Chapter 125
I forget where I heard this, but wasn’t the asteroid that caused the ice age a few tens of kilometers in size? That single impact wiped out the dinosaurs. That’s how terrifying asteroids can be.
On the other hand, the artificial sun is 4,000 kilometers in diameter. Well, it’s become riddled with holes and lost a lot of its volume, but it still dwarfs the asteroid in size. As a result, a hellish scene unfolds.
The ocean is peeled away. The earth shatters into pieces as a spherical shockwave expands outward. At the same time, the impact site swells red and erupts in another massive explosion. In the blink of an eye, the scale expands and the Japanese archipelago is completely obliterated.
Since this is in space, no sound reverberates. We can only observe through the screen. That’s why, the moment cheerful background music starts playing from a nearby Apollyon’s communication, I clutch my head in my hands.
『Te-te-re te-te te-te-re te-te, te-re te-re te-re~♪』
「Which idiot played the Draft Island BGM?!」
「You said this was Earth’s tradition, didn’t you?! That when a meteor strikes, you start with this!!」
「The Prophet was clearly joking when he said that!」
As if such a tradition could exist. This has turned into a complete gag scene. The person on the other end of the communication seems to be the pilot of the mass-produced Apollyon Fusion closest to me. Six other Apollyon pilots have joined the channel, and everyone except the jokester is voicing their disapproval.
The window displays unfamiliar faces, except for two. Four men and women with the names Lucas, Aiden, Durand, and Greg displayed, and our beloved Nakamoto. Upon seeing my face in the communication, Greg cries out with a hateful voice. He seems unchanged from Ver2.00.
「My 300,000 yen…!」
「You bet that much?!」
It’s not quite what I expected. Where did the Prophet hunter in you go? Ignoring my thoughts, Nakamoto waves at me with his usual demeanor, as if to say, 「Long time no see.」 Here comes the root of all evil (presumably) in this version. Behind him, the center of the impact site swells red.
The gray AP diagonally above me detaches a board from its back and attaches it to its feet, as if to go surfing. The board is covered with thick armor plating, and boosters are attached to the rear portion. Like Nakamoto, I also attach it to my feet.
「This armor is for protection against debris that gets blown toward us by the vaporized rocks. Plus, it’s for surfing with giant robots.」
「Wait, before that, can you please explain this situation, Nakamoto?!」
「We had an abundance of resources, and with the full cooperation of the ‘Reformist’ and ‘Order,’ we were able to do a lot. We achieved the quota of 4 Apollyon Fusions per person, so the scale of everything is on a different level from before. But if you break it down, it’s no different from what’s happened before. Build Apollyon Fusions, use MNB to escape into space, and counterattack.」
「Nakamoto really put in a lot of effort!」
「Why are you the one bragging about it?」
「Calm down, Greg. Since we have the chance, let me explain our plan of attack. We’ll be using several artificial planets to strike the UYK. The first shot will hit the UYK directly, causing a huge explosion that will throw up a lot of earth and debris. That’s where the second shot, ‘London,’ and the third shot, ‘Washington,’ come in. Their job is to deflect all that earth and debris to the sides, clearing a path for the rest of our forces to get through. This way, we can penetrate the UYK’s defenses and get closer to our target.」
Simultaneously, the artificial planets on the verge of collision transform into a cross-like shape and begin rotating clockwise. The rotation drills into the swelling earth that seems ready to erupt, stirring it like a mixer. A red-hot stain rapidly spreads across the earth, reducing the swelling.
「Next, the three shots from the fourth to the sixth are for fixation. They temporarily fixate the ‘UYK’ like needles so it can’t move. And with the final three shots, we open a hole in the ‘UYK’s skull.」
「It won’t pierce through even after taking that hit?」
「It’s probably taking damage, but with that size and hardness…」
The next three artificial planets transform into thin needle shapes and descend at a slight distance. Although they didn’t have a significant impact, hidden by the shockwave of the first shot, they successfully embedded most of their long bodies into the earth. At the same time, the effects of the second and third shots sweep away the heat wave, revealing its form.
It’s probably a giant metal reptile. Its skull, large enough to cover the Sea of Okhotsk, is exposed after the obstructions are cleared away, though half of it is melted. Crumpled tentacles lie limply around it, their roots and neck pierced by the needles.
The final artificial planets charge in. Lucas shouts beside me.
「Combine!」
Huh? Before my eyes, the three artificial planets align in a straight line. The first one sheds its outer armor, becoming a massive drill. The one behind it deploys dozens of leg-like fixtures, and the last one serves as a booster.
「Paris! Osaka! Roma! The trinity of the super drill is complete!」
「Where did they get this technology?!」
It’s utter chaos. The three combined artificial planets descend to the ground, their legs securing the UYK’s skull. Then, accelerating with the booster, they drive the drill deep into the skull. Sparks fly and blue blood stains the red earth, visible even from our observation point. But after a few minutes, it finally stops moving and simultaneously self-destructs. A booming sound reaches us. Wait, reaches us?
I see the acceleration of my machine rapidly increasing, and the board beneath my feet starts glowing red-hot. That’s right, we’re entering the atmosphere. Occasionally thrown off balance by the impact of flying rocks, I manage to begin descending with the assistance of the system.
It was a magnificent sight. Ten thousand meteors rain down toward the epicenter. The combined might of humanity now charges at the ‘UYK’ to conquer this land of death.
『The game changed, didn’t it?』
『We can log in soon! Gotta get that 1,000 yen!』
『Do we have anything to do?』
『Theory: Our accounts might get suspended due to BGM copyright.』
Buffeted by the airflow, I desperately maintain my posture. After enduring for a while, it seems we’ve broken through the clouds, and visibility opens up again.
All that remains on the earth are magma, the gouged skull of the ‘UYK,’ and a cross-section of its head. The blue blood rapidly vaporizes from the heat, and two holes where eyes should be, along with one hole leading to the throat, gape open. Magma flows into the openings, dissolving the ‘UYK’s flesh. A communication from Momiji comes in.
『The operation is proceeding as planned! The interior is partially melted, making walking difficult. Slide along on your boards! Designated units target the brain through the gaps in the eye sockets.
Everyone else, aim for the spinal cord and penetrate through the throat! May fortune be with you all!』
At that moment, the time hits 6 PM. The boosters on the board expel heat as the giant bodies glide through the air and descend to the ground. The battle has finally begun, sending shivers through my body. Can we really win? Can we avoid letting their deaths be in vain? And when will this cheerful BGM ever stop? With 「Te-te-re te-te-re」 continuing to play, I’m starting to lose my ability to maintain a serious expression.
With a thud, I finally land on the melted earth, still on my board. Before my eyes, I see a huge hole and a swarm of mass-produced Apollyon Fusions. And as if to block our path, something begins to emerge from the magma. The same Apollyon Fusion, the defense mechanism created by the ‘UYK.’ I grit my teeth, wondering if it can still generate them even after sustaining this much damage.
I don’t know the production speed, but if it’s fast, it won’t matter if there are 10,000 units; we’ll be crushed. The memory of Ver-2.00, where machine beasts and Apollyon Fusions covered the earth, flickers in my mind. Apollyon Fusions are sturdy and swift. If they focus on defense, they can even withstand a single nuclear blast. If they buy time, it’s over; we’ll be the ones to lose. As I make a grim face, Greg, who landed beside me, speaks in a cheerful voice, ignoring me.
「Alright, let’s start the 『Explosive Billion Society』! Unleash the barrage!」
I feel like I’ve heard words I shouldn’t have and instinctively turn toward Greg. He’s equipped with a cannon far too large to be called a mere Gatling gun, with four long barrels stretching over several dozen meters stacked on his shoulder. The rear of the machine glows blue, and something emerges with a whoosh. It pokes its head out from the tip of the cannon with a puzzled look.
「Got 1,000 yen! …What’s this situation?」
It’s a human made of machinery. He has an expression of complete lack of understanding, and his body is cylindrical like a bullet, loaded into the cannon. In place of his immobile body, externally triggerable explosives are embedded, allowing the player to move once. And on his forehead is the mark of a nuclear weapon. More and more blue lights gather, and puzzled players are loaded into all the cannons. After a brief pause, I finally understand the meaning of this.
So this is the other race. Did they test how players could log into mechanical bodies in Ver-2.00? How to turn inexperienced players into a fighting force? Greg shouts with excitement.
「The new race is human-shaped nuclear bombs! The login point is the Apollyon Fusion’s ammunition chamber! In other words, the ultimate weapon that can fire as many nuclear bombs as the number of logged-in players! This is the bipedal weapon of the new era and the completion of a society where all of humanity can play an active role in the final battle!」
「Are you insane?! Who came up with that?」
「…It was you. You named all the plans too.」
「Huh?」
A shocking revelation from Nakamoto. And with a dumbfounded look, the players are ejected and plunge into the Apollyon Fusions. Seriously, someone needs to do something about these guys, I think to myself as the explosions blow away the enemies and our allies charge into the path that has been cleared.
『Wait, we’re not piloting the Apollyon Fusions but just becoming bullets and exploding?』
I nod deeply at the comment in the livestream chat. Yep, it’s definitely a crappy game. No doubt about it. Devs, fix this.
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