Chapter 86: How To Return To Everyday Life (7)

Heavy weapons in both hands, armor that looks sturdy at a glance, and movements that you wouldn’t think possible with such a heavy body… it’s clear that this is not an easy opponent.

And the most important point is… that all C&C members except Neru are sprawled on the ground, proving that this is not a weapon within the normal range.

There are no remains of other machines around, and it’s not like the C&C members are weak, so I started to roughly guess the strength of that machine.

Time… the sky is still bright. Unlike what was feared in the initial planning stage, by dividing a part of the force, the entrance of Eridu was quickly captured.

However, there is not enough time to use the remaining time generously. In the current situation where we don’t know when Chairman Rio will pronounce judgment on Aris, decisions and instructions are made quickly.

“Saori, escort Sensei and the others to the top of this central tower of Eridu… In that process, the escort of my sister and Sensei… I’ll leave it to you…”

“I understand. Chief, I hope you won’t be late.”

“Huh? Sora, what does that mean…”

“I’m sorry, sister, you may not be convinced… but I don’t think I can protect you against that…”

“…Hoo… I understand. Be prepared when you get back.”

I leave the aftermath to the future me, whether it’s a manageable level or not, and head to Sensei first, leading the members of the Special Security Force and Nagisa.

Anyway, this plan ends with sending the game development club kids, including Sensei, directly to Chairman Rio and Aris.

[…You’re here, Squad… no, the Special Security Force and… Nagisa… I’m sorry, but can you help Neru right away?]

“Yes, please go up the central tower with our Special Security Force members, Sensei.”

High ground, the sentry in front of us will surely have great power, but our purpose is not to stop the sentry, but to guide Sensei to the huge central tower in front of us.

[…I trust you… but are you okay…? I’m not being conceited, but I don’t think you can deal with that without me…]

“Pfft, let’s just do it, and… if Sensei stands in front of that person… everything will be over anyway..”

“Hoo… Sensei, I can’t say anything as someone who has fallen for such a person, but I can’t stop Sora like this…? That’s why she sent such a text… well, let’s go, Sensei.”

[R, right… then, let’s go.]

I hear something that feels like it’s poking my chest right behind me, but this is enough.

If, just if, they take means such as capturing Sensei or Nagisa… if they start attacking them instead of the combat personnel including me, then I really don’t know what to do….

Of course, getting Sensei into the central tower is impossible without defeating that sentry or creating an opening. Therefore, I still need to get help once.

“Here, ha…. really, if you come back in a mess this time too, be prepared in addition to the text message.”

“Oh, thank you, sister.”

Custom-made earphones for each member of the Special Security Force, originally made to facilitate communication between two members of a working group working together, so I didn’t really carry them around as a person who works alone.

I collected the size information for my ears separately, just in case… I guess Nagisa kept it separately.

Anyway, I put on the earphones and check the members of the Special Security Force for the last time.

“Special Security Force… Saori and Atsuko…? Can you help me for a moment?”

“Yeah, Chief, I don’t know if I can intervene between those things, but I’ll try.”

“Hehe, good, Sora… if it’s the chief I know.”

“As always, Misaki and Hiyori…”

“Rear support… I know.”

“Ugh… I didn’t say I would fight something like that… Leader… right? I’m just being used and thrown away without saying anything… the world is full of pain…”

Leaving Hiyori, who is always depressed, behind, the three vanguards of the Special Security Force, including me, start running towards Neru and the sentry, who are still in the middle of a battle.

What we’re about to do must match each other’s timing exactly, so we run at a matching speed.

“Kuh… what the hell is going on..!”

“If you surrender here, you won’t get hurt any more. Senior, I recommend you surrender quickly.”

“Like hell I will?! You just stay out of my way!”

It was around the time when Neru, who continued to engage even while talking, planning, and communicating with Sensei, the Special Security Force, and Nagisa, began to be gradually pushed back.

“Chief, don’t be surprised, just run.”

“Pueeeeng… we’ll be broken through, right?! We’ll be broken through! After the Chief, the Leader, and the Princess, it’s our turn!”

-Boom!-

As soon as Misaki and Hiyori’s words from over the earphones were over, Misaki’s Stinger missile, which passed the three vanguards, including me, from behind, flies towards the sentry in front.

“Kuh, are you an interference!”

-Rattle!-

The type of ammunition that Misaki mainly uses for Stingers is basically cluster bombs, and as soon as the sentry recognizes Misaki’s rocket, the cluster bomb splits and forms a barrage.

-Boom boom boom!-

I don’t know what they did, but they do something absurd with just the heavy weapons on one arm without any problems.

All the divided cluster bombs, all the formed barrages, are shot down using the heavy weapons on one arm.

Leaving aside the recoil of the heavy weapons, the scene where the divided cluster bombs were shot down by the barrage of the heavy machine gun in the air and exploded in the air was a shocking scene.

-Bang!-

Smoke formed by the explosion, as if not to let this smoke pass, Hiyori’s sniper immediately flies in.

A single large-caliber bullet pierces the smoke and heads towards the sentry, creating a huge circular hole in the smoke, and the scene beyond the smoke is engraved in my eyes.

The sentry… does something absurd this time too.

It ridiculously evaded a single large-caliber bullet that suddenly jumped out of the smoke by rotating its heavy body greatly.

I was surprised not because it avoided a bullet, but because it was a sniper that suddenly flew in from the smoke, so the grace period was absurdly short, yet it easily avoided the bullet.

“Hey… you’re late!”

“I’m sorry! It took a little time!”

However, I can’t keep being embarrassed. The opponent is something absurd that easily knocked down C&C, a well-trained elite special operations unit, and overwhelmed Neru in a 1-on-1 battle.

If I give them even a little gap, a large amount of barrage will fly towards us… as if they already knew this,

or perhaps because of the difference in experience, Saori and Atsuko already rushed into the smoke and split to the left and right, respectively, to create an advantageous battlefield.

I also pierce the smoke head-on and face the sentry head-on. Fortunately, judging from the fact that she’s telling me I’m late, Neru is still in a state where she can fight.

I didn’t think I could deal with that alone…

“…It’s support…”

In a temporarily paused situation, the sentry mutters to itself and then quickly switches to offense, aiming the heavy weapons in both hands at me and Neru, respectively, and starts firing.

Compared to that huge machine earlier, the caliber definitely seemed lower, so this time too, I put my left wing in front and use it as a shield.

“Kuh…!”

Neru… what?

Absurdly, she tries to evade by increasing her speed even more than when fighting me, but the sentry follows it like a ghost and steadily accumulates damage to Neru.

Probably, if it weren’t for Saori or Atsuko, who continue to fire checks from the left and right, respectively, it would have been shot with perfect aim instead of following.

-Bang!, Boom!-

While Neru and I can’t continue the offensive due to the barrage, Misaki and Hiyori’s support fire flies in.

I don’t know what they’re doing, but the sentry, which has been avoiding or countering all the attacks from our side, this time too, perfectly responds to Misaki’s Stinger rocket and Hiyori’s sniper, respectively, without any variables.

Misaki’s Stingers are all exploded in the air by spreading a barrage with heavy weapons, and Hiyori’s sniper is ridiculously avoided by leaping into the air with that huge body.

But at the same time, the sentry’s fire on me and Neru stopped, and I had a chance to attack the guy floating in the air.

“Oraoraora!”

“Fly away!!!”

“I won’t go easy on you.”

“Haaat!”

-Boom!, Rattle!-

-Rat-tat-tat!-

Neither I nor Neru, nor the children of the Special Security Force who were part of the squad, will miss such an opportunity.

Starting with Neru and me, Atsuko and Saori continue to pour out the maximum power that each of them can do, and the barrage begins to pour towards the sentry in the air.

-Rattle!-

As if it expected this from the beginning, it scatters a barrage in all directions, greatly rotating its heavy body, shedding most of the barrage, scattering checks in all directions, and widening the distance.

It was a scene where it easily received all of my and Neru’s, and the Special Security Force’s fire, and I really wondered how to stop that, but… this is enough.

“He… don’t you forget something? Sensei! Everyone!”

“Haha! Hey! Aren’t you focusing too much on us?”

“…This position… could it be?!”

[Sora! Neru! Be careful!]

Yes, we barely succeeded in getting Sensei and the rest of the people’s attention away from that sentry.

Changed direction, reversed position, sentry… Toki, she is now not standing with her back to the central tower, but standing facing the central tower.

At the end of Sensei’s last regards, everyone except C&C and I enter the central tower.

In good timing, the C&C members, who are slowly starting to regain their senses or re-adjusting their posture, stand up and start building a defensive formation.

“…I will break through..!”

“Ha! Try it! Junior!”

“Hehe… you did well… Toki…”

“Ahaha! Junior… strong…!”

“…I… I’m good at defending from the beginning!!!”

With the positions of the sentry and the attacker reversed… the defense begins once again.