The Steel Messiah

 

Fran ran up to Nate.

An evacuation order had been issued for all residents of the L451 Defense Dome not belonging to the Defense Corps.

「Nate. I heard there was a demand from Greisen?」

「Yeah. Seems like they’ve lost their patience with our resistance. They’re calling for total surrender, handover of the A-Carbuncle, and relocation to one of the Stones’ facilities. Or annihilation. Naturally, I refused. We’re looking at an all-out war.」

「What kind of crap choice is that? Die either way? Fine. If it’s death either way, I’ll at least take one of them down with me before I go.」

「No. You’re taking the Lanius and guarding the evacuees.」

「Tch!」

Fran shot him a glare laced with hatred and stormed off without another word.

Nate could do nothing but watch her leave. He doubted she’d obey his order so easily.

A passing Defense Corps soldier spotted them and called out.

「Why’d they suddenly make a demand like that?」

「We managed to capture one of their tanks. Our resistance has dragged on too long. This place is just the right size to make an example of. We are the typical poor man’s Defense Dome, after all. I’m betting that’s their real reason.」

「So our corpses are Greisen’s trophy, huh.」

「If they wipe us out, the nearby Defense Domes will probably surrender afterward; they might lose the potential income of our dome, but it will still be worth the effort to them. Not that there’s much potential income lost.」

Nate grinned.

「I received a message saying that the so-called ‘Messiah’ is supposed to arrive tomorrow. But it’ll be too late. Maybe this too is the will of God. We fight until the end.」

「The Messiah?」

「That’s what the Epona cult calls it. Not that I put any stock in it.」

「The rumors, huh… That’s all it is, rumors. I heard they don’t even hold gatherings or preach. Their ‘goddess’ –Asia—is an AI. I doubt she likes being treated as a goddess.」

Some of the soldiers had heard of the Epona cult. It was widely known that Asia herself had denied being a goddess.

「Outis, huh. I wonder what kind of man he was. I heard he died, but it doesn’t feel right.」

「Probably some mythologized hero. It seems he wasn’t listed in the Mercenary Association Headquarters’ registry. Like a phantom—might not have been real to begin with.」

「Just another illusion. Could be. What we need isn’t a dream—it’s supplies. If they sent us even one Bear, I’d be down on my knees in thanks.」

「Exactly! Better to chase earthly blessings. Especially if it helps us crush Greisen!」

Nate nodded. Their only task now was to hold L451 Defense Dome against Greisen’s army.

Just then, a messenger came running in.

「Emergency report! Multiple Murders confirmed! An Enyo has been sighted bringing up the rear!」

「What?!」

The goddess of ruin—Enyo. A siege weapon designed to pulverize shelter domes with sheer mass.

「So they meant annihilation literally… Speed up the evacuation! Defense Corps too! Anyone under twenty, escort the civilians!」

「Understood!」

Nate called to one of his soldiers.

「You, secure the A-Carbuncle. There’s no Defense Corps unit that can take on Enyo. We’ll hold them off.」

「Work on securing A-Carbuncle is underway. You should come with us, Commander!」

「We need a diversion. Go—hurry! I’m counting on you.」

「…Yes, sir!」

The soldier sprinted off.

Nate climbed into his personal Bear.

◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆

「To all Defense Corps! Do not engage the Enyo or Mantis-types! Focus on thinning the Ant-types!」

「Roger!」

It was said that it took three old-generation Silhouettes to bring down a single Mantis-type.

This was no exaggeration. Especially for the Defense Corps, whose main forces were Bears or reinforced Worker Silhouettes. With that kind of gear, they didn’t stand a chance.

Even a few direct hits from a railgun would tear them apart.

「I’ll handle the Mantis-types.」

Fran broke in over the comms.

「If this keeps up, we’re all dead. The only real combat strength we’ve got is this Lanius, Nate.」

「And isn’t that Lanius the most beat-up Silhouette we have?! You’ve pushed it past the limit. At least this once, stand down! Escort the evacuees—that’s an order!」

Nate barked the command, forgetting his position as commander.

He didn’t want this reckless girl to end her story here. His raw fury struck a chord with the Defense Corps; many had never heard him raise his voice before.

「…For you to shout like that, Nate… It really is hopeless, isn’t it.」

「It is. So just—」

「Sorry.」

Fran apologized through tears and cut the transmission.

His feelings had reached her. Even so, she had her own reasons to fight.

「They said the Messiah might come, but that’s bullshit. This place is too poor, too worthless. No one would risk their neck for us unless they were a saint. I’ll keep fighting. I’ll wipe the Murders out from this continent. Those stuck-up guys from the Scheelite Continent managed to do it. The people of Pyrochlore can too.」

Her will could not be bent. Surrender to the Murders was unthinkable.

After all, the Murders were the ones who killed her brother—Galfried.

「We might have lost Asia’s blessing, but I’ll do it. …Please, Nii-san. Watch over me. Let’s go, Unit 6!」

Her brother Galfried had called this machine, the TSW-R1, ‘Unit 6’.

He had loved close-quarters combat. When TAKABA unveiled this model equipped with artificial muscle, he fell in love with its concept.

The moment it was announced, he did everything in his power to procure it, and finally, he was able to buy one through a broker.

TAKABA headquarters fell to a Murder attack before the unit was shipped, but it was later salvaged from the headquarters ruins and finally fell into his hands.

The unit’s unorthodox close-combat design had doomed it to low popularity and early discontinuation. Its successor, the mass-production Falco, replaced it. She still remembered how much that pained her brother.

「Thin out the Ant-types. And if possible, the Mantis-types. None of our Silhouettes can survive more than a few railgun rounds.」

Now, she waited in the rear.

A single Silhouette, burdened with a greatsword and not in full condition, would make easy prey. Even the cumulative damage from the smaller laser cannons could be fatal.

Nate and his team were slowly falling back.

They needed to buy every second they could.

The Murders never retreated. And the gigantic Enyo—looming in the distance—confused their sense of distance.

「The moment that monster strikes the shelter, it’s over.」

Simple destruction by overwhelming mass.

Judging by the heavy presence of Ant-types, their intention was eradication. If they wanted to capture the inhabitants, they’d have sent more Spider-types.

「Unit 6!」

Responding to her voice, the Lanius burst into motion.

With a mighty leap, it soared over Nate’s Bear.

「Fran—!!」

Nate shouted in desperation.

Lanius rolled forward midair, then leapt again.

Before it stood a Mantis-type—a tank in form and function, armed with sickles and railguns, its sides guarded by Ant-types.

There was only one angle to strike: from above.

The Mantis-type fired anti-air railgun rounds. The armor was pierced.

But she had expected this. The bigger risk wasn’t penetration—it was the shock of impact.

Even off-balance in midair, the Lanius raised its sword high.

But the blow was caught by the Mantis’ right sickle. A staggered Silhouette mid-jump was just prey to a Mantis-type.

「Tch—!」

Fran refused to give in. She did something unthinkable.

She let go of the sword.

The prototype greatsword shattered. In a heartbeat, Lanius scooped up the broken blade.

「Now Whis can get through!」

With Whis once again passing through it, the broken greatsword slashed off the right arm. Then, ramming forward, she drove the broken blade into the Mantis’s head.

The Mantis-type left sickle swung down in silence. The broken blade couldn’t reach the Murder’s core reactor.

「You can’t win against a Mantis-type!」

「I don’t care what happens to me! As long as I take one of these damn bugs with me!」

A fellow pilot screamed. This was insanity.

「Asia won’t hear us. We’re not even worthy! So I’ll struggle—to the very end!」

Unit 6 gripped the hilt of the broken blade.

The Mantis-type flailed wildly, raising its left sickle high.

「Fall back, Fran!!」

A shrill metallic crash echoed across the battlefield.

「Huh?」

Her breath caught. Words slipped out before she could stop them.

「…Nii-san?」

The whisper was too soft to reach the comms.

Then came a transmission—from the unknown Silhouette that had saved her.

「You’re completely reckless. Charging a Mantis-type head-on? I couldn’t just watch.」

The pilot’s voice was exasperated.

But she wasn’t surprised by his skill.

She was stunned by the unit itself.

The same model as hers. A unit that should no longer be in use.

Standing between her and the Mantis-type, shielding her—

A Lanius, bearing the original blade antenna from the first production run.

Her steel Messiah.