Chapter 69: Sniping

With Phantom still active, Lucifer, which I’m piloting, heads north.

There are three paths we can take to invade each other’s territory. The North route, the Central route, and the South route.

It has become clear that there are three enemy machines heading for the South route. Next, I will head for scouting on the Central route.

The North route is originally the route I’m in charge of, so I plan to meet up with Koto who is heading there, but there is a possibility of changing course depending on the number of enemies heading for the Central route.

Assuming three machines on the South route, and at least one machine in the ‘Guardian’ role at the Crown, that leaves five machines. Since one of them is the Flashy Guy who ran away, the remaining possibility is four machines.

Our allies heading for the Central route were Carrol, Lirisha, and Pearl, but since we had Pearl go to the South route, it’s just Carrol and Lirisha.

If all four enemy machines are heading for the Central route, I’ll have to wait there, have Koto come over, and fight.

“Oh. I might be able to see from around there.”

On the way to the Central route, I found a quite high rocky mountain. From around halfway up that mountain, it looks like I could see quite far.

Making the Hide Cloak flutter, I fire Lucifer’s thrusters and fly up into the sky. The setting sun is harsh. Is the sun setting already? I wonder if Phantom will only be useful up to around here. Any more than this and it will glow and stand out too much. Well, thanks to that, I was able to give the Flashy Guy a shock, though.

While I was immersed in complicated feelings, a small electronic pon echoed inside the cockpit, and an announcement from the referee played.

『A request for substitution of representative players has been made. For the Brunhild School, Phil Letra will be substituted by Arc Cura Hellgaia.』

“Ha?”

Substitution… That Flashy Guy, he switched with the Pale Gourd…!

Damn, he completely got away. If I had definitely finished him off, we could have had a numerical advantage.

However, with this, they have no scout. They shouldn’t be able to find me easily.

No, could there be another scout? But among the representative members I investigated, there were no machines that looked like they could act as a substitute scout…

It’s not like the scout role is limited to Lightning Frames, so it’s not impossible, but. If there is one, a Mystic Frame? I’ve heard there’s equipment that cloaks you in illusions. It’s probably active, not passive, so they wouldn’t be able to deploy it constantly, though.

While thinking about such things, I climb the rocky mountain. There was a nice open spot, so I decided to look at the enemy territory from here.

“Let’s see…”

I zoom the camera and project the highway leading to the Central route. There they are!

Two machines, huh. They’re quite close. A greenish machine, and the other is a bright red machine. If I recall, that is…

I once again pulled out the machine data from my smartphone.

■ Shion Blitz

・From the Belfast Kingdom

・Boarding Machine

Ritter Frame ‘Ignis’

・Position: ‘Striker’

■ Quadra Bash

・From the Riefrees Kingdom

・Boarding Machine

Clock Frame ‘Winchester’

・Position: ‘Freelancer’

Rank number four and eight…

Wait, hold on a second…! What about the rank number one, Kokonoe Kojuro?

Don’t tell me he’s on ‘Home Base’ or ‘Crown’ defense duty?

No, according to the information from Koto, Kojuro isn’t the type to command from the back like that.

He has a personality that stands on the front lines and inspires his allies. He apparently even got scolded by his master for charging out too far sometimes.

Which means he’s heading for the North route? Koto and I are planning to hold them off there, but…

Interesting. The ‘School’s’ first-year rank number one, huh. He’s an opponent with no shortcomings. Since I declared to Rimiera-senpai that I would punch the ‘School’s’ rank number one, Kou Shirogane, there’s no way I can shrink back from a mere first-year number one.

…Whoops, I have to report to Carrol.

“Central route, rank number four and eight approaching. Please be careful. Most likely, rank number one is on the North route. This machine will also head there.”

『Roger. You be careful too…』

At that moment, the communication with Carrol was suddenly cut off by the sound of a nearby rock being smashed. What?!

When I looked around, a large rock about the height of Lucifer’s waist was smashed to pieces right next to me. This is…

The instant I took a step forward to check the smashed rock, a crack appeared on the rock wall behind where Lucifer was positioned. Gunfire…! I’m being sniped?!

I immediately hid behind the shadow of a nearby rocky area, stealthily peeked my face out, and zoomed the camera. The green machine had something like a long rifle readied and was aiming this way. Eeeeeh?! W-wait a minute?! They can snipe from there?!

In the catalog Lara showed me, there were certainly ultra-long-range long rifles and such, but they were quite expensive, you know?! How did they afford that!

Or maybe they got it cheap from a senior? Or rather, how did they find out I was here…?

Phantom should be properly active.

『Nero?! What’s wrong? What happened?!』

“I was sniped! Their Clock Frame has an ultra-long-range rifle. They’ll shoot even from quite far away, so be careful when approaching!”

Carrol’s Siegfried has a shield and its armor is hard, so she’ll probably still be okay somehow, but Lirisha’s Alfheim’s armor isn’t that hard. However, Lirisha possesses Fire, Wind, and Earth attributes.

She should be able to deflect bullets with Wind magic, or increase her defensive power with Earth magic.

What should I do…? Should I stay here and fight together with those two? It’s three against two. I think we can fight advantageously. However, Kokonoe Kojuro, and possibly one other machine, might be heading for the North route. Furthermore, the Pale Gourd who substituted for the Flashy Guy should be on his way from the ‘Home Base’ to some route.

If I stay here, Koto might have to fight alone against two machines including Kojuro. As expected, that’s tough. If they break through the North route, it’ll become a very bad situation.

If the three of us focus on one of those two machines and defeat it early, and then I immediately head to the North route with [Zero Gravity], could we somehow manage it…?

『Nero. I want you to head to the North route immediately. Most likely, the ones heading for the North route are their rank number one and three. I think it’ll be tough for Koto alone.』

It’s true that their rank number seven was a Titan Frame. If that is on ‘Crown’ defense duty, the only one left is the number three guy.

Furthermore, since the Pale Gourd who substituted with the Flashy Guy is heading this way… Ahh! I thoroughly regret that he completely got away!

In the end, it’s still nine against nine. The battle situation hasn’t moved advantageously for either side. No, since they used one reserve, we might have a slight advantage.

Ultimately, we ended up clashing on the three routes. I thought there was a high probability of this happening since I found out it was a Mountain stage, though.

Both their ‘Commander’ and ours are similar types, after all. Having a solid-type feel.

It can’t be helped. If Carrol says so, I’ll just follow it. It’s certainly too heavy a burden for Koto alone.

A bullet was fired near Lucifer again. As expected, it seems difficult to aim accurately at that distance.

“Roger. Then I will head to the North route. …Don’t lose, you two.”

『I’ll do my best.』

『Hah, who are you talking to? You make sure not to be easily defeated by their rank number one yourself.』

Not only Carrol, but Lirisha’s voice also broke into my communication. Both of them have come quite close.

Alright, I have to hurry. If I mess up, Koto will be defeated in a two-on-one.

“[Zero Gravity]!”

I activated [Zero Gravity] only at the beginning so I wouldn’t be sniped, and flew away from that spot into the northern sky, feeling reluctant to leave.

◇ ◇ ◇

“Fast…! What was that just now! Disappeared in an instant…!”

The ‘School’ first-year rank number eight, Quadra Bash, took her surprised, wide-open eyes away from the scope she was looking into.

The machine she pilots, the Clock Frame ‘Winchester’, is a Frame Gear for long-range sniping.

While heading toward the Central route with the rank number four, Shion Blitz, she discovered something flickering and shining halfway up the mountain. Wondering what it was, she checked with her rifle scope and it was an enemy Frame Gear clad in a Hide Cloak, so she sniped at it.

As expected, due to the distance, she couldn’t finish it in one shot, and since she was exposed, she fired a second and third shot as is, but they were all dodged.

“I should have shot after getting a little closer, huh~. I wonder if that was their ‘Scout’? Defeated Phil, so…”

『That’s the rank number three, Nero Silhoueska. The ‘younger sister’ of the [Sword Empress Princess].』

An answer flew from the machine piloted by Shion, the crimson Ritter Frame ‘Ignis’.

Shion has an older sister at the ‘Academy’. Because of that, he had grasped the opponent’s information to some extent for this ‘Inter-School Match’. Though as expected, even though they are siblings, they don’t leak things like equipment on the day or specialized tactics.

“Since she flew North, does that mean she intends to fight Kojuro and the others?”

『Mariette is also over there. They should be fine. Look, more importantly, it seems our opponents have appeared.』

At Shion’s voice, Quadra deactivated precision shooting mode and returned the scope she had directed North back to the mountain in front.

There, the figures of two Frame Gears coming over the mountain pass towards this side of the mountain could be seen.

An ultramarine Ritter Frame and an emerald green Mystic Frame.

『Rank number seven, Carrolina Liette, and number nine, Lirisha Millian. For the enemy’s “Commander”-dono to come, they are opponents with no shortcomings.』

“I wanted to finish off the rank number one if possible, though~. Well, be that as it may, let me deliver a shot as a greeting first!”

Quadra readied the ultra-long-range rifle she received from a senior, ‘Horizon’, and switched to precision shooting mode again.

She aimed at one of the two machines, the emerald green Mystic Frame that didn’t have a shield.

Her aim is the cockpit. Intending to finish it in one strike, she waited for the opponent to approach.

“Gotcha!”

When the opponent came into a distance where she could definitely finish it, Quadra pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Not a magic bullet, but a special live bullet with increased destructive power flew straight toward Alfheim, piloted by Lirisha.

And in the next instant, when the bullet seemed to reach Alfheim’s cockpit, the bullet suddenly veered off in an unexpected direction. The bullet strayed as if it had slipped.

“Nnnn?!”

『A defensive wall of wind. It seems this won’t be straightforward.』

In contrast to the surprised Quadra, Shion let out an elated voice as if it was getting interesting.