Chapter 56: Sudden Conclusion

And now the third force appears?

While hovering, I kept my guard up against Aegis below and slowly let Koto’s Tsukuyomi down.

『That just now was…』

“Pearl’s Frame Gear, Aegis’s Light Magic. Umm, [Holy Ray] was it?”

Lirisha said something like that after the match. Apparently, it’s a Light Magic belonging to Ancient Magic, and it’s supposedly a magic with a very high degree of difficulty.

It’s a secret that I thought just a little bit, ‘Could I use it too?’. As expected, Ancient Magic and such is impossible.

No, maybe it’s not impossible, but for example, studying it from ancient texts, understanding it, practicing it… that would take, well…

In my case, being slow to learn, it’s no good unless I have someone who breaks it down properly and teaches me thoroughly and kindly.

Even the magic I can use now is only because Master’s acquaintance taught me gently, taking me by the hand.

Now then, I can’t make careless moves like this.

It’s a three-way standoff between the Rizlet-Ann team, Pearl, and us.

Pearl, being alone, seems at a disadvantage, but suppose I move to attack Pearl. Then Rizlet and Ann would probably attack the remaining Koto together.

And vice-versa. If that side attacks Pearl with just one machine, Koto and I would move to crush the remaining one.

Hypothetically, if Koto and I both attacked Pearl, we would undoubtedly receive attacks from Rizlet and the others from behind.

If Pearl launched an attack on either us or Rizlet, the course of the battle would change again based on that.

In other words, Pearl, who seems the most disadvantaged at first glance, holds the decisive move on what to do with this situation.

The best thing would be for Pearl to leave here, but… the other side understands that too, and is pointing their cannon shield this way.

But…

『Oraa!』

From the forest behind us, the Dragonewt-type Frame Gear, Hatoba’s ‘Linddrake’, charged towards Rizlet’s machine, drawing back its fist.

『Kuh…!』

Rizlet’s Balrog blocked the fist unleashed from the dragon-modeled Mithril gauntlet equipped on its right arm.

『Hah! What happened to the armor on your one arm, Miss Grade Number One!』

『You…! Muscle-brained brute!』

While blocking Linddrake’s attack with its right arm, Balrog unleashed a kick with its left leg, and extended hook claws further from its toes.

That thing, its toenails extend too?

Linddrake jumped backward to dodge it, and the two Frame Gears faced off.

『Finally caught up!』

As if adding onto that, Pienetta’s scorpion-type Frame Gear, ‘Night Stinger’, appeared.

Using that as a trigger, Koto’s Tsukuyomi moved, heading towards Pearl.

『Wha…?! Are you all coming at once?! Leaving your Crown unguarded?! Are you idiots?!』

Such a voice flew from Rizlet’s Balrog, and I fiercely agreed with her on that point.

Whatever the case, we’ve seized the initiative of this battle situation with this.

But Rizlet’s red Titan Frame will arrive soon, and it’s not like reinforcements might not come for Pearl either. If we’re going to defeat them, we have to do it quickly…

While I was thinking such things, a transmission from Hatoba came in.

『Nero. You head out at full speed to strike Rizlet’s main camp. You can ignore Lumiel who’s heading this way. Liseclair’s machine won’t be able to keep up with your speed, so as long as you find the Crown, it’s our win.』

Ehh…? You say that so easily, but I don’t know where the Crown is, you know? I’ll do it, though…

I fully opened Lucifer’s thrusters and jumped into the sky at once.

Looking towards Rizlet’s camp, the red Titan Frame had come quite close.

For now, the Crown should be deeper in than that red Frame Gear.

“[Zero Gravity]!”

Lightening Lucifer’s weight, I dashed through the sky at once.

In an instant, I passed over the red Titan Frame and intruded into Rizlet’s territory.

The total operation time for [Zero Gravity] is barely one minute. I already used several seconds when I slammed into Rizlet earlier. I’d better not use it to the absolute limit.

I just realized, but even if I destroy Rizlet’s Crown, it’s going to take time for me to return from there… I probably won’t be able to use [Zero Gravity] on the way back… it might be like half leaving the front lines…

While thinking such things, I checked the opening map out of the corner of my eye. There’s a river. Did they place their Crown across the river just like us…?

“Ah.”

Suddenly looking at the Sea of Trees across the river on the main monitor, I caught a glimpse of a large, deep-blue Titan Frame’s head amidst the green trees.

“There it is!”

While firing the thrusters, I headed straight for the deep-blue Frame Gear.

Where is the Crown? It’s not in a visible location.

The other side seemed to have noticed me too, exposing itself to the sun from between the Sea of Trees.

A solidly built deep-blue machine. It was equipped with something like long kite shields on both shoulders.

And in its hands, an absurdly broad greatsword. If Lucifer took a single hit from something like that, it would fall to pieces.

Aiming for Liseclair’s Frame Gear across the river, I flew Lucifer.

But suddenly, the shields on both shoulders of Liseclair’s machine rotated, and their pointed tips aimed here. What was there were two muzzles.

“Geh…!”

I operated the thruster’s main wings to barely dodge the extremely thick magic bullets fired from them.

That was close?! If I was a little closer, I wouldn’t have been able to dodge!

To think she was equipped with a long-range attack weapon… Because it’s a Titan Frame, I arbitrarily assumed it was a close-combat power type.

Close one, close one. Carelessness is forbidden. Or rather, I don’t need to defeat her. If I find the Crown and destroy it, it’s our win.

『Nero Silhoueska, I presume. So you slipped past Rizlet and the others.』

A husky voice flowed from the deep-blue Frame Gear. So it’s Liseclair.

“Don’t you think I might have defeated them?”

『I don’t entirely discount it, but you’re too fast for that. I assume you left them to your comrades and came ahead alone. The fact that they’re holding down Rizlet’s trio means… did all of you attack, by any chance?』

What’s with this girl, her predictions are spot on… To be precise, Lumiel’s Frame Gear and such haven’t arrived at the front lines yet, and Pearl’s Aegis is fighting instead, though.

“Where is the Crown?”

『Do you think I would tell you?』

“Well, no. Just asking, just in case. [Asterisk]!”

Two snowflake-modeled [Floating Swords] ‘Fragarach’ launched from Lucifer’s waist.

I immediately transformed them into [Barrel Mode] and rained magic bullets on Liseclair’s machine.

Honestly, I don’t feel like it’s working. The power of the magic bullets is low.

Among weapons equipped on Frame Gears, the so-called shooting-type weapons are broadly divided into two types. Live ammunition and magic bullets.

Live ammunition, as the name suggests, fires physical bullets using explosions powered by magic power.

Depending on the type of live ammunition, it’s possible to produce special effects. Like armor-piercing rounds or flashbangs.

The power is high, and you can respond according to the situation, but since it’s live ammunition, you realistically run out of bullets.

There’s an absurd technology called ‘Infinite Loading’ that reloads by teleporting bullets from another location, but let’s set that aside for now.

On the other hand, magic bullets are intangible bullets made by transforming magic power. Also called magic missiles.

You can continue firing as long as your magic power doesn’t run out, but the power changes depending on the gun firing it. It changes depending on its performance in efficiently converting magic power into power.

By the way, the barrel parts used in my Asterisks are honestly cheap goods. Because Asterisk’s main body cost so much G (money)…

They aren’t very effective against machines with high defensive power, like Titan Frames or Pearl’s Aegis…

I could have changed to a high-power gun with the prize money from the match with Pearl, but I dumped it all into the Adamantite dagger.

Well, it serves as a diversion, at least. It would be bad for them if their main camera or sub-cameras were destroyed.

Magic bullets flew from Liseclair’s machine again. I moved through the air, sliding sideways to dodge them.

Damn, she’s using a good gun over there…! Isn’t that the one I saw in Lara’s catalog that converts a portion of the magic elements in the atmosphere into magic power? The one that consumes less magic power and yet has high power…

Whoops, dangerous. She fired again.

“Hm?”

…Something’s strange? She seems to be firing by reading my movements, but she’s almost guiding me… Firing into the direction she doesn’t want me to go, trying to draw my attention towards herself… Don’t tell me.

I aimed the camera in the direction she interfered with and magnified the image. Then, hidden behind several large trees, the figure of the Crown was faintly visible.

“Found it!”

『Kuh?!』

The magic bullets fired from Liseclair’s machine increased in number. It’s useless! That machine can’t catch up to Lucifer.

Fully opening the thrusters, I wove between the trees and charged at the Crown. Drawing the Adamantite dagger from my rear waist, I charged in with Lucifer while maintaining that speed.

“Gooooooooo!”

Taking the forceful strike of Adamantite, Rizlet’s team’s Crown shattered. I did it!

『Rizlet Team, Crown lost. Eliminated.』

Hearing Sophie-sensei’s announcement, I unconsciously struck a guts pose inside the cockpit.

『Got me. If this was going to happen, I would have been better off guarding right beside the Crown…』

Liseclair spoke to me in a tone that didn’t sound all that frustrated.

It’s true, I think I would have struggled more if the Titan Frame was marking the Crown tightly. I wouldn’t have been able to charge in while being wary of counters, either.

Alright, anyway, I’ve defeated Rizlet’s team with this. Next is Carrol and her team.

Should I just head towards Carrol’s team’s territory like this? Rizlet’s team is eliminated, so Hatoba and the others will probably head there too.

Just as I fully opened Lucifer’s thrusters and dashed through the air, Sophie-sensei’s announcement echoed in the cockpit again.

『Hatoba Team, Crown lost. Eliminated. Carrolina Team’s victory.』

“…………Hoe? Ouch?!”

For a moment, I didn’t understand what Sensei was saying, let out a goofy voice, made an error in piloting, and crashed Lucifer.

Huh? We lost? Ehhh?