Chapter 4: In His Heaven

Chapter 4: In His Heaven

CHAPTER 4

IN HIS HEAVEN

The Merciless Queen sighed at the footage she received from the enemy lines. One group of units acted arbitrarily, which was brought upon by the Phönix’s rampage. What were they thinking, ignoring orders?

She gave no orders to attack the enemy’s command center. Destroying that would achieve nothing at this point. The enemy had infiltrated the Dragon Fang Mountain, sending just an advance force that was effectively isolated in the middle of enemy territory and only good for subterfuge.

She let the advance force penetrate almost all the way to her personal dwelling, but it was all just a setup. She had successfully separated a detachment of elites from the United Kingdom’s main force, effectively laying them down neatly for slaughter. Had her troops acted as she’d ordered, they would have been able to cut off the enemy’s avenue of escape and crush them more effectively.

If the armored unit hadn’t acted on its own and opened a hole in their formation, the United Kingdom military wouldn’t have been able to act even if her troops cut off the advance force’s escape route. And after destroying the advance force, the United Kingdom would’ve been out of options.

If the United Kingdom had the population and national power the Federacy was graced with, they would have sent a larger force to support the advance force. But the United Kingdom could no longer afford to do that. Even with the existence of their country hanging in the balance, the most they could do to help out the advance force was launch the ammunition they had hoarded away in their warehouses and send their half-autonomous drones on a suicide mission.

Once the advance force was destroyed, all the Legion would have to do was wait for the Eintagsfliege to suffocate the United Kingdom or simply send large numbers of Dinosauria to break through the United Kingdom’s ranks with brute force. And yet her units went ahead and did something so unnecessary.

The Legion couldn’t disobey a Supreme Commander unit’s orders, and the Phönix was under her command. If she was to order it to return to her side, it would have no choice but to oblige. But she actively chose to overlook its rampage.

Earlier, the Phönix had achieved the objective it was designed and produced to meet. All the information they were supposed to collect from that unit had already been gathered. There was no more need for that “new type.” And so she had thought it would be fine to let it do as it pleased, one last time.

I did order it to be the strongest. To never lose in combat, to always learn, develop, and evolve itself… Even though that was never the Phönix’s true objective.

Michihi, who was in charge of securing the blockade outside the Dragon Fang Mountain base along with Bernholdt, Resonated with Shin.

“Captain Nouzen! One enemy unit detected on the radar… It’s the Phönix!”

“It’s coming… It should have lost its liquid armor in the battle at the command center, but we can’t let our guard down until we confirm that.”

After defeating the Dinosauria, the Spearhead squadron continued their advance through the corridors leading to the Merciless Queen’s Throne Room. The Merciless Queen still showed no signs of fleeing. Following its cold voice to the end of the road, Shin operated Undertaker at the head of their column.

This corridor was once a volcanic tunnel, and its outer circumference was roundish. During some eruption ages ago, this tunnel had been closed shut by hardened magma. The rocky ceiling had apparently crumbled with time, and so they had a view of the center of the tunnel, which was dotted with boulders as large as buildings and countless jagged cross sections.

They traveled down the tunnel, which was built like a spiral staircase around a massive, oddly shaped spire of rock. The spire resembled the fossilized form of some giant, draconic, primal beast.

There was probably a crevice that connected to the mountain’s surface somewhere, since faint light was streaming down on them from the top of the spire. The temperature in this tunnel was much more manageable, which meant cold air was probably flowing in from another location.

“Take it out, if possible. But don’t do anything reckless. If you think any attempts would make maintaining the blockade difficult, let it go through.”

If they were to engage the Phönix, there was a chance they would suffer losses or even be wiped out. And at that point, the troops inside the facility would be trapped without a way back. They were in the middle of the Legion’s territory, and there were Legion forces outside the Dragon Fang Mountain base. Michihi likely realized this, because Shin could sense her frown through the Resonance.

“We can do without that consideration, Captain. I know I might look like a baby bird to you, but I’m a Name Bearer, too…!”

“Tch! No, missy, you got that wrong!”

Bernholdt cut her off, swallowing nervously. His voice was thick with tension.

“That fucker ain’t after us…! Captain!”

Footage data wasn’t usually shared between Juggernauts, since the volume of data taxed the system, and they currently needed to use a relay to maintain wireless communications with their outside forces. But still, Shin’s ability allowed him to hear enough of what went on outside to get a grasp on the situation.

The Phönix had probably jumped. It leaped high, right in front of Michihi and Bernholdt. Like a snow leopard using a rock face as its hunting ground, it sprinted upward, its speed unimpeded. It then jumped again but disappeared in midair. It had likely abandoned its bestial fuselage and split itself into the form of silvery butterflies.

Apparently, there was an entrance into the mountain near the top…which was perhaps something they should have guessed and expected. This base served as a supply depot for the Eintagsfliege, which were constantly airborne. Meaning the Legion had likely created an entrance leading out to the sky somewhere in the name of efficiency.

“It’s presumed to be in pursuit of the Spearhead squadron. Estimated arrival time…three hundred seconds if it takes the shortest route!”

“…Well—”

The former report was probably right. But the latter one…

“—I’m not so sure about that.”

A whisper-like scream, reminiscent of the sound of butterfly wings, gathered near them. The pitch of an almost indiscernible, mechanical voice’s wail grew louder in his ears. And suddenly, his radar picked up the presence of the Phönix.

It was above the Spearhead squadron. Watching through his unit’s optical sensor as the silver shadow plunged down toward them with the rock face at its back, Shin confirmed that his automatic aim’s reticle had locked onto it and pulled the trigger.

The Phönix was greeted by the booming sound of a cannon shot that reverberated through the closed space of the volcanic tunnel. The HEAT missile flew forward, apparently moments away from piercing through the silver frame.

The Phönix probably intended for this to be a surprise attack, but that was meaningless against Shin. He was capable of predicting where the enemy would be. And he knew the Phönix was capable of surviving a damaged fuselage by turning into Liquid Micromachine butterflies and switching over to a brand-new shell. After all, the Phönix’s true form was the Liquid Micromachines that comprised its central processor.

To that end, it didn’t have to go through a path occupied by the Strike Package and needlessly fight when it was already damaged. It would be much faster for it to turn into a swarm of butterflies, infiltrate the base through a small gap, and don a new unit and liquid armor.

And all armored ground weapons, ever since the treadmill-type tanks of old, had their weakest, most vulnerable point located at the top of their turrets. And so Shin knew if it would attack them, it would try to strike them down from above.

The Phönix was plummeting down, and the rocket was hurtling toward it. The Phönix then brandished its winglike chain blades once, stabbing them into the cliff-face. This made it brake, and its animallike form swung like a pendulum due to the inertia, landing with an arc against the wall.

The timed fuse on the HEAT missile detonated after a delay. By then, the Phönix had kicked off the wall, evading the lethal effective radius of the blast… This had happened often enough that Shin didn’t expect to hit this unit, but its reaction speed was still irritating.

Shin noted the liquid armor around its body seemed even thicker than before. Apparently, the sheer amount of liquid armor it had now was greater. Perhaps it simply wanted its armor to be thicker, or maybe it intended to use the dummy it’d used against Lena’s group on this battlefield, too.

Everyone in the squadron realized that the one ambushing them was the Phönix. Just like in the Revich Citadel Base, everyone spread out with the intent of surrounding and overwhelming it with a barrage of gunfire. They positioned themselves so they wouldn’t hit one another, while remaining outside the range of the Phönix’s weapons, and prepared to shower it with shells.

The Scavengers and self-destructing Alkonosts moved back to a position where they wouldn’t get in the way. The sound of someone breathing deeply echoed over the Resonance.

The Phönix began falling toward the center of their encirclement. Even it couldn’t hope to change trajectory in midfall, and gravity pulled it down into the open maw of the trap below. The Eintagsfliege activated its optical camouflage, which sparkled like powder snow, or like shards of stars, and hid the Phönix’s silver form from both human eyesight and the radar’s detection.

That seemed odd to Shin. What was the point of using its optical camouflage now? Hiding itself at this juncture made no sense. It couldn’t change its falling trajectory, so they would aim for its landing point. What was it trying to hide, then? Maybe it was something that would become clearer the longer they fought. Perhaps this something was what allowed the Phönix to maintain the element of surprise…

It’s prepping a ranged weapon…!

“All units, take cover! It’s gonna shoot…!”

It had shown itself capable of forming ranged weapons out of its liquid armor back in the Revich Citadel Base battle. It was only capable of staggering a unit at best even if fired at point-blank, but Shin still chose to err on the side of caution and had all his units move away. But the form he’d seen in the moment it tried to ambush them—that excessive amount of liquid armor…

The Eintagsfliege’s optical camouflage was damaged in a way that seemed odd to Shin. It was silently torn away, and from the gap that formed, silver comets burst out. They were massive projectiles, like bolts fired from a ballista, a siege weapon used in ancient times. They were like crystalline needles, a shower of metallic thorns that shot toward every Feldreß in sight.

Only a small force of Legion had moved out of formation, and their reserve formation was still in a state of confusion from the Phönix’s attack. No, the Legion force had attacked because their formation was confused.

That attack was, apparently, not part of the Legion’s plans, either. One unit had apparently acted of its own accord, it seemed. It wasn’t done in tandem with the Phönix’s raid or with the rest of the units standing guard.

But the sheer number of Dinosauria in that unit was a pain to deal with. The Brísingamen squadron was left behind to guard the command center, along with the remaining fire-control team’s Juggernauts. Lena clenched her teeth in frustration as she took command of the situation from within Vanadis.

She didn’t think a heavy armored force of Dinosauria and Löwe, which should have been preserved to break through the United Kingdom’s defensive lines, would attack them now. The Legion’s numbers weren’t quite as large as a full, armored battalion, but they still streamed down the mountain like a landslide.

They stomped their way through the patrol line, and the enemy vanguard was already attacking the rear of the defensive formation, where Lena was. The battlefield was in a state of chaos, making it hard to discern between friend and foe.

The defensive formation had been built up carefully on heightened ground, so as to ensure the defending side would have the advantage in a confrontation between armored weapons. And even still, things were brutal.

Vanadis wasn’t capable of battle per se, but it could at least fire its fixed gun. Marcel’s injuries made it so he couldn’t handle full-on combat maneuvers, but he could use his Feldreß’s turret. To that end, he disembarked from Vanadis and joined his group, attacking repeatedly until the barrel threatened to burst.

Lena gritted her teeth as the howitzer fire, shot diagonally, was repelled by the Dinosauria’s persistent horizontal fire.

This situation…might be really bad.

“Kch…?!”

The aim of the Phönix’s projectiles wasn’t as accurate as a tank turret firing with the assistance of a weapon-control system, and everyone piloting a Juggernaut in the vicinity was a skilled Name Bearer. They all reacted to the warning and performed evasive measures, so none of their cockpits were hit.

But some of them took damage to their power systems, their cannons’ barrels, or their leg parts. Others had their armor completely bent from taking a blow from the massive kinetic energy of the shot, which traveled faster than the speed of sound. Some Alkonosts, which were overall less organized and less trained than the Eighty-Six were, had their cockpits blown clean off from a direct hit.

Undertaker was the only one who hadn’t been aimed at by the shot. Shin was left speechless at the nightmarish sight. It wasn’t that they weren’t wary of a potential ranged shot. This was a closed space, but it was fairly wide, and everyone stood outside the effective range of the attack the Phönix showed at the Revich Citadel Base.

But the range of that attack had been temporarily extended and granted enough force to knock a Juggernaut out of commission…

The Phönix landed with the silent movement unique to the Legion, shards of broken butterfly wings piling up at its feet. The few Eintagsfliege that did survive floated around it, their wings either unhurt or slightly charred at the rims.

The Phönix revealed itself, its black frame unevenly dotted with flecks of silver. The thick, wing-shaped liquid armor that coated its body was mostly gone. What little liquid armor remained on its fuselage crackled with visible electric currents, which made it clear that it had used electromagnetic force to accelerate its previous shot.

Shin realized the shots it fired were made from the thick liquid armor it wore. When an armor-piercing round was launched, it relied on its kinetic energy to make an impact. And while the Phönix lacked the speed a tank turret could produce, it’d used a quasi-electromagnetic catapult to heighten the force of the shot.

All to completely tear through their encirclement net with a single blow.

The Phönix suddenly shook itself, forcing the makeshift rails it formed from its liquid armor to fall off its animallike body. The splashes of silver sprayed over the rock surface, reflecting the faint sunlight. It lifted its optical sensor like an animal raising its head and stared fixedly at Undertaker.

The sensor was a cold shade of blue and full of clear, palpable obsession. Obsession with Undertaker…or perhaps with Shin, who sat inside it. It was the same way it’d looked at him when the Revich Citadel Base battle had ended. When it had been reduced to a flurry of butterflies and stood at the Merciless Queen’s side.

It was a gaze that seemed unfitting for a heartless killing machine that was supposed to massacre its targets as a matter of task, without any hint of hatred or elation.

The next moment, its black form lunged at Undertaker.

“Tch…!”

He couldn’t fight it here. One wrong move, and his shots could end up hitting one of his comrades. Undertaker took off down the passage, hoping to shake its pursuer off. The Phönix took off after it. As his comrades’ units were getting farther away, Shin turned a single glance toward Raiden’s and Theo’s Juggernauts.

Their units’ legs were jerking with twitching motions, but they weren’t dead. The Para-RAID was still connected to them. He could even faintly hear someone breathe a cuss into the Resonance.

He had to keep the Phönix occupied until they recovered and then fight it with their help. No… It might judge them a nuisance and turn around to finish them off while they still couldn’t move. He couldn’t let that happen… No matter what.

“…Sorry.”

They’d likely… No, they’d definitely get mad at him for this, or so Shin thought as he had Undertaker leap back. Raiden and Theo and his other squad mates present, and also Anju and Kurena, who weren’t, would be really upset.

And so would Lena.

“Come back. At all costs.”

Yes, I’ll come back. I have to. But you have to forgive me for this one.

Uttering that silent prayer, Shin moved Undertaker back. The Juggernaut’s white frame hid behind one of the rock formations in the center of the passage, moving out of sight. The Phönix raised its multiple chain blades in acknowledgment, its delicate blades vibrating as they whirred into operation.

The blades raised a keen screech reminiscent of a woman’s scream, and the elongated weapons stabbed into the massive rock spires standing at the Phönix’s sides. Cut and severed at the bottom, the rock formations crumbled and collapsed. A massive amount of rock sealed the path behind the Phönix.

As if it to say it would let no one get in their way.

It was at the bottom of the volcanic tunnel—the opening from which the magma would rise to the surface, had it not been clogged ages ago. Sunlight shone down from a hole in the rock hundreds of meters above, filtered by a layer of silver wings. But that light could do little to illuminate the large space, which was wide enough to contain the entire Imperial villa.

This was where the central processor of the Admiral—the generator unit powering this production base—was placed. Where hundreds of millions of Eintagsfliege gorged themselves on its energy. Thin, electromagnetic-induced charging units were stretched out across this space like metallic tree branches. They were all coated by countless silver butterflies, which sat upon it like foliage.

At the very back of the chamber was the control kernel of the Admiral, sitting there like the carcass of an ancient dragon king that had been assimilated into its very throne. It was being waited upon by a large number of maintenance devices, which buzzed and whirled around it.

But right now, all this was currently burning as Vika glared down at the chamber. The charging units, the Eintagsfliege, the maintenance machines… They were all equally burning. All the units in this chamber were unarmed support types, which easily crumbled when attacked.

The silver butterflies fluttered about boisterously as their brittle wings burned, flying off into the sky like embers but crumbling to dust before they could get far. But the actual Admiral was different. Perhaps owing to its massive size, its optical sensor swerved as if struggling while the fire overtook it, eventually focusing on Vika’s Gadyuka.

Faced with a gaze pulsating with artificial hatred, Vika scoffed.

“…Were I that Reaper, perhaps I’d be able to know who you once were and grieve your passing.”

But sadly, the capacity to weep for the death of a person I’ve never met is a level of sympathy I’ve long since lost.

Watching over the scene of this cremation, Vika turned his back to this sight with even more coldheartedness than the Alkonosts escorting him. All their objectives in this sector were complete. All that remained was…

“All units, the Admiral’s destruction is confirmed. All Alkonost units are in position. We’re ready on our side. How are things on your end?”

An immediate response arrived from Yuuto of the Thunderbolt squadron, sent to suppress the Weisel—and Rito of the Claymore squadron, sent to destroy the generator facilities.

“Second Lieutenant Crow speaking. We’ve successfully gained control of the Weisel.”

“We’re currently destroying the generator facilities. Our Alkonosts are moving into position.”

But Shin didn’t respond. Vika furrowed his brows in suspicion. He then switched his Para-RAID target to the rest of the Spearhead squadron and repeated his question.

“Nouzen? Can you hear me? Please respond; what’s your status?”

This time, he got an immediate response. It wasn’t from Shin, though, but from Raiden.

“Your Highness… It’s Shuga. Shin’s not here, so I’m answering in his stead.”

“Sorry, but we still haven’t met our objective. We haven’t found the Merciless Queen yet… And Shin’s apparently fighting the Phönix right now.”

Raiden bitterly continued his report from within Wehrwolf’s cockpit, which felt more cramped than before now that its armor had been bent out of shape. The Phönix’s projectile may have had a large mass and moved at high speed, but it lacked the force of a tank shell. The impact stopped Raiden’s Juggernaut from moving for a moment, but the damage didn’t impede his ability to continue the operation.

All the Juggernauts were still able to keep going, as were most of the Alkonosts, with the exception of a few that were blown away. Judging from his tone, the disgustingly wise prince had probably grasped the situation. He asked Raiden a question in a tense voice.

“It split you up, didn’t it?”

“Yeah. We’re searching for Shin now.”

Raiden turned his gaze to the bottom of the corridor, which was currently partially caved in by massive rocks. There was a bit of an opening at the top of the rock formation, so it wasn’t completely impassible, but since it had crumbled at a mostly perpendicular angle, the rubble was unstable, making passing through it difficult. As such, it became an obstacle in their path.

Shin and the Phönix were past this tunnel right now. They couldn’t hear the sounds of any fighting, so both had probably moved away already, but they saw them advance down the corridor as they lay still earlier. The rock spires then collapsed, leading to this situation.

Theo remained silently connected to the Para-RAID, but Raiden could tell through the Resonance that he was beside himself with concern. Laughing Fox’s optical sensor was moving about nervously. The Scavengers all stood in an orderly fashion, with the exception of Fido, which was wobbling back and forth with concerned steps.

No.

Raiden frowned bitterly. Shin hadn’t been chased off. He had willingly moved away from this position to face the Phönix one-on-one… All so Raiden and the others wouldn’t be caught up in the fight. To protect them after they were shamefully beaten by the Phönix.

That idiot…

Raiden forcibly cheered himself up by thinking about finding Shin and smacking him senseless. But right now, they needed to go to his aid. The Alkonosts were currently investigating the nearby passages in an attempt to find a way around the rocks.

Their objective, the Merciless Queen, would likely also be at the end of this passage. But so long as they didn’t have a functional map, they couldn’t hope to find it.

Vika seemingly suppressed the urge to click his tongue.

“Understood. We’ll wait for as long as we can.”

They needed Shin’s ability if they were to find the Merciless Queen, but the mission’s top priority was still the destruction of this base.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it. In operations like this one, unpredictability is an inevitability. Racking one’s mind over how to overcome that is a commander’s job. It’s nothing you need to fret over…”

“…Raiden.”

Raiden raised his head at Theo’s call.

“Down there, in the shadow by the rocks… What’s it doing there?”

Theo spoke, gazing fixedly at where his Laughing Fox’s optical sensor was turned. Raiden doubtfully turned his own unit in that direction and found…

“What…?!”

…a lone Ameise unit, its armor as white as moonlight. It stood in front of the rock wall where the corridor split. Though it was beneath them, it gazed up at them like a queen lording over and looking down upon her subjects. Its round, full-moon-like optical sensor shone yellow with a coldness that felt eerily human.

It lacked the 7.62 mm all-purpose machine gun and 14 mm heavy machine gun the Ameise were usually equipped with. It lacked armaments to an unacceptable extent for a frontline unit, as if out of arrogance. And etched upon its armor was the Personal Mark of a goddess leaning against a crescent moon.

The Merciless Queen.

Not just Raiden and Theo, but the rest of their squad mates and the Sirins all fell silent. The same question was on everyone’s minds.

What…is it doing here…?

The Merciless Queen suddenly looked away and turned around, walking off with the silent footsteps so characteristic of the Legion… Except it also moved at the leisurely pace of a lady enjoying a stroll, which was entirely unlike the Legion. It strode across the stone wall, and into one of the corridors that branched off, disappearing down the passage.

It was as if it was beckoning them to follow. Mocking them. Raiden’s eyes widened in surprise.

How did it get here…?!

“Let’s go after it.”

“Raiden! But what about finding Shin?!”

“That thing’s chamber should be beyond that wall.”

Theo was astonished. They originally went down this passage to find the Merciless Queen. Below this location was the sector they dubbed the Throne Room, and Shin said the Merciless Queen hadn’t escaped. Which meant even while they were fighting the Phönix, it should have still been down there.

But somehow, that same Merciless Queen had traversed the rubble and was now before them. There was no real proof, but…this was likely the best lead they had.

“The path she took is a detour!”

It’s one thing after another…

Turning off the Para-RAID for a moment, Vika finally clicked his tongue in frustration. Fighting had broken out around Lena’s command center and the reserve formation, and now Shin was missing.

Lerche, who had been listening in, called out to him.

“…Your Highness… About what Sir Wehrwolf just said.”

Vika couldn’t help but snicker at her imploring tone.

“I already told you, Lerche. I never included obeying me as part of your initial orders. Why do you think I did that?”

He could sense her lips curling into a smile. Even without her memories, she was as obedient and frank as Lerchenlied ever was.

“My thanks… Your Highness, please allow me to join the search for Sir Reaper. The more time passes by…the more danger his body is exposed to.”

“Yes… We’re done capturing this area, so we should have some idle troops. Take them along.”

Shin had found himself driven into what was likely the deepest reaches of the Dragon Fang Mountain’s rock tunnels. It was a completely closed-off place that should have been covered by sheer darkness. And yet this large space was bright enough for Shin to see through it unassisted.

It was awash with dazzling red light. Shin looked around the chamber he’d been driven into, standing in the crimson gleam that seemed to be refracted off the rocks due to the sheer temperature. The air itself appeared to glow red.

His Juggernaut’s optical footage automatically switched over from night vision to standard mode. What his screen was displaying now, however, wasn’t the actual amount of light outside. The support computer automatically cut out the level of light it judged would be harmful for effective piloting and corrected the footage accordingly.

The source of that light was right below the perpendicular rock footing Shin was standing on. A deep-red light emanated from below, at a depth that would be fatal if one were to fall into it.

Magma.

A crucible of radiant molten magma, which at times surged up like glowing red waves. The magma sizzled at extremely high temperatures, and it was in a liquid state with low viscosity. It filled the bottom of this vast cave like some kind of underground lake.

Even at this distance, the magma’s glowing heat caused his unit’s temperature to spike. The tips of one of his unit’s metallic legs kicked up a crumbling pebble, which tumbled down the pit and into the crimson liquid’s surface. In the blink of an eye, it caught fire and melted away.

The large cave’s canopy was spacious enough to shelter a skyscraper. At the end of this chamber was a near-vertical wall, which stood like a rampart, with the magma lake forming a semicircle around its base. The upper end of that wall connected with the dome-like ceiling of the cave. At the topmost section of the cave was an opening connecting to the outside. Long ago, that hole had likely led to the volcanic crater at the mountain’s peak.

Countless stepping stones dotted the magma lake, and Shin and the Phönix unsteadily stood on two of them. They faced off while standing on the widest footing in the cave, located closest to the large stone wall. It had an oblong shape that bore an eerie resemblance to a guillotine, with cliffs cut out on all four sides of it. It seemed like, long ago, the top of this section had been cut horizontally and slid off, forming an exceptionally flat and level platform wide enough to contain a city’s plaza.

Shin had been chased into this chamber and had to cross a path that grew far narrower than the entrance—though still wide enough for a Löwe to cross—that led to this guillotine-like platform. It felt reminiscent of a staircase a condemned criminal would climb on their way to the gallows.

The Phönix towered over Shin with its back to that road, as if to silently profess that it would not let him escape.

“………”

At Lena’s orders, Shin had memorized the three-dimensional map the best he could. But this passage wasn’t registered anywhere on the map. It was made using Shin’s ability, which only picked up the Legion’s path. Any areas the Legion didn’t use were effectively blanks on that map.

And since this cave was outside the operation area, Shin didn’t have any friendly forces in the vicinity. Likewise, the Legion seldom passed through this area. Judging from the faint multi-legged tracks and the empty container left lying in the corner of the guillotine platform’s rim, they likely used the magma lake as a waste-processing site.

And the Phönix had intentionally cornered Shin in this place.

“…You must be really dead set on settling this with a duel.”

The Legion weren’t made to have any concepts of glory or honor, but it wasn’t impossible. Shin, at least, knew it could happen. Two years ago, during the special reconnaissance mission, he’d seen a Shepherd blast one of its own comrades to pieces out of a desire to keep others from interfering with its duel. At the time, that Dinosauria—or rather, his brother’s ghost, which resided within it—was obsessed with killing Shin.

And so even this Legion, which didn’t harbor any such thoughts or any parts that stemmed from a human origin—built to avoid the same issues as Shepherds, which could be misled by the thoughts of the neural networks they assimilated—acted in this way.

The Phönix stirred, its black fuselage rising up. It raised its two front legs while its hind legs remained on the ground. At the same time, some of the armor and frame surrounding its front legs deployed and changed shape. Its front legs folded up, and their surplus parts turned into extra armor that protected its flank.

The shaft section of its front legs elongated, and the part that corresponded to its heel stuck out. The sharp tip of the shaft gouged into the surface of the rock. Its back and head bent backward, but it was not standing upright. Its center of gravity remained in the front of its form, leaving it in a forward-bent posture reminiscent of a prowling predator.

The end result was something that resembled a small theropod dinosaur—a Deinonychus. Its chain blades flowed backward, forming a tail that kept it balanced and something that was like a plume or a mane across its back. It was the ferocious shape of a nimble, primal predator.

No… There was something about the way it stepped over the ground on two legs, and the way its hands were too long for a dinosaur. This was…

“It’s imitating humans…”

At first, it had been closer to an animal, but now it forcibly took on a human form.

This was perhaps the correct choice for a learning, self-evolving combat machine. When Shin fought it in the Charité Underground Labyrinth, he defeated it by casting aside his Juggernaut and dispatching it using his own body and gunfire. And during the battle in the Revich Citadel Base, it was defeated when Lerche abandoned her own unit to engage it.

Up until now, every time the Phönix was defeated, it was at the hands of an opponent in human form. So perhaps, it wasn’t entirely implausible for it to assume that a bipedal form was ideal for combat.

And in truth, it wasn’t entirely unsuitable for battle. It might not have been as agile as an animal, but it did offer its share of advantages. Like having two hands that allowed humans to wield a multitude of weapons that required precise control. Or having the greatest throwing capabilities of all mammals.

But none those advantages suited the Phönix’s combat style. At the end of its endless pursuit, it achieved an evolution that did not satisfy its initial goal. Shin smirked as he looked at it.

“Taking on a human form won’t give you the upper hand. You’ll only end up losing your way… Just like you did when you became obsessed with me.”

The Phönix’s objective right now was likely to single-handedly defeat Shin. That was why it ignored tactical logic and sought Shin out by attacking the command center. And why it took Raiden and the others hostage instead of finishing them off.

And why it drove Undertaker to this magma lake, where none of its own allies could offer assistance.

All these were inefficient, illogical courses of action for a killing machine. They were feats that were unthinkable for the Legion, which were always fixated on eliminating the hostile elements set before them.

All of that was because of the Phönix’s obsession with killing Shin. An obsession… An attempt to append a way of being to itself, despite not being human.

“A machine like you doesn’t need that… You’re defective.”

There was no way the Phönix could possibly understand the mocking tone in Shin’s voice, but it still kicked against the ground and lunged at him.