Chapter 497: Double-Cross Lonely-Girl Digital-Head

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"...Right, engine's warmed up."

I slam my fist into my palm while climbing a nearby building to survey the entire city.
This isn't for checking the map; Triangle Trinity is fixed to a triangular map. In this match where everyone starts from their respective corners, the thing I need to check is...

"No UFOs, no Tower of Fangs... so it’s the Mechanitan, huh..."

Triangle Trinity is a 3-on-3-on-3; there’s one more faction present besides just me and Amelia Sullivan.
These enemy entities, original to this game, are randomly selected from three types for each match... but every single one of them is a pain in the neck.

The 『Invelzer』, who descend from the sky and run amok while abducting NPC citizens.
The 『Reptidinos』, who rise from beneath the earth and turn lizards scattered throughout the city into dinosaur-like weapons to cause chaos.
And the 『Mechanitan』, who set up base on the surface and march forward by converting electronic devices into mechanical soldiers.

Since the Invelzer kidnap NPCs, it becomes harder to build your gauge as the match progresses; with the Reptidinos, it’s nearly impossible to detect where the enemies will sprout from; and with the Mechanitan, there’s no room to relax because they can spawn from just about anywhere.

There is only one way to stop them: unlike the player factions, you have to defeat the three "Target Enemies" that appear simultaneously.
Destroying a Target Enemy grants a bonus to the player who landed the kill, but since all factions are hostile, you have to think about your positioning... which is actually quite interesting.

"The Mechanitan Target Enemies are, if I recall..."

Tch, I’ll be caught on camera from here.
Amelia Sullivan's first pick is the Crap-TV currently reigning at the top of the meta; being caught on electronic devices—especially surveillance cameras—is nothing but a disadvantage.
I hop down from the building and continue my train of thought while hiding in the gap between buildings.

"I remember now."

The Mechanitan Target Enemies are the 『Valkyrie』, the 『Colonel』, and the 『Commander』—each of them should have their own unique performance profile.

"Should I aim for the 'Colonel' first? No, but wait, the 'Valkyrie' gets buffed the more she’s cornered..."

They’re set with an exquisite power balance where they're a hassle to solo but safe to take down as a pair. While I find it irritating, I also want to praise the balance adjustment; however, unlike a random queue, it’s hard to imagine forming a cooperative front against someone like Amelia Sullivan.

"Decisions, decisions..."

The character I’m controlling now—"Dust," who wears a simple mask with holes for only the eyes and nose over a long coat—is equipped with a rather troublesome system.
The Crap-TV is classified as a Villain... or rather, her whole team is Villains, so I guess I’ll stick to the Hero route.

The character "Dust."
My memory of the source material is a bit fuzzy, but he’s a character in a so-called "dark hero" position, and this character added in the update has an extremely specialized system.
Instead of having just one gauge that is either Heroic or Villainic, he has two. To be precise, where a normal character has one at 100%, he has both Heroic and Villainic gauges at 50% each, and you can't use your Super unless both are filled.
Furthermore, the replenishment of his "bullets" is tied to those gauges, so while his potential is high, using him requires top-tier technique.

"For now... let's see."

Well, look at that, one popped in a perfect spot. Guess I’ll borrow your strength.
It’s not like we're playing hide-and-seek anyway; if an encounter with Amelia Sullivan is a given, any time spent hesitating before then is just a loss.

"A bank should have something like a button to call the police, after all."

I have no intention of wasting ammo, but I kick open the bank doors while drawing and leveling my dual pistols as a threat to the NPCs.

"Hold up! I don't have a cell phone! Contact the police for m—"

Whoops, I just remembered.
It’s not just limited to the Mechanitan, but basically, with the NPC factions, the two entities besides the big boss are...

"Battle mode..."

Random pops.

In terms of being machines modeled after women, they have something in common with ShanFro's Conquista Dolls, but compared to Saina, this armored woman clearly has skin that's way too sturdy... No, this "Woman's Armor" levels a weapon that looks like a fusion of a tactical spear and a missile launcher at me, projecting its laser-light gaze onto my forehead.

"Am I interrupting something? If I’m in the way, I’ll take my leave, but..."

My right gun spat fire at the exact same moment the missile was launched.

"Uwoaaaaah!?"

Headshot! Minor flinch! Water on a hot stone!!
The missile that passed right next to me as I dodged with a lateral leap flew out through the open door and exploded against the building across the street.

"I wish you’d give me a break with normal attacks that are on par with gauge skills...!!"

And yet, when a player tries to use it, it’s just a plain spear. It’s wonderfully effective as a weapon, isn't it?! Ptooie!!

What now? Considering my ammo replenishment, I can't afford to go full-burst against an NPC. But whether I run or fight back, consuming ammo is unavoidable.
Dust has two gauges for Good and Evil because his position in the original work is "a man possessed by a demon of judgment sent from hell"; therefore, his dual pistols are loaded with "Bullets of Good" and "Bullets of Evil" before firing.

In game terms, they are separate gauges; doing good deeds builds up Bullets of Good, and doing bad deeds builds up Bullets of Evil.
Bullets of Good are more effective against Villains, and Bullets of Evil are effective against Heroes.
The Crap-TV is a Villain, and the "Valkyrie" is behaviorally a Villain. In other words, if I’m looking ahead to Amelia Sullivan, I want to save my Bullets of Good.

"Tch!!"

I pull the right trigger in rapid succession, and jet-black bullets swarm toward the "Valkyrie." But all three shots aimed at her face are batted away by the sword swung by the mechanical lady-armor’s left hand.
It looks like some kind of bullshit intercept capability that has no place in a fighting game, but apparently, that’s classified as a guard action. Since she’ll slice even a cannonball in two as long as it isn't a guard-break type attack... even knowing she's guarding, it gives me a certain sense of powerlessness.

"Gh, ooh! Nwah!?"

It’s not turn-based; naturally, she goes on the offensive too, and there’s no guarantee my turn will ever come around.
The "Valkyrie," effortlessly swinging her lance with its built-in missiles, closes the distance in an instant. Damn it, if I’d known I was going to clash with a Target Enemy on the first move, I would’ve brought Twinkle Pixie out first.

But reality has brought me to this point without knowing, so I have to make do with Dust.
Dust is primarily a long-range character, but it’s not like he can’t fight at close range; however, if you ask if he’s strong in close quarters, he’s on the weaker side, so against a "Valkyrie" with a lance range that exquisitely keeps infighters at bay, I have to say I’m at an overwhelming disadvantage.

"But, your movements are a bit too honest."

The missiles have no homing capability, and her physical attacks are a binary choice between a normal swing or a swing accelerated with effects.
Swinging a massive lance with one hand is a threat, but her other hand basically only uses a sword—and that sword is a "Shield" in its own right—so in reality, she’s an enemy armed with a lance and a shield. In other words, even though she’s holding a lance, she’s mostly a standard Knight-type.

"She’s a fighting game NPC, after all; she can’t guard and attack at the same time...!"

If I just shoot, she’ll guard, so I’ll make full use of the fact that this is Full-Dive VR and shoot while dodging!
In GH:C, just like in ShanFro, the situation directly affects the game systems. Just by a Hero character fighting the Mechanitan that are destroying the city, the Heroic gauge accumulates. At the same time, the bullets consumed by firing are reloaded.

The "Valkyrie" in her first stage isn't actually that strong; if I took my time, I could probably defeat her using only Bullets of Good.
But this is Triangle Trinity. If I run amok in an office district like this, I’ll naturally be caught on camera... And there’s no way that Crap-TV (with a pro gamer inside) who can scan eighty percent of the map at the start of the game would be caught napping.

"Yo... I’ve been dyin’ to meetcha, Real Cursed Prison...!!"

"Wait, isn't your tone different from a moment ago?"

"Better fight with everythin’ ya got...!!"

"Hah! Don't ya go croakin’ on me halfway through...!!"

With her original tone revealed by the real-time translation system "Babel," the Villain with a TV for a head leaped down from atop a building───!!