[Battlefield Map: Human Reform League, Central Winterland, Absolute Defense Line Against the Festum]
[Battlefield Background: This is the HRL’s center in Winterland, a sustained defense line built to guard the nation and its people. In the battle just moments ago, the HRL’s defense forces shattered the great tide of Grendel-type Festum that came surging in… They thought that was the end of it, but that assumption was gravely mistaken. A vanguard of the Festum, a Sphinx-type possessing formidable combat power, suddenly materialized out of the void, appearing right before the eyes of the retreating HRL wounded! Crush them, and save your comrades-in-arms from dire straits!]
[Allies: Human Reform League Forces] [Enemies: Festum]
[Victory Condition: Destroy the Sphinx-type Festum]
[Note: In this battle, additional rewards will be distributed based on the number of allied units rescued!]
“A battle of annihilation against a boss character, huh? Good timing. A nice change of pace…”
Stretching his waist, which had gone somewhat numb from sitting too long, Yu Xiao said this with no small touch of laziness.
As for the content briefing of the battlefield, he didn’t pay it much mind.
Everything was within his expectations.
He pressed the sortie button, and arrived upon the other battlefield he had not selected earlier.
…Although dealing with the Festum was a bit troublesome, it was the only thing to do.
Yu Xiao thought.
After all, he was already a little impatient; he wanted to develop the mobile suit into a Tallgeese tonight.
And once loading was complete, the scene of the battlefield was displayed directly before Yu Xiao’s eyes.
The first thing he saw was a number of mecha operating in clusters, fighting something.
Their green, plain and unadorned, slender bodies, along with the shooting armaments fixed to both hands, revealed their true identity.
That was the type of mobile suit written into the very title of “Fafner in the Azure,” the Fafner.
However, those were not the “Salvator Model” that the protagonists piloted.
Rather, they were the mass-produced model adopted as the military’s standard in the show, the “Gnosis Model.”
Produced in greater numbers, but lower in performance as well…
In short, they were rank-and-file grunts.
And the object they were battling had a gorgeous appearance, golden from head to toe.
Its body, as if draped in a feathered robe, floated in midair, looking like a solemn idol…
But things beautiful in appearance are, more often than not, no allies of humanity.
This creature was the same.
It was, as Yu Xiao knew very well, precisely the target to be defeated this time, the Sphinx-type Festum!
The Sphinx-type then spread out its “feathered robe,” in reality a dense mass of supple tentacles.
Then, as if commanding its own limbs, it brandished its tentacles and attacked the cluster of Gnosis Models that were firing.
The clumsily moving Gnosis Models had no time to dodge.
Naturally, they were swiftly struck…
Yet the Sphinx-type did not choose to pierce through their bodies.
Instead, it merely bound them tightly.
Was this… the mercy of the Festum?
“…Are you. There?”
For next, after twisting half its body at an eerie angle and facing the direction of the Leo-S, the Sphinx-type “spoke” once more.
It was a simple question.
Even so, it seemed shocking enough.
After all, it was speech that was mutually intelligible with humans.
…But Yu Xiao felt no surprise at this at all.
Because he knew that in the original anime, this monster’s name was Sphinx-type.
It was precisely because it would ceaselessly repeat this kind of mechanical inquiry that it had obtained that name.
And this action, for the Festum, was not a meaningless thing either.
Rather… it was an important basis for them to distinguish friend from foe.
That’s right; the reason it had not dealt a killing blow to the Gnosis Models earlier was precisely because the Festum had not yet confirmed their position.
…Once one gave a negative response to this question, or ignored it entirely, one would be judged an enemy and come under attack by the Sphinx-type.
Then, if one answered “yes,” could one avoid combat and remain untroubled?
…The answer, however, was not so idealized.
One could even say it was the exact opposite.
If one chose an affirmative reply, one would immediately be “assimilated” by these Festum.
Not only would the body meet death, but the mind would also be forcibly swallowed into the ocean of their collective consciousness, and ultimately return to nothingness.
…One could say it was a matter even more tragic than being physically annihilated.
So Yu Xiao’s response to this question had been decided from the very beginning.
And that was— Battle!
Without a moment’s hesitation, the Leo-S drew the beam duel saber stored at its waist, then jetted up into the air.
Then, swinging the extended emerald-green blade, it slashed down from above.
The action happened in a flash, so fast that even the Sphinx-type had no time to react.
Shing!
Accompanied by a sharp cutting sound effect, several tentacles were sliced off by this surprise attack from the Leo-S.
Next, as if feeling pain, it instantly retracted its other tentacles, releasing the bound HRL Gnosis Models.
The Leo-S, accompanied by a rhythmic thudding sound, landed firmly at a certain distance from the Sphinx-type.
Seeing this outcome, Yu Xiao nodded in satisfaction:
“…Good. This way I can save the allied units… Huh, wait, no?”
…At the end, his words suddenly turned to doubt.
Although the surprise attack had succeeded and the allied crisis had been resolved, which should have been a cause for joy… a problem came along with it at the same time.
Yu Xiao realized that he, apparently, had no way to issue a retreat order to these NPC teammates.
Never mind there being no voice channel or anything like that; he also didn’t remember any relevant key bindings.
And if the battle continued, he, unable to keep the whole battlefield situation in view, would very likely only be able to watch them die… This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Yu Xiao frowned and pondered.
After a moment, he had an idea.
Might as well give it a try.
So he maneuvered the Leo-S and waved its hand backward.
This kind of body language probably signified “You fall back, leave this to me.”
Originally he had only intended to give it a try.
It wouldn’t matter if it didn’t work.
…But to Yu Xiao’s surprise, that group of NPC Gnosis Models actually understood the meaning of this gesture?
Their movements, at first, seemed a little hesitant…
But then, while all maintaining vigilance toward their surroundings, they turned and retreated to the rear.
“…This AI is amazing. The interaction system has actually been refined to this degree…?”
Even Yu Xiao was somewhat dumbstruck by this.
But the feeling of astonishment could not be allowed to linger.
After all, this was a battlefield.
So Yu Xiao piloted the Leo-S and turned around.
The Sphinx-type, having suffered such grave damage, seemed to still be contemplating something, and took no action.
Then, at the part of its structure resembling a human head, something changed.
That was… a face.
A puppet-like face that resembled a human’s, yet gave off a strong impression of being inorganic.
Splitting the “lips” on its face, it asked once more.
“…You. Are you there?”
That voice, like that of a graceful young maiden, was so very close.
Just as if… it were not merely a pre-recorded audio track playing from within the game scene.
But rather as if that Festum were truly conversing with Yu Xiao through the small speakers before him.
Yet no matter what, or rather precisely because of this, Yu Xiao reflexively furrowed his brows.
…Not for any other reason.
It was just that this incomparably realistic image, paired with those quite painstakingly crafted sound effects, now seemed to be a bit… too much of a sanity drain for him.
“…Do you even need to ask? With something like this, isn’t it clear just from looking…!”
So in the end, he even, unable to restrain himself, responded in a low voice.
Then he pushed the joystick, maneuvering the Leo-S to accelerate to maximum speed, propelling it at full tilt toward the Sphinx-type.
His intention could no longer be any more obvious.
He wanted to settle it one-on-one, as quickly as possible.