Child of the Sun
Amidst the blizzard, Bastet continued to walk. The black cat would never falter. As the pack of Hati lunged, Unit 5 mounted on Bastet slashed them down.
「How should we take them down…?」
「Nyaa?」
Bastet turned toward Unit 5 and let out a meow.
「Nyawn.」
Master responded from inside Aimer’s body.
「She wants you to create an opening. After that, we should pull back at full speed. It seems she intends to settle this in one decisive move.」
「Understood.」
Unit 5 separated from Bastet and confronted the massive canine-shaped Mythology Weapon.
「Does Fenrir have any mythical weak points?」
「Fenrir is the fearsome wolf that devoured even the chief god of Norse mythology, Odin. That is the origin of its name. In the myths, it was defeated when someone stomped on its lower jaw with thick-soled sandals and drove a sword into it.」
「That sounds like a sure way to get bitten in half…」
「You better not try that with Unit 5!」
「I know!」
Even Kou had no intention of diving into the mouth of a Mythology Weapon that was likely based in a space cruiser.
「But why is it affecting the weather…?」
「Seriously! The mechanism is completely unknown, these Mythology Weapons have way too many bizarre special abilities.」
In response to Kou and Asia’s shared doubts, Astraea provided an answer.
「Analysis complete. Most likely, this originates from the mythological concept of ‘Moon Devourers,’ which is associated with Fenrir’s offspring in Norse mythology. The legend has been sublimated into a function that manipulates helium, which was believed to have been abundant in the moon of ancient Earth, thus enabling climate control.」
「You mean helium-3 and helium-4?」
「That’s correct, Asia. It’s a process called dilution refrigeration—using a mixture of liquid helium-3 and helium-4 to extract heat through dilution. In other words, an ability to manipulate extreme low-temperature environments. That is Fenrir’s power.」
「I don’t see how the legend of a ‘Moon Devourer’ connects to helium at all.」
Kou understood the scientific explanation, but the connection between the moon and helium still didn’t make sense to him.
「It’s nonsense, but it still counts as logic, I suppose. That’s the only way to put it. Fenrir’s children are said to devour the sun and bring about eclipses. Wolves, in turn, came to symbolize natural disasters themselves.」
Asia said, looking exasperated.
Still far away, Fenrir roared.
From beneath its feet, a tidal wave of ice surged forward, crashing toward Unit 5 and the Cait Siths like a mountainous avalanche.
Kou’s eyes widened.
「Run! That’s not just ice!」
「Nyaa!」
Reacting to Kou’s warning, Master hastily translated his orders.
Unit 5 took flight, narrowly evading the attack, while the Cait Siths hastily leaped away.
「Gyaa!」
One Cait Sith failed to escape in time. It was struck hard, sent tumbling across the ground. Its right leg had been destroyed at the joint, rendering any fusion nearly impossible.
「Damn it. I won’t forgive you.」
Suppressing his rage, Kou steadied himself. Unit 5 landed, lowering its stance as its hand gripped the hilt of its weapon.
「How did you know, Kou? That it wasn’t just ice?」
Even Asia hadn’t noticed.
「I’ve seen it once before… Abel-san’s ice dreadnought. The ice armor—it can be used as a mass weapon.」
「Ah!」
Asia and Aimer, who was currently lending her body to Asia, both realized it at the same time. Kou was referring to Moby Dick, the ice dreadnought Abel had created.
「Whis can pass through ice. I’m glad I remembered in time.」
「What a horrible weapon! If the British hadn’t set a precedent, we wouldn’t have been able to counter it.」
Even Asia hadn’t expected ice to be weaponized as a mass projectile. But, as expected of British ingenuity—the nation that had once pioneered countless war machines. Who would have thought that an ice dreadnought would serve as a useful precedent in battle?
「At least it doesn’t move as fast as a shell… but using ice reinforced by an A-Carbuncle as a weapon is brutal.」
It was a monstrous mass weapon.
「Let’s go, Bastet!」
「Nya!」
Unit 5 deployed its plasma barrier, ignited its thrusters to full power, and charged forward.
The pack of Hati moved to intercept, but Unit 5 leaped over them, heading straight for Fenrir.
Meanwhile, Bastet crouched low, as if preparing for something.
「Gwoooon!」
Fenrir unleashed another icy assault, but Unit 5 countered by melting it with its superheated plasma.
Extreme cold was a formidable threat, but Unit 5 fought back with plasma fueled by metallic hydrogen, burning at its absolute limit.
「If it’s a canine—!」
Unit 5 lunged straight for Fenrir’s snout.
It was a blind spot. Even if Fenrir had sensors, this was still one of the easiest places to exploit for a surprise attack.
A slash came down toward Fenrir’s forehead.
For a brief moment, the massive beast writhed, instinctively trying to shake off the attack.
「Now!」
Unit 5 sprang backward, repositioning itself beneath Fenrir’s head. In a swift motion, it drove its sword deep into the lower jaw—then tore it open.
「Guaaah!」
「Yes! Kou, now! Sprint through at full speed!」
「Is it going to fire lasers from its eyes? Got it!」
Following Master’s advice, Unit 5 fired its thrusters to maximum output and dashed beneath Fenrir’s feet, making a swift escape.
Fenrir thrashed its head, searching for Unit 5. Its full attention was locked onto its evasive target.
That was the moment Bastet, who had been crouching low, rose to its feet.
「Nyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!」
With a resounding roar, white plasma erupted from its left eye.
Fenrir took a direct hit—silently, it began to melt away.
The surrounding ice also vanished in an instant.
「W-What the hell is that…?」
「—Analysis complete. It is the sublimation of Bastet’s mythological trait. The legend of the Child of the Sun, to be more precise. Bastet’s attack reproduced a solar flare. How it managed to reproduce such an effect is completely unknown.」
「What do you mean?」
「As the child of the sun god Ra, Bastet is said to possess the Eye of Ra, a force capable of incinerating everything. This is in line with the legend. However, the sheer power is unprecedented—it’s practically a miniature sun.」
「Is it really that incredible?」
「It is a solar flare, generated from coronal plasma at temperatures exceeding a million degrees. It is a charged particle storm capable of releasing an energy output surpassing ten million hydrogen bombs, carrying its own shockwave. The fact that it has been recreated by a weapon of the size of a Silhouette is beyond comprehension.」
「Truly an Another Level Silhouette.」
「Yeah… It might even rival Arthur.」
Kou was in awe, and Asia agreed.
As expected, it was on another dimension entirely—the name Another Level was truly fitting.
「What do you mean, Kou!?」
Astraea couldn’t ignore this revelation and immediately pressed for an explanation.
「Kou! We never told Astraea, did we? That Bastet is a Mythology Weapon based on an Another Level Silhouette.」
They had encountered Bastet on their way to meet Astraea. Arthur had been the one to reveal Bastet’s true nature to them.
「No… we didn’t.」
Only now did Kou and Asia realize their mistake—they had completely failed to relay this crucial information to Astraea.
It was a major oversight.
Granted, they had jumped straight into battle upon arrival, leaving no time for explanations. Still, it was something they should have shared sooner.
「So you’re saying… Bastet is an autonomous Another Level Silhouette?」
Astraea trembled slightly. It was rare for her to react this way—but she quickly regained composure.
If this were true, it was information powerful enough to disrupt the balance between entire planetary factions.
She almost felt grateful that Bastet was aligned with them.
But with two precedents already in existence, there was a real possibility that the Teras side possessed something similar.
「Kou. Asia. We need to talk—later.」
With a coldness that rivaled even Fenrir’s ice, Astraea delivered her words.
「Understood…」
「Yes…」
It had been a critical failure in communication. Kou and Asia had no choice but to accept their reprimand.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
「Kou! Bastet—!」
On the screen, Bastet lay curled up, completely drained.
At a glance, it looked like a sleeping cat, but Kou and Asia immediately recognized that this was no ordinary rest—something was wrong.
「It must have overused its energy. That wasn’t something the size of a Silhouette should be able to do. She must have pushed herself to the absolute limit to defeat Fenrir.
「We need to get her to the Astraea immediately!」
Unit 5 executed a sharp turn and rushed back toward Bastet.
「Would feeding it metallic hydrogen help?」
「It’s better than doing nothing.」
「Yeah. Alright, let’s take Bastet with us.」
Unit 5 stood beside Bastet.
「What about the injured Cait Sith?—Kasha, can you adjust your firepower to carry it on your axis?」
「Of course I can! Leave it to me!」
Even in this situation, the Kasha remained as reliable as ever.
「I’m counting on you.」
Unit 5 carefully placed the wounded Cait Sith onto the Kasha.
「Nyaa, nyaa.」
The other Cait Siths surrounded them protectively, as if standing guard.
「Bastet, hang in there.」
Unit 5 activated its armored muscles, pushing its output to the maximum. It hoisted Bastet onto its back.
Carrying the massive feline, Unit 5 sprinted forward.
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