Assault Colossus of the Nemesis Warfront - Chapter 66

Dual swords–a term for two swordsmen facing one another in a duel.

The two’s standoff continued.

However, they weren’t standing still. They opened the distance by moving around the arena while mutually restraining one another.

They also had to constantly pay attention to their machine’s remaining propellant. They moved by walking, running, and using their machine’s thrusters interchangeably. They refrained from dashing using their rollers.

They were poised to close the gap in an instant once they spot an opening.

「It’s like watching a battle between the fighter planes of old.」

「It’s still a bit better since they aren’t maneuvering above or below the other. ……However–」

「What’s wrong? What’s with the suggestive sigh?」

「If Kou continues to develop Silhouettes, I was wondering if battles like this would eventually involve this level of 3D maneuvering in the future.」

「That’s……」

Jenny understood where Fuyuki’s unease was coming from.

She was one of the few pilots using flight-capable Silhouettes after all. But even her current machine wasn’t capable of such acceleration and mobility. It could only go up to around 300 km/h at best.

She didn’t even want to imagine a future where this kind of transonic battle was commonplace.

「The bird called shrike is very fast and maneuverable while in flight. They generate up to 6 Gs when accelerating to catch prey. –You can see why those machine’s designers chose their names by witnessing this battle.」

Aki was also intently watching the battle between the two.

The two machines fixed their stances.

It seems like they were finally done sounding each other out.

Wurger brought its arms upward and a bit away from the left side of its head, with the tip of the zweihander held in its hands pointing toward Unit 5. –It was the Ochs (Ox) stance.

「Tenyoko…… No, it’s different. It’s Joukaku rank at most.」

Kou was familiar with such a stance. It was also called the kasumi no kamae (mist stance). Even if they were practically the same technique, they went by various names depending on each swordsmanship school. It was easy to transition to a slash or thrust from the stance.

The terms Kou muttered were the ones used by his own swordsmanship school for their stances.

Kou had learned under two schools. He changed gears and focused on the school that most resembled his opponent’s techniques. Cognition ability was essential to effectively pilot Silhouettes.

Kou currently had the initiative.

Wurger had better acceleration and top speed, but Unit 5’s thrusters had the edge when it came to sustained performance.

He also had an idea about why his opponent doesn’t go at full throttle for too long. It’s because their machines were essentially humanoid in shape. Hence, fuel efficiency wasn’t one of their strong points.

Eventually, Kou decided to concede the initiative to Kurt.

After all, his swordsmanship only comes alive after letting the enemy make the first move.

After detecting an opening, Kurt instantly had his machine accelerate forward.

This time around, it was Kou that was stationary.

If he gets the timing off even by just a bit, he’d be cut in two.

The moment Kurt’s Wurger reached its top speed, Kou activated his own machine’s thrusters at full throttle.

The two raced past each other once more. Sparks scattered from the ground, followed by another deafening boom.

This time around, the one on the offensive and the one defending were reversed. Unit 5 used one leg as a pivot to forcibly perform a turn. It performed one with a minimal amount of movement. The resulting inertial force caused the machine to slide back on its own.

The opponent also did the same. In the blink of an eye, the Wurger was already closing in on Unit 5 once more. The machine’s stability, weight, and mobility. The Wurger was capable of correcting its posture faster than the Lanius. It took advantage of the same principle that Kou used when he went up against the Falco.

It quickly performed a sideways slash with its zweihander.

Kou changed his own weapon’s position. Unit 5 dropped its waist and placed its sword diagonally to the side. Unlike the waki-gamae stance, the sword wasn’t hidden behind the torso.

In that position, he made his machine take half a step back. With this, he disturbed the pace of his opponent a bit.

It was only a short difference in distance. But making the Wurger perform an extra step forward was enough to mess with the timing of its attack.

Unit 5 then dashed forward as if to perform a ramming attack, but transitioned into performing an upward slash. The Wurger moved its upper body to try and avoid it, making its own slash lose some momentum.

Even though the Wurger’s left arm got severed, the zweihander’s sideways slash still found its mark. Unit 5’s right torso got ripped apart, but it was still capable of continuing the battle.

However, Kou’s machine obviously suffered more damage this time around. Kurt’s Wurger held its sword aloft with its remaining arm in preparation for the next attack.

It appeared very much like an indomitable knight.

Alerts went off within Unit 5’s cockpit.

Kou hurriedly formulated his next move. When he transitioned to another fighting stance to continue the battle, Kurt contacted him through the comm.

「It looks like this is a draw. That was an excellent showing, young man.」

「Huh?」

「My Wurger has lost its arm, and your Lanius suffered critical damage. Damage to a Silhouette’s torso could lead to a pilot’s death. This should be a good time to stop.」

「……Understood.」

「Fufu. You’re making a face that’s practically saying you’d like to continue. Actually, I too want to continue this bout. But there’s really no need to be fixated on victory or defeat in a contest like this, correct?」

「I suppose.」

Kurt did have a point, Kou thought.

In the first place, Kurt had already limited himself by fighting on a ring. If they used guns and fought on a wider field, then the difference in skill would be more pronounced.

Kou didn’t want to waste Kurt’s consideration, so he agreed to the match being a draw.

「Man. I really want a sword sheath.」

Kou muttered a wish that came from the bottom of his heart.

On the other hand, Kurt wasn’t as calm as he outwardly seemed.

He would probably have been able to secure a win if they continued the battle. However, Unit 5 hadn’t lost any limbs. His machine, however, lost an arm. Hence, nothing was actually certain.

His proposal was basically just the sad excuse of a sly old man, but the lad opposite him probably thought he was just being considerate. How young, he inwardly mused.

It’s been thirty years since he was first transferred to Planet Asia. He didn’t anticipate being forced to a corner by a young man that only got transferred a few short months ago.

(A young swordsman who’s also a Development Engineer huh. Things are certainly getting very interesting.)

Kurt’s smile deepened further.

「You were superb, Kou. I really enjoyed our battle.」

「It was fun for me as well, Kurt-san. Thank you very much for the opportunity.」

When the two met inside the control room, they exchanged a firm handshake. Their actions appeared quite natural.

「Did you manage to learn something from it?」

「Of course! I learned a lot!」

Kurt jointly developed the Lanius prototype with Takaba Hyoue.

He was also a very skilled swordsman. Kou considered himself very lucky to have engaged a man like him in a mock battle. He regarded it as a very valuable experience.

Even if it was settled as a draw, he still felt that he had lost the match.

「Fuyuki-san. Jenny-san. Our company’s sales department would like to discuss a deal with you. How about it? Will you hear us out?」

「Of course.」

Kurt called out to the man behind him.

「This young man managed to draw with me in battle, and these are his colleagues. Make sure that you aren’t rude to them.」

「Understood!」

The man replied in a trembling voice. He didn’t expect to meet a young man who actually managed to fight Kurt to a draw. He looked at Kou with a respectful gaze.

「I’d like to have a one-on-one talk with Kou next. It would be an exchange between two Development Engineers.」

「Certainly. Please do teach Kou about various things.」

Jenny replied with a genial smile. Inwardly, Kou thought she was like his big sister.

「Understood. Well then, shall we, Kou?」

After being prompted by Kurt, Kou hurriedly followed him.