Chapter 96

(What are they aiming for?)

Keita, adhering to the sniper’s principle of “shoot and run” regardless of whether the opponent retaliates, constantly changed his position and the timing of his shots to prevent the Mikage-type from deducing its maximum speed and reload time. He fired the smoothbore cannon at the floating enemy, sometimes while jumping, sometimes while running on the ground, and at the same time, he pondered the opponent’s intentions.

(The best scenario for me would be if the opponent is still looking down on me and observing me from above...)

Negligence? Arrogance? No.

In this case, it’s a matter of being at ease after thoroughly considering the facts.

(They probably have full confidence in their victory. They don’t panic because they are confident in their victory. They don’t need to panic. They don’t panic, so they lack motivation. Indeed, that makes sense.)

From their perspective, the current Keita is like a bot that will waste its shots and tire itself out on its own. There’s no need to close the distance and expose themselves to danger when the opponent will self-destruct if left alone.

(If I stop the harassment, they will close the distance without hesitation. If that happens, there’s nothing I can do.)

If the distance is closed, it’s clear that the attacks from the demons and the barrage of bullets from the monsters will bring down the entire machine.

Therefore, even though Keita understands that it’s futile, he cannot stop the harassment and movement.

(I have no room for retreat. I know that.)

Even harassment attacks are not free.

Each shot reduces the ammunition he has, and he consumes a certain amount of magic power and energy to suppress the recoil. He also consumes magic power and energy to suppress the recoil in his joints and drive units each time he jumps or lands. He needs magic power and energy to move the machine up, down, left, and right in the air, and to move on the ground. Most importantly, his physical and mental strength are being drained in proportion to these consumptions.

If Keita’s current situation were to be described in one word, it would be “gradual poverty.”

If the opponent understands these facts, it’s understandable why they appear at ease.

(And they seem to be enjoying the sight of the low-level grunts bravely holding the line. If that’s the case, it’s easy for them, isn’t it!)

Of course, Keita is not without thoughts about being treated as a spectacle in a life-or-death situation. However, his goal is also to buy time. If the opponent is willing to observe until the time runs out, Keita thinks it’s fine to be a spectacle until his physical strength, the machine’s energy, and ammunition are depleted.

In fact, he thinks it’s the best if that’s all it takes.

However, Keita’s brain discards this optimistic view.

(It can’t be that easy!)

The evidence lies in the words they said when they appeared.

(They called me a “Hero”!)

Regarding the demon named Alba who intruded during the cultural festival in autumn, the Japanese side had widely publicized their existence, so the demons must have been confident that “a Hero is present here today.”

Therefore, the demons boldly called out the “Hero” at that time, and it was natural for Keita, who responded, to be recognized as the “Hero” by the demons. This is understandable.

(However, this time, the premise is different.)

The fact that Keita was accompanying the First Division’s upper echelons on this expedition was not even publicly known within the military. Therefore, it’s strange to think that a Hero is present here.

Moreover, Keita was called a “Hero” because he saved a member of the Grand Duke’s family in Far Eastern Russia.

However, in Far Eastern Russia, Keita was not in a machine, and during the cultural festival, he was in a mass-produced model. He had never shown his original machine, the Mikage-type.

(Furthermore, when they appeared, the mass-produced models piloted by the boss, Mr. Tago, and the knights dispatched from the First Division were also deployed. Even the latest Type 3 piloted by Mr. Igeta was deployed. In such a situation, to associate the Mikage-type with the “Hero,” they must recognize that the Mikage-type is Keita’s machine.)

Of course, it’s not impossible that they recognized Keita as the “Hero” after witnessing him leading the attack and destroying the large demon and damaging many medium demons.

But in a situation where there are many similar machines, can they definitively identify the first one to move as the “Hero”? Did they not consider the possibility that other machines could move in the same way?

(That’s not possible.)

The possibility that the “Hero,” who should be in Japan, is in Vietnam, and the possibility that the new models, including the mass-produced ones, are deployed in the expeditionary force.

When comparing the two, the latter should be more plausible unless the observer is extremely biased.

(Normally, that would be the case. I would think the same.)

Therefore, it is extremely unnatural to associate the person who defeated the large demon with the “Hero.”

However, the fact is that the opponent identified Keita as the “Hero.”

This means they know that Keita is participating in the Vietnam expedition.

Considering this, the purpose of the demons can be deduced.

(The purpose of the demons who intruded during the cultural festival was almost certainly to investigate my combat capabilities. If that’s the case, the purpose of the demons who see me in a different machine now is only one thing!)

“To investigate, no, to destroy the combat capabilities of the ‘Hero’ who killed their kin and the machine the ‘Hero’ rides, which the demons have never seen before!”

Observe until I weaken, and then kill me. That’s all there is to it.

(This also explains why the demons lack motivation in the current situation.)

Not to use a metaphor, but if Keita can observe the demons and deduce their intentions, the demons can also observe Keita and deduce his intentions.

(No, considering their ease, the information they can obtain is on their side.)

The demons can obtain information about the “Hero” and the new machine just by engaging Keita here, and they can observe the extent of the firepower the expeditionary force can deploy using existing weapons and fortifications when the small and medium demons clash with the Fourth Division.

In contrast, the expeditionary force, including Keita, can obtain no information.

At best, they can confirm that there are three demons present.

(The balance is clearly off. But there’s nothing I can do!)

Given that the cause of this situation is “being caught up in the Vietnam Imperial Army’s rampage,” it’s a strategic and tactical loss. It’s natural that the balance of what can be obtained is off.

In such a situation, there is little Keita can do now.

The only thing that comes to mind is to change the frequency of attacks and not show the upper limits of mobility and acceleration to minimize the information given to the enemy. In other words, to continue making the enemy think “there’s still more to observe.”

(If the expeditionary force and the colonels can strike the main force while I’m buying time...)

If the main force is destroyed, the demons will take some action.

The most likely scenario is a retreat. And before retreating, they will seek revenge on the enemy who held them back.

In short, it will be a venting of frustration based on emotion and instinct.

(If that’s the case, it will reduce the number of enemies.)

I don’t know about the demons, but the venting of frustration by monsters typically involves a group massacre.

If the enemy’s intentions are known, setting a trap is what a hunter does.

Question: What if the enemy moves in that way?

Answer: Make the machine self-destruct.

The Mikage-type, like other magical machines, is a bundle of military secrets.

Therefore, to prevent information leaks, it is mandatory to have a self-destruct mechanism.

The destructive power of this mechanism is set to “at least be able to completely destroy the machine,” so the Mikage-type is equipped with explosives capable of destroying a 50-ton machine.

Furthermore, Keita intends to use all the ammunition stored in the magic crystals when he self-destructs.

The destructive power generated by the explosion of these will create a crater with a radius of about 100 meters, centered on the explosion site.

Of course, the pilot will also be killed if the machine explodes, so it is important to give the explosion a certain direction. The calculations for this have already been completed.

(It’s going to be a dirty fireworks show.)

Keita smiled wryly, imagining the scene of a large number of monsters being scattered by his self-destruction.

Whether one sees the current Keita as “not in a proper mental state” or “a model soldier” depends on the observer.

At least, Keita does not think his judgment is wrong.

(There’s no other way out. So, I have to do it.)

Keita has reached a state of resignation, but he has no intention of pressing the self-destruct button easily.

Because self-destruction is not to kill the enemy but to ensure his own survival.

If he self-destructs here, Keita will be left in the Vietnamese jungle, infested with thousands of demons that the self-destruction cannot eliminate.

Keita is in an unfamiliar jungle, and the enemy consists of over a thousand demons.

There is no way he can win or escape without his machine in this situation.

Since there is no way to ensure his survival, Keita will not touch the self-destruct button.

(No matter what, I’ll hold off on self-destruction until reinforcements arrive. For now, I’ll let them gather information as they please. I’ll pay them in time!)

What he needs to think about is surviving the dire situation and connecting it to the next step.

The analysis of the enemy’s intentions is complete, and the strategy he should take is decided.

The task is clear, and his resolve is already set.

(…Then, all that’s left is to act.)

With all his might, without thinking about the future, just digest the tasks piled up in front of him like a machine.

A brief moment of closing his eyes.

Discarding fear, focusing and self-hypnotizing to grasp the future.

“Alright, let’s go…!”

This could only be described as bad timing.

What he did to switch the switch inside himself had the opposite effect of what he intended.

What shook