Chapter 25: V.S. Colony 118 — Part 2

—Shit, man, this is bad. Real bad. There’s a giant hole in the colony!

—What do we do?! Naruse-senpai’s gonna flip!

—No way he doesn’t. He’s gonna lose it. We’re dead. So dead!

I didn’t know if the Insectum were actually having a conversation like that.

Probably not—but they were definitely in chaos. Some were trying to rush back to the colony. Others were coming straight for us at the artillery position. The long battle line stalled, then broke down into confusion. The panic rippled outward—casualties were already mounting.

“C1, begin fallback while recharging the Dragon Unit. Ah, Sheep Unit, you stay behind and start crafting Blast Bolts. Get your steel and powder from the Ox Unit.”

But we weren’t about to let up.

With the Grasshoppers crushed, my sights shifted to the next highest threat: the Soldiers. I pulled the trigger again and again.

We’d taken down a good portion of B1. The next challenge was dealing with B2—the Armor Roll. So while we still had the chance, I needed to thin out the infantry. A tank without infantry support isn’t nearly as dangerous.

Inhale. Exhale. Kill.

Each breath scattered another life.

That was fine. That was how it should be. I focused on the life behind the trigger pull. That’s what made my bullets land true.

『S3 Leader to S1 Leader. B2 has started moving. Looks like it decided your front is the bigger problem. It’s heading your way.』

“S1 Leader, copy. S2, shift to support this front. A2, S3—can you pursue B2 now that it’s turned its back?”

『Already on it.』

Good. That would help.

Though judging by the look of things, it didn’t seem to be doing much.

What now?

Three seconds to think.

“Rudo, fall back. Rat Unit, Horse Unit—once Rudo returns, shift to mobile offense. Ambushes are useless now.”

I put away the Type-Five Sniper Rifle and pulled out the crossbow.

Connected it to the Rat Unit’s power, allowing it to draw the bowstring mechanically. Then I loaded one of the explosive-tipped arrows—Blast Bolts—crafted by the Sheep Unit.

“Sheep Unit, how many did you manage to make?”

Response: Six dozen prepared.

Seventy-two. Good.

“Thanks. That’s plenty. Link up with the Ox Unit. If things go well, I’ll herd them your way—”

Query: Is there a limit on the amount of construction material we can use for obstacles?

Sheep Unit—always one step ahead of me. Brilliant.

“Same as always. Use it all if you need to.”

What matters isn’t conserving resources—it’s preserving lives.

Response: Understood.

That was all. Sheep Unit retreated to the rear.

Just as it departed, Rudo came bounding back. A little too hyped from his first real fight, he leapt up, tail wagging furiously, practically shouting, “I did it! I did great!”

I patted his head, gave his shoulder a tap, then handed him a piece of jerky.

I mounted the Horse Unit.

Just as promised, we launched into rapid-response assault.

***

A massive sphere rolled across the land.

Its passage kicked up clouds of sand and dust—this was nothing less than predation upon the earth itself.

And if you’re trying to stop an attack that devours the world, then your only hope is an attack that can also devour the world.

In other words—what I’m trying to say is—we don’t have enough firepower.

“Dammit! No matter how much I shoot, it’s doing jack!”

Eevee’s exasperated cursing crackled over the comms.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I felt the same way.

I turned the handlebars, swung the Horse Unit around, and charged straight toward B2—the Armor Roll—now pursuing us.

Intent on crushing us flat, the Armor Roll, with its rolling-based locomotion, couldn’t stop easily. I fired a bolt as we passed each other. It landed and exploded with a sharp boom. And… that was it. Couldn’t even tell if it had done any damage.

“Got any bright ideas, Touji?”

This time, it wasn’t over the radio. Eevee had pulled up beside me. We watched together as B2 slowly came to a halt, beginning to reverse direction. Time to come up with a breakthrough.

“Dragon Unit can handle it.”

Even if it can’t hit moving targets. I clenched my fist.

It was a blatant case of passing the buck, but there was no denying it—Dragon Unit had the highest firepower. That made the next step simple.

“Dragon Unit’s stationed here. So we need it right in front of—”

“—lure that thing in, and force it to stop. Got it.”

Exactly. And exactly as difficult as it sounds.

We could just lure it by letting it roll, but if the Dragon Unit can’t guarantee a kill, that’s not an option.

We had to stop it—dead center, right in the kill zone. In a position where even the Dragon Unit could land a hit.

Tough, but doable.

“A drive and flush, huh? Very hound of you, Touji.”

“…Ruff ruff.”

I barked back at Eevee, who was grinning smugly.

“All right then. I’m switching to assault trooper mode. I’d appreciate some cover fire.”

“Assault?”

“Told you, didn’t I? I’m trained in all the standard infantry roles. In this situation, assault is what we need most, right?”

“…Yeah.”

Fair point. We needed someone to drive the prey.

“Understood. S1 Leader to A2. Link up with S3. Effective immediately, Eevee is now acting leader of A2. Your job is to chase it in.”

That good enough for you?

She met my eyes. A firm nod. Then she raised her fist.

I raised mine in turn.

A solid clack echoed as they struck together.

***

The battle had likely been raging for close to thirty minutes.

I’d run out of Blast Bolts, so I switched back to the Type-Five sniper rifle, aiming at the sections of the shell we’d managed to chip away. But the results were… underwhelming.

“…”

This was bad.

It was time to start thinking about retreat. That was the conclusion I came to.

In my scope, I saw B2—Armor Roll—shifting out of its spherical form for the first time in a while, unfurling into its insectoid shape. I decided to wait for the next charge, dodge it, and fall back.

Too late.

I’d forgotten.

“The side panel’s opening—its back! That spot is—biomissiles! FOX ONE!”

I shouted.

I barked orders to everyone: retreat, dodge, scatter—anything. But it was probably no use.

This was FOX ONE. A self-guided missile.

Can anyone dodge that? I doubted it.

But all I could do was believe.

The shockwave hit. A column of dust rose into the wasteland.

I zigzagged across the terrain, trying to dodge, but my lightweight and unstable Monoz nearly got blown away by the shockwave alone. I wrestled for control to keep it grounded.

It was no use.

The blast sent me flying. I tumbled across the ground and finally slammed into a rock, where I came to a stop.

“…”

Arakane hadn’t absorbed the impact completely. My head was spinning.

“…Are you… okay…?”

That one was bad.

All squads except the distant C1 were within range of the blast.

A1: minor damage. S2: status green. And A2…

Obituary: Eevee is extremely pissed off.

“…”

What the hell? What kind of status report is that?

I didn’t get it—until I did.

『Grraaaaah! You son of a bitch! I’ll kill you!』

A pillar of dust shot up.

Eevee, drawing on Tooth’s physical abilities and leaping with those inhuman legs, sprang straight at the Armor Roll’s face—and slammed a left-handed knifehand strike into it.

Had the outer shell already been weakened a bit?

The blade of the strike pierced through.

Kssshhyyyyaaaaaa!

The Armor Roll screamed, its first real scream of pain.

『Shut the hell up, you goddamn bug!』

And Eevee’s roar drowned it out entirely.

She clung to the Armor Roll’s face, her right hand—now fused with her gun—pressed against its eye.

A burst of muzzle flashes. Her arm had transformed into a light machine gun, and she let it rip.

『What’s wrong?! C’mon, roll up again! I dare you, asshole!』

“If it rolls up now, you’ll be crushed…”

But luckily for her, it didn’t.

The Armor Roll, for all its armor, seemed to have a low pain threshold. It thrashed like a fish out of water.

“…”

Its belly was exposed. Could I land something?

Probably.

I issued orders to the Rat and Horse Units to craft metallic spears. I tossed Rudo some extra jerky and gave him a special instruction. He barked—a sharp, enthusiastic woof!

Good boy.

“…Eevee.”

『What?!』

“Rodeo time. Can you ride this thing?”

『Hell yeah I can, bitch!』

Excellent.

Let’s do this.

“All units except the Horse Unit and Rude: engage. Keep it dancing—right where it is, like that!”

Beep?

Query: What do we do?

The Horse Unit’s question came through. I grinned behind Arakane’s faceplate.

“Picnic.”

I revved the Horse Unit. The world blurred into high speed.

I’d already spotted the perfect rock.

We hit it like a ramp.

Launched into the air, straight for the Armor Roll’s belly.

Didn’t make it.

I crashed, tumbled, the Horse Unit went flying. I’d apologize later.

Still, I clawed my way forward, digging into its stomach like Eevee had, anchoring myself.

A sniper won’t kill it.

So I’m done sniping.

Heavy weapons might do the job in the future, but for now, I’ll do something reckless.

“—Tch!”

I drove the metal spear in with my full weight behind it.

To the Armor Roll, it was just a minor wound. But tactically, it was a critical blow.

I confirmed the hit, then bolted toward the exit. Along the way, I stumbled, hit my head, and my consciousness wavered. Even so, I ran. All I could do was run.

“Eevee, jump!”

『Roger!』

I leapt from the Armor Roll’s stomach as well.

“Rudo!”

At my call, the pup barked.

It seared through nerves. Killed from the inside out. If I were to put it dramatically—

“Haha! Nice work, Touji! See you in hell, you dung beetle bastard!”

Yeah—something like that.