Aki’s Wish Comes True
「No good. There are too many Kakodaimon.」
The pilot of the Type-0 muttered under his breath. These weapons, modeled after bizarre lifeforms, could hardly be called powerful, but their sheer number was overwhelming—it almost seemed as if they were spawning infinitely.
Their mission was to protect the people of Libya, but with this many enemies, it was only a matter of time before some slipped through and attacked the civilians.
「Damn it!」
The Type-0 had shifted to close combat, but at that moment, a Kakodaimon in the likeness of a centipede emerged from behind.
「Nya!」
Just as the creature lunged at the Type-0, an Eidolon with the appearance of a giant calico cat tackled it, saving the pilot in the nick of time.
「A cat… saved me!」
For some reason, the Type-0 pilot boasted about it over the comms, much to the frustration of his comrades.
「Garuda and Seth are fighting in the air. The real problem is Fenrir. Fenrir and its kin, the Hati pack, are formidable foes.」
「Canines are the enemy…」
「Aki! Pull yourself together, nya! Humanity is safe because cats will protect them, nya!」
「At this rate, Kou will become even more of a cat person…!」
For Aki, this was a matter of utmost importance.
「Let’s go, Bastet!」
「Nyaa!」
Bastet was carrying Unit 5 and rampaging across the battlefield against the Teras. Their movements were so fluid and precise that it seemed as if the machine and the cat had fused into a single entity—more like a centaur of steel and fur rather than separate beings.
Occasionally, it even fired laser beams from its eyes, incinerating enemies on the spot. The other feline-type Eidolons were doing the same.
「Why do all feline Eidolons shoot lasers from their eyes…?」
「Because a cat’s eyes hold magical power, nya. Naturally, it’s a manifestation of myth, nya. Bastet is said to possess the eyes of the sun god, nya.」
「Astraea, don’t you have anything to say about this?」
「Not particularly.」
「Isn’t analyzing things your reason d être? Are you going to abandon it?!」
「It’s a well-known fact that cats’ eyes are believed to have magical properties. The myth has simply manifested, turning that magic into lasers. There’s no other way to explain it.」
Astraea seemed entirely unbothered by this development. In fact, at this point, it looked like she had completely given up on making sense of Mythology Weapons altogether.
「This is the East Block. The enemy’s second wave offensive… It’s brutal!」
「They’re attacking from all four directions—east, west, south, and north. The Teras intend to settle things here.」
Astraea analyzed the situation.
In the sky, Garuda and Seth were locked in a fierce aerial battle. The enemy forces had overwhelming numbers, primarily due to the grotesque Kakodaimon weapons.
The Trireme fleet was moving in to provide support, but their capabilities were stretched to the limit. On the ground, the Kryptos were fighting desperately, but no matter how advanced their technology, there was only so much they could do against this overwhelming wave of simultaneous attacks.
「If only we had a few more units… I know it’s selfish to ask, but still.」
Eri muttered. In single combat, they had the upper hand. However, the enemy also had some powerhouses, the Teras—especially those based on Antique Silhouettes, were formidable opponents. These Teras, added to the overwhelming numbers of Kakodaimons, were slowly but surely overwhelming them
「Evacuations are almost complete! Just hold on a little longer!」
To gain air superiority, they needed to take down the large-class Teras in aerial combat. But right now, the relentless ground assaults made even taking off a challenge.
Then—
「Huh? That howl…?」
A distant howl echoed across the battlefield. Its sheer volume was beyond anything natural.
The feline-type Eidolons all suddenly lifted their heads toward the sky, their ears twitching in unison. A chorus of ‘Nyaa, nyaa!’ erupted from them.
「They’re calling out for something, telling it to hurry up and come, nya!」
The cat interpreter, Nyanta, wasted no time in explaining their cries.
「Something? But what—」
It was as if Aki’s prayer had reached the heavens.
「Message from the East Block! Dog-type Eidolons have arrived for reinforcements… total count: a hundred dogs… no, over a hundred units!」
「Thank you for the report. Whether you call them ‘units’ or ‘dogs’ or ‘cats’ is acceptable.」
Astraea fully understood the instinct to refer to them as living creatures rather than machines.
「The dogs are here!」
Aki practically jumped for joy. The canine-type Familias let out a unified cheer of excitement.
「That must be the leader of the pack… The boss of the hounds… A pure white mountain wolf!」
At the head of the charge, a massive white dog surged forward, leading the pack with unwavering intensity.
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「I’ll try speaking with them right away! Astraea, can you transmit my voice?」
「Communication is crucial. Understood.」
Aki initiated a transmission signal, attempting to converse. Despite their appearance as ordinary dogs, these were still Mythology weapons.
「Wan!」
「Wan-wan!」
When Aki barked, the leading dog responded promptly.
「Waoo—n!」
「Wan!」
Aki tilted her head in confusion.
「I figured out its name, but… I don’t really understand it. It says its name is Shippeitarou. It seems to be of Japanese origin, like Kou’s homeland.」
The word ‘Tarou’ in his name was enough for Aki to make the connection.
「Shippeitarou, you say?! Why is it using the local name it is known in Iwata, Takaha-kun’s hometown?! It should use Hayatarou, the one we use in Nagano instead!」
Kinukawa suddenly cut into the comms, standing up in outrage. Though Shippeitarou’s legend’s original site was farther away, Kinukawa had lived in Nagano and clearly had strong feelings about it.
「Shouldn’t you just be happy that a group of doggies arrived to help us?」
Eri, a proud dog lover, chided Kinukawa.
「Aki-kun, could you ask the pack leader if it’s actually Hayatarou?」
「Huh? Oh, uh… okay. Um—waoon?」
「Wan!」
「It says Hayatarou is fine too, since it’s basically the same thing.」
Aki relayed the answer, tilting her head in confusion.
「I knew it. He’s Hayatarou. Excellent.」
Kinukawa nodded in deep satisfaction before sitting back down.
「Kinukawa, is there a legend about this Hayatarou? I can’t seem to find anything on it in my database.」
Astraea inquired, curious about this name dispute.
「In Nagano, it’s called Hayatarou, while in Shizuoka, it’s known as Shippeitarou. It’s a legendary spirit dog that defeated a monstrous, baboon-like mountain ape demanding human sacrifices. However, it lost its life in the battle. Both names are revered and beloved in their respective regions.」
「Verification complete. Thank you. Registering Mythology Weapon Eidolon: Hayatarou. Like the feline Eidolons, be mindful of friendly fire.」
「With a history like that, there’s no doubt it’s an ally of humanity! The dogs following it are collectively called Cu Sith, based on the fairy hounds from Scottish mythology!」
Aki beamed with excitement, not only thrilled about the reinforcement but also eager to show off the extra knowledge she had picked up.
「Attention to all canine-type Familias. To facilitate communication with the allied Cu Sith Eidolons, those available should board the MCSs.」
Upon hearing this, the dog-type Familias and canine Therianthropes began standing up in unison, preparing to comply.
「I wonder if there’s a penguin-type Eidolon? Maybe someone under Leviathan?」
「Foxes and wolves are part of the canine family, so they should be able to communicate too.」
「There must be a ton of avian-type Eidolons out there… Hurry up and show up already! Wait, we have one right here; Garuda-san is already part of the Kryptos!」
The conversation quickly shifted as the various Familias eagerly speculated on whether Eidolons of their own species would make an appearance.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「Can you hear me, Astraea? This is Eirene. No time for small talk, so I’ll skip the details and get straight to the point—I just sent an Artificial Kryptos your way. It should be arriving soon.」
「That’s skipping too many details. Send me the data. Or is there something you can’t say?」
「Well, yeah!」
「First of all, what do you mean by artificial Mythology Weapons? And why are you, stationed on Planet Asia, involved in this?」
「I’m still cosplaying as you, don’t worry!」
「That is not the issue here!」
「It’s basically a fusion of British engineering and Japanese myth in its purest form?」
「That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.」
Before Astraea could press further, another transmission came in.
「This is the East Block. We’ve received reinforcements. Another Mythology Weapon saved us. When we turned around, it was just there.」
The Type-0 pilot reported hesitantly, his voice laced with uncertainty.
「Is it an ally? There’s an IFF response, but I have no further data.」
Astraea questioned him, her tone wary. While the Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) system registered it as friendly, the form of the entity itself remained unknown.
「It’s easier if you just see it for yourself. It’s a powerful ally—yes, the moment you lay eyes on it, you’ll understand it’s not an enemy.」
The image appeared on-screen.
What they saw was—
A massive spinning wheel, engulfed in roaring flames.
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