Chapter 836: December 19th: Wake Up! Guns Guns Mercenary cor←Shoooooot!!
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There were no prior warnings.
There were no prior announcements.
There wasn't even a single prior sign.
In other words, it was a complete and utter......... surprise attack.
"Hiiii! You guys gunning it!? GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps Alpha here!!"
Smashing through the iron grates meant to prevent entry into—or exit from—the sewers, a gray metallic mass made its appearance.
Equipped with a grenade launcher on its left arm, the metallic mass raised a cheerful voice toward the iron mirror floating around it, all while scanning its surroundings.
"Completely impromptu stream! The GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps full-member Thirdrema Blitz Operation!! It's a bit early for Christmas, but here's a surprise stream!!"
With a goofy thwump sound, the grenade launcher pointed straight up fired a round into the sky. The grenade, not particularly known for its projectile speed, gently climbed higher and higher, and just as it reached the absolute limit of its propulsion............
"Omni-Directional Surprise Attack Operation! We're bringing this to you with full members, all streaming individually!!"
Thanks to the capabilities of the grenade launcher itself, the grenade, detonated at the shooter's own discretion, bloomed into a massive flower of explosive flame high in the sky. And, as if responding to it, similar explosions chained off from various locations across Thirdrema. A total of eight.
It was an undeniable signal that eight "Tactical Mechs" belonging to the 【Streamer Frontline】 had been lying in wait throughout the city.
"No, really, I've been asked a million times on SNS every single day, 'What is the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps doing?!' But it was all for the sake of this day! Are you watching, listeners!? It's a festival! A festival! A festivalllll!!"
Everything was for this moment. They had slipped into the city through Thirdrema's underground sewers by blending into the blitz tactics initiated by Payabusa on the very first day. Then, they each hid and laid low until the day before the event ended, planning to suppress Thirdrema in a single day.
That was the plan the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps had formulated—a genuine blitz tactic designed "to win."
Alpha, or rather, the player going by the PN "Apple Pie @ GGMC" in ShanFro, spoke into the meteor iron mirror while lightly moving his mech, as if to check the condition of a Tactical Mech whose movements were, despite considerable practice, still different from flesh and blood.
"Now then, let's re-introduce our forces...... or well, it's our full roster excluding X, who's in charge of video production, but this time we're live-streaming every single POV! Sorry, X! I know you're probably dying of busyness right now, but I'll treat you to something later, so let it slide!"
While apologizing to the other member who likely hadn't logged into ShanFro and was single-handedly managing the streams of all eight members, Apple Pie once again surveyed the streets of Thirdrema.
The deserted, empty scenery indicated that the citizens had already evacuated somewhere. For the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps, who had participated in this event specifically seeking a hardcore urban warfare experience, this wasn't just a slipped-shoulder anticlimax, but a disappointment that left their own shoulders slumping. However, since he couldn't exactly voice that complaint on stream, Apple Pie let out a tiny sigh and switched gears.
"From this moment on, we, the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps, will break through the urban area and assault the enemy stronghold to secure the Former King Faction VIPs, Torvante and Arfiliya! Roll call!"
<<Butterscotch, acknowledged〜.>>
<<This is Chocolate, acknowledged〜!>>
<<This is Donut, acknowledged.>>
<<This is Eclair〜, aye aye sir.>>
<<This is Fig, acknowledged...... Couldn't you have at least made my code name Financier?>>
<<............This is Ginger Ale, acknowledged. It's too confusing, so give it up.>>
<<This is Honey Toast, acknowledged〜.>>
In an era where even real-time video editing was possible, the gameplay streams of the eight members actively playing were currently being broadcast on the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps's channel as a single, cohesive live stream, edited in real-time by the real-world video editor "X-Ray"......... This multi-POV broadcast utilizing real-time editing was one of the reasons why the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps boasted such high popularity (the characters of the members, including X-Ray, who could be called the backbone of the channel, were another factor in their popularity).
"Alright then......... Getting into a hardcore siege battle with this level of realism is getting me fired up............ Uwoah."
A shiver ran through his body. It felt like a warrior's tremble of anticipation, or perhaps like a strong gust of wind blowing against him............
"Strong wind?"
The nature of Tactical Mechs varied wildly depending on their customization, and one-of-a-kind units sometimes possessed unique functions that were difficult to reproduce. However, there was one thing they all had in common.
And that was the fact that the suits possessed excellent airtightness, meaning it should have been completely impossible to feel the wind──────
<<Apple Pie! It's a sonar! They've pinged our coordinates!!>>
Sonar. Enemy detection. In other words............
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Gagon, a heavy coupling sound echoed. However, it did not reach the ears of the "invaders" who had emerged from the ground. The reason being that the mech making the sound......... was bracing itself on "four legs" atop the very summit of the Grand Duke's Castle in Thirdrema, the tower that had roughly half of it blown away by the attack of the Smoldering Great Crimson Wings.
".........Alright,"
The house arrest room for prisoners on the top floor had lost all traces of its original form due to the rubble, but from that structure that barely maintained its shape as a tower, it aimed an exceptionally long...... a barrel so long it made moving while holding it difficult, down toward the lower levels of Thirdrema. It was unmistakably a mass of metal, and yet.........
It was unmistakably a human.
"Rust, let's kick things off."
<<.........Acknowledged. No support necessary.>>
"I thought you'd say that. Well then, I'll just be over here steadily sniping them."
That metallic mass had a name. A rear-support firepower Tactical Mech packed with the ideas and demands of a player who commanded Divine Age technology, acted as the support specialist behind the strongest queen of Nephilim Hollow......... and was referred to with a mix of awe and mockery as a cursed stone statue.
"【Safe Zone】, Wide-Area Detection activated!!"
『Wide-Area Detection: Activated』
Authenticating the wearer's voice, the Tactical Mech deployed a strange, box-like device mounted on its right back. Depending on how one looked at it, it could easily be seen as a large speaker, and that assessment would be correct.
───────────────!!!
It emitted no sound. No, it released a sound—or rather, a shockwave—that was at least imperceptible to the human auditory range.
It relayed through four Sonar Probes deployed and hovering autonomously in the sky above Thirdrema, silently shaking the entirety of Thirdrema............ and the parent unit, having received the data from the probes, relayed the resulting information to the wearer of the 【Safe Zone】.
"One target discovered......... Well then, let's begin."
Readying the ultra-long-range silenced sniper rifle "Pinocchio" directly connected to the main body's reactor, the player wearing the 【Safe Zone】......... "Mold," took a breath, held it for a brief moment, and pulled the trigger.
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"Uwooooh!!?"
Apple Pie hadn't actually noticed it. It was just that the word "sonar" from his colleague and the realization that he was standing right in the middle of the street... more than anything, the awareness that he was completely exposed to the upper levels of Thirdrema, caused him to reflexively dive into a back alley. But that split-second decision saved Apple Pie's life.
Kyugooo!!
"Hey, hey, hey......... If I was in my flesh-and-blood body, I would've been blown to pieces by that........."
Staring at the sniper mark that had gouged and pierced right through the cobblestones, Apple Pie muttered, almost involuntarily. But Apple Pie was a veteran FPS gamer; his situational assessment was already complete within his mind.
His expression already shifted from that of a streamer to that of a soldier, Apple Pie gripped his assault rifle tightly through the Tactical Mech and roared the facts into his comms, or rather, toward the meteor iron mirror currently streaming.
"Our position was compromised! Everyone, maximum alert! This isn't a surprise attack anymore; it's a head-on collision!!"
The battle that would later be known as the "Thirdrema Mech-Steel War." The battle that showcased the "absolute pinnacle" of the Tactical Mech content to the world began with a single bullet.
Author's Afterword
・Tactical Mech Cone: Pyramid-Men 【Safe Zone】
A Tactical Mech designed by Mold—who is spoken of in the Nephilim Hollow community with phrases like "Crush Mold first in tag matches," "A cursed stone statue scattering debuffs," and "Not above broadcasting rakugo [*1] through wide-area speakers"—by calculating backward from his own playstyle and the expected combat of the Kingdom Turmoil event.
It specializes in rear-support firepower, allowing him to stay cloaked while catching enemy positions with wide-area detection, relaying them to Rust, and continuously sniping with a silenced sniper rifle. It's a build that could make someone pop a vein and start screaming curses; if left alone, he exposes your position, snipes you, and sends Rust charging at you. It is exceptionally annoying.
By the way, the origin of the name "Safe Zone" isn't because he attacks from a safe area............ or is it?
Translator's Notes
- [1] Rakugo: Traditional Japanese solo comedic storytelling performed in a formal sitting position. Or as I'd like to call it: sit down comedy.
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