In a Different World with a Smartphone Chapter 395: The Ruler-cla.s.ses’ Attack, and the Twin-headed Dragon.
“They’re here.”
Pins began falling down continuously on the map projected in the air. Since advanced-cla.s.ses require time to break through the barrier, it should be mostly lower- and intermediate-cla.s.ses.
The ruler-cla.s.ses should take time to appear as well. It’d be best if we can clean this mob army up before they do, but…
“It’s rather annoying, isn’t it. If only they’d appeared right here.”
Elze’s irritated voice came in from the communicator in Reginleiv’s c.o.c.kpit. I understand how she feels.
I tried taking a look at the appearance location with [Long Sense] empowered by [Divine Eyes], and as expected, I could only see flying-type variants; no other types are in sight.
Judging by the map display, they’re most likely marching on the seabed right now.
“They’re advancing towards the southwest in a straight line, aren’t they. Does this mean Yumina-san’s prediction was on the mark?”
“Un. Most likely.”
Like what Hilda said, before the variants appeared, Yumina actually proposed an idea. Could it be possible that the variants that were going to appear would match towards Eisengard… Was what she said.
And just as she thought, the variants are heading directly towards Eisengard. And that direction means they’re heading towards Panashes Kingdom first.
I’ve already obtained permission for the engagement from the Panashes king.
Our battle should be showing up on the huge monitor in the conference room back in Brunhild via the Valkyrie camera crew I summoned.
The Surface and Reverse World… The eastern and western continents’ leaders would all be watching that. Of course, the Panashes king is among them.
420 Frame Gears were lined up neatly on the coast of Panashes Kingdom.
Every single one of them are glaring at the tranquil ocean, and waiting for the enemy to show up.
If this was another day, I would’ve launched a [Meteor Zapper] at them already, but doing that now risks causing a tsunami. I might be over-worrying about this, but I’ll hold back on this occasion.
“Touya-san, should we go ahead and clear out the flying-type variants?”
“Right… That should be good.”
I looked up towards Linze’s blue Helmwige, which is already in its flight form and hovering in the air.
The only ones with flying abilities as part of their base specs here are my Reginleiv and Linze’s Helmwige.
Some time ago, Rosetta had developed flying units that are Valkyria-exclusive, and Yae’s Schwertleite and Hilda’s Siegrune had used them. However, as we realized those flying units placed too much burden on both the pilot and the Frame Gear, the professor went back to the drawing board and tried to design a new type of flying unit but… She couldn’t make it on time for this battle. I mean, she was making other things like the Over Gears, so.
And in the first place, were it not for them appearing over the sea like this, Leen’s Grimgerde’s simultaneous firing, Yumina’s Brunnhilde’s sniping and Sakura’s Rossweisse’s solitary wave attack would’ve been enough to deal with them, and there would’ve been no need for the others to fly.
I made Reginleiv float upwards and stopped at the same height Helmwige is at.
“For precaution, stay within Brunnhilde’s firing range. Yumina, I leave covering us to you.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll shoot them down without missing a single one.”
How rea.s.suring. I can leave my back to her without worry, as expected.
Reginleiv flew through the sky. While the surface of the sea is calm, above it, close to a thousand flying-type variants are heading straight for us like a huge flock of starlings.
“Activate Fragarachs. Mode change: Dagger.”
The 12 wing-like crystal boards behind Reginleiv transformed into 48 small daggers in an instant, and floated around me like satellites.
“Here I go. [Gladius].”
The forty-eight small meteors, sparkling under the sun, rushed towards the flying-type variants heading my way from the front.
Using [Divine Eyes], I confirmed the cores’ locations, and accurately pierced through them with the crystal swords. The crystalline swords that are flying freely in the air left glittering comet- like trails behind, and defeated variants one after another, leaving them to melt down in the air and fall into the sea.
Still, the burden of using this is as great as usual. I mean, I am manipulating 48 swords simultaneously. Even with the thought acceleration that comes from using [Accel], it’s still tough on my mind.
The ones that slipped through my attacks from time to time are brought down by Linze’s Helmwige. The two revolver cannons on its two wings in flight mode spat out crystal bullets and shot them down one by one.
It’s the same with Leen’s Grimgerde, but our Frame Gears generally can’t run out of ammo. Our ammos are refilled directly from Babylon’s ammo storage via teleportation, after all.
Although, as expected, if we were to get revolver cannons equipped on other Frame Gears as well, the ammo refilling wouldn’t be able to keep up, and we might even run out of ammo mid-fight, so I didn’t do that. Also, friendly fire is scary.
From time to time, Yumina’s support fire from the sh.o.r.e would shoot down a variant or two around us. Without fail, she would always shoot through the variant’s core on the first shot.
Her aim is amazing when she can’t even use [Divine Eyes]. I wonder, is she using her future sight ability to a.s.sist in her aiming? Something like seeing images of “It’ll hit if I snipe at that spot” before firing?
Together with the help from Yumina and Linze, I’ve already managed to cut the number of flying-type variants down by more than half.
Looking at the radar on the console, it seems that the variants at the bottom of the sea are still marching towards Panashes Kingdom’s coastline at a steady pace.
They’ve already pa.s.sed below us; after looking at the situation, I decided to keep on destroying the flying-type variants.
Using [Gladius], I once again began smas.h.i.+ng variants to melting pieces. Before I realized it, the flying-types have already been reduced to a quarter of their initial numbers.
“Touya! The variants have begun landing!”
When I received Suu’s report and turned the camera towards the coast, I saw the figures of coconut crabs and crawfishes, crustacean-like variants emerging from the sea en ma.s.se, and stepping on the sandy beachline.
The st.u.r.dy-looking mineral-like variants, with a dull golden glow on their bodies, marched towards the Frame Gears; I saw some normal crabs and sea roaches too.
“So the customers are finally here. Well then, time to bring out the reception.”
Various pieces of armor—on its arms, its chest, its waist and its legs—on the black machine Leen (and Pola) is piloting, Grimgerde, began opening up, and the Gatling cannons and pod missiles housed within showed themselves.
“Be blown away, all of you.”
A rain, nay, a storm of crystal bullets a.s.saulted the variants which have shown themselves on land. Receiving an attack which dishes out several thousand rounds per second, not a single one of them retained their original form as they were demolished.
“Nice-no. Then, me too!”
Suu’s Ortlinde Overlord raised its right arm. Wait, that’s—
“Cannon Knuckle Spiral!”
The spinning rocket punch dove into a group of variants, and mowed them down effortlessly. Without stopping, it plunged into the sea; as a result, huge amounts of water and sand were splattered around.
Pus.h.i.+ng through the sand below the sea, Ortlinde’s right arm flew out of the ocean surface together with a huge water pillar. That’s way too much brute force.
In the first place, Suu’s frame isn’t suited to fight against lower- and intermediate-cla.s.s enemies.
“Alright, let’s move too.”
“Yes.”
“Here I go!”
Yae’s Schwertleite, Hilda’s Siegrune and Elze’s Gerhilde charged at the variants on the beach. In response to that, the Frame Gears of the various countries also took up their weapons and charged towards the water’s edge.
As if to chase after them as well, amplified song magic began playing from Sakura’s Rossweisse.
This song… Asking Sakura why did she pick this one is probably not going to get me an answer as always, so I might as well just ignore it.
It’s a song by a major rock band from England… Or, to be more exact, a song by the band’s vocalist.
It’s the version that his band members arranged after he pa.s.sed away due to disease at the age of 45. Of course, I have the original version as well.
The straightforward lyrics like “I was born to love you” and the strong singing voice combined to make it a song that shakes the soul of listeners.
Sakura’s voice, which is normally clear-sounding, resounded strongly like the voice of the original vocalist who sang that song.
That singing voice energizes the ether liquid inside the Frame Gears, and increased their base specs temporarily.
“Brunhild Dukedom Knight Order, charge!”
“Belfast Kingdom Knight Order, follow up!”
“Don’t fall behind! Show them the power of Regulus Empire!”
Being supported by Sakura’s songs, the knight orders of the partic.i.p.ating countries began fighting against the variants.
Steel and gold flashed at the edge of the beach. They blew away the lower-cla.s.ses, and surrounded the intermediate-cla.s.ses with several of them.
The variants which had their cores broken raised black smoke, and melted down into a sludge.
It’s kinda late, but could those things pollute the ocean? Environmental destruction is a bit… I was worried it may turn into something like one of those oil spills that happen with tankers, but the sea isn’t showing any signs of getting polluted. Seems like it’s fine.
“Oh?”
Amidst the horde of variants on the beach, two mechanical beasts ran around as if competing with each other.
The shockwave produced by the two beasts made the variants unable to even approach them, and blew them away successively. The knights around them finished off the variants that were blown off onto the ground.
At a glance, it seemed like they’re properly cooperating, but that’s just the two of them rampaging around, isn’t it.
“Oi, the two Over Gears. Don’t do something like cras.h.i.+ng into your allies, okay?”
“Oi oi, you think I would make that kind of mistake? Just leave it to me.”
“If you get too far ahead of yourself, you’re gonna get hurt, you know. Rus.h.i.+ng ahead without thinking is your specialty, after all.”
“What didya say!?”
I could only look up at the sky when the two of them stopped and began quarreling on the spot. However, the G.o.ddess of salvation appeared to save me from my plight.
“Nia… I believe I was always telling you to move after thinking the situation through, right?”
“Est!? A-are!? Why are you here!?”
The vice-chief of the chivalrous thieves [Red Cats], Est-san, appeared behind Nia in her Red Lynx.
“While I didn’t let the others from Red Cats partic.i.p.ate this time, I let Est-san alone be placed among our knight order. It’d be horrible if you began moving around as you please, after all.”
“That’s rude!”
“Whatever could you mean. I thought you’d be fine and left you alone for a while and this is what happens. Seems like I really to have to hold your reins all the time.”
Like straddling a horse, Est-san’s Red Lynx agilely got up on top of Nia’s Tiga Rouge. Wait, when you said “hold your reins”, you meant that literally?
“Come on, let’s go. Heave-ho, Nia!”
“You’re treating me like a horse!?”
“Isn’t it fine, a horse has its cute points you know. Just do your job properly. Unless you don’t want dinner.”
“d.a.m.nit!”
Tiga Rouge, carrying the Red Lynx on its back, rushed out along the sh.o.r.eline. They’re actually doing pretty well. As expected of those two, who had been partners for a long time.
Even as the battle is devolving into a free-for-all, our positions are becoming more advantageous. Yumina’s Brunnhilde and Luu’s Waltraute are properly supporting the knight orders that are unfamiliar with Frame Gear combat as well.
In the midst of fighting, a communication came in from Ende’s Dragoon at the front lines.
“Touya, the advanced-cla.s.ses are coming. According to Mel and the others who are at the beach, there’s three of them.”
“Wh…!”
Three, you say?
There was a time when multiples appeared before, wasn’t there. That time with the peac.o.c.k and the nautilus, two of them. That time, the advanced-cla.s.ses had been caught by the variants, and it was the first time we saw a variant advanced-cla.s.s, wasn’t it.
And this time, it’s going to be three of them, all already variants… And there’s even ruler- cla.s.ses waiting after that, huh.
“Touya-san! The sea…!”
When I reacted to Yumina’s voice and turned my attention to the front, a huge whirlpool was swirling in the sea near the coast, like a giant mortar. They’re not appearing at the same place the lower-cla.s.ses did, but here!?
The whirlpool is growing ever large. It’s almost like an antlion nest.
Eventually, the s.p.a.ce in the middle of that whirlpool cracked with a *pakin*.
Following that, two more cracks formed to its left and right, before the s.p.a.ce itself fractured like gla.s.s. The whirlpool disappeared, and three figures showed themselves above the sea.
“Here they come…!”
The first one, which fell into the sea while raising giant splashes before raising up on its hind legs as if to intimidate its opponents, had the form of a stag beetle. Its size is on the small end for an advanced-cla.s.s.
Well, even so, it’s still about as tall as a building with several dozens of stories. I’m pretty sure even Frame Gears would be easily bisected by that pair of giant golden jaws.
The next one that appeared was some star-shaped thing. Is that… Uhh… A starfish? Whatever it is, it’s floating on the ocean and slowly rotating.
This one is a regular-sized advanced-cla.s.s, and it’s easily over a hundred meters in length. I think a baseball field should be roughly about that size.
And the last one that appeared, piercing through s.p.a.ce, is—a dragon.
A double-headed dragon.
It’s not an Eastern serpentine dragon, but a Western one. However, it doesn’t have any wings.
Spiky protrusions covered its whole body from the top of its head to the tip of its tail, and there’s some horn-like things on its chest as well.
Its size is no joke. It’s close to 1.5 times as large as the starfish from earlier. Without a doubt, it’s the biggest advanced-cla.s.s I’ve encountered so far.
The two-headed dragon landed in the ocean with its four thick claw-tipped feet, raising giant water splatters around.
At that time, I finally noticed that someone was standing on each of the two-headed dragon’s heads.
Two ruler-cla.s.ses with dark-golden crystal structures on their bodies. Their faces are similar, but one is a male-type while the other is a female-type. They aren’t very tall. Instead of a man and a woman, they feel more like a boy and a girl.
Two ruler-cla.s.ses that look very much like each other. Don’t tell me…
“Touya… You remember that promise you made, right…”
Ende’s voice came out of the communicator.
“So, those two ruler-cla.s.ses are…”
“Aah. Leto and Luto. The ones who forced me and Nei through some serious hards.h.i.+ps.”
When I looked back up at the heads of the two-headed dragon, I could clearly see the twins laughing as they looked over here.
“There’s a lot of spectators, Luto. What should we do?”
“Obviously, we have to send a grand greeting to them, don’t we?”
The two-headed dragon put strength in its four feet as it turned both of its heads towards the sh.o.r.e. Particles of light began gathering in its opened mouths, while sparks began dancing all over its body. Oh c.r.a.p!
The next instant, two extra-large particle cannon beams shot out of the two-headed dragon’s mouths together with a blinding flash.
– Pixel