The Sword of Selection

 

「I am an honest Silhouette. Do not fear, boy.」

「You’re not a pilot, but a Silhouette? The Familias taught me that people who call themselves honest usually aren’t.」

「Then shall I call myself an Englishman who never lies?」

「My master—Voy-san—warned me to watch out for the English. They would do anything for their goals.」

「Ha. That’s quite harsh… Quite harsh, indeed.」

A voice, sounding somewhat awkward, echoed through the comms.

Flack, a war orphan, had been raised by the Familias. They had taught him well—there were bad adults in the world, and he needed to be wary of them.

「The Familias have done well… Regardless, draw that sword. If you do, you will gain the power to fight alongside Outis.」

Arthur decided to press forward with sheer momentum. Hearing that he would be able to fight alongside Kou, Flack’s eyes lit up.

「Huh? I just need to pull out this sword?」

Without a second thought, Flack manipulated the Silhouette’s arm and drew the sword.

「The contract is sealed.」

「What contract?」

「You have been chosen. My name is Arthur. I look forward to working with you, boy.」

「Huh? Does this mean I’ve become an employee of BAS Corporation?」

「Something like that. I’m coming to you now.」

A pure white Silhouette descended toward Flack’s Caledonia Crow. It had the appearance of a heavily armed warrior, but what stood out were the massive thrusters on its back and a long, foldable rifle attached to it.

「Quickly, transfer to this Silhouette. It’s not suspicious.」

「Now that I look at it… I’ve never seen this model before, and it definitely looks suspicious! Who’s even speaking? Is the Silhouette really talking?」

「Hurry! This is a battlefield.」

「Y-Yes!」

As Flack opened the hatch of the MCS, the pure white Silhouette extended a hand toward him. He stepped onto the offered hand and was carried to the chest section, where the new Silhouette’s MCS awaited. Without hesitation, Flack climbed inside.

「This Silhouette…」

「You could say I am BAS Corporation’s secret weapon. As I said earlier, my name is Arthur.」

「Arthur-san, huh? Then I’ll connect it to Astraea…」

「No. For some reason, I feel like that would really rub her the wrong way right now. For now, I will only connect with Outis. Asia’s been nagging me nonstop.」

Communication with Kou’s Unit 5 connected.

「Flack, are you alright?! Arthur! What the hell are you doing here?!」

「Exactly! You’re not even in a complete state yet!」

Both Kou and Asia immediately bombarded Arthur with criticism for his sudden appearance.

Flack’s face turned pale—this was clearly a serious situation.

「We need to take down Seth. Do not worry, I have made a contract with this boy.」

「How can we not worry?! What are the contract terms?!」

「He pulled out the Sword of Selection. That alone qualifies him.」

「That was just some random sword you tossed down from the sky, wasn’t it?!」

「It was a ceremonial act. Based on the myth that makes my whole being.」

「You’re acting more like Merlin than Arthur! Don’t just throw together some sloppy ‘Sword of Selection’ ritual!」

Asia couldn’t help but interject.

Kou and Polymetis had only performed maintenance on the unit and built the Marmiadoise—they hadn’t created any kind of sacred sword.

「Kou-niichan… is this Silhouette a BAS Corporation model?」

Flack hesitantly asked.

「We didn’t bring any BAS weapons with us. That thing is a Mythology Weapon!」

「Calling me ‘that thing’ is quite harsh. Maybe I should take your harsh words as proof that we have grown closer?」

「Don’t drag Flack into this, Arthur!」

「Relax, Outis. When I have a contract holder, my performance increases.」

「Now that you mention it, Aural said something similar.」

「I can’t let Flack be sent to the front lines. At least make it a provisional contract. No matter what, don’t put him in danger!」

Flack was a precious boy entrusted to them by the Familias.

Piloting an Another Level Silhouette would mean more exposure to direct combat. This was something Kou couldn’t compromise on.

「You’re surprisingly hardheaded, Outis. Fine. I shall protect this boy with my very being!」

「Can I really fight?」

「Your skill is extraordinary. You know Silhouettes inside and out. Do not fear—fight alongside Outis! …Outis, assist me!」

Arthur’s words weren’t an exaggeration. Even Kou had to acknowledge that.

From the battles to rescue Asia to the Asia War, Flack had been on the front lines, always supporting those around him. He had experienced battle countless times.

「You don’t have to tell me! Flack, just be careful out there!」

「Got it!」

Fighting alongside Kou—just that thought filled Flack with determination.

Meanwhile, the Woodpecker work Silhouettes surrounded Unit 5, carefully handling Bastet and transporting it to the Astraea with precision.

「Astraea, what about Kurose?」

「No issues. Hayatarou and the Lanius Squad are providing support.」

「Got it.」

After ending the communication with Kou, Astraea turned her attention to the screen, carefully observing Arthur.

「So that is Arthur, the Mythology Weapon based on an Another Level Silhouette. It’s incredible that it is still working… No, that’s not quite right. It is now a Mythology Weapon. It’s fortunate this didn’t happen on Planet Asia. Perhaps only the unique characteristics of Planet Libya allowed such an occurrence.」

Astraea had already been informed about Arthur through Asia’s reports. He was an existence that required particularly close observation.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「I’ve analyzed the situation, Kou. The biplane-type Agathodaimon is performing far better than expected, successfully taking down the Kakodaimons. However, the enemy has also deployed Silhouette-sized Mythology Weapons. Aural, do you know anything about those units?」

「That flying type is troublesome. It’s based on an Antique Silhouette, those Teras are known Marid. A formidable opponent with aerial capabilities.」

「So it’s likely their base is Antique Silhouettes of the Angel-class or one of the mass-produced Antique Silhouettes used by other factions during the Interplanetary War era. Kou, this is a serious threat.」

「Understood. We can’t let the Agathodaimon outdo us. Let’s move!」

Against the insect-like Kakodaimons, the biplane-type Agathodaimons compensated for their low speed with extreme maneuverability, engaging in a battle that resembled acrobatic airshows.

The leader unit, a supersonic biplane, moved with an assassin’s precision, circling behind enemy units without even generating shockwaves at high speeds.

「Even the Type-0s are struggling against the Marid. Don’t push yourselves too hard.」

「For some reason, the Type-0 squad seems to be getting along well with the Agathodaimons.」

Even Kou and Asia could see it.

The Type-0s had practically no armor. However, inexplicably, the Agathodaimons were actively protecting them in battle while completely ignoring the heavily armed Yoania squadron.

Perhaps their shared focus on agility had created some kind of instinctive camaraderie.

「Can we coordinate with Garuda?」

「It looks like an all-out shootout with no defenses.」

Both Garuda and Seth were using weaponry from the Interplanetary War era—lasers and charged particle cannons. Dodging wasn’t an option.

But the most dangerous aspect was their sheer mass—Garuda, a bird-shaped Mythology Weapon, was disadvantaged in a direct melee grapple.

The battle had devolved into a situation where both sides were exchanging unavoidable artillery fire.

「Garuda is countering by moving at high speeds to shorten the enemy’s firing window. Seth is relying on its armor to tank the hits.」

「Taking every attack head-on… it’s like a heavyweight wrestler just absorbing all the blows.」

In martial arts, weight differences play a significant role.

For these two massive machines, however, the key factor wasn’t just their sheer size—it was the mass of the space vessel they were based in.

「Outis, if we get too close, even a single movement from them could swat us down. We’d be in danger of getting caught in the crossfire. Keep your distance.」

「But if we do that, we won’t have any effective options!」

Both Unit 5 and Arthur took to the skies, entering the aerial battle.

「I’ll carve an opening.」

「Can you really do it?」

「Leave it to me. Flack, let’s go! This is the latest weapon—crafted by the very Outis you trust so much!」

「The latest weapon made by Kou-niichan?! Alright, leave it to me, Kou-niichan!」

「…I’m counting on you, Flack.」

At this moment, Kou knew he had to trust in Flack and Arthur.

And Flack, in turn, placed unwavering faith in the weapon Kou had built.