“Need a hand?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah, no worries. Our stolen Frame Gear ended up creating the basis for the Steel Battalion anyway. Also they kind of pissed me off, so I’d like to put a stop to them.”
I already had enough to worry about with the Phrase and everything else. I didn’t need these guys adding to the troubles.
I decided that I’d end the problem right there, once and for all.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Oooh... There’s a lot...” They were pretty far off, but the Steel Battalion and Armored Golems were advancing in our direction.
There were roughly three-thousand in total. About nine-hundred-and-fifty of them made up the Steel Battalion, and the rest were Golems.
Some of them were being piloted by mages, but not all of them. About two thirds of them were being automated by Golem cores, and a lot of the pilots were non-mages.
The Golden Order saw anyone who could even use a little bit of magic as an ally. Sol was only capable of a small amount, but that’s why he was accepted by them. But anyone that couldn’t use magic was seen as inferior beings, and treated like barbarians.
Sol had been promised a high-ranking military position in the new Magia Imperium that they wanted to establish, but that dream wasn’t going to happen now.
Operating one of the Steel Battalion wasn’t difficult. An amateur could handle it after a few days of practice. Though of course the individual capability definitely varied.
So yeah. Nine-hundred-and-fifty Steel Battalion units, two-thousand-and-fifty Armored Golems... And about sixty Frame Gears waiting to fight them. We were outnumbered roughly fifty to one.
They had an overwhelming numerical advantage, that much was true. I wasn’t afraid, though. I’d fought the one Bowman was piloting, and figured out a few things. It was clearly different to the Frame Gears. They just couldn’t compare to our new models. Though I definitely needed to support the army. I couldn’t expect everyone to be able to take out fifty enemies alone.
“Grand Duke... Will this many truly be enough to win?”
“We’re going to be fine, don’t worry about it. Just trust me on this. I don’t think your battlemages need to trouble themselves, honestly.” The king of Felsen sighed quietly, so I gave him some reassurance.
There were around two-thousand battlemages behind the Frame Gears, just in case. I told him we didn’t need them, but I didn’t mind them standing by if it made him feel better.
A rabbit-eared knight came bounding over toward us.
“Milord. All combatants have boarded their Frame Gears. We’re ready to move whenever.”
“Roger that. Let’s take care not to overexert ourselves.”
“Of course.” Knight Commander Lain gave me a little salute and boarded her Shining Count. I was really proud of how far she’d come. She had the makings of a true leader in her.
There was a crest with a rabbit design carved on to the pauldrons of Lain’s Frame Gear. Given she was a rabbit beastman herself, it made sense to me. Apparently Linze had designed the emblem, which caught me by surprise.
Similarly, there was a fox emblem on Vice-Commander Nikola’s Frame Gear, and a wolf on Vice-Commander Norn’s.
Each of them was leading a sub-group of twenty Chevaliers. On top of that, Elze, Yae, and Hilde were participating with Gerhilde, Schwertleite, and Siegrune. Moroha was also hanging around as extra firepower. With all that stuff backing us, I had nothing to fear at all.
“Alright. Shall we begin?” The moment I spoke, dozens of portals opened in the air above the enemy. I connected my [Storage] and allowed several small phrasium balls to rain down on the enemy. Naturally I’d increased their weight with [Gravity] as well.
“[Meteor Rain]!” They all fell down at the same time. The altitude was too high for a pin-point precise attack, but it wasn’t like they were easy to dodge to begin with.
The Steel Battalion and Golems alike were whittled down by the crystal barrage. The earth itself trembled as the balls penetrated the ground.
Their numbers ended up being reduced by about a third by my initial strike alone. I used my smartphone to broadcast to everyone on the battlefield.
“All units, engage! Let’s wipe ’em all out!”
“HOO-AH!!!” All the Frame Gears started following their respective commanders. The gray Chevaliers began to trade blows with the Steel Battalion. After only two or three hits, a Chevalier was able to slice one of the Steel Battalion scrapbots in half.
Height-wise, the Steel Battalion only came up to a Frame Gear’s chest. They still looked sturdy due to their stout design, but it seemed like that was more for their looks than anything else. In all honesty, they were more flimsy than you’d expect. They were kind of like cheap foreign knock-offs, with a lot of cut corners in the manufacturing process.
I wondered exactly how shoddy the raw materials they used were. They were honestly crumpling like dollar-store goods.
Hell, when they hit Frame Gears, little bits of them broke off on impact. It was pitiful to watch.
“I guess I’ll be heading out, then.”
“Just don’t go nuts, yeah? No need to rend the earth or sky. Just offer your support.”
“I got it, I got it...” Moroha merrily charged on to the battlefield, wielding a two-meter phrasium blade in one hand.
You’re gonna shock them on appearance alone... None of them are gonna expect a swordswoman to charge them!
“Die, die, die!! Get crushed, losers!” Elze’s Gerhilde was firing its pile bunkers all over the place, crushing Golem cores left and right. She raged across the battlefield like a crimson deity of destruction.
Yae’s Schwertleite was gracefully dancing across the battlefield, slicing any enemy it came across cleanly in two. She didn’t waste a single motion.
Hilde’s Siegrune was supporting the Chevaliers by blocking attacks with her shield, and crushing the enemy with counter-attacks. She was doing a great job of defending her allies in the more crowded parts of the battlefield.
“Touya, Touya! Come on! Haven’t I waited long enough?!” I suddenly heard a voice from a mech that I hadn’t deployed to the battlefield. It was Sue, in her personal Frame Gear. Ortlinde.
It was a Frame Gear that specialized in defensive functionality. It had a coating of phrasium above its orichalcum base, giving it the strongest armor out of any Frame Gear produced so far. It was golden and adorned with black here and there, giving it the most gaudy appearance as well. It wasn’t quite to my taste, but Sue demanded it... I couldn’t win against her whining.
It was a complete coincidence that the name matched up with her family name, too... It just happened to go with the naming scheme. I’m serious. That’s why I said it twice.
While it specialized in defense, that wasn’t its true power.
“Alright, let’s let you debut then. It’s the first time, so we’ll try manual control. Cesca, Rosetta, Monica. You ready?”
I put my smartphone up to my ear to get the final confirmation.
“Gungnir ready, Master.”
“Laevateinn ready, sir!”
“Mjolnir is, like, totally ready!” I confirmed that they were all ready to roll. It was time to test this out.
“Alright. Sue, begin the combo sequence! Docking approved!”
“Gotcha! Frame dockinggg!” As Sue yelled, a spear-like object flew in from the sky. It was Gungnir, the flying boat.
Then the armored train, Laevateinn, kicked up dust into the air as it barreled in from the rear.
At the same time, the multipurpose underground tank, Mjolnir, burst out from the ground with its mighty drill.
Laevateinn wasn’t technically a train, since it floated a bit above the ground and didn’t use rails. It’s kind of similar to a linear motor train... I guess? Nah, not really... They’re not alike at all.
Mjolnir didn’t actually drill the earth in front of it, either. It just used magic to displace the earth in another area. The d
rill was little more than a snazzy decoration for the most part.
Basically, Mjolnir used [Storage] to shift the earth in front of it out of the way, and then put it back in the space behind it. So it could move through the earth without actually making tunnels. It was capable of using the drill, but that only really happened when it initially entered the earth and rose up out of the earth. Its design was based on something in an older anime I showed them.
When all three support vehicles came together and got within range of Ortlinde, the Frame Gear would rise into the air and prepare for the combination mode. Ortlinde’s specialized docking system allowed it to combine with the three support units and enhance its power. Mjolnir split itself into two and fused with Ortlinde to become its legs.
Then Laevateinn split itself into two and stuck itself on to the end of Ortlinde’s arms and created longer limbs.
Lastly, Gungnir would swoop down and fold itself into a V-shape before docking on Ortlinde’s back. After that a mask would pop out of the Frame Gear’s chest and land on its face, and its horns would start emitting light. I questioned the need for a gimmick like that, but whatever.
“Behold our true power! Ortlinde Overlord!”
Seriously...? Ortlinde Overlord? These guys are just getting out of hand now. What kind of tacky naming convention is that?! The earth shuddered as the uh... Ortlinde... Overlord, thing, crashed to the ground. The mighty hero finally made its debut.
The lumbering golden god descended upon the stage. It was twice as big as a regular Frame Gear. It was absolutely a symbol of pure power.
“Wh-What the...”
“It’s huge... Can that thing fight?!” The Felsen army stared in disbelief. Honestly it was enough to even blow me away, so I could understand what they were feeling.
“Here we go! Cannon Knuckle!” The Ortlinde Overlord’s right arm detached and rocketed toward one of the Armored Golems. It was a thick lump of orichalcum and phrasium that hurtled through the air at impossible speeds, shattering the Golem to pieces.
The right arm, which worked similarly to the Fragarach system, swung around in an arc before pulling back and clicking back on Ortlinde’s elbow.
You guys even made that...? Talk about getting carried away! Installing a Fragarach is fine and all, but you remodeled it into a goddamn rocket punch? I imagined that this was Doctor Babylon’s doing. She probably said something like “this needs more punch!”
The Ortlinde Overlord suddenly charged into the heat of battle. Its body was massive, but it still moved with a startling level of speed. This was because it was enchanted with [Gravity] at several key points.
The Ortlinde Overlord smashed itself into a Golem. It was then that I realized I hadn’t really designed any weapons for it. I made a mental note to put some together later on.
The Golem she’d hit fell to the ground and died immediately. The struck area had been completely obliterated. Ortlinde was an unreasonable powerhouse... I questioned whether it was wise to actually give it to Sue.
“Sue. Be a little more careful with your movements. Think about where your hits’ll land.”
“I got it! Rosetta handles that stuff anyway, don’t worry!” She answered as she made Ortlinde casually smash a Golem’s head.
Hmm... We initially planned for the vehicles to be in autopilot mode. It might be better if they’re always set to manual gynoid control...
“Cannon Knuckle!!!” ... Yeah, manual’s best. They can stop her if she gets overzealous. Holy crap she just wiped out a ton of them!
The enemy had already been routed in the area where Ortlinde Overlord was rampaging. That made sense though; the very presence of the thing had completely demoralized the opposing side.
Moroha, however, wasn’t going to let anyone escape. She sliced off the arms and legs of the Steel Battalion bots, and then sealed their cockpits shut, effectively trapping the pilots inside metal tombs.
A mere hour after the battle had begun, it was over.
“Milord. We’ve accomplished our mission.”
“Excellent work. Keep an eye out just in case any enemies try fleeing. Sue and the rest, keep an eye out for any weird magic readings. We don’t want anyone looting us again.”
“Gotcha!” I looked over at the king of Felsen. He was simply staring in disbelief.
“I’ll leave the arrest of the Steel Battalion pilots to you, alright?”
“Huh...? O-Oh, yes... Right. Leave it to us. We’ll jail them, interrogate them, and such. I’m sure they’ll come peacefully after seeing this one-sided victory.”
With that, the dream of the Golden Order had been annihilated.
The Felsen army bore witness to the event, so news would probably spread fast. Even if the Golden Order had remnant members around the country, they’d probably keep quiet after hearing what happened here.
Naturally, we’d still interrogate the captured members here in order to find out more information on the members, hideouts, and other details.
All I did in this battle was invoke [Meteor Rain], so I was impressed. This wasn’t a battle against the Phrase, so they would’ve probably done just fine without me.
I looked up at Sue’s Frame Gear with a smile on my face. The rising sun shone against its glimmering gold.
◇ ◇ ◇
All the members of the Golden Order had been successfully rounded up, including the sub-leader. With that, the organization was done for.
Upon being caught, all the members were informed of the truth about the [Sanctuary] spell. After learning that, most came quietly, apparently crushed by the news. Even though it was far too late for them, they realized the futility of their plans.
They looked miserable, but they were just reaping what they’d sown. Their efforts had resulted in the deaths of many, and their ambitions would’ve killed even more. I had no sympathy for them at all.
Those who had committed serious offenses were immediately put to death, those who committed lesser offenses were given fifty years of hard labor in the mines.
In regards to the Steel Battalion, it seemed that Galzeld’s Magic Corps operated separately from Bowman’s Magitechnicians, so all knowledge about how to create them was confined to Bowman and, to a lesser extent, his team.
Still, it’s not like the two would be able to make anything ‘proper’ compared to a Frame Gear even if they worked together perfectly.
Bowman had been publicly executed in Roadmare already, and Galzeld’s execution was already scheduled. There were definitely magitechnicians and engineers that had some vague ideas of how the Steel Battalion was put together, but they were all in custody. I had a good feeling that I wouldn’t be seeing any of those machines around ever again. Nobody with that kind of knowledge was around anymore, after all.
Then again, they’d been built, so it was possible that someone could reverse engineer something from that which had already been reverse engineered. It was entirely possible for knock-offs of knock-offs to appear, or maybe even knock-offs of those knock-offs of knock-offs could sprout up in the future.
“Trash is trash at the end of the day, but I’m honestly impressed he managed to create such an effective bastardization of my Frame Gears.”
“That’s right, ma’am! It’s crude as heck, but still impressive in the worst possible way! I’m amazed to the point where I can’t even think of how he did it, yessir!” Both of the Babylon twerps jeered and shook their heads as they looked at the wrecked mech.
Y’know if you two keep bitching about the Steel Battalion any longer, Bowman’s vengeful ghost might float over here and whine. I’d just use [Banish] on him, though. No biggie.
We took the preventative measure of trashing every member of the Steel Battalion we could find. I really didn’t want to find out that someone stole one and made an even shoddier version.
Felsen was thankful to me for sweeping the dark matter under the rug. My reputation in Yulong, on the other hand, had gone down even further...
I’d g
one in disguise, but Yae’s Schwertleite and Hilde’s Siegrune stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone who saw the incident now believed the Silver Oni to be an agent of Brunhild.
The people of the capital were happy that the Heavenly Emperor was dead, but they weren’t thankful that it was me that had done it. They probably didn’t appreciate that I had barged in without formal declaration and just done what I wanted.
It’s not like I did it for the sake of the people of Yulong or anything, but even so... It was a little disappointing to not be appreciated. It’s not like I needed their thanks, but it still would’ve been nice to have.
Yulong was absolutely not gonna recover as a nation at this point, and that suited me just fine. They’d have to rely on foreign aid to pull themselves back up, and no nation on the continent wanted to offer them anything like that.
There already wasn’t enough food to go around in the central provinces, so most Yulongese citizens were moving outwards towards towns on the borders of the other countries.
Those towns effectively relied on those external countries to survive, so it’d only be a matter of time before the territories were absorbed by Roadmare, Felsen, Horn, Hannock, or Nokia.
Xenoahs maintained its typical non-interference policy, but that was nothing new. There weren’t as many immigrants heading up that way anyway; the climate was rougher and the food that their people ate took quite a bit of getting used to.
Plus, there were no major towns near the Xenoahs border anyway.
Either way, a lot had happened, but I felt like I could finally relax a little.
I wanted to take some time off, but there was still enough left to be done that it wasn’t possible for me to totally rest...
“So what will you guys be doing now?”
Sonia, Rengetsu, and Jesty were staying in the Silver Moon for the time being, I decided to visit them. Their quest of vengeance was over, after all, so I had a feeling they’d be moving on.
“Well, we’re adventurers... And we happen to have heard about a certain set of ruins accessible from Brunhild. So we were thinking of settling down here for a while and tackling quests here in order to make some extra money. Sound good?” Sonia and Jesty nodded along with what Rengetsu told me. I was completely fine with it. Having talented adventurers like them around would surely be a boon.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 10 Page 14