15 - Deepness x Counter-Attack

Warning: Police Brutality and Graphic Depictions of Violence. When the Security Department gets going, they go hard.

Ratio breathes a sigh of relief after completing one of her urgent tasks, protecting Regina.

But the situation is still dire.

Wis had been keeping Iniuria and her 3 other companions in check till now, but they’re all still alive.

Above all, the control room is still occupied by the rest of her lackeys.

(But it doesn’t change what I’m going to do,) Ratio thought.

Her heart is undisturbed even as she rides a combat unit and she is outnumbered by the enemies right before her.

Rather, this tense air is comfortable to her.

She straightens up Virtus Flos from her kneeling stance and turns to face Iniuria and the others.

[Hey, who the fuck are you…?] Iniuria asks through the loudspeaker. [Don’t you interrupt me, alright?]

She probably can’t establish a communication link as Virtus Flos is on an independent system.

Iniuria’s voice has a grave tone.

“Wis, do you think that the beam gun–” Ratio began to ask.

[Heeey, that white one over there. Don’t move, okay? If you move, we’re going to kill our hostages, okay?]

Ratio was ignoring Iniuria and talking to her little sister until that loud, high-pitched voice echoed in the training ground.

At the same time, a large holographic display was projected in the sky, and the images of the grinning terrorists, the Operator Department students being held hostage, the guns pointed at them, and their injured instructor are broadcast throughout Mixture.

[Hey, Iniuria, hurry up and get on with it already~!]

[Shut the fuck up! You don’t need to tell me that!] Iniuria yelled.

[Kyahahahahaha! What’s got you so mad? So annoying.]

Ratio was astonished to see them snapping at each other with their loudspeakers on, even though they could have done it over private comms.

“What the?” Ratio asked. “Aren’t they supposed to be friends?”

[No~ooo clue here,] Wis replied.

As the siblings have only been at the Schola Sanctus for a few days, they’re ignorant of the internal affairs.

“That lot are not really friends…” Regina said. “I’d say they’re just a bunch of delinquents banded together.”

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“Regina?” Ratio asked, looking over her shoulder at Regina.

The focus and calm have returned to Regina’s voice.

“They have no sense of camaraderie,” Regina said. “That’s why they’ll be fine fighting with each other like that.”

“So what you’re saying is… these are our terrorists?” Ratio asked. “They brought in military weapons and hijacked Stella Corpuses. Isn’t the security here a little too lax?”

“… Yes, I strongly agree,” Regina said.

It’s a military facility but it’s got so many problems, doesn’t it? That’s what Regina’s smile says as Ratio twists to face her.

To put it bluntly, this attack is full of strange elements.

Those mere delinquent students can obtain military firearms, occupy an important control room with only two people, let alone infiltrate the hangar and move the Stella Corpuses on their own without authorization, and with military-grade guns for them, too, during an exercise that didn’t authorize their use.

It’s all going far too smoothly.

“…… A conspiracy?” Ratio asked.

“It’s possible,” Regina said.

[Big Sis, I think we’re going to have to put it off for later?] Wis asked as the two of them wrinkled their eyebrows.

They returned to the present at that.

[Hey, White One,] one of the Stulti in the control room said. [Drop the gun! If you make even the slightest dodgy move, I’ll kill all these motherfuckers in the control room!]

[Kyahahahahaha! And let’s get some other stuff on the feed, too! Let’s have a striptease show~!] the other Stulti shrieked.

“Woah,” Ratio groaned.

Their behavior was offensive from the start but these new demands were so vile she was seriously disgusted.

[White One. Open your comm line first. Lemme see your face.]

[If you don’t want to, don’t worry~? I’m just going to put holes in these fuckers! Kyahahahahahaha…!]

While clicking her tongue, Ratio connected to the global comm-channel.

[Huh? So this is the transfer student everyone was talking about,] Iniuria said with a disgusting, condescending smile.

“So what about it?” Ratio asked.

But, when Iniuria’s gaze shifted slightly to the side, her expression changed dramatically.

[So that’s where you were… Regina,] Iniuria said.

“Hii,” Regina squeals.

Iniuria makes a disgusting, sick smile.

If Ratio turned her head, she could see Regina’s hand as she peeked out from behind her seat.

That hand was trembling.

No wonder why.

She was outnumbered and cornered.

Ratio spreads her arms sideways to block Regina from view and said to her:

“It’ll be alright, Regina, I won’t let them touch you.”

“… Mmm,” Regina said quietly.

[… What the fuck are you saying to that girl, huuuuhh?!] Iniuria screamed. [You’re going to lose to me, you hear meeee?!]

Her eyes were filled with madness, and then they caught Ratio.

[Transfer Student… throw away your weapons,] Iniuria said. [After that, you’ll still be an eyesore. I’ll strip this custom-built machine that you’re so proud of and then smash it… I’ll pull out the matrix, slice off your hands and feet, and then I’ll kill you.]

[Get a load of this bitch!] Wis snapped, taken aback.

But, Ratio doesn’t change her expression, operates her unit, removes her finger from the trigger, and threw away the beam gun like she was pinching it by the grip.

[Ha! That’s it! That’s just fine! You know what you gotta do, don’t you? Because if you disobey, these motherfuckers will die, right? You know what I’m saying, huh?] Iniuria taunts.

[Kyaha! Soo coool! You’re really going to do it~? Pathetic,] the Stulti in the control room add.

Even as they say as they please, Ratio’s expression doesn’t change.

“Ratio…” Regina said, uneasy as she watched from behind.

“I’ll be okay,” Ratio said strongly.

[Come on, next is those big ring things. Off with it, now,] Iniuria said casually, flaunting her rifle like she knew Ratio was going to obey.

[Kyahahahahaha! Come oooonnn, hurry up~!] the nameless girl says with her harsh laugh.

(I said I’d leave it to you, so I’m counting on you instructor……) Ratio thought.

Deeply impatient, Ratio slowly reached out to her holo-menu.

A harsh, high-pitched laughter dominated the control room.

Even though it made a cool entrance, they can’t stop laughing at the white machine that ended up becoming completely docile for the sake of some hostages.

To the Stulti, hostages are of no value.

This is because they only have self-centered thoughts, only thinking about what’s good for them.

Even if they were taken hostage by someone they had nothing to do with, no, even if their blood-related parents and siblings were taken hostage, they would abandon them without hesitation.

From their point of view, for Ratio to put herself in such a dangerous situation to protect worthless pieces of shit made her the worst kind of an idiot and the best kind of toy.

“Kyaha!”

One of the Stulti bangs on the console, unable to contain how much fun she’s having.

The students of the Operator Department were trembling, but as if they were praying, they looked at the white custom-built machine that was in danger because of them.

Even the instructor stares at the screen as they grimace from pain.

And the other Stulti who was pointing a gun at them also looked at the screen in anticipation of the show that was about to begin.

Everyone’s focus was on the monitor that projected the feed of the training ground.

At that moment, a small spark sounded in the room.

One of the Stulti watching the hostages reacted to it.

It was quick.

For an amateur.

The door that had been barred shut burst open, and a gray mass rushed in with a roaring sound.

There are three of them.

The gray masses approached the Stulti faster than he could point his gun at it—the Space Mobile Soldiers, wearing reinforced exoskeletons used to break into and suppress both enemy fortresses and ships, clamped down on their wrists.

In the face of the power-assist functions that can output twice as much strength as a human even at its lowest setting, their limbs were completely crushed without even the hope of resisting.

The Stulti couldn’t comprehend what had happened, but a sharp mechanical hand grabbed his face as he was about to scream out in pain.

Flesh and skull were crushed.

Unable to scream, and having been recklessly enjoying himself while brandishing a lethal military weapon, he was effortlessly shocked unconscious by the Anti-Personnel Shock Emitters, installed on the fingertips of the exoskeleton’s hand.

One of the soldiers suppresses the terrorist next to the hostage at the console. The second shielded the other hostages, and the third approached the girl still shrieking with laughter.

She didn’t even notice the sound of the door being breached for the sound of her voice, the soldier grabbed the back of her neck, then slammed it into the console.

Her front teeth were broken, her nose was bleeding, and her skull was cracked, and then the space mobile soldier pulled her up with all their might and mercilessly neutralized her with an electric shock, too.

In just a few seconds, the control room was secured again.

The soldier who was the hostage shield turns on their comms.

“Instructor Aloe Ira, control room recaptured. Hostages are safe. Repeat. Control room recaptured. Hostages are safe.”

The communication came at the perfect moment, whether or not Ratio touched the holo-menu to call.

[Winkrum!] Aloe cried.

It was the long-awaited call from her.

Then, she flashed her thumb across her neck,

“Kill ‘em,” Aloe said with a ferocious smile.

“Roger that,” Ratio replied with a smile, before she operated her menu with graceful movements, releasing the ring-shaped equipment attached to various points of her unit.

With the triumphant Iniuria on the other side of the comm-line, Regina gasped from behind Ratio.

Then, she says,

“Ornatio, activate.”