20 Just a skirmish 5

The shadow of the cruiser 'Al' flying at low altitude.

A swarm of ASIDs accumulates beneath it.

"Targeting's arbitrary! Just bring that mountain down!"

Now fully surrounded, even trainees who had not participated in the diversion are mobilized, slashing through the ASID swarm with no regard for precision.

Fortunately, no airborne types appear to be present.

The answer to how ground-bound ASIDs, even barely, manage to reach the 'Al' in the sky is this.

Trampling comrades, the mountain of ASIDs rises swiftly.

A hundred comrades kicked aside, reaching upward toward the sky.

Despite fear stirred by their reckless, indiscriminate actions, Jin and the others continue to reduce their numbers.

The number of炮门 is unequal.

The ASID mountain remains motionless.

With so many conditions aligned, even inexperienced trainees can now shoot down the ASID swarm.

—If this were a regular engagement, we might have earned medals for how easily we’re eliminating them.

The enemy doesn’t even glance our way.

Targets in shooting drills might be harder to hit.

"...Damn it. What are they doing?"

We’re progressing smoothly.

The course diverges entirely from the original plan, yet the outcome remains favorable.

All thanks to the ASID’s straight, and foolish, advance.

No interference with the queen’s elimination—exactly as predicted.

The cyber squad should be executing the operation as scheduled… yet…

"Still not yet…"

The queen remains intact.

Worse, the cyber squad is losing units.

Out of two hundred fifty machines, ten have gone silent.

Ten losses against the queen—normally, that would be extraordinary.

At least the Third Fleet won’t be able to mimic that.

Still, given how boldly that threat was issued, unease settles in.

Can this really be brought down like this?

From the view, the Queen shows no sign of exhaustion.

Ethereal fire pouring from every limb.

The advance—so like that of a battleship—cannot be halted by the cyber squad.

A fleeting glance at the cruiser-side defense formation.

Even if Jin were here.

The rate of elimination would change by only three percent, one way or the other.

Then it seems better to join the Queen-type assault.

Above all, if the Queen-type gets any closer, 'Al' will be drawn into combat with the cyber squad.

With no ability beyond slow flight, evasion is unlikely.

"Lisa, can you hear me? The surrounding ASID units are being cleared efficiently. The swarm is fully diverted toward the cruiser side. Shall I proceed with full engagement against the Queen? No objections?"

Though phrased as a question, they—part of the Second Fleet's deployment—hold no formal command authority over Jin. They cannot reject the proposal unless the 'Al' captain issues a direct order.

Predictably, a reluctant but affirmative response returns.

"Captain. I’ve handed control of the trainees to 'Al.' Just a little, I’ll knock that Queen down a peg."

"Understood. Though you claimed modestly you couldn’t do it… you’re really going, Ace?"

"Chance. Besides, I’m not alone."

Jin resumes hover movement with a light remark.

"Lieutenant! Resupply!"

Shirley drops the container at perfect timing.

Inside were fresh weapons and a spare tank filled with ether.

Exactly what Jin had just needed.

"Thanks, Sergeant!"

He hung the worn ether rifle and ether dagger on the weapon rack, then took up the new ones.

The stored ether in his battleframe, previously depleted, was now full—preparation complete.

He plunged into the fray, skimming through the dust haze, observing the clash between the Queen-type and the cyborg squad from a distance.

Instantly, a barrage of insults.

'What the hell are you even doing here, idiot?!'

'Who cares if you're some record-holder—get out of the way!'

'You damn hyena!'

Jin hesitated, just slightly.

'You'd do well to watch yourself, Tōgō Jin.'

"Chi?"

'Frankly, you're quite unpopular.'

'Looks like it.'

He had heard, through whispers in the wind, that the Cybernetic Squadron regarded Jin as a rival—but dismissed it as exaggerated, passing it by without concern.

Never had he imagined the rumors understated the truth...

‘You’re interfering with our coordination. Step in recklessly, and I might accidentally fire.’

Chi’s warning was implicit: that kind of body might actually shoot back.

Jin laughed off the advice from the one who had been, until recently, his intended younger sister.

‘Don’t worry about it. Just attack as you please. I’m not that bad—won’t be hit by your shots.’

That’s the kind of thing Jake would have criticized, if he’d been there.

Unfortunately, no one now remained to urge Jin to restrain himself.

Instead, angry shouts rose, and more units began aggressively aligning their targeting beams on Jin’s Raven.

……Well, fine. If you’re going to die in some foolish way, I’d feel bad explaining it to your sister. Try to make it spectacular, then.

You’d have no idea how to apologize in the command logs if you actually died. Don’t die.

They exchanged words as cold and sharp as if they’d never been siblings-in-waiting, and Jin plunged into the battle.

Still, he didn’t charge in recklessly.

He stepped back a distance first, assessing their formation.

Indeed, he acknowledged.

Even with twenty-five machines missing, their coordination was unnaturally precise for such a number.

Coordination always suffers at the lowest level—the weakest link dragging the rest down.

The more units, the more chaotic, the slower the motion.

Yet this cyborg squadron’s coordination—how was it possible?

Hundreds of units swerved in every direction, their aim aligned, their trigger timing synchronized.

One unit provoked the enemy’s attack, while three others formed a shield to absorb it.

The seamless, continuous flow of organic coordination was no longer mere operation—it had become art.

The high quality of the whole.

The commander’s precise orders.

The subordinates executing them without deviation.

This was the ideal form for commanding a unit.

Jin himself was impressed.

Even if individual skill was set aside, the claim that this formation represented humanity’s strongest collective performance was no exaggeration.

Yet even Jin, who could grasp the entire flow at a glance, was no ordinary observer.

He dissected each movement, decoding the meaning behind every coordination.

Broadly speaking, the formation split into feint and assault units, shifting roles fluidly to wear down the Queen.

The Gryphon's maneuverability remains formidable even within the atmosphere.

Though the assault frame can handle up to three gravities without issue, the cyborg squad likely has little experience in gravity-based combat.

Jin marvels at how precisely it manages to fly—remarkable indeed.

Unfortunately, the current Raven cannot match such capability.

The ground package operates on the principle of maintaining mobility through surface gliding.

Flight is entirely beyond its domain. At best, it can leap.

Thus, while the Gryphon positions itself above the target, Jin’s Raven slides beneath the Queen’s feet.

The plan was to use the Queen’s massive form as cover from friendly fire while drawing her attention with attacks from another direction—yet—

“Tch.”

A brief click of the tongue. The Raven surges forward, erupting from beneath the Queen’s abdomen.

Ether flow extends toward her back like a desperate grasp.

The Ether Cannon moves flexibly, like an elephant’s trunk.

The underside—its blind spot—seemed a clear target. Yet the opponent had prepared.

Countless barrels open simultaneously, aiming to turn the approaching prey into a hive.

Jin judges it impossible to attack from below.

He throws himself into the fluid motion, improvising a seamless coordination without breaking the enemy’s rhythm.

The cybernetic squad feels their nerves frayed—so effortlessly, their life-or-death coordination has been understood.

To Jin, it is simply inefficient not to act this way. But the enemy cannot perceive such reasoning.

It is for this reason that Jin is disliked by them.

The power they sacrificed their humanity to acquire—effortlessly claimed as their own through coordination.

The more one commits to it with resolve, the more one is tormented by the question: what was that resolve, after all?

The one who inflicted that helplessness has no awareness of it whatsoever.

The coordination of two hundred and forty units transformed into coordination of two hundred and forty-one.

And for the side of the two hundred and forty—unbearably—

the mere addition of one unit drastically alters efficiency.