Vol 2 Chapter 3.2 (1/2)
[Dawnbringer v2] 03. Dawnbringer VS Saika - Part 2
Rumour has it that there's an alternate story where Lezirth gets his genes stolen! I wonder what that involves.
Translator: Narane
Editors: MadTix
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Princess Riznah, the pilot of Kis.h.i.+n Saika, requested to reopen the communication channel. Her voice resumed on the speakers after reopening the channel.
[Shall we see the conclusion of our battle, pilot of the Federation? I am the Harakal of the Asa, Princess Riznah Eres.h.i.+kigal! What is your name?]
“Pilot of Dawnbringer Minor, Lezirth Dawnbringer.”
[Lezirth? Hm, a common name. I have no clue how you are managing to use Kis.h.i.+n Arts from such a weak model, but I a.s.sume it is already at its limits? Do you wish to surrender peacefully?]
“I refuse.”
[Unfortunate. Someone like you should have some highly desirable genes.]
“What was that, a marriage proposal?”
If it was a proposal, it was probably the world’s most casual, least acceptable proposal in history. I could almost blush after hearing such a direct request for my partners.h.i.+p.
[Unfortunately for you, we have no tradition for marriages like Humans do. But, once I have Kiske’s child, I could consider having yours.]
“...”
For a moment, I tried to imagine Kiske and her being together, but my mind drew a blank.
Sergeant Aroha interrupted, unable to sit quietly. “I don’t imagine someone like Kiske could have had any accomplishments to serve a Harakal. Why don’t you surrender to us instead? We have a freedom of relations.h.i.+ps over here. Isn’t it beautiful, being able to romance anyone without barriers of social cla.s.s?”
[How impudent, Umea! I...]
“Weren’t you just crying to return Kiske to you a few moments ago? It was recorded too, if you want to hear it,” I added.
Princess Riznah became bright red. [I... no, I cannot. An Asa will forever remain an Asa. But I am a Harakal!]
She... must have honestly loved Kiske, and she had to do all she could to give military decorations to Kiske. However, pus.h.i.+ng Kiske into opportunities for earning military honours meant that he was also constantly brought to death’s doorstep. Now that Kiske was taken prisoner by us, her enemies, she must have been writhing in guilt and despair.
“If only you dropped your worthless pride as a Harakal sooner, Kiske would have never been held prisoner by us, don’t you think?” Sergeant Aroha used this to taunt her.
As she was with William Mayer, too, Sergeant Aroha sometimes had shown a surprisingly cruel side of her, and it had surfaced once again. Even after a Smart Bomb blasted off Princess Riznah’s eye and arm, she had maintained her courageous stance; and then, she was struck with great pain by immaterial, harmless words.
[Shut up! I just... no, any more words will only slow down your death, so I will end this chatter now.]
“How troublesome.” Sergeant Aroha sighed, and looked back at me. “So, do you have a plan, Lezirth?”
“Of course.”
At that time, I recalled the c.o.c.kpit next to Dawnbringer Minor. It was found back at the stadium-- the c.o.c.kpit that ejected off of the Alliance Alter-Armour when I drove it to the stadium, and inside was a seat full of energy gels from the Chinatown’s supermarket. I had teleported it away as soon as I had discovered it, and then I teleported it back to me for this time of need.
I grabbed the c.o.c.kpit, ripped it apart, and brought the energy gels into my c.o.c.kpit.
“I was wondering what your plan was, and it’s this again? What is this, some sort of dictators.h.i.+p country where you get a stretch break for every thousand times that you shovel?” Sergeant Aroha sighed, unfolding the army shovel.
“If you please, Aroha.”
“Hmph... fine, Lezirth.” Sergeant Aroha leaned forward, but turned back around after a thought. “B-by the way, this pose is a little too dirty, isn’t it? If you and I were naked right now, then...”
“D-don’t say anything like that! I finally started focusing my mind elsewhere! Did you really have to remind me before a big fight?” I grumbled, moving Dawnbringer Minor.
Kis.h.i.+n Saika approached from the front, spreading the Skirt Bits in all directions.
[Here I come!]
“Bring it on, lovestruck girl!”
[Y-you b.a.s.t.a.r.d!]
Taking my bait, Saika reacted, opening its right hand. Bright, white rays of light shot from its palm. Though the attack was at lightspeed, I easily dodged it beforehand.
When in a one-on-one fight, even before the opponent begins pulling the trigger, my mind says “this is when my opponent will pull it.” When in a close-quarter battle, even as I frantically beat on the opponent’s defenses, there are moments that my mind says “this is when my opponent will begin to retaliate.” Combat Insight, I believe it was called.
Asa Princess Riznah Eres.h.i.+kigal was definitely proficient at controlling a Kis.h.i.+n, able to use highly complex Kis.h.i.+n Arts that Prince Tenseron couldn’t, and she had perfectly understood the extent of her abilities.
Yet, she was no match for me.
Cleverness and experience! There was no one who could possibly match me in those qualities. I am Lezirth Dawnbringer! I am the legendary soldier who lived in the battlefield ever since the age of s.p.a.ce began!
--Shwooo-!
The Skirt Bits reflected the rays of light, aiming for my backside. Saika’s main plan of attack appeared to be trapping Dawnbringer Minor and bombarding it with deadly beams reflecting all around by the Skirt Bits. I quickly dashed forward to escape the Skirt Bits’ encirclement.
[Kuh!]
Kis.h.i.+n Saika moved back. ThunderG.o.d Saika was not a melee-centric Kis.h.i.+n, but a controller-type Kis.h.i.+n designed for mid-range combat. She could not have desired to get in close range with a ground combat Alter-Armour like Dawnbringer Minor.
[Get out of here!]
A ray of light flared from Saika’s chest.
A blast of deadly light!
But Dawnbringer Minor was already in motion to dodge any attacks. Whatever couldn’t be dodged was deflected by the Black Barrier, and then it swung behind Saika.
And a powerful kick to its back!
But suddenly, Saika jumped away at an unbelievably fast speed. It had warped away in place of one of the Skirt Bits, using one of Saika’s special abilities.
--Kis.h.i.+n Arts! s.h.i.+ning Planar Emporio!
And that was not the end of it. One of the Skirt Bits shot away and accelerated to near-lightspeed, flying around erratically. In the blink of an eye, Dawnbringer Minor and Saika were both trapped within blinding lights caused within the flying Skirt Bit’s wake.
--No. For Saika, the area was now her own territory.
Dawnbringer Minor was the prey that fell into her territory!
[Here it comes, Lezirth!]
I grinned.
[Gah! That snarky att.i.tude of yours! We’ll see how long that’ll last! Hiiiiyaaaah!]
Kis.h.i.+n Saika clasped its hands in front of its chest. Between its fingers, bright, luminous spots appeared. It began with one point, then ten, and then a hundred.
[Warning! High energy output detected!]
Its energy levels spiked up, prompting my pilot a.s.sistance program to begin throwing warnings.
“Waaah! L-Lezirth! What are we gonna do about that thing?!” Sergeant Aroha panicked, hugging my head in fear. I briefly went back to being smothered to death by her chest.
“Hpfh... ffh... s-stop it, Sergeant! We’re going to be fine, just fine! Ack--!”
S-something went in my mouth just now!
I quickly shoved the panicking Sergeant Aroha away. Quite so, if Saika had released all of its energy from those gatherings of light, they would ceaselessly chase down Dawnbringer Minor as they bounce in every direction by jumping off of the reflective sphere created by the Skirt Bit. Sergeant Aroha was right to be scared!
[You have no need to try and prolong your life by using some useless Kis.h.i.+n Art! This is the end, Lezirth!]
“Is that so?! I never lose to little lovestruck girls!”
And then, Saika disappeared.
Saika switched its place around with the near-lightspeed Skirt Bit in succession, almost appearing to move as Dawnbringer moves with the Dance of Discord, and releasing the rays of light. A shower of deadly beams approached Dawnbringer Minor for a kill from every direction.
However--
--Kis.h.i.+n Arts! Dark Spiral! Palm of Seven Chains!
Dawnbringer Minor struck with the Dark Spiral in a full circle, seven times. Reviving the old black holes that were once created by Dawnbringer in the past, linked together with the Ergosphere, the Dark Spirals twisted the s.p.a.ce to grip onto the bombardment of beams.
Dawnbringer Minor hopped back and approached the encircling ring of light. It pulled out the ground combat blade in preparation.
Though I used the Dance of Discord myself, such an ability was an extremely difficult thing for me to control. Then, ThunderG.o.d Saika’s s.h.i.+ning Planar Emporio must have been difficult for it to control, too!
With that prediction, I quantized the blade to transform it into a great sword of light.
Saika was afraid of my approach, so it had scattered the Skirt Bits to erratically move itself away from my attacks. If anyone were to try to shoot or cut it down, then they couldn’t even scratch the edge of its armour. That was the true meaning behind the name of Discordant ThunderG.o.d!
But what if I were to try this?
I raised the Sacred Sword and stabbed into the s.h.i.+mmering, twisting light. Eventually, Saika’s pilot would throw the armour into the blade on her own, unable to consciously control its movement accurately.
And, of course!
[Kyaaaagh!]
Princess Riznah screamed. Even if Saika could control the quantum field, it wasn’t easy for it to control its movement in near-lightspeed!
The s.h.i.+ning Planar Emporio was stopped, and Saika appeared at a distance very far away from Dawnbringer Minor. Even as the special technique got broken, she was careful to put her a distance away from the melee-specialized Armour. How very practiced.
I gripped onto the Sacred Sword and spun around.
--Sacred Sword! Void Slas.h.!.+
Dawnbringer Minor slashed upon the beams of light, held from escaping by the Dark Spiral. As the Dark Spiral shattered, the lights bounced away from the Dark Spiral at lightspeed. At the end of the beams was Saika.
[Kuh!]
The Skirt Bit created a defensive formation around Saika. The beams struck against the s.h.i.+elding and exploded, and then exploded again. Even in the soundless s.p.a.ce, I could feel the shockwaves and energy radiating, giving a very dramatic feel of a silent film.
At the same time, Dawnbringer Minor was blinking on and off. It had the looks of a student in a lazy afternoon, dozing off in the middle of a cla.s.s after a big lunch. Dawnbringer Minor had been pushed to its limit!
“Lezirth! We’re out of energy gels!”
As expected, the shovel had made the gel feeding extremely quick. Thanks to that, Dawnbringer Minor was able to use all manner of high-intensity techniques, but was it really it? I had hoped that the Void Slash would have been the end of Saika...
But there was no way that a Kis.h.i.+n would fold that easily.
[Argh! What are you, a monster?!]
Despite the heavy damage done by the Void Slash, Saika was still fully operational. It was the difference between a proper Kis.h.i.+n and a Minor-cla.s.s. Even after such a one-sided beating, my side was dangerously close to depleting all energy, and the Kis.h.i.+n was making a quick recovery from all damages. Saika was at the height of its rage and fear, retaliating back immediately. Even as Dawnbringer Minor was becoming unoperational!
“Tsk.”
I jumped out of Dawnbringer Minor, teleporting in front of Saika’s chest-- the c.o.c.kpit. Jumping through the Hypers.p.a.ce and into complete vacuum with my unprotected body made my insides cry, but I endured it, swinging Colorado and slicing Saika’s c.o.c.kpit. Colorado quantized, cutting inside the c.o.c.kpit and splattering the seat with blood.
[Gah!] Prinzess Riznah cried.
I had aimed for her arm-- the one that was mostly intact. Saika normally would have been able to protect its pilot from even the Sacred Sword, but my repeated strikes must have caused lasting damage.
[Aaaaaargh!]
Saika suddenly became inoperational. Princess Riznah could operate Saika remotely, but as long as she was within the c.o.c.kpit, she had to have been manually piloting. As her remaining arm was cut, Saika had briefly lost control.