Chapter 857: December 19th: Broken Mech Phenomenon
A few minutes prior.
(Oh, lucky〜. Still, I wonder if this is just a feint? If it is, she should've just launched both hands at me〜?)
The opponent he was fighting... the player known as Rust, fought by switching between multiple Tactical Mechs, something he knew from the communications with the other members of the GUN! GUN! Mercenary Corps. Thus, even though it was a coincidence he secured a favorable matchup, Eclair kept up a constant offensive while simultaneously remaining vigilant for that one instant when she might swap Tactical Mechs, an action capable of overturning the battle situation all at once.
(This person is just so tiny〜, huh... Even if I aim for a headshot, she blocks or dodges it... So this is when a chibi avatar gives you an advantage〜.)
The character-creation trait of being small in stature can sometimes work as an advantage, but naturally, there are times when it works as a disadvantage. But in this particular battle, the fact that her head was small meant her required defensive area was small, and the fact that a tiny target was moving around at high speeds made her inherently difficult to aim at, factors that worked to Eclair's disadvantage.
While he maintained the advantage overall from start to finish, Eclair wasn't exactly having an easy fight. In reality, he was struggling with recoil control through the Tactical Mech, and on top of that, his opponent's actual flesh-and-blood body was small, possessing explosive acceleration equal to his own, and above all, she was more intimately familiar with Tactical Mechs than he was.
She was an opponent he couldn't drop his guard against for even a single second... but even so, he believed that as long as he maintained the distance advantage, he would eventually be able to checkmate her.
......
............
And now, the situation where they are connected by a chain is gradually driving Eclair into a corner.
『......!』
『Whoa!?』
With a sharp yank, Eclair's leg is pulled with intense force. Naturally, having your posture broken by a surprise attack leaves you in no state to be shooting. And if there is a single, taut chain stretching straight out and one side is pulled, then naturally, the other side is the one doing the pulling. The only one suffering the disadvantage is the one being "pulled".
『......A 10-meter diameter. Mid-range is the maximum range.』
『How annoying~!?』
Although the 【Lock Chain】 was strictly designed with monsters in mind, it naturally works to one's advantage in PvP and against Tactical Mechs as well.
Especially when operated by a Tactical Mech capable of mechanically reinforcing a living body's physical specs, even a small girl can cross blows with a wyvern.
By tethering them together with the chain, the concept of distance is placed entirely under the chain's control. As long as the chain can't be instantly removed, an element of "tug-of-war" is added to the advantages and disadvantages of range. Even someone like Eclair would have his aim ruined if his leg was physically yanked at the exact moment he shot... Let alone when the pulling force came from a Tactical Mech that turned a feeble girl into a powerhouse; one wrong move and he could fall over, strike the back of his head, and be rendered incapacitated.
In contrast, Rust, unlike Eclair whose leg was being pulled, was the one doing the pulling. Furthermore, unlike Eclair, who had the very legs necessary to brace himself tied up, her chain was connected to her arm. And above all, Sengaku Hisai is an in-fighter. Being pulled, meaning the distance was closing, was something to be welcomed.
『.........!』
The distance between Sengaku Hisai and Electric Shock Confectionery No. 3 @ GGMC is 10 meters, but that is the upper limit.
From here, it's a matter of pulling the chain connecting them... and seeing who can drag the opponent into defeat first.
The chain pulls taut. The one who got yanked......... was Sengaku Hisai.
『Legs got more power than arms, ya know~!』
With her arm pulled, Rust's posture broke ever so slightly, and without missing that brief instant, Eclair unleashes a quick-draw.
The fired bullet perfectly reflected the shooter's skill, tracing a lethal, straight path toward Sengaku Hisai's head.
『~~~!!』
Headshot. Even if it didn't shatter her skull, a concussion was unavoidable... Eclair was absolutely certain that the bullet would hit exactly there the moment he pulled the trigger, but......
『......Don't underestimate me.』
First, Eclair was surprised by Sengaku Hisai, who evaded the bullet by clinging onto the very chain she had attached to seal his leg, much like climbing a spider's thread, to pull herself forward.
『......If it's a Chain Deathmatch, I've got countermeasures so thorough they don't even register as 'meta'.』
And then, even Eclair completely froze in shock as Sengaku Hisai, from a posture just short of falling flat on her face, fired her leg boosters at maximum output, reeling the chain in at high speed as she charged head-on into him.
『Ogoff...!?』
『......An opening.』
With the distance between them closing in on absolute zero, the chain slackened and drooped. By grabbing near the end of it, Rust forced the "upper limit" of their distance down to exactly 1 meter, and carrying that momentum, swung her remaining iron fist on the right side at Electric Shock Confectionery @ GGMC.
However, Electric Shock Confectionery @ GGMC used its left arm as a makeshift shield to block the strike while firing the gun gripped in its right hand. A bullet with enough firepower to tear through Tactical Mech armor. The fact that the distance has been closed means, in other words, that they are at point-blank range where it is impossible to miss.
『That's knife-kill distance, ya know~!』
『......!』
The aim is her face. Whether it is her forehead or her nose, if it hits, instant death is inevitable, and above all, it is too close to dodge. Therefore, the choice Rust made is to intentionally take the hit in a "spot where she'd barely survive," keeping the damage to an absolute minimum.
Damage effects resembling a spray of blood erupted from Rust's cheek. It shattered the helmet covering her head and gouged her cheek, but the bullet failed to deliver the finishing blow.
『......Fugafuga.』
『What!?』
What returned in response to Eclair's question was an uppercut.
Author's Afterword
It doesn't actually have a Destruction attribute attached to it, so while there is a damage hitbox on her cheek, it wasn't actually blown off. So basically, she just said "fugofugo" super fluently, which is why Eclair went, "What!?"
He got uppercutted.
Translator's Notes
- [1] Title: The 4 character idiom this time is 怪奇現象 (Kaiki Genshō) meaning a supernatural phenomenon, paranormal activity, or a bizarre/mysterious occurrence, with 怪奇 (strange/bizarre) replaced with 壊機 (broken machine).
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