155: Unauthorized Visitor

"Then I'll contact them to have it collected."

"Please do."

The third round of the Nine Cubic Speed Challenge is reaching its climax.

By this point, it's clear that every match is taking longer and longer, and they're not finishing anytime soon.

In fact, if things go badly, the finals might even run past midnight?

Hmm, that's tough.

"Alright, contact confirmed."

Well, that's that.

I made a call to have the trays and carts from lunch collected.

The collection team should arrive in just a few minutes.

"Uh... yeah..."

Yes, in just a few minutes.

It's impossible that they'd show up less than a minute after I called, or that the people arriving would be a group of four heavily armed individuals, or that someone would be running down an empty corridor.

"Vee. Looks like we've got guests. I'll handle this."

"Is that so? Ah, Sata, I just received a message too. A faction that was involved in the big operation outside has been lured toward us, aiming for a last-minute reversal."

"The room's been hacked. The door will open at any moment, and we've already set up dummy footage."

"Oh, you were doing that? Well then, I'll keep an eye on things from our end."

Yeah, clearly a criminal.

So while the criminals struggle moderately to break the lock on the room managed by Memox, I stand in front of the door, and Joharis takes up position between the door and Vilijanira, just to be safe.

Of course, Vilijanira already has her blaster ready, my ability is activated, and Memox is on full alert.

Hmm, even if they're being invited, it's pitiful...

"Then, deal with it."

No, they're criminals—no need to pity them.

What's truly tragic is that the people I summoned to handle this situation will end up getting caught in the crossfire.

With that in mind, I open the door myself...

"Good, it's open..."

"Checkmate. You're trapped—call it whatever you want."

"Whatever?"

I stretch out my main body's arms, blocking the room's door and the corridor, surrounding them completely.

"What is this!?! Shoot! Shoot, dammit!!"

"Damn it, what's going on!?! The noble lady here was supposed to have weak security!?"

"What is this wall!?! A shield with ridiculous strength?!?"

"It smells like seaweed! Something's squirming and it smells like seaweed!!"

"..."

I was slightly annoyed by the last comment, but the capture was complete.

What the hell is this seaweed stink?

I've even used an odor-neutralizing mod and taken proper care of my hygiene, you know?

The whole thing isn't completely odorless, but it's supposed to be barely noticeable under normal circumstances.

Who the hell says it smells like dead fish and plankton, you bastard?

I'm gonna blow ink at you.

"«««———!?»»»

What's this smoke screen!?

I let it go.

Now my mod-equipped gear is completely wiped out.

Now, how to proceed with securing the area...

"Satou. We've received a message from outside. They've prepared personnel for suppression, so they're asking us to follow their instructions and unlock the lockdown."

"Understood."

Apparently, a unit specialized in close-quarters combat had arrived, seemingly out of nowhere.

In fact, it was the Chest Squad I'd seen a few days ago at the fifth zone of the Free-Form Comprehensive Exercise Facility.

Each person held a shock baton capable of delivering an electric shock to their opponent, rendering them unconscious.

They also carried something similar to a stun grenade.

Well then, the explicitly stated method is... yes, yes, I see.

"Then."

"Ah."

"Thank you."

"«««!?!»»»"

With that, they erased the ink, slightly shifted their position to create a gap, and the Chest Squad threw in stun grenades through the opening before resealing it.

Also deployed soundproofing and flash-resistant wall mods while at it... explosion.

No effect outside, but the inside must be a mess now.

Then, once I retracted my legs blocking the doorway, the Chest Squad reasserted control.

They simultaneously subdued the unconscious criminals.

"Looks like we didn't need anyone except Sata and Memokshi."

"That might be true. Still, Joharis and I are just prepared for emergencies—nothing more."

"Yeah, that's fair."

I'm watching the Chest Squad's movements through the main body's eyes and the camera feed from Memokshi... Hmm, they're really experienced.

I guess when they joined that amateur match back then, it was purely for fun. These people.

"Thank you for your trouble. I'll be coming back later to ask for more details, so please bear with me then."

"Understood. Thank you for your hard work."

With that, the Chest Team departed.

The traces... nothing remains.

It feels like the very fact that the criminals were here has been buried.

As proof, recovery workers who were frantic earlier have now suddenly shown up.

"I'm sorry, sir. Due to our oversight, the recovery has been delayed..."

"It's alright, it's alright. You've been doing your job properly. There's no problem at all."

"Y-yes... If there truly was no problem, that would be fortunate..."

Hmm, I wonder just how they managed to stall us.

They seem completely unaware of anything.

I should probably have the intelligence unit apologize to the staff here later—let me relay that to Virijanila.

"Please continue enjoying the viewing."

"Yeah, thanks. The lunch was delicious."

After that, the Nine Cubic Rapid Tournament proceeded without a hitch.

The winner was a human man, having defeated, head-on, even the brain-focused android, the machine intelligence devoted to the Nine Cubic, and all the top-tier competitors alike.

Incidentally, it was later revealed that this man was so overwhelmingly strong that, within recent years of the Nine Cubic tournaments, he had become known as a demon lord.

A telling reminder of the boundless potential of humanity.