Chapter 591: Is the Mercenary Business About Money and (Dis)loyalty?
Sprinting through the long, long corridor.
Being on an enemy ship means being able to watch the battles of my allies from the enemy's perspective.
"Ooh..."
Light flashes; the barrage of lasers fired by Cutting Board-shi pierces the Teraton-Class ship on this side, the colossal steel frame letting out a death agony as it scatters fire and lightning. But as a counterattack, physical missiles fired from this side smash into Cutting Board-shi's... second ship, I think it was? Slapping my legs, which are on the verge of stopping at the sight of a battlefield that looks like the end of the world—yet where the storms of blood, wind, lightning, and fire are far too intense to simply call it 'ruin'—I continue pressing further ahead.
"......Something's weird."
What does it mean that I haven't encountered a single enemy NPC up to this point? It's a mystery why no one's chasing from behind, but even looking ahead, the glass-walled path just continues on, completely devoid of people. No pursuers, no enemies lying in wait... Are they inviting us in? No way, it would be easier to just rig landmines and blow up the entire corridor. But after a little while, at the very least, the reason why there were no pursuers from behind became clear.
◆
"......So, Wolf stayed behind to hold them off?"
"Yes, something about taking damage to his leg... I did leave behind one of the surviving batroids just in case, but... well, it probably won't hold out for very long."
Python, who had caught up bringing along nothing but a batroid missing an arm (it's slightly slimmer compared to Machogamine-kun, so maybe I should call it Skinny-Machogamine-kun), revealed to me the reason why no pursuers were coming. I see, we definitely have to hurry then.
"I wonder if I should pick up the pace."
"You probably should; partly because they won't last long... and it'd truly be a regret if we got shot down before getting there."
More than half of the final day has already passed. It's safe to say that the "Rikumogami Hotel" and the "Pearl Circular Casket," whose flagships and fleets suffered immense damage from the Queen's Throne's self-destruction and the consecutive days of fighting, have already withdrawn from the battle. This is exactly what Cutting Board-shi incited and what Deer Horn aimed for; taking it to the extreme, this current war originated from a dispute over vested interests between Cutting Board-shi and G-Cup Breast Meat-shi. Even assuming they could obtain a percentage of the concessions gained from victory as a reward for joining the alliance, if they themselves died, it would all be for nothing.
Furthermore, even if it's considered pocket change to them, a Teraton-Class takes time to repair even with cash-shop options; time is the ultimate delay-mechanic content that even heavy whale players can't do anything about. I heard that even if you shorten the repair time with cash-shop items, it still takes a week, and if you get targeted by other heavy whales during that time, concessions won't mean squat.
In other words, at this point, the ratio of merits to demerits has inverted for the alliance players other than G-Cup Breast Meat-shi. Simply put, it's no longer worth it.
They are afraid. Afraid that the tips of the ultimate weapons equipped on the two remaining ships of the Cutting Board fleet... the 1st Ship and the 3rd Ship, will be pointed at them. The Big Crunch Laser was blocked on the first day because the defenders were in perfect condition; if they tried the exact same thing now, the Teraton-Class acting as a shield would be guaranteed to be destroyed. Right now, the only ones fighting properly are Cutting Board-shi and G-Cup Breast Meat-shi. They don't participate in the fighting, but by remaining on the battlefield, they intend to uphold the justification of "contributing to the surviving numbers at the end of the war," or so Cutting Board-shi said.
"To think my final battle would be alone with a G.I.R.L..."
"What's wrong with G.I.R.Ls? G.I.R.Ls are packed full of dreams."
"I won't deny that, but you can't just avert your eyes from the fact that your exterior is a disguise."
"Could you kindly put away that knife named reality? I am a wholesome G.I.R.L, you know."
"a wholesome g.i.r.l"
Are there evil G.I.R.Ls...? Is there some secret battle between light and darkness being waged by G.I.R.Ls out of the public eye?
While I was thinking about such things, it seemed the time for the boss battle had arrived. Arriving before a door that clearly placed far more emphasis on decoration than the previous gates, we investigated it for about a minute and confirmed that there were no security or locks of any kind set up.
"They're letting us through so easily it's creepy..."
"He probably has something he wants to say, right?"
Seriously obstructing us is an option, and deliberately inviting us in simply because he wants to roleplay as a final boss is also an option; that's just what games are, and no matter how much financial assets a player has, the one playing is still just a human being, so that possibility is entirely plausible. The fact of the matter is, we continued walking without encountering any real obstruction whatsoever... and arrived in the presence of the master of this ship.
Likely the captain's quarters; a single man spun around in his chair and welcomed us with an expression of pure composure as he leaned back against the backrest. He had a PN display, so there's no mistaking that he is the other person who caused this war: G-Cup Breast Meat.
"Hmph, I welcome you, intruders. Reaching this point is worthy of praise."
"You're callin' us praiseworthy for walkin' down an empty hallway?"
"I have no personal grudge against you, but you're going to have to die here, G-Cup-san."
"Now, wait, wait. Even if we're somewhat on the decline, you must understand that if I used this ship's full resources, I could have crushed you long ago. We can at least talk for a bi—"
Gunfire. However, before the bullet fired by my pulled trigger can reach the middle-aged man's forehead, it's deflected by something invisible... No, wait, by a thread-like beam of light.
"So that's why you welcomed us with such composure."
"The final security: the Remoting Laser Protect 'Sanctuary', which concentrates defensive power solely on the captain as an individual. Have you calmed down now?"
"Cutting Board-shi, how sturdy is that thing?"
『It's a heavy blow that Rhino-kun and Wolf-kun aren't there. You can't break through it with the firearms you have on hand.』
"Use an open channel, Cutting Board. Now that we've reached this point, all that's left is a Teraton horsepower showdown."
『...Very well. Let us indulge in a showdown while chatting, shall we?』
I see, he has a point. As long as he has that ultimate safe zone of laser defense, we can't lay a hand on him. If that's the case, getting worked up and attacking would just be a waste of resources. But is that really the case?
"It's true that targetin' you won't get us anywhere... So how 'bout we do this?"
"What are y—"
Gunfire, gunfire, gunfire.
*Clatter*, the meat-stuffed helmet slams into the ground, and Python's body—having been pumped full of bullets by my no-look shot—doesn't twitch in the slightest.
"!?"
『...What are you doing!?』
"......Say, G-Cup Breast Meat-shi, got any interest in hirin' me?"
Chaos is something you stir up with your own hands.
Author's Afterword
The fired lethal bullet... The giant snake lies powerless, and the beast of betrayal laughs loudly.
The prayers of the monsters nesting in the cosmos. When a radiance rivaling the stars creates a gate, the hyper-dimensional gate releases its latch.
Next time on Galaxy Traveler: "The Song of Badugamosu."
Next week too, you will be joining Sunraku in an explosion punchline.
Translator's Notes
- [1] Money and (Dis)loyalty: The chapter title "金と（うら）義理" is a wordplay. "Giri" (義理) means duty/loyalty/obligation, and "Uragiri" (裏切り) means betrayal. Placed in this context, it playfully modifies the phrase "Money and Duty" into "Money and Betrayal/Disloyalty".
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