16: Combat Initiated

"Successful infiltration of the target."

A voice speaks.

Humanoid, yet devoid of any emotion—cold and mechanical.

"No enemy presence detected in the surrounding area."

There are three of them.

All share the same face, with their right arms modified into biological blasters.

Their entire bodies are covered in rigid, shell-like armor, resembling a living powered suit.

"Understood. Commencing internal suppression operations."

This isn't a human being modified... it's a synthetic human.

Not one crafted individually like me, but a crude, mass-produced type meant to be discarded after use.

By this point, it'd be more accurate to call them biological weapons or organic drones.

"Action..."

That's enough watching from the sidelines.

From a position completely hidden from the cameras of the 'Tsumebakei' and the enemy's eyes—perfectly out of view—I summon a new body.

The same as it was just before being crushed.

In my hand is a fully titanium rod, which extends automatically according to the momentum and position of my swing.

The three-meter-long rod swings down precisely onto the back of the Zōzoku's cyborg's head...

"Kagyo!?!"

"「!？」"

"Shield Break"

Delivering an impact exceeding the capacity of the Zōzoku's cyborg's shield mod, shattering it completely.

The shockwave from the shattered shield sends the rod flying, but...

"Die already."

"!?!"

Before the rod touches the ceiling of the Zōzoku's passage, it retracts, twists the wrist, and extends again at the precise moment when the opposite side of the shield—now facing forward—strikes the cyborg's head, crushing it completely.

"Enemy confirmed."

"Eliminated..."

"Took too long."

With one enemy down, the remaining two turn their blasters toward us.

But before they can fire, I leap between them, spinning around a central point so that their positions are symmetrically aligned, and strike both shields simultaneously and precisely with my staff, shattering them.

Immediately afterward, I reverse my spin using the momentum from destroying the shields.

Both heads are reduced to splinters.

"Now then, how about a refill..."

The corridor of the 'Tsumebakei' was in a gruesome state, littered with cyborg flesh and debris.

As an ordinary civilian, I was nearly overwhelmed by the thought of how much it would cost to repair and clean this mess... but right now, that wasn't an option. I touched the blood of the slain cyborg with my hand, then peered from the shadows at the corridor where the sky pirates had entered.

"Confirmed: three ahead have been eliminated."

Confirmed enemy is a single entity. Judging from its physical capabilities, it appears to be a cyborg.

Confirmed possession of a metal telescoping rod as a weapon.

Yeah, yeah, of course they're there, right?

Three more artificial humans were already positioned in the passage, advancing slowly while holding their shields in front of them.

Behind them stood several more artificial humans.

There were definitely at least ten people there when they came together.

"Perot to"

I lick the blood of the artificial human on my hand.

I already knew, the moment I touched it, that their composition mod wasn't anything reliable—but I had to gather whatever information I could.

And from what my tongue could detect…

Environmental stabilization mod, shield mod, language translation mod, physical enhancement mod, blaster mod—adding these standard components, it seems there are also mods for skin exoskeleton formation during generation, mental activity restrictions, cognitive ability limitations, self-destruction after 72 hours from generation, and communication interference.

Most of these appear to be unauthorized, illicit products prioritizing low cost and firepower over stability and safety, commonly traded among sky pirates.

Later, I'm not sure if it's due to the crust, but there's a faint taste reminiscent of crab or shrimp.

As for things beyond my knowledge... the most noticeable ones, for now, are the unique tags and identification mods specific to the Giga洛克 Sky Pirates.

There may be other custom modifications upon closer inspection, but these are the ones that stand out.

That means these guys are the Giga洛克 Sky Pirates... but that's strange.

"Currents? No, this is a large-scale space pirate fleet even I know about. You can't just escape like that, and even if you could, there's no way you'd have ships capable of interfering with hyperspace or boarding vessels for capture. If they were en route somewhere, there'd be more ships. What's going on here?"

The Gigarok Space Pirate Clan is a large-scale pirate group that operates further out on the fringes of the Empire, consisting of around a dozen ships, as far as I know.

They certainly wouldn't be operating with just two ships in a place like this.

Yet the identification tag mod is definitely authentic, and something that shouldn't be leaked outside.

"Commence attack."

"Damn it."

There are things to worry about, but there's no time to ponder calmly.

The androids targeting us have thrown grenades into our position.

These are disposable mod weapons that unleash shockwaves and intense heat centered on the explosion site—far beyond the capability of civilian-grade, low-tier shields like those worn by ordinary people or myself.

So I immediately dashed out from the shadow I was hiding in and ran toward the androids.

" " "Full barrage " " "

"Will you hit anything?"

My actions were exactly what the androids expected, apparently.

Instantly, their right arms—converted into blasters—turned toward me, and beams were fired in unison.

But they're just dots, after all.

If I can detect the activation and buildup of the blaster mod, and accurately perceive the direction the barrels are aimed, slipping through the gaps becomes surprisingly easy. I dodge the androids' blaster fire, dive into their midst, and immediately go wild among them.

"Think you can beat me with these cheap, mass-produced toys? Here, try me! Who's next? Where's your master? I'll make some real noise with that empty head of yours!!"

Shouting into the sky pirate who controlled the ram-equipped ship, thrashing and screaming.

If you don’t deal with me, I’ll board your ship straight away and crack that empty head open.

“!?!”

Just as I had planned, the enemy responded accordingly.

They pulled themselves out from the 'Tsumebakei', and detached the ram from their own vessel.

That meant we—me and the androids who were standing in the passage—were being thrown out into open space, exposed to the vacuum without protection.

Please infer from the fact that they’ve recovered from a state that should have been completely destroyed last time.