Chapter 122: Holding the Lamp of Ambition, Part 8

From the status screen to the item list, then a special window opens, and I grasp the information on the Non-Standard Tactical Avian [Suzaku].

"Assuming it can fly, its attack methods are... actually, never mind."

What I expect from this guy isn't combat power.

Suzaku's visual sensors stare at me with lifeless eyes, and letters are displayed holographically on the helm I equipped.

I can't wear the full Powered Suit. However, due to the characteristic that energy is supplied from the reactor, i.e., the Tactical Machine Beast, the parts themselves operate individually. And if it's just sending commands to the Machine Beast, the head equipment is enough!

Covering the entire head like the Gazing Bird Mask, yet its metallic texture unmistakably indicates it is a component of the Powered Suit. But upon equipping it, I realize one feature clearly different from a metal helmet.

"It's like a panoramic full-face helmet... or rather, isn't the vision clearer than the naked eye?"

Originally, helmets impose limitations on the field of vision just by equipping them. Perhaps not pursuing reality to that extent, it's not like I can only see through eye slits, and a certain field of view is secured, but compared to a mask sticking tightly to the face or a bare face, the field of view is inevitably narrower when equipping a helmet. However, the Head Gear of [Adebane] operates by energy supply from Suzaku, providing me with a clear field of view without any narrowing, as if I weren't wearing a helmet at all.

Far from narrowing, if anything, I can see things more clearly than with the naked eye. As if it were natural, the darkness is removed, and I can clearly see the green of the grassland and Lycaon's overly black fur as if it were broad daylight.

Then, a text string appears at the edge of my vision. It seems to be a message from Suzaku requesting orders.

<<Standby. Requesting orders.>>

"Okay, sorry to be sudden, but... see that cloud trying to hide the moon? Go blow it away."

<<.........Roger.>>

Was the moment of silence the loading time to understand my words, or was it suppressing the tsukkomi "You called me for that!?" after understanding? The only thing I can say is that, maybe it was my imagination, but Suzaku's mechanical eyes seemed tinged with indescribable sorrow.

But for me right now, no, for us, it is important. Among the four, only Suzaku and Seiryu (Azure Dragon) can fly, and only Suzaku with wings can clear the clouds at low cost. It's a job akin to a fan (uchiwa), but I'll have you do it.

Suzaku spreads its mechanical wings. Looking closely, what imitates wings is formed by connecting several small boosters, and the jet flames bursting out simultaneously with flight create wings of fire. A meteor of fire soars from the earth to the heavens. A tail of flame tearing through the night sky from the main booster equipped at the tail feather position draws a single line in the sky, and Suzaku, spreading its wings with the moon at its back, charges into the cloud obscuring the moonlight.

"How should I put it... I'm starting to feel bad for using it for something so trivial..."

"Sunraku-san, over there!"

"Whoops!"

Too bad, Lycaon. Consider invisible surprise attacks unusable for a while. Without that damned attack, you're just... just... just a mere strong enemy with few openings, monstrous toughness, hard-to-accumulate stagger values, who produces clones normally without turning invisible, and has AoE, homing attacks, delays, feints, and evasion all bundled at a high level!!

A small spark, visible from the ground only as a tiny grain dancing in the sky, tears through and scatters the cloud like a giant. The moonlight, no longer obscured by clouds, softly illuminates me, Rei-shi, and Lycaon.

Five uses of Apocalypse. Catastrophe has currently hit three times. I've roughly grasped Lycaon's movements. Unless I lose focus and trip over my own feet, I am confident I can fight for a far longer time than before... but a problem occurred here.

"That bitch... She knows exactly what she's doing, doesn't she?"

Nearly an hour has passed since the start of combat, but now Rei-shi is being targeted blatantly. Even if I try to direct hate this way with flashy actions or recovery, the hate clearly prioritizes Rei-shi.

Indeed, Lycaon's AI is a cut above the rest; learning during combat what is a threat and what can be ignored, she accurately strikes where it hurts. Rei-shi's player skill is considerable, but her maneuvering relies on skills. I interrupt here and there to help her hold out, but skill cooldowns, lack of concentration, accidental slips... there's no telling what trigger will cause a collapse.

The only salvation is that this area is a vast grassland with few obstacles. At least there's no limit to retreating, and the range of movement is extremely large. But even if it's a bundle of merits for me, for Rei-shi currently under fierce attack, it becomes a drawback.

"Damn... If it was gonna be like this, I should have played a wall tank and taken hate-stealing skills!"

Holding my right fist to the sky, checking the window and cursing, I run toward Rei-shi who is receiving concentrated fire because I distanced myself to recover after taking hate earlier. I'd love to accelerate with a crystal pillar, but since the angle at impact affects the crystal pillar generation, firing while running like this would make the crystal extend in the opposite direction. And even if I try to use it as an attack method, Lycaon would easily crush a crystal grown in a rush compared to the original Crystal Scorpion ones.

I can't hope to divert the crystal for attack; in that case, its use will be mainly for movement and footholds. Then, for attacks, it's not about DPS but how effectively I can use the firepower of a single hit... I need an attack strong enough to divert attention from Rei-shi, who looks like she's about to collapse.

(Use That? No, That is a genuine trump card. No matter how much of a pinch Rei-shi is in, I can't use it yet...)

If "Vorpal Crescent (Moon)" usable only during Togetsu [Twin Moon] is an Ace, then That is a genuine Joker. A special skill imposed with multiple demerits, possessing power equivalent to a Secret Mystery Art used only against strong enemies that cannot be defeated even with the five-time sure-kill moves Rei-shi aims for.

What to do, what should I do? Airgetlam is usable. I don't remember how many times I've used buff skills, but the ones used most recently are still active. To output maximum firepower with maximum efficiency... Right, a weakness.

Not a weakness as Lycaon, but a more fundamental weakness "as a wolf-type monster"... as a living creature... Alright.

"Rei-shi! Hold on a little longer! ...'[Firing-up]!!"

There will probably be no day I feel voice authentication is more troublesome than today. The left fist starts driving, ejecting a Crystal Bullet. Although it doesn't have killing speed enough to be treated as a firearm, the Crystal Bullet flying slightly faster than my running speed lands right next to Lycaon. Confirming that, I execute a Handspring (forward handspring) while wearing the Brilliant Scorpion Gauntlets (Gilta Brille), propagating the vibration of the slammed fist through the ground to activate the Crystal Bullet.

Reversing heaven and earth. Without resisting the sensation of inertia pushing my heels forward, performing another reversal of heaven and earth, I shout another activation voice command.

"[Growing-up]!!"

Simultaneously with the generation of the crystal pillar, I land with only my right foot first, using that momentum for propulsion while landing my left foot a step forward. Taking advantage of the deceleration that inevitably occurs even if minimized, my further accelerated body sprints up the crystal pillar.

Impromptu visual measurement. Seeing the positions of the crystal pillar and Lycaon from my coordinates, I draw a rough route in my brain. Step in with five running steps, jump, and activate Flit Float. Stepping on air, bounding diagonally forward, activate Zero Gravity using the crystal as a foothold. Drastically reducing gravitational burden in places other than the ground, twisting my body toward the Target (Lycaon) while shaving off some acceleration like in a zero-gravity space as the name implies, I take aim.

I believe in this game. Due to the big wall called age restriction, the expression itself settles on polygons scattering mildly like broken glass, but touch the neck and you'll know immediately. Even if it belongs to a player, touch the neck and there is a pulse; touch the chest and there is a heartbeat. That is nothing other than unbelievably reproducing the "human body itself" with polygons.

That is an element originally unnecessary for games. However, in Shangri-La Frontier, bodies are formed of polygons not just as human-shaped avatars but as single lives. That is why, that is precisely why Mobs receive the pain of weaknesses directly that players cannot feel. For example, because there is only a layer of skin over the bone, because nerves run right under the skin, it is said that "Even a hero will shed tears of pain if hit there"... like the Shin.

"Even Benkei cries, so you... Cry too!"

Winding up my fist, kicking off the crystal pillar, I close in on Lycaon's rear right leg in one go. Activating "Reckless War God" (Sengoku Burai), which became the long-awaited pure melee attack enhancement skill by linking Reckless Fighting Spirit and Infight, I slam the silver-shining arm with layered firepower correction into Lycaon's shin.

"Gruoa!?"

"Hah-haa! You scream quite a goofy scream, don't you, Lycaon!"

A satisfying sensation. The inertia on my right arm collides with one of the pillars supporting the massive weight, converted into energy bursting in the exact opposite direction by the recoil. Without resisting it, controlling my core which fluctuates wildly in the unstable position of mid-air, I land and immediately leave Lycaon's range. Moving as if dancing, hopping like a rabbit, with movements meant to stand out as much as possible for a dwarf equivalent to a wood chip in that giant wolf's world, I steal Lycaon's gaze, the hate directed at Rei-shi.

The Golden Scorpion Gauntlets have high power but are heavy to handle. Therefore, if I'm going on the defensive, Togetsu is suitable. Unequipping and gripping the two Togetsu blades, I derive an approximate Time Limit from the steadily worsening situation. The trigger is... Rei-shi's limit.

At least, if Rei-shi continues to be targeted alone like this... at most fifteen minutes. That is the branching point where this battle situation tilts heavily in Lycaon's favor.

Now, what to do............?

Night grassland. A Fire Bird in the sky, a Black Wolf on the earth. Amidst an Armored Knight and a Half-Naked Man running, jumping, and swinging weapons, a single shadow runs carrying two birds.

Author's Afterword
Apparently, there is a mech that activated triumphantly only for the first order to be "Go scatter some clouds."

By the way, regarding Suzaku: normally, it fights using wings of fire generated by the aftereffects of jets sprayed from the wing boosters while flying at high speed, and equipped weapons like lasers and physical blades.