Chapter 844: December 19th: Mech and Mech Clash

◇

Echo, the streamer affiliated with the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps. While studying their movements, this individual was without a doubt the one burned most strongly into Rust's memory.

No matter what kind of gun he used, he mastered it even while charging forward. In shootouts where they had direct line-of-sight with each other...... in other words, in a 1v1 duel, his win rate reached nearly 90% just within the videos Rust had watched. Naturally, when targeted by three or more people, there were many cases where he was simply killed, but even then, it wasn't rare for him to have taken out two of the three.

(......That player alone is in a different league. It's not that the others are lacking in player skills, but......... he's just that strong.)

Whether a cannon was aimed at him, or a car was rushing in at top speed from the side to crush him, he absolutely never took his eyes off his targeted prey. His terrifying nerve was what produced that superhuman win rate in 1v1 situations...... That was what Rust had deduced before participating in this event, but having actually faced him, she understood.

"......He's strong."

There was no need for unnecessary logic. If the bullets you shoot always hit the opponent, you win most fights. He is likely the type who can execute that naturally.

She saw Eclair's mech for an instant. Even for a Ball-Men—which screamed, "I absolutely cannot perform high-speed maneuvers!"—it was an oddly round Tactical Mech. However, Rust, who prided herself on being more obsessively hands-on with Tactical Mechs than anyone else in ShanFro, saw through a certain degree of its performance just from its shape.

(......It's the same as the Sengaku HisaiAnnihilating-Jaw Scarlet Smash. In exchange for narrowing the booster's ignition time to its absolute limit, it's equipped with explosive acceleration.)

When constructing a Tactical Mech entirely from the ground up, the elements one could tweak were vast and varied. Aside from the obvious equipped armaments and coloring, it was also possible to remove all the basic armor to leave the frame exposed, and even to scrutinize the properties of the thrusters, the material of the armor, and ultimately the processing units.

It was a volume of content far too deep for a mere single element of a game. Not even Rust understood all of it...... but as long as it was something that pursued "strength," just like how an ecosystem forms a pyramid shape, the higher you went, the more the numbers narrowed down and became specialized.

The rounded armor was meant for deflecting and parrying, similar to the "Batsuzan Gaisei." The distinctive boosters were specialized for short sprints. The cowboy-like decorations were...... probably just a hobby. There were a few built-in weapons, but it mostly relied on firepower from externally attached firearm holsters.

(It doesn't have any functions to assist with sniping. Even assuming there's some degree of assist from the OS side......... Did he really snipe me with hip-fire?)

Shooting by aiming visually without looking through the scope. Alternatively, by synchronizing with the Tactical Mech, one could replicate the same conditions as looking through a scope even while hip-firing...... but regardless, the shooting posture was unstable and unsuitable for sniping......... However.

(If he can do that......)

While imagining the possibilities, Rust wrapped herself in the Tactical Mech she deployed while paying close attention within the smoke, thinking that her guess was probably correct.

The opponent surely had an accurate grasp of Rust's position. It could be through sound, the smoke, or perhaps just intuition. Yet, despite that, he wasn't firing. The conceivable possibilities were.........

(......He's waiting for me to come out. Does he intend to duel?)

No, he must intend to duel. After all, she was the mysterious Tactical Mech user who had toyed with the other members excluding Eclair. A 1v1 with her would make for some incredible stream highlights.

(I see.)

And that was exactly what Rust wanted as well. Flaunting her power and making them understand......... That was another hidden agenda of Rust's.

"......Fine, I accept your challenge."

<<Oh?>>

"......I said I accept your 1v1duel."

<<.........Nice〜. I'm really grateful you're willing to play along especially at a time like this〜. I mean, c'mon〜!>>

<<I'm certainly thankful for that, considering half our members are already wiped out......... No, seriously, you're way too strong.>>

<<Well, naturally I won't backstab you and get in the way of a duel......... I'll just go ahead and attack the main keep without holding back.>>

<<......Why am I still not dead yet? That guy Choco died before me.>>

Starting with the Tactical MechDonut missing its left arm—who was surviving so long it even surprised Rust a little—the three remaining members of the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps moved away from Rust and Eclair. It seemed they truly had no intention of launching a surprise attack from behind.

<<Well then〜......... What should we do for the 'ready, set, go' signal〜?>>

"......How about standing back-to-back, taking five steps, and then turning?"

<<Love it〜!>>

And so it truly came to be. Was it simply boundless, carefree optimism, or was it the arrogance of believing he would win under any conditions, or perhaps............ the tolerance born from being able to enjoy both victory and defeat equally?

Emerging from the smoke clad in the "Crimson" Tactical Mech, Rust stood back-to-back with Eclair's Tactical Mech...... Electric Shock ConfectioneryEclair No. 3 @ GGMC, who had intentionally holstered his dual handguns back at his waist.

To those watching the battle through the meteor iron mirror deployed by Eclair, it must have looked quite bizarre. Depending on how you looked at it, a bronze cowboy who could even be seen as obese, and a crimson boxer equipped with excessively massive "fists," were standing back-to-back preparing for a quick-draw showdown.

<<O〜ne.>>

One step forward.

"......Two."

Two steps forward.

<<Three.>>

Three steps forward. Gagon, a mechanical sound echoed from the crimson fist.

"Four."

Four steps forward. Gyari, the bronze spurs clinked at his heels.

That single beat felt like an hour of silence──────

"<<Five.>>"

The next instant, without turning around, the bronze Electric Shock Confectionery No. 3 @ GGMC drew the handgun from his waist and fired directly behind him.

"......!!"

However, at the exact same timing, the boosters mounted all over her body fired at full power to execute a rightward spin. Driven by terrifying acceleration and centrifugal force, the massive crimson fist delivered a backhand strike that punched the bullet away from the side.

<<Hyu~! Not bad〜!>>

"......Acrobatics."

<<It's a hidden talent, y'know〜!>>

This time he turned around properly, Electric Shock Confectionery No. 3 @ GGMC aiming dual handguns, having drawn the second one into his other hand at some point.

And RS:◇ "Sengaku HisaiAnnihilating-Jaw Scarlet Smash" readied its fists in a fighting pose with an unusually deep forward lean.

The strongest invader and the strongest defender. The one-on-one duel of steel against steel now began, accompanied by the sounds of shooting and striking.

---

Author's Afterword

・RS:◇ "Sengaku HisaiAnnihilating-Jaw Scarlet Smash"

A melee-combat Tactical Mech Cube-Men manufactured with a concept that was far too sharp—specialized specifically for anti-Tactical Mech and close-quarters melee combat. Similar to the Coracias Lilac that Sunraku created in Nephilim Hollow, it is equipped with boosters and offensive armor all over its body, drastically improving the output of its martial arts by activating the boosters during an attack. In short, it is a Type-Men built entirely for brawling with a concept that is far too simple: "I won't fall; I will knock you down." Its attack range is 2 meters, but its effective engagement range is 10 meters. The reason is that within a 10-meter radius, it can close the distance in under 2 seconds by running its boosters at full power.

Also, as an aside:

・RS:◇ "Gyokuseki KonkouJewel-Stone Navy Assault"

Although not to the extent of Sengaku Hisai, this is a shooting-type Cube-Men specialized for anti-Tactical Mech combat. It is designed with a simple concept that heavily relies on the user's skill: suppressing the opponent with the external shooting armament "Stone" (Ishi), while delivering the finishing blow with the main body's built-in high-firepower cannon "Jewel" (Gyoku). The high-firepower cannon "Jewel" can slide along rails mounted from its back to its waist, allowing for both shoulder-mounted and waist-mounted bombardment. Furthermore, by aiming the barrel directly backward, it can even execute surprise bombardments from the rear.

This is what turned Honey Toast into a honeycomb.