Chapter 57

"Damn it, cancel the 'safe' statement! This is historic!"

Emily, watching the battle between Glaepnir and the red colossus, cringed and shouted.

She had relaxed upon hearing it would serve as escort and was preparing to head for the Church; this setback left her mind blank.

Pshhhh-!

After the fight, Glaepnir opened its armor plates and vented hot steam.

Seeing the surrounding snow melt and run in an instant, Rick muttered.

"The red colossus is one thing, but what the hell is that...."

The red colossus that had charged like a beast.

If his eyes were right, that was the machine that had hunted countless knights on the central front.

"Rick. Did you hear the knight inside that red Frame shouting?"

"Yes. He yelled Sir Verkut's name."

While they murmured, Glaepnir's hatch opened and Yaan appeared.

"Whew!"

His body, overheated from piloting, met the winter air and exhaled white vapor.

Like Glaepnir cooling down, Yaan simply savored the aftertaste of battle.

Every muscle ached, but he neither collapsed nor passed out as before.

'My body feels less and less human.'

Watching himself rapidly acclimate to the Frame, Yaan gave a bitter smile.

"Thanks to you I'm alive, Yaan."

"Any wounded?"

At his question, Rick's group all shook their heads.

"That colossus just now is a famous Frame from the central front."

"From the central front?"

"Yes. To protect morale it wasn't made public, but...."

"Ha, morale?"

Hearing Rick, Yaan let out a hollow laugh.

He had checked the front's changes and enemy deployments dozens of times.

And yet that Frame had shown up so brazenly.

It revealed how outdated frontier intel could be without fighting.

"Any additional intel on that Frame?"

He asked, but Rick and Swain shook their heads.

"No knights who've met it have returned. Beyond appearance, nothing is known."

'Then Glaepnir's scan is the best we have.'

While he thought that, Rick continued.

"Confirmed on the central front two months ago. Records say it destroyed twenty Page colossi in one battle."

Twenty?

A rival to Glaepnir had appeared.

Thinking so, Yaan swallowed.

"And that Frame-didn't it keep calling for you?"

Emily was the one who spoke.

"I believe I fought it before."

"Do you remember anything about it?"

"Not sure."

As he tried to recall, he remembered the first time he'd activated Glaepnir.

"Ah, perhaps."

"Delranel. That was the name. A knight listed in the intel unit's roster."

When Rick said that, Yaan continued as if it had just come back to him.

"The knight who raided the colossus excavation site here long ago."

Back then it had been Neil who fought, so it was natural he didn't remember.

"Then he bears a grudge against you, Yaan?"

"Seems so."

In battle he'd missed several elf knights.

Had it been one of them?

Thinking that, he soon shifted the topic with apparent disinterest.

"Anyway, we can't head to the Church and leave that Frame loose."

While Glaepnir escorted the delegation, if that red one attacked the base the result would be disastrous.

With House Lorenz away, defending the frontier base effectively fell to Glaepnir alone.

'I feel like we've been in this situation before.'

Irritated, Yaan stared at the spot where the red colossus had vanished.

"What will you do?"

Rick, watching him, asked.

After a moment's thought, Yaan seemed decided and spoke.

"We can't delay any longer. We have to find it and finish it."

***

"Huhh...! Huhh...!"

Alfraia Kerdan frontline base.

From the time he reached the base until he crawled from the battered Frame, a full day had passed.

After a night, Delranel burst from the red colossus as if fleeing, then collapsed and writhed for thirty minutes.

He clutched a heart that felt ready to burst.

"D-Delranel! What in the-"

Kalrel, pale at seeing his friend in agony, asked.

When the hood fell away, even the watching Orcs gasped.

"C-covered in blood...!"

Veins like cords bulged across his body.

He'd coughed blood; gore spattered him everywhere.

"The price... of piloting that Frame. More than ten minutes and your heart literally bursts."

Delranel, speaking in gasps, looked ready to die.

An hour passed.

When at last he rose, the Orcs and elves at the base recoiled in terror.

"Frame status?"

At his flat question, even the Orc mechanics answered in fear.

"L-left arm is completely twisted. We hurriedly attached Colossus Four's arm...."

"Fine. That'll do. Out of my way."

He trudged toward the Frame.

"Delranel, what are you doing!?"

Kalrel moved to block him.

"Don't stop me, Kalrel! I finally met him! The one who killed my comrades!"

"You'll die if you go like this! Rest first!"

"Let go-!"

Thoom-!

A shock wave burst where Delranel stood, filled with mana.

"Gah?!"

Kalrel lost balance and fell.

Looking up, his eyes widened.

"A-aura...?"

Mana rippled like flames-an aura wielded only by knights of legend.

'Impossible... mana visible to the eye?'

"Grr!"

Delranel seized Kalrel's collar and shoved his blackened face close.

"I have nothing left! Nothing but vengeance for my fallen comrades!"

The voice with which Delranel shouted was closer to a scream.

"Ready your sword! This time, I will kill Yan Verkut-erase him!"

Moments later, the first flare shot skyward from the Alfraian camp.

"Single combat by the knight's code... you've spared me the trouble of coming to find you."

The Vailsar camp, recognizing the signal, lofted an answering flare.

Piuuuu-!

In that bygone age-the age of swords.

This era's duels were modeled on the knightly single combats once fought before full-scale battle began.

"Signal confirmed. Preparations complete."

"Delranel... you...."

From each forward base rose a colossus of alien shape.

Krrrrr....

First, the ashen colossus stepped out of the human lines.

With no bullets left for the Rail Cannon, it bore three greatswords-one on each shoulder and one at its waist.

Woooooom-!

Rising to meet it, the red colossus.

Dwarfing Glaepnir, it carried a titanic greatsword in each hand that matched its own bulk.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Soon the two giants closed on each other.

After gauging the distance, each pilot slowly drew his weapon and stared the other down.

A brief silence.

Then Delranel's red colossus charged first.

-Aaaaaaah!

Clang-!

Sparks flew as the blades clashed. Glaepnir's sword, forged of the special steel used for Rail Cannon rounds, parried the descending giant blade.

Screeech!

Just as in the mock battle with Cain, Glaepnir twisted its blade in an instant and deflected the red colossus's strike.

Kwaang-!

The ground where the blow landed exploded, showering debris.

Seizing the opening, Glaepnir released its first sword and drew the second.

"An opening!"

Glaepnir's blade flashed toward the red colossus's head the moment its fist struck the ground.

Crunch!

But the blade, inches away, was deflected by a gray arm thrust forward-its path skewed.

"Crazy bastard, tearing off your own arm!?"

As Yaan cursed at the unexpected move, the red colossus's fist exploded into him.

Thwack-!

"Gah!?"

The colossus's fist slammed square into the abdomen.

The impact from the spike-fitted fist fed back to the pilot; vision blurred as if he might collapse any second.

"Is that all!"

Yet the pilot in this cockpit had earned the right to ancient weapon Tauros.

At Yaan's instant command, Glaepnir flung open every armor plate.

"Nill, release it!"

[Order confirmed. Synchronization lock disengaged.]

Psssssh!

Black smoke, like a cloak, billowed out and wrapped Glaepnir, veiling Delranel's eyes.

-A cheap trick like this!

Yet perhaps driven by obsession and madness, Delranel hoisted the remaining greatsword with one arm and swung it with all his might at the onrushing Glaepnir.

[Warning. Enemy close-combat weapon approaching.]

'If I try to deflect or block this badly, I die. Then-!'

Whoosh-!

Delranel's greatsword scythed at the charging Glaepnir. Glaepnir's blade rose to meet it, redirecting the force upward.

Thwang-!

The red colossus's right arm shot skyward with Glaepnir's arm. Glaepnir stepped in closer, seized the chest plate with both hands.

"As soon as I tear off the armor, open the cockpit!"

[Order confirmed.]

Ssssscrack-!

Glaepnir ripped the seized armor plates apart.

The red colossus's right arm hammered Glaepnir's back without mercy, but Yaan, linked to the Frame, absorbed the blow and leveled his pistol at the open cockpit.

"Yaaaaan! Yan Verkuuuuut-!"

Veins bulging across his body, Delranel screamed like a madman as Yaan approached.

"Die and be done with it."

With those words, Yaan pulled the trigger on Delranel.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out in succession.

And after them, silence inevitably returned.

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