Chapter 25

BGM for work?

Of course, you know what I mean.

Or rather, it's a matter of course or something. Kaita didn't set out with a tragic resolve, thinking, "It's scary, but since there's no change in orders, I have no choice," nor did he go berserk out of fear.

He simply went out because it was the scheduled time.

"Target confirmed. Elimination, commence!"

"Abet!"

To begin with, Kaita had just entered the military academy, so he didn't understand how large-scale the usual monster attacks were. Therefore, whether there were ten large monsters or over a hundred medium-sized ones, he only thought, "Is that all?"

In fact, because he had some knowledge of robots, he even thought, "Compared to the extraterrestrial species that attack humans in the tens of thousands (or even millions) at once, the number and threat level are far too low."

"Pick and choose, huh."

"Vibb!"

Still, he knew that the sheer number could be a threat. If the command center had given an order like, "Eliminate all of them alone," he would have snapped and fired a stray shot at the command center, thinking, "Are you kidding me?" However, there were sixty mechs, over a hundred artillerymen, hundreds of tanks, and thousands of soldiers here.

The enemy was fewer, and the allies were more. What was he supposed to be afraid of?

"I'll make it easy for you!"

"Tabb!"

He did have some doubts about why they hadn't started firing as planned during the briefing, but he understood if it was to prioritize his test.

"Too-too-too-too!"

"Kyora!"

Since he was prioritized, he should focus on the test. That's why Kaita repeatedly moved horizontally while attacking the monsters.

"The latest model won't lose! Let's gooo!"

"Kadou!"

Of course, his first target was the large ones. After all, the hybrid model's concept was "a unit capable of taking down large monsters alone." Since it was originally designed for that purpose, it would be impolite not to start with the large ones.

So he shot, shot, and shot.

"Ora ora ora ora!"

"Dio!"

The characteristic of large monsters is that they are simply big, hard, and strong.

Their bodies are covered in muscles to support their massive frames, and they are further strengthened by magic. They also constantly deploy a force field called a magic barrier, making their defense extremely high. In addition, they have the power to vaporize mechs and tanks with a single strike. They shouldn't be weak.

"You don't have the right to live today!"

"Mugi!"

They shouldn't be weak, but they were still being hunted one-sidedly.

According to the specs, it shouldn't be possible to dominate this much, but Kaita was hunting the large monsters one-sidedly without a scratch.

The reason this was possible was that while Kaita and his unit had grown, the monsters hadn't grown at all.

"Aim is too weak!"

"Urabatt!"

After the last battle, Kaita continued to train in the simulator to get more familiar with the unit.

The unit was always stored in Kaita's magic crystal except during maintenance, and it repeatedly grew and optimized to move as Kaita imagined.

As a result, various aspects, such as how to control the recoil during shooting, how to maintain balance and absorb shock upon landing, and how to brake during jumps, were enhanced.

On the other hand, what about the monsters?

Indeed, the speed of their counterattacks when shot at was fast, and their accuracy was extremely high. However, that was all.

"Accurate shooting. That's why it's easy to predict!"

"Gufu!"

Since the attacks didn't have any tracking effect, if Kaita moved before the counterattack, it wouldn't hit. Also, since they aimed visually before attacking, they couldn't react to sudden braking.

Moreover, since they lacked proper intelligence, they couldn't predict the opponent's movements and perform attacks that "lead" the target. Therefore, they couldn't hit Kaita, who could fly and shoot simultaneously.

Thus, the attack Kaita needed to be wary of was the "bullet curtain" by over a hundred medium-sized monsters, but in this situation, even that was difficult.

Actually, it was impossible. Because Kaita was prioritizing and eliminating the large monsters one after another.

If you think about it, for the medium and small monsters, the current situation is like a 30-meter building collapsing right next to them. Of course, they couldn't aim at the sniper.

Even if they were the same size as the falling monsters, they might be able to attack while the allies were fleeing. In fact, the large monsters were counterattacking Kaita.

However, being large enough not to be hindered by allies also meant that the line of sight was clearer and the target was bigger.

"Alright, that's the end for you, large one!"

"Dowa!"

"Alright!"

The ten large monsters, each equivalent to ten medium-sized ones, were eliminated in less than ten minutes.

"Next!"

But Kaita didn't stop. There were still medium and small monsters left.

"Hmm, the corpses of the large ones are becoming good cover and obstacles."

Basically, the long-range attacks by monsters were straight, like lasers. Therefore, the remaining medium monsters couldn't aim at Kaita without avoiding the corpses of the large ones.

Of course, the same applied to Kaita. He could aim at the large ones because they were noticeable, but it was different for the medium ones, which were less than 10 meters tall.

Thus, it was thought that Kaita's rapid advance would end here... but that was only if Kaita could only fire direct shots.

"This is all part of the plan!"

After all, the cannon Kaita operated in the hybrid model wasn't just a 120mm smoothbore cannon that could only fire direct shots. It also had a howitzer capable of indirect fire.

Originally, it was intended as a reserve for medium and small monsters, but it had shown unexpected performance in the first battle, or perhaps the unit had grown significantly due to the experience points gained in the last battle, allowing it to carry a heavier cannon. Whatever the reason, the size of the cannon prepared by the Myoujou Heavy Industries this time was a formidable 155mm (the previous one was 84mm, classified as a light howitzer).

"I won't stop firing until the barrel burns out!"

Even in the last battle, the firepower was sufficient to take down medium monsters, but this time, with a larger cannon and a significantly greater amount of magic power in the shells, the firepower against the medium and small monsters surrounded by the corpses of the large ones was incomparable to the last battle.

"I'll disinfect the monsters!"

"Guooooo!"

"Alright!"

As promised, a rain of incendiary shells was fired continuously until the barrel burned out. Kaita nodded in satisfaction as he watched the monsters burn in the flames he had created.

"..."

Thus, the hellish scene created by the black unit in just ten minutes left all the soldiers who witnessed it speechless.

"Hmm? Ah, out of ammo. Command center, this is Special Lieutenant Kaita of the 2099 Special Unit. I'm returning for resupply."

"..."

Kaita, who had fired all his rounds before the barrel burned out, was trying to return for resupply. He understood that he needed to test the close-combat weapons he carried, but he wasn't going to dive into the flames to do so.

On the other hand, if he retreated on his own, it might be seen as "desertion in the face of the enemy." Therefore, he communicated with the command center to get permission to return—not retreat, withdraw, or flee.

"Command center, can you hear me?"

(Huh? Did I jump too much and break the communication device? Or is Myoujou-san making a fuss about collecting data for heat resistance tests and close-combat tests?)

If it was the former, well, it's an accident, so it can't be helped. Let's learn from it for the future.

But the latter... you're hopeless.

In Kaita's mind, the image of a pervert trying to make him undergo even stricter tests appeared.

"Command center, please respond."

(If you give me a half-assed order, I'll accidentally fire the smoothbore cannon.)

While suppressing his murderous intent towards the pervert, Kaita asked, but of course, there was no such fact. The command center was simply shocked by Kaita's performance.

Fortunately, no matter how shocked, a few calls and a bit of time would thin it out.

"...Ah, ah! Understood! Leave the rest to us!"

"Huh? Ah, yes. Understood."

Without realizing their mistake, the command center issued further orders.

"All units, commence attack! However, the standard units should prepare for defense against counterattacks! Beast units, surround the battlefield! Don't let a single one escape!"

"Ou!"

The interception units, which had been waiting for their turn, swallowed their shock and began to move upon receiving the order.

The command center, which was in high spirits, didn't realize that they had given an order to remove Kaita from the battlefield, thinking he would return to resupply and then go out again.

If Kaita were someone who sought military glory, he might have been furious, thinking, "You're not letting me take all the credit!" But fortunately, Kaita, who fundamentally desired peace, had no such thoughts.

"Leave the rest to you. So, I can go back now, right?"

To Kaita, what looked like a desperate battle from the outside was just part of the test. Also, as mentioned repeatedly, the time Kaita moved around this time was only about ten minutes.

So, for Kaita, the command center's order to "leave the rest to us" was equivalent to going to work, working for only ten minutes, and then being told, "Good job. You can go home for the day."

If it were hourly, he might have complained, but the military was on a monthly salary (occasionally with bonuses).

"I don't get it, but lucky me."

With the command center's official permission to take a break, Kaita, hearing the continuous sound of artillery and the monsters' screams, took out the water he had stored in his magic crystal and, while watching the people working, said, "Water tastes better when you drink it while watching people work," and calmly quenched his thirst.