Chapter 56
Nakamoto Tsuyoshi and Greg stare at each other across the cockpit. There is no hatred, only nostalgia remaining between them.
「Professor.」
「It’s nostalgic, isn’t it? I remember the days when we shared rations in Old Osaka.」
「That was the previous me. Look at the me now.」
Nakamoto starts at Greg’s words, then returns a single 「Sorry」. Greg drops his shoulders, deflated.
「Then you’re not going to say ‘Look at the me from 2040, not the 2055 me’, huh?」
「Even if we followed different endings, I am still me.」
「Then there’s no need to apologize, is there? As kind as ever.」
Greg’s face holds a smile, even as he speaks sarcastically. The flow of him throwing a little sarcasm, Nakamoto earnestly taking it as critique and apologizing, and Greg getting flustered in turn, was an everyday occurrence for them up until 2055.
Soon it will degrade into just cited information, a thing of the past.
Nakamoto Tsuyoshi performed 「Synchronization」 with his Ver1.08 self in old Osaka City. That’s why his relationship with Greg in Ver2.00 should be different from what he knew.
「You’re the same too. Timid, relying on others despite having that much power. Always waiting for someone else to save the world… Even your dislike of Orange is the flip side of expectation, you know?」
The red mech 『Anfangsrot』 raises its hammer. He remembers this motion from before Ver2.00 of 「HAO」 as well. It’s from when he participated as a transport unit for the construction of a supply base, before the 2055 operation.
They were thrown in front of Machine Beasts without supplies, the unit of 100 people dwindling to just a handful. Apollyon was still just a transport then, without proper equipment. Nakamoto Tsuyoshi remembers desperately ripping out crystal trees and swinging them around.
And the Ver1.08 him closed his heart. Influenced by the greatly increased acquisition difficulty of Apollyon, he didn’t participate in the Orange Strain subjugation battles and ended up as just cited information.
Within those 「Synchronized」 memories were also memories with Greg. He was one of the comrades who died during the construction of that supply base.
『Beginning NMM boost to armaments, frame temperature rising to 110 degrees.』
The 『Anfangsrot’s』hammer is as tall as a person, with an enlarged octahedral head. Exposed cords connect it to the Apollyon for coolant circulation.
The hammer is swung. Swung at an overwhelming speed like paper in zero-g, it returns to being a several hundred kilo iron mass the instant it hits. However, Greg smoothly dodges the hammer swinging at an impossible speed.
The hammer strikes the ground where Greg isn’t, and with a strange sound of straining metal, the surrounding buildings shatter from the vibration. Countless cracks run through the ground as debris flies everywhere. As if to silence that chaotic space, Greg’s hand disappears, and the next instant, the left arm armor of the 『Anfangsrot』 quietly peels off.
「It’s what you said, Professor. Apollyon is only strong against Machine Beasts, it’s not some upgraded version of cyborgs or powered suits.」
「True, even with NMM equipped, it can’t match your agility. And Apollyon’s sturdiness is limited except for specialized frames.」
Greg knew his next move. A technique used to crush terrorism when fighting as a Reformist, for which he was later lectured. But out of nostalgia, he deliberately didn’t try to stop it.
「I never thought I’d get to see this twice.」
The hammer is slammed into the ground once more. Accelerated by NMM, targeting the same ground rather than Greg, it produces the opposite result from before – that is, destroying the floor and falling to the level below.
And the two begin to move as they fall.
Greg grabs onto a large piece of rubble, floating as he tries to activate monomolecular blade expansion. But seeing the 『Anfangsrot』’s kick coming from behind, he leaps with all his might to another piece of rubble. Blood sprays from Greg’s stomach as debris grazes him. Even so, he managed to protect the monomolecular blade expansion on his back.
「Guh…!」
「Since you only have Ver1.08 knowledge, you tried your best.」
The 『Anfangsrot』 has no flight capabilities. Then why was it able to change direction and kick while falling? The answer is, of course, NMM.
The 『Anfangsrot』 was also grasping a large piece of rubble. Though it was less than a meter, a stone far too small from an Apollyon’s perspective. But by reducing the mech’s mass to nearly zero with NMM, even this stone gains enough relative weight to serve as a handhold for changing direction and accelerating a kick.
Diving at Greg like that is a 5-meter metal giant, and that act alone carries enough force for instant death.
Apollyon’s strengths haven’t changed, past or present. It’s the ability to swiftly traverse the distorted terrain created by the 「Torrent Phenomenon」 while carrying lots of cargo. But now expanded for combat use, the cargo it carries is not infantry rations, but its own equipment.
「Fire.」
「Tch, over 20 meters…!」
For example, like this. The mass-produced Apollyon specialized gatling gun the 『Anfangsrot』 is equipped with on its back is also an armament that doesn’t exist in Nakamoto Tsuyoshi’s memories. It first appeared in Ver2.00, after Orange demonstrated its usefulness.
And while he doesn’t remember it, the firing correction data Ver2.00 Nakamoto left for himself has been carried over. The data of the man who spent the longest on the battlefield, who kept firing the longest.
Therefore, its firing accuracy reflects not the skill of the current Nakamoto Tsuyoshi, but the deadly experiences Ver2.00 him dived into.
Bullets spew forth. Even as recoil makes the mech shake violently in midair, the barrage continues to capture Greg. And Greg keeps leaping between pieces of rubble to evade. Rubble crumbles underfoot as he continues moving towards the 20 meter range, understanding that he’ll die to stray bullets.
Greg lands on the ground faster than all the footholds can shatter. He has no choice but to aim for that 1 second gap before the 『Anfangsrot』 lands and uses NMM to reduce impact, he thinks as he swallows the damage to his legs.
The sound of the gatling gun stops, the red-hot metal screeching as it rubs. The instant he sees that, Greg releases the gas from his legs and closes the distance in one go.
That’s why taking that risk is the essence of Nakamoto Tsuyoshi’s strength.
The monomolecular blade expansion is mowed down by the hammer, Greg bouncing off the ground like a rubber ball from the flying debris. The 『Anfangsrot』 had no such thing as an opening upon landing. Instead, its legs are crushed, the left leg bent backwards.
Nakamoto Tsuyoshi chose to throw away cushioning the landing impact, and instead perform a counter on the charging Greg. The legs were the price for that.
The dust from the fallen rubble settles with the silence. It all happened in a few dozen seconds.
Nakamoto Tsuyoshi exits his mech and heads towards Greg. Judging that Greg can no longer chase Orange after taking that damage, he considered his job done. Indeed, Greg’s left arm is blown off, the monomolecular blade expansion losing control as the internal steel wires melt.
「Strong. I couldn’t beat you even once before. And I couldn’t beat the you from 20 years ago either.」
「You’re too timid. That first strike, if you had taken 2 more steps, my hand would’ve been rendered useless.」
「Those 2 steps are far. That’s why I stop here, and you can go up… Your true forte is in group battles, yet you’re this strong even one-on-one. It really is strange.」
「I see.」
「It is. Knowing fear, I can’t move forward.」
Greg smiles powerlessly. He’s top-class in skill even among cyborgs. Yet he lost to Nakamoto Tsuyoshi even in a one-on-one fight that isn’t his specialty.
「…Knowing isn’t a good thing. Once you know, despair strangles you, and the expectation that someone will do it becomes reality, distancing yourself further from being involved.」
「…True. Those who committed suicide were also victims of knowledge. But without that, you can’t move forward.」
「Is that really true?」
「What do you mean?」
Nakamoto Tsuyoshi questions Greg’s words. The premise up to now has been trying to save the world by gaining knowledge from the future. While many organizations agree on this point, the focus has been on the power struggles that stem from there.
「’HAO’ connects to a fixed future. And you can’t multiply interfere with the future. In other words, if updates to ‘HAO’ based on Esper future sight aren’t made, it confirms that it’s a fixed future that will degrade to just cited information.」
「…」
「As that recognition spreads, people realize they’re on the side that will eventually end. Rejuvenation tech doesn’t matter. That’s why they commit suicide. What ‘HAO’ is producing now is the very cluster of bad futures.」
Unlike before, the future ‘HAO’ depicts is one where despairing people commit suicide and crimes, filled with unease and chaos. It’s something that shouldn’t have happened if ‘HAO’ didn’t exist, if the future wasn’t fixed. If we could stop the operation of ‘HAO’ now, the fixation of the future would disappear, and we could face 2050 without such chaos. Though there’s the problem of having to challenge it with only one try.
「’HAO’ has now become shackles. That’s why we Reformists will have it update one last time and then stop its operation.」
「Is it okay to say that?」
「They’ve already noticed.」
「What about Orange?」
「I don’t know. It’s incomprehensible. Even though abilities shouldn’t work in a fixed future without ‘HAO’, it occasionally moves as if it’s reading the future.」
「I see.」
Less than 10 minutes remain until the update. A comfortable silence flows between the two. The standby room after sorties used to be like this too. Nakamoto would be reading a book while Greg peered at a display. But they weren’t ignoring each other, occasionally chatting a bit as the night grew late.
This time too, Nakamoto mutters as always.
「Is the headquarters okay?」
「Ah, the place with the sniper. Indeed, there’s important information there, but it’s not something that can be dealt with in 10 minutes. The sniper may have weaknesses but is skilled. The guards fighting the ‘Order’ will also return.」
「About that. One of the people tailing, seems to be called Mishima Kana.」
Greg’s eyes widen at the suddenly dropped information. She’s not someone who should be appearing at this timing. She’s the leader of the ‘Order’, with top-class combat abilities. He thought it was pretty bad that Nakamoto Tsuyoshi was being mobilized, but to think even Mishima Kana…!? Greg realizes his miscalculation.
And then comes the final blow.
「Also, that girl in powered armor? She’s Orange.」
「…? …!?」
For a moment his thoughts go blank, and then he immediately understands he’s been had. To crush the Reformist camp, whose guard is down after being so close to subjugating Orange and degrading to cited information, with maximum force.
It’s an all too reasonable strategy. But it requires knowing about the false prophet hunt, preparing a collaborator to be called Orange, and making contact with the ‘Order’. No, it’s all possible if it’s Orange. Orange is a Player, able to arrange collaborators in 2040. Furthermore, being held by the leader of the ‘Order’ means contact has been made and they’ve grasped the full situation on this side.
「B-but there’s no way that lock opens easi–!!」
「Greg, you’re capable but sloppy with this stuff. Like, the passcode was pretty visible. Hey, stop, don’t put me on camera Orange! If my face gets shown, that dark history of 『☆Star_Night☆』 will spread as comparison! Okay I’ll do it right away! Look, I’m opening it now, it opened right away!」
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