6

“Oy, oy! That’s all you’ve got?”

The red machine swings its staff wildly, looming over us with a challenge.

The other two hover with swords drawn, but seem stuck—can’t get past that staff.

“Let’s hit from here.”

“Got it.”

I grip the railing tight, anchoring myself.

Our captain unleashes a Craylance, aimed straight at the red machine.

It deflects the energy with a magic shield, then smashes it apart with that staff. Just watching that, I know the pilot’s got serious skill.

“That machine… not Imperial, right?”

“Yeah. Probably a mercenary—D’Liberpul. Heard the Empire’s been hiring mercenaries to boost their forces.”

“D’Liberpul.”

That name… feels like something from long ago.

After all, my first battle was against that D’Liberpul guy.

Folz? Was that the name? Where’s that pilot now, doing what? If I could manage it, I’d rather never see him again.

“About time we got someone decent! You riffraff, scram!”

The aggressive voice from the red machine made the captain brace his sword and tower shield, calm but watchful.

“Bodwan, this one’s strong.”

“Stay sharp.”

“Got it.”

In the meantime, the other two machines began backing away, warning the captain as they went. Probably decided a damaged unit was just a hindrance in combat. Still, having magic support’s more than enough.

“Don’t wanna come? Then I’ll go to you!”

The enemy unit fired a flame round from its left arm. Easy to block with both the magic shield and the tower shield—then the captain shot back with a fire lance.

Again, it got smashed apart by a staff.

“Guess that staff’s the key, huh.”

The captain muttered that and moved.

He pushed the machine forward, closing the gap, then thrust the tower shield out—shield bash. But the enemy unit blocked it by slamming the staff into the shield.

Still, the staff was crushed. From this angle, it couldn’t possibly counterattack with the staff right away.

The captain’s right arm jabbed forward, aiming straight for the enemy’s cockpit.

“Too easy, too easy!”

But the enemy ducked, avoiding it. Then, still crouched, kicked straight at the captain’s feet.

The captain noticed it and drove the Tower Shield into the ground, catching the kick with the flat of the shield.

“Hey now, still got more to go!”

Right after, the staff slammed into the Tower Shield. The heavy impact rattled through my arms and shook the whole frame.

In that moment, the enemy craft reoriented itself and put distance between itself and the captain’s machine.

“Hmph…”

“Bodwan, cover him!”

“On it!”

The machine that had fallen back started covering now that space had opened between the two.

Ice Lance and Fire Lance shot toward the red machine. I didn’t wait—just fired my own Fire Lance right after.

Watching how the red machine would handle the three-pronged attack, it suddenly burst forward, closing the gap with the captain’s machine, then smashed one of the Fire Lances clean in half with the staff.

"Time to get serious! Don’t you dare fall over now!"

The pilot of the red machine shouted, voice thick with glee, then yanked their left arm behind the machine’s back—only to pull out something like a cable and hook it onto the handle of that staff.

That staff… isn’t just a staff, is it?

But even with the cable connected, nothing seemed to change.

"Too risky to take it head-on."

The captain must’ve thought the same. They flung the Tower Shield at the enemy machine, then snatched a sword with their free hand.

The enemy caught the Tower Shield with their left arm, deflected it, then lunged forward—planning to handle it with just that one staff, like a two-sword style.

"First strike!"

The captain dodged the descending staff by stepping back.

Right after, the staff plunged into the ground with a force that sent up a violent explosion.

“What?!”

“Whoa?!”

The captain’s machine barely dodged, lunging back—but still got caught in the blast, flipping hard backward.

I grabbed onto the pipe with both hands, barely keeping from rolling around inside the cockpit.

“Eld, you alright?”

“Yes, fine. But—”

“I know!”

The captain’s machine rolled sideways, preparing for pursuit. Then, just as before, another staff came down straight toward the spot where the machine had fallen. But this time—no explosion.

It seems they can choose whether it blows up or not. Probably the cable we hooked up triggered that ability.

And if you think about it, that staff’s now part of the machine itself. So that explosion—well, in a world where guns aren’t exactly advanced, magic’s the only thing that makes sense.

“An enchanted weapon with a connection system. Trouble, that.”

“Guess it really is magic, huh.”

“A spell set to trigger under conditions. Probably rigged so it explodes right where the staff strikes.”

The mechanism’s actually pretty simple. Just take a spell that needs a trigger, add contact as the condition, and lock the blast point from the start. That’s all.

Exactly what I do when I lock down the firing point manually.

“Damn. Got hit by a tricky weapon.”

The captain mutters, lifting the machine up.

You can't block that thing. Try to stop it with a blade alone, and it’ll snap your sword clean in half from the blast—then it’ll just keep going, punch you right in the face.

Even if you dodge, dodging to counterattack? You’ll still take the shockwave full-on, just like before. Lose your balance all over again.

Captain’s decision to ditch the Tower Shield was smart. Taking that kind of impact on a Tower Shield? Left arm’d be ruined for sure.

“But it’s got a weakness, right?”

“Yeah. Can’t fire it often.”

That kind of explosion? That’s not a little magic. That thing burns through Hyimagia Liquid something fierce.

And that kind of shockwave—fire it twice in a row, and the other side’s gotta feel it too.

There’s the trick. That’s how we break it.

“Ha! Nice dodge! Next one’s coming!”

The enemy’s all fired up—screaming “Hyaah!” as they swing that club right at us.

The captain flings his sword from his left hand and grabs the enemy’s arm just before it comes down, locking it tight against the机身.

“Guess the club won’t blow up unless it actually touches something, huh?”

“So what?!”

As soon as he realizes he can’t bring it down, he flips the club around, lets go—

the falling club smacks into the captain’s left arm—*boom*.

The机身 is flung sideways, skidding hard across the ground.

“Eld, you alright?”

“I’m fine. But my left arm—?”

“Gone. Completely. But the other guy’s not walking away unscathed either.”

The captain’s left arm—right from the elbow down—was just… gone.

But when the smoke cleared and I got a look at the enemy unit, it looked like it’d taken its share of damage too.

The right hand holding the bat—its shoulder joint was wrecked, hanging limp. A jagged scar ran across the side of its torso.

The bat lay on the ground, the cord alone still tethered to the machine.

"Haha! Now that’s a sight! Both of us down to one arm—this is where it gets real!"

"Once the bat’s gone!"

"We can take it easy!"

Just as the enemy unit started to move, the allied units flanking it surged forward.

Both were scratched up a bit, but probably figured they could overwhelm it with numbers.

But that was a mistake.

"Get outta the way, you trash!"

The enemy unit grabbed the cord attached to the bat and yanked it hard—then swung the cord like a whip.

"Stick’s comin’! Get down!"

I yelled before I even knew what I was doing. At the same instant, the enemy unit yanked the cord and swung the bat straight at our unit.

"Wha—?!"

The bat flew straight, smashed right into the cockpit—*boom*—a violent explosion.

"Hahaha, that’s three down!"

"Three? ……No way!"

"That’s right—those weaklings back at the fortress? I kicked ‘em all to pieces! The mighty, explosive Yavan here! You’ll be joinin’ ‘em real soon!"

"Like hell you will!"

Our unit charged forward, sword raised. Bodwan, the squad leader, lifted his machine and cast magic to cover the attack.

Yavan sidestepped, twisted the cord, and sent the bat flying straight at our unit again.

Our unit's machine leapt upward to dodge the incoming club.

But Yavan twisted the cord, redirecting the club’s path.

I raised my sword in a flash—still, the explosion snapped it clean in half and punched through the blade’s hilt.

"Fourth one! Today’s turning out a real haul, huh!"

"Like hell it will!"

Too far, and that whip-club’d eat us alive. But once we’re in close? Even with that cord, he can’t make the club strike us.

The club rolling on the ground—after we blew up his unit—can’t build up power right away. The captain knows that. He lunges in hard, pushing his machine forward.

Yavan yanks the cord, lifts the club high with his left arm—like he’s going to counter the captain’s charge with a swing.

But the captain’s not just some rookie.

The captain swings his sword—flung upward from his right hand—right into the staff.

“What?!”

The sword strikes the staff, forcing an explosion. So that’s how it works—must’ve been set to detonate or not, ahead of time.

The captain twists it, using the blast to throw the enemy off balance.

The shockwave from the exploded staff flings the enemy’s left arm backward hard. Now the enemy’s torso is wide open.

The captain’s machine draws the second sword—jointed at the left hip—and lunges forward.

Clang—metal crunching—his blade pierces through the red machine’s cockpit.

“Mine.”

“Captain’s got it!”

Pulling the blade free, the captain’s machine takes a step back.

The red machine stood motionless, not a twitch. Well, fair enough—pierced through the cockpit, what else could you expect? There’s a mobility calculator—senseboard—right behind the pilot’s seat. Smash that, and even if the pilot’s still breathing, the machine won’t move—no way around it—

“Still not dead yet!”

“Wha—?!”

Just then, the enemy’s eyes flared—then its left arm snapped into motion, swinging down with a club.

The captain shoved his sword into his left shoulder, but the cable tore clean through, and still the arm kept coming.

“Gonna take you with me, you bastard!”

The club slammed into the captain’s chest.

*Zugan!* A jolt so fierce it knocked the breath out—monitors cracked, sparks flew, metal shards rained down on the captain.

I hit my head hard—darkness swallowed the world.

Suddenly, consciousness snaps back.

I blink open my eyes slowly—cables dangling in front of me. A sharp pain throbs at my head, and I instinctively press a hand to it.

A slick, warm feeling spreads across my palm. I stare at my hand, startled. Something wet clings to my fingers. Probably my own blood.

But my mind’s clear. Not a bad wound, then.

I ease myself up, scanning my surroundings.

The cockpit tilts in dim light—looks like the craft’s lying on its back. Can’t open the hatch like this.

Gotta check on the captain first. I crawl around to the front of the pilot’s seat.

“Captain, you alright?”

“U… ugh…”

The captain stirs at my voice.

“Eld’s fine, huh?”

“Yes, just a cut on the head. You—”

Are you…? I start to say, then stop mid-sentence.

The captain’s left foot was crushed under a part that had been torn loose when the pilot seat took a hit.

And his left arm—covered in glass splinters, like a hedgehog made of shards—must’ve been shielding his face from the monitor’s fragments.

“S-someone get to the wound—”

“First, check the enemy. The cockpit’s pierced, but the enemy’s still breathing.”

He says it, then restarts the Armunale. Even after all this damage, if the mobility processor—senseboard—and the concentrated mana fluid—Hyimagia Liquid—tank, and the generator are still intact, the machine’ll fire up.

Once the machine starts, the monitor—barely alive—flickers to life, showing the outside world.

There it was—a crimson machine standing like a statue in front of the commander’s unit, belching black smoke. Around it, infantry in maintenance gear had gathered.

Seemed the pilot had taken the blast’s full force straight on—burned to death, probably.

“Looks like we’ve got it down.”

“Looks that way. Let’s try contacting the outside.”

The commander winced through the pain, activating the mic and audio pickup, calling out to the soldiers beyond.

“Bodwan… outer troops, back off a bit. We’re gonna right this thing.”

“Thank the stars you’re okay! We’re clearing out right away! You, get clear of the machine!”

One soldier exhaled, relieved, and immediately barked orders, shooing the others away from the unit.

Once that was confirmed, we got it upright.

The cockpit and left arm were a mess, but it still looked like it’d run fine.

Once we got the hatch open, the队长 cracked it wide—sunlight and summer heat rushed in, pushing out the stale, coppery stink clinging to the cockpit.

“Eld.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Leave it to you.”

“Wait—Captain!?!”

That was all he said before slipping back under again.

Leave it to me? You mean… me in charge of this thing? Huh. So… does that mean I’m allowed to fly it? Sure, it’s a wreck—but still runs, right?

No. Not now. Got to get the Captain to medics, fast.

“Medics! And one mechanic—hurry! Cockpit’s a mess, Captain’s leg’s pinned under the gear!”

Within minutes, thanks to the soldiers springing into action at my call, the Captain was hauled out of the cockpit and carried off toward the nearest town.

After the captain was carried off, I was perched on the machine’s shoulder, scratching my head, wondering what to do next.

Only two enemy Armunale had been taken down. If six had invaded in total, that left four still out there.

The other two were chasing those four—probably hopeless to stop. So, I’d have to head out with this working machine. And after that, I’d need to check on the other fortress. Worst case, it’d already fallen—then I’d be chasing Armunale all over again.

But what could I do with a machine that had no weapons and a cockpit falling apart?

Just thinking that, the supply convoy from Jakarta arrived.

I spotted Orell and the others among them, and jumped right off the shoulder, hurrying down to meet them.

“Eld! You’re okay?”

“I’m fine. The captain got hurt, though—he’s been taken to a nearby town.”

“What?!”

“How is he? Is it dangerous?!”

“No, nothing life-threatening. Just severely fractured his left leg. He won’t be back in action anytime soon.”

“So, Eld, you’re the pilot of the thirty-first unit now, then.”

“Yes, the captain said to take over, at least for now.”

“Is it the machine’s condition?”

Orell caught on right away to what I was carrying. Well, if the machine was wrecked enough to injure the captain, it’d be obvious.

“Yes. The monitors are nearly all gone. The left arm’s missing from the elbow down. No weapons left. And the concentrated mana fluid—Hyimagia Liquid—is running dangerously low.”

“I’ve brought fuel, but the damage is pretty bad.”

We kept talking as I guided them beneath the machine. Orell and Ritz both scratched their heads and grunted.

“No crane here. Can’t swap it out, not a chance.”

“Yeah, figured. Left arm’s no big deal, but the monitor’s dead? That’s the real problem.”

“Nah, left arm’s not exactly ideal either…”

No, no—when I’m piloting, I don’t use the left arm at all.

It’s just decoration. Mechanics don’t get that.

“Can’t we fix the monitor at least?”

“Not a hope.”

“Yeah… can’t pull one from another unit. They all got their cockpits smashed.”

Right. So the way to take down Armunale is to wreck the cockpit… which means every downed unit’s monitor’s toast.

So there’s only one way left.

"Can't be helped, then. Got it. Orell—get us fuel and weapons."

"Whoa, what're you even planning?"

"Here's how it goes."

I leap onto the machine, fire it up.

Then stick my right hand into the gap between the cracked chest armor.

"Wait—no way!"

"Hey!"

The dented armor pops off with a sharp crack.

My view clears—just like that, the ruined town lies right before me.

I rip off the chest armor covering the cockpit, toss aside the broken monitor.

Just a main monitor knocked out. We'll manage in close-range combat, no problem.

"Insane."

"But it's our best shot. Orell—handle the supply run. Rene—rewrite the mobility calc unit—my senseboard, please."

"Got it."

That’s all I needed to say about the machine. Now—

“Is Monsieur Bnois here?”

“Right here. I was sweating bullets when Eld didn’t pull back like he was supposed to.”

“Sorry—I missed the retreat signal. Anyway, Bnois, gather intel on enemy Armunale from the others. We’ll head out for eradication once supplies are in.”

“Got it. I’ll have everything gathered by the time repairs are done.”

“Thanks.”

That’s all I wanted to say for now.

Alright, last thing.

“Medics! Treat me, please!”

Enough already—this blood pouring from my head’s getting out of hand… ugh, my head’s spinning a little.

As I lay there getting patched up by the medics, my heart raced with the thrill of actually using an Armunale in real combat.

Next time—Eld’s first battle.