10

Made it just in time...

I threw my sword on instinct the moment I saw Batis’s machine getting pierced—seems it worked. But it only deflected the enemy’s blade; the thing’s still firmly gripped in their hand.

Still, the priority’s clear—get that bastard off Batis’s machine.

I surge forward with Pespilarge, draw a new sword from the wing, swing it hard. Only two wings left. Gotta be careful with them.

The enemy machine backs off, dodges the blade, keeps a cautious distance, doesn’t press in.

If they’re not attacking now… then now’s the time—

“Batis, you okay?”

“Tight. Almost died there.”

“Retreat?”

“Hold on.”

As I keep watch on the enemy machine, Batis’s unit slowly rises up behind me.

“Monitor’s completely shot, but we can still move. Retreat’s possible.”

“Then fall back. I’ll handle that thing.”

“Yeah, but you sure you’re okay? You’re pretty beat up.”

Well, one wing’s torn off, after all. Hardly surprising I didn’t come out clean from fighting Layra. But it’s not that bad—still functional, and weapons are intact.

“I’m fine. Go on, hurry.”

“Sorry. I’ll leave the rest to you.”

I watch Batis retreat, fading into the rear monitor.

“Got away, did he? I thought that’d be the brightest light I’d see today—oh well. If I kill you, I might see something even better.”

“Fighter’s obsession, huh.”

“That’s right. Sword-wing Eld.”

“Not today. I’m not running.”

“Didn’t plan to. I’ve been refining Vist myself—just for this moment! Let’s go until one of us is dead, okay?”

The enemy machine Vist lunged forward, swinging its blade.

I closed the gap, parried the strike, and stepped in with a knee kick.

Vist caught my knee with its left hand, then swept it aside to throw me off balance.

I slid my blade down, reaching out to sweep Vist’s kicked leg aside, trying to circle behind it.

Vist spun its frame around, matching my motion.

I struck then—yanking out my feather wire and wrapping it around Vist’s right hand.

“Wha—”

“Got you.”

I tightened my grip, pulling the tangled hand in. The wire wouldn’t cut easily—no blade could slice through it. Must be a real nuisance to wield a sword with that wrapped around.

But Fortze reacts fast.

I jammed the sword into the ground and yanked back on the tangled wires.

I grabbed the wires too and pulled.

I’ve got the strength on my side. Let’s see how you like losing your balance.

“Strength? You really think so?”

“What?”

“Beast Mode.”

Suddenly, Fortze’s frame dropped to the ground, hands flat on the dirt—then it twisted, reshaping into a four-legged, beastlike stance.

Now, the tug-of-war that had been in my favor is even again.

Maybe it’s because it’s planted on all fours.

“Tch.”

I mutter under my breath, but we’re still deadlocked. I’ve got one arm free. I’ve still got options.

I pull the Perfilizzi rifle from my back and fire straight at the beast’s stance.

Viest leapt to dodge the bullet, and the moment he landed, he charged straight at me. His front paws were tipped with claws.

That’s the weapon, then.

No time to stow the Perfilizzi rifle. I toss it aside and grab the sword I’d driven into the ground.

“Act like a dog—sit down, now!”

“Hunting’s no fun if you don’t play along!”

The sword and claws clashed—almost evenly. But Pespilarge was being pushed back.

So it’s true—mobility with four limbs really boosts power.

But!

As I stepped back, I yanked the wire again.

Viest, lunging forward on all fours, lost his balance when the wire caught his shoulders and arms.

“Now!”

I shifted instantly into a forward lunge and slammed my boot into the side of his head.

I stomped on the fallen machine, squeezed the pile bunker’s trigger on my toes.

A jolt slammed into the enemy unit—its body twitched, jerked upward.

But before I could check if it was destroyed, Viest stood up from being crushed, limbs flailing, claws aiming straight for my foot.

I dodged the swipe, stepped back—then felt the wire go slack as it slipped loose when I moved in too close.

“Should’ve punched through the cockpit.”

“Ha. Too bad. In beast mode, the cockpit’s moved. So’s the motion processor—what we call the senseboard.”

“Hmph. So that’s how it is.”

Yeah, I guess. If it were still standing upright with the cockpit right where it should be, that’d be a mess. Shifted position or not—makes sense.

Then… where the hell is its cockpit located?

I study the Vist on the monitor, scanning for where the cockpit might be.

Not in the chest. The head didn’t slow down when I kicked it earlier—so that’s unlikely.

Then it must be near the generator. Probably stuck in some awkward spot.

If the cockpit’s right next to it, smashing it might blow the generator too.

Meaning… that massive explosion could happen.

There are plenty of allied units here—wrecked, sure, but still with pilots alive. Can’t afford to blow this place to bits.

So first thing’s first—gotta get this beast mode undone.

I grip the sword again. Take my stance.

The worst part about beast mode is that power, that speed, and those weird, off-kilter moves—something you’d never expect from Armunale. If he pulls off magic beyond his old limits, even full manual control won’t keep up.

So I’ll go for the counter. Take him down in one strike—before he even gets to cast.

“Don’t make me come to you!”

He sees me ready, and that’s when Fortze moves.

Zigzagging in, keeping me from locking onto him.

Then, still keeping distance, he darts backward. I don’t turn around.

There’s a camera behind me too. I check the monitor—know exactly where he is.

You’ve gotta read the moment. Once you know when he’s gonna strike, even an attack from behind’s manageable. Mess up and spin around too fast—then you’re off-balance, and your counter’s weaker. Can’t finish him in one blow.

“Nice! That killer instinct! Feels worth it!”

He’s coming!

Viest changes direction—straight at me, fast as hell.

Target’s my back. Then I’ll time it—turn and strike!

“Right there!”

“HAAAHHHAAAH!”

I spin my hips and swing—blade hits Viest’s claw dead-on, shattering both weapons.

“Guess you couldn’t hold onto that sword.”

“Can’t believe my claw’s broken! But—”

I’ve lost my weapon. But Viest still has one arm’s worth.

He lands on his feet—immediately raises that remaining arm.

I back away—can’t dodge far enough, can’t shake him. But I’ve got time. Time to resupply.

Pull the last sword from the feather, purge the useless tank and branch at the same time.

Lighter now—just a bit faster.

Then I raise the Hujā shotgun to my left arm, fire without bothering to aim. Shotgun, after all. Should do the trick at this range.

But—Viest jumps high, clears every single shot.

And then his tail lashes out, wraps around the Hujā, tries to yank it from me.

A shame, really. But—this is my chance.

I let go of the Hujā—slice into its magazine with my own blade.

And immediately jam in the Fire Lance.

Inside the bullet, there was magi-liquid—magic fluid meant to explode.

Just one round left, but that’s plenty.

Right after, *thud*—the magazine blew apart, and the tail clutching the Hujā was torn clean off.

But that shock only helped Viest press forward.

“Got you!”

“Huh—”

Too late to dodge—Viest’s claw raked across my belly. But I swung my sword back, just the same, and pierced his gut clean through.

Then, with my left arm, I grabbed his torso and heaved him into the air.

Twisted mid-flight, landed on my feet. But for a second—my knees wobbled, like I’d lost my grip on strength.

I didn’t miss the chance.

Closed in fast. Swung the blade.

The quickest way to shut down beast mode is to make walking on four limbs impossible. If this thing relies on its forelimbs for attacks, losing one hand’ll make keeping beast mode up a real struggle!

The descending blade drives deep into the beast’s left arm. Not a clean cut, but a wound that reaches the frame—fatal.

But the sword’s plunged too far. Too deep to pull out quick—gives me a split second.

“Die already!”

“Not a chance!”

The beast’s right arm—its claw lunging straight for the cockpit.

I jerk my left arm up to block. The claw pierces my palm, shreds through my forearm, and snaps my elbow clean in half.

Even as it breaks, I hold it. The claw stays stopped.

With both arms pinned, I kick straight into Vist’s chest. Then I activate the Pile Banker too—crank up the destruction.

Boom. The explosion rocks under Vist, and I’m thrown backward hard by the recoil.

In that moment, I grab my sword back, check the damage.

Left arm still works, but everything past the elbow’s dead. Pile Banker’s ammo’s gone. Only one sword left in my right hand. Maybe the knee spike’s still usable—but something’s off. I’ve been feeling watched every time I go for a knee kick. Feels like it’s not working anymore.

Getting awfully light on gear, aren’t I?

And Vist, rising up, stands on two legs despite the huge hole in its chest.

Through that hole, I see Forze’s form.

Looks like the Beast Mode’s been undone.

“Ah, perfect. Fighting Eld—just like always, my heart’s racing!”

“Fighter mad,”

“That’s right! I’m a fighter mad! Fighting drives me wild—and shows me my true shine!”

Behind Viste, gazing up at the sky. There, a few colored signal flares shot into the air.

In response, the imperial machines halted combat, frozen in place, stunned. At the same time, cheers began to spread slowly from the northern side.

“We won?”

Likely the northern forces took control of the imperial command center. Those flares must’ve been a surrender signal from their side.

But—no, our fight’s not over yet.

Staring coldly at the enemy through the monitor.

“Let’s fight, Eld—until one of us is dead, plain and simple!”

“Knew you’d say that. I’m not about to let this end halfway!”

“Limitia Perfection activated.”

White smoke erupted from Viste’s joints, spreading out and turning everything around it pale white.

"Guess I can actually use it after all. Why didn’t you use it before?"

Don’t tell me you were just playing it safe.

"This magic? It hits the frame pretty hard, and the strain on me is brutal. If I used it in Beast Mode to fight you, I’d be useless in seconds. This is supposed to be a proper fight—don’t you wanna enjoy it a little longer?"

"Sounds like you’re saying it’s guaranteed to win."

"Exactly. Even with full manual control, no one could keep up with this speed. Proven in my drills with Layla."

"Me and my crew built this machine. Don’t you dare compare it to some mercenary’s junk."

This thing—she’s got the power to pull every last drop from my full manual control, to mirror my movements down to the hundredth percent.

"No way I’m losing!"

『Winning—surviving! It’s me (me!)』

Next time...

The end.