City Series Volume 5 -a Chapter 9

05/12/1944

What did I remember during that attack?

"The current Schreiben reaction speed is approximately x78."

At this speed, each second feels like 78 seconds. The sky looks like solid mass of azure. The wind constantly flows gently across the Panzer's surface. Conversely, the female Grösse Panzer called Grazie is moving slowly. It is attempting to take a step, but when viewed at this speed, I can clearly predict what action it will take next.

<grazie>

</grazie>

I can conclude it is pretending to approach me but will actually run to the side. It will feel like 31 more seconds until Grazie's leg slowly reaches the ground. This takes a very long time. I have decided to loosen my union with the Grösse Panzer.

"The current Schreiben reaction speed is approximately x62."

It is said the fastest human reaction speed is 0.1 seconds. It takes that long for your body to react and move. Using that as the baseline, I currently have 62 chances to react to anything.

I have gained this reaction speed by uniting with a Grösse Panzer.

To me, 88 seconds have passed since the battle began.

<grazie>The metal body is slowly starting to advance. It takes its third step.>

Everything is so very slow.

In truth, it has been less than 2 seconds. To a normal human, this female Grösse Panzer would be moving abnormally fast. In the previous battle, there had been a lot of unnecessary movement, but its mobility had been impressive. The Panzer Kavalier clearly understands that a Grösse Panzer is part of her body and not just a weapon. Her ability is even greater than Phillip Missel's.

But hers is a human speed. And humans are slow.

Humans can sometimes slice through light, but that is not because they are moving faster than light. It means they have nearly precognitive instincts that allow them to turn their blade in the direction from which the light will arrive.

Most of those known as Sword Masters were made immortal by the influence of ether and experience in battle, so they could train their instincts to a point dozens of times beyond the average person.

They see the future early and act based on that.

I see the present slowly and act based on that.

I cannot predict light and slice through it, but if my speed could exceed that of light, I expect I would be able to slice through it.

<grazie>It is slow.>

No matter how quickly someone moves as a human, I see them as moving even slower than a walk.

There is no need to play along. They are moving with all their might, so I must respond in kind and fight.

I take my first step. It feels like moving through water, but my union with the Grösse Panzer thanks to the Panzer Ritter Project frees me from the bonds of human ability and allows me to draw out almost the full power of the Grösse Panzer.

When someone Schreibens into a Grösse Panzer, the Grösse Panzer's max power is relative to the human's ability. But in the Panzer Ritter Project, my body was almost entirely replaced with specialized prosthetics that do not restrict the Grösse Panzer's abilities.

The cylinders, steel, engine, and power system all demonstrate the Grösse Panzer's own abilities.

Rot Löwe has a cooling system and it can maintain a power output of approximately 7 times that of a normal Panzer while I am Schreiben-ed into it.

The max output has been measured up to 21 times normal and it nearly tore the Panzer apart.

After passing about 10 times normal, all actions break the sound barrier and Rot Löwe becomes a weapon of indiscriminate destruction. Rot Löwe's greatest flaw is the inability to activate the Over Emblem, Eisen Löwe, due to my lack of emotions. The Over Emblem is engraved in the armor, but it has no purpose other than to prove that this is indeed a Grösse Panzer.

At 10 times power or more, I can slice through supersonic bullets.

My current power is at 5 times. Thus, I approach the female Grösse Panzer at 5 times her speed.

Grösse Panzers normally move at speeds relative to a human. So an 8-yard Grösse Panzer can move at about 4 times the speed of a human.

A human's maximum running speed is about 16mph on average. A Grösse Panzer's maximum speed is about 64mph.

Rot Löwe is moving at 5 times that.

<rather>This is a color only known by those who live at Grösse Panzer speed.>

Due to the burden on the Panzer, supersonic mobility is only possible for an instant, but for that instant, it finally feels like the machine can keep up with my reflexes.

The machine's abilities have yet to reach the machine's essence.

I predict that a Panzer will eventually be developed that can keep up with my x100+ reaction speed.

That would be the strongest Panzer.

I move forward. I take the second step. It feels like moving through water, but I am clearly moving faster than my opponent.

<grazie>It is moving forward instead of to the right.>

Did she see my movement? No, she likely predicted it. She sensed that I would step forward and had her action change. Her predictive power is greater than my reactions.

But I am not light or an artillery shell. I am a Grösse Panzer that can think about what I am doing 62 times as often as a human.

So I think.

The enemy is charging in with her wooden spear. I block it with my shield on the left.

Then the air shakes violently.

Rot Löwe whips up a powerful wind and Grazie whips up a loud wind.

Cheers belatedly respond to the two Panzers' movements.

It is a slow and surging sound.

Rot Löwe's experimental inertial control emblems activate in response to the shock and burden to it. The burden is reduced.>

This noise is just like the battlefield. Even on the battlefield, this speed changes an instantaneous gunshot into a 20-second roar. This must be the same.

<the>Even the metallic sound of wood on steel rings out like an extended note of a brass instrument.>

She is slow. So I will now defeat her. I circle behind her to perfectly settle this.

<grazie>

</grazie>

In that same span of time, I take 5 steps. I arrive behind the enemy, where she cannot reach me.

I conclude that Grazie is trying to turn around.

<grazie>It jumps to the center of the mock battlefield in order to move away from Rot Löwe.>

Had she predicted she would be unable to turn around? Or had she feared the thought of an enemy behind her?

I confirm that my Verbesserung was inadequate. The enemy is moving with all her might and she has great skill. And there is wind and noise all around us. I conclude that this is a battlefield.

"The current Schreiben reaction speed is approximately x102."

This is my first time using this speed against a Grösse Panzer.

<grazie>It attempts to thrust its spear out while facing me.>

The spear is long enough. By grabbing the back end of the spear, the tip can reach me.

I move my body back 3 yards.

<the>

</the>

It will not hit, so I think about my next move.

It is within the stands.>

I predict the light is reflecting off of a spectator's jewelry.

To eliminate any possible concerns, I take this chance to Verbesserung.