17 - Overrunning x Resolution

Warning: Police Brutality, again.

The chase with 1 shooting and 4 pursuing suddenly ends.

Ratio had no intention of hitting her targets, and the shooting calibration was much more important to her.

On the contrary, Iniuria and the others were ready to shoot, but they were at the mercy of Virtus Flos’s movements and kept missing.

In a sense, they had been at odds with each other until Virtus Flos suddenly slid sideways.

Without changing speed, Virtus Flos drew a sideways arc, and the Radius Globes turned toward the 3 chasing after her.

A light bullet lands at the feet of one of them, and as it loses balance, a blade of light appears and swings at it.

[WOAAAAHHH…?!]

One of the Stulti had no weapons to deal with a sudden charging opponent and screamed, but Virtus Flos mercilessly circled it, slashing off the Stulti’s right arm with the right-hand blade, then the right leg with the left-hand blade, before she finally did a spinning kick to knock them away before shooting their torso with a low-power light bullet.

The safeties kick in and the unit shuts down.

[Wha…!?]

Another Stulti is shocked to turn around and see one of their comrades had already been disabled.

Light blades flashes across its torso, it suddenly finds both arms dismembered, and as they fall to the ground and the unit’s torso is rendered completely defenseless, it’s bisected horizontally, just like the first victim.

[Don’t fuck with me!] Iniuria yelled.

Her unit tossed its beam gun and activated the beam sword stowed by the waist plates.

Virtus Flos dodges a wide slash from above, then severs the wrist holding her opponent’s sword.

[Hii,] Iniuria gasps.

She’s disarmed so easily.

If the pilot’s body turns rigid, it can no longer control the unit and it will stop moving.

Without overlooking the opportunity, Virtus Flos swung her blade and cleanly severed the rest of the limbs.

[──! ]

After a moment of stillness, Iniuria’s machine collapses like demolished building blocks.

“Still going to fight?” Ratio asked, looking at Iniuria with her light blade still drawn.

[…………] Iniuria can only stare at her in a daze.

It seems she can’t look down on or glare at people after being so effortlessly neutralized.

The only thing she can do is snap back.

[How… the control room,] Iniuria stumbled.

“It’s already been recaptured,” Ratio said. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to move.”

[You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,] Iniuria said.

“I’m not kidding,” Ratio said.

From Ratio’s point of view, Iniuria and the others are the ones who are fucking around.

She can’t help but think it’s crazy to perform a terrorist-like operation at a military facility.

Suppose Ratio fails to activate her Stella Corpus and Iniuria succeeds in killing Regina.

What are they going to do after that?

Although the initial response is slow, here in Mixture, the Security Force is intended to be defense soldiers and a police force.

One theory is that they boast a level of skill that rivals that of the military’s elite, but regardless of the truth, they are regular military personnel.

There is no match between Iniuria’s team, who operate stolen units from a previous generation with automatic piloting programs for beginners, versus regular soldiers who operate customized current units as well as their biological hands and feet.

Even if the control room is occupied, the Security Department is independent of it, and there is no way to forcibly stop their units.

In addition, the Security Department also has infantry forces, and there is no way for Iniuria and co. to resist once they disembark from their machines.

They can’t stay in their machines forever, and there’s no way they could have matched the military’s machines.

“Does that mean that as long as Regina gets hurt, the rest doesn’t matter?” Ratio asked.

She didn’t think it was possible, but,

[Hah, that’s right,] Iniuria said, taking off her helmet and making a sly smile. [If only that bitch just listened to me, then everything would have been fine.]

“Why are you…why are you always harassing me so intensely?” Regina asks from behind Ratio.

She must still be afraid of Iniuria, Ratio supposes. She’s peeking out from behind her seat and her voice is hushed.

[I don’t like you,] Iniuria said. [That cheeky face. You clearly think you’re the best and strongest around. So I wanted to mess you up.]

“That can’t be your reason…” Regina muttered.

From her point of view, Iniuria was nothing more than a nuisance.

Her motivation is a completely one-sided rivalry.

“Well, that’s enough of that,” Ratio said. “I’m done with dealing with you.”

[… Ha, that’s not happening, is it?] Iniuria said. [No matter what I have to do, I’ll get back at you for this…]

“It’s over,” Ratio said with a cold, lifeless gaze at Iniuria. “If you touch my friend again, I will show no mercy next time.”

Iniuria’s expression twitches, she’s at a loss for words.

Even she knew it.

Ratio meant it completely seriously.

“Also……” Ratio said.

She closed her eyes for a moment, returned to the original Ratio, then looked behind her.

There, there was–

[This is the Security Department. We’re here to pick up these kids that have been causing trouble. Private Machine, retreat at once.]

8 Stella Corpuses belonging to the Security Department form a formation and finally appear.

Ratio slowly retreats with Virtus Flos and takes some distance.

The Security Department’s machines were divided into two units and surrounded the immobilized Centuria, and vehicles carrying Space Mobile Soldiers wearing reinforced exoskeletons appeared one after another from a bulkhead in the recaptured hangar.

“It’s over, Regina,” Ratio said.

“Thank you. For coming to my rescue, Ratio,” Regina said.

[Big Sis, I did my best too!] Wis said.

“Thank you as well, Wis,” Regina said. “I owe my life to you as well.”

[Ehehe, what a compliment!] Wis giggled.

As they watch the troops deploy, their tension is released.

“Iniuria Joculatus! Cease your futile resistance and disembark your machine like an adult!”

At the Security Department’s orders, the waist armor slides open and the matrix is released.

2 fully armed military-grade Stella Corpuses stand guard, and the surrounding area is secured by Space Mobile Soldiers equipped with reinforced exoskeletons.

The Centuria has lost its limbs, and it takes a long time to restart due to the safety device.

Iniuria opens the matrix and exposes herself to the outside world.

If she looks around, she can see that the other three have already been subdued, and the Stulti are pinned to the ground.

As she clucked her tongue and looked down, there were several gun barrels pointed at her.

“Hah,” she snorts through her nose.

Resistance is futile.

This is her little pride in life.

“Get off at once!”

Instead of replying, Iniuria holds up a heat ray gun.

The Space Mobile Soldiers flinched but no gunfire came.

As Inuiria thought she was going down in a spectacular last-stand firefight, she grinned at the Space Mobile Soldiers stepping back.

(What, even a soldier is afraid of having a gun pointed at them…?)

That’s what Iniuria thought of the fully-armed soldiers retreating thanks to the weapon in her hands.

Her opponents were professional soldiers who were equipped with an exoskeleton coated to neutralize pistol-type heat ray guns. In addition, they are equipped with heavy weapons that are more powerful than pistol-type. Furthermore, there are two Stella Corpuses that a human being cannot hope to stand against.

And yet, they stepped back.

Iniuria misunderstood the reason.

It wasn’t until she was grabbed by the back of her head and the wrist holding her gun that she learned the truth.

“!?”

“You’ve been doing whatever the hell you wanted, huh, Joculatus?” Aloe Ira said, her voice angry and low.

She had hijacked a Security Department Vehicle that was rushing into the training grounds, climbed onto Iniuria’s unit from behind, and sneaked up to grab her.

“Let go of me!” Iniuria yelled.

She reflexively tried to shake her off, but Aloe did not budge an inch.

Iniuria is also well-trained, but an instructor like Aloe Ira goes even further than that. She is both taller and stronger.

Aloe’s grip slowly increases their pressure, and Iniuria’s wrist and the back of her head start to creak.

“Gah──!” Iniuria gasped.

“I believe in being strict with my students,” Aloe said.

As Iniuria’s face twisted in pain, the Space Mobile Soldiers lowered their guns.

In addition, the pilots of the Security Department’s Stella Corpuses watching through the feeds said,

“Instructor Aloe, that hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does,” Aloe replied.

It was that sort of conversation.

“But, I’m a little more lenient when it comes to ambitious and capable students,” Aloe said.

She looks proudly at Virtus Flos.

“On the other hand, I have no mercy for those idiots!” Aloe yelled.

“Ah—!”

All at once, force is applied, and Iniuria’s body is off the ground.

Her foothold is unstable, she can’t put her feet anywhere solid. Iniuria panics as the continued tightening worsens the pain.

The heat ray gun she was desperately holding on fell far below, and the physical ability she had honed and prided herself on was useless in the face of an average opponent.

Iniuria’s bit of pride cracked, then,

“This is your punishment, Little Girl,” Aloe said.

Bang! Iniuria’s body was swung around and slammed into the armor with such force, it shattered her pride alongside her face.