2-2 Going All-Out 2

Author: Bishamon Mine
Raw: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0664js/3/
Translator: Lilia v4
Editor: Yuriko AYA

From near the moon’s surface, straight into space.

“Fourth wave, incoming! Danger! Danger! 〈Gorgon〉 approaching!”

A pulsar-type neutron star comes into view in the background.
The neutron star spits flashes from above and below like a raging spinning top.

And before that top appears——a sphere with something like eight tentacles.

From the ends of those rope-like tentacles, as always, it scatters shots in a raging torrent.

Why this stage is called the human graduation exam.
Because the patterns start disappearing.

Of the eight tentacles, six still have patterns, but two move completely at random.
Those random patterns sometimes take a terrifying shape.

——Someone said, “The scariest bullets in a shooting game are the ones that home in on you.”

But continuing this quest brought me to a different thought.
Homing shots that chase you are certainly terrifying——but you can still control them.

What’s truly terrifying is shots that completely cover every direction—no, all ten directions, including up and down.
People would say, “That’s undodgeable, isn’t it?” but this is a training simulator.

So I believe there is no such thing as undodgeable.
What’s needed is reading ahead. Reading the shots’ movement many moves ahead——which routes become dead ends, which routes can still be dodged.

After that, it’s spirit——spirit-dodging!

“Secret technique, ‘Gorgon Jumprope’!”

I call dodging this quest’s stupid volume of shots “Gorgon Jumprope.”

Because 〈Gorgon〉’s tentacles look like ropes.

Well, “Gorgon Jumprope” is, in shooting-game terms, just spirit-dodging.

I run my routine for entering the “zone.”

I kiss the stick, blow out a sharp breath, and shout.

“Ooooooooooh!”

Eyes wide as saucers, I keep dodging shots with a howl like I’m letting a beast out.
——Then the movement of the shots and tentacles starts looking slow.

(There!)

I’m sure.
I’m starting to enter the zone.
What matters in this quest is entering the zone.
If you don’t, this is not a quest you can clear. Not even close.

“The zone” is knowledge I got from studying manga and anime.
Basically, a state where concentration is raised to the limit.

Top pro athletes in actual sports apparently do routines before a match to make it easier to enter the zone.

Really amazing people can supposedly flip into the zone easily, like a switch.

My routine is kissing Swallow-san and yelling.
I skip it sometimes, but doing it perfectly still makes it easier to enter the zone.

I tried BGM, prayers, grooming, all sorts of things, but this method was the most effective for me.

The enemy shots that had been blinking like dots now look like lines. I feel like I can see the future of the shots’ movement.

I fly around in Swallowtail, a forward-swept-wing type with the wingtips jutting forward.

If you ask, “Do you even need wings in space?” these wings become Swallow-san’s strongest weapon: 〈Excitation Wings〉, “wrap the wings in a beam and cut the opponent with the wings.”

Like I said, these wings become a sword in humanoid form.

I use 〈Excitation Wings〉 a lot to conserve live ammo.
Another weapon I use a lot is the 〈Blackbody Vulcan〉.

The 〈Blackbody Vulcan〉 is a beam weapon on Swallow-san’s nose that rapid-fires beams.

Crank the output to the limit and you can also fire an extremely thick beam called 〈Critical Blackbody Beam〉.——That one can’t be rapid-fired, though.

“〈Gorgon〉 destroyed.”

“……”

I notice I’ve destroyed it.
I don’t celebrate. I don’t want to break the zone.

“Heads Up! Fifth wave 〈Talos〉 approaching.”

The next enemy looks like just a human torso.
No hands, no feet, no head, but something like wings growing from the back.

I blow a sharp breath through closed teeth and reset my spirit.

“——Ssh.”

I imagine connecting every nerve to Talos.
Like threads stretching from my whole body and biting into every corner of the enemy.

(Don’t miss it. Not one instant, not one fragment of 〈Talos〉’s movement.)

〈Talos〉 still isn’t attacking.

I keep pouring out the highest firepower Swallow-san has.
How much damage I can deal while 〈Talos〉 isn’t moving is the key to the 〈Talos〉 clear.

Because this is the only moment that can still be patterned——the one scene you can optimize.

The damage-optimal solution I came up with:

Rev the engine output all the way, and use this frame’s highest damage-per-second——a charge into a slash with the 〈Excitation Wings〉——and slam the charge speed into them as well.
The whole time I keep firing 〈Critical Blackbody Beam〉 without a break, stacking damage.

The light of 〈Critical Blackbody Beam〉 hides the enemy’s position. Charge into that and the risk of collision is anything but small.
But this is the highest firepower Swallow-san and I can put out.

If I don’t put out the highest firepower, I can’t clear.

After I cut them, I emergency-stop the photodisintegration engine, which is on the verge of overheating, and dodge the barrage on inertia and the frame’s center of gravity alone. Stop the engine and it cools all at once.
But the timing to stop the engine is extremely tight.

I do it at the last possible timing that kills none of the photodisintegration engine’s momentum——“and yet does not overheat”——and still lets me slip the barrage.

During the photodisintegration engine’s cooldown, a sweep with live weapons: 〈Multipurpose Vulcan〉 and 〈Compact Missiles〉.

The 〈Multipurpose Vulcan〉 is called multipurpose because it can use all kinds of rounds.

The rounds I’m using now are armor-piercers that punch through even a Versus Frame’s super-science armor.
This gun is embedded in the wings; take it out and the Versus Frame can hold it in its hands.
Also, on the fighter’s underside——the humanoid form’s back——there’s a high-power, long-range 〈Multipurpose Sniper〉.

〈Compact Missiles〉 fire a lot of homing missiles miniaturized down to a juice-can size.

Live weapons have a serious load-out limit, so you can’t carry many.——But there is no holding back.

If I don’t shoot everything here, this is not an opponent I can beat.
On top of that, I can’t miss a single shot.

“〈Photodisintegration engine〉, full open. 〈Excitation Wings〉 deploy, charge.——〈Blackbody Vulcan〉, sweep! ——〈Critical Blackbody Beam〉, fire! Frame invert, engine stop——〈Multipurpose Vulcan〉 and 〈Multipurpose Sniper〉, simultaneous sweep!! 〈Compact Missiles〉——fire! 〈Excitation Wings〉 deploy, charge again——!”

But what’s more terrifying than anything about 〈Talos〉 is this “time the opponent is stopped.”
The time this thing starts moving is “random”——you can’t pattern it.

From behind Talos, a small Talos appears.

“Ill-san, two drill drones——deploy both!”
“Yes, My Master. Drill drones launching.”

Ill-san calls up a window panel and presses a button, and the AIs controlling the drones start buzzing in my head.

“Honored to assist Mother again today.”
“Mama, we’ll do our best!”

“Yeah! Castor, Pollux, please!”

The tiny butler keeps a hand on the window and looks up at me.

“My Master, shall I operate on auto?”
“Manual!”

“Then I’ll connect to Mother’s VR again today.”
“Me too.”

These drones have AIs and can fly themselves, but you can also operate them with your brain through VR.

Ill-san takes his hand off the panel, puts it to his chest, and bows.

“Understood. Transferring control to Master’s VR——take care.”

Blue noise appears in my vision, then numbers showing the two drones’ status.

“Remote dual blades!!”

I operate both drones and my own craft at once. The geometric pattern I draw in my head becomes the light trails the drones jet.
I move the drones in something like a group dance as much as I can. Otherwise I can’t control two at once.

The drones keep assaulting the 〈mini-Talos〉.
A furious barrage from the 〈mini-Talos〉.

I have to keep dodging this with my craft and the drones.
If it were only the 〈mini-Talos〉’s attacks, I could still dodge.

Here, at last, the main 〈Talos〉 moves.
Here we go. No more patterns!
A contest of how deep I can dive into the zone.

“Gorgon Jumprope!”

The passphrase, and I sink deeper and deeper into my breath.

My vision dyes blue with footage of the future the enemy trajectories draw.
Eventually sound, skin-sensation, smell, even vision fade.
I lose “awareness” of every sense and just keep moving on reflex.

And then——

“〈Talos〉 destroyed.”

Good.

“Danger! Danger! Final sixth wave 〈Venus〉 approaching! Maximum caution!!”

Here it is. The last boss!

What appears with a pulsar-type neutron star’s aurora at its back is a headless frame like the Jomon Venus.
From that blank, fetishistic body, a shrill laughing voice.

No head——and no air——and the voice still echoes in space.

“It’s been a real-life month, ——Venus.”

I’ve actually only fought this thing eight times.
The first meeting was half a year ago in real time; since then I’ve only gotten to see it eight times.

“Today I’m knocking you down!!”
“Let’s go, Mama!”
“My Master, today, beyond the clear!”

I pour my whole body and soul into 〈Venus〉.
But the weapons on this side are limited.

Of the live stuff I only have a few Compact Missiles left. So what’s left is the blackbody-type attacks from the photodisintegration engine, and the drill drones.
And of the drones, Castor was shot down in the last fight. Only Pollux is left.

A fight against 〈Venus〉, stronger than 〈Talos〉, with a bigger handicap than before.
But it’s always like this——the only way to beat this thing is battered and half-dead.

I purge the 〈Multipurpose Vulcan〉 and 〈Multipurpose Sniper〉, which have become nothing but drag on my acceleration.
Then I keep dishing attacks into 〈Venus〉, which still isn’t moving.

I can’t use 〈Critical Blackbody Beam〉. Use it and the photodisintegration engine stops.

This thing’s shots are too many and too fast to dodge on inertial flight. I cannot stop the photodisintegration engine.

“So it’s just the few 〈Compact Missiles〉 left. Then close-range suicide runs with the 〈Excitation Wings〉, high attack, low engine load, and attacks with the drill drone——”

As I keep attacking, 〈Venus〉’s body splits left and right.

It’s started.

From here, every shot is completely random.
And the number of shots is no longer “pachinko balls dumped out of a bucket.”

If I had to put it: a driving rain.
I dodge it in a spin while charging, repeating close attacks.

〈Venus〉’s left and right bodies split further, up and down.

Four bodies in total.
What is born is double 〈Talos〉’s offense.

I read ahead through attack complexity that has stretched exponentially——.

Concentration like my nerves are going to burn out.

“——aaaaaaaah!!”

I keep that concentration for nearly twenty minutes.

But——

(I can’t—dodge this!)

The tiny butler turns his back to me, looking outside, and shouts.

“Warning! Master, there is no escape route!”
“Mama!”

——.

“Ill-san, humanoid form!!”
“Swallowtail, humanoid form.”

Faster than Ill-san’s voice ends——faster than my voice ends——Swallow-san becomes humanoid in a blink.

I put the triad boost into acceleration and reverse-thrust——Swallow-san’s speed drops all at once.

G overruns the gravity control and slams my body. The anti-G pilot suit under my clothes cinches me hard; a groan slips out.

Swallow-san’s humanoid form is nimble but sluggish.
After reverse-thrust, I use that nimbleness and slip the barrage.
I turn that sluggishness around——I manipulate the timing.

By leaving us behind in time, I change the shape of the enemy barrage——in humanoid form, I crush time in my grip!

Then I find a way out in the utmost, absolute nimbleness——my pupils sweep the entire sky.

And behind, at an oblique 164 degrees, I find an “escape” like a needle’s eye for Swallow-san’s frame size.

“Flight form——!!”
“Swallowtail, flight form——”

Swallow-san snaps back to flight form. I point the nose at the only escape.
But butler Ill-san turns and looks at me, face blue.

“——However, Master, 〈Venus〉 is beyond that!”

I charge anyway.

Butler Ill-san faces forward again.

“Warning! Warning! At this rate this aircraft will collapse.”

Full speed in flight form, where inertia makes pathing hard.
Threading the hole ahead is work like “throwing a fine copper wire through a needle’s eye from far away.”

“——, reeeeach!!”

But it’s no good——I won’t make it. Even Swallow-san’s full speed——the escape is closing.

I smash the transparent plate on the left side of the cockpit and haul up the lever inside.

I “took Swallowtail’s acceleration limiter off.”

Even with gravity control holding the load down, the G is so intense I almost black out.

The oxygen inside Swallowtail isn’t thin or anything, but when too much G hits, your head still starts running short of oxygen.

Every time I dodge the barrage, fierce G tries to reap my consciousness. The pilot suit contracts again and again.

Detecting that I’m going hypoxic, rich oxygen from the solid oxygen tank on the pilot suit’s back fills the transparent helmet.

Warning tones ring everywhere, painful in the ears.

The needle-like hole, closing.
At this rate the frame’s wings will “hit”!

“〈Shield〉 full open, Boost! 〈Excitation Wings〉——full deploy!!”
“Understood. 〈Shield〉 〈Excitation Wings〉 deploying——output critical.”
“Pollux, sorry, go!!”
“Mama, do your best!”
“It’s all right, Mother. It isn’t as if we die.”

I slam Pollux into an enemy shot and force an annihilation.
Then——shots that punch even through the 〈Excitation Wings〉, I punch through with a combo of full-open 〈Shield〉.

Sparks scatter in space like a flower blooming——
——and I break the encirclement!!

But Swallow-san didn’t get out free.
The left main wing is badly damaged.
On top of that, one of the left main wing’s rockets is throwing sparks.

“Photodisintegration engine, on the verge of overheat. What will you do, My Master!”
“Maintain speed and 〈Excitation Wings〉 as they are.”
“The engine is at its limit. At this rate the photodisintegration engine will stop. Then we cannot dodge 〈Venus〉’s attacks.”
“With one rocket engine like that, I can’t fly properly in space anymore. I charge on inertia from here——I’m putting it all on this one hit!”

“Understood. Master——please, make me the world’s first frame.”

Swallow-san, called weakest, called useless.——Ill-san, who is Swallow-san’s split self.
That wish of his.

“Leave it to me!!”

I dodge the barrage in a spinning corkscrew on an unstable frame and launch the last attack.

“〈Compact Missiles〉, all remaining——! Raise 〈Excitation Wings〉 output to critical.——Goooooooooooo——!!”

Charge——I cut 〈Venus〉 with the shining right wing.
——But Swallowtail finally takes the barrage.
The frame starts bursting apart.
——Leaving light in a dark, cold, soundless world——.
And then——

“〈Venus〉 destroyed. All hostile reactions, silent.”

 

——Congratulations!——

 

“★★★★★5 SSR title 〖Legend〗 acquired.
Effect: On use, special-izes the boarded frame for three minutes.”

“First solo-clear bonus. ★★★★★5 SSR sealstone 〖Miracle〗 acquired.
Effect: Raises the probability of acquiring sealstones.”

Ill-san turns to me, trembling in tiny shakes, crying.
The hand on his chest is shaking.
He looks up at me and speaks in a wavering voice.

“C… clear! It’s a clear… Master!!”

The drone AIs congratulate me too.

“We finally did it, Mama!”
“It really was so long, Mother.”
“Yeah——yeah! ———Everyone, thank you so much———!!”

And so I achieved the clear of a quest that had lasted fully three years.

Then I tried to post a video.

But——

“Three days ago…… it had been cleared.”

The tiny butler’s face clouds.

“M-My Master……”
“Mother……”
“Mama……”
“Everyone, I’m sorry.”

The tiny butler looks into my eyes and shakes his head.

“I——!”
“Don’t, Mother.”
“We had fun……”

A mere three days before I cleared it, someone had achieved a Death Road clear.
The frame that person used was also a Swallowtail.
Not a mass-production model, though: a rare-item special-model Swallowtail.

The person who cleared it first had 1.5 times Swallow-san’s speed and turning, held G down with a high-end gravity unit, and slipped the enemy attacks. With nearly 1.5 times the firepower they overwhelmed 〈Talos〉, and buried 〈Venus〉 in attempt count.

The number of times the person who cleared it before me challenged 〈Venus〉 was a little over a hundred.
Apparently they reached a Death Road clear in a year.

“I shouldn’t have been doing only one quest. I should’ve been enhancing my frame normally. I should’ve gone out and adventured properly——I’m sorry.”

It’s a laughable story.
I poured too much into the quest——that was my defeat.

The tiny butler keeps shaking his head, staring into my eyes.

“……Master, Master……”
“It’s my fault, but I’m still sorry——everyone. I might not be able to come here for a while.”

The tiny butler closes his eyes and puts a hand to his chest.
Then his voice shakes.

“S-Swallowtail will wait as long as it takes for My Master to return.”
“Mother, I want to see you again.”
“We’ll wait, Mama.”

I climb down the ladder to get out of Swallow-san, go back to my room in the apartment, and collapse onto the bed.

“I’m such an idiot.”

I press my face into the bed and just clench my teeth.
Three years——I went all-out.