Chapter 78: Chapter 78

The new Alfraia colossus with three mana cores.

The knights who had fought them on the central front called it the Delta Colossus, or "three-hearted colossus."

From inside the colossus came the bestial howl of the elf knight riding within.

The voice-like some beast's wail-poured through the loudspeaker of the opposing colossus, wiping away any trace of the elf race once called the embodiment of wisdom.

"So they're not right in the head over there either, huh?"

Recalling Delranel's physical state when he had opened the cockpit, Yaan ran his tongue over his lips.

Save for the paint scheme, its armament was almost identical to the Delranel Frame they had seen before.

[No additional weapons confirmed. Initiating motion-data simulation for close-quarters combat.]

"No, no close-quarters."

Cutting off Nill's analysis of the Delta Colossus before them, Yaan pulled the Rail Cannon mounted on his back.

'Unlike last time, we've plenty of ammo. No need to push recklessly.'

He would keep his distance, drain its stamina, and watch how things developed. With that thought, Yaan raised the Rail Cannon on his back.

Yet the instant Yaan pulled the trigger, the colossus leapt upward and evaded the shot with ease.

"What the-? It's not some damn beast, so why's it so fast?"

Mobility that rivaled Glaepnir's. Staring at it, Yaan fired two more Rail Cannon rounds at the airborne colossus.

But again the colossus angled its armor plates to create a ricochet, ending the exchange with no real gain.

[Change in armor composition confirmed. Projectile overheating-melting before impact.]

The heat of the muzzle was melting the rounds away.

At Nill's absurd addendum, Yaan clicked his tongue-just as the Delta Colossus rushed in at lightning speed.

"Damn it-into the cannon's dead zone!"

Spotting the Delta Colossus charging from behind the Greyhound company still locked in combat, Yaan spat a curse.

Tsk. Mad as a hatter, yet the combat brain's still sharp.

Glaepnir caught the onrushing colossus with both arms and immediately drove a knee toward the cockpit block.

A metallic crash-impact delivered, but the angle was poor. The pilot seemed unharmed, and the rampaging colossus began pressing Glaepnir back.

A world apart from Delranel, who had forced his unmoving body to move.

As Glaepnir struggled against the berserk colossus, a horde of goblins bore down on the Greyhounds racing back to the frontline base.

"Kieeeek! Humans! They've taken Sir Knight-seize them!"

"Kieeeek! Kill them all!"

"Goblins front! Commence firing!"

The 87th Independent Company's rifles blazed at the goblins charging their way.

Facing starving goblins head-on, the soldiers advanced while rationing every round.

"Kill them! Grab them!"

"These bastards just keep coming even after taking bullets!"

Unlike the goblins of the Kerdan front, these fully feral creatures seemed to forget the pain of bullets and charged blindly.

"Good thing we've got guns-what the hell is this!"

"Number Two reloaded! Covering!"

"Number Three's slot's open! Cover the angle and speed up!"

Starved goblins hurled themselves at the Greyhounds, whose limited ammo kept them from full firepower.

Some soldiers drew entrenching shovels and hatchets to fend off the goblins, but they couldn't hold forever.

Realizing this, Yaan cursed and focused every nerve on the colossus before him.

'Without colossus support we're just buying time. I have to crush this thing fast!'

Every second wasted meant more dead soldiers. The operation would stall.

That was unthinkable.

"Nill. Neutralize it ASAP. Release limiters!"

[Order confirmed. Synchronization lock released. Maximum output.]

Glaepnir's armor plates opened, and a beast-like glare flared savagely.

In tandem, Yaan felt his blood and muscles boil as his vision flipped.

Through the crimson field streamed Nill's real-time calculations.

Predicting vector and speed, reacting a beat faster.

The Delta Colossus came in with spikes on both arms, but Glaepnir-already inside its guard-bent the arm, deflected the strike, and pressed the counterattack.

The elf knight shrieked, startled. Glaepnir caught the frenzied punch and crushed the fist as it lost all reason.

"As if this is enough!"

Twisting and snapping the mangled fist against the joint, Glaepnir then seized the arm and began to tear it out.

A sickening sound as if ripping a human limb free. The torn-off arm sailed and slammed into the red wasteland.

But in that instant the remaining fist slammed into Glaepnir's head. The blow sent Yaan reeling, a groan escaping him.

Yet the enemy had lost an arm. Spotting exposed joint parts beneath torn armor, Yaan swapped the medium machine-gun belt for incendiaries.

"I'll have to roast the cockpit itself!"

Glaepnir lunged, grabbed the colossus's head, and shoved the gun muzzle into the gap where the arm had been ripped away.

Before the elf knight's dying curse could leave the loudspeaker, the trigger was pulled.

Point-blank fire poured into the cockpit.

The sustained burst heated the barrel until it slagged; the cockpit became a molten lump.

Power gone, the colossus toppled with a heavy thud.

Molten cockpit remnants spilled from the chest like blood from a corpse.

"Nill. Where are our soldiers?"

But there was no time for sentiment.

He had to support the company fighting goblins-faster.

[Engaged two kilometers ahead.]

"Good. Moving to support. Output...!"

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As he dashed to assist, Yaan's strength left him in an instant; one knee hit the ground.

"Nanomachine side effects-why now...!"

The crushing g-force dissolved his strength. Yet if he failed to support here, ten soldiers would be lost.

Groaning like the elf knight he had just felled, Yaan forced his failing body up and sprinted toward the embattled company.

"A colossus! Sir Knight is down!"

"Withdraw! Withdraw-!"

Was it a blessing that they fled in terror the instant they spotted Glaepnir?

[Nanomachine overload confirmed. Further Frame operation impossible. Switching to autonomous mode, administering stabilizer.]

Before Yaan could answer, a clear drug flowed into the back of Yaan's neck-perhaps they could no longer bear to watch Yaan's body convulse like mad.

For an instant his eyes snapped open at the foreign sensation, but Yaan soon lost consciousness and slumped.

After returning to the frontline base, Glaepnir and the company handed the captured elf knight over to HQ company and headed for the maintenance yard.

[First diagnosis: no nanomachine anomalies detected. Pilot heart rate stable.]

"Good. A little better."

Once the convulsions had calmed, Yaan severed the neural connection and climbed out of Glaepnir.

Prince Klaus was already waiting below for him.

The moment he disembarked, a company member who had returned with him approached and spoke quietly.

"Cheap price for two colossi. The weapons?"

"Recovered. Nothing captured."

After relaying several points about after-action procedures and sending him to Dandel, Yaan turned to Prince Klaus, who had been waiting in front of him.

"The newly supplied weapons are usable. They worked on Colossus Six's joints."

"...Good. Glad to hear it. How about the rest?"

Those who had actually used the weapon on the battlefield answered Klaus's question.

"The rapid-fire function was nice, but firing three shots at once seems useless."

"If we couldn't land the first shot it was worthless. Two men died because of it."

"Understood. I'll take responsibility and improve it. Anything else?"

After watching the prince and the soldiers discuss the newly issued weapons, Yaan eventually spotted Ren watching him from a corner of the maintenance yard.

"More will die from now on."

Ren spoke those words with a blank face, but Yaan's expression was uneasy.

"The side effects kicked in. Thanks to that I was a step late. I might as well have killed two of them myself."

At Yaan's quiet answer Ren neither confirmed nor denied it; she simply listened in silence.

"I've done everything I can within my power-liquor, food, money... I poured out whatever I had. I don't know how they felt about it."

No one joins the Penal Corps without reasons.

Only the fellow company members remember the fallen whose bodies they couldn't even recover.

Just as the aftertaste of battle was fading, a messenger with the Gard insignia on his shoulder called out to Yaan, who was lighting a cigarette.

"A message from the Second Prince: 'Take part personally in tomorrow's offensive and set an example as an Imperial knight.' End."

"Our company just returned from combat today."

Yaan objected, but the messenger merely bowed his head.

"I only relay the orders I was given."

"...Fine. Tell him I understand."

Gard, commander-in-chief of the entire central front. His orders carry the same weight as an imperial order.

As always, he and his unit had no right of refusal.

The frontline base, bright as midday even at night.

Yaan lit a cheap ration cigarette and took a long drag.

Soon the cigarette smoke spread from his lips.

Beyond it, on the central plains, countless colossi slowly advanced, their combat preparations complete.