The next morning, both the Counters and Exotics squads left the village where the blizzard had subsided and began to advance.
Avoiding the steep terrain that would take about seven hours on foot, they set the lighthouse at the tip of the cape as their goal and resumed marching.
Jackal seemed curious as to why they had to avoid steep terrain, but Neon patiently explained, including the dangers of avalanches based on his own experience.
"Is this tedious march still continuing?"
"Eighty percent of the job is digging trenches, so it's better than that."
"...What's that?"
"If you don't know, it's better."
While advancing with caution, Crow approached Moore's side and struck up a conversation seemingly out of boredom.
"Shaw, how about being a conversation partner?"
"...I don't mind."
"Actually, from yesterday's conversation, I have some questions..."
"...Questions?"
Moore, looking through sunglasses, turned his gaze to Crow walking on his left side and implicitly urged him to continue.
"JohnD is talking about conspiracy theories. Do you think Nikkes, who have been liberated from the constraints, brainwashing, and consciousness of discrimination, will resist against humans?"
"...It won't change that easily. And didn't I tell you to ask a researcher?"
The conversation had already ended. Moore sighed mixed with a sigh and opened his pouch to take out a soft pack. Just as he was about to light one with an oil lighter, what Moore held was snatched from the side.
"It's a nice lighter. It could sell well at the pawnshop in the Outer Rim."
"...Can you give it back?"
The solid silver oil lighter had passed into Crow's hands.
It was a lighter that had been around for quite some time. It was regrettable to have it stolen with affection.
Making a sound by opening and closing the lid several times, Crow, playing with it, looked up at Moore with a relaxed expression.
"I want to hear your opinion, Shaw."
It's meaningless to have an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Moore, who sighed, adjusted his helmet to cover his face deeper and began to speak in a calm tone.
"...They will resist someday."
"Oh?"
"Using words or... as history has proven, using force. Or perhaps using other means. But they are approaching their limits. Nikke used to be human. At that time, there is no doubt that the power balance between humanity and Nikkes will be reversed. In the current situation, humanity has no chance of winning."
I see, Crow nodded once and stopped. Turning the wheel of the open oil lighter, he scattered sparks. When the volatile oil ignited, he offered it to Moore.
"At that time, whose side will you be on?"
"I don't want to be on either side. Before that, I hope that our efforts will be rewarded and useful. As a soldier, I can't say more than this. Don't call it an escape excuse, okay?"
With the offered fire, he roasted the tip of the cigarette. As the purple smoke rose in the sub-zero air, Crow twisted the closed oil lighter into Moore's pouch.
"...You're really weird. It's strange... I don't feel like killing you when I talk to you. It's unusual for a human."
"...Are you complimenting me?"
You can take it that way."
This time, her slender fingers reached towards his mouth. Before he could protest, the just-lit cigarette was taken away, and it was put into his well-formed lips.
Rather than questioning whether it was even smokeable, Crow, with two fingers, inhaled the purple smoke from the cigarette before Moore could express doubt. The sound of the exhaled smoke included a sigh.
"Sooner... if I had met a human like you, I might have become an optimistic and carefree Nikke like those Counters' Nikes."
"...Don't flatter me. Meeting me won't change you so easily."
Unable to retrieve the oil lighter that had been twisted in, Moore brought his cigarette close to the burning tip of the one offered while it was still in Crow's mouth.
With their faces close together, the tips of their cigarettes touched, and eventually, the fire was passed on, sizzling.
"Nevertheless, it doesn't matter whether people change sooner or later."
"No, that's not true."
Moore, looking through his sunglasses, directed his deep brown eyes towards Crow, who had clearly asserted.
"The time when I could find hope in this damn world... has long passed."
Moore didn't miss the resignation, regret, and above all, the resentment contained in the muttered voice.
"Multiple Lord-class! Estimated to be Tyrant-class or higher for one unit!!"
Despite the beauty of the twinkling stars in the clear night sky, it was an unsophisticated sight.
The lighthouse on the cape, set as the target, was soon to be reached when the ground began to shake.
Rapi's voice, making everyone feel an enemy attack and alertness involuntarily, was more than enough to put everyone in combat readiness immediately.
"Another surprise attack!? That's why I said we need an operator!!"
"This is a secret operation, and we couldn't get that support, you know!"
"But!!"
"By the way, communication was also down!"
"Buttttttt!!"
Amid Anis' complaints echoing, Moore visually confirmed the terrain information.
The situation was described as the worst, and it wasn't an exaggeration.
There weren't many objects that could serve as cover, and the left side was a sheer cliff. Below was the sea.
No, conversely, it might be convenient not to worry about being flanked from the left side.
For now, he decided to lighten his load and dropped his backpack on the spot. When the backpack, containing nearly 50kg of equipment, was removed, his whole body instantly felt lighter.
"Exotics...!"
"I'll back you up from the rear~. I haven't had any experience fighting against Tyrant-class."
Rapi gave instructions to the squad for combat formation and attempted to inform Exotics about their positioning, but Viper, with a smile, responded first.
Continuing, her eyes were directed at Moore, who was disengaging the safety of the assault rifle.
"Is that okay, darling?"
"...No, sorry, but we're short-handed here too. Lend a hand."
"What's the matter? You seem quite timid."
"I count on you as fighting power. So please."
"...I see. Then, I'll definitely respond to that trust. In an outlaw's way. Viper, Jackal, let's go."
Having heard his response, Crow, after a brief moment of contemplation, turned on her heel, leading Viper and Jackal forward. Viper, seeming reluctant, sent a sidelong glance at Moore and puffed out her cheeks.
Watching them go, Moore slightly pulled the charging handle of the assault rifle, completing the check to ensure the first round was chambered.
"...Is it okay?"
"...they won't betray you here and now. Those types of personalities—probably, they betray you at crucial moments."
"At crucial moments, huh?"
"...Of course, I can't say for sure... They're coming. Be prepared!"
As Anise watched the Exotics move forward, Moore responded in a low voice. Just as they heard his reply, a loud voice rang out, causing the girls to tense.
Breaking through the snow that had piled up and solidified, six Lord-class Raptures appeared.
And—
"What's that thing?"
Floating in the air rather than flying—an enemy machine that seemed difficult to describe, a large Rapture. It was undoubtedly Tyrant-class at first glance, but its design was hard to compare to anything. It undeniably resembled a marine creature—perhaps a sperm whale.
However, everyone knows that whales don't float like that in the sky, even a child.
Why doesn't that huge whale with seemingly tremendous mass fall due to gravity? It truly was a wonder and incomprehensible.
In any case, it was certain that it was an enemy to be defeated.
"Exotics, clear the Lord-class, Counters, knock down that giant beast! Encounter!!"
His resonant voice became the signal for engagement.
Gunfire from both squads, the sounds of grenades and mortars being fired, started to reverberate.
The Exotics, assigned to the vanguard, fired at the approaching Lord-class Raptures, trying to prevent them from emitting laser beams. The lack of cover was a problem, but they seemed to compensate by evading enemy attacks by running around.
While they blocked the approach of the Lord-class Raptures, Moore's Counters dealt with the floating giant whale.
"Anise! Can you target that big fin... no, wing... there!?"
"I'll give it a try!!"
The giant whale had two pairs of pectoral fins-like objects protruding from both sides. Anise received instructions to aim for the particularly large pair.
Bullets and shotgun pellets were fervently shot, closing the distance between them, and they showered the belly of the giant whale with a barrage of hits, but the effectiveness was lacking.
"I wish we had a whaling gun...!"
After throwing the spent magazine into the dump pouch and inserting a new one, Moore muttered unintentionally at the sturdiness of the giant whale.
Nevertheless, to bring down that giant whale, an ordinary whaling gun wouldn't be effective.
Next to Moore, a soft popping sound echoed. It was the sound of Anise firing a grenade.
The launched grenade hit the base of the particularly prominent giant pectoral fin, enveloping it in a thin smoke.
The giant whale swayed, but quickly regained its posture. Some effect was acknowledged, but a bit more penetrating power was needed.
"Jackal!"
Moore called out to Jackal, who was among the Exotics holding a grenade launcher, particularly stopping the advance of the Lord-class in the front.
That eccentric design—strictly speaking, only in terms of appearance—when called by him, she turned around after firing one round at the Lord-class.
"Shoot the tip of the tracer round!"
It was faster to demonstrate by shooting it herself than to say where to aim.
He aimed the muzzle at the particularly large pectoral fin of the giant whale and pulled the trigger in rapid succession. Along with the deep gunshots, large-caliber projectiles flew out of the barrel.
The traces of the tracer rounds, loaded every five shots, lingered in the air, pointing to the area Jackal should aim at.
Her launcher's firing port was directed towards the indicated spot. After licking her lips with a slightly long tongue, she pulled the trigger.
One, two grenades were shot, hitting the indicated base of the giant pectoral fin, immediately shrouded in smoke.
This time, the giant whale, having its posture significantly disrupted, began to float unsteadily. Seizing this rare opportunity, the Counters concentrated their attacks.
Moore also loaded grenades into the grenade launcher attached to the lower part of the barrel, raised the dedicated sights, and aimed.
The target was likely the core. The area equivalent to the whale's furrow, glowing pale green, was a single point.
Connecting the sights to the aimed point, he pulled the trigger of the launcher. With a deflating firing sound, the grenade traced a lazy arc in the air, and at the moment of impact, a faint green flash ran through the night sky. The giant whale fell beyond the cliff—towards the sea.
"We've defeated the Tyrant-class—"
As soon as it hit the water, a massive column of water rose, and at that moment, a discordant sound resembling a shriek rang out around them.
—It was a calling signal.
"Damn it...!"
It seemed that the Tyrant-class left a nasty parting gift.
At the very end, the Tyrant-class emitted a calling signal that began to summon Raptures in the vicinity.
—Kill them.
Guided by the malevolent and discordant sound, enemy machines gathered from somewhere and formed a flock.
"How many are there?!"
"There are about 30!"
"It's better than an all-out war!"
Suddenly, an explosion sound rang out from the front, and the shockwave struck the members of Counters.
"Ugh...!"
Rapi captured the three figures that seemed to be Exotics caught up in the explosion, blown away.
However, it seems they are still alive. Unfamiliar gunshots were immediately captured by the auditory sensors.
"Rapi! Neon, go ahead! Anise, stay with me—"
"Ugh!?"
Caught between front and rear, with approaching enemy machines from the relatively gentle slope on the right side. They were in a semi-encircled formation.
In addition to the emitted light, it seemed that old-model enemy machines were included, as large-caliber bullets were mixed in and hit one after another.
Just as Rapi and Neon were ordered to deal with the enemy machines, including the Lord-class in the front, Anis took a sniper shot from the approaching Raptures behind.
Her thigh was scorched as if it were gouged. Fortunately, the frame bone was intact, and the outflow of catalyst blood was not observed due to the scorching.
He carried Anis and moved her to the only cover, a rock shadow, in the narrow 20-meter-wide path. In the midst of crisscrossing laser beams and bullets from front and rear, he exposed Anise from the rock shadow, and faced the Rapture approaching with a assault rifle.
"Commander...!"
"Don't force yourself to move!"
"I'm okay... I can still move...!"
Anis, supporting herself with a grenade launcher, stood up and, leaning out from the rock shadow, directed the firing port towards the flock of enemy machines down the right side of the hill.
"Kyah!!?"
"Neon! Are you okay?!"
This time, it seemed that Neon had suffered injuries, and Moore, sensing it, involuntarily turned around. At that moment, an enemy grenade landed nearby.
Relatively speaking, the old-model Raptures seemed to use physical bullets. It couldn't be said definitively whether the beams or physical bullets were more lethal, but—
"Damn it...!"
At least the Raptures using physical bullets seemed to be adept at spreading harm in the surroundings. Fragments scattered, and a shell pierced Moore's right thigh.
"Commander!"
"Don't mind me! Shoot the enemies!"
The fabric of the cold-weather combat suit was gradually dyed with fresh blood. The injured area was the thigh. Pulling out the embedded fragment would only risk causing massive bleeding.
It was annoying, but there was no choice but to continue fighting in this state.
-----
Author: If there is a force of correction in the world... (But you wouldn't want to see Captain Moore falling apart like this, would you?)
The next morning, both the Counters and Exotics squads left the village where the blizzard had subsided and began to advance.
Avoiding the steep terrain that would take about seven hours on foot, they set the lighthouse at the tip of the cape as their goal and resumed marching.
Jackal seemed curious as to why they had to avoid steep terrain, but Neon patiently explained, including the dangers of avalanches based on his own experience.
"Is this tedious march still continuing?"
"Eighty percent of the job is digging trenches, so it's better than that."
"...What's that?"
"If you don't know, it's better."
While advancing with caution, Crow approached Moore's side and struck up a conversation seemingly out of boredom.
"Shaw, how about being a conversation partner?"
"...I don't mind."
"Actually, from yesterday's conversation, I have some questions..."
"...Questions?"
Moore, looking through sunglasses, turned his gaze to Crow walking on his left side and implicitly urged him to continue.
"JohnD is talking about conspiracy theories. Do you think Nikkes, who have been liberated from the constraints, brainwashing, and consciousness of discrimination, will resist against humans?"
"...It won't change that easily. And didn't I tell you to ask a researcher?"
The conversation had already ended. Moore sighed mixed with a sigh and opened his pouch to take out a soft pack. Just as he was about to light one with an oil lighter, what Moore held was snatched from the side.
"It's a nice lighter. It could sell well at the pawnshop in the Outer Rim."
"...Can you give it back?"
The solid silver oil lighter had passed into Crow's hands.
It was a lighter that had been around for quite some time. It was regrettable to have it stolen with affection.
Making a sound by opening and closing the lid several times, Crow, playing with it, looked up at Moore with a relaxed expression.
"I want to hear your opinion, Shaw."
It's meaningless to have an unlit cigarette in his mouth. Moore, who sighed, adjusted his helmet to cover his face deeper and began to speak in a calm tone.
"...They will resist someday."
"Oh?"
"Using words or... as history has proven, using force. Or perhaps using other means. But they are approaching their limits. Nikke used to be human. At that time, there is no doubt that the power balance between humanity and Nikkes will be reversed. In the current situation, humanity has no chance of winning."
I see, Crow nodded once and stopped. Turning the wheel of the open oil lighter, he scattered sparks. When the volatile oil ignited, he offered it to Moore.
"At that time, whose side will you be on?"
"I don't want to be on either side. Before that, I hope that our efforts will be rewarded and useful. As a soldier, I can't say more than this. Don't call it an escape excuse, okay?"
With the offered fire, he roasted the tip of the cigarette. As the purple smoke rose in the sub-zero air, Crow twisted the closed oil lighter into Moore's pouch.
"...You're really weird. It's strange... I don't feel like killing you when I talk to you. It's unusual for a human."
"...Are you complimenting me?"
You can take it that way."
This time, her slender fingers reached towards his mouth. Before he could protest, the just-lit cigarette was taken away, and it was put into his well-formed lips.
Rather than questioning whether it was even smokeable, Crow, with two fingers, inhaled the purple smoke from the cigarette before Moore could express doubt. The sound of the exhaled smoke included a sigh.
"Sooner... if I had met a human like you, I might have become an optimistic and carefree Nikke like those Counters' Nikes."
"...Don't flatter me. Meeting me won't change you so easily."
Unable to retrieve the oil lighter that had been twisted in, Moore brought his cigarette close to the burning tip of the one offered while it was still in Crow's mouth.
With their faces close together, the tips of their cigarettes touched, and eventually, the fire was passed on, sizzling.
"Nevertheless, it doesn't matter whether people change sooner or later."
"No, that's not true."
Moore, looking through his sunglasses, directed his deep brown eyes towards Crow, who had clearly asserted.
"The time when I could find hope in this damn world... has long passed."
Moore didn't miss the resignation, regret, and above all, the resentment contained in the muttered voice.
"Multiple Lord-class! Estimated to be Tyrant-class or higher for one unit!!"
Despite the beauty of the twinkling stars in the clear night sky, it was an unsophisticated sight.
The lighthouse on the cape, set as the target, was soon to be reached when the ground began to shake.
Rapi's voice, making everyone feel an enemy attack and alertness involuntarily, was more than enough to put everyone in combat readiness immediately.
"Another surprise attack!? That's why I said we need an operator!!"
"This is a secret operation, and we couldn't get that support, you know!"
"But!!"
"By the way, communication was also down!"
"Buttttttt!!"
Amid Anis' complaints echoing, Moore visually confirmed the terrain information.
The situation was described as the worst, and it wasn't an exaggeration.
There weren't many objects that could serve as cover, and the left side was a sheer cliff. Below was the sea.
No, conversely, it might be convenient not to worry about being flanked from the left side.
For now, he decided to lighten his load and dropped his backpack on the spot. When the backpack, containing nearly 50kg of equipment, was removed, his whole body instantly felt lighter.
"Exotics...!"
"I'll back you up from the rear~. I haven't had any experience fighting against Tyrant-class."
Rapi gave instructions to the squad for combat formation and attempted to inform Exotics about their positioning, but Viper, with a smile, responded first.
Continuing, her eyes were directed at Moore, who was disengaging the safety of the assault rifle.
"Is that okay, darling?"
"...No, sorry, but we're short-handed here too. Lend a hand."
"What's the matter? You seem quite timid."
"I count on you as fighting power. So please."
"...I see. Then, I'll definitely respond to that trust. In an outlaw's way. Viper, Jackal, let's go."
Having heard his response, Crow, after a brief moment of contemplation, turned on her heel, leading Viper and Jackal forward. Viper, seeming reluctant, sent a sidelong glance at Moore and puffed out her cheeks.
Watching them go, Moore slightly pulled the charging handle of the assault rifle, completing the check to ensure the first round was chambered.
"...Is it okay?"
"...they won't betray you here and now. Those types of personalities—probably, they betray you at crucial moments."
"At crucial moments, huh?"
"...Of course, I can't say for sure... They're coming. Be prepared!"
As Anise watched the Exotics move forward, Moore responded in a low voice. Just as they heard his reply, a loud voice rang out, causing the girls to tense.
Breaking through the snow that had piled up and solidified, six Lord-class Raptures appeared.
And—
"What's that thing?"
Floating in the air rather than flying—an enemy machine that seemed difficult to describe, a large Rapture. It was undoubtedly Tyrant-class at first glance, but its design was hard to compare to anything. It undeniably resembled a marine creature—perhaps a sperm whale.
However, everyone knows that whales don't float like that in the sky, even a child.
Why doesn't that huge whale with seemingly tremendous mass fall due to gravity? It truly was a wonder and incomprehensible.
In any case, it was certain that it was an enemy to be defeated.
"Exotics, clear the Lord-class, Counters, knock down that giant beast! Encounter!!"
His resonant voice became the signal for engagement.
Gunfire from both squads, the sounds of grenades and mortars being fired, started to reverberate.
The Exotics, assigned to the vanguard, fired at the approaching Lord-class Raptures, trying to prevent them from emitting laser beams. The lack of cover was a problem, but they seemed to compensate by evading enemy attacks by running around.
While they blocked the approach of the Lord-class Raptures, Moore's Counters dealt with the floating giant whale.
"Anise! Can you target that big fin... no, wing... there!?"
"I'll give it a try!!"
The giant whale had two pairs of pectoral fins-like objects protruding from both sides. Anise received instructions to aim for the particularly large pair.
Bullets and shotgun pellets were fervently shot, closing the distance between them, and they showered the belly of the giant whale with a barrage of hits, but the effectiveness was lacking.
"I wish we had a whaling gun...!"
After throwing the spent magazine into the dump pouch and inserting a new one, Moore muttered unintentionally at the sturdiness of the giant whale.
Nevertheless, to bring down that giant whale, an ordinary whaling gun wouldn't be effective.
Next to Moore, a soft popping sound echoed. It was the sound of Anise firing a grenade.
The launched grenade hit the base of the particularly prominent giant pectoral fin, enveloping it in a thin smoke.
The giant whale swayed, but quickly regained its posture. Some effect was acknowledged, but a bit more penetrating power was needed.
"Jackal!"
Moore called out to Jackal, who was among the Exotics holding a grenade launcher, particularly stopping the advance of the Lord-class in the front.
That eccentric design—strictly speaking, only in terms of appearance—when called by him, she turned around after firing one round at the Lord-class.
"Shoot the tip of the tracer round!"
It was faster to demonstrate by shooting it herself than to say where to aim.
He aimed the muzzle at the particularly large pectoral fin of the giant whale and pulled the trigger in rapid succession. Along with the deep gunshots, large-caliber projectiles flew out of the barrel.
The traces of the tracer rounds, loaded every five shots, lingered in the air, pointing to the area Jackal should aim at.
Her launcher's firing port was directed towards the indicated spot. After licking her lips with a slightly long tongue, she pulled the trigger.
One, two grenades were shot, hitting the indicated base of the giant pectoral fin, immediately shrouded in smoke.
This time, the giant whale, having its posture significantly disrupted, began to float unsteadily. Seizing this rare opportunity, the Counters concentrated their attacks.
Moore also loaded grenades into the grenade launcher attached to the lower part of the barrel, raised the dedicated sights, and aimed.
The target was likely the core. The area equivalent to the whale's furrow, glowing pale green, was a single point.
Connecting the sights to the aimed point, he pulled the trigger of the launcher. With a deflating firing sound, the grenade traced a lazy arc in the air, and at the moment of impact, a faint green flash ran through the night sky. The giant whale fell beyond the cliff—towards the sea.
"We've defeated the Tyrant-class—"
As soon as it hit the water, a massive column of water rose, and at that moment, a discordant sound resembling a shriek rang out around them.
—It was a calling signal.
"Damn it...!"
It seemed that the Tyrant-class left a nasty parting gift.
At the very end, the Tyrant-class emitted a calling signal that began to summon Raptures in the vicinity.
—Kill them.
Guided by the malevolent and discordant sound, enemy machines gathered from somewhere and formed a flock.
"How many are there?!"
"There are about 30!"
"It's better than an all-out war!"
Suddenly, an explosion sound rang out from the front, and the shockwave struck the members of Counters.
"Ugh...!"
Rapi captured the three figures that seemed to be Exotics caught up in the explosion, blown away.
However, it seems they are still alive. Unfamiliar gunshots were immediately captured by the auditory sensors.
"Rapi! Neon, go ahead! Anise, stay with me—"
"Ugh!?"
Caught between front and rear, with approaching enemy machines from the relatively gentle slope on the right side. They were in a semi-encircled formation.
In addition to the emitted light, it seemed that old-model enemy machines were included, as large-caliber bullets were mixed in and hit one after another.
Just as Rapi and Neon were ordered to deal with the enemy machines, including the Lord-class in the front, Anis took a sniper shot from the approaching Raptures behind.
Her thigh was scorched as if it were gouged. Fortunately, the frame bone was intact, and the outflow of catalyst blood was not observed due to the scorching.
He carried Anis and moved her to the only cover, a rock shadow, in the narrow 20-meter-wide path. In the midst of crisscrossing laser beams and bullets from front and rear, he exposed Anise from the rock shadow, and faced the Rapture approaching with a assault rifle.
"Commander...!"
"Don't force yourself to move!"
"I'm okay... I can still move...!"
Anis, supporting herself with a grenade launcher, stood up and, leaning out from the rock shadow, directed the firing port towards the flock of enemy machines down the right side of the hill.
"Kyah!!?"
"Neon! Are you okay?!"
This time, it seemed that Neon had suffered injuries, and Moore, sensing it, involuntarily turned around. At that moment, an enemy grenade landed nearby.
Relatively speaking, the old-model Raptures seemed to use physical bullets. It couldn't be said definitively whether the beams or physical bullets were more lethal, but—
"Damn it...!"
At least the Raptures using physical bullets seemed to be adept at spreading harm in the surroundings. Fragments scattered, and a shell pierced Moore's right thigh.
"Commander!"
"Don't mind me! Shoot the enemies!"
The fabric of the cold-weather combat suit was gradually dyed with fresh blood. The injured area was the thigh. Pulling out the embedded fragment would only risk causing massive bleeding.
It was annoying, but there was no choice but to continue fighting in this state.
-----
Author: If there is a force of correction in the world... (But you wouldn't want to see Captain Moore falling apart like this, would you?)
