6. THE BATTLE FOR THE CAPITAL “Ugh…!” Rain groaned. It felt as though every inch of his body had been mercilessly beaten with a bat. The pain was so intense that he wasn’t immediately sure all four of his limbs were still attached. But even so, he scrambled to his feet. His surroundings had gone up in flames. The Razor-Edge Model’s charge had destroyed the wall, sending out shock waves that claimed the lives of most of the mages present. Almost ten mages had died in the blink of an eye…and Rain had only managed to escape by the skin of his teeth. He didn’t get out unscathed, though. Once he staggered to his feet, he realized a few of his ribs had shattered, and the faintest of breaths made pain course through his chest. Adrenaline had helped mitigate it somewhat, but it was still a near-fatal injury. Still, Rain firmly planted his feet on the ground and stood upright. I have to hurry…! The western units had broken through the wall. The Razor-Edge Model rushed into the city with ten AT3s in tow, firing indiscriminately all the while. The number of casualties made what happened at the checkpoint seem insignificant. People walking through the streets on the day of the festival—innocent, naive victims—were slaughtered en masse by the sudden invaders. Smoke rose in the distance, and the screams of thousands echoed in a swirl of chaos and panic. The citizens found themselves powerless to resist the ultimate combination in modern warfare, mage and Exelia. Sniping and surprise attacks had no hope of taking down such mighty opponents. Of course, the second-generation Exelia stood head and shoulders above the rest. Rain couldn’t even imagine a way to fell that goliath. The Razor-Edge Model continuously bashed into crowds and facilities, leaving only death and destruction in its wake. We have to stop that thing…! If we don’t, this whole city will be destroyed in a matter of hours! Rain staggered forward through the smoke, trying to gather his vacant thoughts. Fortunately, at that exact moment, a certain silver-haired girl got to her feet. “Air!” “If nothing else, at least the two of us got out of that alive…” They were the only survivors. Rain had taken the blast at full strength, but Air’s small, light body had allowed her to roll away and avoid most of the impact. Her body was covered in scrapes, but that was all. She could still move, which meant the two of them could form a small tactical unit. “What do we do?” “We need to prioritize stopping the Razor-Edge Model,” Air said. “Over ten Exelias have invaded the capital, so there’s no point guarding the western gate. If we don’t stop their advance, it’ll only be a matter of time before the other walls fall.” The Razor-Edge Model was a second-generation Exelia, so barely anyone knew of its existence. But at the same time, only those who understood its true capabilities and had experience fighting it could possibly defeat it. And that meant everything rested on Rain’s and Air’s shoulders. The Razor-Edge Model continued its stampede through the capital, massacring everything in its path. The carnage had to stop…and only they could put an end to it. “Well, we’re going to need an Exelia. Let’s recover a unit that’s been left behind.” Their objective now clear, Rain and Air ran to find an Exelia. As outmatched as their apparatus would be, they stood absolutely no chance without one. Thankfully, it seemed the two Exelias from the checkpoint had remained intact. They’d gotten knocked back by the shock wave, but they still looked functional. Rain and Air ran through the smoke-covered, corpse-ridden checkpoint to reach the Exelias. It was a horrific sight that made the two of them want to get out of there as soon as possible. However… “You’re laaate! Don’t you think it’s rude to keep me waiting so long?” “Ah…!” …a cold voice greeted them as they closed in on their destination. They stopped in their tracks and strained their eyes in hopes of spotting the man who’d spoken to them…only to find someone sitting atop one of the units. The sight made Rain’s blood boil. He felt so angry that all sense of pain vanished from his mind. “Kaisei…!” “Oh, so you remember little old me? I’m honored.” Rain could never have forgotten him. The memory refused to fade from his mind. The man standing before them had become a permanent fixture in his thoughts. “I believe this is the first time we’ve really met, Air,” Kaisei stated flippantly. “…I’d have preferred to meet under less chaotic circumstances,” Air replied coldly. “Ha-ha-ha, I can imagine. I’d have loved to have a nice, calm chat with you instead. But all this smoke and bloodshed feels more fitting, don’t you agree?” Kaisei cackled. But despite his listless attitude, everything about him set Rain on edge. The reason he’d suddenly appeared seemed painfully clear. He came to stop them, to neutralize a threat and aid in the invasion of the capital. He’d probably planned everything out, and now that the vanguard had successfully broken through this checkpoint, he simply had to fulfill the next condition for their victory. Namely, removing Air, the key figure that could turn the tides, from the fight. He’d come to remove the Devil’s Bullet from the equation. Air’s silver bullet could completely wipe this result from existence. If she shot the manipulator piloting the Razor-Edge Model, everything would change. And since Kaisei knew about that power, it only made sense that he’d personally come to stop them. However, just as that thought crossed Rain’s mind… “Oh, sorry. You can’t board this thing while I’m sitting on it, can you?” …Kaisei hopped down from the Exelia as if he didn’t want to stop them. Then he lowered his hand, motioning Rain and Air to take it. That action made no sense if he was here to hinder them. “…What are you doing?” “I don’t plan on getting in your way. I just wanted to chat first, is all. Use this unit if you want… Though, I guess, you don’t need my permission or anything. It’s not mine.” “You want to talk…?” “Yep. Basically, I’m here to tell you that I’m not your enemy.” “……” “I figured if I didn’t tell you, you would get your objectives mixed up. As you’ve learned, I’m involved in the creation of the Ghosts. In fact, I hold a secret that lies at the very core of this system. But that doesn’t mean I’m involved with this fight in particular.” “So, what? Are you trying to say we shouldn’t kill you because of that?” “Your enemy is, without a doubt, the West,” Kaisei continued in a detached manner. “This is a war between two countries, not some well-orchestrated play. Two nations are scrambling for resources…and I’m only a bystander. Unlike the Ghosts, I don’t fight needlessly or trigger any tragedies. In fact, I can’t. All the people who were made into Ghosts were arrogant and overbearing by nature. Warriors that go around doing whatever suits their fancy are too much for me to handle. They simply live according to their own will, ignoring all common sense.” There was no reason for Rain to believe anything Kaisei said. If anything, he was more inclined to actively doubt him. But for some reason, he couldn’t help but listen despite knowing he was likely lying. “The invasion of the capital has nothing to do with me. It just gave me a good chance to talk to you two.” “And why should we believe you?” “I can’t really provide a good reason, but would you believe I’m not from Harborant?” “What…?” “I’m not affiliated with any country, really. I’m an outsider who doesn’t belong in the East or the West.” When Rain first met him, Kaisei had captured a western officer and even had him bleeding out by his feet. But considering his actions thus far, it seemed clear that he didn’t support the East, either, which only left one option. Kaisei didn’t care which side won this war. “That’s why I’m trying to tell you not to forget your true enemies, the soldiers before your very eyes. I want you to understand the truth so that you will not waver. Nothing would be more pathetic than letting your doubts take over and dying a wretched death, wouldn’t you agree? I’m expecting a lot from you two. Your bullet has a way of causing unexpected twists and turns, which is pretty fun.” After that, Kaisei turned away as if to make it clear that he’d said his piece. You’re expecting a lot from us? Rain didn’t understand the situation at all. Had Kaisei truly traveled so far just to tell them that? Whatever the case, they could deal with him later. Rain and Air couldn’t afford to squander more time. Even as they spoke, the Razor-Edge Model rushed through the heart of the city, destroying the East’s armored units left and right. They had so much information they needed to get out of Kaisei, but he wasn’t the priority. They had to stop the Razor-Edge Model as quickly as possible. Rain was torn, but he knew they had to prioritize the lives of the innocent people who would be killed in the name of this meaningless conflict. “…Dammit!” Rain cursed as he jumped into the Exelia Kaisei had abandoned. Air followed him and switched on the engine. They didn’t want to ignore that mysterious man, but they had no other choice. “I want you to tell me one thing, Kaisei,” Air called after him. It was the first time she’d spoken; she likely had a lot to say but was intelligent enough to suppress her emotions. “Are you a Ghost, too?” she asked, condensing everything she wished to know down into a single question that could mean many things at once. “Ha-ha-ha…,” Kaisei chuckled and hung his head. “I can say that, at the very least, I’m not the same kind of Ghost you, Kirlilith, and Deadrim are…” After saying that, he raised his head, revealing a red-and-black-tinged left eye. It was wasp-hued, which was a phenomenon unique to Ghosts. The sight was so unexpected that Rain and Air couldn’t muster a reply. They’d seen that exact pattern in his left eye before, so they instantly recognized it. “The Ema’s divinity…” “That’s right. If I had to say…,” the man replied, “…I’m closer to what you are, Rain.” The Razor-Edge Model headed southeast with ten western AT3s following in its footsteps. Their formation indicated that they’d already prepared for all-out war. That just made it simpler for Rain and Air to pursue them, though. They hadn’t split their forces, which made it far easier to track them from a distance. The only issue was that all the areas they passed through were so thoroughly ruined that crossing them put a considerable strain on Rain. The sight of children’s small bodies was especially difficult to bear. People walking through the streets had been ruthlessly and indiscriminately mowed down. There were more casualties than Rain was willing to accept. Thousands upon thousands had been thrown to the flames…and that knowledge made one thing clear: The slaughter would only end once someone stopped the Razor-Edge Model. There had to be something, some way, to stop its rampage. “We’re going to have to get closer to spot any clues,” Air said as she drove the Exelia. “And I can do that just fine. I’ll get us as close as possible, so I need you to find its weak point.” “Does it even have one?” That menacing machine appeared outright invincible. “I’m sure one exists,” Air said, more optimistic than her partner. “The Razor-Edge Model might be powerful, but it’s surely lost some things in exchange. For example, it’s fast, but it can mostly only move in a straight line. That unit’s a highly specialized prototype, which means they didn’t focus on certain aspects. It’s got to have some kind of flaw.” Air had only described a possibility, but that single strand of hope was all they had to cling to. They no longer had the luxury of waiting for more eastern forces to arrive. They needed to stop the Razor-Edge Model before it wiped out too much of the city. Unfortunately, the Razor-Edge Model didn’t have a windshield, so sniping the manipulator was out of the question. Its cockpit rested entirely inside the Exelia’s armor module, which was thick enough to deflect any Bullet Magic. That was why Air said they had to get closer to the unit. They had no hope of beating the Razor-Edge Model with the information on hand, so their only choice was to investigate it directly and discover a weakness, risks be damned. A weak point… Did it have one, though? If it did, Rain had to find it at all costs. Otherwise, thousands of innocents would lose their lives. Air predicted the enemy’s route and managed to close in on the Razor-Edge Model. It moved at immense speeds, but it was occupied with wreaking havoc in the streets. Thanks to that, Air’s superior driving skills allowed them to rapidly close the distance. Eventually, they got within three hundred feet of the Razor-Edge Model. Air remained slightly behind it by driving along a parallel road, and Rain took that opportunity to observe the unit more closely. However, powerful flames suddenly billowed up around them from something other than their enemy. That’s… Rain looked ahead…and his gaze fell on five eastern cadets who’d probably been strolling around town before the fighting broke out. They’d reacted to the catastrophe by getting to the rooftops and firing Bullet Magic at enemy Exelias. Unfortunately, most of their shots hit the Razor-Edge Model, which stampeded forward as the vanguard. Tch… Flames powerful enough to melt iron flared up, but they did nothing to curb the black unit’s speed. Shortly after that, the ten western Exelias following it started mercilessly mowing down the cadets on the roofs. All five of them evaporated outright, not even leaving behind any flesh or blood spatter. A single second was all those cadets’ lives managed to buy. But in that moment, the radiant heat of the flames had illuminated something…and Rain caught sight of it. “Wait, that’s…” “What is it, Rain?” “I just got a look at its exterior.” The flash from the Bullet Magic gave him a clear view of the Razor-Edge Model’s entire form. Rain had seen it before several times already, of course, but this was the first time he’d seen it up close so clearly. Its exterior was colored black, so it just looked like a giant hunk of metal under most circumstances. But the five cadets’ attack made something clear to Rain… The Razor-Edge Model had a mostly streamlined form. It couldn’t fire any weapons of its own, so it relied on a simple charging attack that doubled as a defensive measure. As such, it brushed off most attacks. And in order to optimize it, the machine was smooth…with the exception of two sharp sections. One of those sections was located on the frontmost part of the unit—its nose, essentially. It was the part that came into contact with objects that the Exelia rammed, so the sharpness made sense. The other, however, was an oddly uneven section of its armor located directly opposite the first one. In other words, its rear. Rain wondered why he recognized the sight when an image flashed in his mind. A submarine. A weapon made for deep underwater operations. Those often had black, streamlined designs. And upon looking at the Razor-Edge Model with that in mind, Rain realized its structure was effectively identical to a submarine’s. The West had almost certainly used a submarine for inspiration. The Razor-Edge Model was the first second-generation Exelia Kreis Falman had developed, but Harborant hadn’t had the time to craft a frame suitable for combat after stealing it, so they’d simply copied a submarine’s plating. No way… The Razor-Edge Model, a black frame streamlined for charging attacks, had one unnatural bulge on its smooth body that served as a weakness… I know exactly what to do! With all that information, Rain easily cooked up a plan. “That’s the hatch.” “…What?” “The hatch. It’s a door that flips upward in submarines.” “Uh…,” Air mumbled, not quite understanding what he meant. She was probably confused because submarines were a fairly recent invention. “A hatch is a submarine’s entrance. It’s a thick door that’s kept airtight to ensure water doesn’t leak into the vessel. And get this—they have handles on the outside to help crew members get in.” Since they were underwater vessels, submarines weren’t designed to keep intruders from infiltrating it. And the Razor-Edge Model seemed to share that unique attribute. “If I open that hatch, I can drag the manipulator right out of their seat.” “But how?” “I’ll jump onto it and open it directly.” A long silence followed. Rain could only see Air’s back, but she seemed stunned by his suggestion, which made him realize just how absurd his idea sounded. Even if he somehow managed to make the jump, the moment the enemy manipulator realized what he was doing, they’d shake him off. And being thrown off at that velocity meant instant death. Rain had to get onto the unit without being noticed, which seemed comical. “…I’ll do what I can to back you up. You handle the rest,” Air muttered and changed course. She realized they didn’t have a better way to stop such a powerful opponent. Air quickly closed the distance, driving right on its tail. Rain couldn’t tell if the manipulator realized they were tracking it, but if they did, they weren’t doing anything to stop them. Perhaps they thought a single enemy Exelia couldn’t achieve much. After a moment, Air accelerated once more to get their machine parallel with it. …I can make it! Rain jumped across to the Razor-Edge Model. The moment his legs left their Exelia, a blast of wind threatened to blow him away, but he quickly closed his fingers around the hatch and grabbed on tight, successfully landing on the Razor-Edge Model. I did it! Holding on to the Exelia’s outer surface, he started working on opening the hatch, which was located exactly where he’d surmised. Using the butt of his rifle as leverage to rotate the handle, he opened the hatch with surprising ease. However, as the hatch opened, Rain’s hands stopped. Instead of the manipulator’s seat, he unexpectedly came face-to-face with a room full of supplies. Apparently, the entrance for the crew was located elsewhere. “Still, this is more than enough,” Rain said while pointing his muzzle at the Exelia’s interior. “I’m gonna blow the Razor-Edge Model sky-high!” He fired at once, and the next moment, his Bullet Magic expanded within the unit’s internal mechanisms. The Exelia’s insides weren’t strong enough to withstand the blast, resulting in a massive explosion that enveloped the whole unit. True, the Razor-Edge Model was tough and bulky enough to shrug off almost any attack, but that only applied to its armor. Its internals, on the other hand, were just as susceptible to damage as any other armored vehicle. I…did it… Crimson flames spread out before Rain’s very eyes. And they didn’t just stop at the storage compartment, either. One by one, the Razor-Edge Model’s armor modules flew off due to the internal blow. Its plating, which once seemed like impenetrable monoliths, broke into pieces that flaked off one after another. Eventually, the chain explosion blew off the unit’s right-side armor modules entirely, exposing its innards, including the well-armored cockpit. And that gave Rain a clear view of the manipulator’s back. Okay… I can kill them! The destruction hadn’t extended to the engine, which meant the Razor-Edge Model still had the ability to move. However, that would all end once Rain took the manipulator’s life. Unfortunately, his target tilted the unit at that exact moment. They’d likely done it out of confusion, but it still jolted Rain upward. He felt like a flea crawling atop a rampaging cat’s back. His grip on the fuselage failed, and he was flung away, but even so… I can do this! …Rain aimed his rifle at a downward angle while he was still in midair. It was risky, but a shot from above would certainly catch the enemy manipulator off guard. He still couldn’t see them clearly through the smoke and fire, but there was no chance of him missing at such close range. Gravity grabbed hold of him and pulled him down, giving him a clear view of his enemy…and as a result, he hesitated. The Razor-Edge Model’s manipulator was Athly. “Ah…!” His mind went completely blank. Rain knew he had to stop the mass murderer behind the wheel, but he’d never expected it to be the girl who’d left him a few days ago. And that created a fatal delay. Rain fired off his round a moment too late, so the bullet that should have pierced her head skimmed her right eye, tearing into Athly’s lovely face. Blood scattered into her hair…and the shot blew off her right eyeball. “Aaah, ugh!” Athly cried out in pain, but she hadn’t suffered a fatal wound. Her eye had been blown clean off, yet she didn’t falter. She moved with purpose, and the next moment, an intense shock wave ran through Rain’s body. “Gah, aaaaaah!” The Razor-Edge Model’s front leg slammed into Rain’s abdomen. Athly had mercilessly swatted her old friend out of the air. That iron limb was so heavy that it bounced Rain against the ground like a ball before he slammed into a wall. “Ngh, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” No injury he’d sustained thus far compared with the excruciating pain he felt. He wouldn’t have been surprised if all the bones in his body had just broken. Rain’s field of vision swam, contorted, and turned red. He honestly couldn’t tell if it was caused by the bleeding in his head or from his legs. “Aaah…” His consciousness started to fade. An intense wave of drowsiness crept over his mind like a cloud of death. But even as he felt his life ebbing away, Rain heard an Exelia screech to a halt before him. And a second later, it scooped him up. He didn’t even need to look to know who it was. Athly had collected his body by maneuvering the front legs to tow Rain to her. And then she’d wrapped her slender arms around him in an embrace. “Y-you…,” Rain coughed out. “Do you know…how many people you…killed back there?” “Yeah,” Athly breathed out. “Why…did you?” “Ghosts.” “Ah…!” “You know about them, too, don’t you?” she asked as she took hold of Rain’s pistol. “They’re dead mages who’ve been revived that use their powers to aggravate the war. And one of them is that girl you’re protecting. Air.” Athly then pulled the silver bullets out of his gun’s chamber and continued. “I know, Rain. I know what you two have been doing with these bullets. How many people you’ve erased, how many battlefields you’ve changed, how many lives you’ve ended. And I also know my parents and my hometown burned because of your actions.” “So that’s…why…” That’s why you tried to kill me? That’s why you betrayed your own country and defected? That’s why you killed so many innocent people? You destroyed the lives of thousands of helpless people just to enact your revenge against me?! “You idiot…!” Rain’s body filled with enough anger to make him forget his fatal injuries. “If you hate me that much, you should’ve just killed me! Why…? Why do all this?!” “Hate you? Kill you? No, Rain, you’ve got it all wrong,” Athly said as she reactivated the Razor-Edge Model. “I’m here to protect you.” “…Huh?”
Chapter 46
20 min read