Estimated reading time: 6–7 minutes
Chapter 51
Reina, disguised as a man, confidently explains that there are several ways to protect oneself from the Machine Beasts.
「One of those ways is distance. Just place your base in a location the Machine Beasts can’t reach, even if they wanted to. For example, up in the sky or under the sea.」
「But there are fish-types, aren’t there?」
「That’s why they’re probably using ‘Moses’ Sword’ to part the sea. Ah, ‘Moses’ Sword’ refers to the combination of a large-scale anti-gravity generator for removing artificial-heavy metals and a large-scale microwave deployment device. Basically, think of it as a giant microwave oven. They maintain the sea in a split state using anti-gravity, then selectively evaporate the water by blasting it with microwaves.」
「Well, hiding under the sea like that makes it hard for the fish-types to approach and the bird-types to search. Plus, they can collect the evaporated water to obtain precious purified water. They’ve really got it all figured out, huh?」
I thought it sounded like a tremendous waste of energy, but considering the stories from previous game versions about floating the massive Old Osaka City, maybe that level of feat is possible. Also, according to Momiji, simultaneously deploying light at a special wavelength helps assist in extracting water from hydrated materials.
I survey our surroundings once more. The uglily muddied purple and white sea is split cleanly in two, with only the beautiful sun perched above. White vapor billows up from the liquid—the water evaporated by the so-called ‘Moses’ Sword’.
And the place we’ve been until now… It’s far too vertically elongated to be called a ship. We’re talking more than just a few dozen stories. It’s so tall I can’t even see the bottom, with countless gun batteries visible along the sides. This ship appears to be floating. At the very least, I can’t see the water’s surface. I assume it’s supported by negative mass matter. Actually, this is more of a building than a ship.
I see, this setup would make it difficult to infiltrate from below or above. If I recall correctly, in the previous game version, the corpses of the Strains deterred the Machine Beasts, so extensive countermeasures weren’t necessary. But needing to go this far shows how troublesome these guys really are. Hey, if you know the corpses keep the Machine Beasts away, then use them!
「That only applies to the Machine Beasts from the previous game versions. Anyway, let’s go hunting.」
While we were having that conversation, our surroundings had already begun to move. Climbing up the deployed deck leads to the rooftop, the true top above the earlier ceiling. Hundreds of Machine Beasts swarm there, and the thick metal floor is heavily damaged from years of attacks. Even with all these measures, the Machine Beasts coming from above can’t be stopped, nor can the amphibious Machine Beasts that dive in from the sea. That’s why we hunt.
A Machine Beast with a nauseating appearance, a mix of bird, tentacle, and reptile, is promptly engulfed in flames. The flames, spanning several dozen meters, are merely a result. Based on my memory, it’s ultimately just combustion occurring due to the extreme heat; what’s actually happening is heat generation… Wait, what is it burning? Oxygen is a combustion aid, so maybe it’s a transformed atmospheric component?
We recognized the person who unleashed the pyrokinetic ability, or rather, the heat generation ability. Although wearing an oxygen mask since we’re outside, it’s undoubtedly Urairo. The superheated Machine Beasts try to resist, but suddenly their joints twist in bizarre directions as they melt and stop, glowing red. Judging from the direction of the flames, she must have heated and crushed their brains. That anti-Machine Beast strategy video is proving useful.
And then, an unmistakably dragon-type Machine Beast approaches her. Its wings are unfortunately from a bird, and its forearms are tentacles, but the rest of its body is entirely reptilian. As its six-meter frame looms closer, a large shadow stands in its way.
A five-meter-tall red humanoid shadow.
It swings the hammer it holds, maintaining the momentum of its charge. The ultra-heavy hammer, with a reach exceeding its own seven-meter body length and designed to crush enemies, moves with the ease of swinging a chopstick, reaching top speed and slamming directly into the dragon’s torso. At that instant, an explosive sound erupts as if the hammer remembered its original mass, launching the dragon into the air. It’s the negative mass matter, NMM. The hammer’s mass was negated during the swing and restored right before impact.
But it doesn’t end there. The red mech instantly closes in on another Machine Beast of the same type slightly behind the first one. There was no preliminary motion, or rather, none that I could see. Greatly reducing its mass with NMM, the mech advanced unnoticed with the footwork of a martial artist. Maintaining the momentum of its step, it swings the hammer upward, recreating the earlier scene with a catastrophic screech as it sends the Machine Beast skyward. Then, it draws a massive gun mounted on its back and aims at the two airborne targets.
It was a Gatling gun. Without the sub-arms attached to its back, proper operation would be impossible. The mech aims the Gatling gun at the two Machine Beasts and pulls the trigger. Powered by the thick black cords surrounding the sub-arms, it fires.
「A Horizon Ventures’s Railgun with Graphene-Based Superconductors, huh?」
The huge shells, flying out at a rate of 600 rounds per minute, instantly render the Machine Beasts incapacitated. What’s even more astonishing is that almost all of them are direct hits. Hey, a Gatling gun isn’t a sniper rifle, you know? It’s supposed to overwhelm with sheer numbers, so having accuracy on top of that is just unfair!
Then, a voice emanates from the red mech.
「Ai, are you alright?」
Well, well, if it isn’t you, Nakamoto.
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