NOVEL WEB When it comes to my impressions of Keter, I can’t shake the feeling that grouping him with someone like Vina, a prophet, is quite the insult…
He definitely doesn’t possess the overwhelming size and power that Vina has, and unlike the snakes of the desert that shoot high-temperature energy blasts, his armament was unimpressive. Of course, that “unimpressive” is just my personal standard, but still…
Moreover, I couldn’t help but feel he had some shortcomings in durability. It was clear that my attacks were landing pretty effectively.
Overall, Keter… let’s say he’s… 0.2 Vina? Even that’s probably too generous.
Unlike Vina, who had truly put up a total war effort, it was clear that Keter would just be effortlessly neutralized the moment he was exposed to the firepower of multiple people.
That was the thought that crossed my mind when one pair of legs, which had been holding up the front of Keter, got heavily damaged.
But then, everything changed the moment a wire burst out from behind Keter, quickly retrieving him and relocating somewhere else.
I found myself in a moment of confusion, feeling like the dog that chased a chicken only to stare up at the roof. Was he retreating like that? It felt a bit strange, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind not capturing him.
However, if he were to attack us again, and target Himari… ugh. Just thinking about it is irritating—
Shuuuuuuuuuk——
“Whoa—”
What’s this? No way, he didn’t really back off, did he?
Suppressing my bewilderment, I took another look at Keter, who had just landed in front of me. Seriously, what the heck did he do in that brief moment?
Well, the legs that were quite damaged had hardly changed. If he had swapped them for new ones in that short time, I would have been a bit deflated.
The machine gun turret that was on Keter had vanished, replaced by a large-caliber cannon.
Only after witnessing this with my own eyes did my memories of Keter become clearer—sadly clear.
A prophet who can perform rapid movement and maintenance via wires, changing combat patterns by autonomously replacing upper parts.
Against Keter, the best course of action seems to be to cause enough damage to force him into maintenance for a period of time, or to inflict damage so severe that retreat becomes impossible.
If you ask me if that’s as easy as it sounds, well…
But one thing’s for certain: it seems Keter’s AI isn’t that impressive…
Given that he arrived armed with such an incredibly sluggish weapon, it’s a given that he’s a goner. He might’ve thought that the machine gun wouldn’t have enough firepower to suppress me, but…
While machine guns are bound to hit to some degree, the cannon he’s equipped with right now might as well be incapable of hitting me.
So, while Keter made a gigantic blunder, it’s my duty to utilize that as best I can.
“Mika-chan, I think targeting the core connected to the prophet’s legs would be best!”
Heard Himari’s voice amplified somehow shout that, but I had reached a similar conclusion a little while ago. It’s so obvious; once I confirmed the upper part could be replaced, aiming for the core is only natural.
And what’s going to help that endeavor is that utterly useless cannon. If he had kept the machine gun turret, getting close would have been more troublesome, but this way, it’s actually a blessing.
The lack of strong firepower is like not having any at all…
TuKwaaaang!!!
“Kaah?!”
“Himari-chan?!”
“I-I’m fine, so please focus on the battle!”
…Now that I think about it, that cannon can’t only aim at me.
I embedded the thought in my mind that I had to move so the cannon’s trajectory wouldn’t line up with where Himari was hiding, and quickly buried myself in the ground. I didn’t know the intervals between the shots, so I figured it would be better to just get moving.
Surprisingly, Keter’s cannon swivelled quickly and seemed to track my movements to some extent, but in the end, that wasn’t his real problem. There was no way he could hit me in that state.
If I fought while maintaining this cannon set-up, repelling Keter would likely be easier than expected.
Thinking that, I started closing the distance with Keter in a big circle. I hadn’t begun firing yet, but I did create a couple of starbursts.
I planned to initiate proper firing at close range for maximum impact, so prior to that, I used the starbursts for attacking—
Shuuuuuuk—— Ka-dak-dak—
“…Ah.”
I must’ve underestimated Keter’s AI a bit. Even with that cannon, he somehow dodged the starbursts I sent his way through the wire.
Since those starbursts are not infinite, putting me at a disadvantage in this situation can’t be ignored. It’s not a huge loss, but just the fact that I suffered some loss feels annoying.
And to top it off, this area is set in a wide-open plaza, which makes it easy for Keter to keep increasing the distance between us.
TuKwaaaang——!!!
Just as I stopped moving to think for a second, Keter launched a shell my way—but as soon as I noticed, I quickly moved my feet, avoiding the shell.
…For now, I think a small test would be a good idea.
Nothing too extravagant, just an experiment to see if he attempts to distance himself when I approach without unleashing starbursts.
Once again, I drew a circle and approached quickly, and Keter’s cannon tracked me as I closed in. As the distance decreased, Keter…
Shuuuuuuk——
Hmm. Starbursts or not, it looks like he just backs off the moment I approach. This is becoming a bit bothersome.
Having gotten annoyed with his petty combat style, I aimed at his core and pulled the trigger.
Even though the distance isn’t very close, I still fired while comfortably within effective range. Moving while dodging Keter’s cannon, I emptied a magazine and scanned my surroundings; I still felt like my firepower was quite lacking.
Perhaps it’s because of the spare magazine issue—this seems to be a time when a small decision has to be made.
And, as always, my decisions start by throwing this sturdy body into the fray.
Gripping my gun tightly, I fully halted my circular movement. Then, I stepped forward, precisely facing Keter… and began to charge.
I could see Keter locking his cannon onto me.
But I didn’t dodge.
There was no need to.
While the power of the shells fired is painfully strong, I know they’re nowhere near strong enough to kill me.
I typically dislike pain and strive to avoid being hit, yet it often feels like I have to endure some pain at critical moments.
TuKwaaaang—!!!
As I squeezed my eyes shut, a muffled sound rang out. Soon after, a ringing in my ears made my head swim.
I faintly heard someone calling my name, but whether it was reality or just my imagination, I wasn’t sure. If it was real, then it must’ve been Himari calling me.
I staggered for a moment after getting caught by the shell, but without even falling over, I opened my eyes wide and continued my charge.
In my now brightened vision, I saw just how small the distance was between me and Keter, and in one swift moment, I unleashed five starbursts.
How many more starbursts I could ignite doesn’t particularly matter. I want to avoid more pain that could lead to death, so I’m going for it.
Simultaneously, as I overwhelmed Keter with the starbursts, the explosions engulfed his body.
And of course, it was only natural for me to be caught up in that as well.
*
“…Mika-chan, I think it’s time we call off the operation and head back.”
“Huh?”
“What if there’s something more threatening lurking than that prophet? Mika-chan might get seriously hurt. It would be better to gather more resources and conduct a more extensive investigation…”
Pointing at the heavily damaged Keter who had fallen over, Himari cast a worried glance my way.
While I regrettably failed to repel Keter in just the first explosion, I managed gains out of thinning his mobility unexpectedly.
What followed was simply one-sided violence, and as soon as I successfully destroyed Keter, who couldn’t even properly retaliate, I just sat down right where I was.
In the meantime, Himari grunted her way over to me and started speaking now.
“Um, Himari-chan.”
“Yes, Mika-chan.”
“I’d rather not have to crawl through those sewers twice.”
“That’s an issue for you to avoid next time by coming through the surface…”
“Shh. Still, I did manage to hold onto a couple of spare magazines… I think as long as you’re prepared to camp for a day, we should be fine to head back in. Right.”
Though I say that, the reality is a bit different.
Considering that I know there’s nothing more threatening than Keter, I can’t allow us to head back now. So the investigation must continue, Himari.
“Alright, let’s set out again… Puhuh, Ahaha!”
“Wh-why are you laughing?”
“Well… the way you raise your arms so naturally asking for a hug is just… how should I put it?”
“Considering it’s not weird to boast about holding a beauty like me for generations, can you approach this with a bit more reverence?”
Seeing Himari blushing bright red while saying such shameless things makes me reflect deeply.
“Himari-chan, it’s only natural to boast about being held by a beauty like me. Yeah, so it would be nice if you could be a bit happier about it?”
“…Let’s just call it a win-win, okay, Mika-chan.”
I didn’t respond and simply wrapped Himari in my arms. Following the direction she pointed in, I leisurely started walking.
Now, it’s time to find that talking vending machine.