25 Manipulation

The result of downing two more was a slight disruption in coordination.

(They are indeed unsettled.)

This was Jin’s first time experiencing such a thing.

ASID were emotionless, indifferent, their gaze devoid of life.

Just enemies advancing in straight lines, relying solely on numbers.

But what about these humanoid ones?

A clear intent is felt.

There is a logic to their combat.

And now, with a comrade down, they are shaken.

This is almost like—

Jin’s thoughts nearly grasped something.

Then immediately dismissed it.

The conclusion was already clear.

Enemy. Nothing but enemy.

Four humanoid ASID, spread fanwise, raised their weapons and circled Jin’s Leopard.

Only their gaze traveled, assessing the armaments.

Most were sword-like objects and spear-like instruments.

Weapons. And yet, peculiar.

All previous worm-type units had relied on fixed armaments—essentially, parts of their bodies, innate and unchangeable.

Humanoid forms likely possess similar traits, yet they also carry weapons they have crafted themselves.

Already reported, and personally observed, the sight is nonetheless startling when witnessed anew within this bright fleet.

A trident spear.

Ether projectiles form at both tips of the prongs.

Jin evades the attack by destabilizing his机体’s leg structure.

He lowers his posture just before impact with the ground and accelerates forward.

The ground-scratching gait is a desperate measure to reduce frontal cross-section in gravity.

Aiming at the unit’s feet.

An immediate kick launches toward him.

He evades that strike.

Slipping past sideways, circling behind.

Jin’s机体 currently allocates almost no ether to defense.

The disparity in ether output between himself and the enemy.

He chose to redirect resources from defense toward offense and mobility.

Thanks to that, he can currently match the humanoid ASID in both attack and maneuverability.

The机体 spins through the air like a drill.

At the peak of the rotation, for a single instant, the机体 faces zenith.

The Leopard’s ether rifle flares with light.

"Three!"

The one he just kicked.

Then, precisely through the head.

The rifle, overheated, is discarded in a single motion.

Two rifles remain.

At best, four shots. At worst, two.

Considering he must pursue three units ahead, he wants to avoid expending them all.

From the waist-mounted weapon rack, he draws an ether dagger.

The blade remains unformed.

He intended to conceal the distance until the very edge.

But the opponent must have fought against the convoy’s forces before.

Advancing with a stance that suggests they already know the range of the Ether Dagger.

"Still, these ones are clever."

A world apart from the worm-like variants.

Clear intelligence.

It means one of the human advantages in combat has been lost.

Yet simultaneously, it confirms that humans now wield another weapon.

Feint.

That is all it amounts to in words.

The worm-like variants, who had only charged blindly, never anticipated our movements.

That is why the deception works now against the humanoid form.

Misdirection.

Induce that expectation in the opponent.

Make them believe something impossible—then their reaction lags by one step.

For instance, make them believe the Leopard’s attack is ineffective.

For instance—

"Ha."

A brief exhale. The Ether Dagger is swept aside.

The time taken to form the blade was instantaneous.

The opponent could only think that their own ally’s head had been severed without the wielder even drawing a blade.

Like the Ether Rifle, the Ether Dagger had been focused to pierce through defense.

The blade’s edge had long since become a thread-like plane.

Thus, it was impossible to perceive even with sight.

And furthermore, the blade had expanded to three times its usual length.

The opponent, expecting only the standard Ether Dagger, was caught entirely off guard.

After severing a head, the blade was returned in a reverse arc, slicing through the body.

Jin thought the sudden backward leap had been a sound judgment.

"Actually, it extends even further."

A blade five times the standard length.

The leap that might have avoided the initial threefold extension proved insufficient.

The abdomen’s Ether Reactor was destroyed, and the unit collapsed.

"Five down!"

Only one remains.

The third strike of the Ether Dagger—yet this time it was deflected.

The weapon, spear-like in form, deflected the Ether blade’s edge.

Concentrating Ether into that weapon, perhaps.

Even the focused blade could not cut through.

"Can you see it...? No."

Jin judged that the opponent was predicting the path of the blade based on his footwork and arm swing, anticipating where it would pass.

Impressive skill, Jin thought, genuinely impressed.

It was absurd to measure such ability by human standards, yet no regular soldier possessed such combat proficiency.

If this were a colleague, he’d be reliable. If a student, promising.

But an enemy.

Only a nuisance.

Adjusting the weapon’s length to optimal reach, he unleashed a flurry of sword and spear attacks.

Each clash between blade and tip scattered Ether like sparks.

One, two.

One, two.

Marking the rhythm in silence.

The exchange of attack and defense grows monotonous.

Naturally, a hit means mutual annihilation.

Monotonous, yet tension never breaks.

Within it, rhythm shifts.

The swinging arm.

The humanoid ASID's spear thrust in response.

No flower blooms.

An almost invisible blade.

It vanished mid-clang.

The spear, thrust to intercept, lost the resistance it should have had and flailed forward awkwardly.

Jin’s leopard steps forward one more pace, closing into the opponent’s guard.

One side that did not expect this.

The other side that had intended it.

The reaction difference was fatal.

Before the spear could be retracted, the ether blade reforms and swings horizontally.

The upper and lower body separate. The entity holding the spear sinks into the ground.

"Six now. Too sharp a mind, too easily caught."

The extent of the opponent’s prior combat history remains unknown.

But at minimum, humanity has accumulated over two thousand years of combat experience—spanning even the wars fought within their home planet.

That knowledge has undoubtedly served as Jin’s strength.

Jin clicks his tongue—time has been bought.

The remaining three have already moved ahead.

Think, Jin urges himself.

If this continues, they will escape beyond the colony ship before he can catch up.

Even if he does close the gap, if two of them form a shield as before, the remaining Black Knight will simply slip away unharmed.

To prevent that—.

“Would be nice if a report would suffice.”

The only option is to seal the breach.

He sets the ether rifle on one of the intact buildings, minimizing aim drift.

Long-range sniping is not his specialty, but luxury is not an option.

The range is longer than when he shot from outside earlier, but gravity here affects trajectory.

The breach where the humanoid swarm invaded.

Target the fuel line of the nearby fleet.

No time for careful aim.

If the Black Knight gets too close, Mio could be caught in the blast.

"Apologies in advance. Sorry."

He fires, offering regret to whoever will have to repair this place.

The targeted fuel system explodes outward.

Consecutive detonations collapse the breach entirely.

Reopening it will not be difficult.

Not even a minute.

But if they attempt to clear it now, Jin’s shot will finally pierce through.

The front three units halt.

Motionless, Jin mocks.

The rifle still fires.

Closer than the fuel system.

No chance of missing.

Targeting the Black Knight’s entourage.

A single shot aimed at the head.

Jin was certain it had struck.

Yet it was deflected by a swinging blade.

The Long Sword wielded by the Black Knight.

It took a moment to comprehend that the precise strike had been blocked.

"Protecting a comrade!?"

An action never before seen in an ASID.

No such behavior existed in past records.

Moreover, the ability to sense the ambush and counter with a blade technique.

The ether volume alone was distinct from other units—enough to make Jin feel the difference.

The ether rifle was now useless.

Only one round left.

Four remaining strikes with the ether dagger.

A weak loadout. Jin smiled faintly at the mouth.

Unreliable.

Yet simultaneously—

He recalled that massive frame that had led him to his end.

A better situation than that one.

At least, there is a way to fight.

At least, the one worth protecting has not been lost yet.

"Mio will be returned."