She realized that her breathing was labored. She’d been pushing the suit’s capabilities too far for too long. Kikoru had also realized what Hoshina intended for her. On the other side of the kaiju, she could see the delivery van in front of the station. He wanted her to get back over there and use the other weapons.
But even though she understood, Kikoru didn’t feel like following through.
If I did that, it’d be like I’d turned tail and run!
“You doing okay, Shinomiya?” asked Hoshina. “Not losing your cool?”
“What makes you think I’m losing my cool?!” Kikoru yelled.
“That’s what someone who’s losing her cool would say.”
Once again, Kikoru came at the kaiju head-on and swung her sword. A giant claw was waiting for it, though, and the two weapons clashed. Kikoru’s greatsword was caught firmly in the pincer. The kaiju swiped at Kikoru with its other enormous claw, flinging her aside. With the greatsword still gripped by the kaiju, Kikoru went flying toward the front of the station and slammed into the delivery vehicle. The transport was knocked on its side by the impact, and the weapons it carried were thrown out.
Since Kikoru had just raised her shield, her vitals showed no abnormalities. She had no injuries to speak of either. Combat itself was still doable, but she’d lost the weapon that gave her any hope of winning. Sword still pinched in its claw, the kaiju was gazing in her direction, as if sizing up the situation.
Gritting her teeth, Kikoru got to her feet. Something she’d been vaguely worried about during this training had become a reality. Her custom weapon was light and easy to handle, but it lacked crucial destructive power.
This isn’t my ideal weapon.
To attack head-on and subdue with overwhelming fighting power—that was what she wanted in a weapon now. That didn’t mean strategy wasn’t important, but the hope of a one-shot kill suited her temperament best.
If only I had something heavier, more massive!
A pile of cargo from the overturned transport van lost its balance, and a very large trunk case came tumbling out. It was that weapon that Hoshina had said wasn’t up to standard. It fell to the ground with a heavy thunk.
Huh? What was that noise? How heavy is that thing?
The case must not have been sealed very well, because the shock of its fall had opened it. When she saw what was inside, Kikoru’s eyes widened.
This is a failure?
It made sense once she saw it. The weapon was far too large and rugged. It was an obsidian-black axe with a blade longer than half Kikoru’s height. The polished blade reflected dark-gray light. Before she’d even thought about it, Kikoru was reaching out for the weapon, as if it were pulling her in. She gripped its handle and raised it up with both hands. A shock ran through her core. The greatsword had been lighter than it appeared, but this axe was far heavier than its appearance suggested. She couldn’t imagine how many kilos it must weigh.
If I use this—!
“Stop it, Shinomiya,” Hoshina demanded. “It’s totally reckless to handle that.”
“My attacks bounced off because they had too little force. A heavy weapon increases the force, right?” Kikoru asked.
“You’ll understand when you raise it up. That weapon had to be made heavy because of a gimmick. You can’t swing it at your level of unleashed combat power. Now hurry up and put it down!”
“I can’t swing it at my present power?”
“That’s right. Now—”
Kikoru’s eyes shone with a fierce glare.
“All the more reason to do it! Now I really want to swing it!”
“Wait!” Hoshina insisted.
Kikoru’s personality was aggressive and assertive, and there was one other thing about her that was consistently true: she was self-confident and absolutely hated to lose.
With the axe against her shoulder, Kikoru took off running. Each time one of her boots hit the ground, a deep footprint was etched into the surface. She attempted to raise the axe up at the kaiju, but—
Crap!
The blade’s center of gravity was off somehow, and it threw off her aim. The blade came down far in front of the kaiju. The shock of the impact rebounded into her hands, and Kikoru was flung toward the ground. As she looked ahead while taking a rolling fall to avoid injury, she saw the axe stuck deep in the asphalt.
The force is incredible. With this, I can break through its shell!
Yet, as Hoshina had pointed out, Kikoru couldn’t quite handle this axe in her present condition.
In that case, what should she do? Put her tail between her legs and run away the next time a powerful kaiju emerged? Or, as in the entrance exam, wait for Kaiju No. 8—for Kafka—to come and save her?
I won’t allow it.
She didn’t want that to happen.
No way will I let that happen anymore!
Kikoru placed both hands on the handle of the axe that had sunk deep into the asphalt. She strained her muscles, trying to pull it loose. Her suit squeezed her body tightly, and she realized it was attuning itself to her even more deeply. The air all around her vibrated with electricity.
The honju let loose a loud, piercing shriek. Almost as if it were frightened of Kikoru standing before it.
“That dimwit. She really did lose her cool,” Hoshina said. “I’m going in there.” The vice-captain started to head downstairs. Just like at the entrance exam, when he’d been ready for Kaiju No. 9’s attack, Hoshina was equipped with a weapon and ready to do battle at a moment’s notice.
While waiting in front of the elevator, he heard Okonogi’s panicked voice ring out. “Vice-Captain Hoshina! Shinomiya’s unleashed combat power is rising!”
“What?”
Hoshina came back and gazed at the screen along with Ashiro. Kikoru’s greatest unleashed combat power to date was 57 percent. The number displayed, however, was steadily rising: 58 percent, 59 percent—
“Estimated unleashed combat power: 60 percent!”
Kikoru pulled the axe from the ground and sprang.
As if in answer, the kaiju roared. Gouts of sudsy foam came spewing from its mouth. It tossed away the sword it had in its pincer and swung its claw straight at Kikoru. The claw and the axe collided in midair. There was a sound like something bursting open. The giant claw that the greatsword could only scrape at had finally cracked open. Armor and all, the claw had gone flying, exposing white strands of muscle fiber.
The kaiju’s decision came swiftly. Perhaps it had realized instinctively that the petite young girl before its eyes was immensely more powerful than itself. It turned its armored back on her and attempted to flee the scene.
Kikoru poised to unleash another strike into the asphalt-encrusted carapace. That was when it happened. From under Kikoru, a transmission arrived from Hoshina.
“Shinomiya—that axe has a gimmick to it.”
“A gimmick?”
“Yeah. There should be a trigger right there on the handle,” Hoshina said. “Pull it.”
“Yes, sir!”
Kikoru held the axe far back and leapt. She positioned herself directly above the fleeing kaiju and pulled the trigger. Radiating out from the head of the axe, a ferocious shock wave burst forth. It nearly caused her to lose her balance, but she managed to maintain her footing by sending power throughout her entire body. The axe unleashed the shock wave, and it explosively accelerated directly downward.
I like the taste of crab, but there’s one thing I don’t like.
Her golden hair blew wildly. What looked like a torrent of lightning bolts sent from heaven poured down on the kaiju. Roars of explosions rang out all around, and dust billowed high into the sky. The white haze was too thick for even the drones to confirm what had happened, but at last it began to dissipate. There was the honju, split perfectly in two right down the middle, and there was Kikoru, calmly resting the axe on her shoulder.
“You guys’re a pain to eat, aren’t you?” she said.
From the kaiju, a veritable fountain of bodily fluids sprayed out and began drenching the entire area.
“The honju’s vital responses are gone! Officer Shinomiya has now completed the elimination of all kaiju—three yoju, one honju—within the training ground!”
As he received Okonogi’s report, Hoshina scratched a sweaty cheek.
“Who would’ve thought she could handle that thing? I sure didn’t expect it.”
“Looks like it’s decided. Shinomiya’s custom weapon, I mean.”
Hoshina nodded at Ashiro’s words and looked at the news crew with a smile on his face. “How was it? Got some pretty impressive footage?”
Pointing his camera straight down, the director simply murmured, “Images like these can’t be aired without blurring them.”
Even more bodily fluids were now spurting from the split kaiju’s body. As if to moisten her dry lips, Kikoru, axe at the ready, licked the area around her mouth.