How to Survive on the Armored Front

Chapter 29

Commence firing!

Boom-boom-boom!

At Varthael's order, the concentrated barrage of the large-caliber assault guns swept across the ruin where Glaepnir stood.

Because the rain was falling, no dust rose, but the mud and splinters of trees thrown up by the shells kept soiling Glaepnir again and again.

- How many rounds have we fired so far?

- Sixty, counting this one.

- One stubborn bastard.

Mirel, muttering that, fired another couple of shots in frustration, yet Glaepnir, crouched like a stone guardian, did not budge.

- No response from the enemy Frame.

- What's going on? It's as if it's rooted there to protect the ruin.

- Don't let your guard down. Begin suppression fire. We'll sap the stamina of the human inside, then subdue him.

At Varthael's command, the three colossi began firing armor-piercing rounds in sequence.

Unlike before, when it had moved about, Glaepnir now stood still in one spot, making an easy target.

Yet the longer the knights kept firing, the more uneasy they became.

- We've been shooting nonstop for five minutes and it hasn't flinched.

- Maybe it's waiting for us to run out of shells.

Mirel answered Vamiel's doubt while checking remaining ammo. Soon, dissatisfied with the lull, the two looked toward Varthael and spoke.

- Head Knight. We can't keep this up forever. Give us orders.

"Hm...."

Even while gradually lengthening the intervals between shots, the lack of response was unsettling.

The ruin's door had opened; perhaps the pilot had abandoned the Frame and fled inside.

"Cease fire. Mirel, provide cover. Bariel and I will flank and encircle the target."

As he spoke through the loudspeaker, the two colossi nodded in acknowledgment.

- Bariel will close in and suppress the enemy Frame, confirm whether a human is inside. I'll enter the open ruin and check who's within.

- Bariel Frame. Orders confirmed.

Once the plan was set, only execution remained.

The two Frames stepped forward together, and Varthael's voice rang out through the loudspeaker.

- Advance!

***

Boom! Boom!

The colossi's bombardment continued.

Glaepnir, hunched protectively over the ruin entrance, silently endured the hail of shells.

Meanwhile, Yaan, who had climbed out of the cockpit, spoke to the blood-soaked girl perched at the threshold.

"Rana."

At the quiet call of her name, the girl with reddish-brown hair slowly lifted her head.

The bleeding had already turned the skin beneath her eyes dark, yet she smiled.

"Big brother... you're really late...?"

Cough! Cough!

Blood gushed from her mouth with each spasm.

Gravel and metal shards, flung up while shielding her from the bombardment, were embedded all over her body.

Hidden beneath her colorful clothes, fragments lodged everywhere, spurting blood with every cough.

"I'm too late."

"Still, I'm glad you came."

Rana laughed the same bright laugh as when they first met. Yaan looked at her face, then shifted his gaze to her hand.

The small bandage he had tied before was clutched tight in her tiny, delicate fingers as if it were precious.

"The brothers said... Rana's a bad kid... a child sold by her parents... so no one would play with me."

"Don't speak. You're bleeding..."

Yaan's movements froze.

So much blood from such a small body.

Too late. She couldn't be saved.

"But you played with me, so I was really happy."

"Is that so."

"Yeah. It was fun. And..."

Even a hardened soldier would scream from the pain of bleeding so freely; yet what made this child smile while looking at him?

"They said you left something behind... so Rana asked them to open the door."

"I see. You did well."

"But it's weird... I can't see your face..."

Rana slowly reached out as she spoke.

When her fingers touched Yaan's face, her smile brightened even more.

"Hehe, your beard's all scratchy."

"...Next time I'll shave before I come."

"No. Just don't go far away, let's play again later."

"I'll visit often."

"Promise? Really?"

Even as she spoke, the blood spurting from her body gradually lessened.

"Ah, right... Big brother, what's your name...?"

Yaan answered her quietly.

"I'm Yaan Verkut."

"I see... Next time... we meet... call me by name..."

Thud.

The blood-soaked girl's arm went limp. Rana's half-lidded eyes lost their light.

For a while Yaan simply stared, then lifted Rana's lifeless body and carried it to a corner.

[Genetic profile recognized. Test subject 40923. Facility gate opening.]

Kugugugugu...

Machines cannot recognize death.

Though the girl who had protected him lay dead before its sensors, the emotionless machine responded only to her blood and opened the door.

"Nill."

[Awaiting orders.]

Normally it would have urged him to board quickly, but this time it stayed silent, guiding the Frame closer to where Yaan stood.

"There's a weapon inside the facility. Retrieve it and connect it."

[Order confirmed. Proceeding to facility.]

Boom. Boom.

Confirming the slackened bombardment, Glaepnir approached the facility and reached toward the entrance.

[Preservation facility I-92 access confirmed. Frame authentication complete. Requesting clearance for E-14 withdrawal.]

[Mobile weapon EUA-014 recognized. Transferring dedicated armament. E-14 Rail Cannon to user Yaan Verkut.]

[Frame designation Glaepnir. Transfer complete. Per facility protocol 32, declaring mission of this facility terminated.]

[Signal received. Facility I-92 mission concluded. Initiating permanent lockdown per protocol.]

[Glory to humanity.]

[Glory to humanity.]

The two ancient machines exchanged signals and slogans in turn; as their inorganic voices crossed, a massive cannon barrel rose in Glaepnir's hand.

"We'll meet again."

After gently closing Rana's half-open eyes, Yaan stood up.

He walked slowly toward Glaepnir, now fully prepared.

Before him, Glaepnir knelt on one knee, its cannon raised skyward, waiting.

[Pilot aboard. Initiating synchronization.]

Kugugugugu...

Glaepnir rose slowly to its feet.

Power cables from the cannon in its hand connected to its back, sparking.

[Fire-control OS updated. Enemy Frame positions confirmed. Auto-aim correction complete.]

Ssssssshhhhh-

Parting the steam rising from the boiling rainwater, Glaepnir revealed itself.

The instant Mirel saw the monster's enormous barrel through the smoke, a chill ran down her spine as she waited to provide covering fire.

"Th-that couldn't be... an assault gun?"

Mirel's colossus shifted position as she spoke.

"We take the one shooting from the rear first."

[Order confirmed. Commencing targeting by priority.]

Soon Glaepnir turned its body and stared silently into the pitch-black forest.

The massive Rail Cannon gripped in both hands emitted a hair-raising whine as if reaching critical state.

Beep-!

The instant the lock-on alarm sounded, Glaepnir pulled the trigger.

In that moment, lightning struck the center of the earth.

Kwoooaaang-!

A blinding flash lit the area around Glaepnir like midday, followed by an explosion and gushing flames.

After withstanding the tremendous heat and pressure, the electromagnetically accelerated round hurtled straight toward the colossus Mirel piloted.

The boom was so loud it could be heard inside the cockpit; Varthael and Vamiel, flanking wide, flinched and looked toward the sound.

-What was that noise! What happened!?

-Mirel! Respond! Mirel!

It was clear the monster had fired something.

When Varthael looked at the point of impact, he nearly lost his will to fight for a moment.

"What... is that?"

The legacy of the Ancients-the colossus that kept its frame intact even when plunged into a furnace hotter than a thousand degrees-had its armor pierced and its cockpit crushed.

Yet Varthael, eyes wide open, beheld an impossible sight.

Gone.

It was gone.

The upper half of the colossus.

As if torn off and devoured, it had vanished without a trace.

Even the frame and mana core that never lost their shape had been obliterated.

-V-Varthael! That's-!

-I don't know! I don't know what happened!

Before fear could take hold, awe overwhelmed him as common sense collapsed.

Still shouting in wonder, the two reached the target point.

Yaan stared at their Frames on the monitor, hollow eyes fixed on their glowing shapes.

"Next."

[One round remaining. For efficient combat, close-quarters engagement is unavoidable, but considering the pilot's condition...]

"What about my condition?"

[Statement retracted. Preparing for close-quarters. Synchronization locked.]

With Nill's cautious words, Glaepnir leapt, wielding the twin-barrel railgun like a spear.

-He's coming this way! Vamiel, cover-!

-Damn it, I'm stuck in the marsh!

Thud-!

Glaepnir appeared right before Varthael's eyes.

The murderous aura, as if enraged, made his Frame lose balance and topple on the spot.

"It's okay if I get a little rough with this, right?"

[Affirmative. Barrel sealed. Switching to melee configuration.]

-In a place like this...!

Crackle!

Just as Buertael's lance had tried to pierce Yaan's Glaepnir before, the raised railgun barrel speared straight through the cockpit of Varthael's colossus.

"This-this can't be!"

Startled by the sudden turn, Vamiel poured assault-gun fire at Yaan like a madman.

Kang-!

Kaang-!

Vamiel fired the assault gun at near-automatic speed until the barrel glowed red, yet Glaepnir took every round on its body and slowly turned to face him.

-Don't come! Don't come any closer!

Vamiel's colossus screamed, pulling the trigger frantically.

Click, click.

"Damn it, out of ammo now!?"

As the empty-chamber click announced the lack of rounds, Glaepnir raised both arms and aimed the rail cannon at Vamiel's colossus.

"He-he's lifting Varthael's entire colossus!"

Varthael's colossus dangled from the rail cannon Glaepnir hoisted.

The output needed to lift that massive Frame whole, and the strength of the barrels bearing the weight, made clear why this Frame was called the Creator's legacy.

"Demon! That's a demon of the Vailsar Empire!"

Screaming like a madman, Vamiel kept pulling the trigger of his empty gun.

[Targeting complete. Barrel open.]

Beep-!

Ignoring Vamiel's terror-filled scream, Yaan pulled the trigger.

Kwoooaang-!

Flash. Explosion. Flames.

The Frame that had hung from the barrel melted away without a trace.

Like Mirel before, Vamiel's Frame took a direct railgun hit; only two leg stumps remained, toppled in the forest.

Thud-!

With just two shots Glaepnir had obliterated three colossi.

"Wh-what the hell..."

"The colossi... vanished completely..."

Dandel and the Greyhounds watching from afar stood slack-jawed.

Fizz! Crackle!

Where the Rail Cannon had fired looked like a bomb had gone off.

Trees uprooted, bare soil exposed, and undischarged electricity still sparked, scorching the air.

Screeeeeech-!

Glaepnir opened some armor plates to vent internal heat.

The rain that had started at dusk showed no sign of stopping all day.

Groooan...

Exhausted, Glaepnir knelt where it stood, savoring the cooling rain on its hot armor as it slowly sank into the smoke.