by Kamiya Yuu
Hikoshima witnessed the gang who went off while leaving these words behind.
Captain Sumitada Hikoshima was one of the historical witnesses.
If one was to put his viewpoint into words, how would it be like?
Illogical, unreasonable, brief, abrupt–his revolution, done out of righteous fury, failed without any reason.
Battle? Incident? No–this phenomenon could only be considered as an ‘incident’.
Defining this truth in itself was not the job of a witness–but a historian.
–This scene was like a joke.
It was not a battle; just a one-sided sweep.
It was not a calamity; this irrational phenomenon was with a purpose.
In other words, it was just trampling–the strong trumping over the weak.
“…I knew already…but this is really illogical.”
“This is normal for both RyuZU and AnchoR.”
While Marie pitied the young Captain who appeared to be the captain of this operation, Naoto proudly answered.
Both of them nonchalantly passed the road across the moat protecting the palace, chatting away.
At that moment, the lightly armed automata, which had their weapons aimed at the duo, were instantly crushed.
Immediately afterwards–no, at that instant, an automatic cannon several hundred meters away was similarly destroyed.
It was likely that both were–done in by RyuZU.
Marie could not be certain, since she could not see RyuZU and ANchoR in action.
RyuZU continued to move at high speeds, dismantling all the malice directed at Naoto.
In other words, the devastation done nearby were probably by RyuZU, so for Naoto–
“…Ah, waah…kick…!”
Her voice was a little panicky. Based on deduction, she probably swung the sword, and when unable to respond to a back attack in time, kicked at it–probably. That ‘kick’ she did while trying to hold back as much as she could–
“Hey Naoto…that ‘Komainu’ weighs 3.4 tonnes, you know?”
“Heh~ that’s unexpectedly heavy.”
“Yeah…very heavy. That thing’s flying in the air…it’s funny, isn’t it?”
That 3.4 ton metal block flew in the air, and Marie could not help but let out a dry laugh at that sight.
–The C&S 228 quadra pedal tank, commonly known as the ‘Komainu’.
It was a four legged tank developed together by two of the biggest companies in the country, the ‘Seiko’ and the ‘Citizen’; while they were inferior to the 5 Great Enterprises, the Breguets, Vachrons, Audemars, Pateks, Langes, they did have some of the premier technology in the world.
The main unit the ‘military’ had was probably the ‘A-Un’–perhaps they could not deploy the latest ‘military’ armaments in time because of the sudden coup d’etat.
However–the ‘Komainu’ was still an outstanding unit that was yet to be phased out.
And even Marie, as a technician, was impressed by the design.
It was a manned vehicle, and had all-view vision and inertia absorption system, but it displayed combat mobility comparable to that of a heavily-armed automata, and could move upright through the use of cables. By deliberately abandoning the thrust of the automatic springs and switching to the stored energy function, it was able to deliver a considerable power output over a large surface area.
Notably, its load–it contained the basic armaments of a 120cm cannon, a 30cm Gatling cannon, and could contain another 4 weapons at most. They could even be switched around in battle–but–
“Ah…sorry, papa, mama.”
AnchoR suddenly appeared in front of Naoto and Marie, as though she teleported, and casually swung a hand.
Immediately–there was an explosion in the sky, and after a beat, Marie understood the situation.
–There were two missiles closing in on the duro, and they were easily deflected by AnchoR”s gauntlets far into the air.
Marie turned around, and saw the ‘Komainus’ firing–far away in the distance. The machine was sliced vertically in half, and while the pilot remained speechless, AnchoR did not bother to bow at him.
Having witnessed this, all Marie could do was to give a dry smile.
Certainly, the country’s ‘military’ armaments were not weak in any sense.
For a country that focused mainly on producing local products, its armaments were considered the premier in the world.
But all of that–ended up like this.
“…Hey Naoto, this is really reality, right? Mind pinching me?”
“Okay–hey, why are you beating me up!”
“Seriously, there has to be a limit to how unreasonable this is…”
“Ow…now that’s what I want to say…damn it.”
Having witnessed this maelstrom of a violence, Marie finally understood.
RyuZU was not being humble when she declared herself to be the weakest of the ‘Initial-Y series’.
“…RyuZU is supposed to be the ‘weakest’, and she’s shredding the weapons like paper mache. I should pay attention to this more…”
Recalling back calmly, RyuZU did shred the Vacherons’ latest weaponss ‘Grat’ easily. Having considered that, the massive weapon was an abnormality to be able to block her scythes, and the normal weapons would typically end up like this–this was an illogical logic.
Furthermore…there was the capabilities of AnchoR, dubbed the ’embodiment of the strongest’–
Marie watched AnchoR swing a massive sword to cleave three ‘Komainu’.
“…Hey, Naoto. What kind of combat was ‘Y’ planning for when he gave that kid such powerful fighting strength? –I guess even aliens will go running away after seeing that, right?”
Marie asked with a lethargic voice, and Naoto gave a dumbfounded look, answering,
“Well, it’s to make them run with their tails tucked behind them, right? You really ask too much unnecessary stuff, Marie.”
–And then, at that moment,
“Got it, Marie.”
Naoto, who had his earphones off the entire time, raised his voice,
“That’s the heavy armed automata Type Cz 35C ‘Black Tortoise’–yep, no doubt about it. I found it.”
–Certainly, there was no doubt that it would be fine for them to simply enter the palace just like that.
But that alone was not enough.
They had to crush all the military forces before the enemy retreated.
Based on ‘Naoto’s plan’, they had to do so in an illogical, overwhelming, unreasonable manner–
They had to crush the scene such that even the strongest military forces in the world could nto do so.
–And one more thing.
“Okay, time for the next plan…!”
Marie cupped her head with both hands, seemingly bracing herself as she curled her lips.
She looked up at the sky–seeing numerous media helicopters whirling in the air, boldly getting their scoops on the maelstrom of destruction. Once she saw that one of them had the cameras aimed on them.
She raised her left hand, and swung it hard.
There was a temporary JSDF command post set up in the Palace’s meeting room.
The posh furniture were all taken away, and installed with communications devices and a huge screen.
And the JSDF, still in a somber mood till a while back, was watching the TV visuals on the screen along with the terrified Palace staff.
“–E-everyone, have a look at this unbelievable scene…!”
The reporter’s voice was raised, most likely out of disbelief.
Well, it was to be expected, for it really was unbelievable.
The ‘military’ forces that was surrounding the Palace in the visual just a while back was crushed by ‘a certain something’ they could not comprehend–
“Their identities are unknown! B-but one of them is–ah, it’s that boy! He’s the suspect, Naoto Miura, who declared that he would freeze Akihabara just day
s ago! Also, according the survivors’ witnesses, there’s also two automata who called themselves the ‘Initial-Y’ units–!”
The young black-haired girl–Houko stared at the screen, and murmured,
“What…is this?”
A young JSDF technical officer answered,
“I-I don’t know…there’s no way any weapon can do such a thing…”
“Is this really realtime visual? Is it possible that it’s doctored?”
While the Princess cautiously asked, the officer immediately answered–
“I suppose not. This does seem to be a live telecast from a public channel. Also, ‘nobody’ has the time, technology, or even the motive to create such a fake image.”
–Of course. To whose benefit will it be to air such a thing? The important thing is that it is happening right under our noses. Anything that can be seen from the palace cannot be bluffed.
“So that means that it is an actual broadcast, no?”
In response to Houko’s affirming words, the officer nodded despite being unable to say anything.
–This isreality.
It was something even Houko forgot–something that trampled over imagination.
She felt intimidated, and turned her eyes to look at the screen–before noticing something.
While the reporter was introducing the boy called Naoto Miura…right beside him was a blond girl looking up at the camera.
The girl’s emerald eyes were glittering as she raised her left hand up high, swinging it.
“–…”
Houko could not help but turn her left hand around.
She had a silver watch, with the name ‘MARIE’ inscribed on the case.
“W-we have an anonymous report! …Huh? Ah, sorry, the-they’re–“
The report thereafter left Houko flabbergasted.
Only she realized that it was a magic spell used to solve everything.
“They are the criminal group who declared the terrorist incident on Grid Akihabara, and created the now running unknown weapon running rampant there…!”
“Fuu…hhaa! Can’t calm down without this after all.”
–The location was one of the buildings flanking the road to the palace.
A girl was looking down from the roof, staring at the frantic scenes, smoking while wearing a rubber suit.
To be precise, she was not a woman, and more technically, she was not human–neither a cyborg, nor an automata.
It was a man whose head was forcibly attached to an automata unit–and someone called his name.
“Vermouth, Naoto found it. The ‘target’s said to be at your 2 o’clock, in one of the 5 units.”
Marie’s voice came from the resonance communicator installed in the mechanical body, notifying him.
He/she leisurely stood up, stretching the arms out, grinning.
“All right, as expected of the little brat I’m in love with. I’ll fuck him in the ass as a reward.”
“–Homosexuality is contagious. That’s what he said.”
Vermouth showed a wry grinned, and continued running down the roof–jumping. He continued to move to the designated place, and Marie asked nervously, hiding her disdained,
“–It’s kinda late to ask this now…but you’re really alright with this?”
Well, this certainly is kinda late–Vermouth chuckled quietly.
“What now? Even you don’t believe in the body you built? Aren’t you just a little bit–”
“Of course I believe in it! I did my best in the adjustments–but that machine isn’t a cyborg body. Understand what I mean? That’s not for human control!”
“–Are you kidding me! You’re shocking me with something I don’t know! In that case, Missy, tell me something. Who’s the one who attached my head to this thing in the first place?”
Vermouth continued to leap off the buildings as he remained spiteful, and Marie was speechless.
–There was no need to mention it, for it was Marie herself who did it. But–
“Relax. This body’s fine with me, you know? You came up with the best work here, Missy.”
It was not a lie. In fact, he was leaping off buildings, and yet there was no impairment to the shock absorbers.
As expected of a love automata, it was sexy and pretty, so much that one could think of a movie star or a top model. Amazingly and luckily for him, the difference felt between this model and Vermouth’s prior prosthetics was kept to the minimum possible. Though the power was inferior from the original high-grade military parts used, but as it was built for dancing, it was able to do flexible movements his original body could not do.
–Right, it was well done, so well done that he could not feel any delay in his reactions.
Even after using so many of the quality parts, nobody could actually make such amazing adjustments.
Truly, this is the work of a genius–Vermouth thought, but did not say it now.
“Well, this thing is a playdoll automata, but there’s actually one big cock at my crotch–”
“I’ll kill you, you know?”
Vermouth’s teasing taunt was met with a frigid response.
“No no no. I’m serious. Why did you put that on me?”
“Like hell I know! It was there already! I don’t want to touch such a filthy thing either!”
Vermouth widened his eyes, seemingly able to see Marie’s blushing face,
“–Hey, you’re kidding, that’s standard equipment? I heard of the rumors, but this is Cool Japan’s regulations? Awesome; no matter the era, Japan’s always living in the future!”
Vermouth cheerfully smirked, but he felt something strange through his communicator–and his attitude changed as a result.
He lit a new cigarette, calmly telling Marie,
“–Want a smoke? It’s nice.”
“That body–even your original body won’t be able to pick out that smell”
Upon hearing Marie question ‘what’s the point of that’, Vermouth merely grimaced. She did not understand.
He continued to jump from one building to another, identifying the target–as that brat had said, there was a squadron of 5 units at his 2 o’clock. He saw the ‘target’ amongst them.
“For example, Missy, even a body of flesh and blood will say that the air’s great, but what does that mean?”
“…”
“Air itself has no smell, right? The idea of great air is just a good atmosphere–that’s all.”
–The heavyarms automata, Type Cz-35C ‘Black Tortoise’.
Built by Seiko, its unique characteristic was a fusion of thick alloy armor and heavy firepower–its arms were equipped with 40 cal cannons, the shoulders equipped with the main cannons–the Thermobaric Busters, and they were equipped with highly intricate Ai. They were amongst the strongest bipedal unmanned weapons in the city.
…They mobilized such a thing for a mere young Captain’s rebellion, and one had to grimace at that.
However, it seemed that they were unable to get enough, so accompanying it was 3 armored ‘Metal Demons’ units and a quadra pedal ‘Komainu’.
Right below him were numerous cyborg foot soldiers and lightly armed automata.
Vermouth looked down at this squad, and thought of ‘Naoto’s request’.
Let’s repeat that again. Don’t kill anyone. Just destroy the ‘Black Tortoise AI’, eliminate all other units.
Is there all that is to the order? Do I add in some fries and drinks to this too?
Vermouth held in his grin. That brat Naoto came up with such an impossible problem for a scumbag like me.
“And then…right now, I feel that tobacco is the best taste.”
–“Nobody else other than you can do this”–
“…so in the end, what was that?”
Marie gave a skeptical question, and Vermouth then leaped off the roof–
He jumped at the 6-storey building opposite him, did a triangle jump down the gaps between the building, and landed.
> If you don’t like something, beat them up–he thought of Naoto’s eyes when the latter declared this, exhaled a large puff of smoke, and then beamed, appearing as though he would bite the smoke off.
“–It means that since I have a good smoke, I won’t miss!”
Vermouth smirked, and then charged into the chaotic battlefield from behind the building.
Charging towards a cyborg foot soldier who was on his guard.
Of course, he was spotted.
“Wh-who’s that–”
The cyborg soldier skeptically raised their rifles as he saw this playdoll automata charging in abruptly.
Vermouth immediately closed in on them.
And as he did, he kicked.
The toes kicked the rifle body, and the rifle left the hands of the cyborg.
Vermouth grabbed the rifle that fell out, and then fired a shot, shooting through the cyborg’s right leg.
And in a blink, he fired another 3 shots at the flank of the stunned cyborg.
Vermouth watched the enemy tumble back, and showed a smile, saying,
“How do I look like to you? I want to know to.”
There were 4 shots fired, and this triggered the reactions of the other cyborg soldiers, shouting,
“–it’s the enemy!”
“Ah–good. It’s easy for me when they think of everything as an ‘enemy’, even if it’s some erotic love doll passing by.”
Vermouth guffawed as he was fired upon by the enemy in three directions. However, he did not stop.
Vermouth continued to dodge the hail of bullets with such nifty dance-like footwork.
He ducked into the blind spots of the enemy cyborg foot soldiers and automata, sometimes using them as shields for them to shoot themselves at, and continued to glide around.
They were rifles, but a single shot would be fatal on this playdoll automata–Vermouth continued to sprint however, not showing any fear, only a cynical sneer instead.
And then–
“Lend me your head, kid.”
Vermouth stomped on a cyborg’s head, and leapt.
Right in front of him was an armored soldier–the ‘Metal Demon’.