Chapter 586: Resolution, Decision, and the Shadow of a Bird That's Here For Some Reason

Author's Preface

Wisdom toooooth!!!!! (A scream that expresses my current state of mind in a single word)

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"Thank you, Machogamine-kun..."

Showing off a heroic back with no wounds from fleeing, the battle-droid whose front was shredded to pieces by a storm of bullets and lasers slowly disappears. Although it ultimately resulted in a quick conclusion, it's a fact that we were subjected, even if only slightly, to the violence of a barrage that looked like it could obliterate a hundred players in a minute.

Python who couldn't move because of his role, Machogamine-kun burning out his life to protect him... all five of us, lacking not a single member, watch him disappear before turning our eyes to the three deactivated monster robots.

"Thank god for wired connections..."

"Or rather, didn't the other side stuff too much into them, rendering them completely immobile...?"

"...Thanks to that, Machogamine-kun was the only one they continuously targeted, though."

I sort of understand the concept behind it, but sadly, the presence of a shield named Machogamine-kun made the demerits outweigh the merits. While the tank draws aggro, the attackers just loop around and destroy the wired cables, and it's over... Yeah, it's the kind of thing where you process it purely through the UI, but it turns into a total disaster when you actually see it in practice.

A common trope in HazFarm: you set up an anti-calamity beast radar and think you're safe, only to take your eyes off it and have your fields ravaged by a calamity beast that nullifies radars, forcing a reset. In the end, what truly matters is the player's own direct visual confirmation... No, I'm still not convinced, what the hell is a stealth wild boar that nullifies radars anyway? A calamity beast specialized in destroying fields is sometimes more troublesome than a dog that brings direct harm to the player... And yes, because they didn't properly check things out, their Teraton-Class battleship got hijacked by five players.

"...Well, thanks to that, we were able to run things smoothly on our end. Let's think of some words of gratitude for the former owner of this ship."

『Hahaha, well done, you lot. It's the perfect timing for the gentlemen's agreement period; we'll completely seize control of the Hexagon Palace while we can.』

During the gentlemen's agreement period, all offensive actions are prohibited, but that doesn't mean other actions are banned. For example, repairing damage, producing ammo for the next day, treating NPCs to some R&R... those sorts of behind-the-scenes tasks are permitted.

Currently, the Hexagon Palace has had the ownership of its core Main Ship temporarily transferred to our side thanks to the full-force HijackingHacking that Cutting Board-shi unleashed one minute before the war period ended.

『Fufufu, that Rokkaku, this is what happens when you don't fix your bad habit of resting on your laurels just because you have the number one domestic market share. If you're too slow to adapt to change, you have no right to complain when you get taken over...』

"Uwaa..."

"Wolf, from here on out, it's a world we can't step into."

"So this is Capitalism, huh..."

"...So? What's the plan for tomorrow, Employer-dono?"

『Tomorrow? Ah, right, tomorrow, right, it's still only the second day. I shouldn't have focused so much of my attention on sending an email to that Rokkaku guy, no no no.』

I really wanted him to focus that attention on remodeling the battleship... but the defection of a Teraton-Class is a massive enough deal that you can't blame him for getting excited. You could probably say the war situation has shifted from a 5:5 slightly disadvantageous for Cutting Board-shi to a 5:5 slightly advantageous for Cutting Board-shi, and the other side will be forced to change their initial plans. Couldn't you say we've practically already won this?

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There was a time when we thought that too, there really was............

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"Wow......... Look at that, everyone, hundreds of thousands of yen turning into space dust."

"...It's certainly a sight you don't get to see very often."

"Is this really worth hundreds of thousands of yen?"

"I guess there's a certain wabi-sabi in how anti-climactic it is, not that I understand it."

"Then I wonder if there'll be any wabi-sabi when we get anti-climactically crushed right after this?"

Day three. What we saw after being teleported from the hijacked Hexagon Palace to Deer Horn's home base, "Queen's Throne," was the sight of an ultra-thick laser—reminiscent of the opening move on the first day—fired from our side directly hitting the Hexagon Palace......... And when we turned around, the sight of Queen's Throne's security androids, now sprinkled with a few human NPCs here and there, closing in on us......... Wabi-sabi my ass, what's with the wasabi, it seems we don't have the free time to stare out the window in a daze.

"To think they'd resort to immediate disposal even though half a day has passed!!"

"They completely shot right through the Main Ship!!"

"Whoa whoa whoa, they're coming in hot! We gotta find an escape route somewhere!!"

"Dammit! Even the human NPCs are wearing high-tier gear!"

"...Python, what about the map data?!"

"I've got bad news, wanna hear it? This ship is a model where each block is completely isolated via a teleportation gate system, so right now I have no idea where anything leads!"

Even so, fighting here is a straight-up impossible game. Dammit, Machogamine-kun, come baaaack!! I can't help but wish he was here... but begging for something we don't have will only leave me feeling empty. We just have to jump in!!

"Go go go! Before Rhino gets crushed!!"

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm about to get crushed right now!!"

Hurry uuuuup!!!

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【Wolfgang】

Pencil Knight King: So, are you stiiiill not coming back, Sunraku-kuun?

Sunraku: What are you scheming?

Mold: He skipped all the intermediate processes and arrived straight at suspicion...

Pencil Knight King: No, it's just, the king's neck... you know? Like this?

Sunraku: You're just a straight-up hitman! Are you trying to pull off some crazy stunt again?!

Pencil Knight King: No no no, I won't blow anything up this time, seriously.

Mold: Blow anything up...?

Pencil Knight King: Don't worry about it, Mold-kun~, it's a distant, distant memory.

Sunraku: Rather than a memory, you mean a dark history bordering on trauma, right?

Pencil Knight King: The members from back then are all gathered here.

Sunraku: The ones from back then.........

Sunraku: Huh?

Pencil Knight King: Sunraku-kun, you're the type to completely shut off all outside information when you're playing other games, right?

Pencil Knight King: Even though I'm hyping things up so magnificently!

Mold: Don't tell me, the resistance event in Thirdrema...

Pencil Knight King: I'll have you call me the Special Advisor to Thirdrema, Arthur Pencilgon.

Sunraku: Let's go to the guillotine!

Pencil Knight King: Yes! Plea bargain!

Sunraku: A thoroughly rotten law holds zero value anyway.

Pencil Knight King: I am the law.

Mold: T-The flow of this conversation is too fast...

Sunraku: I don't want you to get used to it, but I can only tell you to get used to it...

Pencil Knight King: Come to think of it, where's Rust-chan?

Mold: She's holed up in the Leviathan. Apparently if she takes on some debt, she can become a jockey? Or something like that.

Sunraku: I don't understand a single fragment of what that means.

Pencil Knight King: Well, just see for yourself with your own two eyes, Sunraku-kun.

OiKatzo: Wandering Great Azure Plague Subjugated.

Sunraku: Nah, either way, I'm tied up with this event for a few more days...

Pencil Knight King: Hold on a second, what did you just say?

Mold: What was the Great Plague Azure again? Judging by the name, it's a Raid Monster, right?

OiKatzo: Listen, Dad, I'm thinking of making a living as a Raid Hunter.

Sunraku: Ah, so you fell to the dark side because you couldn't trigger your own Unique Scenario... Dad, have you triggered your Unique yet~?

Pencil Knight King: So this is the final fate of a man who couldn't trigger his own Unique, huh......... Papa, gimme some War FundsPocket Money!

Pencil Knight King: No wait, this is real, the breaking news is flowing in! Uwaa, I gotta adjust my plans!

OiKatzo: Wanna hear about the rewards?

Sunraku: Nah, I got a hit in on the Great Azure Plague too, so I'll probably get them anyway. Don't really care.

OiKatzo: ..................

Pencil Knight King: Yikes, what a liver blow to counter that flex.

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Author's Afterword

OiKatzo-shi, who got so pissed off because he couldn't trigger his own Unique Scenario, changes jobs to become a Raid Hunter.

Furthermore, it seems OiKatzo-shi resorted to that certain magic drug again to defeat the Great Azure Plague-kun.