Two Weapons Suited to Tight Quarters

 

「Cerberus got blown away? I understand why it was effective against the Ate, but we’re talking about a weapon created after a starship here. I doubt it simply dissolved.」

「Last time, Voy’s group dug a pit enough to make it act like a smelter, but in this case, I think Cerberus was blown all the way into space.」

「Is that even possible?」

「Some say the first human-made object to reach outer space was a manhole cover from a nuclear test site. I don’t know how much electron-excited explosive they used, but it’s not impossible. Hey, Morgan le Fay, how much explosives did you use?」

No reply came from Morgan.

「Isn’t it fine? Cerberus has been defeated, and the damage was minimal.」

Arthur, sensing the fury of the two planetary administrators, stepped in to calm things down.

「That’s not the point. I’m more afraid of Marujin-dono’s way of thinking—no, of the British mindset itself.」

Libya finally cracked. She would be the one responsible for taking care of the aftermath, especially if the damage affected the planet.

「I had to deal with a crustal tsunami caused by a Panjandrum, remember!? It was a nightmare—after that, the planet itself was a disaster!」

Fuming slightly, Asia directed her plight toward Libya, likely the only one who could truly understand.

「Oh… right…」

Libya remembered. It had been her sister’s planet, but even then, she’d sympathized. Never had she thought she’d be the one on the receiving end next.

「I can say this now, but I actually had to make slight corrections to the planet’s axial tilt! You hearing this, Astraea?」

An unexpected stray bullet hit Astraea, who remained utterly silent.

「Thinking back on it, Outis-dono and Marujin-dono are terrifying. Please, go easy on Planet Libya. A blast like that might even disrupt the ecosystem.」

Faced with Libya’s plea, Kou could only offer a vague response.

An explosion of that scale on the biodiversity-rich Planet Libya could tilt the planet’s balance with disastrous consequences—just because it wasn’t radioactive didn’t make it harmless.

「Y-yeah…」

A forced override transmission came through to Unit 5. With Asia in the back seat, only one person could possibly do that.

「I must insist as well. That explosion’s enough to wake my main body.」

It was Arima. And unusually, he sounded angry.

A mine loaded with a great quantity of electron-excited explosive had gone off on the surface above the sealed area. It wouldn’t be surprising if it stirred Typhon awake.

「Understood. I’ll make sure they don’t do something like this again.」

「You are responsible as well.」

Arima’s words were curt.

「…Got it.」

Kou offered no rebuttal. He simply resolved to take the warning to heart.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「What in the world was that…」

Even Echidna—creator of many Mythology Weapons equipped with superweapons—turned pale at the magnitude of the blast.

「A black hole like the one that devoured Vritra couldn’t be used on a planet. And that wasn’t nuclear… must’ve been an electron-excited explosive.」

The only thing that could generate enough force to launch the massive Cerberus into space was an electron-excited explosive.

「Using an electron-excited explosive is fine, but show some restraint! That could’ve taken out Libya!」

The pillar of fire was still rising.

It had likely obliterated the escorting small-class Teras as well.

「They wouldn’t dare use that against me—not unless they planned to destroy Libya. It should be about time Outis and the others are infiltrating. Let’s see if they can breach the defense network I set up.」

Unlike when Kou and his group first fought Yōnātl Tepatztl, the underground facilities leading to Echidna’s sealed chamber now had Teras deployed as a defense force.

Most were reptilian-type Teras. Among them, Sipaktli, a crocodilian who once served under Yōnātl Tepatztl, and the higher-order Telkhines-type unit, Alastor.

「Reptilian-types with high stability in narrow corridors. This won’t be easy for them…」

Echidna’s mocking voice fell silent.

「Echidna-sama! Echidna-samaa!」

「H-help—」

「We’re being crushed—GYAAAH!」

Emergency transmissions poured in from all directions, followed by signal losses from various units.

「Show me the corridor footage—now!」

Panicking, Echidna pulled up footage of the routes where her kin had been deployed.

「What is that…!?」

A massive spinning wheel had rammed into the reptilian Teras, crushing and annihilating them.

「Grind them to dust!!」

The spinning wheel screamed as it charged. A Sipaktli was pinned against a wall, its body ground down by the wheel.

「One after another… Wait. That’s—The Kasha, a Kryptos based on that surface-rolling bomb!」

The Kashas rampaged through the corridors. This place was a sealed area, but something like that was meaningless to unmanned units like the Mythology Weapons.

The Kashas activated P-MAX and tore through anything that got in its way, flattening the reptilian-type Teras.

「Die screaming!!」

The Kashas howled, their expression twisted with fury.

Even those that narrowly escaped found another Kasha waiting to pounce. One unfortunate Teras was caught in a pincer, shredded from both sides by their giant wheels.

「Just how many of those things has Outis deployed!?」

Echidna growled, filled with resentment toward Kou.

The weapons she had deployed in the corridors had been effectively neutralized by the sheer number of Kashas.

「Other weapons are invading too! Ugh! I’m too busy dealing with the Kashas to handle anything else!」

Gunfire did little. Their simple structure made them near impervious to conventional attacks.

Though the reptilian Teras excelled in tight quarters, they were helpless against these rolling traps.

「Open the human-access corridors! Retreat!」

They were designed for human use, but Echidna judged that they were wide enough for the small reptilian Teras to pass through them without letting the Kashas in.

Seeing that even their ranged weapons were ineffective, the Teras collectively lowered themselves and scurried through the escape corridors like lizards—successfully slipping away.

「That should—」

She never finished the sentence.

「Impossible! That corridor—!?」

「GYAAAH!!」

The retreating Teras were once again trampled and destroyed.

Shutdown signals kept reaching Echidna.

「What’s happening!?」

The Kashas were too large. Could there be smaller Mythology Weapons mixed with the Kashas?

Echidna stared at the footage…and went speechless.

「Nya.」

A massive feline face. An Eidolon.

「I was careless! There are two kinds of weapons suited to tight quarters… and they’re one of them!」

She realized instantly that her directive had failed.

Slipping through narrow passageways like they were made of a liquid substance, the Cait Sith seized the reptilian Teras’ heads like toys between their jaws.

 

 

AN:

Since saying ‘Cats Rules’ might get me in trouble, let’s be clear: the only cat-type here is the Cait Sith. The totally not Panjandrums Kashas aren’t cats.

Also, technically, dogs could do the same too…

Libya and Echidna’s SAN values are in danger!

Per Marujin’s calculations, the explosion had an upward directional bias, minimizing surrounding damage.

So, the two types of weapons effective in confined spaces are now confirmed. The labyrinthine sealed area has turned against its defenders—giant rolling weapons deployed from outside are now running amok. Hiding in tight spots won’t save you! If a cat’s skull can fit through a space, the rest can follow. Don’t force it, or the result will be tragic.