prey for Glaepnir.

While the anti-personnel medium machine gun mounted on Glaepnir's left arm shredded the goblins into flesh, the two subdued elf knights were dragged away in an instant by the soldiers.

"Y-you filthy humans dare...!"

"Let go! Let me go... gah!"

Soon the soldiers, having knocked them unconscious with the butt of a rifle to the temple, began to haul them to the frontline base.

[Warning. Enemy Frame approaching. Arrival in 5... 4...]

"Shit, why now of all times?"

At the unexpected situation Yaan let out a curse.

Simultaneously, a metallic shriek rang out.

Glaepnir, blocking the assault-gun round that had flown toward the soldiers with one arm, quietly stared at the spot it had come from.

A frame as abnormally huge as the one they had seen before-Delranel's-its two arms fitted with assault guns.

[Heat source and Frame silhouette identified. Match found with previous engagement data.]

"So, one of the three from the report."